Homepage Text - April 2008

Wednesday,   Apr 30  2008

  Netherlands Queen's Day 

    Saigon fell, ending the Vietnam Conflict in Southeast Asia  April 30  1975 

No update today.  I was out of town all day Tuesday on a school fieldtrip with my daughter.

Tuesday,   Apr 29  2008 
"In my recent article, "Deutsches Afrika Korps Uniforms" a typo crept in.  It was important enough for me to print this correction. The "Afrika Koprs" cuff title was worn on the right sleeve, not the left. The decoration, "Afrika" with palms, was indeed worn on the left. I sincerely apologize for any misconceptions this error may have caused, and express my gratitude to your editor for printing this errata notice."    brgds to all, Hal Marshman Sr

The article has been edited as per Hal's instructions.  Steve B


This weeks Twobobs Newsletter is up.  Click here to read the latest from Twobobs.  This weeks newsletter has images about the Arctic Bandit sheets that will be shipping soon in all 3 scales and some new releases.

Oishi is here with Part 2 of his 1/32 Trumpeter Mig-21 UM article.  Today in Part 2 Oishi has photos of the canopy detail, access panel detail, wheelbay detail and landing gear detail.  Much of this detail was scratchbuilt.


Mark Patman is here with his second article on ARC.  This is Mark's 1/48 Tamiya P-47 Razorback and although Mark is humble about his efforts......I'm deeply impressed when I see how well his P-47 turned out.   


Rico "Forge" Maula is here with part 5 of his series featuring Edy Ong's 1/48 ROCAF Collection.  Today you get to enjoy seeing an F-100A, F-100F and a RF-101A Voodoo and all are done to Edy's high standard.  


Marcius Cesar Costa is here with a very interesting conversion.  This is his 1/72 PBY 5A Cargo Catalina completed with a  resin set from GIIC Models.   Marcius finished it off in Brazilian Air Force markings.  Nicely done Marcius.

Monday,   Apr 28  2008 
I'm pleased to welcome  a new Advertiser to ARC today.  They are The Small Shop and I have long admired their precision Photo Etch bending tools.  
Here's a word from the folks at The Small Shop about their company.
Our company Kalama Precision Machine began manufacture of The Small Shop products in August of 2002.  We took ownership of the Small Shop in June of 2003 and in addition to manufacturing, we assemble all tools, provide quality control and handle sales of the Small Shop product line.

We are a family owned machine shop, contracting with local manufacturers to supply detail parts and sub-assemblies. The shop specializes in precision milling, boring, turning and threading machined parts.  Many more products geared toward the model builder are in the works.  We take great pride in providing excellent quality products and top notch customer service.

10% off for ARC'ers for the next 30 Days!!!  -  See Below!!!

Also, for the next 30 days, customers who order from The Small Shop banner link on the ARC homepage (or click here) can enter the promotion code ARC10 for 10% off your purchase (10% off product amount only does not include shipping).
Unfortunately, customers in the UK and EU are not eligible.  We have an agreement with Cammett Ltd. not to ship to those countries.

Steve Filak and I have a review of the "Hold and Fold" photo etch bending tool from The Small ShopIf you use Photo Etch, then a photo etch bending tool from The Small Shop is a must.


Steve Filak is here with a review of the "Hold & Fold Mk. IV Photoetch Parts Workstation" from The Small Shop.  Yet another excellent tool for working with Photo Etch.


Oishi is here with Part 1 of his 2 part article on building and detailing his 1/32 Trumpeter Mig-21 UM.  Today Oishi shows you the detailing he added to the cockpit and wheelbays.    


Gabriel Stern joins us with his Scratchbuilt 1/72 Eldred Flyer's Dream.  This has got to be one of the cutest and coolest looking flats planes I've seen.   


Rico "Forge" Maula is here with Part 4 of his series devoted to Edy Ong's 1/48 ROCAF Collection.  Today we get to enjoy three jets used by the ROCAF.   


Benjamin Z. Nielsen is here with his "what if" 1/48 Minihobby/Revell-Monogram Mi-24 Hind.  Benjamin based his Hind on the movie "Red Dawn" and I must say I enjoyed seeing his Hind. 

Sunday,   Apr 27  2008

  Sierra Leone Independence Day 

  South Africa Freedom Day 

  Togo Independence Day 

Dan McWilliams is here with one of my favourite airliners.  This is his 1/144 CC-137  which Dan built with good ol' modelling skill and finished it off with aftermarket decals.  I fondly recall flying a DND (Canadian Military) 707 in '72 on a  'flip' to Cyprus with my Dad for a vacation.  As I recall the flight was $12 per person......to cover food. 


