No Way, Eh!

I actually got the airbrush out and threw some primer at the Hellcat.  Things look ok with almost no remedial seamwork needed.  Heck, at this rate it might turn blue before I depart for Seattle next week.

I tried the new Testors Model Master Lacquer Primer for the first time. It sprayed okay through the Powercat and left a nice flat even finish, but did string a little when sprayed. I was able to remove most of the strings with a quick brush of a large paintbrush and a polish with a Kleenex.  This finish is not as smooth as Mr. Surfacer, but I liked it better than my one experience with the Alclad gray primer.  Overall, Mr. Surfacer and Tamiya Fine Surface Primer are still my primers of choice, but this is an acceptable alternative when they occasionally disappear from stock.

Flying Heritage Collection Hangar Opening

On Friday, I was lucky to attend the Grand Opening of the Flying Heritage Collection's new hangar at Paine Field.  Here are a few pictures.

The newly restored Hellcat had its first flight only a few weeks ago.

I know the scheme is slightly controversial, but I really like the look of the A6M2 Zero.

The MiG-29 is back on display.

This is not a common sight in US flying museums. (The IL-2 is having a little work done on the flying surfaces.)

More of the IL-2. Some inspiration for the new Tamiya kit.

More Modeling Progress

The Eduard Hellcat is together. Please ignore that giant glue fingerprint on the wing...

Actual Modeling

With fall hitting the Americas, it is time to get back to modeling.  I currently have the Airfix A6M2 Zero and the Eduard Hellcat on the bench.

The Zero is a nice kit that, unfortunately, has been lapped by the brand new Tamiya A6M2 Zero.  I found it to be a rather easy kit to build, and the price is right, but many commentators have exaggerated about the panel lines.  Sure they aren't Hasegawa fine, but they do not detract from the model.  The Zero actually has a chance to be completed thanks to my generous girlfriend who bought me some Eduard masks that you can just barely make out on the right side of the photo.  This way, I won't be hung up for months trying to work up the nerve to mask the canopy.

The Eduard Hellcat is the Weekend Edition, so no extras, but also a pretty nice price.  I had a hard time with the wing fit, hence why I chose to glue in the wings before joining the fuselage.  This allowed me to apply a goodly amount of force to get them to seat properly which was still needed even after copious sanding.  Oddly, I have not seen this problem mentioned in any review.  While many love the panel lines on the Eduard kit, I find them too fine and much too easy to erase with sanding.  Guess I'm just out of touch with most of the online modeling world.

Heck, maybe I'll even finish something this fall or winter...