My Builds

1/72 KP MiG-15 

1/72 KP MiG-15 

1/72 Heler F-86 Luftwaffe 

1/72 Heller F-86 Luftwaffe 

1/72 DML MiG-15 

My Airfix twins, a 1/72 Il-28 Beagle and Strikemaster. I scrounged decals for the Beagle and put it in East German markings. The Strikemaster has a Pavla cockpit and Xtradecal markings for an Ecuadorian Strikemaster.  

Classic MiG-25 box 

My Pavla seat for the MiG-25 

1/72 Hasegawa MiG-25 

1/72 Hasegawa MiG-25 

1/72 Hasegawa MiG-25 

1/72 Airfix A-4P Skyhawk 

1/72 Airfix A-4P Skyhawk 

1/72 Airfix A-4P Skyhawk 

1/72 Airfix A-4P Skyhawk 

Ertl 1/72 F-104C Starfighter in Puerto Rico ANG markings 

Ertl 1/72 F-104C Starfighter in Puerto Rico ANG markings 

Ertl 1/72 F-104C Starfighter in Puerto Rico ANG markings 

Hasegawa Lightning F.6 with Xtradecals for No. 56 Squadron 

Hasegawa Lightning F.6 with Xtradecals for No. 56 Squadron 

KP 1/72 Yak-23 Flora 

KP 1/72 Yak-23 Flora 

KP 1/72 Yak-23 Flora 

KP 1/72 Yak-23 Flora 

Airfix 1/72 F-80 Shooting Star 

Airfix 1/72 F-80 Shooting Star 

Airfix 1/72 F-80 Shooting Star 

Airfix 1/72 F-80 Shooting Star 

Airfix 1/72 RAF Sabre Mk.4 

Airfix 1/72 RAF Sabre Mk.4 

Airfix 1/72 RAF Sabre Mk.4 

Airfix 1/72 RAF Sabre Mk.4 

Revell 1/72 Mirage III 

Revell 1/72 Mirage III 

Revell 1/72 Mirage III 

Revell 1/72 Mirage III 

My primary reference for my Mirage III. 

Hasegawa 1/72 F-20 Tigershark in Iowa ANG markings 

Hasegawa 1/72 F-20 Tigershark in Iowa ANG markings 

Hasegawa 1/72 F-20 Tigershark in Iowa ANG markings 

Hasegawa 1/72 F-20 Tigershark in Iowa ANG markings 

Hasegawa 1/72 F-20 Tigershark in Iowa ANG markings 

Airfix 1/72 Meteor III 

Airfix 1/72 Meteor III 

Academy 1/72 U-2C Dragon Lady 

Academy 1/72 U-2C Dragon Lady 

Academy 1/72 U-2C Dragon Lady 

Academy 1/72 U-2C Dragon Lady 

Academy 1/72 U-2C Dragon Lady 

Academy 1/72 U-2C Dragon Lady 

Hasegawa 1/72 A-10A Warthog 

Hasegawa 1/72 A-10A Warthog 

Hasegawa A-10 Warthog 

Hasegawa A-10 Warthog 

Hasegawa A-10 Warthog 

Airfix 1/72 Dassault Super Mystere in Israeli markings. 

Airfix 1/72 Dassault Super Mystere in Israeli markings. 

Airfix 1/72 Dassault Super Mystere in Israeli markings. 

Sword Lightning F1/F2 kit turned into a Lightning F.3. They supplied both tail types allowing me to pass this off as an F.3. 

Sword Lightning F.3. 

Cockpit of the Hobbyboss 1/72 F-84E Thunderjet. I added belts to the seat. 

Hobbyboss 1/72 F-84E Thunderjet in Iowa Air National Guard markings. They represent the 124th FIS based in Des Moines. Decals are by Experts Choice. 

Hobbyboss 1/72 F-84E Thunderjet in Iowa Air National Guard markings. They represent the 124th FIS based in Des Moines. Decals are by Experts Choice. 

Hobbyboss 1/72 F-84E Thunderjet in Iowa Air National Guard markings. They represent the 124th FIS based in Des Moines. Decals are by Experts Choice. 

Hobbyboss 1/72 F-84E Thunderjet in Iowa Air National Guard markings. They represent the 124th FIS based in Des Moines. Decals are by Experts Choice. 

Hobbyboss 1/72 F-84E Thunderjet in Iowa Air National Guard markings. They represent the 124th FIS based in Des Moines. Decals are by Experts Choice. Apologies for the dirty shelf. 

