HI ! Here a project I have done in the past ! of course it's scratch, if you like to view more pics, Just follow this GOOGLE link : https://photos.app.goo.gl/C2rCdGza3E7o7W3m6 Enjoy ! Jmarc

On this episode the boys talk to Matthew Williams about using a laser to "Print" decals on your models. Interesting use of a new tool, and as we discuss, has wider possibilities other than just burning in a decal.

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The second French jug kit from MiniArt in 48th scale. We see the sprue layout, colours, profiles, decals & the real kites of this latest release in our preview...Read on... »

Border Model added the A6M2 Zero to their 1/35 scale model aircraft collection in 2024. Now a white metal landing gear set has been developed by Scale Aircraft Conversions. This aftermarket set consists of four metal landing gear parts plus the dorsal antenna mast, an unexpected bonus.

The plastic main gear in the border kit builds up similar to the Tamiya 1/32 Zero, with included metal springs which replicate the hydraulic suspension of the life-sized aircraft. In the Border kit, five plastic parts plus the aforementioned spring are required for each main gear assembly.

While detailed and offering an action feature to the kit, this assembly may be judged by some modelers to be too complex and wobbly. The SAC gear set is composed of white metal molded as one piece and no provision is made for the action feature.

Border Model added the A6M2 Zero to their 1/35 scale model aircraft collection in 2024. Now a white metal landing gear set has been developed by Scale Aircraft Conversions. This aftermarket set consists of four metal landing gear parts plus the dorsal antenna mast, an unexpected bonus.

The plastic main gear in the border kit builds up similar to the Tamiya 1/32 Zero, with included metal springs which replicate the hydraulic suspension of the life-sized aircraft. In the Border kit, five plastic parts plus the aforementioned spring are required for each main gear assembly.

While detailed and offering an action feature to the kit, this assembly may be judged by some modelers to be too complex and wobbly. The SAC gear set is composed of white metal molded as one piece and no provision is made for the action feature.

According to the blurb on the back cover, the F-35 was developed under the largest weapons program in history. After reading this book, I can probably agree that is true. In fact, you could add the words “most complex” and “relentless shortcomings” to the above description too.

This in-depth text looks at the F-35 program from a critical standpoint and reads more like a collegiate textbook or government briefing paper. The F-35 program is described in intense detail from its origins, technological trends that have influenced the development, testing, capabilities, global implications, deployment, and the future of the F-35. The text is arranged into eleven chapters, and each chapter is divided into multiple sections via headings.

When the days are short and the bench time is shorter, what keeps us building? We open the studio door on a fast, funny, and honest ride through the parts of scale modeling that actually matter: a workspace that invites you to sit down, a ritual that signals “now we create,” and a community that shows up when motivation dips. The mailbag sets the tone—digital galleries that make old builds new again, a legendary decal mishap that proves perfection isn’t required, and a smart question about the power of influencers. Do YouTube pros push products or possibilities? We separate inspiration from imitation and share how to borrow techniques without losing your voice.

Then we tackle fear targets with real tactics. A 1/32 resin Viggen in splinter camo? Treat the paint job as its own project, build clean first, and practice masks on a cheap mule. Wingnut Wings rigging anxiety? De‑risk the process with repeatable steps and scrap‑wing drills. Along the way, we rediscover why the hobby sticks: it’s Shangri‑La for busy minds, a hands‑on history lab, and the start of friendships that carry far beyond the bench. Listener stories echo our own—escapism, creativity, and shelves that chart the evolution from Wildcat to Bearcat.

On the bench, we move a Hellcat through oils, satin, and chips, and push the Roosevelt build with neat bare‑metal‑foil masking tricks for razor‑clean trim. In the stash‑temptation corner, we nerd out over new releases: Tamiya’s M24 Chaffee, BT upgrades and turrets, a 1/48 Vulcan with the wingspan of a stingray, and a 1/35 Me 323 that begs for a rolling cargo diorama. We wrap with the simple rule we live by: if you’re not enjoying it, change what you’re doing. Want more of this energy in your feed? Hit follow, rate us five stars, and share the show with a modeling friend who needs a spark.

