Moments of Zen

[DogfighterZen]

Make a mod!! Stick a box up there with an antenna coming out the top. Or something. I've seen canopies before with junk on them.    Too bad it's not on the side, then it could be made into an access hole a la the F-84.

i don't think it's too bad although i've already thought of buying another Squadron set of canopies for it... but i don't think it's a good choice cause it's good enough for the simple model that the Airfix Banshee is, and i don't think it's worth spending almost as much as the model cost me to have a perfect canopy. One of those will have to do the trick cause i don't want to leave any model unfinished when i've got all i need to do it.

Going to the Beja Model Show this afternoon and i've already seen some pics of the excellent work displayed there. Mine are among all the other real world aircraft.
Although it's fine to have them among all the others, on the next show, which will probably be ModelCult 2020 in about 6/7 months, i'd like to have a different display for my "Portaria 101/80 - Renewal of the PoAF" theme builds, of which the F-4 and -5 are a part of, something with a small text for folks to read and understand the idea behind these models.

I'd like to build a good list of aircraft and although i've just finished building the F-4F instead of the E that the PoAF wanted, i do want to build an E and do a better job than i did with the F-4F... you'll see why i'm not happy with the end result when i manage to get some pics posted here.

The F-5F also has a few things of which i'm not proud of... so that means, i'll have to build another one to either join or replace this one on the display but that won't be a problem cause i've got enough F-5 kits in the stash.   

[TheChronicOne]

Another show. Glorious!!!   Interested to hear/see of fascinating wares.

[DogfighterZen]

I just made it home... didn't take a single pic this time, sorry. Too much to see and very little time cause i got there an hour before it time for the award ceremony.
Lots of great builds indeed, can't even begin to name one besides a 1/48 B-1B... 
I'll find some pics eventually and redirect you to them, easier that way.

So i did spend some money although my budget was very short... Just a Tamiya 6mm masking tape refill, couple of Ammo by Mig Jimenez thin paint brushes 5/0 and 3/0, and an Academy 1/72 AH-64A Apache, total of 20€ spent and i was happy.

So, next year i wanna organize my show participation a bit better, it's cool to participate but i don't see myself running around the country trying to attend every show in the schedule. Not that i would mind, i just don't have the time or money for that.

Ok, shows aside, back to the bench and it's time to keep working on the 3 RW builds i have stalled and the whif  Portuguese Navy Banshee.
Besides these, i have a whif chopper build in sight...

[DogfighterZen]

Well, well... coming close to the end of another year and i've only been able to finish 2 models this year but with the all the changes that my life went through in 2019, i consider it a positive turnout.
I want to thank Brad TheChronicOne), Fred(Zenrat) and Chris(NARSES2) for the ideas and motivation for the 1/48 Monogram F-5F. It was fun to build another of the whifs i've had on my list for such a long time and you guys are responsible for it because i wasn't planning on building that kit anytime soon but, it was definitely worth it as i'm very happy with the result.
This is why i call you guys my modelling family!

So, Brad is to blame for the next one...



Another one of my "should've been PoAF" list of whifs to build. Was almost bought by the PoAF back in 1974 but the French government didn't like the fact that the PoAF was going to use them in New Guinea because of the surrounding countries in which the French had a big influence and interests. Believing that it would not please the rulers of the Republic of Guinea and Senegal, they cancelled the deal.
But that happened in the real world, not on Whif land so, let's get it going!

[TheChronicOne]

Hell yeah!!!! So glad to have been a part of the process. Like you said... we love the same jets... it's a no brainer!!


This thing here....  mmmmm.... YUP. Can't wait to see it. I almost built one myself not too long ago but opted for something else for whatever reason so it's an itch needing scratching. The plan is sound.     

Interesting kit!!! I never seen such a thing.   

[DogfighterZen]

The kit does look good, although these are the old molds. The kit has been updated after this edition came out because the panel lines are a bit too deep and i have to agree, they're pretty wide, almost Matchbox type of trenches... It still looks good, though. Lots of options, 4 different nose types, one plastic and one resin tail, 3 types of plastic drop tanks and a set of resin ones, two complete canopies and 2 tail pipes so, i'll have to decide which of each will be used.
There are also a few PE parts for mirrors and the access ladder, a big transfer sheet and a resin seat. When i opened the box, i found something i didn't remember i'd bought for this, a Yahu instrument panel and a Master model pitot tube and angle of attack probes.
And there's also a pair of canards...
Looks like, if the fit of the parts is good, i've got a pretty fun kit to build. Here's a review of the kit so you can check out the pics.
https://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234935094-amd-mirage-iii-e-172-pj-production/

Still, i can't forget that i still have the 1/48 Spitfire and the  Airfix Banshee to finish, besides a pair of F-16s that i started about a year ago.
I've got to read a bit about the timeline to decide some things but, i'm gonna start building the Mirage anyway.

[zenrat]

Not sure what I did, but thanks dude.  Always glad to provide moral support, feedback and facetious comments.

