Homepage Text - April 2007

Monday,   Apr 30  2007

  Netherlands Queen's Day   

  Saigon fell, ending the Vietnam Conflict in Southeast Asia  

The Island Hobby Group in St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada in having a contest on May 5 2007.  Click here for all the details.

Region 3 IPMS contest in Anniston, Alabama May 5th, 2007  Click here for more info.  Sabre will be attending as well as many other ARC'ers.

Peter Kouklos & Alex Kontiveis are here with their 1/72 U-Boat Atlantic Version.  I know it's not an aircraft......but nthe photos make this one worth the exception.  This sub was built OOB and is 1 meter or 3 feet long.  Amazingly good job guys.  


Gareth Phua is here with his 1/72 Hasegawa Mosquito FB.5.  This sharp looking silver finish on his Mosquito with Israeli markings.  Nice one Gareth.   


Sam Ching joins us today with his 1/72 Italeri Sea Harrier.  Sam built his Harrier out of the box with great success......this looks like quite the nice Harrier model.  Nicely done Sam.  


Christian Gerard is here with his first article on ARC....and what a model it is!!!  This is his 1/32 Trumpeter Spangdahlem O/A-10A that he spent 500 hours building.  It includes a scratchbuilt canopy with 120 rivets added as well as other scratchbuilding and aftermarket parts.  I am impressed.  Welcome to ARC Christian!!!.   


Fred Amos joins us with two beautifully done P-47's.  This include his 1/48 Tamiya P-47 D & Academy P-47 N.  I love them....well done Fred!!!   


Here's a new F/A-18F Super Hornet VFA-211 Fighting Checkmates print from Deployment ProductionsProfiles in 5 different sizes 20% off of any products for every ACTIVE, registered ARC community members!


Ken Middleton is here with a review of the new 1/48 RAF Tornado Update 2006 decal sheet from XtradecalsThis decal sheet features 9 Tornado F3 and Tornado GR4. 

Sunday,   Apr 29  2007 

Mark L. Rossmann kicks things off today with his 1/48 Monogram B25H.  Although this is an older kit, Mark enjoyed the build and used aftermarket decals to finish his bomber in fine style. 


Shawn Phantom Weiler is here with part 16 of his series.  These are his 1/72 Hasegawa Phantoms Reserve group builds Phantoms.  Shawn has quite the selection here with a variety of schemes.

Saturday,   Apr 28  2007 

William has dropped by from Singapore with some excellent in-flight photos of his 1/72 F-22.  A darn fine looking F-22 and the photos really make it look like the real thing.   


Rafi Ben-Shahar is here with his 1/48 Revell Dornier Do 217N-1 that he modified with a conversion set.  It sounds like Rafi was challenged pretty good on this one.....but he still got it done and in fine style I might add.   

Friday,   Apr 27  2007 

  South Africa Freedom Day  

  Sierra Leone Independence Day    Togo Independence Day 

Capital Area Modelers Society is having their 18th Annual Show and competition on April 28th 2007 in Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada.  Location is St Mary's Anglican Church Hall, 770 McEvoy Street, Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada from 9am to 5pm.

IPMS/Gaston County Model Builders will be hosting a competition and swap meet on April 28 2007.  The theme is "Showing Our Support".  It is intended as a tribute to all military, police, and fire personnel who protect our freedoms in the post 9/11/01 world.  For more information see their webpage  The show will be held in Gastonia, North Carolina. Gastonia is located approximately 20 miles west of Charlotte, NC.

West Central Missouri Chapter IPMS will be hosting their Show Me State Model Fest - 5th Annual Contest on Saturday - April 28th, 2007  Registration - 9AM to 12Noon  Awards Ceremony - 3PM  -  40 + categories IPMS-USA Rules including the NO SWEEPS Rule - The 4th Annual Dick Clay Memorial Trophy.  For complete contest information and downloadable Registration and Entry Forms see their website 

Austin Scale Modeler's Society is having their annual contest this Saturday Apr 28.  Click here for all the info.

IMPS Mid-Hudson & IPMS Stratford have come together to host the IPMS Region 1 NOREASTCON 07 in  Poughkeepsie, NY.  Click here for the basic details or go to their site for all the details.  This is a big one folks and well worth attending in you are near there.

IPMS Philippines has photos of the test shots of the new Trumpeter kits of the 1:32 F6F Hellcat, 1:32  F-100, and 1:35 BMP-3.  Go to their website and have a look.  Thanks to Bryon and all the good folks at IPMS Philippines

Thomas Neuss gets your Friday update started with his 1/72 Revell Transall C-160D.  Thomas gives us the full history on this European cargo plane.  I was quite impressed with the way Thomas built  finished and weathered his Transall....and the German markings just makes it look perfect. 


Matthew Kemp dropped by the ARC Corporate offices in New Zealand with his 1/48 Academy F-111G.  Matthew is an Aussie....a darn funny Aussie.......you've GOT to read his article....grab a coffee or spot of tea and relax during your break.....it's funny from start to finish.  This is Matthew's first article on ARC and I hope there are many more in the future.  Welcome to ARC Matthew!!!   


Franck Oudin has done his usual outstanding job on this one.  This is his 1/32 Hasegawa Bf-109G-14 complete with resin detail items and painted markings.  She looks perfect Franck....I love it!!!   His excellent photos are always a treat to see,


Busolini Massimo is here with his very nicely done 1/144 Trumpeter F-86F Sabre.  Massimo usually builds 1/48 but he had quite a good time building this tiny Sabre.  These 1/144 kits are a pleasure to build....as Massimo found out.  


