popeye the sailor

coming along nicely OC............really looks great! the night time photo is really neat

awesome job ........it reflects very well in the sun don't count yourself short

I was in the process of putting on the Jerry cans, when I though to do this. for now, I will put the finish on this one. the stain that I used a while ago is yech!.....all the darn stuff did was make the track sticky. to top it off, the admiral knocked the antenna off the other day. as luck would have it, this turns out to be a very weird plastic...........when she knocked it off, it came out of the hole undamaged...the pin was still on the end! she though I'd be angry about it.......but no......I've learned not to be too crazy when something breaks. I haven't had the time to look up add ons for it.......so until I do........or buy another kit trying ........I will put it away so it doesn't get damaged again. not only that........it gets the Jerry cans off my table thanks all for look'in in.....you've made it a fun log

just saw this one Greg.........such a super job spiff'in her up!

that's not it........what I watched was about Russian war games and how they used the games to market the tank to lesser desirable countries. these would be countries that are in conflicts already and ones that even WE wouldn't sell anything to. yes, they are old Russian hardware, but they are still used today. kinda scary, seeing what's going on at the moment.

now that the initial trauma is over, the finish line isn't far away. I think the biggest change they can do to this model, would be the engine compartment. the inner fender wells could be separate parts, added after the fire wall is added. it's nuts with how much the body must be contorted to get in on. to get the tabs at the rear in place, the rear fascia is not connected to the sides {rear quarters}, so the fascia can be pulled outward to fit the chassis and allow the tabs to fall into place. so now.........it's bling time the front grilles and lower splash pan is now in place....still needs the bumper, but no place to add the license plate. there's more to the engine compartment too..........there really isn't much space under the hood. the rear is almost done. bumper's on.......license plate, and tail lights. there is a hole....likely for a trailer hitch, but there is nothing supplied for it. the car is finished, outside of a few small touch ups......end result soon gotta take Gibbs out..........

so the repair is done.......it was a success! I did cut back on the crank pulley pin, because it hit the lower frame when I went to put it back on. the fan now falls short of the cross frame and the radiator and upper hose is also installed. now come the big alert for anyone who wants to buy this model for this model, I was a good boy........I followed the instructions to the letter. usually, I will skip over steps that look as though problems may arise. the rear view mirror was cemented on the dash and allowed to dry..........I also decided not to use the side glass, for better interior visibility. for all that the instructions say.........they are out of their cotton pick'in minds! this body was the worst I have ever done. the Hydro boost was in the way of the inner fender wells........that became dislodged.........the fear of breaking something was ever so present! I slid the chassis forward to line up the windshield / glass....as well as the two pins for the inner fender well panels. there is a plate in the center of the frame that stops the front of the body from going any more {that I will look at further}, it stops the pins from fully inserting into their holes. these two tabs in the rear of the chassis must fit into these slots........the body must be pulled out to allow this to happen. lucky I didn't break anything else! outside of checking out the front........the body is on. I didn't even glue it.......it will never come off....it is firmly in place! more soon

I tried looking it up online........but couldn't find it. the tanks were painted in vivid colors and camo

I made a small bit of progress with the pro modified. I had settled for some paint work to finish up the last session........my most favorite things to paint.......the glass. there is frame work to paint....... fitting the back glass was rather easy.......sills are visible that support installation. I just put the side windows in.........they were a bit more difficult to fit in place. the body is slightly tweaked, which doesn't help matters........I used tape to hold them in place while the window maker dries. the windshield will be the worst of it. more soon

that makes sense.........much like what Ramsey did with his forces in the Game of Thrones series. this strategy can also be seen in the Movie 'The 300', although a famous Roman move was the Shield Huddle, to deflect arrows.

Spanky and the gang......yup....watched them too! then it was the wonderful world of Disney........Davey Crocket, Daniel Boone, Scarecrow of Romney Marsh....loved all those mini series let's not forget Zoro! yea.......the colored plastic thing was a effort to appeal to a larger crowd.......those who didn't like, or were not able to paint their models. the trouble is.........once you were done trimming and sanding all the weird stuff off the parts, they were a disheveled mess. painting was always the logical solution I did make a little progress........and even in the process of correcting a pho-par with the kit. when I got back to it.......I decided to just go ahead and freehand the bottom windshield frame....I didn't do too badly with the back window........ there are tabs for the windows.......it almost seems like they snap into place. I used the window maker anyway. as can be seen, I removed the date stamp on the underside of the trunk deck. I was not going to see it showing through the body........the use of thinner will not remove it quickly.......sandpaper worked better the model shown on the box does not use the side windows........I'm debating whether to do the same. after the windows are in place, the body can be added to the chassis. the next step presents a problem. in some cars, a spacer had to be used on the radiator fan, to locate it close enough to do it's job....keeping the radiator cool. seen in the picture above, the fan is situated right over that piece of cross frame.........that is where the radiator is located. the fan, the belts, and everything associated with it, came off without too much of a fuss. I like to paint some of the parts individually.......what can be assembled that is to be the same color, is done as an assembly. I don't usually scrape the paint off, which can be a problem, or part of a solution. contrary to some beliefs, there is some adhesion that occurs.......considering that the finished model sits on the shelf afterwards, that's good enough for me. should something fall off, it usually breaks off cleanly and can be cemented back on without much issue. this helped me out here.......the fan assembly came off without a hitch. I initially wanted to just remove the fan, but the whole thing came off.........fine with me if it causes no damage the fan came off with a twist........I'll clean off the pulley, shorted the spacer, and glue the fan back on. no problem...........Bob's your Uncle! so.........while this was drying, I decided to add some of the bling on the body. one thing I've already done, is detail the grilles. there are two sections, and what I did was dab some flat black in the grooves, wiping the excess on the surface off with a cloth. I don't do it too often, so I can't wait to see how it will look. I hope to have more done today

quick glance at the picture...........line dancing.......square dancing........boy! those chaps did it all over there I certainly hope the figures were pre painted.............can you imagine how much time was invested in this dio?!?!?! what was the significance of the square formations? very well done!

