503 articles
Well here she is completed! Did not add every bit of PE, and since detail shots of Wilkes are hard to find I had to be creative and use other ships close to her configuration for things like the floater net baskets, but I am pretty happy [...]
This Academy kit has been around 15-20 years. It's still available, and is one of the less expensive F-16 kits. I had a set of Florida ANG for an F-16, which was why I got the kit. I ended up with a simple kit, simple decals, and a [...]
The Stuart was an American light tank designed to emulate the cavalry of old -- racing out to spy out the enemy lines, wreak havoc, and dash back home. It was thus named Stuart after the dashing Confederate General who served as Robert E [...]
HMS Warspite was the most decorated ship in the history of the Royal navy. Fighting all the way from Jutland in WWI throughout WWII, she was in more violent engagements than any other battleship of the modern era.
Launched as a member of [...]
This is one of my earliest big ships and it was a joy to build. Despite Academy's heavy handed molding of the finer details, I found the model to be very satisfying. I was able to replace most of them with extra/alternate parts from the [...]
Who doesn't like seaplanes and amphibs? Academy makes a nice looking series of PBY's. I had seen the weathered "Black Cat" version, and just had to give it a try. This is one I really feel looks better in person, than the [...]
Two Hunter F-5s, done with the Aeroclub conversion for cockpit, seat, landing gear and tail cone from the Academy F.6. These are the two squadrons of Hunters based on Cyprus during the Suez Intervention in 1956 for defense of the island [...]
Mostly OOB...A resin seat and the 500lb LGBs came from a trumpeter F-14. Great kit!
This is the Academy 1/35 AH-1W Super Cobra. Built OOB. Went together fairly easily. The cockpit glass could have fit better, should have posed it open.
Even though the pictures don't show it the finish is rather grainy. Can't remember what [...]
A couple of years ago I'm visiting my brother and sister-in-law and noticed she had displayed a photo of her deceased father and the crew of his B-17F Double Exposure. Bernard Brailer is in the second row, fourth man going from left to [...]