Javier Planells joins us from Buenos Aires, Argentina with his first article on ARC.  This is his 1/72 MPM Bristol (Ikarus) Blenheim Mk.I with extra scratch-built detailing and finished off in Yugoslavian markings.  Javier includes the Blenheim history with the Yugoslavian Air Force in his article.  Welcome to ARC Javier!!!


I have a review of the new 1/48 resin F9F-2/P Corrected Nose from Teknics  for the Trumpeter/Hobbycraft kit.  This nose includes the Corrected Recce Nose & Cameras.


Ted Taylor is here with a product announcement for the 1/48th and 1/72 UK Air Arm De Havilland Venoms decal sheet from Euro Decals


Ken Middleton is here with a review of the  1/144 Hawker Hunters in RAF and Foreign Service decal sheet from Xtradecals This sheet features 33 jets.  RAF Squadrons Nos 1, 2, 4, 14, 20, 8/43, 43, 54, 63, 65, 79/229OCU, 79/1TWU, 92, 263, and Abu Dhabi, Belgium, India, R. Jordanian, Kenya, Royal Netherlands, Oman, Qatar, R. Saudi, Rep. Singapore, Rhodesia, Zimbawe.

Thursday,   Apr 26  2007

Tanzania Union Day

IMPS Mid-Hudson & IPMS Stratford have come together to host the IPMS Region 1 - NOREASTCON 07 in  Poughkeepsie, NY.  Click here for the basic details or go to their site for all the details.  This is a big one folks and well worth attending in you are near there.

Neil Burkill gets things started on a very positive note with photos from the recent IPMS Cyprus Show 2007.  This show is held in an ancient cave and features many types of models.  I selected the F-1 model for the ARC homepage out of consideration for Neil's F-1 passion.  All my very best to the folks at IPMS Cyprus.  Remember to use the slide show feature to view all the photos.   


Armin Knes is here with his WW2 Soviet 1/48 ICM Yak-7B.  Armin built this one out of the box and dropped the flaps for added effect and finished her off with some weathering.   


Louis Chang is has done a wonderful job detailing and finishing his  1/48 Hasegawa B6N2"Jill".   Louis added his usual scratchbuilt details to all the important areas and finished it off with a weathered peeling paint job....very effective and realistic looking.  


Zack Recznik is here with his  first article on ARC today.  This is his 1/48 Academy F-16 complete with a scratchbuilt hanger.  Looking good Zack, welcome to ARC!!!.   


Andy Davies has been busy scratchbuilding a cockpit for his 1/48 OEZ Sukhoi SU 7b 'Fitter'.  Andy then finished his Su-7 in a bare metal scheme with very nice results.    


I have a review of the 1/48 resin F9F Corrected "Cougar Nose" from TeknicsThis set is suitable for the for Trumpeter/HobbyCraft/Fonderie-Miniature kit.


I have a product announcement of the S-3B Viking VS-31 Topcats, NG700 / 160142 / 2007 print from Deployment ProductionsThis Profiles is available  in 5 different sizes.  20% off of any products for every ACTIVE, registered ARC community members!


Ken Middleton is here with a review of the 1/72 Fairey Gannet decal sheet from Xtradecals.  This sheets includes 11 aircraft from Royal Navy and Royal Australian Navy.  

Wednesday,   Apr 25  2007 

  Australia and New Zealand  - ANZAC Day

David Thompson is here to honour ANZAC Day with a selection of 9  Australian Aircraft.  All very well done models with weathering.  I'd like to extend my thoughts to everyone in Australia and New Zealand on this solemn day of Remembrance.  We shall always remember them. 


Phil Hastie joins us on is here to honour ANZAC Day with his attractive 1/72 Pioneer2 Hawker Sea Fury FB11.   Phil finished his Sea Fury in Australian markings......I LOVE those Roo national insignia.


Pieter Posthumus has been very busy doing a conversion to create his 1/32 Hasegawa F-16 B.  Pieter started with an F-16A single seater kit and did plenty of scratchbuilding to create his F-16 two seater.  Amazing job Pieter!!!


Angelo M Picardo has done an impressive job building and detailing his 1/72 Westland Wessex HU-5.  The Wessex has lovable looks and Angloe did his up right.   


I have a review of the new 1/32 resin F-4 Seamless Intakes from Cutting Edge Modelworks.  These intakes are designed for the Tamiya family of F-4 kits. 

Tuesday,   Apr 24  2007

  Israel Independance Day  

I've been working quite hard on a programing issue that has stumped me for years.  I'm adding a new little feature to ARC today.  I'll be posting birthday greetings at the top of articles for ARC Forum members that have registered their birthday.  This will only appear on the newer webpages until I can rebuild the older webpages.  I'll be getting this info directly from the Calendar section of the ARC Forums.  I'll also be posting about the contests and shows that are in the ARC Forum Calendar section.  As I slowly rebuild the site, this info will appear on more and more pages and will change each day.  Just another little tiny step forward for ARC.

Austin Scale Modeler's Society is having their annual contest this Saturday Apr 28.  Click here for all the info.


Yoav Efrati is here to mark Israel's 59th Independance Day with a selection of 38 different models....all in Israeli markings.  Yoav is an expert modeler with talent that also extends to taking good photos.....so you're going to enjoy the huge selection he has provided for you today.   