Serge Dompierre  has done an exceptionally nice job building, detailing his  and finishing his 1/32 Hasegawa Fw-190 A-8.  Serge added scratchbuilt detail to his 190 and that posed it in a  maintenance diorama complete with figures and tools etc.  I really like how this one turned out.  

Saturday,   Apr 26  2008                  Tanzania Union Day 

Rai joins us from beautiful Singapore with his 1/48 Tamiya Mitsubishi A6M5c Model 52 Zero Fighter.  Rai rescribed the panel lines, aded photos etch seatbelts and did some paint peeling before finishing his Zero in the markings for a famous Japanese Ace.  This is one great looking Zero and shows how well older kits can look with some effort.   


Alberto Borzellino is here today with his 1/48 Hasegawa F-104S Starfighter.  Alberto removed some of the surface rivets and added a resin cockpit, exhaust nozzle and ejection seat and finished off his 104 in Italian markings as well as the great looking camo worn by the Italian F-104's.  This is one excellent looking Starfighter.

Friday,   Apr 25  2008

  Australia and New Zealand - ANZAC Day  

Italy - End of WW2 1945

Tom Valaoras has done an outstanding job building and finishing his 1/144 Minicraft NB-52A with X-15.  Tom tells the full story of this particular X-15 with Neil Armstrong at the controls.  I'm deeply impressed how well this model combo turned out.    


Tony Feredo joins us from the Philippines with his 1/48 Tamiya P-51D Mustang.  Tony chose a Mustang that served in the Philippines with interesting markings and then he went to town with engine and gun smoke weathering to compliment his bare metal finish.  


Burt Gustafson has been busy building his Flanker Blue 1/72 Hasegawa F-15C Eagle.  There is no doubt this is one of the more intriguing paint schemes worm by the F-15 Eagle.  Burt did spend quite a bit of time masking the camo, but his finished model shows his efforts were worth it.   


Jeremias Luchina is here with his nicely done naval 1/72 At-6 Texan.  I was interested to see a black and white historical photos of a Texan on the flight deck of an aircraft carrier.  I've always thought of the Texan as a land based trainer and never knew it was used on aircraft carriers.  Nice one Jeremias.    


I have a review of the new  1/48 52nd Fighter Wing Viper History decal sheet from Afterburner Decals.  This sheet features 4 F-16's with the 52 Fighter Wing.


I have a review of the 1/72 or 1/48 or 1/32 LTV A-7B Corsair II - VA-215 "Barn Owls" High-Visibility Scheme decal sheet from AirDOC (Aircraft Documents).  This decal sheet provides markings for 3 different A-7's with colourful markings.

Thursday,   Apr 24  2008 

Azrael (Daniel Sánchez Bassaletti) joins us from Chile with his first article on ARC today.  This is his 1/72 Revell F-18 E Super Hornet that was a gift from his girlfriend.  Welcome to ARC Azrael!!!  I look forward to seeing more of your models on ARC.  


Brian Pruitt has done a lovely job building and weathering his 1/72 Hasegawa Mosquito Mk. VI.  Brian chose to go with Australian markings and a built a diorama base and posed it inside a display box.  The end results came out very well.  


Mike Starling joins us with his first article on ARC.  This is Mike's 1/72 Hasegawa F-20 Tigershark in a "What if" scheme that is a true Tiger shark paint scheme with Czech national markings.  I must admit I got a real kick out of the tiger meet rear and sharks mouth on the front...."Tiger-Shark"....I love it.  Welcome to ARC Mike!!! 


PanzerPaulo Araya is here with his 1/72 UH-1 D FACH H-92 that was built mostly out of the box.  The Huey is used by many countries and this one is finished in Chilean Air Force markings.  It's good to see the Huey in Chilean markings and this tan camo.  


Max Tollens Jr. is here with a review of the 1/48 Aires A-4M Resin and Photoetch Detail Set that he purchased from Sprue Bros.

Wednesday,   Apr 23  2008

  England - St. George's Day 

  Turkey National Independence and Children Day 

Ken Middleton is here with the 3rd and final part on his series devoted to the 102nd Fighter Wing.  Ken is a well respected F-15 modeler and today he presents his “First Responder Eagle” in part 3 of his article.  


Ray Hemenway is a very skilled modeller and today I'm please to show you his 1/28 Revell Fok Dr1 413/17.  Ray did quite a bit of work to create this refueling diorama of this WW1 German Tri-plane.   