Pelicon'26 - a show to attend in the Tampa, FL area
Emmas Planes - a listener recommened website

Model Paint Solutions
Your source for Harder & Steenbeck Airbrushes, Mixing supplies, and great advice!

SQUADRON
Adding to the stash since 1968

Model Podcasts
Please check out the other pods in the modelsphere!

KitMasx
Custom Canopy Masks for the Scale Modeler

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Mike and Kentucky Dave thank each and everyone of you for participating on this journey with us.

Fallout Models from South Africa have added to their range of diorama accessories with two new forthcoming Luftwaffe pilots in 72nd, 48th & 32nd scales. We look at them in our preview...Read on... »

A second Stummel from MiniArt in 35th scale – this time the "Late" version of the Sd.Kfz.234/3. CADs, art, colours, decals, etch & features in our preview...Read on... »

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Join all 5 of us plus very special guest Scott Samo AKA Nemo from the Modelgeeks joins in the fun. We talk about the upcoming 2026 Edition of the 48 in 48 Global Group Build and fundraiser to benefit Models for Heroes the weekend of March 20, 2026. We also get serious and do a deep dive into each of the hosts "why" - why this hobby? What keeps each of us coming back to it over other pursuits.

JB and Scott have a terrific interview with Boyd Brown, AKA the Quiet Corner Modeler, and we cover a wide range of topics and just generally have a great time! 

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Once again IPMS/USA provides our thanks to Ross at SAC for providing us one of his gear sets to use and review!

This set provides the usual flexibility of softer metal that can be work-hardened if needed for a strong, reliable (and repairable) option for the kit plastic gear.

Consisting of 11 white metal parts, this gear provides strength where it is needed in holding up the model over time. Additional benefit: the builder can (carefully) bend the gear into position if there are issues with installation, (such as alignment of wheel axles for toe-in/camber), and repair (more on this later.

I have a love of all things Battle of Midway, and I like building planes crewed by people I knew. This scratches both itches - this is Torpedo 3's T-3, flown by MACH Harry Corl and ARM2c Lloyd Childers. I got to know Lloyd through the Battle of Midway Roundtable, an on-line study group, and as it turned out he lived over in the LaMoraDa area (Lafayette/Moraga/Morinda - just through the Caldecott Tunnel here in the San Francisco Bay Area). His favorite restaurant was Acapulco, a Mexican place in my hometown of Alameda! Not only did Lloyd enjoy homey Mexican places, he happened to be the only rear-seater in Torpedo 3 to attack the Japanese Mobile Fleet (Kido Butai) at Midway and live to tell about it. I wrote his story for the December 2005 issue of Flight Journal Magazine (you can read an updated version at https://obscureco.wordpress.com/2026/01 ... or-in-172/), but I dilly-dallied on building the TBD, maybe because I was hoping a new AND accurate kit would come out in 1:72. Alas, no (not yet, at least). I'm working on a Midway display at the USS Hornet Sea, Air and Space Museum, and I took on the TBD; I had collected as many TBD models and parts as I could over the years, so I thought I'd be best to tackle it. So here it is. The basic airframe is Airfix, with the rivets NEARLY sanded all the way off, and some scribing lines added. The interior is mostly the White Ensign photoetched set, with the seats, bombardier/second pilots side consoles and radioman gunner's floor taken from the Valom kit, which also contribute the torpedo, landing gear (cut to the right height), wheels and radio antenna mast. The instrument panel was scratch-built; belts came from photoetched parts intended for an SB2U Vindicator. The flexible .30-caliber gun is a Miniworld item modified with the right grips and the flash suppressor on the real thing. There's also the small windage sight on the barrel, made from a 1:700 photoetched anemometer. The clear parts are from a Falcon vacuformed set. There's a scratch-built set of radio gear under the turtledeck ahead of the radioman/gunner if you look hard enough. In the bombardier/co-pilot's seat is a scratch-made life raft. Lloyd told me that standard operating procedure on torpedo missions was to remove the Norden bombsight (in a compartment under the pilot, which the bombadier was crawl into, and then open a set of doors just behind the cowling to sight) and to take the life raft out of its compartment and belt it into the unused seat, where it could be accessed easily in the event of ditching. In the case of T-3, the engine had thrown so much oil Corl couldn't get the rear canopy open, and they had to swim for it (Corl dragged the badly wounded Childers to the safety of the whaleboat from USS Monaghan). It came out OK for a kit from 1969!

