Homepage Text - September 2011

Friday,   Sept 30  2011

  Guinea-Bissau Independence Day 

  Botswana National Day  

Paolo Yuen begins today with another of his tiny wonders.  This is his 1/144 ACE Corporation Dassault Rafale M with weathering and a weapons load and drop tanks.  Paolo then displayed it on the DML 1/144 CVN carrier display base that he painted to match the Charles De Gaulle fight deck.  Very nice indeed and hard to believe it is not 1/72 or 1/48 scale.

John Smalbrugge is here with a  selection of photos from a Fraser Valley Modelers Club Photo Shoot in 2008.  This is a very active group of dedicated modellers outside Vancouver, Canada and they do build a pleasing variety of model types.  Thanks for sharing the pics John.

Artur Oslizlo is here with his very attractive looking 1/48 Academy MiG-21bis.  Artur added extra detailing with an Aires resin cockpit set and Quickboost air intakes.  The desert camo scheme is for an Ethiopian Air Forces 'Fishbed' using Aeromaster decals.  And of course Artur finished this masterpiece with a perfect weathering job.

Here's a product article for the 1/48 F/A-18B VFA-125 Rough Raiders decal sheet from Two Bobs Aviation Graphics.  This sheet features markings for two complete adversary painted jets from the Rough Raiders of VFA-125.

Here's a product article for the 1/35 OH-58D Mast Mounted Sight kit from Zactomodels. Zactomodels.  Also included are modified Pitch Change Horns for the main rotor assembly. 


Here's a product article for the 1/48 NSAWC SH-60F Oceanhawk Adversaries decal sheet from Fightertown Decals.  This new decal sheet includes markings for 4 different 1/48 SH-60F Oceanhawk with NSAWC  Adversaries. 


Here's a product article for the 1/48 Su-24M Fencer D radar from Aires This set is designed for the Trumpeter kit.


Thursday,  Sept 29  2011 

Adriano Souza gets things started today in style with his 1/48 Revell F-14B Tomcat.  Adriano dressed up his Tomcat with a weapons load and then finished it with a flawless beautifully weathered paint job sporting Jolly Roger markings from Fightertown DecalsThis is one very impressive and realistic looking F-14.


Hal Marshman Sr has done a gorgeous job finishing and weathering his 1/48 Tamiya Do-335V-11.  Hal added some scratch made seat belts/buckles, and MV lenses in the landing light and then gave it a subtle weathering job that includes exhaust stains.  Very nicely done Hal. 

Shawn "phantom" Weiler is here with his entry for the Sharkmouth group build here on ARC.  This is his 1/48 Academy CT-133 T-Bird complete with Shark mouth markings using Leading Edge decals. Shawn was kind enough to send in a photos of his CT-133 flight line.  WOW!!! 

I have a product article for the 1/32 AIM-7E-2/M Sparrow Missile Markings decal sheet from Two Bobs Aviation Graphics.  This sheet includes the markings for on AIM-7E-2 and the AIM-7E-M. Four each are included as well as bonus markings for the AN/ALE-39/47 chaff flare dispenserws.


Zotz Decals has a new 1/32 AV-8B Harrier II+ at Sea decal sheet.  One aircraft is the demonstrator aircraft commemorating Greg "Pappy" Boyington of WW2 from 2010-2011 airshow season. 

Alexey Sulla is here with a  product article for the new 1/72 Fw.189 A photoetched flaps from Northstarmodels These flaps are designed to fit the FW.189 kits from Airfix, MPM, Italeri.


Here's a product article for the 1/72 F/A-22 Raptor Control Lever and Throttle from QuickBoost These are designed for the Revell kit


Wednesday,   Sept 28  2011

  Rosh Hashana (Jewish New Year)  

I'd like to wish a happy Rosh Hashanah to all those that celebrate.
Terry Chan has been busy getting everything right on his 1/32 Hasegawa F-5N Tiger II.  Terry rescribed all the panel lines and then added some rivets and dressed up the cockpit with a Verlinden resin cockpit set and scratchbuilt detailing.  The model was finished with a stunning camo job and Twobobs Sundowners decals.  The finished model is awesome looking Terry.

Rodrigo Rendon has completely outdone himself with his 1/48 Academy CH-46E masterpiece.  Rodrigo used the Big Red after market metal by Eduard and then dressed up the interior with wiring and MRE boxes, water jugs, a 12-pack of Bud Light beer and a Maxim magazine to add realism.  Then stripped off the paint on the leading edge of the rotor blades and displayed the finished model on a  simulated ship deck.  This work of art was presented to his friend that was a crew member on this exact chopper.  A darn lucky friend to have this gem in his display case....what an impressive CH-46E  diorama this must be in 1/48.

Axel Grundmann is here with something you don't see very often.  This is his very nicely done 1/48 Revell Learjet wearing the markings for a Finnish Air Force jet.  Axel scratchbuilt the pod under the left wing.  This is one very attractive looking Learjet.

