Homepage Text - Sept 2013

Monday,    Sept 30  2013

Guinea-Bissau Independence Day

Botswana National Day 

I am saddened to report Fred Shammas has passed away very recently.  Fred was a regular on ARC both on the forums and ARC homepage.  Photo of his models were very realistic as Fred combined his skills as a modeler with his skills as a photographer.  In memory of Fred....I will be running one article each day for the next month featuring his models.  The photos and text are from the ARC discussion Forums.  Fred will be missed by all that knew him.

Fred Shammas is here with some info on How to photo models as well as photos of his display cases.  There is no doubt in anyone's mind that Fred was a skilled modeler and photographer.

Michael Callari III is here with his first article on ARC and what a beauty it is.  This is his 1/32 Hasegawa Ki-84 Hayate with Eduard photo etch in the interior and exterior along with scratchbuit details.  Michael used plenty of ideas from the ARC Tools n Tips section to learn weathering techniques which he put to very good use on this model.  Enjoy all the photos.  Welcome to ARC Michael....I look forward to seeing more of your models on ARC in the future..

Kenji Miyazawa joins us today with his beautiful done 1/48 Academy MIG-21 MF.  Kenji chose a very attractive brown scheme and has also included photo of his Su-27 for you to also enjoy.  I enjoy seeing Kenji's latest model on ARC and his MiG-21 is a treat to see...enjoy the photos.

Here's a product article for the 1/32 F-86F-30 interior photo etch detail set from Eduard Model AccessoriesThis set is designed for the Kinetic kit.

This detail set is available directly from Sprue Brothers Models


Here's a product article for the F-15B Eagle 102nd FW, 101st FS, 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 Ju 87B Stuka Ammo Drums from QuickBoost.


Friday,  Sept 27  2013 
Amen gets things started today with his 1/72 ICM Mig-21 Bis.  Amen rescribed the panel lines and scratchbuilt detail to improve the detail level on his MiG-21 and gave it the attractive camo for a jet from Finland.  Beautifully done Amen.

Olivier Barles went to great lengths to improve the classic 1/32 Matchbox Douglas SBD-5 Dauntless.  Rescribing panels lines, adding cockpit detail, stacking the canopies in the open position and added detail to the machine guns, the exhaust pipes and the diving flaps.  His reward is a fantastic Dauntless. 

Yoav Efrati is a highly respect modeller form Israel and today I'm very pleased to show you his four 1/72 Azure / FRROM Mystere IV.  He's included 3 different paint schemes and explained all the tricks he used to create the correct looking pylons and drop tanks and weapons as well as what he did to get accurate seats in his Israeli jets.  It is always a special day at the Israeli ARC Corporate offices when Yoav drops by with some of his models.  Enjoy.

Here's a product article for the 1/32 BAC Lightning F.2A interior photo etch detail set from Eduard Model Accessories.

This detail set is available directly from Sprue Brothers Models


Here's a product article for the 1/48 F3H-2 Demon Ejection seat with safety belts from QuickBoost.


Here's a product article for the 1/24 BAE Harrier Gr.3 / T.4 Pitot tube and AOA Probe from Master.


Thursday,   Sept 26  2013 

ARC Forums are back online!!!


No update today....I'm catching up on my sleep....it's been a long couple of weeks with the forums down.

Wednesday,   Sept 25  2013 
Philip De Keyser gets things started in style today with his 1/72 Hasegawa Jaguar GR 1A from the Gulf War.  Philip did a wonderful job lightening certain areas of his model for scale effect as well as his weathering job.  Check out the bomb art on the weapons load......fantastic.

Fred Smith has done an exceptionally fine job on his big 1/350 Tamiya Seaplanes aboard IJN Yamato.  Fred add R/C equipment to make his model a true R/C model and yes he does have a photo of it in action.  The detail is done with photo etch and the tiny little seaplanes on the aft end look perfect.  What a truly impressive model of this well respected ship.

Burt Gustafson has been busy building the somewhat complicated 1/48 Trumpeter MIG-23MF Flogger B to a very high standard.  Burt includes some history about the MiG-23 before going on to explain the whole building process in his article.  This does sound like a challenging model if a skilled modeller such as Burt was having to work to get her done, but I sure do like the look of the finished model.

Here's a product article for the 1/32 Ki-44 Shoki interior photo etch detail set  from  Eduard Model Accessories.

This detail set is available directly from Sprue Brothers Models


Here's a product article for the 1/32 F-8 Crusader Ejection Seat with Safety Belts from QuickBoost.