Steven J. Corvi has done a fine job building and detailing his 1/72 Tamiya F-84G.  Steven added a resin cockpit to his detail his baremetal F-84G and he finished it in Norwegian Air Force markings.  This is one sharp looking F-84.   


Louis Chang joins us today with another of his beauties.  This is his 1/48 Tamiya Mosquito Bomber Mk4.  Louis added scratchbuilt details to different areas of his model, as well as a Cutting Edge seat to add detail to the cockpit.  No doubt about it, the Mosquito is one very graceful looking aircraft.  


Ray Yeo (Seiya) is here with his highly detailed and flawlessly finished 1/72 Italeri SU-34 'FullBack'.   Ray gave his Su-34 a full weapons load which completed the look of realism on his Russian jet.  

Monday,   Apr 23  2007

  England - St. George's Day  

  Turkey - National Independence and Children Day  

Capital Area Modelers Society is having their 18th Annual Show and competition on April 28th 2007 in Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada.  Location is St Mary's Anglican Church Hall, 770 McEvoy Street, Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada from 9am to 5pm.

IPMS/Gaston County Model Builders will be hosting a competition and swap meet on April 28 2007.  The theme is " Showing Our Support".  It is intended as a tribute to all military, police, and fire personnel who protect our freedoms in the post 9/11/01 world.  For more information see their web page  The show will be held in Gastonia, North Carolina. Gastonia is located approximately 20 miles west of Charlotte, NC.

West Central Missouri Chapter IPMS will be hosting their Show Me State Model Fest - 5th Annual Contest on Saturday - April 28th, 2007  Registration - 9AM to 12Noon  Awards Ceremony - 3PM  -  40 + categories IPMS-USA Rules including the NO SWEEPS Rule - The 4th Annual Dick Clay Memorial Trophy.  For complete contest information and downloadable Registration and Entry Forms see their website 

Tony Feredo starts your week with his 1/48 Tamiya N1K1 "Kyofu" (Rex).  Tony built this floatplane beauty straight from the box with some weathering and paint chipping to complete the look. 


Peter Doll is here with another of his excellent looking models..  This is his  1/48 Collect-Aire Douglas RB-66B Destroyer built out of the box....which is not always an easy thing with resin kits......then Peter covered it in kitchen foil to get the bare metal finish he was after.  Wow......my mind boggles at the thought  of trying to finish a model with kitchen foil.   


Alex Kontiveis is here with a masterpiece.  This is the 1/24 Trumpeter Spitfire Mk Vb Trop which took more than 700 hours of work and more than 500 extra scratchbuilt pieces for detailing!  You are a true master modeler Alex!!!   


Phil Hastie has been busy getting things looking right  on his 1/72 Hasegawa F-16C Blk30 Wisconsin ANG.  I really enjoyed seeing the tail art markings on Phil's Viper.   


I have a review of the  1/32 resin Triple Ejection Rack (TER) from Cutting Edge Modelworks.  This set is for jets from Vietnam through to mid '80's.  


Sunday,   Apr 22  2007 

Aleksi Saarelainen dropped by the ARC Corporate offices in Finland with his first submission on ARC.  This is the 1/72 Zvezda MiG-21PFM with weathering and a weapons load.  Aleksi is 13 and this is only his 3rd model......which is pretty impressive.  Welcome to ARC Aleksi....it's great seeing your MiG-21!!! 


Thierry Jacques has done a wonderful job detailing and finishing his 1/72 Hobbyboss Hawker Hurricane MkII.  Thierry finished his Hurricane in a desert scheme of the Free French Air Force from 1942.

Saturday,   Apr 21  2007

Death of the Red Baron - Apr 21 1918

 United Kingdom - Birthday of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Second 

Dean Large is here to mark the anniversary of the Red baron's death with his  1/28 Revell Fokker Dr.1 “The Red Baron”.  Dean put plenty of effort and scratchbuilding to create this tri-plane beauty....sit back and enjoy.


Eric A. Archer is here today with his first articlke on ARC.  Eric is here with his well detailed and carefully weathered 1/32 Revell F-14A Tomcat.  Eric put 2 week of effort into detailing the cockpit and his efforts produced a very fine looking F-14.  Welcome to ARC Eric.

Friday,   Apr 20  2007 
Reminder...Baton Rouge Scale Modelers present Cajun Modelfest XXII  Saturday April 21st Baton Rouge, LA at the USS Kidd by David Campbell

Reminder...The  IPMS Seattle 2007 Spring Show will be held Apr 21.....go to their website for all the details  http://www.ipms-seattle.org/Springshow/

Reminder...The IPMS-Manila in cooperation with Robinson's malls will hold an exhibit open to the public on April 21 and 22 at :
Robinsons Place Pioneer Mall
EDSA corner Pioneer Street
Pasig City, Philippines 
In conjunction, a internal contest with the theme "God Save the Queen" will be held as part of our annual activities. All are invited to attend.

Arne Goethe starts your Friday update in a very big way.  This is his 1/72 Hasegawa/Esci/CMK/Verlinden Lockheed F-104C "Starfighter" which was kit bashed from the Hasegawa and ESCI kits and loaded up with resin and photo etch detail in almost every area.  Flawless work Arne!!! 


Max Tollens Jr. is here with his 1/48 Revell P-51D Mustang.  Max attended Meteor’s NMF webinar and decided to try out what he learned on this Mustang.  As you'll see in his photos, Max has the NMF techniques all figured out.    