Recently received from the folks at ResKit is this US Navy A/S32A-31A “Mule” tow tractor, short version, with exclusive markings in 1/32 scale. These tow tractors are used aboard ships as well as land bases to move aircraft as needed. Suggested aircraft to pair this vehicle with include the following: AV-8B, F-14B/D, F/A-18 C/D/E/F/G, C-2, E-2C, EA-6B, S-3B, UH-1, UH-60, CH-47, CH-53, and SH-3. Modelers with some experience with 3D printed resin kits should have no issues with adding this tow tractor to their collection.

Hasegawa Ki-84 Frank. FineMolds KI-61 Tony. Fujimi Ki-43-1 Oscar and Fujimi B6N2 Jill.

Hasegawa Ki-84 Frank. FineMolds KI-61 Tony. Fujimi Ki-43-1 Oscar and Fujimi B6N2 Jill.

Art, features & CADs of this new boxing of MiniArt's 1/48th scale Focke-Wulf FW 190D-9. Mimetall Prod. Jagdgeschwader 301 "Advanced Kit". Check it out in our preview...Read on... »

New from the folks at ResKit is this female driver for the US Navy A/S32A-31A tow tractor, known as the “mule”. The tow tractors are used aboard ships as well as land bases to move aircraft as needed. Having a female driver modernizes your options to current standards where those serving aboard the ships are not all men as they were back during my years of service. The figure is 3D resin printed with incredible detail and has the option of two heads. Any modeler with experience with 3D printed parts should have no issue adding this figure to a 1/48 scale tow tractor.

This is the Muroc Models 1:72 kit of this weird test article, a glider used to verify the aerodynamic qualities of the JB-1A unmanned flying bomb (which flew for a total of five seconds when it was finally tested). Apparently, it didn't like slowing down - landing it was a challenge, and its landing gear was unsprung, giving it a suspension not unlike that of a shopping cart. I built it in three days - it's a simple kit, and I added detail to the cockpit, plus some nose weight so it sat right. The yellow is ModelMaster deep yellow.

Now that all the excitement and activity from the display are all over; and the collection is packed away again, I was finally able to get a good amount of progress done on some models I've wanted to build for awhile. These are the results. Five new ships and boats have come off the slipways this month, starting with the Hobby Boss British HMS Astute submarine in 1/700 scale: Next are two modern French Frigates from Freedom Model Kits in 1/700 scale. First is the Aquitaine: and then the Normandie: Yes, they look the same except for the pennant number, but one is built to focus on antisubmarine warfare, and the other is a multi-purpose frigate for anti-air and anti-ship warfare. Aquitaine is the multi-purpose ship. Next to launch is the old Revell 1/131 scale USS Defiance coastal patrol boat: Finally the last ship is the old Revell 1/500 scale SS United States cruise liner: These last two ships were Distressed Kit Auction buys and so the decals were not the best. Despite my best efforts using even the Nuclear Option: Solvaset I still had silvering that I could not eliminate. On some of the Defiance decals, I actually used Tamiya Extra Thin cement to try and get them to lay down with some measure of success. One more thing: the SS United States was rigged with stretched sprue, and the Defiance's railings are also stretched sprue. Thank you all for looking in at five of the eight models I finished this month, comments are always welcome.

Now that all the excitement and activity from the display are all over; and the collection is packed away again, I was finally able to get a good amount of progress done on some models I've wanted to build for awhile. These are the results. Three new aircraft have been completed. All of them are British, starting with this 1/72 scale Bobcat British Harrier training jet: That was given to me by a friend as a gift. Next are two British Biplanes, starting with the Cooperativa 1/72 scale British Fairey Swordfish: Followed by the Matchbox 1/72 scale British Fairey Seafox floatplane, used on the HMS Arethusa cruiser as a scout plane: Both the Swordfish and Seafox were rigged with stretched sprue. And that's all I have so far. Thank you for looking in at three of the eight models I finished this month, comments are always welcome.