2010 Wrap-up
With 2010 rapidly drawing to a close, I thought it would be worthwhile to revisit the kits that have come off my bench since I returned to the hobby in…
Journey Kits v. Destination Kits
Every few days, someone will post a question over on the FSM forums. Which P-51 kit is the best? What's the best kit for someone getting back into the hobby…
Academy P-38F Build Report 2: Main Assembly
The Academy P-38 (and based on the reviews I've read, any 1/48 P-38) is a kit you build because you want a Lightning on your shelf, not a Lighting you…
Tamiya P-47D Build Report 2: Main Assembly
As I said in the last build post, Tamiya's P-47D is a honey of a kit. And nowhere is that more apparent than in the main assembly process. There are…
Academy P-38F Build Report 1: The Cockpit
Most of the prominent World War II fighters are pretty well represented in 1/48th scale, with at least one "definitive" kit and a few others close on their heels. There…
Tamiya P-47D Build Report 1: The Cockpit
Tamiya's P-47D Bubbletop is a honey of a kit. Let's just get that out there straightaway. The venerable old Monogram kit is competent, and with the proper care builds up…
Shipping Vagaries
On November 28th, smarting from the more-or-less loss of the Monogram P-47, I ordered a set of aftermarket decals for Col. David Schilling's "Hairless Joe" from everyone's favorite massive online…
The Next Build(s) – Play it Again, Sam…
My nostalgia builds haven't quite gone as planned. Everything was going swimmingly with the Monogram P-47 until I hit the decal stage. Then, well...yeah. The Revell P-38 is another story.…
Monogram P-47D – FAIL
The past isn't what it used to be. Of all the fears I harbored about tackling the venerable old Monogram P-47, it wasn't the fit, or the terrible blast tubes,…