Here's a product article for the 1/48 QF-4E Heritage Drones (Holloman) decal sheet from Two Bobs Aviation Graphics.  This sheet features three complete QF-4E's with options for a fourth from the 82nd Aerial Targets Squadron at Holloman AFB.  These jets were painted in commemorative schemes that had been previously worn by the F-4 during it's USAF service.

Zoltan Pocza is here with a product article for the new Boeing 777-300ER (G-STBA) - British Airways / United Kingdom print from  Deployment Productions.

Here's a product article for the 1/32 A6M5 Zero Fighter cockpit set from Aires This set is designed for the Tamiya kit and has some amazing detail.

Hal Marshman Sr is here with alook at the  The Last Gunfight book which is about one of the biggest events in American Old West history.   The Shootout at the O.K. Corral.

Tuesday,    Sept 27   2011 

Hot Babe of the Week!  this week  from Twobobs  is courtesy of a couple of pilots from VFA-25. They contacted me about a month ago asking us to do up their jets with the Twobobs treatment. We'll get to doing these ASAP. Good lookin' jet(s). Got lots of pics of their line jets as well. Enjoy!   Bob


Andre Dorion has been very busy adding some exceptional detail to his 1/32 Trumpeter A-7 Corsair II.  Andy used the canopy and intake correction sets from Zactomodels and then added mores sets from Aires including the avionics bay set, wheel bay set and cockpit set.  All I can say is WOW.....enjoy the photos everyone....this Corsair II is stunning!!!

Kees Kuyper is here with the first of too very funny models.  This is his Revell Spitsfire, which is a 3D caricature Spitfire model and quite amusing to see.  The roundel on the side of the fuselage has dart board markings on it....pretty amusing stuff.

Kees Kuyper is also here with his Revell Messerschnitzel 3D caricature model and if you look carefully at the engine cowling you will see a hot rod style super charger intake.  Both of these models are a treat to see and Kees did an excellent job on both of them.

Here's a product article for the 1/48 J2M3 Raiden Exhausts from QuickBoost These are designed to the fit the Hasegawa kit.


Here's a product article for the 1/72 Refueling Probe - NATO standard from Master.


Here's a product article for the 1/72 SAAB JAS 39 Gripen ladder from Maestro Models.

Here's a product article for the 1/72 De Havilland Sea Vampire T.22 model kit from Czech Master Resin - CMR Models.

Monday,    Sept 26  2011
This weeks Twobobs Newsletter is up.  is up.  The Royal Danish Viper sheets are very big sellers and Bob has images of the instruction and decal sheets. Plus the completed instruction sheets for the 1/48 F-15C Eifel Eagles sheet are in the newsletter.....this is a massive sheet with plenty of Eagles on it.  You're going to love seeing on both of these sheets.

A R Karimi has taken and repainted this 1/72 Italeri IRIAF F-5F using markings from Hi Decal Line for an aircraft that served in the Iran - Iraq war.  The finished model is an a very attractive F-5 in it's 3 colour desert camo.  I love the look of this F-5.....very nicely done AR.

Ermanno Bonafin is here with something your don't see very often.  This is his very attractive 1/48 Special Hobby Nardi F.N.305 in the markings for the Squadron Leader's plane from 23° Gruppo. This is one very attractive WW2 trainer....gotta' love those Italian markings....well done Ermanno.

Andy Davies has outdone himself with his multi shaded baremetal 1/72 Trumpeter Tupolev TU-16 K-10 Badger C. Andy used a number of detail items from NeoMega to improve the accuracy and detail on his stunning looking Badger, but you really have to look at the bare metal finish....it looks fantastic and really completes this wonderful model.

Here's a product article for the 1/24 WW2 Luftwaffe cockpit placards and dataplates from  airscale.


Here's a product article for the 1/72 B-24 Liberator Bomb Bay Doors from QuickBoost These are designed to fit the Hasegawa kit.


Here's a product article for the 1/35 UH-60 Blackhawk Stencils decal sheet from Werner's WingsThese stencils include US Army stencil markings. 

Here's a product article for the 1/72 C-46 Commando Landing Gear from Scale Aircraft Conversions This landing gear set is designed for the Williams Brothers kit.


Friday,   Sept 23  2011

  Saudi Arabia National Day 

José Maria Reis Jr starts off today's update with his first model on ARC.  This is his beautifully done 1/72 Republic P-47D Thunderbolt proudly wearing the markings for a Brazilian P-47 from WW2.  José  lightly weathered his P-47 and got it ready for a mission by loading it out with rocket launchers.  I am very pleased to see José's P-47 on ARC and I look forward to seeing more of his models on ARC in the future. 

Andre Mimizu has been very creative in kit bashing this Luft '46 jet.  This is his 1/72 ‘combo build’ FW J.P.011.45 which used a combination of modified parts from other models as well as good ol' fashioned modelling skill. It's a very cool jet and as you might have guessed....it is the first one on ARC.  Very cool job you did on it Andre.

