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

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!

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.

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.

Here we have a lil one from the now defunct (unless they're hiding somewhere) UGH! Models. It's the Romulan Chowder Class Fighter. A pretty simple kit - A very clean casting led to a super simple build. I added the wooden disk just to make the base a little sturdier looking - Looking up the ship it was a green and I picked the closest color I had and then moved on to the eagle. The first chink in the armor was what was supposed to be decals... I don't know what it was. After a soaking it had no indication of ever coming off. Was it even a decal? so having ruined the illustration what was I to do? Go freehand of course - Oh boy! 8-[ Tried my best. Thanks for looking.

HI ! Here a project I done a while back , using an HEINKEL HE-162 a friend (ALAIN CADIEUX) gave me , I restore it and create this litttle project , the tow is from TARMAC and figures from MONOGRAM .. If you like to view more pic, just follow this GOOGLE link: photos.app.goo.gl/82wVYgUqRMJnPeD57 Enjoy ! Jmarc

Does this website have a record of national convention contest results by year? I was a 2008 2nd or 3rd i think, automobile category.

About 12 years ago we took the kids to the Museum of Science and Industry in downtown Chicago. We took a tour through the U-505 submarine which was captured by the U.S. Navy on 4 June 1944. Back then I purchased the Yankee Modelworks 1/350 TYPE IXC U-BOAT full resin kit. This sat on the shelf for many years. I decided to finally build it as the U-505. While being full resin there is not a lot of assembly but there is a sheet of photo etches to detail it. I also have some details I need to scratch build and decals to make specifically for the U-505. I will also make a nice display stand as well. To start with when I first purchased this kit there was a huge resin mold base along the bottom of the hull. At that time I used my jewelers saw to trim the base off and sanded the keel line. I started with assembling the rear screws and rudders. The screw shafts are brass rods and the rest is photo etch. I then added the front diving planes. Next I started adding the deck details. One thing the instructions do not discuss is the mooring posts that are present on the deck. I used styrene rods and slightly heated one end to give them the mushroom top. These were then added to the correct locations on the deck per the reference photos. I am now working on the conning tower. While there was no hull assembly since it is molded in resin the deck and conning tower still require some clean up of the details. I used a scribe and hobby knife to do the clean up. There is a couple of small mold imperfections on the conning tower so these were filled with putty. You can see all the photos and details from start in the build log at: https://davidsscalemodels.com/build-log/1-350-type-ixc-u-boat/

Just finished the old '70s molded 1/48 Heller RF-84F Thunderflash. This one one gave me some trouble due to my own doing during the build. I used a very well fitting AMS resin interior set to spruce it up some and also scratchbuilt some cameras (entirely bogus in form) to fit in the recon windows. Although not shown the resin set included to well fitting intake ducts for the wings. I also sanded off all of the raised panel lines and rescribed the entire model. This was the major problem.... after using some gloss black and then spraying some rattle can Tamiya TS-30 silver on, the paint crinkled in many places as you see above! This probably happened because didn't take into consideration the sharp cold snap here in FLA and I sprayed it when the room temp was probably well below 60degs (maybe even in the 40s!). This was the first time in 25yrs it'd gotten that cold in "Gil world" (the garage) and I even had to thaw out my water pipes that weekend! Oh well.... live and learn! This pic shows the model after it'd been stripped back to bare plastic. I used oven cleaner (the stinky kind) for 90% of the paint removal and then used a paper towel and some cotton swabs dampened with some Alclad thinner to scrub off the stubborn patches and to get into the creases and corners. I then resanded the model with 400 and 600 grit sanding sticks. The oven cleaner worked its way inside the windshield and rear canopy so I popped them off and replaced them with parts from a spare Monogram F-84F kit. This also allowed me to use the open Monogram canopy, as well as opting to replace the Heller main landing gear, tires, and gear doors with Monogram parts. Luckily, the Heller kit camera windows, which I'd sanded and polished to fit, only needed some repolishing after the stripping process. I then reprimed the model with Alclad Gloss Black to serve as a base for the NMF. The 2nd time around I opted to airbrush on some Alclad Aluminum for the NMF instead of using more Tamiya rattle can paint. Things then proceed normally for the rest of the build. The markings came from a collection of Thunderflash/Thunderjet decal sheets, as well as some spares box stars/bars and USAFs. I opted to mask and paint the checks on the tail fin instead of using decals. On to the rest of the pics! This model has more warts on it than any I've built in the last decade! But, at least it's done and on the shelf and I can now go back to concentrating on my T4M! Critiques, questions, and comments welcome as always! Gil

HI ! Here another project I have done in the past , if you like to view the WIP on thsi project , just follow this link : https://photos.app.goo.gl/ekCpxAzrAPktzLvT8 Enjoy ! Jmarc

Today I finished my first ever diorama. I give you “We Gotta Get Outta This Place” It’s a 1/72 Huey that I put together, and for the first time ever I created a diorama. Before this, I’ve never done weathering on a model, made a diorama, used figures. I had to weather the helicopter to make it dirty, hand paint the figures, make the mud/dirt and grass, and make that wind swept effect. It was a lot of work and not perfect, but I’m so happy with how it turned out for my first time! Any advice? Tips? Pointers?

