Homepage Text - September 2007

Sunday, Sept 30  2007

  Guinea-Bissau Independence Day  

  Botswana National Day  

Max Tollens Jr. starts today's update with his very well done 1/144 Minicraft Boeing 737-400.  Max did have some problems with his kit but you'd never know that from looking at the finished model.  

Davin Evans has done an impressive job finishing his 1/48 Hasegawa Messerschmitt Bf 109G-10.  This particular 109 was a day fighter pushed into night fighter service in an attempt to stop the Allied night bombers.  Davin tells a bit about this in his article.   

Bf-108 walkaround photos by Patrick Nevin

Alouette walkaround photos by Roy McKay

Saturday,   Sept 29  2007 
Ray Yeo begins today with his excellent looking 1/72 Hasegawa F-14A Jolly Rogers.  Ray discusses the pros and cons of the 1/72 Hasegawa kit and how he made the eye catching Jolly Rogers display base.    

Nick England has been busy getting the details right on his 1/72 Airfix Sopwith Pup.  Nick did quite the top notch job on this one as you see in his photos.   

Vampire walkaround photos by Patrick Nevin

V-22 Osprey walkaround photos by George Thorpe

Friday,   Sept 28  2007 
Hobby Gryffon has their annual show coming up on September 30 in Quebec, Canada.  For more info....click here http://www.gryffonhobbies.com/expo.htm  It promises to be even bigger than last year. So far they have confirmation from people coming from the Maritimes, Ontario and the US!  Plus many new faces from the area. Should be fun. 

David Mielke "VMFA314Knights" begins today with a very well done 1/48 Hobbycraft Hawker Sea Fury.  David built his Sea Fury OOB and finished it off in markings for a very special Korean war aircraft.   

Pete Morgan is here with his 1/48 Hasagawa Harrier GR7.  Pete did a bit of extra detailing to spruce up his Harrier and then he added reasonably colourful markings and a touch of weathering before displaying it on a great looking display base he built.  Nice job Pete!!  

Serge Dompierre has been busy getting the details right on his colourful 1/48 LTD IAR 81C Rumanian fighter.  There were quite a few little detail changes Serge did to his IAR 81 before finishing it in colourful Royal Rumanian Air Force markings with nose art.    

Amos Hadad joins us from Israel with his fine looking 1/35 Dragon "Scud B".  Amos built his Scud out of the box with very good results.  

Radek Lhotsky is here with a review of the  1/72 Dying Sun II decal sheet from Rising Decals.  This decal sheet features Japanese Navy Aircraft Captured by Americans and British.

I have a review of the  1/48 F4U Corsair / F6F Hellcat wheels with smooth tread pattern from Ultracast.   

I have a review of the  1/72 P-47D Thunderbolt Pt. 2 decal sheet from Lifelike Decals.  This sheet features 3 different P-47's.  

Patrick Nevin is here with some Strikemaster walkaround photos.   

Dean Large is here with some Me-109E walkaround photos.   

Thursday,   Sept 27  2007 
Articles Needed!!!  I've finally been able to reduce my work week at my real job, which is what I want.  This is freeing up lots of time for me to focus on ARC.  Currently the inflow of gallery articles will only permit 4 gallery articles per weekday and none on the weekends.  I'd like to put double that many articles on ARC, but I'll need more folks to submit model gallery articles.  I'm also looking for walkarounds and review articles.  I plan to add between 300 and 700 walkarounds per year to ARC....so if you have the walkaround photos....send them to me.  I'm keen to move ARC to a much higher level......and I now have to time to do it.

Yufei Mao has been busy getting the look right on his  1/72 Hasegawa F-117 "Gray Dragon".  This is one very unique F-117 and Yufei got the paint job looking just right. 

Lorenzo Cassinadri is here with his first article on ARC today.  This is his 1/48 Hasegawa Nakajima Ki-84 Hayate (Frank).  Lorenzo has done a stunning job on the weathering and paint chipping (peeling?) on his Frank and he kindly shares his technique in his article.  Welcome to ARC Lorenzo!!!  I look forward to seeing more of your work on ARC. 

Jose Aides has been very busy masking and airbrushing his 1/48 Mirage 2000 Tiger Meet.  The bulk of the markings on this amazing aircraft are airbrushed.  Well done Jose!!!  

Jaroslav Král has been very busy adding lights to his 1/48 Monogram B-24J.  Jaroslav  did a great job building his B-24....then he took it to a higher level with lightning.  

I have a p review of the 1/72 F-15C Too Cool For School Eagles decal sheet from Two Bobs Aviation Graphics.

I have a review of the  1/48 Ki-27 Otsu Type 97 Fighters Part 3 decal sheet from Lifelike Decals.  This decal sheet features seven different Ki-27.

I have a review of the  1/48 resin Fiat G.91R cockpit set from Small World Accessories.  This set is for the Heller/Ocidental Fiat G.91R kit and is available from Mondoridotto

F-94C walkaround photos by Phil Juvet

C-124 Globemaster walkaround photos by Paul McKeehan

Wednesday,   Sept 26  2007 
I'd like to give everyone advanced notice of the upcoming XXII Modeling Tournament to be held in Guayaquil on Saturday 13 and Sunday 14 October in Guayaquil. Further information go to their website at www.ipmsguayaquil.com

Daniele Dotti joins us from Italy with a first article on ARC today.  This is Daniele's 1/72 Hasegawa Fw190D-9 which went together very well and built up into a stunning model.  I love how well it looks.  Welcome to ARC Daniele!!!    