Burcin Emren has been busy detailing and weathering his stunning 1/48 Hasegawa F/18 F Super Hornet.  Burcin added a cockpit set and landing bay set from Aires which required some effort to get the fit right.  The then finished off his Hornet as a heavily weathered USN Jolly Rogers bird complete with drop tanks and a  full weapons load including bombs and missiles.  Wow I love the weathering job on this one.,

I have a product article for the 1/72 1/32 F/A-18A/B Fighting Omars decal sheet from Twobobs Aviation Graphics.  This sheet is follow up to their very popular VFC-12 release is this sheet in both 72nd and 32nd scale.  There are enough markings on this sheet to build a 72nd scale jet and one 32nd scale jet.  

Here's a product article for the 1/72 Hawker Typhoon Prototype/Mk.IA model kit from Czech Master Resin - CMR Models.

Thursday,  Sept 22  2011

  Mali Independence Day 

No update today.....I've been sick for the past week and it is starting to catch up with me. 

Wednesday,   Sept 21  2011

  Malta Independence Day 

Fabrizio Frassica gets things started today with his wonderfully detailed 1/48 Hasegawa F-4S Phantom II.  Fabrizio used Eduard Zoom set for cockpit, True Details ejection seats to add further detail and then finished it in the rare Ferris paint scheme while using aftermarket decals.  This particular F-4 is a MiG killer and Fabrizio tells about the MiG killing mission in his article

Bartosz Piotrowski is here with his very attractive 1/72 Amodel Christen Eagle I .  This is the single seat version of the Christen Eagle and the colourful dedecals were from Amodel.  Bartosz  took a photo of his model in his hand and in 1/72 scale this is a surprisingly small model.  I sure do like the way it looks.

Pablo Angel Herrera and the members of IPMS/Guatemala are here with pictures from their recent Expomodel 2011 "War over the Pacific".  This year the theme was the war in the Pacific during WW2 and as you'll see by the photos of the models on display.....there was plenty of talented modellers that attended.  This show attracted modellers from a variety of places including El Salvador.  It looks like a great show guys.....thanks for sending in pictures for us to enjoy.

Here's a product article for the 1/48 F-22A Roll The Dice Raptors decal sheet from Two Bobs Aviation Graphics.   This sheet includes markings for 3 jets from the 90th FS of Elmendorf AFB. 

Here's a product article for the Boeing 767-258ER (4X-EAC) - El Al Israel Airlines (ELY) / Israel print from Deployment Productions.


Here's a product article for the 1/48 J1N1 Gekko Gun Barrels from QuickBoost.  This latest release features a complete set of resin Gun Barrels for the J1N1 Gekko from Tamiya.

Here's a product article for the 1/72 J-32 Lansen ladder from Maestro Models.  This is a pre-painted photo etch ladder that is pre-painted on both sides of the ladder.


A photo etch bending tool from The Small Shop The Small Shop does make bending photo etch much easier.  If you use photo etch, then you really should pick up one of their many different photo etch bending tools


Tuesday,    Sept 20  2011

Hot Babe of the Week!  this week  from Twobobs Hot Babe of the Week is courtesy of the folks at VFA-147. Thanks to the US Navy for providing us walkaround images of the Argos current CAG scheme.   Right Click, Enjoy!    Bob


Terry Chan joins us with his award winning and absolutely stunning 1/32 Trumpeter AV-8B Harrier Night Attack.  Terry dressed up his big Harrier with an Aires resin cockpit, Aires resin wheel bays and the stunningly detailed Zactomodels resin AIM-9L Sidewinder missiles.  Terry's finished Harrier is a treat to see and I can easily see why if won an award.  His article helpfully points out the few tricky areas on the big Trumpeter Harrier.

Dave Fassett is here to completely WOW you with his 1/144 Revell of Germany E-2C Hawkeye.  Dave used some aftermarket goodies such as the wingfolds and prop blades, but he also did a massive amount of scratchbuilding on his tiny Hawkeye.  This level of detail would be impressive in 1/48 scale.....but in 1/144 scale......it leaves me speechless and in awe.  And you have to check out the Stars and stripes flame job on the nose of his Hawkeye......the model as awesome from every angle.

Francisco Alves is here with not one but two Vipers.  These are his 1/48 Hasegawa GO ALABAMA & JUVAT VIPER built out of the box with an excellent choice of markings including very cool looking tail art.  Francisco dressed them up with some careful weathering for added realism.  Everyone likes to see an F-16 and Francisco has been kind enough to show us two of his great looking Vipers......and I'm darn happy I got to see them.

Here's a product article for the 1/48 German WW I machine gun Spandau LMG 08/15 from Master.  This latest release includes a pair of 1/48 German WW I  Spandau LMG 08/15 machine guns (2pcs) machined out of brass.  These were used on almost every German aircraft during WW I.  These are designed to fit perfectly the Albatros D.V, Fokker Dr.I, Pfalz D.III, LVG C.VI and many other models in 1/48.

Here's a product article for the 1/32 Spitfire Mk. IXe Gun Barrels from QuickBoostThis latest release features a complete set of resin Gun Barrels for the Spitfire Mk. IXe from Tamiya.

