Coming along nicely. I'd like to get hold of this kit for my 1/48 Grumman cat collection.

Great build so far.
The Bridges at Toko-Ri won an Academy Award for Best Effects, Special Effects for the miniature flying sequences like the attack on the bridge.
Tom Cleaver, the Furball decals I used on my Banshee say Cmr M. U. Beebe lol

For those who may be interested in the real story of "The Bridges at Toko-ri" (the novel is based on the six weeks James A Michener spent on USS Essex and USS Valley Forge October 1951-February 1952). the story is in my new book, "Holding The Line: The Naval Air Campaign in Korea."

(Spoiler alert: "Brubaker" and "Forney" were captured and survived POW camp, walking across the Freedom Bridge at Panmunjom six weeks after Paramount bought the rights to the novel and announced the movie.)

There actually was a reservist named Brubaker, who was a lawyer from Denver. LT Donald Brubaker, a Skyraider pilot in VF-154 aboard Essex.

Looks like the Cat's ready to pounce. Looking good, Louis.

Thanks fellas for the compliments... @roofrat

@davem

Last night I added some filler in places that needed some attention. With this kit having a lot of warped parts, it took quite a bit. More than usual I think.

Today I concentrated on getting some more work done on the Cat.

Looking good Louis. I've found with my Monogram Panthers it's possible with a sanding stick to sand those fences smooth and thin them a bit. It;s an easier way if you want to try it I know it works.

Perking right along!

Thank you gentlemen for the kind words and encouragement. Today I got a little bit more done on Brubaker's Panther jet.

Tom, @tcinla
I took your thoughts and carefully considered the options. But in the end, I decided to cut away the fences and I scratch built a set using .010 thickness sheet styrene. This turned out to be a very good move. I don't think that I could have filed these molded on kit parts to such a thin thickness and maintain an even appearance throughout. So off with the fences I went...

Erik, @airbum
I am very pleased with the surface finish on this one... Today I did a little more primer and filler work. The I went over the whole airframe with 1500 grit wet or dry paper. The end result was even better than I had hoped for. I'll definitely need to deploy the speed brakes and drop the flaps on final with this baby ! Maybe even get some heat shields from an old Space Shuttle to help protect it from the excessive heat when it re enters the atmosphere ! This bad boy is slick...

Greg, @gkittinger

Thanks for stopping by my friend. Please stay tuned for another installment. It's coming up next ! Take care buddy...

Allan, @kalamazoo

After looking at how nice your fence work turned out, and especially after studying the photos you provided, I decided that going this route would be best for me. I really don't think it would have been possible for me to achieve a scale like thickness using a file. There would have been scratch marks to contend with, and even more sanding would have been required. Plus by removing the fences completely, it allowed me to take care of the leading edge and do some work on the intakes to smooth things out a little better there too.

So I took your ideas and ran with them.

Thank you !