Shawn Phantom Weiler is here with his Phantoms part 20, Hasegawa 1/48.  Shawn did a a large amount of kits bashing and aftermarket detailing to create this anniversary Phantom.  Nice one Shawn!!  


David Mielke "VMFA314Knights" is here today with his 1/48 AMT F7F-3N Tigercat.  This particular Korean war aircraft is historically significant and David tells the whole story in his article.  I was particularly impressed with the paint chipping and weathering on David's Tigercat.    


Laurent “Angus” Beauvais drops by today with his 1/48 Classic Airframe Vampire Fb5.  Laurent kept pretty busy with his Vampire but he kept with it and truned out a great looking Vampire in French markings.   


I have a review of the  new 1/72 Republic P-47D Thunderbolt Part 1 decal sheet from Lifelike Decals.   You get a choice of 3 duifferent P-47's in this decal sheet.  


I have a review of the new 1/48  F4U Corsair / F6F Hellcat wheels with Radial tread pattern from Ultracast.   


Radek Lhotsky is here with a review of the  1/48 Lockheed P-38 Lightning Part 3 decal sheet from Tally Ho!  This sheet features 4 different P-38's and is also available in 1/72. 

Tuesday,   Sept 25  2007

  Charge of the Light Brigade in the Crimean war  

Seong won Choi is here from the Republic of Korea (South Korea) with his first article on ARC.  This is one of the best and most detailed 1/48 Monogram EA-6B Prowler's I've ever seen.  This Prowler is loaded with plenty of resin detail items from a cockpit to wing fold set and the Cutting Edge correction set.  Wow what a huge job this must have been.  Welcome to ARC Choi!!!    


Oliver Weston has enjoyed building his 1/72 KP Letov S-16.  This little bi-plane beauty was built out of the box and Oliver includes the history of this little plane.  Cool plane Oliver.  


Glen T. Peach ''Ogro'' has enjoyed building his 1/144 Airfix B 727-200.  This sharp looking airliner was finished in markings for a Brazilain airline called VASP (Viacao Aerea Sao Paulo).  I love the paint scheme Glen.   


Eric Hargett has done an exceptionally nice job on his 1/48 ProModeler Dornier Do 217E-5.  Ericaded some photo etch to impove on the kit detail.  He includes some very helpful information about how he painted and weathered his model.  Nice one Eric. 


I have a review of the  1/48 resin SR-71/YF-12A/A-12 Super Detailed Exhausts from Cutting Edge Modelworks.  This set of resin exhaust is designed for the Testors/Italeri kit


I have a review of the 1/48  F4U Corsair / F6F Hellcat wheels with block tread pattern from Ultracast.

Monday,   Sept 24  2007 
Hobby Gryffon has their annual show coming up on September 30 in Quebec, Canada.  For more info....click here http://www.gryffonhobbies.com/expo.htm  It promises to be even bigger than last year. So far they have confirmation from people coming from the Maritimes, Ontario and the US!  Plus many new faces from the area. Should be fun. 

Olivier Bonnet is here to WOW you with his 1/72 Italeri and Matchbox Wessex.  Olivier added resin and scratchbuilt details and finished them off with two of the best looking Wessex paint schemes I've ever seen.   


J.C. Bahr is here with his 1/72 Monogram EF-105F from Project Northscope.  J.C. includes full history on this aircraft.  J.C. put in much effort to get all the details correct on his 1/72 wonder and I know you're going to enjoy reading his article and seeing his special F-105.   


Cessna joins us with a very nicely done 1/72 Italeri Hs-129 B3.   I got a kick out of seeing this Hs-129 in a diorama setting.


Jeremias Nicolas Luchina has dropped by today with his 1/72 Sur Models I.A. 27 Pulqui I.  Although this aircraft wasn't a success in itself it was very historically significant and it did pave the way for later designs.  Jeremias tells the whole story in his article.   


I have an announcement regarding SnJ Spray Metal & Talon Series NMF Paints from Hawkeye Hobbies LLC.  The announcement involves Sprue Brothers Models.  

Sunday,   Sept 23  2007

  Saudi Arabia National Day  

Steven J. Corvi starts things today with his 1/72 Fujimi PAF F-86F40.  Steven did an exceptional job on his Sabre and finished it with some careful weathering and the markings  for a Pakistani Ace using Cutting Edge decals


Mark Kannemeyer joins us from South Africa with his  1/32 Hasegawa Bf-109 G6.   Mark was very busy upgrading the detail on his 109 with a variety of resin detail items and then he finished it off with a first class paint job and some aftermarket decals.   

Saturday,   Sept 22  2007 

  Malta Independence Day  

Roy McKay gets things started today to mark the retirement of the Irish Alouettes yesterday.  This is his article which is appropriately called Au revior Alouette!.   Great photos Roy!!!  Roy alos tells the story of the Irish Alouettes.  


Ray Yeo is here with his 1/72 Zvedva MIG 1.44.   Ray weathered the panel lines and finished it off as an in-flight model.  Looks excellent Ray.


David Upp has done a wonderful job getting everything looking just right on his 1/48 Tamiya Fairey Swordfish.  David has some excellent photos of his Swordfish and includes a few tricks in his article to help you build a better Swordfish.   