Monday,    Sept 19  2011

  Chile - Anniversary of the Chilean Army

  Saint Christopher (Kitts) and Nevis Independence Day 

This weeks Twobobs Newsletter has good news, the 1/72 and 1/48 F-16MLU Royal Danish Anniversary Vipers sheets are for sale.  This sheet feature very colourful anniversary jets and there is full info and images in the newsletter.  Also the first images for the Bitburg F-15 sheet which will be available in 72, 48 and 32 scale.  The CoNA Reference CD's are almost gone.....1000 were made and if you want one, you need to buy quick while supplies last.  Once all the CD's are gone, the CoNA combo packs will not be offered and only individual CoNA decals sheets will be available.

Ian T.M. Holahan has pulled out all the stops on his stunning 1/48 Hasegawa F/A-18A+.  Ian upgraded the instrument panel, added a resin seat, added practice weapons and MER's to the pylons and then completed the look with some downright great looking USMC Reserve markings with eye catching tail art.  Ian also tended to a whole host of tiny detail items....wow I love how his Hornet looks.  

Artur Oslizlo joins us from Poland with his amazing 1/32 Tamiya Spitfire Mk.IXc.  This is the Spitfire flown by the famous Ace Francis Stanley "Gabby" Gabreski.  Artur used a few resin Barracuda sets, Montex insignia masks, HGW seatbelts and Aber metal gun barrels and dressed up this work of art with Spitfire markings from the well known Victory Productions sheet.  Artur is a master at weathering and his Spitfire looks perfect.

Carmel J Attard is here with a float plane and I LOVE float planes.  This is his 1/72 Khee-Kha Art Products Fairchild F.71 in a combination of floats and wheels and finished in the very colourful Pacific International Airways of Alaska livery.  Carmel explains in wonderful detail the complete process of building the vac-u-fomed gem of a model.

Zotz Decals has a new 1/32 GR.7 Harriers over Aldion decal sheet.  This new decal sheet includes markings for 6 different Harrier GR.7's flown by the RAF in the UK, Norway, Kandahar and Kuwait.  Two have great looking tail art, two have sexy silhouette noseart with many mission markings, one has a Sharks Mouth and the last one is a special white and grey winter camo scheme used on a exercise in Norway.

Here's a product article for the 1/72 F4U-1 Corsair Engine Cowling Flaps from QuickBoost.  This is the the engine cowling flaps for the F4U-1 Corsair from Tamiya.

Here's a product article for the 1/35 Blackhawks "Workhorse of the Army" decal sheet from  Werner's WingsThis sheet includes 18 different UH-60's including one flown  by  fellow ARC'er CW3 Erick Swanberg in Med Evac in Afghanistan.

Here's a product article for the 1/48 Ju 52 (faired) Main Landing Gear from Scale Aircraft Conversions.  This set of landing gear for the Ju 52 from Revell / Monogram.


Sunday,    Sept 18  2011

  Chile Independence Day 

  USAF Birthday 


Friday,   Sept 16  2011

  Papua New Guinea Independence Day 

  Mexico Independence Day 

Burt Gustafson gets things started today in grand style with his bare metal and very colorful 1/48 Trumpeter F-100D Super Sabre.  Burt has high regards for  this Trumpeter kit and I must say his finished model is nothing short of exceptional looking.  Beautiful work Burt....you REALLY did this kit justice...I love the look of your Super Sabre.

Axel Grundmann has outdone himself on his highly detailed and flawlessly finished 1/48 Trumpeter C-47.  Axel used Eduard photo etch and MAV Decals from South Africa to complete this stunning C-47.  Check the photos of the fully detailed interior or the photos of the maintenance worker figure using a dip stick on the wing fuel tank.  Axel finished his C-47 in South African Air Force markings...which is always attractive.

Paolo Yuen has mastered the fine art of modern jet weathering and you can see this in the photos of his 1/48 ACE Corporation Dassault Rafale M.  Paolo built his Rafale out of the box and then chose to display his jet in the very dramatic in-flight pose and wow does it look good.  Check out the weathering job...it's amazing.

Here's a product article for the 1/48 J-10 Enter the Dragons Chinese Demo Team decal sheet from Twobobs Aviation Graphics.  This sheet features beautiful markings from the first airshow season of the J-10 Chinese Demo Team. There are unique markings for both the single and dual seat versions of the J-10.

Here's a product article for the 1/32 WW2 Luftwaffe cockpit placard & dataplates decals from airscale.  This new release gives you hundreds of multi-colour placards & dataplates as found in Luftwaffe aircraft from the 30’s & 40’s.

Here's a product article for the 1/72 Sopwith 7F.1 Snipe model kit from Czech Master Resin - CMR Models.

Here's a product article for the AH-1 Tzefa in IAF Service book from IsraDecal.  This new soft cover 100 page book contains over 400 (mostly color) photos and covers the AH-1 Tzefa in IAF Service and is written by IsraDecal owner, well respected modeler and world renowned all around nice guy Ra'anan Weiss.


Thursday,  Sept 15  2011

  Battle of Britain Day 1940 

  Costa Rica Independence Day 

  El Salvador Independence Day 

  Guatemala Independence Day 

  Honduras Independence Day 

  Nicaragua Independence Day 

Sten-Arne B Brunsby starts today in fine style with this eye catching 1/48 Hasegawa F-22 "Alaskan Raptor".  Sten-Arne offers some excellent insight into getting the paint scheme right on this F-22.  I know I sure enjoyed reading his article and seeing the photos of this F-22.