Stephen Wearmouth has been busy dreaming up his 1/72 Revell Arado E.555.  Stephen has added different engines and finished off his "What if" model in Hungarian air force markings.  I like it!!!   


Olivier Bonnet joins us with the rare 1/144 Hasegawa NAMC YS-11.  Olivier did quite the fine job on his YS-11 and finished it in Japanese markings.  It's a great looking model.


I have a review of the new 1/32 P-47N Thunderbolts decal sheet from Zotz Decals. These decal sheet features 3 different P-47.....two with Sexy noseart and the third aircraft features black and yellow Zebra stripes.


David Horn is here with a review of some new 1/48 scale plain weave Carbon Fiber decals from Scale Motorsport.  These are an excellent option for finishing jet engine exhausts as David shows.  

Tuesday,   Apr 22  2008

Earth Day 2008

IPMS Queensland in Brisbane Australia has created a new site.  The site is still growing but you can check it out at www.ipmsqld.org.au


Here's the latest Hot Babe of the Week! photos from TwobobsThese F/A-18C photos include a variety of close-up detail shots. 


Ken Middleton is here with Part 2 of his 3 part series devoted to the 102nd Fighter Wing.   Today Ken features F-84F, F-100 F-106, T-33 and an F-15A flown the 102nd Fighter Wing.  It's quite amazing the variety of aircraft flown by the 102nd Fighter Wing.  Nicely done Ken.


coolrunnings_99  has been very busy adding scratchbuilt detail to this tiny 1/72 PZW PZL-11c.  The kit was lacking in detail but that didn't prevent coolrunnings_99 from turning out a great model of this little fighter.  


Patrick Vossenberg joins us with his 1/48 Italeri Spitfire Mk.XVIe.  The model went together well and Patrick finished it off in Belgium markings which is always a treat to see.  A fine looking Spitfire and I'm pleased to see it on ARC.  


Bernard Lapeyrie has done a marvelous job detailing and weathering his 1/48 Heller Sepecat Jaguar A.  Wow this one looks very realistic as only a battle harden jet can look.  Bernard did a fantastic job on the weathering.  


I have a review of the new  "The Big 22" 1/48 F-16CJ & DJ decal sheet from Afterburner Decals.  This sheet features 6 different F-16's.  


I have a review of the new  1/32 F-100D Super Sabre Airframe Data Stencils decal sheet from CAM Decals.  

Monday,   Apr 21  2008

United Kingdom - Birthday of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Second 

Red Baron Manfred von Richtofen shot down  (1918)

This weeks Twobobs Newsletter is up.  Click here to read the latest from Twobobs.


Franz Galli joins us for the first time on ARC today with his 1/72 Academy A-37B Dragonfly.  Franz did an impressive job on this little Dragonfly and added some extra detailing to further improve upon this already fine kit.  I'm pleased to see Fanz have a model on the ARC homepage and I look forward to seeing more of his work on ARC in the future.  Welcome to ARC Franz!!!   


Ken Middleton is here with Part 1 of his 3 part series devoted to the 102nd Fighter Wing.  Today's selection of aircraft includes a P-51, P-47, F-94 and a F-86.  This is quite the selection of aircraft and I applaud Ken for building these display models for the Squadron to remember their history.  


Thomas Neuss has hit a "home run" with his 1/32 Revell BO-105 VBH "Tigermeet".  Thomas scratchbuilt the interior and finished off this great looking helo in German Tigermeet markings.  Nice one Thomas.  


olri joins us with a great looking 1/48 Mirage 2000C "Picardie".  olri painted the Mirage in special 60th anniversary markings and displayed it as an in-flight model in a near vertical climb.  Very realistic looking.    


I have a review of the new  1/48 Red Star Reserves decal sheet from SB Decals.  This sheet includes 2 aggressor aircraft including a Blue/Gray F/A-18C with VFC-12 and a desert camo F-5E with VFC-111.  This sheet is available through Sprue Bros.


I have a review of the new  1/48 resin WWII German  Fighter Pilot of Werner Mölders from Ultracast.

Sunday,   Apr 20  2008 

Rafi Ben-Shahar is back with a real stunner today.  This is his 1/48 Monogram Devastator TBD-1 and although this is an older kit....Rafi shows that in the right hands it builds up into a wonderful model.


Lee Siew Keong has done an amazing job on this 1/48 Tamiya F-16C.  It's finished in Republic of Singapore Air Force markings with a first class painting and shading job.  It is also modified to be correct for the RSAF and it includes a full weapons load.    