Friday,   Sept 21  2007 
Victoria Scale Modellers will be hosting the Island Open, Saturday 22 September at the Mary Winspear Centre at Sanscha, 2243 Beacon Ave, Sidney, B.C. Contest and Swap meet featuring: Cars, Ships, Aircraft, Figures, Spacecraft, Armour built by Local World Class Modellers. There will be Door Prizes and a Swap & Shop. More details can be found by clicking here http://www.vsm.bc.ca/Contest2007.htmlI

PMS-UK Farnborough are holding their annual Modelfest show at: Kings International College, Watchetts Drive, Camberley, Surrey on Sunday 23rd September 2007 from 10am to 4pm.  For more info see http://www.ipms-farnborough.co.uk/index.html

Dan McWilliams gets today off to a fine start with his 1/48 Hobbycraft Tutor.  Dan enhanced this set with a resin detail set and finished it off with a great looking bare metal finish.  I enjoyed the story about Dan's late Dad in his article.   


Karel Sláma is here with a very well done 1/48 Heller Apha-Jet A.  Karel finished off this beauty in the always attreactive markings for the German Air Force.   


Ray Yeo has been having fun building his 1/72 Hasegawa AV-8B Harrier II.  Ray built his harrier out of the box with expertly done weathering and panel line shading.  


Juanjo Dominguez has proven that anything is possible in 1/72 scale.  This is his super detailed 1/72 Fujimi+Italeri MH-53J Pave Low III.  You have got to see the level of scratchbuilt detail in this chopper.  Amazing.  


Chip Berseth is here with his sharp looking 1/48 Revell Germany Martin B-26 Marauder.  Chip gave his B-26 a bare metal finish and sexy nose art.  Read his very well done article for the full story.  


I have a review of the  101 First Fighter Squadron Isreali Air Force book from IsraDecal.  This book carefully details the history of the 101 Squadron in the Israeli Air Force from it's very first battle in 1948 with 4 S-199's to the present time.  Over 600 photos and endless first hand accounts by pilots of their combat exploits. 


I have a review of the  1/48 F4U Corsair / F6F Hellcat wheels with Radial diamond tread pattern from Ultracast

Thursday,   Sept 20  2007 
Long ago the Baghdad Hobby Club was created by ARC  member Charles P. Kalina in an article on ARC.  The Club is still there and is always looking for help in the way of donations.  Here is a note from an  ARC member that is currently helping the Baghdad Hobby Club from this post on the ARC forums.  Click here to see the whole thread.  His message is as follows.  If you have some kits or supplies please donate them to keep this group going.  The IPMS link below has pics of the models built by the Baghdad Hobby Club.   

Hi,

If anyone is willing to send kits/supplies/books/modeling magazines to the Baghdad Hobby Club, please contact me and I'll email you their contact information.

OHMS was able to do a fund/kit/supplies raiser at the Oregon coast last weekend, and this weekend (at our show) we also accepted a lot of kit donations. But any addition donations would be put to good use.

http://www.ipmsusa.org/Features/Baghdad_Hobby_Club/IraqModelNetwork.htm
Thanks,
Ruud
  


Anatoly Velichko begins today with a hot looking 1/48 Hasegawa F-14A Tomcat.  Anatoly added aftermarket goodies and finished it off with aftermarket decals.  The paint job and  weathering is a must see on Anatoly's F-14. 


David Mielke "VMFA314Knights" is here with his first submission to ARC.  This is his 1/48 ESCI AD-4W Skyraider.  This is the older Esci kit in the “Guppy” series version of the Skyraider and David did it up in fine style.  I enjoyed seeing it David and I look forward to seeing more of your models on ARC.  Welcome to ARC David!!!.   


"Tojo" Modeller from Thailand gets  a tip of the hat from me for doing such a fantastic job on his 1/48 Classic Airframes F-5B.  This is a limited run kit and doesn't exactly have Tamiya fit quality but "Tojo" overcame all that and finished up with a first class model.  You will be impressed. 


James J. Olschlager Jr. joins us with his very nicely done 1/48 Revell F-15E Strike Eagle.   James used aftermarket resin seats and finished off his beautiful Strike eagle with Twobobs decals.  Nice one James.   


I have a review of the  1/48 resin F-4E(S) Israeli Peace Jack Conversion from Cutting Edge ModelworksThis set is designed to fit the Hasegawa F-4E or F-4F kit


I have a review of the  1/48 F4U Corsair / F6F Hellcat wheels with smooth tread pattern from Ultracast Now you have no excuse for not having highly detailed wheels on your next great F4U Corsair or F6F Hellcat.

Wednesday,   Sept 19  2007

  Saint Christopher (Kitts) and Nevis  

  Anniversary of the Chilean Army  

The website for the IPMS-USA 2008 National Convention is up and running at http://www.ipmsusa2008.org   Seeing this website online has ratcheted up my excitement level for my trip to the Virginia Beach for the 2008 IPMS USA Nationals.

Jeff Wilson gets your Wednesday update off to a fine start with his 1/48 Monogram Hawk One Canada.  Jeff was inspired to build this Canadian Voodoo after a trip to the Air Museum in Comox, Canada.  Jeff did a fair amount of work to get the details right for this particular jet and finished it off with aftermarket decals.  This is an iconic Canadian Voodoo.   


Tom 'thom' Rowson is here with his flawlessly done 1/48 Tamiya Spitfire MkVc.  Tom built his Spitfire mostly out of the box and finished it off with aftermarkket decals for Robert Stanford Tuck's Spitfire.    


