My little puppy is almost ready to leave the kennel :-)
Everythings together now and Ive blended the decals in with a fine mist of the base colour. This also helps give the olive drab a faded look.
A bit eager to post a progress pic and one of the wheels has gone wonky but its uside down now drying properly.
Just a bit more weathering and a matt varnish and then its unmasking the windows time and see how much cleaning up is needed.
Almost there at last. I keep getting distracted by my Tamiya P47 for "Strafing"

Nige

Further to my last progress post,,heres my first attempt at using Tamiya Smoke for a bit of post shading.

Comments are more than welcome
Nige

Hi Nige

It looks good.

How did you use the Tamiya smoke? I have tried it on my Bf 109, but I had difficulty blending it in along the edges of the tamiya smoke areas that seemed to leave lines. I hope know what I mean, it is a little difficult to explain....
Also it did not flow freely along the engraved lines. Maybe I did not thin it heavily enough.

Hi Jesper!
The canopy masking is off,,and guess what?,,Yep,,More filling and sanding needed
Hopefully I'll be able to blend the repair in and you wont be able to see the join
As for the Tamiya Smoke. I thinned it to about 10% paint 90% Tamiya thinners.Add to this mix a big helping of beginners luck!
I just misted it on along the panel lines and then added a few passes across the wings in the direction of the airflow to break up the grey.
Im really pleased with the results and I think it will become a standard part of my building from now on.
Really hoping I get to finish this over the weekend.So near and yet so far!
As well as being a " quick build,,HAHAHA,,the irony of that phrase" to get me back building after my layoff, Ive used this Bird Dog as a test bed to try out some olive drab weathering techniques that I intend to use on my P47 for Down Low.
Nige

Finished Entry For The Vietnam Campaign
This is the 1973 1:72 Airfix Cessna Bird Dog painted in the markings of 23rd Tactical Group,Bien Hoa,Vietnam.
Almost all the parts were badly moulded with sink marks everywhere, and its been filling and sanding from start to finish. Got there in the end though . Sprayed with Tamiya Acrylics and details painted with Humbrol and Xtracolour enamels.I added some seatbelts made of Tamiya masking tape,put apart from that its OOB.
A "fun" little build
So glad my next ones Tamiya!
Heres the pics,comments and advice for future builds welcome as allways.






Nige

Hi all. Looking through the site I realised I can join in with a kit I had waiting to be built. I will be attempting the Testors 0-2A Cessna Skymaster.



It will be using the OOB decals from a aircraft based at Bien Hoa as part of the 19th TASS squadron



See you all soon with the first updates.

Nigel,
That Bird Dog is great! While the rest of us are going with missle carrying jets and air beating helo's, you sneak in under the radar with this little beauty. She really does show well!

Congrat! Very nicely done

Hi Nigel and Chris!

Very nice little bird Nigel!

You made a perfect and clean job out of what seems to be a bad kit. My only nitpick would be to cut away the carrier film at the rudder (between the J and the yellow red marking).

Chris, I'm looking forward to see this one built!

Jean-Luc

@Nige: Good job on the bird. A really good result on your "quick fun build" Looking forward to see oyur entry in the Tank busting campaign.

@Chris: welcome onboard. Looking forward to see your build progress. More support for marking out targets. Great

Thanks guys.
Im quite pleased with the end result.
Mental note to self,,,,fewer parts does not equate to an easier build!
Still,,,its turned out ok in the end and Im pleased with it as an entry to the Campaign!
Nige

Hi All

Here is an updated list of partivcipants and the status of the build. Please let me know if I have missed anybody or have somebody on the list with a wrong kit?

betheyn, 1/48 Monogram F-100 - FINISHED
Camogirl, 1/72 Hasegawa Mig 17 - FINISHED
Lampie, 1/72 Airfix Cessna Bird Dog - FINISHED
Lucky13, 1/48 Hasegawa F-8J
Dirk-Danger, 1/32 Trumpeter A-7D
SGTJKJ, 1/48 Italeri F-4 Phantom II
Phantom2, 1/32 Trumpeter F-5 (MiG copy)
Tomcat 31, 1/48 Tamiya A-1 Skyraider or Revell A-37 Dragonfly
JollyRoger, AT-28 Trojan
wizard179, 1/72 Hasegawa F-4E and/or an A-37B Dragonfly
Bigskip, UH-1C Gunship
_H_Dori, Mig 17
VonCuda, F-5
Klimmer, 1/48 Revell A-37 Dragonfly
Mother, 1/35 Trumpeter CH-47A.
lavgnr, 1/35 Trumpeter CH-47A.
bf443, 1/48 Monogram F-104C Starfighter
Easy_Co, 1/72 Italieri B26Kcounter Invader
bounce19712, UH-1D
Busybeas, 1/35 Dragon OH-6 Cayuse

UH-1D underway....

