You can’t go wrong building a P-40. Though it was one of the underdog aircraft of WWII, it was used by practically every Allied participant, and despite it’s status even then as “obsolete”, it delivered when other airframes were not available, and continued doing so even after newer models arrived on the scene. Tough and rugged, it was the little fighter that could.

Though AMT no longer produces aircraft, for a while they had nearly every P-40 model available in kit form, with the exception of the P-40B. (Too bad…..) Their earliest P-40 release, as I understand it, was a re-box of the Arii/Otaki kit. Later, they would release their own mold of a P-40. All of AMT’s P-40s that I’ve built were great fun, and this E model was no exception.

The kit was given to me by my good friend and fellow Lafayette Scale Modeler member Bob Fisher, who loves P-40s (and Spitfires) as much or more than I do. Thanks Bob for this blessing! Read the rest of this entry »

Keeping up with the Corsair theme, forum member Roy McKenzie posted his great work on this Fleet Air Arm Corsair. I’ve always loved those FAA colors!

Why don’t you join us for some fun, Christian fellowship and modeling on the AgapeModels.com forums? We’d love to have you!

I’m calling her done.  This is Hasegawa’s 1/72 F4U Corsair in Fleet Air Arm markings of 738 Squadron FAA, 1944.  There is a True Details Resin Cockpit that can’t be seen that much . I used Polly Scale Acyclic Paints, British Sky Type S for the bottom with British Extra Dark Sea Gray and British Dark Slate Gray on top.

AgapeModels.com forum member Steve Budd (Dances with Wolves) shares his gorgeous final result from a kit rescued from the “not quite done” pile that most modelers have. Great work Steve!

Why don’t you join us for some fun, Christian fellowship and modeling on the AgapeModels.com forums? We’d love to have you!

Having brought ‘Macky’ Steinhoff’s BF109E-3 to a close I had a gander among the many ’started – should I finish?’ contenders in the stash. Tamiya’s 1:72 Corsair F4U-1D kit nudged into pole position and is now ready for inspection.

I quite fancied the look of Ira Kepford’s F4U-1A and as this was a within scope backdate from Tamiya’s beautiful 1:72 F4U-1D kit, ran with that. Ira Kepford devotees will spot the kill markings are not aligned with the white tank tape (I knew about it some time back but forgot while decaling). I love the US Navy tri-colour scheme and the Corsair so this was a double pleasure to finish off. The pitot went awol in the intervening years and the arrester hook broke and pinged off into another space / time dimension so both were scratched up. I’ve since discovered that these island bound Corsairs had their tail hooks removed, so live and learn and therein lies part of the fun of this great hobby.

I didn’t get back into the hobby of modeling until February 2006. I’d last built a model in the mid-80s. I’ve since found that in the intervening time, I missed out on some great kits. One group of kits in particular I (almost) missed was AMT’s fine line of P-40s.

Thankfully, there’s Ebay. :-)

I’d already built AMT’s P-40N and thoroughly enjoyed that kit. And I’d picked up most of the rest of AMT’s P-40 line since then. Since I can’t let too much time elapse between my Spitfire and P-40 builds before I get twitchy, I grabbed my AMT P-40K off of the shelf.

The P-40K was an interesting version of the P-40 line. While most people associate it with the “big tail” version, only the first P-40Ks had that feature. Later K models had the extended tail that is more familiar to M and N models (and the late F and L models with the Merlin engine). AMT shipped the kit with an E fuselage, which had the shorter tail. A resin tail from Black Box was included, with a diagram on where to cut the fuselage to add on the larger K tail. Read the rest of this entry »

Forum member Eric Larson (eclarson) has completed his Wingnut Wings 1/32 LVG C.VI. it’s been a treat to see his in-progress posts as he detailed his wood grain effects, rigging techniques, and much more.

Why don’t you join us for some fun, Christian fellowship and modeling on the AgapeModels.com forums? We’d love to have you!

Drum roll please….{rattaa tattaa ratta tatta….}

After 9 months of loving labor I am delighted to announce that I have COMPLETED my Wingnut Wings LVG!! WOO HOO!!! (Can you tell I’m excited?).

I want to first thank God for helping me with one of the most challenging yet enjoyable model projects I’ve ever undertaken! Then, I want to thank all of you for the wonderful compliments and words of encouragement posted after each of my WIP installments in the forums.

So, without further ado, here’s my newest baby!