Saturday,   Apr 19  2008 

East Midlands model show, Hinckley, U.K. Sunday the 20th April 2008  Click here for more details


Serge Dompierre has done a marvelous job building and finishing his  1/48 Monogram F-101B Voodoo.  The Voodoo has a long history and is fondly remembered.  Serge finished his Voodoo in Texas Air National Guard markings.  Very nice to see.


Gabriel Stern actually built a model from a  kit!!!  Although it is an old vacuforumed kit.  This is his RarePlane 1/72 Grumman XF5F-1 Skyrocket done up in his usual carefree style with excellent results.  This actually sounds like quite the neat little kit.   

Friday,   Apr 18  2008

  Zimbabwe National Day 

Doolittle Raid - U.S. bomb Tokyo (1942)

P-38 mission to kill Yamamoto (1943)

IPMS Region 4 Model Show  Cleveland, Ohio  Friday & Saturday, April 18 - 19, 2008 Lakeland Community College, Kirtland, OH  Click here for full details

IPMS Mobile, Modelfest 2008  April 19th 2008 at the USS Alabama Memorial Park, Mobile Alabama (2703 Battleship Parkway (Causeway US 90)) starting at 8.30 am.  
These year special awards will be Best Marine Corps, Best Phantom, Best post WWII European subject.

East Midlands model show, Hinckley, U.K. Sunday the 20th April 2008  Click here for more details

IPMS Seattle 2007 Spring Show, Saturday, April 19  check their website for full info  http://www.ipms-seattle.org/Springshow/  

Patrick Bruellmann starts your Friday update with his great looking 1/48 Tamiya Mitsubishi G4M1 Betty.  Patrick built his Betty mostly out of the box with some additional photo etch and he followed that up with weathering and other work to get a realistic looking Betty. 


Guilherme Kosciuv has done a marvelous job 1/72 Hasegawa TA-4KU Skyhawk.  This Skyhawk is in Brazilian markings for a Skyhawk operated off a Brazilian aircraft carrier.  This is one sharp looking Skyhawk.  


David Galli has taken the old and trusty 1/48 Monogram P-51B and reworked it with first class modelling skills into a lovely looking Mustang in the markings of "Ding Hao".  David rescribed the panel lines and did plenty of other work to create this beauty.   


Oishi has done an outstanding job building and finishing his 1/32 Trumpeter Su-27 Flanker.  Oishi used pre-painted photo etch in the cockpit and you've got to see the photos of this.....it looks excellent.  Oishi did an excellent job on this Flanker.

Thursday,   Apr 17  2008 

  Syria Independence Day 

IPMS Region 4 Model Show  Cleveland, Ohio  Friday & Saturday, April 18 - 19, 2008 Lakeland Community College, Kirtland, OH  Click here for full details


Jean-Charles Goddet is here with a very special and nicely odne 1/72 Hasegawa F/A18B.  This is a gloss black 2 seater Top Gun Hornet and Jean-Charles includes the history behind this unlikely Top Gun adversary aircraft.


Shawn "Phantom" Weiler is here with another of his gems from his display case.  This is Shawn's 1/48 ES-3A Shadow and in his article he tells the whole story behind this aircraft as well as the good and the bad points of building his model....some of which I found amusing.  


Tony Feredo is here with his 1/48 Academy P-47D Thunderbolt done up in an outstanding bare metal finish.  Tony built this one out of the box and added custom painted markings to get the plane he was after.  Nice one Tony.  


Hỏa Long is here with an amazingly well done 1/72 Italeri VNAF Long Mã H-34.  This is very well done and Hỏa Long tells the story of the VNAF 219th Squadron and the Special Forces missions they flew during the Vietnam war.  The added scratchbuilt detailing on this H-34 is beautifully done.    

Wednesday,   Apr 16  2008 

  Denmark Queen's Birthday 

Here's the latest Hot Babe of the Week! photos from TwobobsThese F-16 photos were taken by Richard Shanner. 


Ray Hemenway kicks things off today with his 1/28 Revell Fok FI 102/17.  Ray did quite a bit of work painting his Tri-plane and the diorama to get the correct look.  I quite like how it all came together.......this kit really does build up into an impressive model.  


Olivier Bonnet has been enjoying building his 1/72 Fujimi TA-4J.  Olivier used aftermarket seats and dressed it up with aftermarket decals using some very colourful markings. 


Brian Pruitt dropped by today with his 1/72 Hasegawa Beaufighter Mk XXI.  Brian did a fine job on his Aussie Beaufighter and gave it a weathered look to complete the realism.  