I'm putting the seats together and working on instrumentation as well.

I feel the aftermarket resign detail kits add a new category of time investment for separating and removing excess resign from parts....and I'm not so sure I will buy anymore of these...

photos later...

really good Vietnam pics

http://www.68thahc.com/index.htm

Huey uh-1d,h model GOLD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

please share if you've got good cockpit instrumentation pics or d-model walkarounds...

Some pretty nice pictures there, Bounce. Could be cool to add some of those unit insignia on the Hueys. Especially the Mustang gun ship "riding death"

Thanks for sharing

My Loach (Cayuse Oh- 6a) has arrived, and I have had a peak inside the box



First impressions .... It's tiny !! ( well, compared to my Swiss Rega ! )
Small parts count too..

The glazing parts look a little disappointing, not very clear.. so I shall use the KLEAR advice on those.. ( another 1st for me ! )



Ordered these Eduard parts too... these will ALSO be a first, when I get under way,,



Got some domestic chores to do before I start on this ( yuk)
However, once I get started, I'll post the progress.

Steve B

Excitement!!! looks like a bunch of metal work there ahead of you!...have fun....I'll be needing that particular edition from edward for my loaches....at least one that is....

ps. how much and where did you get it? thanks,,,,b

Steve:
This is a good choice. This particular OH-6, named Miss Claud IV, was flown by Captain Hugh Mills in VietNam 1972. Who later transitioned to AH-1 Cobras, which was named "Squatter Swatter". Good Luck w/ your build

yeah it is!

either I was real young and the model looked bigger or there was a 1/24 version of Miss Claud....I hope to find that one again.

The squadron/signal Gunslingers in Action book really gives some awesome info and photos of his tours (H. Mills)....lots of gunship photos from the uh-1 through a few of the Cobras...with Loaches too!....man that was eye candy!!!

Hi all

Been a while since I posted. I've done just about everything I can to ruin the Dragonfly kit, i think I got cocky after the success of my last project and rushed a lot. Less haste and more speed as my mum would say...

So, I've turned my attention to the F-4E instead. Will post some progress of that one soon.

@Nige - love the Birddog! Looks really good, and having this kit in my stash, I know what it to be more dog than bird.

Cheers
Wiz

Here is my entry for the campaign. So far......


1/48 scale F-4G Phantom II "Wild Weasel"

Hi guys,
I am just finishing a SLUFF, all decked out in Viet Nam era camo. I'll be posting some photos soon
Jerry

Hey Penny,

Long time, no see! The model looks great, which kit is it?
You can never have too many phantoms!!
Jerry

Hi Jerry...
It sure has been awhile since I've talked to ya..... Hope everyone is doing well there in Jersey.

The kit is a 1:48 scale Hasegawa F-4G Phantom II "37 Tactical Fighter Wing" Wild Weasel.



If you pick this one up, let me know...
I have an extra set of canopy masks.... if interested.....

Good to see a lot of people getting on board. We will surely fill the skies over Vietnam.

Penny, your F4-E looks good

I am trying to make the finishing touches on my own F-4E. It is the Italeri kit and I should have spend the extra money and gotten a Hasegawa kit. The Italeri kit is really bad and has a lot of problem in key areas like the fit of the upper and lower wings, the fit of the wings to the buttom of the fuselage, the fit of the cockpit glazing and other issues. Cannot be recommended!! So, Wizard if you have not bought your F-4E kit yet, then do not buy the Italeri kit! You wil regret it. Okay, I will stop my rant now.

I am really looking forward to see the Cayuse take shape. I have been tempted by that model so many times, but never got around to buy it. I think it will be a really cool model. I can almost hear Wagners "Ride of the Valkyries" from the movie "Acopolypse now"

@ Jesper - Thanks for the heads up on the Italeri F-4E. After buying several other F-4E kits in the past, I pretty much only buy the Hasegawa in 1/72. I especially like the seperation of the front fuselage from the aft in the Haseagawa kits.

The F-4E I am using is actually the F-4EJ, due to the requirement for a "hard" wing.



Cheers
Wiz