Tuesday,    Sept 24   2013 
Thomas “Masterqq” Ng joins us from Malaysia with a 1/72 Airfix Bristol Bloodhound missile that was used to defend the airbase RAAF Butterworth, Malaysia.  This is a 50 year old model kit but Thomas did a stunning job on it and also the custom made diorama base.  Beautiful work Thomas.

JJ Chen has done a flawless job building his 1/48 Tamiya F4U-1D Corsair.  JJ used environmentally friendly paints to paint his Corsair and with the folded wings and rockets under the wings.  This is an exceptionally well done Corsair...well done JJ.

Polly Singh has done a gorgeous job building and finishing his 1/72 Novo Dagger finished in the markings for an Argentinean Dagger.  Polly did a first class job on his Dagger and the diorama base looks amazing and bring his model to life. 

Here's a product article for the 1/32 MiG-29A Correction kit for Revell kit from Zactomodels.


Here's a product article for the 1/48 P-38 Lightning Covered Wheels with Smooth Tires from Ultracast.


Monday,    Sept 23  2013

Saudi Arabia National Day

Forum repairs update:  The new server computer for the forums is operational, the forums program is installed, the database has been installed....but there seems to be a connection issue between the software and the database.  The work is continuing.  Each day I feel.....this is the day the forums will be back online...it is that frustratingly close.

Shawn "phantom" Weiler gets things fired up today with his eye catching 1/48 Revell A-6E Intruder.  Shawn chose a rare desert camo for his Intruder from Operation Desert Storm.  Shawn has also included a photo of his folded wing Intruder as well as a photo of one of his display cases.  WOW WOW WOW!!! 

Olivier Barles joins us with another model in his Battle of France 1940 series.  This is his 1/32 Azur Dewoitine D-520 C1 that he enhanced with a variety of aftermarket resin detail items including cockpit, hood, control surfaces, wheels.  Olivier definitely did this French fighter justice with his beautifully done model. 

Fly-n-hi dropped by today with an airliner livery I've not seen before.  This is his 1/200 Hasegawa DC-10-40 Northwest Orient which was a name used by Northwest Airlines when they started flying to the Orient before they were taken over by Delta Airlines.  A very well done airliner from the 1980's.

Here's a product article for the 1/32 Swordfish Mk.1 interior photo etch detail set from Eduard Model Accessories.

This detail set is available directly from Sprue Brothers Models


Here's a product article for the Boeing 737-700 (N918WN) - Southwest Airlines / United States of America print from Deployment Productions.

20% off of any products for every ACTIVE, registered ARC community members!


Here's a product article for the 1/48 F-100 Super Sabre Refueling Probe from QuickBoostThis refueling probe is designed for the Trumpeter kit.

Sunday,  Sept 22  2013

Mali Independence Day


Saturday,  Sept 21  2013

Malta Independence Day


Friday,  Sept 20  2013
Busolini Massimo starts today with his very colourful 1/48 Hasegawa TA-4J Skyhawk.  Busolini  used Aires resin seats and Eduard photo etch to dress up the cockpit and finished it all off with one of those great looking Aggressor paint schemes.  Beautiful work Busolini.

S K Loh did quite a few improvements on this tiny 1/144 F-Toys Brewster Buffalo F2A-1.  This is a basic little kit, but with the added improvements by SK, it turns into quite the detailed little model.

Polly Singh got everything looking perfect on his 1/72 Airfix Mirage F1 CZ.  Polly chose the attractive camo and markings for a South African Air Force jet. Very nicely done Polly.

Here's a product article for the 1/72 P-39 resin engine from QuickBoostThis resin engine is designed for the Academy kit.

This detail set is available directly from Sprue Brothers Models


Here's a product article for the 1/32 MiG-21PF, PFM (Fishbed D, F) pitot tube from Master


Thursday,  Sept 19  2013

Chile - Anniversary of the Chilean Army

Saint Christopher (Kitts) and Nevis Independence Day 


Wednesday,  Sept 18  2013

Chile Independence Day 

USAF Birthday 

No update today....I'm focusing my time on getting the forums back online.  Progress is being made. 

Tuesday,    Sept 17   2013 
Amen has done a wonderful job reworking the 1/72 Italeri F-23 - (Northrop YF-23) - What if".  Amen added plenty of detail to the cockpit and landing gear and before giving this F-23 an amazing finish and creating a great looking display base.  This one is a beauty.