Shawn Phantom Weiler is here with his 1/48 Hasegawa F-14A that he built for an ARC Group Build.  Shawn.   Shawn finished his carefully weathered F-14 in VF-84 Jolly Rogers markings.  Nice one Shawn.


Joseph Garcia has done a wonderful job finishing and weathering his 1/48 Tamiya Fw-190 A-3.  Joseph has an interesting story about acquiring and completing his Fw-190.  His efforts paid off with a very well done 190. 


Glenn "Wingnut" Bontigao has been busy modifying and detailing his 1/72 Italeri UH-19A.  Glenn was smart to begin with an Italeri helo kit for his first chopper build.  He then went the extra mile to really make his UH-19A stand out with folded rotors and other eye catching details brefore he finished it off in Philippine Air Force markings. 


I have a review of the  1/48 resin F/A-18E Super Hornet Seamless Intakes from Cutting Edge Modelworks.  This set is designed for the Revell kit and will save you plenty of work and give you a much better model for less work. 


Kelly Quirk is here with a review of the USMC V-22 Osprey Profile CD from Orion Models.  This photo CD contains 165 detailed photos of the V-22.   


I have a review of the 1/48 & 1/72 Rf-4C/E Phantom II decal sheet from Hi-Decal Line.  This sheet features 7 different schemes from Iran, Spain and the USA.  

Thursday,   Apr 19  2007 

James Ashton kicks of your Thursday update with his 1/24 Airfix Hurricane Mk1b.  James made sure his big Hurricane had plenty of detail showing for all to enjoy.  This old kit still builds into a very nice model.   


Busolini Massimo has done an exceptionally nice job building, detailing his  and finishing his  1/48 Hasegawa F/A-18D Hornet.  Massimo chose to finish his F-18D with "Viking" decals from Orion Models.  


David Horn has done a spectacular job kitbashing his 1/48 Matchbox/Tamiya A-1E Skyraider.  David wanted a 2 seater Skyraider, so he combined the Tamiya single seater with the matchbox 2 seater...then he added endless aftermarket goodies and used his masterful modelling skills to complete a very perfect looking model.  I get tired just pondering the work involved in this one model.  


Arne Goethe had a fun time building his 1/72 Revell Eurofighter "Typhoon".   This is an excelelnt kit that builds up into a great looking model....as Arne has shown.  He tells the history of the Eurofighter in his article and covers the whole build process.  Arne finished his Eurofighter in the attractive Luftwaffe markings.  Well done Arne.


Federico Kunz joins us from Mexico City with his 1/48 Tamiya Hyakushiki Shitei III Recon Plane.  This special model has all the right look from weathering to chipped paint along the panel lines.  Although it is built out of the box, Federico got it looking just right.  


I have a review of the  1/48 F9F-2/F9F-3 Corrected Nose from Teknics for Trumpeter/Hobbycraft kit.  This resin nosed corrects the shape issues with the kit nose.   


1/48 & 1/72 Vivacious Vipers #1 decal sheet has been revised and re-released by Zotz Decals.  This sheet sold out quickly back in 2004, so if you missed it then you might want to get your order in.  F-16's on this sheet includes markings for 25 different F-16's.  Countries represented on this decal sheet include F-16's from Bahrain, Denmark, Egypt, Greece, Pakistan, Portugal and Turkey.  


Albert Moore is here with a review of the  1/48 F/A-18D Hornet USMC Moonlighters decal sheet from MAW-Decals.   This decal sheet features three USMC F/A-18D Hornets of VMFA(AW)-332 'Moonlighters',

Wednesday,   Apr 18  2007 

Chas Bunch has been very busy creating his 1/48 Revell B-24D (GR-V).  This is a sub-chaser B-24 built using a variety of aftermarket detail items including a conversion set.  WOW......this is quite the project....don't miss this one!!!


Malcolm Reid spent 2 years building his 1/32 Revell Tornado Gr.1.  Malcolm added scratchbuilt detail to the cockpit and has some very good advice about using Future to install the decals on his Tornado.  This is quite the model and welll worth having a long look during your coffee/tea break.


Armin Knes has dropped by today with his 1/48 Hobbycraft La-7.  Armin built his Soviet WW2 fighter out if the box with dropped flaps and he posed it in a diorama with figures. 


SCOUT712 has been busy correcting the shape and details on the big 1/32 Revell F-4F Phantom II.  His article details the creation of this beautifully done Luftwaffe Phantom......this involved quite a bit of effort.  


Max Tollens Jr. has had one heck of a tough time finishing his 1/48 Academy F4U-4B Corsair.  This included stripping the paint job.....I give Max credit for finishing his Corsair.  He finished in in USMC markings.  Read his article for the full story of the grief this model gave him.    


I have a review of the new 1/48 resin F9F-2/-2P/-3 Corrected wings for the Trumpeter/Hobbycraft kit from Teknics.  Now you can enhance the detail and accuracy of your Panther. 


Zotz Decals is releasing a revised 1/72 The Thud Alley "F-105 Nose art" decal sheet.  This sheet includes 4 aircraft;  Pussy Galore II, Memphis Belle II, Jeanie II / I dream of Jeanie, Daisey Mae.  I'll do a full review when a review sample becomes available.


Kelly Quirk is here with a review of the new UH-1N Huey Profile CD from Orion Models There are close to 200 photos on this CD taken from a  modellers perspective.  If you need UH-1N Huey detail photos....this CD is worth considering. 

