Agape forum member Aaron Long (RonnieRex) shared this great looking Hurricane in some markings you don’t see very often. Great work Aaron!

Stick a fork in it and call it done! The LusoCane is ready for test flight. I want to thank Jim (shutterace) for gifting me with this lovely kit, what a blessing.

Portuguese aircraft have always interested me because I spent a large portion of my life in Lisbon, Portugal. While I never saw a Hurricane while I was there, I learned recently that a number of surplus Spitfires and Hurricanes were sold to Portugal after or close to the end of WWII. This discovery got me fired up to build some of these Hurricanes and Spitfires. I bought a set of Carpena decals from a gentleman in our club, and thanks to Jim, the rest is history.

While not an easy build, due to the inserts, Hasegawa’s Mk.IIc kit is a lot of fun. The biggest trouble was the lower fuselage wing join seam that was hard to fix because of the ribbing. After sorting that out, the rest work out fine. I used Tamiya, MM, Citadel, and Mr. Hobby paints.

I wish I had more references for this build, as I would really like to know the history of these surplus warbirds. I do have a picture showing a Portuguese Hurricane with the night fighter exhaust blinders installed, so I added them to mine. Artistic license or not, I did it.

Forum member Ross McArthur shared this great looking P-40M with us. You can’t go wrong building a P-40! Looks great Ross!

Had rather a bit more fun on this than the P-40K. Maintaining momentum is most of the battle. Enjoyed my first foray into using oils and acrylic artist’s paint for ‘filters’. Next time, though, I’ll fire up the Japan dryer for the oils. They stay a little sticky too long. Not good when I’m on a roll, having to ‘hurry up and wait’.

The 0.2mm AB is a revelation for better shading/fading effects. Dunno why I didn’t get it years ago. Oh, I know why. I’m impatient.  Using milky-thin paint and going slow was about up there with pulling teeth.

Forum member Dale “Hutch” Hutchinson posted this gorgeous Spitfire Mk. IX he recently finished. I built this kit a few years ago- this is how I wished it would have turned out. Great work Hutch!

Well, I finally got her done….I am quite pleased with the results.  I salute Tamiya for the finest kit I’ve ever put together.

This is a continuation from Monday’s interview with Stewart Meikle of 3D-Kits. Today I’ll look at using two of the 3D-Kits sets in a build.

I’ve always had a love/hate relationship with aftermarket sets. I love the additional detail they can add to a build, yet I hate the fact that I seem to be unable to get more resin and/or photoetch parts to ever really work out right. I’ve ruined entire kits trying to mate resin conversions to a fuselage. I’ve spent money on photoetch sets, only to end up with one-third of the parts glued in to the kit in less than satisfactory fashion, one-third glued to me or somewhere on the floor, and the final third left in frustration on the photoetch fret.

It’s not so much that the parts don’t fit (in most cases), or that the directions aren’t clear. It’s simply the fact that whatever modeling talent I have runs out when confronted with aftermarket parts.

And then I found 3D-Kits and their wonderful injected plastic aftermarket parts. Read the rest of this entry »

I normally avoid resin or photoetch after market parts. I seem to have a talent for messing them up, gluing small metal parts to my forehead, or oversanding resin until it’s unusable. (And those are not exaggerations.)

 When I have tried to make a go of them, I’d end up sitting back and wondering “why doesn’t someone make this stuff from regular old plastic?’

Thankfully, someone has!

3D-Kits, a small after-market operation based in the UK, has begun producing high quality after market conversion sets. The man behind the company, Stewart Meikle, graciously took his time to tell us more about his work.

You can also read Part II of this report here, detailing the use of two of 3D-Kits aftermarket sets. Read the rest of this entry »

I’ve built a lot of Spitfires. Forty-four, in fact, over the last six years. In all those builds though, I had not built Hasegawa’s Spitfire Mk. Vb. I’d always heard it was a fine kit, but I had not encountered one at a time when I was in a plastic buying mood.

This past November, my local IPMS club, Lafayette Scale Modelers, held their annual show. As I looked through vendor tables, I saw the Malta boxing of the Hasegawa Mk. V. The vendor talked about what a great kit it was, and with the Malta markings to boot. However, I had something different in mind for this kit. Read the rest of this entry »

Agape forum member Paul (FMTango) shared these photos of his completed large scale P-47D. Very nice work!

I have been dawdling on this one for a couple of months now and just finished it today. Its always nice to have a P-47 around.

Andy Mason presents Jack Jaqua with a model of 1LT Arnold Jaqua's P-40.