Franz Galli has made my day by sending in photos of his latest model.  This is his 1/72 Academy T-6G Texan done in a very convincing finish with just the perfect amount of weathering to bring this beautifully done little trainer to life.  It's good to see you back on the ARC homepage Franz. I've missed seeing your work on ARC. 

Micah Reysio-Cruz is here with an airliner in my favourite livery.  This is his 1/144 Airfix Philippine Airlines BAC-111 wearing custom made decals.  The model looks fantastic but you'll also enjoy reading Micah's article about an early experience flying in a jet just like this one.  Simply beautiful Micah. 

Here's a product article for the  1/72 F-15S Khamis Mushait/Anaconda Eagles decal sheet from Two Bobs Aviation Graphics.  This sheet gives you lots of bang for your buck!  Enough options for eight Saudi aircraft and three USAF Strike Eagles.

Here's a product article for the F-15A/B Eagle 102nd FW, 101st FS MA 77-0102 & MA 77-0163 - 2006 print from Deployment Productions.    20% off of any products for every ACTIVE, registered ARC community members!

Here's a product article for the 1/32 VF-84 "Jolly Rogers" F-14A "Victory in the Storm" decal sheet from Fightertown Decals.  This new decal sheet includes markings for 3 different 1/32 F-14's with VFA-84 Jolly Rogers including one aircraft with sexy noseart.  


Here's a product article for the 1/32 Su-27 Instrument Panel from QuickBoostThis is the 1/32 Su-27 Instrument Panel and is designed for the Trumpeter kit. 

Wednesday,   Sept 14  2011 
Fabian Mario Vera starts today with his outstanding looking 1/48 Hasegawa A4-P Fuerza Aerea Argentina.  Fabian scratchbuilt the gun on his Skyhawk and then finished his model with a beautifully done and very rare paint scheme.

Lyle Brown is here with his latest artwork.  This is his F-15 Reporter artwork.  The  F-15 Reporter is the reconnaissance version of the P-61 night fighter. 

Daniel Such is here with a very attractive looking 1/144 Eduard Me 262.  This is a tiny 1/144 kit of the 262, so it is small, but Daniel still took the time to dress with  up the cockpit in a very creative way.  The finished mottled camo scheme came out looking great....hard to believe it is 1/144.  Wonderful work Daniel.

Here's a product article for the 1/48 F/A-18C VFA-192 Golden Dragons decal sheet from Two Bobs Aviation GraphicsThis sheet features markings for two complete aircraft from the Golden Dragons with the US Navy.  This is their current CAG scheme as well as a deployment scheme from one of their line jets (circa 2003).     

Here's a product article for the Sukhoi Su-27 Flanker "Blue 08" Print from Zactomodels.  This particular print shows this Flanker without missiles, but you also have the option of having this print with missiles.

Here's a product article for the 1/72 F4U-1 Corsair Engine from QuickBoostThis engine is loaded with detail.

Here's a product article for the 1/48 F-18 Hornet seamless air intakes from Maestro Models These intakes are designed for the Hasegawa family of F-18 kits.

Tuesday,    Sept 13   2011 

Hot Babe of the Week!  this week  from Twobobs  is courtesy of Ken Middleton. Ken is a regular contributor of photos to Twobobs and these photos are of an F-15 with the 102FW.  Right Click, Enjoy!    Bob


John King is here with his great looking 1/144 Revell Eurofighter Typhoon.  John built his primered Typhoon for his local club's "Natural Finish" group build and the finished model won a well deserved first place in it's category at the 2011 USA IPMS Nats in Omaha.  Beautifully done John and I'm not surprised you got a first place with your Typhoon.

Juan Carlos Gomez joins us from Argentina with his beautifully weathered 1/48 Hobbycraft Bf-109K-4.  Juan chose a 109 from JG-53 and although this 109 is built OOB, there is some very carefully done paint chipping and other weathering that brings this model to life.  Beautiful work Juan.

WELTER Florent has done an exceptionally nice job on his stunning 1/48 Hasegawa EA-18G Growler "Navy Centennial".  This EA-18G is wearing one of the US Navy Centennial paint schemes and is sitting on a  custom made base with the "Navy Centennial" logo.  This Growler also has resin seats to dress up the cockpit.  A very colorful Growler and a pleasure to see.....enjoy the photos. 

Here's a product article for the 1/48 BAC TSR.2 Stencils from Hobby Decal.

Here's a product article for the 1/48 F-4 Phantom II Ejection Seat from QuickBoost  This seat has molded in seat belts.


Here's a product article for the 1/35 Blackhawks "Workhorse of the Army" decal sheet from  Werner's WingsThis sheet includes 18 different UH-60's including one flown  by  fellow ARC'er CW3 Erick Swanberg in Med Evac in Afghanistan.


Here's a product article for the 1/48 German cannon Bordkanone 5cm (Mk 214 / 5cm BK) from Master.