Tuesday,   Apr 17  2007 
We were deeply saddened by the recent untimely death of Pete Forrest while riding his motorcycle.  Pete was the creator of the Hold and Fold and a gifted modeler.  His family still owns a portion of The Small Shop and business will contiinue.  A portion of the proceeds from the sales of the Hold & Fold will help to support Pete's four daughters.  Also Pete's family has set up a Trust Fund at US Bank under the name of Roderick Pete Forrest III to help his 4 daughters when they are older. 

Angelo M Picardo joins us with another of the beauties from his display case.  This is his 1/48 Trumpeter Westland Wyvern sports a resin cockpit and Suez Stripes.  Angelo has high praise for this kit and his very well done  finished model shows he enjoyed the build.   


Harrison G. Carmody has done an exceptionally nice job building, detailing his  and finishing his  1/32 Academy F-16C Falcon.   Harrison used a variety of aftermarket detail items and quite a few new techniques on his F-16 to get these stunning results.  You can read all about it in his article.  


Frontpenny,Wen Jin Xu is here with a nicely done 1/72 Revell Swordfish Mk I.   The markings for this little jewel are based on the Swordfish involved in the Bismark attack.  


Federico Kunz is here with one of the most interesting paint schemes I've seen on a MiG-21.  This is his 1/48 Academy Mig-21 in an unusual Vietnamese camo scheme.   Federico added a variety of aftermarket goodies to raise the detail level of his Mig.  Quite the eye catching paint scheme. 


Jerry Hawhee (Old Blind Dog) has been very busy building and detailing his 1/72 Academy A6M5c diorama.  Jerry used a variety of kits and aftermarket sets to complete his diorama and he tell the whole story in his article.  I love it....there's quite a bit to see.  


I have a review of the  1/48 F9F-2 &XF9F-2/XF9F-3 Panther decal sheet from Yellow Hammer Decals.  You get the options of 6 different schemes from test aircraft.


Steve Filak is here withn a review of the Hold & Fold Mk. IV Photoetch Parts Workstation from The Small Shop.  If you use Photo Etch parts....then this tool is a must.


Albert Moore  is here withn a review of the 1/48 F-4S Phantom "Sierra Hotel Sierras" decal sheet  from MAW-Decals

Monday,   Apr 16  2007

  Denmark - Queen's Birthday 

Baton Rouge Scale Modelers present Cajun Modelfest XXII  Saturday April 21st Baton Rouge, LA at the USS Kidd.  Thanks to David Campbell for sending in photos of last years show.

The  IPMS Seattle 2007 Spring Show will be gheld Apr 21.....go to their website for all the details  http://www.ipms-seattle.org/Springshow/

IPMS-Manila in cooperation with Robinson's malls will hold an exhibit open to the public on April 21 and 22 at :
Robinsons Place Pioneer Mall
EDSA corner Pioneer Street
Pasig City, Philippines 
In conjunction, a internal contest with the theme "God Save the Queen" will be held as part of our annual activities. All are invited to attend.

Rafi Ben-Shahar has been busy converting and kitbashing to create his 1/48 P-38J "Droop Snoot".   Rafi's finished P-38 is a treat for the eyes.


Phil Vorvis is here with his two 1/144 Dragon F-15 C Eagle and F-15 E Strike Eagle.   Phil has quite the talent for these smaller scale models as you'll see in his article and photos.


Dennis Cermak is here with his first chopper build.  This is his 1/72 Italeri H-19 B "Chickasaw" finished up in a bare metal finish and USAF markings.  You can't go wrong with Italeri chopper kits and Dennis turned out a fine looking "Chickasaw".  


Charles Johnson joins us with his 1/72 Heller E-8C J-STARS.   Charles used a conversion set to create his J-Stars along with some scratchbuilding and finished it in 116th ACW markings.

Sunday,   Apr 15  2007 

Busolini Massimo starts today's update with his 1/48 Hasegawa A-4C Skyhawk.  This particular Skyhawk is in Argentinean markings from the Falklands/Malvinas war.  I particularly liked the way the paint chipping looks on this A-4.   


Bill Bunting joins us with his 1/72 Academy P-39.  Bill was pretty busy on this P-39 adding resin and photo etch to details including a  resin cockpit, gun bay, engine, radio compartment and control surfaces.  This is a heck of a lot of detail to add to a 1/72 P-39, but Bill pulled it off with great skill. 

Saturday,   Apr 14  2007 

Steffen "Little Airwolf" Tittmann begins your saturday update with his excellent looking unique 1/48 Tamiya Republic P-47 D.  Steffen built his P-47 in captured markings with a complete diorama.  Steffen tells a bit more about this story in his article.   


Shawn Phantom Weiler is here with a great looking selection of his 1/48 Hasegawa Tomcats.   And yes.....all of these are Jolly Rogers jets.

Friday,   Apr 13  2007 
Reminder...IPMS Model Expo/Contest at the USS Alabama Museum in Mobile, Alabama on April 14th 2007.  You are invited to attend the show which is in an excellent location, being held in the facilities of the USS Alabama Museum Park. 

Reminder... The Shearwater Aviation Museum's 9th Annual Spring Hobby Show is coming up this Saturday on April 14th, at the museum of course!  This in the east coast of Canada in Nova Scotia.  Click here for more infoYou'll be able to meet ARC'er Iain Matheson and possibly his son if you attend. 