Kees Kuyper has been busy at his creative workshop building his Fairey Fantasy.  This has to be one of the earliest VTOL designs.  It's very cool to see this one.

Paolo Yuen has kept busy building and detailing his 1/72 Orange Hobby X-47B.  This was a resin kit that did require some extra effort to get it looking this exceptional, but his work did give him a model of this USN drone prototype.  This really is an attractive model if built by an skilled modeler like Paolo.

Here's a product article for the 1/32 Su-27 Nosecone correction kit from ZactomodelsThis nosecone is designed for the Trumpeter kit.


Here's a product article for the 1/32 RAF Fighter Pilot - Battle of Britain 1940 from UltracastThis is an unpainted figure kit.


Monday,    Sept 16  2013

Mexico Independence Day

Papua New Guinea Independence Day

Shawn "phantom" Weiler added a resin seat and intakes and rescribed the panel lines on his 1/48 Hasegawa F-4N Phantom #170.  Shawn finished off this beauty as a VF-21 bird using Furball decals.  Impressive work Shawn.

Ian T.M. Holahan did quite the fine job on his 1/48 ICM Mustang IV.  Ian added scratchbuilt details and finished his Mustang as an RCAF bird that helped liberate the Channel Islands.  Very nicel done Ian.

Carmel J Attard is here with the very old 1/72 Hobby-Time XP-51....how old is this kit?......it's made from wood.  Carmel of course had no problem turning it into a flawless looking model of this prototype.  His article gives you the full story of this amazing build. 

Here's a product article for the 1/32 DH2 interior photo etch detail set from Eduard Model AccessoriesThis detail set is designed for the Roden kit. 

This detail set is available directly from Sprue Brothers Models


Here's a product article for the Boeing 737-700 (N945WN) - Southwest Airlines / United States of America print from Deployment Productions.

20% off of any products for every ACTIVE, registered ARC community members!


Sunday,   Sept 15  2013

Battle of Britain Day 1940

Costa Rica Independence Day

El Salvador Independence Day

Guatemala Independence Day

Honduras Independence Day

Nicaragua Independence Day


Friday,  Sept 13  2013 
Amen has done some extreme detailing to his 1/72 Italeri/Esci F-100F Wild Weasel.  Amen added fibre optic lights to the side consoles in the cockpit as well as an exterior light, rescribed panel lines and added other scratchbuilt details, before finishing up this F-100 with a flawless weathering job for a SEA jet.  Enjoy each of the 38 photos...there is so much to enjoy on this model.

Mack Main joins us with his "what-if" 1/200 Hasegawa USAF Boeing 767.  Mack finished his 767 as a troop transport airliner  using decals from different sources.  This is a very cool "what-if" 767.

Here's a product article for the 1/32 Spad VII interior photo etch detail set from Eduard Model Accessories.

This detail set is available directly from Sprue Brothers Models.


Here's a product article for the 1/72 Rogozarski IK-3 model kit from Czech Master Resin - CMR ModelsThis model kit has markings for 2 different aircraft.


Thursday, Sept 12  2013 
Carmel J Attard has combined his scratchbuilding skills with resin engine and metal landing gear to create his stunning 1/72 A-26K Counter Invader.  Carmel added some amazing delicate detail to his Counter Invader and finished it in SEA camo from 1970 during the war in Vietnam.  Carmel's work on this model is flawless.

Dionyssis Vacalas is here with some photos of his gorgeous 1/48 Eduard Hellcat MkII.  Dionyssis built this Royal Navy Hellcat out of the box with only the added addition of seat belts.  I'm pleased to see Dionyssis has explain how he achieved the very realistically shaded weathering on his Hellcat.  WOW...this one is a beauty.

Harv has done a beautiful job on the 1/144 Airfix Purolator 727 that he built for a friend.  Harv converted a passenger airliner to a cargo jet and made custom made markings to create his Purolator 727.  Harv has one very lucky friend.

Here's a product article for the 1/72 GM2 British Gunsights Mk. XX from QuickBoost This set includes 6 gunsights.

This detail set is available directly from Sprue Brothers Models.


Here's a product article for the 1/72 MiG-21U, US, UM Mongol Pitot Tube from Master.


Wednesday,   Sept 11  2013

  Terrorist Attack on World Trade Center and Pentagon 2001

Forums update.  The new high grade 8 core server is set-up.  I will now begin the process to get the forums moved to the new server  This will be done by a "hired gun" so I'm not sure of a time frame.....but progress is being made.  Thanks for your patience.