Jeremias Nicolas Luchina has added to his Argentinian airplane collection with this great looking 1/48 Hobbyboss Mirage III CJ.  Jeremias did some excellent work on his Mirage with very good results.


Here's  preview of the new 1/48 SB Decals F-14B Tomcat Feisty Felines Pt 2 Bravo! Bravo! Bravo! decal sheet from SB Decals.


I have a review of the new 1/32 F-18A & B Blue Angels decal sheet from CAM Decals

Tuesday,   Apr 15  2008    
No update today.

Monday,   Apr 14  2008 
IPMS Region 4 Model Show  Cleveland, Ohio  Friday & Saturday, April 18 - 19, 2008 Lakeland Community College, Kirtland, OH  Click here for full details

IPMS Seattle 2007 Spring Show, Saturday, April 19  check their website for full info  http://www.ipms-seattle.org/Springshow/  

IPMS Mobile, Modelfest 2008  April 19th 2008 at the USS Alabama Memorial Park, Mobile Alabama (2703 Battleship Parkway (Causeway US 90)) starting at 8.30 am.  
These year special awards will be Best Marine Corps, Best Phantom, Best post WWII European subject.

This weeks Twobobs Newsletter is up.  Click here to read the latest from Twobobs.

Stephen Cornett gets your week started in style with his big 1/32 Revell F-15E Demo Bird.  This is the F-15E prototype and Stephen did it up to his usual high standards.  


Francone Diego joins us with his 1/72 Italeri Agusta Westland A-129 Mangusta.   Francone enjoyed building his Mangusta and finished off in Italian markings.  Very nice indeed.


Juergen Klinglhuber is here with his second model on ARC.  This is his 1/72 IMPS Austria Kit Saab J-29 Tunnan which is a limited run resin kit with excellent fit.  Juergen tells the full story behind this Swedish post war aircraft design.   


Matías "Pinguinator" Dadone is here with and article and photos he calls My old and new work bench.  It's quite the pleasure to see other peoples modelling areas and hear how they re-entered the hobby.   


Zotz Decals has 2 new 1/32 P-51B Decals sheets coming out.  Go to the Zotz Preview Page for a first look.  Both of these sheets has noseart....one with sexy noseart.


Ugo Crisponi  is here with a product announcement of the "Desert Storm Dogfight" print from AVIATIONGRAPHIC.COM


I have a review of the new  1/72 or 1/48 or 1/32 A-7E Corsair II decal sheet from AirDOC (Aircraft Documents)This decal sheet features 7 A-7E's in Pacific Fleet Squadrons  Low-Viz Tactical Scheme.


I have a review of the new  1/72 F-4D, F-15A and F-102A decal sheet from Wolfpak Decals.  This sheets includes an F-4D that shot down 2 MiGs on the same day during the Vietnam War.  

Sunday,   Apr 13  2008 

Gary Goddard is here with his first submission on ARC.  Gary is from New Zealand and joins us today with his 1/32 Tamiya A6M5 Type 52 Zero which he built mostly out of the box with excellent results from his weathering and painting efforts.  Welcome to ARC Gary!!!  


TandHK has been busy building and finishing his 1/48 Hasegawa F/A-18C.  TandHK did this Hornet in the CAG bird "Chippy Ho markings and displayed it on a first class base.  No doubt about it....this Hornet looks excellent.      

Saturday,   Apr 12  2008 

  Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin. First Human In Space (1961) 

I've been busy all this week in the ongoing backyard renovation...plenty of exhausting physical work has helped me sleep very well this week.  


Mark Littrell starts today's update with his 1/72 Hasegawa F/A-18.  Mark built his striking Tiger Meet Hornet with Leading Edge decals with excellent results.  Marks tells the whole story in his article. 


Michael Jack has done an outstanding job on his 1/48 Hasegawa Seaking.  Michael added quite a bit of detail to make it look right and finished his Seaking in Australian markings.   Nicely done Michael.  

Friday,   Apr 11  2008 
Baton Rouge Scale Modelers present Cajun Modelfest XXIII on Saturday April 12th in Downtown Baton Rouge  Click here for further details.

IPMS contest "Modelfest 2008" on April 12 and 13th Titusville, Florida. Space Coast Chapter

Serge Dompierre starts things off today with a great looking 1/48 Hasegawa Macchi C-202 Folgore.  I love the camo schemes on these WW2 Italian aircraft and Serge captures the look very well on this Folgore.   