I love Airfix Spitfires. So I was really happy when I was able to get their 1/72 scale Spitfire Mk. XIX. It was a great little kit. No fuss putting it together at all. Some folks may wish for more interior detail, but then again, I appreciated the $9 price tag. And I think Airfix is pursuing (or seems to be) a pretty smart strategy. Make models that will appeal to kids and adults. The new builder and the experienced one. Have fun at a reasonable cost.

The assembly was very simple. Interior detail is minimal, but with the canopy closed, you really couldn’t see a lot anyway. The fit was very good, with just a small gap at the wing roots. In fact, if you cement the upper wing portion to the fuselage, and then the lower wing parts on, there won’t be any gap. (I know this because I did it on the new-tool Mk. IX, which is very similar in fit.)

Painting the exterior is easy- one or two colors depending on your marking selection, of which two are supplied. One is an RAF PRU bird, and the other set of markings is Swedish. I chose the latter, as I’ve not seen many  Swedish Spitfires. Actually, I’ve never seen any Swedish Spitfires. I did resist the temptation to place a Swedish Chef character from The Muppet Show in the seat. ;-) Read the rest of this entry »

Forum member Chris (unimodeler) posted this wonderful work showing his beautiful Monogram F-4J, built OOB except for  some really stunning decals. This was his entry into the Monogram Aircraft Fellowship Build.

Why don’t you join us for some fun, Christian fellowship and modeling on the AgapeModels.com forums? We’d love to have you!

OK..so I had a monogram F-4J Phantom in the pile…I was fondling the plastic and decided that I was worthy to test my skills against this venerable kit.  I can still remember my older brothers friend had built one in the early eighties and it was one of the coolest models I had ever seen…. so out it came…

It’s been a little more than a year since Thomas Myers went home to be with the Lord. He was called home from this earth far to soon, if it were up to me. But it’s not, and it’s in the Lord’s hands. I have great faith that God knows far better what He’s doing than I do.

Still, hardly a day goes by that I don’ think about Tom. Sometimes I even see something and think, for just a minute, “I need to show this to Tom…” And then I remember.

There’s no other way to say it. I miss him. I really do.

However, I do take great joy in the knowledge that when the Lord calls me home, Tom is going to be there to greet me.

Over the last year, we’ve had a Fellowship Build going in Tom’s honor. (The rest of the world calls it a Group Build.) The rules were simple- build something that in some way or another was tied to Tom. Maybe an Accurate Miniature’s kit. Or one with some of Tom’s Possum Werks decals on it. Maybe simply a kit that was discussed with Tom.

So here are the results of the Thomas E. Myers Memorial Fellowship Build. Tom’s brothers in Christ, paying tribute to him in a simple but fitting way. Because as Tom would say, quite often, ‘Go build a model.” Read the rest of this entry »

AgapeModels.com forum member Mark Lay (AirBorne) posted these photos of the excellent results he got with Eduard’s F6F hellcat kit. great stuff Mark!

Why don’t you join us for some fun, Christian fellowship and modeling on the AgapeModels.com forums? We’d love to have you!

Wow, I can’t recommend this kit enough.  Superb detail, fit and decals.  It just fell together.  Picked this one up at Squadron’s open house last year for $9.99… because the box had some water damage!  Nope, not the weekend edition but the whole shebang.  Photoetch, masks and all!  I wish I could have done it justice!

Forum member Lee Rilea (chopperlover) posted these pics of his super Revell 1970 Mach One, in a very nice blue color.

Why don’t you join us for some fun, Christian fellowship and modeling on the AgapeModels.com forums? We’d love to have you!

Welcome to 2010!

For the new year, I have a simple challenge- when was the last time that you did something for the first time for Christ?

Make this year the year you serve the Lord in new ways! That is a resolution that has eternal purpose!

The Airfix 2010 Catalog

I love what Hornby has done with Airfix…..

First was the release of the 1/48 Spitfire Mk. I in 2007, then the Club Kit 1/48 Spitfire Mk. XVIe bubble top in 2008. This year, 2009 brought new toolings of the 1/72nd Mk. IXc and a Mk. XIX.

Apparently, all that was a warm-up….

The 2010 catalog includes….

- A new tool 1/72nd scale Spitfire Mk. Ia
- New tools of the Mk. XII and Seafire XVIIc
- A Douglas Bader Spitfire Mk. Va

My son will be interested in new 1/48 toolings of the Bf-109E and E-Trop also.

There’s also a nice BoB 70th Anniversary set with an He-111, Bf-109E, Spitfire Mk. I and Hurricane Mk. I, all in 1/72nd scale.

To say I am pleased with Airfix’s 2010 plans would be an understatement….