Until my dying day.....the events of Sept 11 will never fade from my memory.

Ong Hou Bu has spent 1 year adding extensive fine detailing to his big 1/32 F-16I Sufa.  His Israeli jet has a full weapons load and is wearing the colorful camo of the IDF Sufa complete with full weathering.  Enjoy each of the 19 photos.....there is sooo much detail to enjoy on this masterpiece.

Shawn "phantom" Weiler is here with a very attractive Luftwaffe jet today with a Canadian connection.  This is his 1/48 Hasegawa F-4F Phantom, #169 with some great looking markings on a wonderfully shaded camo scheme.  And I'm pleased to say Shawn has included 2 photos of his display cases.....WOW!!!

Here's a product article for the Boeing 737-300 (N352SW) - Southwest Airlines / United States of America print from Deployment Productions


Here's a product article for the 1/48 PV-1 Ventura Covered Wheels (Diamond Tread) from Ultracast


Monday,    Sept 9  2013

Democratic People's Republic of Korea

Tajikistan National Day

Further checking reveals the ARC forums weren't hacked but the damage was caused by a  very buggy server computer.  Repairs are underway and once the repairs are completed, I will arrange to have the forums moved to a new server computer.  This whole process will take a few days.

Polly Singh has got everything looking perfect in his 1/72 Italeri RAF Harrier GR 3.  Polly chose to finish his Harrier in the markings for one of the Falklands aircraft.  I always love seeing Polly's latest model on ARC. 

Here's a product article for the 1/32 F-86F-40 interior photo etch detail set from Eduard Model Accessories.  This cockpit set is designed for the Kinetic kit.

This detail set is available directly from Sprue Brothers Models


Here's a product article for the 1/32 MiG-29 Exhausts from ZactomodelsThese exhausts are designed for the for Trumpeter 1/32 MiG-29. 


Sunday,  Sept 8  2013

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

ARC discussion forum server appears to be hacked and all data deleted.  I am getting back-ups from 3 days ago to begin the process to get everything restored.  ARC forums Systems Admin..... please e-mail me

Saturday,  Sept 7  2013

Brazil Independence Day

Pakistan Air Force Day

Wlad Franco-Valias joins us from Brazil with a beautiful model that was intended for the Brazilian Independence Day.  This is his 1/48 Ocidental / HTC T-6D Texan.  This particular T-6 is finished in the markings for a very well love and experienced pilot with the Brazilian Air Force Aerobatic Team.  Simple superb and a very good read. 

Wlad Franco-Valias joins us from Brazil with a beautiful model that was intended for the Brazilian Independence Day.  This is his 1/48 Heller T-6G Texan with plenty of added detailing including ignition wires and many other scratch built changes and aftermarket parts.  He finished his T-6 is Brazilian markings with an excellent looking partial bare metal finish.

Friday,  Sept 6  2013 
Carmel J Attard has done a stunning job on the classic 1/72 Airfix A-26B Invader.  Carmel did a bit of extra detailing to improve certain areas on his Invader and then finished it in the bare metal finish for "Stinky" with  noseart that includes a sharks mouth and gave his model just the perfect amount of weathering.  Carmel includes the full history of the Invader and I must say it was quite the interesting read.

David Landívar has scratchbuilt the most amazing Wooden 1:17 Fairchild Republic A-10A Thunderbolt II.  David built each part of this wooden model from raw chunks of wood adding all the wonderful detail crafted from scratch piece by piece.  One very cool feature of this A-10 is the retractable landing gear, which is no easy job with a 2 pound noseweight to avoid this being a tail sitter.  I hope to see more of David's models on ARC in the future.

Jens Gerber dropped by the ARC Corporate office in Germany with his latest gem.  This is his 1/48 ICM MiG 3 in a beautifully complicated 3 colour camo scheme.  Jens has a talent with his airbrush and you will see that when you have a close look at the photos of his MiG-3.  Simply perfect Jens.. 

Here's a product article for the 1/32 F-8J interior photo etch detail set from Eduard Model AccessoriesThis set is designed for the Trumpeter kit.

This detail set is available directly from Sprue Brothers Models


Here's a product article for the 1/72 Northrop N9-MB "Flying Wing" model kit from Czech Master Resin - CMR ModelsThis model kit includes markings for 1 aircraft.