Monday,    Sept 12  2011
Ken Middleton is here with one of his highly renowned in-flight models.  This is Ken's 1/48 Testors Canadian CF-18AM using Leading Edge decals and a spotlight from the Hasegawa kit.  Ken gave his CF-18 a well weathered look which perfectly captures the look of the real jets.  Ken finished his Canadian Hornet as an in-flight model complete with missiles using Twobobs decals and drop tanks.  Beautifully done Ken.

Frederick D. Smith is here with a very special 1/72 Italeri SH-60 Seahawk (Rescue version).  His Seahawk was built mostly out of the box with some scratchbuilt detailing.  What makes this Seahawk special is it will be placed on the deck of Frederick's R/C U.S.S. Decatur, DDG-73, Arleigh Burke Class Destroyer.  This great looking chopper with be a very attractive addition to his R/C destroyer.  I'd love to see photos of the destroyer when it is done.

Siddharth Pantoji joins us with his first article on ARC.  This is his 1/48 Academy MiG 21 PF Fishbed D finished in a very attractive 5 color camo with Russian markings and a weapons load.  Welcome to ARC Siddharth, I look forward to seeing more of your models on ARC in the future.

Here's a product article for the CoNA-CD Centennial of Naval Aviation Reference CD from  Twobobs Aviation Graphics.  This CD contains hi-resolution reference photographs  of the Centennial of Naval Aviation jets that are featured on the Twobobs decal sheets


Here's a product article for the 1/48 F-15A/C Ejection Seat from QuickBoost This seat comes with molded in seatbelts.


Here's a product article for the 1/72 XB-70 Valkyrie Landing Gear from Scale Aircraft Conversions.  These landing gears are designed for XB-70 Valkyrie Italeri/AMT kit.

Here's a product article for the 1/72 Antarctic Helicopters Part 1 decal sheet from Max Decals This latest decal sheet includes a varied and wonderful selection of helicopters that operated in the Antarctic.  This sheet includes 8 different types of helicopters from 5 different countries wearing a colourful variety different paint schemes.  The helicopters are from the USA, Argentina, Japan, Uruguay and Chile.  You get 11 helicopters in all.


Sunday, Sept 11  2011

  Terrorist Attack on World Trade Center and Pentagon 2001

My 15 year old daughter asked me the other day to tell her about 9/11.....10 years ago it was early in the morning in our time zone when I turned on CNN to get  a few minutes of early morning news while everyone in our house was getting ready for work and school.  At this point the image of a lone WTC tower was shown on TV.....I recognized the building but it made no sense because there should have been 2 WTC towers.  The building was on fire and a few minutes later they showed video of the first building dropping.  I sat in stunned disbelief.....I knew at the moment our world had changed.  I will carry those feelings of horror, disbelief and sadness to my grave and I doubt they will ever fade.

Thursday,  Sept 8  2011

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

Mick Alderson starts your Thursday update with a very big and impressive what-if 1/32 Trumpeter OA-10B OZHOG.  Mick did quick a bit of exceptional cockpit detailing but what really makes his OSZHOG (Aussie Hog) stand out is the eye popping camo scheme.  I thoroughly enjoyed seeing this A-10. 

Greg Moss has added extra detailing to his very nicely done 1/35 Bell UH-1H Iroquois (Huey) "Bushranger".  This particular Iroquois is the one Greg's Dad flew in during the Vietnam war.  Greg gave it the perfect amount of weathering to complete the very realistic look.

Earl Hosmer has been busy adding endless detail to his 1/48 Hasegawa TF-104G Starfighter.  Earl used a cockpit set, open bays on the both sides of the fuselage and an engine access bay on the underside that is loaded with amazing detail.  The exhaust nozzle is also an aftermarket item.  The exterior is covered with aluminum foil and then it was finished off with Norwegian Air Force markings.  Fantastic job Earl!!!

Here's a product article for the 1/72 CoNA Platinum Set from Twobobs Aviation Graphics This massive new release includes all 3 Centennial of Naval Aviation decal sheets...plus the CoNA Centennial Walk-Around CD...plus 3 Pressure Sensitive Stickers.  Priced separately, this set retails for more money, but purchase this bundle set and receive a 20% discount! Look for this bundle package in 1/32nd scale shortly!


Zoltan Pocza is here with a product article for the Boeing 737-900ER (N75436) - Continental Airlines / United States of America print from Deployment Productions20% off of any products for every ACTIVE, registered ARC community members!


Here's a product article for the 1/32 Su-27 Ejection Seat from QuickBoostThis 1/32 Su-27 Ejection Seat comes with molded in seat belts.

Here's a product article for the 1/48 Israeli Air Force F-16C/D Barak decal sheet from IsraDecal.  This new decal sheet includes markings for a large variety of 1/48 F-16C/D Baraks including markings for the 60th Anniversary of 'The Valley' squadron.  The serial numbers are individual numbers that you can mix and match to create almost any Barak you choose.

Wednesday,   Sept 7  2011

  Brazil Independence Day 

  Pakistan Air Force Day 

Daco Products is marking their 22 anniversary with a 22% off sale on every order from Sept 7 to Sept 14Drop by their site to check out their many decals, excellent photo reference books and many other items.