Jer Wei  starts today from China with a well done 1/72 Academy Messerschmitt Bf-109 G6.  Jer Wei added scratchbuilt cockpit details and a very finely done mottling job on the fuselage and followed that up with a complete weathering job to get this baqttle hardened 109.   


Bob Moore has gone above and beyond with his 1/48 Monogram EA-6B ProwlerBob chose to use the Cutting Edge exterior correction & wingfold set's and a resin cockpit to bring this older kit up to modern standards of detail.  His finished Prowler is up to the very high level we're seeing from Bob and I look forward to each of his articles on ARC.  


Krzysztof Gęga joins us from Poland with what has to be one of the best looking paint schems you'll find on a 1/35 Trumpeter Mil Mi-17.   Krzysztof added quite a bit of scratchbuilt detail to this Mi-17 and finished it orff in Polish Army markings and has it displayed on a diorama base.   I love the look of this Mi-17.


Chris Parsons has done quite a bit of converting and scratchbuilding on his 1/48 Hobbycraft Canada (Turbo) Beaver.  I have these Beavers flying out of our city's harbour and I never tire of seeing floatplanes.  Chris has included some detail pics of the interior before he closed up the fuselage so you can see all he did.   


I have a product announcement of the 1/48 F9F Panther Hot Cats on Parade #2 Decal sheet from Yellow Hammer Decals.  This sheet includes two USMC Panthers and one Blue Angels Panther from the 1949 Season.   

Thursday,   Apr 12  2007 
Sorry....no update today.....I got side tracked all day Wednesday doing other duties relating to ARC and never got a chance to get an update ready for today. 

Wednesday,   Apr 11  2007 
The Shearwater Aviation Museum's 9th Annual Spring Hobby Show is coming up this Saturday on April 14th, at the museum of course!  This in the east coast of Canada in Nova Scotia Click here for more info.  You'll be able to meet ARC'er Iain Matheson if you attend. 

Here is a preview of  5 new decal sheets available from Meteor Productions.  Some with nose art.  These include;
  • 1/32 PYN-up Decals P-51 D Sheet   (2 aircraft)
  • 1/32 Cutting Edge Decals P-51 D Sheet   (2 aircraft)
  • 1/32 Yellowhammer SBD-1s sheet (4 aircraft)
  • 1/32 Yellowhammer SBD-3/4s sheet  (6 aircraft)
  • 1/32 Yellowhammer SBD-1/2/3s, sheet  (7 aircraft)

Clostermann joins us with a beautiful baremetal 1/48 Tamiya P-47 D-27 RE.   Clostermann finished his Jug in an attractive scheme with colorful accents.


Keith Money has done a stunning amount of work super detailing his 1/32 Academy F-16CJ.  Keith modified quite a few areas on his F-16 and he tells the whole story in his article.  Enjoy ythe pics of his F-16.  


Steve Ringlein has been busy building his 1/35 Trumpeter Mi-24 Hind.  Steve chose to finish his Hind in markings used by the Soviets in Afghanistan.


Bill Arnold has been persistant and completed his 1/72 Airmodel Dornier Do23G.  Bill added sscratchbuilt details to get his Dornier lookign just right.


Steve Filak is here with a product announcement of the new 1/32 resin Messerschmitt Bf-109G-2 to K-4 Cockpit Set from Master Details.     

Tuesday,   Apr 10  2007 
I'm very pleased to welcome a new sponsor for ARC.
HobbyBuy.com specializes in military model kits and hobby items, and they strive to provide the best in service and price.  Everyone should know about their weekly 50% off deals as they really do take a massive 50% off the retail price on a bunch of items, no strings attached, just buy and save. The deals rotate weekly on Mondays, so be sure to check it out.

Armin Knes has dropped by today with his 1/48 Accurate Miniatures Il-2 M3.   Armin built his Il-2 M3 out of the box with re-positioned flaps in his usual great way.


Ben Montgomery is one of the junior modelers here on ARC.. Today he joins us with his exceptional looking 1/32 Revell Tornado ECR.  Ben wisely chose the excelelnt markings from the Tigermeet 2001/02.  I love htis Tiger scheme.  Ben had more than his fair share of problems with this model during and especially after it was finished.


Gabriel Stern is here with another of his classic models.  Today's treat from Gabriel's work bench is this very odd looking Scratchbuilt 1/72 FMX-4 Facetmobile -1993.  And yes...this is based on a real aircraft.  


Raymond Biggs is here with his sharp looking 1/72 Academy MiG-23MS.   Raymond tells some history of the MiG23 in foreign service and his particular MiG-23 is finished in Libyan markings.


David Upp is here with his baremetal 1/24 Airfix P-51.  David took this older kit and did it up in fine style....and enjoyed the process.....you can't do much better than that.  Nice one David.


Ken Middleton is here with a  review of the recently re-released 1/48 F-5E Tiger II  -  VFC-13 Blue / Grey Saints decal sheet from Two Bobs Aviation Graphics.  Buy this one while you can....it won't last long.

Monday,   Apr 9  2007

  Portugal - Day of remembrance (La Lys Battle 1918)  

The IPMS Model Expo/Contest at the USS Alabama Museum in Mobile, Alabama is on April 14th 2007.  You are invited to attend the show which is in an excellent location, being held in the facilities of the USS Alabama Museum Park. 

Stephen Prior starts today with a very nicely finished 1/48 Tamiya Beaufighter TF.X.   Stephen enjoyed building this model and it shows in his photos.  Stephen tells the story of this particular aircraft and one of it's fateful WW2 missions.  


