ccoyle

Close! They're called leeboards.

Welcome aboard!

I took the liberty of editing your title for you, since no respectable Bay Area residents I know of call a San Francisco streetcar a trolley -- they are cable cars. 😉

Welcome aboard! A fair number of us became acquainted with Mastini's book when we were starting out in the hobby.

Thanks, but you're looking at the second attempt!

Aft fuselage attached. There's some not-so-great seam work (the result of a botched gluing attempt) if you know where to look. 'Course, I didn't say where the botched seams are located, did I? 😉

Forward fuselage ring added. Aft fuselage done -- needs to dry before mating to main fuselage.

Whew!! The main cockpit skins went on fine -- fit is good so far.

You are oversimplifying the issue. It's not just a matter of copying a kit design -- the broader issue is something called intellectual property infringement, or IP theft. Manufacturers can get themselves placed on MSW's list for one or more reasons: copying an existing kit desgn using published plans or monographs to design a kit without obtaining the proper commercial licensing from the publisher of those plans aiding and abetting the sale of such kits (i.e., facilitating the sale of stolen IP). Doing any of those things will get a manufacturer (or seller) banned regardless of whether some of the kits produced by that manufacturer may be original efforts. The staff at MSW, along with many rank-and-file members, have been doing what they can to combat IP theft for going on two decades now, so trust me when I say that we are far more versed on this topic than you are at the moment. Some of the kits you have described as "not copied" are in fact well-known (and documented) examples of IP theft. As for what to tell the wife, I would tell her the truth -- there's no shame in admitting that the kits were purchased in ignorance of the IP issue. That's happened to many of our members, who are happily now much better informed on the topic. It's really quite simple: either you agree with us that IP infringement is theft and therefore immoral and act accordingly, or you don't. If the latter, then just know in advance that any builds of the kits you have thus far mentioned will not be allowed on our site. I sincerely hope you judge rightly.

I have only seen them online, but the artwork and drawings look good. They are available from Orlik and Model-Hobby, assuming you can get them to ship to the US in the current duties & tariffs climate. Card Army, a newer publisher, has just released a 1/200 heavy cruiser RM Trento. This is their first ship after a run of five aircraft. Their kits appear to be like Halinski kits on steroids -- even the float planes have internal framing, engines, and detailed cockpit interiors! Trento can be purchased by itself or as part of a set along with 7 sheets of laser-cut frames and 12 frets of laser-cut details -- a bit too rich for my blood.

When I check on build logs like this one, part of me always wants to shout, "Dude, slow down!" 😉

Very nice work!

That's an odd assumption to make. That is a decor model. If that's what your friend's model looks like, then your friend has a decor model, not a scale model built from a kit. If you want to repair a decor model with scale fittings, that's your prerogative -- just be warned that whatever scale fittings you purchase will not be in the same 'scale' as your friend's model, because that model is not built to any scale.

Gunner's position finished -- this was a very fiddly structure to make. And inner cockpit skins added. Always a bit of an anxious wait to see if the outer skins will fit properly. 😬

Have a look at this topic: This is not a good sign. Fregata Espanola simply means "Spanish Frigate" -- this is a generic label that was slapped on myriads of mass-produced decor models. I'm inclined to believe that your friend's recollection of the model's provenance is inaccurate.

There are a smattering of Fletchers available from other publishers (Halinski, for example, offers USS Heerman), plus some tin cans from other classes as well. Unfortunately, from my perspective, the detail sets available for those kits are mostly available in PE brass -- and I do not like working with PE. I really enjoyed building HMV's USS England kit, for which I purchased the then-available 3D-printed resin hull -- a real game changer. Sadly, the only other kit for which such a hull was available was HMV's HMCS Agassiz. I generally don't enjoy building multiple examples of the same subject, and I have already built the 1/100-scale Agassiz from Modelik, so the HMV kit holds little appeal for me. In any case, the resin hulls were offered through Shapeways, and I don't think that site is in the aftermarket parts business any longer, so AFAIK the resin hull for Agassiz can no longer be purchased. Darius Lipinski designed both HMV kits, and I've had no word of whether he has any other projects in the pipeline, which is too bad, because I'm sure I would jump at the chance to build another small WW2 warship, e.g., destroyer, destroyer escort, sloop, etc.

And a ton of electronic gear, an uncomfortable-looking seat, no forward visibility, and a single .30 caliber machine gun in case he had to deal with the business end of a Zero. 😮

Excellent result, David!

The forward end of the radioman's position is finished. I indulged myself in one easy upgrade here -- the RDF aerial in the kit is just a flat, printed piece, which didn't look right to my eye. I replaced it with a wire loop.

Hi, John. Please see our seller's guidelines here -- members would likely find some photos and payment options helpful.

Moin, Willi! I was an exchange student in your neck of the woods -- or at least not too far from it (Aurich). Just add the relevant text either before or after the photo. Those are indeed some very nice models!

Finishing is important. The question of how long it takes to finish is not nearly as important!

Looks great from here!

Work continues with the aft cockpit . . . . . . after which the top deck is added. That's all for today!

Superb work, Glenn!