This a project from my local model club, called Started By Milton. Milton was a founding member of our club and he died shortly before I joined the club. Kits of his that were started by him were handed out to club members to finish. They range from barely started to mostly finished. This is my mostly finished kit. I had to finish some painting and assembly and decal it. It's the Hobbyboss 1/72 F-84E Thunderjet.  

Started By Milton F-84E Thunderjet. 

My Started by Milton F-84E Thunderjet, again. 

Started by Milton. 

Started by Milton. 

Started by Milton. 

Finished by me. 

This is the Hasegawa 1/72 F-102A Delta Dagger in Vietnam camouflage. It is brush painted using Vallejo and Hataki paints. The decals are from the Meng F-102 kit. 

I did add a new ejection seat with photoetch seat belts to the cockpit. I also made the IR sensor on the nose in front of the canopy, from the head of an unused Falson missile. 

 

 

 

 

 

This is a build in honor of my late wife, Eileen. As you can see, the plane is also named Eileen. How could I not buy this kit when I saw it? 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is the actual P-47 I'm building. It looks like there are some discrepancies in the photo, as you can't see a national insignia on the wing and it looks like the tailplane stripes are there, but mostly obscured.  

I brightened this photo in Photoshop and you can see the white stripes on the tail planes. No evidence of a national insignia on the top of the wing, however, which is odd.  

This decal sheet shows the aerial behind the canopy as lighter than the fuselage green. Possibly silver, possibly sky. Granted, not the same P-47 as I am building, but it is evidence the aerial could be a different color.  

Again, not the same plane I'm building, but you can see on the second P-47 that it also has a lighter colored aerial.  

Mystery solved. I stumbled across this photo of one for sale on Ebay and painted mine silver.  

I have had this old Testor's brush for at least 25 years, if not longer. I still use it all the time. It's one of my favorite brushes. I have plenty of other, higher quality brushes but there is just something about an old, comfortable brush that's perfect for most of the painting I do.  

Fuselage glued together and some dabs of putty in the spots that need it.  

Another "in action" shot. I have painted some of the parts and bombs, getting ready for the next phase.  

Of course, with my incredible skills, honed from decades of modeling, I somehow manage to have the seat installed crooked. Also, the instrument panel popped loose and is rattling around the inside of the fuselage. Oh well, it's not like anyone was going to be able to see it. I may try to fish it out and reinstall it.  

Putty sanded, just need to do some cleaning up and re install the instrument panel. Then on to major assembling and primimg. 

This picture is out of order. It should be behind the nest two. Wings attached! 

I'm getting the wings attached and more painting and prepping of other parts.  

 

Engine is now attached. 

Tailplanes painted white, masked and attached. 

Canopy attached, engine masked off and ready for primer. 

Primed and ready to paint. 

White has been painted and masked. 

First part of the cowl decal has been applied. 

Underside getting painted in Sky Type S, as this squadron used RAF colors on their planes.  

Beginning to apply the top coat of green. 

More green going on. 

This cowl decal really sucks. 

White for the invasion stripes has been painted. 

 

Black stripes are masked and painted. 

Landing gear has been added. 

Masking removed and gear doors are being added. 

Another gear door added and I've decided to paint over the black stripes and replace them with decals.  

Decals didn't work (the famous Academy decals) so I'm back to painting. The stripes look a little rough, but if you look at the photos I have of this actual plane, they look a little rough in them.  

 

Pretty much ready for a gloss coat before decals. 

 

 

Decals started.... 

 

It was at this point I realized my invasion stripes extended back too far. There was not enough room for the rearmost letter code.  

I had finished decaling and sealed them with a gloss coat. I mixed up a light color wash for the top and it went horribly wrong. It would not come off, so between the lack of space for the letter code and necessity to strip off the decals and repaint some areas, I went ahead and repainted the invasion stripes as well. I also ordered a new decal sheet to replace the ruined ones.  

New stripes painted, top areas repainted as needed and new gloss coat for decals.  

New decals started. 

 

New decals on. 

 

Flat coat on, a less than satisfactory light was added before flat coat.  

 

 

It's finished! 

A photo of Eileen and I when we were dating.... 

....at our wedding.... 

.....and celebrating our son's engagement..... 

....and the last photo of us the day she died. Cancer sucks. 

The start of another Started by Milton kit for my IPMS club. This is the resin seat painted before installation. 

The kit, as far as Milton got with it. 

The kit was already primered, so I painted the cockpit as needed and added the seat.  

 

 

Canopy masked and installed. 

The underside was painted Tamiya sliver from a rattle can, the upper surface painted with Tamiya RAF Green. 

Underside masked for painting of the wraparound green. 

 

 

Underside after a lot of touch up and re-touch ups. There are still some more to do.