Angelo M Picardo is here with his first article on ARC.  This is his 1/32 Revell IAI Kfir with a  conversion to create an Israeli aircraft.   Angelo did the extr5a detailing and weathering to get his Kfir looking perfect.  Well done Angelo and welcome to ARC!!!


Oliver Weston stopped by with his mostly out of the box 1/72 Matchbox Heinkel He170A.  Oliver added a bit of extra detailing and finished this colourful beauty off in Royal Hungarian Air Force markings.  


James J. Olschlager Jr. is here with his first article on ARC.  This is his 1/48 Testors F-4 Phantom II complete with a full weapons load.   James finished his Phantom in markings for 561 FS, based at Nellis AFB, Nevada.  Welcome to ARC James!!!   


Jerry Hawhee (Old Blind Dog) is here with his first article on ARC.  This is his 1/72 Academy T-6 Texan done up in a great looking bare metal finish.  Jerry tells the whole story of building this trainer in his well written article.  Welcome to ARC Jerry!!!   

Sunday,   Apr 8, 2007

Easter Sunday

Tigre del Aire dropped by the ARC Corporate offices in Colombia with his 1/72 Italeri AH-60L ARPIA III.  This special AH-60 has had all the mods done to it to make it a Colombian version and finished with Colombian markings.   It is very nicely detailed inside and out.


Thanos Mentzelopoulos stopped by today with his 1/32 Revell P-47 Thunderbolt.   Thanos used old fashioned modelling sjkill to detaila nd finish his big Jug.  Great to see this dirty ol' D-Day bird. 

Saturday,   Apr 7  2007 
The ARC community was saddened to hear of the sudden passing of Pete Forrest, following a motorcycle accident near his home. Pete, as many of you know, was the owner of The Small Shop, and was the inventor of the Hold & Fold line of tools. Pete leaves behind four daughters, other family members and many friends. He revolutionized the application of photo-etched parts with his invention of the Hold & Fold Photoetch Workstation, and he will be forever remembered for his very significant contribution to the hobby. On behalf of the entire ARC Staff, I wish Pete's family peace in their time of sorrow, and we ask you to remember Pete in your thoughts and prayers today.

Steve B. 

Phil Vorvis  joins us with two of his pint sized models.  These little gems are the l1/144 Dragon F-177 Stealth Fighters.  Phil chose 2 different paint schemes.....including one with the Stars and Stripes on the underside. 


Chip Berseth has done a fine job finishing his 1/48 Hasegawa Kawasaki Ki-61 "Hein".  Chip built his Hein out of the box with a new panel line weathering technique and then added guns make stains to complete the look.  Chip has an obvious talent for taking photos.  

Friday,   Apr 6  2007 

Good Friday

Tony Feredo joins us for the first time on ARC with his sharp looking  1/48 Trumpeter P-40B.  This P-40 is one of the Dec 8 1941 defenders that confonted the Japanese airforce in the Philippines.  Tony has done a great job on his P-40 and I look forward to seeing more of his work on ARC in the future.  Welcome to ARC Tony!!!   


Bryan Lee joins us for the first time on ARC with his weathered 1/32 Tamiya Viper.  Bryan used pre-shading on the panel lines and used many different weathering techniques including dry brushing to get the look he was after.  Bryan then added a  full weapons load.  Nice one Bryan....welcome to ARC!!!   I look forwrd to seeing your next model on ARC.  


Steffen "Little Airwolf" Tittmann is here with his first article on ARC.  This is Steffen's very well done 1/48 Accurate Miniatures North American B-25B.  Bryan chose to go with the B-25 flown by Lt. Col. James H. Doolittle on this famous mission to bomb Tokyo 6 months after Pearl Harbor.  Welcome to ARC Steffen!!!  


Giuseppe Santaromita dropped by today with his 1/72 Academy Mig-21 F-13.  Giuseppe added weathering and a weapons load and finished off his Mig in an eye cathcing in-flight display.  Well done Giuseppe. 


Ken Middleton is here with a review of the 1/48 F-5E Tiger II  -  VFC-13 Desert Cats decal sheet from Two Bobs Aviation Graphics.  You get markings for 3 different sheets.  This is a re-issue so buy it while it is still available.....this won't last long. 

Thursday,   Apr 5  2007 
I'm pleased to welcome a ARC Air sponsor.  They are your source for SnJ spray metal finish.
Hawkeye’s Hobbies LLC-Manufacturer of SnJ Spray Metal (Enamel) and Talon Series (Acrylic) NMF paints.  Beside paints we offer unique plastic model building supplies. But that's not all. Hawkeye's Hobbies also offers marketing assistance for plastic scale modelers with original products to sell and an idea exchange by and for plastic model builders.

Peter Valica starts today's update with his very fine and well weathered 1/72 Vought F4U-1A Corsair.  His technique for the chipped paint was quite simple and effective.   Well done Peter. 


Bill Havel is here with his first model on ARC.  This is Bill's 1/48 Hasegawa F-14D that he added 2 resin aftermarket sets and Hasegawa weapons and finished it off with Twobobs decals and a full weathering job.  Nice Tomcat Bill, I look forward to seeing more of your work on ARC.  Welcome to ARC!!!     


Clarence "Clare" Wentzel is here with another beauty from his workbench.  This is Clare's 1/72 Azur Breguet 27 Liaison which is one very interesting looking aircraft.  This was a limited run kit and Clare tells all about building it in his article.  Good to see it Clare.   


