Small Scale Military Headquarters

http://pages.sbcglobal.net/ralph.jeffries/_uimages/p40Wheeler.jpg OK....a couple of notes on this picture. It was taken a couple of days after Pearl Harbor and was taken at Wheeler Field. You will notice that the fin marking (and rudder too) have been hastily repainted OD green and only the 18P rem...

Dude....I'm getting the urge to cut something up. I was wondering if you have thought of modding the canopy frame, both forward and aft portions. The deck behind the ejection seat is too plain for my tastes and needs detailing. Any thoughts on the canopy actuators and the canopy frame itself? I have...

I'll get that picture scanned as soon as I can...may take a day or two. Here's some more info though (hope you haven't started painting yet). The national insignia was a blue circle with a white star and a red circle in the center of the star. That red circle was not deleted until May '42....ergo Wh...

While most all (except in-flight meals...bleckt!) are good, one thing that I don't think has been addressed yet. How about customizable pieces that are substituted in the originals. For WW2 collectors....how about a razorback fuse for the P-51 with multiple markings for various a/c. Early engine nac...

Both P-40s that were used by Welch and Taylor were from the 47th Pursuit and based at Wheeler Field. That is NOT where they took off from, but instead they flew from Haleiwa where there was a dirt strip. Welch and Taylor were the only P-40s from there (they were both "C" models) and the rest were P-...

A friend walked into my office the other day (does this sound like the start of a joke) after I showed him your progress pics on this Hornet project. I had told him I might be looking for the "combat" version of the Hornet because the only one I have presently is the Blue Angel version. He walked in...

The BBI markings are almost real. The 355th code should be GQ not GO and the sqadron color was blue...usually signified by a blue spinner on the nose. The real "Killer" did have a blue nose...depending on whom you talk to.

My friend's name is Ann Bradshaw and she is the co-founder of a rator rehabilitation group called "On The Wing Again" or OTWA for short. Her and her husband, Pierre, have been involved in rehabing hawks, falcons, and owls back into the wild after being imprinted or injured for some 25 years. I got i...

I hope for their sake they've taken to heart the nickname "Missle with a Man In It". One small bump and the front end rises....then that thrust is going to cause and instant pitch-up. I wouldn't want to be the driver!

Sorry for the delay, but there's been an on-going tragedy locally. A very good friend has been in the hospital awaiting a liver transplant...now they have taken her off the list. It seems the window for her was very narrow and has now closed. I've had to spend some time with her...and her husband wh...

It looks like 21C has taken on a later model F-86 than AT. It definately has the 6-3 wing along with the leading edge "gloves" that had to be removed to open the ammo bay access hatch. That makes this one an F, G, or K version. Anyone for bets on how long before it makes the shelves?

Here's a decent pic of the actual hook http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.precision.rotor.com/trialpgs/images/Heli-hook.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.precision.rotor.com/trialpgs/belly-strap.shtml&h=480&w=640&sz=32&tbnid=v16gHaXCfVjE2M:&tbnh=101&tbnw=135&hl=en&start=2&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dbl...

It's a color of both enamel and acrylic paints. I've seen (and used) Pactra, Polly S, and Model Masters before. I believe Model Master is about the easiest to find.

OK....I know I have that walk-around book here somewhere? May take me a few to find it, but there are some good pics of the bay and gun on a maintenance cradle. You probably already know this...but the gun is raised and lowered from the large panel immediately in front of the gear bay. A hatch on th...

Depends on how you want your iron or metal to appear...new or old? Iron is bestsimulated with "Hot Rod Primer" which is a dark grey color. The dry brush a darker grey around edges and raise detail. That gives it the new iron patina. Now for old and rusted, I start out the same way, then add Sienna w...

Done this a couple of times on scale model in the past. There are several methods. One involves covering the entire model with aluminum foil and polishing sections to resemble different panels. That's the toughest to get right...not recommended for the beginner. Another method is a paint called Alcl...

I'd think the G.21 could be made pretty easily. If my math is correct, it would be a tube roughly 1/2" in diameter by 2 5/8ths" long. The projectile is little more than a bullet shaped nose and flat tail. Brass tube and rod would be about scale for the launchers under the wings. The actual projectil...

Actually...Forces of Valor has a 1/32nd scale Zundapp KS750 w/sidecar and trailer for around $20 (SKN: 82006), DiD (Dragon in Dreams) has a 1/6th Zundapp KS750 w/sidecar, AND Dragon just announced at the Expo they are releasing a 1/6th BMW R75 w/sidecar....prices may vary....your actual mileage may ...

I can't believe how much better your F/A-18 looks than my nasty ole Blue Angels version! I can't stand "straight from the box" either, but you've raised the bar quite a few notches dude! Oh, and I have a few pics of the Gatling and engine bays for the Hornet...if you dare! (and I bet you do from the...

The scabbard for the Harley was just known as the "Thompson SMG Scabbard" and didn't have a designation as far as I can tell. Most of those used were the 1941 design that featured a single strap at the top (secured to the scabbard frame of the right fork) and a single lower strap (secured to the sca...

I hate to disagree, but the scabbard attached to the front forks of the WW2 Harley were specifically made to fit the Thompson. The "trench broom" came with 20 and 30 round box magazines (short and long clips) as well as 50 and 100 round drum magazines. The holster/scabbard on the forks was fitted fo...

If we're talking post-WW2...there are a few I'd like to throw into the wish bucket! How about the "Hun" or F-100 Super Sabre, the Voodoo F-101, or the Thud F-105 Thunderchief to name a few. The A-4 Skyhawk and the E/A-6 Intruder....and don't get me started on Pathers and Banshees!

Thanks!...As part of my interest in both 1/18th and 1/6th scale, I did alot of research into the E model. The goal is to eventually make a 1/6th scale cockpit area and nose section (like BBI did with the F-15 cockpit) to go with the BBI Bud Mahurin figure I already have. All I have so far is alot of...

I believe AT made the ammo access doors correctly. As you can see by this statement, both airframes were nearly identical. 'The most noticeable change on the F86E, or North American Models NA-170 and NA-172, was the addition of a new "all flying" tail. Externally the "A" and the "E" were similar, bu...

So how difficult can it be to convert a BBI P-51D to a C model? Of course there's the canopy and raising the rear deck. Some C models had vertical fin extension. Change from six .50's to four. Remove the wingtip lights and put the landing light in the left wing leading edge. None of this sounds too ...