Another very successful Jaxcon is in the books! No attendance records this year, just the expected 136 people who entered the contest and put 457 entries on the tables. The show ran on time or early (as in opening registration and finishing judging!) and the raffle was a record breaker for us! Here's a link to a relatively short walk-thru video that covers all of the entries. As an interesting aside, this was shot at the beginning of the judging and you'll see the judges and overhear some of their comments as Cathy passes them by! And yes! That IS a "little girl" (First Coast member, 12yr old Lilly) you see helping judging Cars. She's an IPMS member AND a Nats award winner! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KdCsRG854e0 I'll post other links to pics and videos that covered Jaxcon 2026 later in the week as they become available. Hope you can make plans to be at Jaxcon 2027 next February 5th and 6th! Gil

Well here is an unexpected update on an old build that I finished back in late 2018. This past Tuesday, IPMS Phoenix had the theme of Braille Scale builds for February's meeting contest. Any subject, any era, just be 1/72 or smaller. Seeing that this is my only 1/72 build in my possession since 1983, I dusted it off, packed it up, and took it to the meeting. Lo and behold, it took 2nd place. Mind you, IPMS Phoenix is a VERY 1/72 oriented chapter, and there was plenty of good competition! Ya just never know what will happen ;

1:350 Arleigh Burke, dressed up as the USS Nitze. These were my first times using photo etch and painting, believe it or not. I also kit bashed the CIWS onto the USS Nitze from another kit, having to do some cutting for the superstructure and CIWS. Sorry that it's not that great, I am new to serious modeling, and I model from my barracks room, meaning I have to set up and tear down every day/time I want to model. I also hand paint since I don't really have the space/ability to use an air brush. I actually do not have much room in my barracks for the models, so this one I made and donated to the Chief's Mess aboard the USS Nitze. Please let me know what you think! Open to helpful criticism as well. Edit: Trumpeter, not Academy. My mistake.

Hello everyone! My name is TJ, and I am an Aerographer's Mate in the US Navy, meaning I am a "weather guesser". I have been modeling on and off since I was a kid, but haven't taken it seriously until recently. I have a bachelor's in history and mostly study Cold War History, Strategic Air Command, and military history in general. I am trying to see if I can take a collateral as my command's historian, and I have volunteered at multiple museums including the USS Edson. I mostly model US Navy aircraft and ships but may try to work towards doing tanks and such. I do my modeling in my barracks room, so I actually have to set up every time and then pack it all up at the end of the night so my room is inspection ready daily. Anyone have any tips on organization/temporary storage that can make this easier? As I said, I just recently got back into modeling and I have been slowly expanding my collection and tools, and learning along the way. I'm going to attach my latest projects, including an 1/72 MH-53E and a 1:350 Arleigh Burke, dressed up as the USS Nitze. These were my first times using photo etch and painting, believe it or not. I also kit bashed the CIWS onto the USS Nitze from another kit, having to do some cutting for the superstructure and CIWS. Sorry they aren't great. I am currently working on a 1/48 MH-53E, then I will likely work on my 1/72 Eduard Limited Edition E-2C Hawkeye, as I see them fly every day here. Happy to be here and I'm excited to meet some awesome folks!

Today I finally got all my armor and vehicles all packed and put away until another time comes for me to bring them back out again. Now that this display event is over, here are the photos of the event showing everything I displayed in this Guinness-Book-level achievement. All these models represent 54 different model companies, some of which are long out of production. They include the complete line of all ESCI models, Matchbox models, Airfix models, Riich models, as well as up to 95% of all Trumpeter/Hobby Boss models, Modelcollect models, Takom models, and Dragon models; among others. Despite my best efforts, I did not get the best quality photos that I wanted; mostly because of lack of proper equipment and a lack of photographic skills to photograph something so huge. During this time, 27 people came in to see this in person and I was thrilled to be able to see this whole collection out on display again and talk with fellow enthusiasts about these models. Without further ado, here is what 1000 small scale vehicles and artillery look like: In the background of this pic, you can see the wooden box my friend built me to hold Dora, and the clear tub that holds all my other German and Russian railroad subjects: I might have some additional photographs to post later; one friend had brought in a professional photographer to shoot pics of this collection as well. Until then, enjoy the parade. Thanks to all who check this out, comments are always welcome.

Building one of my Fathers old kits, and came across a minor issue. Kit came with an extra wing but minus half of the very stab. Any thoughts? My plan is to try and cut the extra wing down and if that fails use cardboard.