Daniël Obers has done an outstanding job detailing and finishing his 1/72 Hasegawa IRIAF F-4E.  Daniël used aftermarket resin and photoetch and finished it off with custom made decals for the Iranian Air force.  This is one very sharp looking Phantom. 


Glenn (wingnut) Bontigao is here with with his first article on ARC.  This is his 3 1/72 Philippine Air Force Prop aircraft.  Glen built these 3 models mostly out of the box and finished them of in Philippine Air Force markings.  Looking good Glenn.  Welcome to ARC Glenn!!!


Noel Saplala  is here with with his first article on ARC.  This is his 1/48 Academy P-47D.  Wow Noel went to town on his P-47 adding extra details and making it look perfect.  Enjoy the photos of this one...it's a beauty.  Welcome to ARC Noel!!!   


I have a review of the new 1/48 F9F Panther decal sheet from Yellow Hammer Decals.  This sheet features 4 different Panthers. 


Ken Middleton is here with a review of the new 1/48 F-117A Silver Anniversary Bandits decal sheet from Two Bobs Aviation Graphics.  This sheet features 4 different F-117's.

Wednesday,   Apr 4  2007 

  Senegal Independence Day  

No update today.....I'm catching up on a number of things  on ARC.


Tuesday,   Apr 3  2007 

J.C. Bahr begins today with an article I was supposed to run yesterday on the 35th anniversary of this aircraft being shot down.  This is the famous "Bat 21" aircraft.  JC has included the history and story to go with his 1/72 Douglas EB-66C Destroyer "BAT-21".  JC also includes full details of building his  flawless Destroyer.  A very well done tribute JC.


JM joins us with a very nicely done 1/48 Revell Monogram P-40B.  JM did all the little things to improve the details with very good results.  Well done JM.


John Lanning  has done a beautiful job building and finishing his 1/72 Fujimi A-4B Skyhawk.  John finished his Skyhawk in the very attractive markings for the Argentine Navy and he includes the history of this aircraft in the involvement of this A-4 in the Anniversary Falklands/Malvinas War  and the sad end to it's pilot.


Gonzalo Vidal has done an outstanding job detailing and weathering his 1/32 Hasegawa Ju87 Stuka Kanonenvogel.  Read Gonzalo's article for some very helpful weathering information.  This is one very nice Stuka.  


Oishi dropped by today with his 1/32 Trumpeter F-105.  Oishi finished his F-105 to his usual very high standards.  


Lamfan is here with a nicely done 1/72 Heller Alouette III.  Lamfan finished this Alouette III in an attractive red paint scheme.  Well done Lamfan and I look  forward to seeing more of your work on ARC.   


Dave Klaus from Meteor Productions is here with some detailed information and photos about the new 1/48 F-111 and A-7 Seamless intakes from Cutting Edge. 


Ken Middleton is here with a review of the  1/48 F-16C 2005 TMOTA CO ANG decal sheet from Two Bobs Aviation Graphics.   


Ken Middleton is here with a review of the  1/48 Alaskan Strike Eagles decal sheet from Afterburner Decals.   This sheet features the Strike Eagles from the 90th Fighter Squadron.

Monday,   Apr 2  2007

 25TH Anniversary Falklands/Malvinas War  

In case you missed it....click here to see the ARC April Fools day homepage.  Special thanks to Brett Green at Hyperscale for his good sense of humor.

Joe Dempsey is here with the completed models from the 25TH Anniversary Falklands/Malvinas War Group Build.  Special thanks to all who joined in and Joe Dempsey and Albert Moore for their efforts and Hi Decal Line for sponsoring the prizes.  Well done everyone!!!


Gareth Phua is here with his silver 1/72 Mosquito FB.5.  This striking looking Mosquito is finished in Israeli markings.   Good to see Gareth....thanks for sharing. 


Agnieszka Kus is here with her second completed model  This is her 1/72 Airfix Apollo 11 LEM that she added quite a few scratchbuilt detail items to improve the accuracy of her Lunar Lander.  This model brings back memories from so long ago.


Armin Knes dropped by with his 1/48 Hobbycraft I-16 Typ18.  Armin buikt his little Soviet fighter straight out of the box and finished it in one of those classic Russian camo schemes.   Looking good Armin.


Geoff "jug-junkie" has been busy building his 1/48 Academy F-15E.  The finish on this Eagle is quite well done.  A fine job on this equally fine model kit.   I love how it turned out.


Alessandro Biagetti dropped by the ARC Corporate offices in Italy with his 1/72 Airfix Heinkel HE-177 A-5.   Alessandro spent much time reworking pretty well every part and aspect of his He-177....with very impressive results.  Well done Alessandro.  


Ken Middleton is here with a review of the new 1/48 F-22A Tyndall's Raptors decal sheet from Two Bobs Aviation Graphics.  

Sunday,   Apr 1  2007 

Happy April Fools Day!!!!


Marc Gray kicks off today's update with his 1/24 Airfix Messerschmitt BF109E.  Wow....Marc had quite the time building his 109.....his persistance paid off with a sharp looking yellow nosed bandit.


Stephen Cornett is here with his two Tomcats.....a 1/32 Tamiya F-14D and a Revell F-14B.  Stephen did use some aftermarket items to improve his F-14's, but in the end it was Stephen's high skill that made it possible to complete these two Tomcat gems.