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Retired US Navy Senior Chief working as a production supervisor in Seattle.

"Now with improved chickens"

For those not familiar Tom Daniel was a model car designer who worked for Monogram Models during the heyday of "Show Rods" during the 60s and 70s. Revell, AMT MPC and even Lindberg and Hawk got into the business, but the only [...]

1971 white box Monogram FW-190

Not much to say, Monogram got it very very close to right 50 years ago. Some aftermarket decals to make up for ones that were questionable on the original sheet. They were not exact, but close. The tail victory markings are from the [...]

Ikea workbench hack

So many of you may know about Ikea "Hacks". This is where you take an Ikea item and modify, embellish or re-purpose it. My wife and I were in looking for a home office desk for her new job, when I saw this [...]

X-3 Classic Revell

I remember buying this kit at the 99 cent store that was above Pioneer Market in my home town of Ashland Oregon when I was 9 or 10 years old. Slapped it together and played with it until it was broken and tossed. Leap forward 50+ years [...]

Happy New Years, and my resolution is.....

My modeling resolution is to build some fun kits before I tackle any long projects, which are enjoyable, and rewarding, but I never find them "fun". So I got out a bunch of my classics I knew I planned building straight out of [...]

Got one more in at the last minute!

So I got TWO done this year. Tamiya 1/48 F-14A. Victory 210 USS Nimitz 1986-87. One of the fist Tomcats I ever saw. I didn't want to build AJ 200 as everyone builds that one, so I got my Cruise book out and found one that I had decals [...]

Only one this year!

Man, I looked back and was surprised I only got one completed. Tamiya 1/32 P-51D. Almost got another Tamiya F-14A done, but not quite. I think I need some fun quick builds to start the next year, time to hit the Monogram and Revell stash!

325th FG P-51D Checkertail done!

Haven't posted much on this since in work photos of Tamiya's 1/32 P-51D abound on the net. I used Draw decals checkers after failing many times with masking and then trying to cut our my own. They fit quite well. Lots of Barracuda [...]

Book Review! Grumman C-2A(R) Greyhound COD

I never thought I would see a book dedicated to the C-2, an aircraft near and dear to my heart having flown to and from carriers aboard them and having been the Leading Chief Petty Officer for VRC-30 Det 3 Crusaders on two cruises aboard [...]

Checkertail Clan Mustang progress

Seems like forever since I posted! Well here is progress on the cockpit, Barracuda Cast seat, and radios and battery. Eduard "Look" instrument panel. The seatbelts were a quandary. I had some Eduard PE ones from a failed [...]