Thursday, Sept 5  2013 
Matthias Becker gets things started in style today with his flawlessly weathered 1/48 Kitty Hawk Mirage F1B.  Matthias built his Mirage out of the box and finished it as a French jet using Berna Decals.  Simply perfect.

David Rapasi has done a gorgeous job finishing and weathering his 1/48 Accurate Miniatures P 51-A Apache. Dave finished his early Mustang in the markings for an American ace that fought against the Japanese over India...which I think is quite interesting.  I love the skill Dave has at weathering.

Greg Kerry joins us with a very fun article about Various Scale Chinese Bargains.  These are simplistic kits that are marketed to young kids in China and I must say it sure does look like Greg had a grand time building these.  Thanks for sharing Greg.

Here's a product article for the 1/48 S2F Tracker Air Intakes from QuickBoostThese air intakes are designed for the Kinetic kit.


Here's a product article for the 1/48 PV-1 Ventura Exhausts from UltracastThese exhausts are designed for the Revell kit.


Here's a product article for the 1/72 MiG-21PF, PFM (Fishbed D, F) Pitot Tube from Master.


Wednesday,   Sept 4  2013

Swaziland Independence and National Day

Artur Oslizlo has done an impressive job detailing and finishing his 1/48 Hasegawa Hawker Hurricane Mk.IIc.  Artur added Part PE, Quickboost exhaust pipes, Aires wheels and Quickboost 20mm gun barrels and then finished it as a fighter with a Polish Squadron complete with full weathering.

Björn Leichsenring has added exceptional detail to his 1/144 Lockheed U-2R Dragon Lady.  Björn opened the airbrakes, detailed the cockpit, repostioned the flight control surfaces and added better detailed scratchbuilt outrigger wheels.  This is an amazing level of work considering this is 1/144 scale.  Björn has included some beautifully realistic photos of his U-2R.

Hal Marshman Sr. has a passion for the Fw-190D and today I'm pleased to show you his highly detailed 1/48 HobbyBoss Fw-190D-9.  Hal did plenty of detailing including opened the area between the cooling gills, adding detail to the engine rump compartment, flattened tires scratch built seatbelts/buckles, brake lines, gear position indicators, and FuG 25 antenna plus made cannon barrels from vinyl covered paper clips.  All this detail is finished off with one of Hal's expert paint jobs and just the perfect amount of weathering.

Here's a product article for the 1/72 American Gunsights Mk. 8 from QuickBoost.  These gunsights were used on the P-47D-20-RE, P-47D-35-RE, F4F Wildcat, F4U Corsair, etc. 

This detail set is available directly from Sprue Brothers Models


Here's a product article for the 1/32 F-100 Super Sabre Intake Correction kit from Zactomodels.


Tuesday,    Sept 3  2013

Qatar National Day


Monday,    Sept 2  2013

Vietnam Independence Day

V-J Day  Japan surrenders in Tokyo Harbour

Tolga Ulgur gets your week started in a very good way with his 1/32 Tamiya P-51D Mustang LOU IV.  Tolga used a combination of scratchbuilding and aftermarket parts to detail his big Mustang and finished it all off with a skillful paint job and aftermarket decals.  This Mustang looks fantastic from every angle...enjoy his 47 photos of this beauty.

Kenji Miyazawa is here today with his second model on ARC and what a beauty it is.  This is his 1/48 Hasegawa F-15E with quite the weapons load and a beautifully done camo scheme.  I have enjoyed seeing Kenji 's F-16 and F-15 on ARC recently and I am excited to see more of his models on ARC in the future.  Welcome back into the hobby Kenji.

Ong Hou Bu has done an exceptionally nice job finishing and weathering his 1/72 Revell Germany Eurocopter Tiger ARH.  The Royal Australian Army camo scheme is complicated and airbrushed freehand which is quite impressive.  and it is all finished off with a careful weathering job.

Here's a product article for the 1/32 Su-30 Flanker interior photo etch detail set from Eduard Model AccessoriesThis detail set is designed for the Trumpeter kit.

This detail set is available directly from Sprue Brothers Models


Zoltan Pocza is here with a product article for the Boeing 737-300 (N383SW) - Southwest Airlines / United States of America print from Deployment Productions.

20% off of any products for every ACTIVE, registered ARC community members!


Here's a product article for the 1/48 MiG-21PFM/MF/BIS/SMT ejection seat with safety belts from QuickBoost.


Sunday,  Sept 1  2013

Libya Independence Day

Slovak Republic Constitution Day 

Uzbekistan National Day

Singapore Air Force Day

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