Any modelers on Fedora Lounge?

[Diamondback]

Check out Fiddler's Green (www.fiddlersgreen.net)--some of their planes aren't Rivet Counter grade and a few are amalgams of several variants (their B-17 is a D/E/F/G hybrid, and don't get me ranting about their B-52), but they're fairly-accurate and usually easy builds if you have a steady hand. (Guess what my problem building 'em is?lol)

I saw FineScale Modeler coverage of an F4U scratchbuilt out of aluminum in Japan or Korea that was panel-for-panel and rivet-for-rivet, and even the controls worked.

 

[Silver Dollar]

Here's what I'vee been working on for the last few weeks. It's going sort of slow but I need that kind of time to get things done the way I need. Here are a couple of pics. The model is a huge 1/24 scale P47 being done up in a natural metal finish. I'm not ready yet to put on the metal finish.

 

[HarpPlayerGene]

I was big into little slot cars as a kid - and again a few years ago. Here's a couple I basically sculpted and painted in HO scale. There are lights in the backs of each to simulate the rocket fire when they go down the track.

http://s261.photobucket.com/albums/ii79/harpplayergene/HO Slot Batmobiles/

 

[Silver Dollar]

BATMOBILES !!! Now you're talkin'. A good friend of mine built the 60's version in 1/8 scale. Great cars. :eusa_clap :eusa_clap :eusa_clap

 

[Flivver]

If any of you are collectors of plastic model cars, perhaps you can help me identify this master model for making the mold for a 1965 Ford plastic car body. I'd like to put it up on eBay, but I don't know what to call it - and without a recognizable name it's pretty hard to title the listing. Also wondering if it would be of interest to model car collectors or if I'd just be wasting my time listing it. Here are some pix of it:

It's a 1965 Ford Galaxie 500 XL. AMT made a promo and a kit of this car in 1/25 scale (about 8 inches long) and a 1/32 scale slot car body (about 6 inches long). I'm inclined to think yours is for the slot car body.

I've been collecting and building model cars since the mid-1950s. I get as much pleasure from it today as I did when I was a kid.

 

[Silver Dollar]

Hey Flivver. I've also been a modeler since the 50's. If you want to see some cool stuff, check out www.scalemotorcars.com . We're dedicated to the large scale cars and we have some of the world's best builders. Even if you don't do large scale, there are a lot of great things to see.

 

[Silver Dollar]

Hey Flivver. I've also been a modeler since the 50's. If you want to see some cool stuff, check out www.scalemotorcars.com . We're dedicated to the large scale cars and we have some of the world's best builders. Even if you don't do large scale, there are a lot of great things to see. Over there, my screen name is hot ford coupe.

 

[Diamondback]

Some rework I'm doing to turn a 1/1800-scale USS Iowa into a post-1980s Wisconsin for a display aboard said battleship at Nauticus...

Along with an unaltered Iowa showing what it started from, and both variant-releases of USS Missouri that made it out in the Axis & Allies Naval Miniatures line. The refit Wisconsin model is going to be centerpiece of a display showing the ship's gun-ranges on a map centered on her berth in Norfolk...

That glass isn't paint or brush-cleaner... it's my Gatorade.

 

[Smithy]

Lovely work Silver Dollar, HarpPlayerGene and Diamondback.

Winter is just about here at the bottom of Down Under so I've been working on a few things. Just about finished a 1/72 Hawker Tempest V, and have been trying to finish research for a 1/48 Spitfire flown by a relative of mine in the Battle of Britain which I hope to get going as a winter project. Might be able to post some pics in the next week or so.

Keep up the good work boys!

 

[Silver Dollar]

Great work on those ships Diamondback. I admire you being able to work in such small scale. I got out of the small scale business because I couldn't see the teeny little fiddly bits any more.

 

[Dixon Cannon]

I will try to find my original 1960's 'Batmobile' and get it back in shape. My Mother packed it away back in the mid-70's and it has been in storage for 35 years!