Bradley White is here from New Zealand with his first article on ARC.  This is Bradley's 1/72 Italeri Vought A-7E Corsair II.  Bradley did some scratchbuilding and kitbashing to create this great looking A-7 and finished it off as a weathered Gulf War jet.   


Josh Kaiser is here with his award winning 1/48 Eduard P-39D.  Josh put quite a bit of effort into his P-39 and he tells the story with a well written article that includes beautifully done photos.  This is quite the well done P-39 and well worth having a look at....grab a coffee or cup of tea and enjoy Josh's P-39.   


Géza G'cart Szekér is here with a fantastic 1/72 Supermodel Aermacchi MB-339A.  This beautifully done MB-339 has a perfect weathering job and is finished in markings for the Italian Air Force.   


I have a review of the  1/48 Ki-27 Otsu Type 97 Fighters Part 2 decal sheet from Lifelike Decals.   This decal sheet includes 6 different aircraft.


I have a review of the  1/48 F4U Corsair / F6F Hellcat wheels with Radial tread pattern from Ultracast.  These are great looking resin wheels rich in detail.  

Tuesday,   Sept 18  2007 

  Chile Independence Day  

To help mark the Chilean National Day I've added a link to the big Chilean modellers site www.Solomaquetas.com  Their model group is now 5 years old.

Rodrigo Rejas ( BlackLight) is here from Chile to mark his National Day with his 1/72 Hasegawa T-33A Shooting Star.  This is an older kit, but Rodrigo scratch built some detail and finished it off in the attractive markings for the Chilean Air Force and some weathering.  Nice one Rodrigo.  


Alvaro Troncoso Gil (Bruja) joins us from Chile with his 1/48 Heller (modified) Mirage Pantera.  This special 2 seater Mirage is painted in a great looking camo scheme and finished off in Chilean Air Force markings.  


Ed Ritchuk has been busy modifying his very sharp looking  1/72 Heller CL-215T Canadair Water Bomber.  This is the Turbo prop version which required scratch building the correct engines to replace the kit engines.  Ed then finished it off with the bright yellow and red high visibility paint scheme used by Canadian water bombers. 


Mario Serelle stopped by the ARC Corporate offices in Brazil with his 1/48 Italeri F/A-18F Super Hornet.  This beautifully done Super Hornet had some scratchbuilt detailing added to it along with aftermarket detail parts.  Mario then finished it off in the markings for Jolly Rogers.   


Tigre del Aire is here from Colombia with his 1/72 Revell MiG-3.  This is the aircraft flown by one of the top aces of WW2 and it is finished in the markings for the Royal  Rumanian Air Force.  Tigre del Aire provided the full story behind this amazing pilot and tells about building 2 of his aircraft.   


I have a review of the  1/72 Neptune & Vulcan in RAF Service decal sheet from Freightdog Models.  This decal sheet includes two different 1/72 Neptunes and eight different Avro Vulcans.   


I have a review of the  1/48  F4U Corsair / F6F Hellcat wheels with Block tread pattern from Ultracast.   

Monday,   Sept 17  2007 
Victoria Scale Modellers will be hosting the Island Open, Saturday 22 September at the Mary Winspear Centre at Sanscha, 2243 Beacon Ave, Sidney, B.C. Contest and Swap meet featuring: Cars, Ships, Aircraft, Figures, Spacecraft, Armour built by Local World Class Modellers. There will be Door Prizes and a Swap & Shop. More details can be found by clicking here http://www.vsm.bc.ca/Contest2007.html

IPMS-UK Farnborough are holding their annual Modelfest show at: Kings International College, Watchetts Drive, Camberley, Surrey on Sunday 23rd September 2007 from 10am to 4pm.  For more info see http://www.ipms-farnborough.co.uk/index.html

J.C. Bahr starts things today with his 1/72 Hasegawa FB-111A.  J.C. created his Switchblade using a bit of kit bashing, some scratchbuilding, custom made decals and finished it all off with aftermarket decals.  J.C. tells the whole story in his article. 


Agnieszka Kuś is here from Poland with her beautifully detailed 1/48 Revell Kaman SH-2F Seasprite.  Agnieszka added plenty of scratch built detail to her Seasprite to get it looking fantastic.  I hope to see more of Agnieszka models on ARC.    


Arthur L.CaesarJr. has done an outstanding job building and weathering his 1/32 Trumpeter A-10 N/A.  Arthur finished his 2 seater A-10 in "what if" operational markings and gave it a complete weathering job to bring it to life.


Rafi Ben-Shahar is here with his beuatifully details and finished 1/48 Messeschmitt Me 410B-1.  Rafi added an aftermarket resin wheel well set to give his Bf-110 the detail it needed and then finished it off with a one of his first class paint jobs.  


David Mielke has been busy building his Korean War era 1/48 Monogram F-80C Shooting Star.  This is the old Monogram kit and David gave it a multi-shade bare metal finished and some colorful markings including a sharks mouth.   


I have a review of the  new 1/48 Ki-27 Otsu Type 97 Fighters Part 1 decal sheet from Lifelike Decals.  This decal sheet features 7 different aircraft some of which were flwons by aces and one is in the Manchurian Air Force markings.


I have a review of the  new 1/48  F4U Corsair / F6F Hellcat wheels with diamond tread pattern from Ultracast.  Holy heck these are finely detailed.