Tom Valaoras has been busy doing a huge amount of very involved detailing to the exposed engine area on his 1/32 Trumpeter Mig-21MF.  Tom also added detail inside the tail area and finished his MiG-21 in a great looking Grey camo.  But read his article for the full story on this stunning 'Fishbed'.

Paolo Yuen is here with a very tiny and stunning 1/144 ACE Corporation E-2C Hawkeye.  Paolo folded the wings and gave it a flawless shaded paint job you'd expect to see on an French Navy Hawkeye.  Paolo has wonderful talent with an airbrush and you'll see that on his beautifully weathered Hawkeye.

Cüneyt ÖZEN joins us with his beautifully done 1/48 Hasegawa TUAF Block 50+ Ceylan Filo.  Cüneyt added CFT's and finished off this beauty in Turkish Air Force markings.  Simply flawless and a treat to see. 

Here's a product article for the 1/48 CoNA Platinum Set from Twobobs Aviation GraphicsThis massive new releaseincludes all 5 Centennial of Naval Aviation decal sheets...plus the CoNA Centennial Walk-Around CD...plus 5 Pressure Sensitive Stickers.

  • 48-228 F/A-18C F/A-18E VFA-106

  • 48-229 EA-6B/EA-18G VAQ-129

  • 48-230 F/A-18C VFA-122/VFC-12

  • 48-231 F/A-18F VFA-204/VX-31

  • 48-232 F/A-18F VX-9

  • CoNA Centennial Walk-Around CD w/over 800 hi-res walk-around photos

  • Five Pressure Sensitive Stickers (included with sheets)


Here's a product article for the 1/48 E/A-18G  F/A-18G "Black Growlin Rhinos" decal sheet from Fightertown Decals.  This new decal sheet includes markings for 2 different jets including a  F/A-18F Super Hornet and an EA-18G Growler in hi-viz markings.


Here's a product article for the 1/32 F-15A/C Ejection Seat from QuickBoost.


Here's a product article for the 1/48 Antarctic Helicopters Part 1 decal sheet from Max Decals This latest decal sheet  includes a varied and wonderful selection of helicopters that operated in the Antarctic.  This sheet includes 5 different types of helicopters from 5 different countries wearing 10 different paint schemes.  The helicopters are from the USA, France, Belgium, Uruguay and Chile.  

This sheet is also available in 1/72 scale.


Tuesday,    Sept 6   2011 

Hot Babe of the Week!  this week  from Twobobs  is courtesy of Darren McTee.  Right Click, Enjoy!    Bob


Burt Gustafson joins us with a classic American fighter from the Vietnam war.  This is his 1/48 Hasegawa F-8E Crusader built OOB in the classic scheme worn by this "Last of The Gunfighters".  Burt has high regards for the Hasegawa kit and he further enhanced the look of his model by darkening the panel lines. The markings are for the USN VF-191 Satan's Kittens.   

JR Smith is here with his first article on ARC and I am quite excited to see it is the 1/720 Revell LZ-129 Hindenburg.  Airships are rare here on ARC and I am one person that loves variety in life.  This how the Hindenburg appeared with Olympic Rings for the 1936 Olympics and before her tragic crash on May 6, 1937.  Welcome to ARC JR and I certainly hope to see more of your work on ARC in the future.  Excellent job on the in-flight photos of your airship.

drakendk has been busy packing as many aftermarket goodies and added detailing into his 1/72 Hasegawa RF-35 Draken as he could.  Wow you've got to read the list of goodies used on this Draken...AMAZING.  It took a while to pull together this very involved project but in the end drakendk pulled it all together with the dedication and skill of a master modeller.  Beautiful work drakendk.

Here's a product article for the 1/48 WW2 Luftwaffe cockpit placard & dataplates decals from airscale.   You get hundreds of multi-colour placards & dataplates as found in Luftwaffe aircraft from the 30’s & 40’s.

Essential for cockpit instrument panels, sidewalls, FuG radios, throttle & flap quadrants and oxygen/air cylinders etc. 

This decal sheet incldues Manufacturer Dataplates for Junkers, Messerschmitt, Focke-Wulf, Henschel, plus cockpit ancillary manufacturers such as Bosch, Lorenz and Askania 


Here's a product article for the 1/32 BAe HAWK T.1 - Pitot Tube from Master.  The set includes turned aluminum Pitot Tube designed to fit the Revell model.


Here's a product article for the 1/48 Tp52 EE Canberra Mk 2B nose conversion from Maestro Models.  This new resin nose conversion is designed for the Classic Airframes Canberra model, but it should fit other Canberra kits as well. 

Monday,    Sept 5  2011                        Labor Day or Labour Day  
Jens Gerber is here from Germany with today's first model.  This is his 1/48 Hobby Boss Me 262 A1a/U5 with some added detailing using goodies from Paragon as well some scratchbuilt items.  The finished model was given a  flawlessly applied camo scheme with very careful shading to get the look just right.  Simply wonderful work Jens....well done.

