Finishing Kit Radial Engines – Now on YouTube

I’ve uploaded a video with some tips and a demonstration of how I finish radial engines. For those who have been following the blog for a while, this video features much of the information contained in my Modeling Radial Engines article from last year. The engine I am finishing comes from the venerable 1/48 Hasegawa […]

1/48 A2N3 Biplane Fighter by AB&K

When it comes to building models I think most of us strive to develop the skills that will get us consistent results with few surprises along the way. The idea being that consistency will lead to a lot of successfully completed models on the shelf. But it can also lead to that feeling of rinse […]

1/48 Tamiya P-38 Lightning – My Miss Virginia

A Little History Lockheed began developing the P-38 Lightning in 1937 and in January 1939 the prototype made its maiden flight. The Lightning was a unique looking aircraft with tricycle landing gear, twin booms and a central pod bristling with guns. It had two 1600HP liquid cooled engines and fully loaded it weighed some 10 […]

1/48 Hasegawa RF-86 Haymaker

In the Spring of 2019 I made the trip to Dayton Ohio in order to attend WrightCon and to visit the Museum of the United States Airforce. My collective 6+ hours in the museum felt incredibly rushed because there is simply too much to look at. The report of my USAF Museum visit also seems […]

Tips and Tricks for Modeling Aircraft Cockpits

Unless you are making a UAV, your model airplane will have a cockpit. After radial engines, cockpits are probably my favorite part of an aircraft build. Today’s kits typically come with excellent detail right out of the box that just need paint. Of course, there is always room for an aftermarket resin set or some […]

1/48 Tamiya Ki-61 Hien (Tony)

Do we really need a new Tony? I always find it hilarious when I hear: “Do we really need a new kit of the [insert new kit] when the old [insert kit from ancient times] is perfectly fine?“ I have heard and read arguments in support of certain Monogram, Aurora and Revell kits from 40+ […]

1/48 Tamiya F4F-4 Wildcat

I’ve had these Tamiya Wildcat kits on the shelf for a long time. It seemed that every time I considered building one, something else bumped it down the pile. However, I read that Eduard was planning to release a series a new mold Wildcats in 48th scale sometime in near future. If the Eduard Wildcat […]

1/32 Zoukei-Mura Ki-45 Nick Build Review

Hardly the new kid on the block anymore, Zoukei-Mura (makers of the Super Wing Series) brought us the Ki-45 Nick in early 2019. This beauty follows on from their line of gorgeous 32nd scale WW2 kits. This one is the first conventional twin (the German ‘Anteater’ is technically a twin as well, but…you know what […]

Tamiya’s 1/48 J1N1 Gekko – A sleeper build

A Sleeper Build? Ever pick up a model kit on a whim? It was not on your radar and you may not have known about it. Perhaps you saw it cheap at a show, got it from a buddy or it was on heavy discount at the hobby shop or online. Not expecting much from […]

My Hasegawa Ki-45 Nick in FSM

I’ve written an “Airbrushing and Finishing” feature for Finescale Modeler magazine about my Little Nick. As I described in a previous post, I added most of a resin cockpit, scratch built the engines and gear bays and added other details. I then painted the model, including the markings, with Tamiya acrylics. You can read about the […]