There are lots more kits for 2010- more new toolings and releases of the classic kits. Of course, with all that Spitfire plastic, who needs anything else?

The new-tool 1/72nd Spitfire Mk. Ia

The brand-new 1/48 Spitfire Mk. XII

Merry Christmas from AgapeModels.com!

New forum member Jeff Cadenhead posted these pictures of his very fine results on this Dragon 1/35 Aufklarungspanzer 38(t). We’re all looking forward to more great builds like this from Jeff!

Why don’t you join us for some fun, Christian fellowship and modeling on the AgapeModels.com forums? We’d love to have you!

Ken Judt (Agape forum member icekj) decided to forgo loads of after-market parts and obsessing with detail and just go for a good, basic build. Being a mostly OOB modeler myself, I can appreciate that. And Ken’s results show that modeling skills can turn a….. well, I’ll let ken explain. Great work Ken!

Operation: Silk Purse

The kit: AMT/ERTL 1/72 F-16A, with some decals from a Hasegawa F-16A, and who knows what ordnance.

The AMT kit was bought for the decals.  This is the Desert Storm boxing and has decals for the NY Air National Guard unit that deployed to Desert Storm.  The idea is to use the decals with a nice Hasegawa kit for my Desert Storm series of builds.  This did leave me with an extra kit.  Large amounts of flash, no cockpit details and such all make the AMT kit what it is.

The idea is to use good basic building skills to make this kit look as nice as it can without adding additional detail.  I am not going to correct any details of the kit either, do not care what bulges or bumps are on the tail and what intake it has.  What the kit is, it is.  Because of the low part count on this kit it should be a quick build (couple of weeks) and be a nice diversion from the WWII builds I am doing.

Making a silk purse out of a sow’s ear, so to speak. Read the rest of this entry »

AgapeModels.com forum member Bret Foland (UncaBret) posted these photos of his great work on a kit he shared fond memories of when he built it in his youth. Bret added Tamiya tracks and aftermarket barrels. he also applied some very cool looking “field applied concrete armor” based on a reference photo. Great work Bret!

If you’re looking for a place to enjoy Christian fellowship and modeling discussion, I invite you to join our forums!

Mark Buchler is on his way to be the King of Resin. I’m just proud to say “Ah, I knew him back in the day…” :-)

You may recall when mark set about updating his Lindberg F11C-2 Goshawk build. He posted his work on the Fine Scale Modeler forum, showing off his great technique and skill. When he realized he had a pretty decent set of molds, he decided to release his set to the world.

About the same time Lindberg was re-releasing kits, including the aforementioned F11C-2. And then came Mark’s book on how to cast your own resin parts. Followed not too long after that by his update for Hobbycraft’s Polikarpov I-16 cockpit, which worked really well in my own build.

Now Mark is back with his newest set- a beautifully produced cowl and engine set for Monogram’s venerable 1/48 P-61 Black Widow. Read the rest of this entry »

I don’t know why I do it. I question my sanity when I do. I swear I’ll never do it again. Then I find myself in the hobby shop, or in the stash closet, staring. Contemplating. Deep in thought. Should I, or shouldn’t I? Inevitably, I give in.

Another short-run kit with a vacform canopy.

Sure, they often cover subjects the big guys won’t. And they really stretch your modeling skills. And when you’re all done, they usually look pretty good on the shelf.

But there is the inevitable thick cast sprue gates, blobish parts here and there, plenty of mold seams, giant ejector pins hunks. And, as I’ve already mentioned, my evil arch nemesis and rival, Mr. Vacform canopy.

Yet it’s like a Charlie Brown Christmas tree for me. Those little, pitiful models seem to say “Won’t someone build me?” I can just see them, a la “Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer”, sitting forlornly on the Island of Misfit Toys. “Won’t someone build us?”

I probably put far too much thought into what plastic models think. ;-)

Which brings us to MPM’s 1/72 Spitfire Mk. XVIII. Read the rest of this entry »

Agape Models forum member Rick Heinbaugh (Rick_H) shared these pictures of his hot-rod Model T. Great work Rick!

If you’re looking for a place to enjoy Christian fellowship and modeling discussion, I invite you to join our forums!

This is the old AMT 1925 Model T, with wheels & tires from the Revell 22jr dragster and the 283 Chevy engine from Revell’s parts pack, with the fuel injection from an AMT 1955 Belair kit, I think.  The fan, invisible in these pictures, is a many-part photo-etch assembly from Detail Master.  First time I’d ever made one of those, and I really liked it.  The exhausts came from an AMT 1968 Fairlane, I think.