Painting and Weathering Engine Exhausts – Now on YouTube

I’ve uploaded a video with a demonstration of how I paint and weather my propeller engine exhausts. I demonstrated using the supercharger on the 1/48 Tamiya P-38 Lightning. I did not invent this technique! I first read about using thin coats of brown paint to simulate rust in JM Villalba’s FAQ book. I added Tamiya […]

Using Quinta Studio 3D Cockpit Sets – Now on YouTube

I’ve uploaded a video with a demonstration of how I installed one of the new Quinta Studio 3D Cockpits in my 1/48 Zvezda Hind. For those who are not familiar with Quinta Studio Cockpits, these are 3D cockpit parts that are mounted on decal sheets. They are made using polymerized vinyl and are incredibly well […]

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 […]

I actually attended a 2020 Model Contest

I like model contests and shows. I go to them all the time and I had plans to attend a few in 2020. We all know what happened to those shows. If you remember, there were some hold outs in the spring. Some announced a postponement instead of cancellation. Breath was held and fingers were […]

Bargain Adventures!

A natural offshoot of the hobby of building models is the hobby of collecting stashing models. If collecting railroad themed plates, beanie babies or used ‘8 bit’ game systems are considered legitimate hobbies, then I say that maintaining an impressive stash is just as legitimate. It really doesn’t take long for most of us to […]

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 […]

Earning Your (Modeling) Stripes

When I got back into the hobby my initial goal was to incorporate some new technique, or tool, or anything “new” into each one of my builds. At first it was photoetch, then resin bits, then some basic scratch building. After I got the hang of pre and post shading, I turned my mind towards […]

Fool Me Once

Last year I wrote a post about the expensive kit myth where I compared prices of kits from over 30 years ago. The summary was that the comparison is very difficult because the kits from today are entirely different products from years ago. As a bit of an update, I came across a very interesting […]

Model Airplane Maker on the Plastic Model Mojo Podcast!

I wrote about subject of models and social media a short time ago. Never being one for having the latest tech, I found myself wondering how I was going to get through an 11+ hour drive to WrightCon in the spring of 2019. Then I remembered I had an iPod! I found plenty of podcasts […]