Modelers are often very interested in history, reading not only about the details of the kits we model, but about the lives of those who used the machines we model. it’s always wonderful to see our hobby intersect in a meaningful way with history. Andy Mason submitted this wonderful story about helping a WWII hero’s brother connect with history through a model.

Five years ago my youngest son’s 5th grade class hosted a “Bring A Veteran to School” day and my son, Max, invited a former USAF pilot from our church to be his guest. Mr. Pennington brought an old bare plastic model of the jet he flew in the 1950’s; a North American F-86. I had been on a modeling hiatus for close to 12 years, but when I saw Mr. Pennington holding that unpainted 1:48 Sabre, I thought to myself, “He really needs to have a detailed model of his jet. So two years ago at Christmas I surprised Mr. Pennington with a custom built 1:32 Kinetic F-86 complete with his squadron emblem and his name on the canopy rail. His reaction to the model when I presented it was priceless. His joy at receiving the piece was outdone by my joy of giving it to him.

Fast forward to this year. Jack Jaqua, a member at the church where I minister, is a U.S. Army veteran. He knows of my love for military aviation. Most of my parishioners do since I have my church office decorated with pictures and models of some of my favorite planes. So he told me one day that his brother flew P-40s in North Africa during WWII. He brought me a book – “P-40 Warhawk Aces of the MTO” from Osprey- chronicling the operations of the 65th FS/57th FG. His brother, 1 Lt. Arnold Jaqua is mentioned several times in the book and was credited with 3 Bf-109 kills before he was killed in action. Read the rest of this entry »

Luke 2: 1-20
Now in those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus, that a census be taken of all the inhabited earth. 2 This was the first census taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. 3 And everyone was on his way to register for the census, each to his own city. 4 Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David, 5 in order to register along with Mary, who was engaged to him, and was with child. 6 While they were there, the days were completed for her to give birth. 7 And she gave birth to her firstborn son; and she wrapped Him in cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

8 In the same region there were some shepherds staying out in the fields and keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; 11 for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 This will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” 13 And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,

14 “Glory to God in the highest,
And on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.”

15 When the angels had gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds began saying to one another, “Let us go straight to Bethlehem then, and see this thing that has happened which the Lord has made known to us.” 16 So they came in a hurry and found their way to Mary and Joseph, and the baby as He lay in the manger. 17 When they had seen this, they made known the statement which had been told them about this Child. 18 And all who heard it wondered at the things which were told them by the shepherds. 19 But Mary treasured all these things, pondering them in her heart. 20 The shepherds went back, glorifying and praising God for all that they had heard and seen, just as had been told them.

Christmas is not just about the birth of Jesus. It is about Him coming to earth, to die on the Cross, to conquer death, and to pay for all of our sins. All we have to do is accept the gift of forgiveness that is offered to us. Celebrate the birth of Jesus by accepting His gift to you today!

Agape forum member Steve Budd (Dances With Wolves) shared photos of his recently completed new-tool Airfix Spitfire. This is an absolutely outstanding example of weathering. Great work Steve!

Agape forum member Tom (spitguy) posted these photos of this wonderful Kittyhawk IV. It looks great Tom- thanks for sharing!

This is my Hasegawa 1/48 Kittyhawk Mark IV (RAF 112 Squadron, Italy 1944).  This build gave me several challenges as this is my first Desert scheme…I initially painted the underside Tamiya Sky, but quickly realized that was way too blue to substitute for Azure Blue…I corrected this by over spraying with a mix of Tamiya acrylics as recommended by several here in the forums.  I think the overall effect turned out nice in that I have some nice variations on the underside, providing a well-used look.  I also learned (too late) that the Hasegawa shark mouth decals do not completely wrap-around the air intake on the cowling as my references showed, so the shark’s mouth is a combination of decal and hand-painting…I am pretty pleased with how it turned out.  Last, I initially put the landing gear on backwards (as I nearly always do) and had to saw them off and turn them around.  This was also my first major attempt at weathering, using Mig pigments for the cordite / exhaust stains, a rather aggressive pin-wash (for me at least), and paint scuffing on the wing-walk (special thanks to Jon’s postings here in the forums).   Thanks for looking and God bless!

Forum member Gil Hodges shared his work on this stunning F4B-4. I read recently that one pilot said this plane was a “sheer joy” to fly. If it flew half as good as Gil’s model looks, I certainly believe it! Great work, brother!

This is the old Hasagawa kit. I put a Lone Star resin cockpit into it. The markings are based on one in the center of the “In Action” book.