-dixon cannon

 

[Diamondback]

Silver Dollar, I'm also a cheat--these are prepainted, preassembled collectible gaming miniatures. All I gotta do is almost a straight "carve stuff off then paint it up"... somewhat complicated by the fact that getting the aft two 5"/38 turrets off meant mauling the two before them which I needed to keep. As it is, one of the planes is going to be used to repair one aboard Missouri (blue deck and planes with gray ends) that lost a wing.

 

[Silver Dollar]

I still like 'em. I just don't know why you're painting them with the Gatorade. lol

 

[Diamondback]

It's not for them--it was to keep me alert while I had to deal with the X-acto knife. Aside from the one under conversion, there are no further alterations planned beyond repairing that damaged floatplane.

 

[Diamondback]

Update on Wisconsin: I've been told the exhibit my model is going to be part of has been delayed and they've dramatically chopped the display budget to try to open the ship to visitors faster, but things are picking up speed. I'm even proceeding with a more ambitious conversion since I have the time to do it in, and have built up the center and aft superstructure in preparation to add representational Tomahawk missile launchers.

I think this'll be the final coat aside from touchups on the hull once I install the Tomahawk boxes and the new wire 5" barrels... then all I have to do is fix the main bores, repaint the turrets and mount them.

 

[Stearmen]

USS Colorado

Really nice ship models, first rate! You wouldn't happen to know if anyone makes a model of the USS Colorado, BB45, known to her WWII crew as the Colo Maru!

 

[Diamondback]

Actually, all those pics except the cutting-board shots are the same ship in extreme-closeup--she's about as long as my hand in 1/1800. Don't give me credit for any of the other three, they're all straight-from-box ($15 for one rare*, one uncommon** and three commons***) and one is even a production-mistake.
*Battleships, heavy cruisers, fleet carriers
**Light cruisers, escort carriers, most auxiliaries, patrol bombers
***Destroyers, subs, fighters, dive- and torpedo-bombers, MTB/PT boats

Wizards of the Coast just released a pre-modernization USS West Virginia in the latest set (1/1800 is a proprietary scale of theirs; they come prepainted, and some of the really big-name units are out of production), you might look up Axis & Allies War At Sea: Condition Zebra at your local game shop.

You might look up GHQ's Micronauts line, also. Superior produced a 1/1200 version, and H-P Models has a 1/700 resin kit.
If you're interested in the 1/1800 version specifically, Bill at 12-7 Games has taken pretty good care of me on some huge case orders, his page on it's at http://12-7-games.com/index.php/item/condition-zebra/war-at-sea-condition-zebra-21-/lid=3065482 (Colorado was identical at start of war).

(WOTC stock photo)

 

[Silver Dollar]

Great looking ships. It's tough to make those in such a small scale.

 

[Diamondback]

Yeah, it's difficult--which is why most of my collection is still in "As Pulled From Box" condition, this is my first customization project and probably will be either my only or one of a very few for a long time (and I don't even get to keep it). You should see some of the custom work the crew at the A&AM board I mod on (aaminis.myfastforum.org) has done... this was comparatively simple, just each section getting a solid block of color other than around X turret-mount and the helipad.

It's not really germane to this thread, but if we ever see one about WWII Miniatures Gaming (A&A, Flames of War and such) I'll have to post pics of my own little Task Force 38...

This was an Atlantic scenario we ran Memorial Day Weekend at a convention.

 

[Stearmen]

Fighting Mary

Wizards of the Coast just released a pre-modernization USS West Virginia in the latest set (1/1800 is a proprietary scale of theirs; they come prepainted, and some of the really big-name units are out of production),

(WOTC stock photo)

Thanks I will look into it. With all the small resin small run shops, I new there should be one out there! The Wee Vee was identical to her sisters, the Colo Maru and USS Maryland, Fighting Mary right up to the start of the war.