JJ Chen has been enjoying a creative time with his 1/72 Academy RAF Mustang III.   JJ explains the story behind this 3 bladed Mustang and I know I certainly enjoy reading his story and seeing the finished model.  Special congratulation to JJ and his wife for their happy and healthy young son.  Beautiful job on the Mustang JJ.

Kees Kuijper is one of the more creative modellers from the Netherlands here on ARC and today he joins us with his Hyper Spaceshuttle.  This is a what-if Netherlands version of the space shuttle and I do admit I like the model and his background story in his article.  Nicely done Kees.

Here's a product article for the 1/48  EA-6B VAQ-140 Patriot Prowler decal sheet from Two Bobs Aviation Graphics You get enough markings for one complete CAG jet from the Patriots of VAQ-140.  

Here's a product article for the 1/48 P-47 7.5 inch Dry Transfer Tail Codes from Hobby Decal.  This new decal sheet includes dry transfer 7.5 inch Tail Codes for the 1/48 P-47. 

Here's a product article for the 1/48 Ju 52 (plain) Main Landing Gear from Scale Aircraft ConversionsThese are designed for the Revell / Monogram kit.


Gino P. Quintiliani is here with a product article for the 1/35 Blackhawks: Workhorses of the Army Decals   from Werner’s Wings.  This decal sheet is available in 1/35, 1/48, and 1/72 and this set includes markings for 18 different aircraft plus 3 extra, partial markings for aircraft that they could not find all the markings for.


Sunday,    Sept 4  2011

  Swaziland Independence and National Day 


Saturday,   Sept 3  2011

  Qatar National Day 


Friday,   Sept 2  2011

  Vietnam Independence Day 

V-J Day  Japan surrenders in Tokyo Harbour

Today's update is a bit late.....I've been burning the midnight oil redoing the review section archives.  I hope to have it done and launched in a week or so.

Gerard Chua is here with an article that was originally intended for the Singapore National Day.  This is Gerard's 1/72 Mini Hobby Models RSAF F5S Tiger II in the markings for the Republic of Singapore Air Force.  Gerard added some extra detailing including a HUD and other cockpit details.  This is definitely a great looking RSAF F-5.  

Hal Marshman Sr. has been busy adding some first class detailing to his 1/48 Tamiya F4U-1a Corsair.  Hal added a host of detailing and then finished his corsair as an expertly weathered workhorse with endless mission markings.  You have captured the look of the Corsair perfectly Hal.....I loved seeing it.

Narin Lert-assawawiwat is here with a very special Sci-Fi model called MF 3-PaSS : Double X.  This is a space capable F-5 X-wing fighter....you'll have to read Narin's article for all the details, but I must say there is some exceptional creativity put into this model.  I enjoyed seeing this one....it's a very cool model Narin.

Here's a product article for the 1/72 Hansa-Brandenburg W 29 model kit from Czech Master Resin - CMR Models.


Alexey Matvienko is here with a product article for the new 1/48 F-14A/D Tune-Up sets from A.M.U.R.Reaver This article features 2 PE sets for the Tomcat...one for the F-14A and one for the F-14D.


Jason Cooper is here with a product article for the new Aircraft and Armor Artwork Profile prints from Scale Central.  

Thursday,  Sept 1  2011

  Libya Independence Day 

  Slovak Republic Constitution Day 

  Uzbekistan National Day 

World War Two begins in Europe - Germany invades Poland (1939)

Rod Bettencourt is here with his 1/48 Hasegawa F-14 Tomcat done up in the markings for one of the favorite USN squadrons...VF-84 Jolly Rogers.  Rod built his Tomcat mostly out of the box with some added detailing in the cockpit.  I must say the photos Rod took of his finished model look VERY realistic.  What a great way to begin today's update.....thanks Rod. 

Fabrizio Frassica joins us today with his 1/48 P-39 Collection.  Fabrizio has included 2 Italian P-39's as well as one Soviet P-39 and he has included the story behind each model and I know you're going to enjoy seeing all the photos....each of these P-39's has wonderfully shaded panels......the weathering is well worth checking out.  Great work Fabrizio.

CJ is here with a very unique 1/48 Italeri Qatari "What If" Typhoon.  CJ tells the whole story in his article about this what-if Typhoon, but you really need to have  a close look at the camo job on CJ's Typhoon........I know you will never see another Typhoon with a camo scheme this cool. 

Here's a product article for the 1/72 EA-6B/EA-18G VAQ-129 Naval Centennial decal sheet from Twobobs Aviation Graphics.  This new release celebrates the Centennial of Naval Aviation with heritage markings for both an EA-6B and EA-18G from the Vikings of VAQ-129.  Included in this decal sheet is a full set of markings for both aircraft on this sheet.


Here's a product article for the F-14B Tomcat VF-102 Diamondbacks, AB102 / 163225 / Last Cruise, 2002 print from Deployment Productions20% off of any products for every ACTIVE, registered ARC community members!  

Levent Basara is here with a  product article  for the new F-100 Super Sabre in Turkish Air Force Volume - 1 book from HobbyTime. 

Gino P. Quintiliani   is here with a  product article  for the new  1/35 UH-60 MedEvac Conversion from Werner’s Wings