Oishi has done a marvelous job weathering and finishing his 1/48 Monogram F-100 D Super Sabre.  Oishi rescribed the panel lines and then finished her off with the usual high quality paint work and weathering we enjoy seeing from Oishi.  


Gabriel Stern is here with another of his aviation wonders.  This is his Scratchbuilt 1/72 Caudron PV 200.  Wow....what can I say.....I've never seen this float plane before.  Gabriel accompanies his photos with his usual amusing article.....you don't get much better than this when it comes to light hearted articles.  


Rafi Ben-Shahar is here with another of the beauties from his workbench.  This is his 1/48 Hasegawa F/A 18D Hornet and as you all know this is a very nice kit for the sure footed modeller and Rafi did it up in with excellent results. 


I have a review of the new  1/48 F/A-18B VFA-125 Rough Raiders decal sheet from Twobobs Aviation Graphics.  You get two adversary aircraft with full markings for both.  

Thursday,   Apr 10  2008 
Baton Rouge Scale Modelers present Cajun Modelfest XXIII on Saturday April 12th in Downtown Baton Rouge  Click here for further details.

Jorge Ramirez Vargas is here from Monterrey, Mexico to start things today with his first article on ARC.  This is his 1/32 Tamiya F-15A . done up in true style with some scratchbuilt items as well as aftermarket detail items and 8 months of work.  It all came together in this glorious Israeli F-15.  I don't know what it is, but there are some amazing modellers in Monterrey, Mexico.   

Jamie Cheslo has gone to town weathering and paint chipping his 1/48 Tamiya Raiden.  This is the older Tamiya kit and Jamie did her up in fine style using a variety of weathering techniques that he talks about in his article.  Nice on Jamie.   

Eric Hargett drops by today with his beautifully weathered 1/48 Hobbycraft F7U-3 Cutlass.  WOW......Eric sure did get the finishing and weathering right on his Cutlass.  Check it out and learn how he did it and enjoy the photos.   

Lyle Brown is here with his Pan Am Advertisement Artwork.  This will give you a trip down memory lane.   

I have a review of the new 1/48 F/A-18B/D Black Beauties VMFA(AW)-225; VX-30 decal sheet from Twobobs Aviation Graphics.  This sheet includes 2 twin seaters with black tails.

Ch-146 Griffon walkaround photos by Mike Scullion

Wednesday,   Apr 9  2008 

  Portugal "Dia do Combatente" (The Fighter's Day) 

  Day of remembrance (La Lys Battle 1918)

IPMS Region 4 Model Show  Cleveland, Ohio  Friday & Saturday, April 18 - 19, 2008 Lakeland Community College, Kirtland, OH  Click here for full details

Frank Dargies is here to WOW you with his 1/48 Hasegawa Ju-87 B2 Stuka.  Frank used quite a few aftermarket items to detail his Stuka with very good results.  Frank then got the painting and weathering perfect and finished it off with excellent photos.....you can't do better than this....lovely.   

Chuang Xue Qian has done an excellent job on the 1/72 Italeri OA-10A 'Warthog'.  Chuang Xue Qian got this A-10 looking just right and I was impressed by the pencil dust weathering technique explained in this article.  Easy to do and effective.

Paul Macinnis (MacStingy) is here with his first article on ARC.  This is Paul's 1/72 Airfix Hawker Hurricane Mk1 which he built with ease and skill producing a Hurricane worthy of any display case.  I'm pleased to have Paul among us and I look forward to seeing more from him in the future.  Welcome to ARC Paul!!! 

Tigre del Aire has dropped by the ARC Offices in sunny Colombia with this very unique Sukhoi-22M.  This aircraft is done in a "What if" aggressor aircraft scheme.  Read the full article for the story.  I like it.   

I have a review of the new  1/48 F/A-18E Rockin' Rhinos #8 VFA-147 Argonauts decal sheet from Twobobs Aviation GraphicsThis sheet includes markings to make 2 VFA-147 Argonauts including one CAG jet.

I have a review of the new  1/48 F-18A & B Blue Angels decal sheet from CAM Decals.  This sheet includes marking to make one of seven Blue Angels jets.

F-14B walkaround photos by Blair Hall

Tuesday,   Apr 8  2008 
The Hobby Manufacturers Association is seeking a Spokesperson.  Click the image to the right for full details.

Jean-Charles Goddet has been busy modifying his very sharp looking 1/72 Hasegawa+Isracast F-16I Sufa.  Jean-Charles used goodies from Isradecals and Isracast to convert his F-16 model into the Israeli F16I two seater with excellent results.

