154 articles · 8.1K karma · 34 friends · active 3 years, 9 months ago

Retired, Ocala Florida resident since 1978. I build 1/72 and 1/48 aircraft primarily, but delve into 1/144th. 1/72 (or close) Boats, 1/24th cars, 1/32-35th and assorted stuff, fill in the gaps, and prevent "burn-out". I'm a member of IPMS since 1983, a currently an officer in our local chapter. My current collection is over 400 on the shelf, and an equal number in my stash. I'd like to be able to share "the good, the bad, and the ugly", with my fellow modelers.

Otaki 1/48 (Ki-61) “Hieney Racer”

I always thought the Ki-61 was one of Japan's sleekest looking WWII fighters. German desigined and Daimler-Benz powered, it was built by Kawasaki, and named the "Hien". The cost of an Otaki kit was reasonable enough that I [...]

Revell 1/72 Boeing X-32A JSF

JSF - Joint Strike Fighter From what I've read, this is what $331 million dollars looks like. According to the instruction bio, Boeing was awarded $662 million for two of these experimental aircraft. IMHO this is the ugliest jet ever [...]

1/72 Revell B-17F "Memphis Belle"

This old Revell was done quite a few years ago. I dug it out and cleaned it up just to give Simon a idea of what it looked like. With Craig as an inspiration, I decided to post it. It had to be one of my earlier attempts, judging by [...]

A Tribute to Steve McQueen

This model started life as a 1/12th Revell "Crusader" custom chopper. Using my 1/18th Porsche 917, Steve McQueen Le Mans version (die cast) as an inspiration, I got the idea to transfer it to a chopper as a [...]

1/48 Otaki F6-F3 Hellcat

The 1/48 Otaki F6-F3 Hellcat, as old as it is, still makes up into a fine looking model. While comparing this to my new Eduard Weekender kit, there were plenty of subtle differences, but we're talking decades apart, and the Otaki still [...]

Revell 1/24 '66 Penske Racing Corvette

According to the history of this car on the instruction sheet, this was the first L88 Corvette off the production line. It was delivered to Penske in red, having been driven straight from the factory to his shop in Pennsylvania. It [...]

1/48 Testors FA-18 Strike Fighter (CF-18A)

Canada's 441 Squadron's Hornet Special for the 50th anniversary of D-Day, complete with invasion stripes and "JE-J" codes for Johnny Johnson, who commanded 126 Wing. And there were those who said, "invasion stripes on a [...]

1/48 Otaki F4U-1A Vought Corsair (FAA)

The Otaki 1/48 Corsair is probably one of the oldest Corsair models in my small collection. While there isn't a whole lot of detail, it is a very simple, and sturdy, build. The decal sheet offers 3 options. Once again, trying to vary [...]

1/48 Hobbycraft FG-1D “Post-War Corsair

El Salvador, Corsair, 1969 (last combat WWII Corsairs). That's what the instructions say. The Soccer (or Football) War . Our clapped out, war weary Corsairs were used as frontline aircraft by a 3rd world country. At least 25 years old [...]

1/48 Monogram B-25J Mitchell Bomber

The Monogram B-25 series was "state of the art", before the Accurate Miniatures versions, and still builds up into a decent replica, for half the cost. Mine was straight OOB, using the kit decals. It comes with a fairly [...]