The kit is quite good for its age (early to mid 70′s mold). The worst thing is that there’s a VERY tough seam to fill that runs along the bottom of each wing, about 1/4″ IN from the trailing edge! It has to be filled, sanded smooth, AND you either have to maintain the “scalloping” or come back and add it back in after sanding everything flat!
The Lone Star cockpit is ok. The molding is good. The fit is marginal to good. If you like to scratchbuild, I suggest doing that instead, as you can build an interior as quickly as all the work to make the resin fit correctly, especially at the top along the cockpit coaming. However, if you’re averse to building a cockpit, the Lone Star set is nicely detailed and has everything you need (and a bit more).

The colors are all Model Master enamels, except for the silver, which is Floquil Old Silver. The decals mostly came from the spares box, except for those on the vertical tail and the US NAVY on the wing bottoms, which are kit decals. Rigging was done with floral wire, blackened with a permanent marker. The prop is Alclad Chrome, over a base coat of MM gloss black enamel. The prop logos are from Archers Dry Transfers.

It was 70 years ago to day when Japan launched a surprise attack against the United States at Pearl Harbor. Over 2,400 American lives were lost. Most American aircraft were caught on the ground. Ships were lined up, prime targets for torpedo and dive bomber attacks.

In the weeks that followed, Japanese  forces advanced rapidly throughout the Pacific and Asia. It became painfully clear that America was not prepared for the attacks.

Yet respond we did, and victoriously. Flexing mighty muscles of industry and manpower, the United States and it’s Allies throughout the world overcame the tyranny that threatened to engulf the world.

Looking back, it gives me pause to consider how this parallels the life of a believer in Christ. All around us, we are opposed. The prince of this world seeks every opportunity to attack us. As believers, we cannot allow ourselves to be complacent. Rather, we must always stay in God’s Word, leading an active life of prayer in relationship with our Lord, seeking His Kingdom and His glory. The surprise attacks will still come- but we will be prepared, wearing the full armor of God.

As you pause to reflect on the great loss many years ago on this solemn day, consider your own state of spiritual preparedness. If you are a believer, stand strong in God’s Word. If you do not know Jesus as your Savior, I urge you to find out what it means to be in an eternal relationship with Jesus Christ. Our sins separate us from God eternally. It is only through the death and resurrection of Christ that we can have eternal life, admitting our sins and accepting Christ as our Savior.

Adam Coleman is a dear friend I know through my IPMS club, Lafayette Scale Modelers. Though Adam lives in Texas now, he is still a great supporter of our club’s efforts. He even took time to fly here to North Carolina for our recent show! Adam shared these great photos, as well as some thought on the building of this kit, and a bit of it’s history. Thanks so much Adam!

Well, …just in time for the end of the year!  Attached are a few pictures of my just completed Argentine Air Force (Fuerza Aerea Argentina – FAA) CH-47 Model 308 (similar to the CH-47C or BV-114).  This was a somewhat lengthy conversion of the old 1/72 scale Matchbox Ch-47D, then a modification to rebuild the nose to the longer CH-47C.    The rest of the kit was built out of the box, except for the decals, which are from the Aerocalcas Argentina set.

FAA H-93 (CG-073 B-802) was supplied to Argentina in 1980 for transport and Antarctic support.   The machine was originally painted in the Antarctic scheme, then painted overall camouflage for its wartime use in 1982, then later repainted to the model.   Markings changed slightly during this time, and also some external parts are clearly different.  As you can imagine, getting good coverage and research photos are a little hard to find, so I did my best with what I could procure.    It was a lot of fun to build, but the quality of the kit means lots of hard work too.

The nose is built from the base of the old Matchbox Strikemaster, and then made up with modeling compound. The blades were revised to the later “square” version, and there was several other minor additions.   I’m still on this kick of using what I have at the workbench, rather than buying more.. I managed to keep that concept true again.

The model depicts as H-93 may have looked in the mid-1980s as a machine attached to VII Air Brigade, III Squadron, on Antarctic duties at Marambio base.  It’s the end of the southern summer, and she has flown many hours on, and around the volcano’s of the Antarctic Peninsula. ….Weathered, dirty and about to be sent back to the mainland.

Enjoy!

Adam COleman is an IPMS member from Texas by way of Australia and North Carolina.  His first model was the 1/72 Airfix Me-262 – landing gear up!  Today his modeling interests are broad, but with an liking to the classic British kits.   He likes to travel the world and visit hobby stores too!

Agape forum member Mike Reader shared this neat build of an aircraft I’d never seen before. Thanks for posting Mike- it looks great!