Brian Pruitt is here with his nicely done 1/72 ICM He-51A-1.  Brian used paint brush bristles for the rigging on his tiny bi-plane.......an ingenious idea.  

Oren Haymovits had a good time building this nicely done 1/72 Revell MiG-21 F-13 Fishbed.   This good looking little MiG is finished in the markings for the former East German Air Force.

Anthony Lorton has a talent for weathering as you see on his 1/72 Academy P-38J Lightning.   Anthony used the Promodeller dark wash and a few other techniques to complete the weathering on his P-38. 

I have a review of the new 1/48 QF-4E Heritage Drones (Holloman) decal sheet from Twobobs Aviation Graphics.  Phantoms....Phantoms...Phantoms!!!   This sheet features three complete QF-4E's with options for a fourth from the 82nd Aerial Targets Squadron at Holloman AFB. 

I have a review of the new  1/32 P-47D Thunderbolts ETO decal sheet from Zotz Decals.  Two P-47's.....both with sexy noseart.   

Richard Wood has a review of the new Pro Modellers Weathering Wash.  If you're looking for an easy way to do washes.....this might be the perfect solution for you.   

F-16C walkaround photos by Bill Spidle

Monday,   Apr 7  2008 
IPMS Region 4 Model Show  Cleveland, Ohio  Friday & Saturday, April 18 - 19, 2008 Lakeland Community College, Kirtland, OH  Click here for full details

IPMS context "Modelfest 2008" on April 12 and 13th Titusville, Florida. Space Coast Chapter

Shawn "Phantom" Weiler starts your week with his nicely done 1/48 Hasegawa RF-4C.  Shawn built this one for an ARC forums Group build and dressed it up with True Detail resin seats and Eduard photos etch and then finished it off with Twobobs decals and a careful application of weathering.   

Olivier Bonnet has done some amazing scratchbuilding on his 1/72 Airfix F-4U 1D "Corsair".  This is an older kit but Olivier scratchbuilt  a cockpit and added other detail to get a model that is a delight to see.  Olivier included in-progress photos in his article so you can see all the lovely detail.  This is very impressive for 1/72.     

Mahmod Al-kukhudary has done a marvelous job building and finishing his   1/32 Trumpeter MIG-29 Fulcrum.  This is a big beautiful kit and Mahmod chose to go with a very attractive camo scheme....this MiG looks perfect from one end to the other.   

Ray Hemenway has done a wonderful job building and finishing his 1/28 Revell Fokker Dr 1.  This is an older kit but it does build up into a great model as Ray has shown in his diorama with figures.  Nice one Ray.   

I have a quick little article about my San Francisco trip to buy  the Triumph GT6.

I have a review of the new  1/48 QF-4E Heritage Drones decal sheet from Twobobs Aviation Graphics.  

Sea Fury walkaround photos by Chris Wallace

Sunday,   Apr 6  2008 

Tolga Ulgur is having his birthday today and what better way to mark a  birthday than with your model on ARC's homepage.  This is his 1/48 Tamiya P-51D Mustang with plenty of aftermarket goodies and some high quality modelling work by Tolga.  Enjoy the photos....the detail is flawless!!!  


Samuel Lopod has put plenty of effort into his 1/72 Hasegawa S-3B Viking.  Samuel did some scratchbuilding to add a level of detail to the fuselage and then did the big job of folding the wings to really set this Viking apart from all others.  Samuel's Viking came out looking excellent, but I'm sure it took plenty of work on his part to get such good results. 

Saturday,   Apr 5  2008 

Gidi Vitkon has been busy improving his 1/48 Italeri A-10.  Gidi took many parts from the Monogram A-10 to get the details right and then finished off this sharp looking Warthog with Twobobs decals.  Wow....this was a large amount of work but well worth it.


Roberto Pallucchini has done an exceptional job on his 1/72 ICM BF-109E-3.  You have to have a look at the weathering job Roberto did....which included lightening the center of each panel and added a wash.  It's looks perfect.    

Friday,   Apr 4  2008 

  Senegal Independence Day 

I've added a link to the new Helmo "Official Hellenic Modellers Group" Website.  These ARC'ers from Greece have quite the passion for aircraft modelling including many in Hellenic markings.  www.helmo.gr

MosquitoCon 2008 is happening tomorrow in New Jersey, USA.  Click here for more info.

Noel Saplala starts off today with a very well done 1/32 Trumpeter F4F-4 Wildcat.  Noel cut open an engine cowling panel as well as the gun compartment access panel.  Noel built this one mostly out of the box with great effect.  