[DogfighterZen]

Not sure what I did, but thanks dude.  Always glad to provide moral support, feedback and facetious comments.

Well, Brad suggested i should build one of my favorite kits as the first in the new home, then you seconded the idea and suggested i put it somewhere special. Chris suggested i let my missus take part of the build and you gave the idea of letting her choose what i should build.
She chose the kit from a few options that i dug up from the stash and although she ended up not participating of the build as she thought she wouldn't do it properly, she kept regularly checking on how it was progressing.
So, in my book, that makes you one of the responsible people for this build just like Chris and Brad. 

Heck, even if you guys hadn't suggested anything, i'm grateful to have "met" you guys cause i have no other real modelling family, not even in the Portuguese forum. Some of the folks on that forum are good people too but i think that most of the modellers hate what-ifs, especially the PoAF ones...

[Old Wombat]

Same World-wide, I think. Largely because we (in their eyes) make a mockery of their "picture perfect" (in some cases almost literally) replicas.

I don't know why; after all, I appreciate what they do, why can't they appreciate what I do?

It's like art; they're the Adolph Menzel's & Thomas Eakins' of the modelling world, we're the Salvador Dali's & Pablo Picasso's.

[PR19_Kit]

An excellent summing up of the situation Womby, I can just see us all as the 'Salvadir Dalis' of the modelling world. 

It's pretty widespread, this feeling of 'You're not REAL modellers 'cos you make it up as you go along', so presumably these people only ever read non-fiction books and never EVER read a novel because that's '....made up as it goes along....'?

I had a face off with the 'Real World Pilots' on the PPRune Forums some while back because I'd actually had the temerity to even THINK of the PR19, let alone build all three versions of it, and I asked if any of them ever read fiction. Many said they did, so I pointed that all I'd done was 'model fiction'. 

[DogfighterZen]

Unfortunately, so true... they don't see us as real modellers but what i think is that most of those who criticize and try to ridicule our models are simply jealous because they're such blockheads that they're not capable of exercising free thought or wouldn't have the nerve to show their whif models to anyone.
This is a thing but, with that said, i've just posted both the F-4 and -5 on the Portuguese modelling group on FB and people seem to like them... The post already has a bunch of likes and comments after just a few minutes. Even one guy admitting he wanted to build some PoAF whifs! 
Does surprise me but i'm happy to see that. Maybe if i flood them with what-if builds, they'll be more encouraged to build their own...

[DogfighterZen]

So, this last pair of whifs has been getting a reasonable amount of likes and comments on FB but surprisingly enough, the page with the least reactions is "The what-if model builders group" page... The Monogram fans seem to love the F-5 and the Portuguese on "Amantes do modelismo" seem to like both as these were the fighters that most Portuguese aviation nuts wanted to see being flown by our air force. Not even one negative reaction so far so that means people are opening their minds a bit more.

Anyway, FB aside, i've been looking through the PJ Mirage kit and this will be a more complex build than most of kits i've built so far, lots of sub-assemblies to be done before it begins to look like an airplane... i just hope that the fit of the parts is good cause if not, this might not be as fun as i first thought it would be be.
Not sure if i can start working on it today cause i have to sort out my mancave a bit better, now that i have the home studio set up in place and working. Gotta reorganize my stash boxes and get rid of the bags of junk i had at my parents house.
I need to clear the space i have to begin assembling the display cabinets so i can finally put my models in a proper place.
That reminds me, the special place of the house where my first "start to finish" build on my new home will be living room as it's the room where me and my missus want to display our preferred work. She's going to make a display of sewing tools, buttons and threads and some of her work and i'll put one of the display cabinets on the empty space right next to the TV cabinet. I'll put the F-5 in there so i can look at it everyday.
Gonna paint the bases of the cabinets with a matte black right now!

See y'all later!

[NARSES2]

Not even one negative reaction so far so that means people are opening their minds a bit more.

I think they are. At shows in the UK we quite often get people walking away shaking their heads and smiling, but then you hear them muttering "I wonder what so and so would have looked like in operational markings ?".  Therein lies the path to madness 

[DogfighterZen]

Indeed, looking at what-ifs confuses most of them but it also gets their minds going. I caught a couple of guys at this last show that were looking at the Phantom with a very serious look on their faces and one even called another friend to look at it and then they walked over to the F-5 and started talking so i sneakingly followed and overheard one of them say: " That's cool, that's a what-if i wouldn't mind building."... That made me proud of our type of modelling and, of course, proud of my model, too.
Been putting down a few coats of paint on the base and top of one of my Detolf cabinets and the paint's almost dry so, today i'll have it assembled on the living room with my best builds! 

[DogfighterZen]

The 4 second hand Detolf cabinets i bought from my boss(20€ each) came in the brown/wood color, which you can see on the top left of the pic but, i like dark stuff...



Got a little too excited and sprayed a bit of paint on the garage floor but luckily, this paint comes off well with a bit of scrubing... How do i know this? I've sprayed my whole bed in white... and that freaking paint stinks, another reason why i hate spray cans!