My utmost apologies for yet another post in as many days, from an endless supply of weired and wonderful little known aircraft- and this one is no exception. So for your delectation and delight I offer forth the General Aircraft Hotspur Mk. III.

I guess it was a Frog kit at one time , but now an old Novo offering. The kit was fairly basic , and to be honest it stayed that way up till completion.

Oh, I added the obligatory masking etched seat belts and pitot , but the biggest change was in fact the conversion of the Mk. II to the Mk. III, which took all of 15 minutes, and most likely less than 25 cents, by just adding a radio mast, some rigging, and some tailplane support struts. Yes, that is the kind of conversion I like ( apart from coming to know Jesus that is )- quick and easy. And I can tell you are all going to be impressed. ( Well, maybe not is my guess.)

I decided not to weather it, as it never actually saw combat, and was used in training squadrons only. So my guess is that apart from a little rough treatment now and again on landings, it would have been well looked after by the “erks” .

The kit was painted by hand with just an overcoat of Testors Dulcote. Decals were replaced with what ever I had in my spares box, the only decal I used from the kit was the large “J” and the a/c number at the rear. The small windows were Kristal Klear.

Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good. His love endures forever. Psalm 136:1

Today we celebrate Thanksgiving in the United States. The first Thanksgiving dates back to the Pilgrims, taking time to thank God for His provision in their first year on the shores of the New World.

And make no mistake about it, they were thankful to God, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. The great I AM. It was not a general feeling of thankfulness, or just a  day off from the otherwise busy work week. It was a celebration, recognizing that they were where they were by the grace and mercy of Almighty God.

We should pause to remember today, to give thanks, in that spirit, with that heart. All we have is from the Lord, by His hand.

Take time today to thank Him for the provisions and blessings in your life.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Gil Hodges shared his great work converting the old Monogram Hurricane into a Sea Hurricane Mk. IIc. Great work Gil!

This is the old Monogram 1/48 Hurricane kit, converted to a Sea Hurricane, and built for the Hurricane Fellowship build. It was rescribed overall, has a scratchbuilt cockpit, Falcon vac canopy/windshield, converted rear underside with tailhook, and detailed/boxed in gear wells and main gear. The landing lights are MV lenses and the light covers on the wing are made from clear tape. The wing tip lights are clear colored plastic from toothbrush handles.

The third installment of Daniel Iscold’s Spitfires is this Mk. Vb in my personal favorite scheme for a Spitfire, the desert camouflage! Great stuff Daniel, and thanks for sharing your hard work with us this week!

I really don’t know the story behind this airplane. I choose these paint marks because of this beautiful red tone of the spinner. I also love the faded color of airplanes that operated in the desert. This kit was made from Tamiya kit, built out of  the box, the only addition being PE seatbelts from Eduard. These models from Tamiya build like Legos. I really enjoyed building this one.

The second installment of Daniel Iscold’s Spitfires is this Mk. Va in the markings of Douglas Bader’s aircraft. Great work Daniel!

I always love the history behind models. This one is the Tamiya Spitfire MkI converted to a Mk Va. This is an unusual version of the Sptifire.

This one depicts the airplane flown by the famous legless Royal Air Force pilot Douglas Bader. This is the last air plane that he flew before he suffered a midair collision with a Me-109. During the bail out he lost his two artificial legs. After being captured by German forces, he received a visitation of Adolf Galland. Galland arranged an armistice of 24 hours between to allow a Westland Lysander to fly behind the enemy lines to drop new legs to Bader. After this he was transferred to Colditz prison, where he tried to escape a few times! After the war Douglas Bader and Adolph Gallanda became close friends.

This model was built using  Life like decals,  and painted using acrylic paints from Tamiya. The roundels where painted on instead of using decals. The flat varnish is a Brazilian national brand so called “Gato Preto”- black cat, a product originally developed for art paint, but it works very well to flatten the gloss finish of Future.

This week, we’ll be featuring Spitfires from Agape forum member Daniel Iscold. We’ll start off with a Tamiya Mk. I in pre-war markings. Thanks Daniel!

This is the first of the firsts!  19 Squadron became famous as the first to operate the new Spitfire Mk. I. This one was made using the Tamiya Mk. I, but I took a spare propeller from the  Airfix Mk. I. I brought this Airfix kit from Hannats, and the kit also came with the wing of Mk V kit. Yay!! A Grat prize for me. Luckily, I also received another spare Mk. I  Tamiya, and a complete set of vacum formed canopies for all kinds of Spitfires from Falcon.

The markings for this kit come from the Airfix decal sheet, which are great quality decals, and the roundels where painted on using home made masks.