Sunday,   Sept 16  2007 
There are quite a few ARC'ers in Mexico and a very active group lives in the city of Monterrey.  I'd like to send out warm greetings to them on the Mexican Independence Day.  I hope you guys have a grand time.  Good job you guys did on today's update!!!  VIVA MEXICO

Mario Alberto Fernandez gets this special Mexican update started with his 1/48 Monogram F-5E finished in the always attractive colours of the Fuerza Aerea Mexicana.  This model involved rescribing panel lines and doing some conversion work.  Well done Mario.....she looks top notch.  I love seeing it displayed on the Mexican flag.......Mexico has a great looking flag. 


Alfredo Garcia has been very busy researching and building his 1/48 Monogram OS2U-3 Kingfisher.  This WW2 time period aircraft was finished in Zotz decals.      


Raúl Duarte is here from Mexico with his 1/72 Monogram F-19 Stealth Navalized.  This was one heck of a scratchbuilding and kit bashing project.  Read Raúl's article to see what lengths he went to create this wild looking Navy jet.  I can neither confirm or deny the existance of the F-19 in the USN.  :-D


Alfonso Barajas is also here from Mexico with his 1/72 LEE Sukhoi Su-27 Flanker.  This is a "What If" model as uyou may have guessed and I can't help but ponder how cool this jet looks in Mexican markings.  Decals were from Zotz decals.   


Alfredo Garcia also joins us from sunny Monterrey Mexico with his 1/48 Classic Airframes' Mig-3.  Alfredo was quite busy building his MiG and then finishing it off witha  full selection of pastels to give it that well used Russian aircraft look.  Nicely done Alfredo.....have a grand time today.  

Saturday,   Sept 15  2007 

  Battle of Britain Day  

  Costa Rica Independence Day     El Salvador Independence Day  
  Guatemala Independence Day     Honduras Independence Day  
  Nicaragua Independence Day  

Tolga Ulgur is here today to honour the Battle of Britain Day with his 1/48 Tamiya Spitfire Mk1b.  Tolga did quite a bit of work and added aftermarket goodies from Ultracast to get his Spitfire looking correct.     


Eduardo Arguijo is here to honour the Guatemala Independence Day with his selection of aircraft from the Guatemalan Air Force (F.A.G.) Models.  Eduardo presents 4 different models for your enjoyment.   


Hal Marshman also joins us today with his 1/48 Tamiya Spit I to honour the Battle of Britain Day.  Hal did a mild conversion to create his Spitfire using a variety of aftermarket items and his carefully honed skill.  


Rahman Ramadya joins us today with his 1/72 Bilek L-29 Delfin.  This special little L-29 was riginally intened for the Indonesia Independence Day on Aug 17.  Rahman had to create some of the decals for this model....with very good results.      

Friday,   Sept 14  2007 
London Scale Model Show at the Carling Heights Optimist Community Centre in London, Ontario on September 15th, hosted by IPMS London. For more info go to the show website at http://www.londonscalemodelshow.ca 

IPMS Washington DC and IPMS Baltimore chapters present MarauderCon this Saturday, September 15th from 9-4 PM at the Harry Ruhl National Guard Armory, 1035 York Road, Towson, Maryland 21204. For details, please see the convention web site at: http://www.ipmsdc.org/maraudercon/index.html.

Oregon Historical Modelers Society and the Evergreen Aviation Museum in Portland, Oregon present their show on September 15  at the Evergreen Aviation museum.  Go to http://www.geocities.com/oregonshow for more info.

IPMS Ottawa hosting their bi-annual model contest on Sept 15 at the Nepean Sportsplex in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Come one, come all.  Check ipmsottawa.ca for updates, or contact 'smithery' on the ARC Forums by email or PM for details.

Iain Matheson is here with a report about his son Geoffrey's success at the US Nationals Juniors 2007Well done Geoffrey....your success is well deserved....thanks for the report Iain.   


Paolo Yuen is here with a fully weathered dirty USN 1/144 Dragon A-6E Intruder with a full weapons load on a carrier deck display base.  A lovely model and quite impressive, especially  when you consider it is the tiny 1/144 scale.     


Josip Žagar has taken some artistic license at finishing his 1/72 Revell Heinkel He-111 H-6.  This gave his He-111 a very realistic look that fits in very well with the paint schemes seen on the He-111 during WW2.  I love how it looks. 


Manuel Negri stopped by from Italy with his 1/48 Trumpeter Hawker Sea Hawk FGA mk.6.  Manuel put much effort into the weathering of his Sea Hawk and the finished model came out looking excellent.  He also added a resin seat.   


PS went above and beyond the call of duty to correct his 1/72 Italeri Rafale M01.  PS did end up with a first class model of the Rafale M01 and showed what the Italeri kit can become.   


I have a review of the  1/32 P-47 Thunderbolt decal sheet from Cutting Edge Modelworks.  This decal sheet features three P-47's with noseart. 


I have a review of the  1/72 & 1/48 'Brits Abroad' Spitfire & Thunderbolt decal sheet from Freightdog Models.  This sheet includes 8 different aircraft including P-47 Thunderbolts and Spitfires in RAF overseas service.  


Aleksandar Šekularac is here with a book review of the  Dragons on Bird Wings, Volume I.  