it's not as rare as you might think........I've done it as well between you, me, and the lamp post, it looks great I get what your saying.........square pegs will fit in square holes some models will have tabs in places where this won't occur {or it makes it hard to do it}, but I've been known to cut them off, thinking that they are just products of sprue junk. right now, I've got a beef with a model I'm currently building.....I actually had to take part of it apart to fix it........so a percentage point goes to the model maker for some of the problems my rule of thumb is if the problem can be corrected without damage, then I'll do it.....if not, then it is a learning curve for the next one. I've also been know to purchase another kit....but that's rare......only if it benefits the spare parts bin I thought the same about the nose.......moveable parts look wonky if they won't stay in place. open it to expose the radar, and the cone drops down or falls out of alignment.....not my idea of a cool model. I've done planes where the canopy opens up and it looks terrible too. one fellow didn't like the slot to allow the canopy to open........same here. you lucked out.........that is a very clean canopy. it fits nicely too

a lot of folks don't paint brass.........bling is king, don'tcha know very nice start...the prop looks sweet!

for sure........they make many colors of primer........more that they did back in the day ....and yes......colored plastics do make it hard. I should have used a primer, but didn't want the paint to become too thick and lose some of the detail. since I was painting red, I didn't feel I needed to.........so much for hindsight I haven't seen Happy Days for a number of years either...........I just finally got a complete collection of the three Stooges.........luv those guys! nyuck....nyuck!

i see good times ahead

these can be hard models to do.......so many pros and cons. is there two ways to model the nose? the F 15 I did was like that....some sort of radar as opposed to the closed nose {I would have to look at the instructions for what the options were}. between Monogram and revell alone, there were many variants of this one subject....most used the original molds in their entirety for the kits. they are great model though........look very good when finished. small fo-par......I was unaware that the intake tops could be interchangeable.........I think that looking at the finished model, unless your an expert on these planes, it would be something that wouldn't be readily noticeable. I checked mine to see if I did the same closed cockpit........might help you decide

very nice indeed!

yipee.........opening up the next chapter! great start getting back into it!

more done yesterday.....more of the roll cage added. the next big part of the roll cage, is where the seat locates. it's a tad slow assembling this, since in order to connect the offshoot sections of roll cage, the main areas need to dry to the point they won't come apart when you connect them {like the steering shaft to the knuckle}. more painting being done at the moment......errands soon, so that will slow things down a little

I was watching a sport show on HBO......{not Bryan Gumble}....they did a bit on Russian war games {that's what he called it}. they were showing off the T34 tank....pretty impressive. the Russians were holding them for two reasons.........to show might and to show the tanks to would be buyers. quite a few countries attended and participated in the games....some I don't think the US would sell to, due to their militaristic natures.

correct Ken on the Pinkie thing.........hard to wonder why they added her in.......it wasn't like the fonz had girl issues I believe she was a relative of the Fonz anyway

it drove like a tank too .........no......basically the roads up here can be a trial at times. the combination that it had a rather still suspension, and the road conditions, was a detriment to the car. it didn't belong up here I would never buy a new car and drive it around here....... I was browsing through some of the stuff I gathered on Christine, and I seem to have missed another big feature........she should have a white roof. I had just did the window trim when I though of it......bummer! I though I might have a rattle can of white, but I don't. I put a coat of red paint on the roof, and with my luck, if I go and airbrush the white {thinner into account}, it might cause the paint to wrinkle. looking around, I stumbled onto another forum where the gent did LED lighting {so cool}.......and he addressed the issue as so. he bought a kit molded in white plastic {another wonderment}. I'm getting even more curious about the kit offered by Southern Motorsports.....different box art.......different plastic? anyway.....his though about this was that red plastic is terrible to cover with white. I did wonder about primer, but he never mentioned it in his forum posts. I'm not going to chance it.....it is going to remain red. not only this........but most information points to the engine being dual carbs with matching air cleaners. I did see some screen shots from the movie, but nothing that shows this. I tend to doubt it anyway. coming off the line, it was a stock model, and likely wouldn't get any of the higher class equipment. it's like the two Chevy Bel Air kits I have.........the kits have them sporting V8 engines, when the stock models had L6 engines. now.....I'm not say'in that they never came with V8's......not sure if they still do, but there was a time when dealers allowed customers to chose what they wanted their new car to be equipped with. some were also produced in other plants as a higher model.......jeeze.......you could even order a muscle car! I've been doing some more in the way of painting.........detail and stuff. more to come soon thanx for look'in in!

sweet job on the Abrams, my liege. the paint looks super! this goes with what I mentioned to Egilman in what he is trying to achieve. taking pictures of your tank with the pale green surroundings gave the sandy color a sort of greenish hue. photographing it again with the sandy color gave it a more neutral hue and brought out the sandy aspects you wanted. even with what I am trying to do........with the lighting and the surroundings, photographing Christine......both of them....is making them look pink. if you were to bring it outside....either on a cement slab of sorts, or even asphalt, you would see two things. the cement would give you the even color you would like to see, while the asphalt would darken it, but still give you the sandy look because of the natural lighting. it would also highlight the darker aspects, like the treads and the rubber parts of the bogies in any lighting though, you did a stellar job

fiberglass body too..........I recall a gent that owned a 77 stingray.........forever in the body shop due to cracking