Mark Littrell has created one of the more eye cathcing F-16's. This is his 1/72 Italeri F-16 "NATO" using the Daco Products F-16 decal sheet.  I love the look of this jet.  Mark goes into very helpful detail about the trick to building this model kit and using these decals.   

Serge Dompierre has done a stunning job on his big 1/28 Revell Fokker DR-1.  Although this is an older kit, in the hands of a skilled modeller it can be turned into a work of art as Serge shows.  He chose the markings for a factory fresh aircraft flown by Baron von Richtoffen before it was painted red.  

Max Tollens Jr. is here with part 1 of his 1/48 Trumpeter RA-5C Vigilante article.  Max bought some detail goodies from Sprue Brothers and it looks like he is going all out on his RA-5C Vigilante.  I look forward to seeing how this project progresses. 

I have a review of the new  1/72 F-22A Rolls of the Dice Raptors decal sheet from Twobobs Aviation Graphics.  And I'm pleased to see a certain Raptor pilot is featured on this decal sheet. 

I have a review of the new 1/48 F-15C/D Mountain Home Wild Boars decal sheet from Afterburner Decals.   

YaK-18 walkaround photos by Cal Cochran

Thursday,   Apr 3  2008 
I have a selection of photos of my recently acquired '73 Triumph GT6 Mk3.  I can't believe I waited 31 years to finally buy one of these and yes......I was looking for one in this colour.

Oishi joins us with Part 2 of his 1/48 Tamiya P-47M Thunderbolt.  Today Oishi shows detailed photos of the weapons load, gearbays, dropped flaps and the finished exterior of the plane.

Vivek Kulanthaivelpandian has dropped by the ARC Corporate offices today with his 1/72 Academy Mig-23S Flogger B.  I must say that I like the look of the camo on this Flogger.....it's very nice colour combination.   

Yasushi Saito has done a very nice job on these 1/48 Zero pilot and bicycle.  I've impressed with the delicate detail on the bicycle and the pilot looks very good.  The bike is really quite amazing.  

John McCormick is here with his exceptionally well done 1/32 Trumpeter A-7D Corsair II.  John did some scratchbuilding and used the A-7 set from Zactomodels to correct some of the short comings of this big A-7 kit.

I have a review of the new  1/72 1/48 1/32 Gridiron Viper F-16C decal sheet from Twobobs Aviation Graphics

I have a review of the new  1/32 P-47 Razorback Thunderbolts in the PTO decal sheet from Zotz Decals.  This decal sheet gives you 2 different P-47's that fought in the Pacific during WW2......one has sexy noseart.

I have a review of the new  1/72 B-52D, T-33, A-7D, C-130H2  decal sheet from Wolfpak Decals.  This decal sheet gives you a selection of markings for the B-52, T-33, A-7 and C-130.

Craig Baumer joins us with a book review of the The Modern Hog Guide.   This is a book written by Jake Melampy, so you know it is loaded with photos.

F-16 Mlu (and Royal Dutch Air Force aircraft shelter) walkaround photos by Henk Koppelaar

Tuesday Apr 1  2008 

  Canada - CAF Birthday 

  United Kingdom  - RAF Birthday 

I hope you enjoyed this years April Fools Day homepage.  How many of you old timers got caught this year?  Let me know on the forums.  Needless to say.....I've got Triumph GT6's on my mind these days.

Oishi starts today's update with Part 1 of his 1/48 Tamiya P-47M Thunderbolt.  Oishi has provided a good selection of photos so you can see all the additional detail he added.  Sit down for this one....it's a beaut.


Karl W Branson is here with with a 1/48 Airfix Hawk T1 in the colours of the well loved Red Arrows Flight Demo team.  Karl was determined to get the details right on his Hawk and this included some white metal seats from Aeroclub, scratchbuilt wheel wells and other added detailing.  Nicely done Karl.   


Keith Hudson has been busy building and detailing his 1/72 LF Resins Reggiane Re 2005 SaggitarioKeith added extra detail to bring his  Reggiane Re 2005 Saggitario alive with very good results.  Keith tells all the tricks to building this kit in his article. 


PJ (Brazil) joins us today with his two 1/48 Revell-Italeri F-5E.  PJ finished them off in Brazilian Air Force FAB markings and I must say I never grow tired looking at the sleek lines of the F-5.  Very well done PJ.  


I am pleased to show you the new 1/48F-16C Wolfpack Bandits decal sheet from Twobobs Aviation Graphics.  This decal sheet features a single seater and a two seater with the 8th FW with the USAF in Korea.