Thursday,   Sept 13  2007 
London Scale Model Show at the Carling Heights Optimist Community Centre in London, Ontario on September 15th, hosted by IPMS London. This year’s theme is “The ‘70s Show,” with cool theme awards for models of 1970s subjects. We’ve got over 60 vendors tables, a big raffle table and modellers coming from all over southern Ontario, Quebec, New York, Michigan, and Wisconsin, and slick awards – it’s looking like our biggest and best show ever. The show website is http://www.londonscalemodelshow.ca 

Juan S. Montesinos begins today with his 1/48 Monogram Cessna A-37B Dragonfly.  This great looking Dragonfly is finished in the markings of the Ecuador Air Force.  Juan built it out of the box and captured the look of the Dragonfly with his careful weathering.  My apologies to Juan for not getting this on ARC on Aug 10 for Ecuador's National Day.


Marc Laplante has done an outstanding job detailing and finishing his 1/48 Academy Labrador.  He paid careful attention to the detail on his Labrador and displayed it on a base showing it's service in Canada.   


Nebuchednikov Nizam Rusli is here with an article originally intended for Merdeka Day on Aug 31.  This is Nebuchednikov's 1/48 Academy Mig-29 complete with extra detailing and aftermarket decals for the Malaysian air force.  


Leslie Choong has been busy building and finishing his 1/48 Hasegawa BF109G2.  This 109 was brought to life with the careful application of weathering and paint chipping.  Nice one Sam.   


Drakendk is here with a Danish 1/72 ESCI F-100D.  Although this is an older kit, Drakendk had no problems working some magic and bringing it up to a very high level of quality.    


Jean-Marc Berthe joins us with his Mirage III C Artwork.  Very well done Jean-Marc.  


I have a review of the  1/32 P-47D Big Beautiful Jugs Decal sheet from Pyn-Up Decals.  Both aircraft have sexy noseart and one of these P-47's was the last P-47 lost in Europe and was later recovered from a European lake and is being restored in California.   


Here is a preview of a new decal sheet from 1/48 VF-31 Tomcat Sunset and VX-30 decal sheet from Fightertown Decals.  This dcxecal sheet features VF-31 Tomcat Sunset and VX-30.  

Wednesday,   Sept 12  2007 

Roberto Díaz starts your Wednesday update with his photos from the recent IPMS/Argentina, Ezeiza branch 2007 Model Show.  Roberto has included 27 photos which include ships, figures, cars and plenty of planes.   


Naor Aviv dropped by the Israeli Corporate office today with a very well done 1/48 Hasegawa F-16I 'SUFA'.  This Israeli F-16 was built with aftermarket resin and decals from IsraDecal and Isracast.  


Frank Daniels is here with his exceptionally nice looking 1/48 Tamiya A6M2 Zero.  Frank had an absolute disaster when it came time to paint requiring stripping the paint and redoing it.  Frank tells the whole story in his article.....good save Frank!!!


Sam Ching has done a wonderful job on his 1/72 Italeri Rafale B.  Sam rescribed the panel lines and then used preshading to show off the panel lines before giving his model the final coat of paint.  It looks excellent Sam.  


OLRI1 joins us from France with the 1/48 Tamiya Dewoitine D520 and Citroên.  These 2 models look at home together and OLRI1 did a great job building both of them.

Tuesday,   Sept 11  2007

Attack on World Trade Center and Pentagon 2001

Hobby Gryffon has their annual show coming up on September 30 in Quebec, Canada.  For more info....click here http://www.gryffonhobbies.com/expo.htm  It promises to be even bigger than last year. So far we have confirmation from people coming from the Maritimes, Ontario and the US! Plus many new faces from the area. Should be fun. 


No reviews today out of respect for the 9-11 Anniversary.

Kai Reckstadt begins today with an exceptionally well done 1/32 Tamiya F-16CJ Viper.  Kai added plenty of additional detailing using the excellent book from Daco.  


Chris Elcock has been busy building his 1/32 Revell Spitfire Pr19 using a Mk1 Spitfire and the MDC conversion kit.  Chris tells about all that was involved in creating his special PR Blue Spitfire.   


Shawn Phantom Weiler is here with part 4 of his 1/48 Hasegawa CF-104 Starfighter article.  Shawn includes 2 Canadian Starfighters in his article....looking good Shawn.   


Mark Rossmann has been busy getting things right on his Flying Cheetah’s” S.A.A.F Korea 1/48 Hasegawa F-51D 1/48 Academy F-86F-30.   Mark tells the story of South Africa's experience in the Korean War.


Monday,   Sept 10  2007 

Oregon Historical Modelers Society and the Evergreen Aviation Museum in Portland, Oregon present their show on September 15  at the Evergreen Aviation museum.  Go to http://www.geocities.com/oregonshow for more info.


IPMS Ottawa hosting their bi-annual model contest on Sept 15 at the Nepean Sportsplex in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Come one, come all.  Check ipmsottawa.ca for updates, or contact 'smithery' on the ARC Forums by email or PM for details.

Thanos Mentzelopoulos is here to announce the launch of Hellenic Modellers Group (HELMO) in Greece.     


Thanos Mentzelopoulos has the first gallery article today with his 1/48 Tamiya T-33.  This T-33 is finished in Hellenic Air Force (Greek) markings with a complete weathering job.   Good to see. 


Shawn Phantom Weiler  has done a marvelous job building and detailing his 1/48 Hasegawa Sea King.  Shawn used some aftermarket goodies to create his Canadian Sea King and finished it off with one very sharp looking paint scheme.   


Greg Leszczynski (lgl007) is here with his first model article on ARC and his first model in 20 years.  This is Greg's 1/48 Revell F-15E Strike Eagle complete with a full weapons load and markings from Two Bob's  Welcome to ARC Greg!!!


Marat is here with his exceptionally well detailed 1/48 Tamiya P-51D 8th AF.  Marat has added full engine detail, gun bays and plenty of other detailing to set this Mustang apart from most Mustangs you'll see at the local model show. 


Chee Wee Sim has been busy getting the details right on his 1/48 ESCI Mig-27.  Chee Wee rescribed the panel lines and added further scratchbuilt detailing on his MiG to bring up the detail level on this older ESCI kit with very good results.  


I have a review of the new 1/48 USMC Intruders Part 1 decal sheet from Impact Decals.  This is their first decal sheet and features 3 different A-6 Intruders in 1/48 scale.  Now is your chance to haul out that classic Intruder kit and give it some colorful markings.  


Here is a preview of the 1/48 VF-154 Black Knights Last Combat Cruise decal sheet from Fightertown Decals.  This decal sheet features quite a few F-14's including some with high scores, one that crashed and a CO's jet......5 jets in all.   

Sunday,   Sept 9  2007 

  Democratic People's Republic of Korea 

  Tajikistan National Day 

Gabriel Stern gets things off to a very good start today with his Scratch-built 1/72 Nemeth Umbrellaplane, 1934.  Gabriel is in fine form today with this wild little plane and his article made me laugh.  


Dragan Cvetic is here with today's jet article.  This is his 1/72 Italeri AV-8B Harrier complete with re-scribed panel lines, some scratchbuilt cockpit detailing and weathering.   

Saturday,   Sept 8  2007 

First use of V-2 rocket lands Chiswick area of London (1944)

No update today.....I worked late last night at my real job and got to bed at 2:30AM....then woke up at 7:30AM for volunteering at the local petting zoo with my 9 year old. The day then involved me going back to bed at 10:30AM and wondering why I was so tired.  No day off from work this week, but I do have a day off next week. 

Friday,   Sept 7  2007

  Brazil  Independence Day  

  Pakistan Air Force Day  

Here's 3 shows coming up this weekend.....2 in the US and one in Australia.

9th annual  Kalamazoo Air Zoo Show on September 8, 2007 at the Kalamazoo Air Zoo, Kalamazoo  Michigan.  This years theme is the "Class of 57". Show is being put on by the  Kalamazoo Scale Modelers and IPMS West Michigan.


WASMEx 2007 Australia  on 8 September 2007 ends 9-September 07 Western Australian Scale Model Expo     Click here for more info

SuperCon 2007 - IPMS-Fort Worth Scale Modelers  The 2007 version of IPMS-Fort Worth Scale Modelers' annual SuperCon will be held on Saturday, September 8th, 2007.     Click here for more info

Sohaib Talal begins today with an spectacularly well done 1/48 Hasegawa PAF F-16A to honour the Pakistan Air Force Day.  This Viper was finished in Pakistan air force markings using the Vivacious Vipers decal sheet from Zotz decals  


Angelo M Picardo is here to your daily Luftwaffe fix with two Doras.  These are his 1/32 Hasegawa Focke Wulf Fw-190 D & 1/32 Revell Focke Wulf Fw-190 D.  Angelo went the extra mile and added aftermarket goodies to enhance his very well done late war F-190's.


Miguel Angel Salcedo is here from Bolivia with his first article on ARC.  This is his 1/72 Hasegawa T-33 complete with Bolivian Air Force markings and a very striking camo pattern.  Sadly this article was intended for the Bolivia National Day on August the 6th, but this summer was pretty overwhelming for me to keep on top of everything.  Welcome to ARC Miguel and I hope to see more of your models on ARC!!!


Fernando I. Moreno Villa has dropped by the ARC Corporate office in Monterrey, México with his 1/72 Heller P-51D Mustang.  This is Fernando's first attempt at a bare metal finish and I think he's got the technique figured out pretty well.  Fernando finished his Mustang in the markings for Costa Rica.


Nikos Fazos is here with his first model on ARC.  Nikos has done an outstanding job detailing and weathering his 1/72 Hasegawa F-4E IDF.  He combines 2 aftermarket detail sets and decals from  IsraDecal and Cutting Edge and finished it off with a full weapons load and first class weathering.


I have a review of the  1/72 CP-140 Auroras decal sheet from FlightDecs.  This new decal sheet features markings for four different 1/72 Canadian CP-140 Auroras including one with a huge red maple leaf on the tail and another one in a  75th Anniversary scheme.  


I have a review of the  1/32 Israeli Air Force A-4 Ahit decal sheet from IsraDecal.  This sheet features everything you need to build an Israeli A-4E/F/H & TA-4H/J/F from 7 different Israeli Air Force Squadrons and the Israeli Air Force Flight School. 


Here is a preview of the 1/48 VF-84 Desert Storm decal sheet from Fightertown Decals.  This decal sheet features the famous and short lived Jolly Rogers markings – the ‘Flag’ jet and the black and white CAG jet.

Thursday,   Sept 6  2007

  Swaziland Independence and National Day  

Paolo Yuen starts today with his beautifully weathered 1/72 Hasegawa Hornet F/A-18D.   Paolo used the kit decals and added some extra detailing to improve upon the kit details.  


Bill Arnold is here with his 21st Century Toys 1/32 F4U Corsair.  Bill is on quite the roll with this series of kits and I always look forward to seeing his next finished model.  Nice one Bill.


Osni Vieira Junior joins us with his 1/144 Revell - 747-400.  This great looking 747 is finished in the colours for a Brazilian airline.   


Pablo D. Wamboldt has dropped by today with his 1/48 Airfix Mig-17F Fresco C Red 3020.  Pablo's very well done MiG-17 is finished in the markings for a North Vietnamese Ace.  

Wednesday,   Sept 5  2007 

I'd like to send special birthday wishes to Bob Sanchez over at Twobobs Aviation Graphics Happy Birthday Bob!!!!!  

Go over to Bob's site and buy a decal sheet as a way of saying Happy Birthday.


Rick Bellanger has done an outstanding job detailing and weathering his 1/32 Tamiya RF-4B.  This is Rick's 71st 1/32 Tamiya Phantom.....yes 71!!!  Rick added pelnty of aftermarket goodies including some from Meteor Productions and put it all togehter with some highly honed modeling talent. 


Phillip Steele has been busy building his very fine looking 1/144 Minicraft CC 137.  This is a Canadian Armed Forces 707 and Phillip finished it off ina  weathered partial bare metal finish.  I've beena  passenger in one of these long ago and seeing it brings back fond memories of a trip to Cyprus 35 years ago with my late Dad.   


Bud Sliger is here with his tiny 1/144 J-Wings F-14 Tomcat.  This Tomcat is of course finished in Jolly Rogers markings.  Nice one Bud....thanks for sharing.  


Josip Žagar has been very busy getting all the fine details correct and improved on his 1/72 Eduard IL-2 Shturmovik"Shturmovik" is the correct spelling......read Josip  's article for the full history of this tank buster and the detailed story about how he built this great looking Shturmovik


Andre Dorion joins us with his 1/32 Aerotech DH-88 Comet.  Although this is a limited run resin kit....Andre has high praise for it and his flawless finished model speaks volumes about the high quality of this model.  

Tuesday,   Sept 4  2007 
  • I've added a link to the ARC top banner for the Scale Modelworld (UK Nationals) being held Nov 10 and 11 2007.  This also a special ARC Telford 2007 sub-forum set up by Steve Filak for ARC Members to discuss this very big show.

Here's 3 shows coming up this weekend.....2 in the US and one in Australia.
  • 9th annual  Kalamazoo Air Zoo Show on September 8, 2007 at the Kalamazoo Air Zoo, Kalamazoo  Michigan.  This years theme is the "Class of 57". Show is being put on by the  Kalamazoo Scale Modelers and IPMS West Michigan.
  • WASMEx 2007 Australia  on 8 September 2007 ends 9-September 07 Western Australian Scale Model Expo     Click here for more info
  • SuperCon 2007 - IPMS-Fort Worth Scale Modelers  The 2007 version of IPMS-Fort Worth Scale Modelers' annual SuperCon will be held on Saturday, September 8th, 2007.     Click here for more info

Alexandre Studer is here with his special 1/48 Classic Airframes De Havilland Vampire FB6.  This article was intended for the Swiss National Day, but I missed it on that day.  Alexandre finished it off in the always attractive Swiss Air Force markings of course. 


Fernando I. Moreno Villa joins us from Monterrey, México with his nicely done  1/72 (Unknown) FG-1D Corsair.  Fernando chose to build the special Goodyear Corsair and finish it in El Salvador Air Force markings.  I'd like to extend my warm greetings to the modellers in Monterrey, México.


Chris Salvo is here with his first article on ARC.  This is his 1/48 Scratch-Built EE Lightning.  Chris put an amazing amount of effort into scrathcbuilding his lightning from odds and sods he found around his house.  Well done Chris.....I could have never pulled this off.  Welcome to ARC Chris!!!  


Bob Bartolacci is here with a very unique 1/32 Rodin Fokker DR1 that was built in memory of his late friend Bob White.  In his article he tells about building this beauty.  A heart warming tribute Bob...thanks for sharing.  


Osni Vieira Junior is here with his 1/32 Revell AG F-5E.  Osni did an excelelnt job on his F-5 and finished it off in Brazilian markings.   


Here is a preview of the 1/48 VFA-103 Jolly Rogers First Combat Cruise decal sheet from Fightertown Decals This sheet features VFA-103 Jolly Rogers first Superhornet cruise, which was a combat cruise.   

Monday,   Sept 3  2007

  Qatar National Day 

No update today.  It's a holiday and my wife and I are spending time getting our kids ready for the first day of school tomorrow.  There is much excitement in the Bamford household.  Once they are back in school, I'll have much more time to focus on ARC.  It's been a long tiring summer working 6 nights a week at my real job and trying to find time for ARC and my family.  I'm hoping to reduce the days I work at my real job to a more realistic level. 

Sunday,   Sept 2  2007 

  Vietnam Independence Day  

V-J Day     Japan surrenders in Tokyo Harbour

Cessna is here from Vietnam to mark Vietnam's Independance Day with his 1/72 Italeri F-111 Aarvark.   Cessna did quite the fine job painting and weathering his F-111.


Marat joins us today with a great looking 1/48 Dragon Horten Go-229G2/R2.  This is a detail rich kit and Marat did an excellent job updating his flying wing to Luft '46 specs and you must check out the flame job on the car in the diorama. 

Saturday,   Sept 1  2007

  Libya Independence Day 

  Slovak Republic  Constitution Day

  Uzbekistan National Day 

World War Two begins in Europe

No update today.