I am a long time modeler (first one I remember was balsa Strombecker F-86 in 1956) looking for other geezer modelers (and all other classic aircraft fans) who are rediscovering the hobby in their retirement years. Greetings from West Central Florida.
SPB Dave
welcome to the forum Dave
Welcome to the circus, Dave! Ha-ha-ha! I think you’ll find that this forum is loaded with the friendliest group of people. That’s been my experience. Everyone here is extremely supportive which is something I haven’t experience on other model forums.
I loved your remark about the Strombecker F-86. When my dad was a kid in the '50s, he built that very kit. In fact, I now have it on display with my own collection! Back when he was a kid, he got it autographed by a Korean War F-86 ace, James F. Low.
Eric
Welcome Dave! Glad to have you aboard. Great bunch of folks here who love to help and have a vast wealth of knowledge. West Central FLA? I was born and raised in Tampa (Brandon actually)…live in cooler Vermont now.
Eagle90
Thanks for the welcome!
Thanks for the welcome, Eric and for the memories of the F-86. Guess that makes me your Dad’s age! That kit was beyond my skill level back then. I think it was a few pieces of shaped pine or balsa with some pot metal castings and a single illustration page. Still one of my favorite planes - a real pilot’s plane from what I have read. Have an Academy F-86F waiting on the shelf.
Dave.
Thanks, Eagle. Live on the water side west of Tampa. A good buddy just moved to Lake Dunmore in VT - a really beautiful part of the world. Looking forward to being a part of this forum. Trying to make each build better than the last - got a long way to go from what I’ve seen in FSM!
SPB Dave
Welcome aboard, Dave, glad to have you with us. I hope you’ll enjoy your time here, and jump in and enjoy the fun.
Without getting into questions of age (it’s all in the mind, anyway…well, and maybe the joints…), I missed the Strombecker kits, but had a lot of fun with the Guillow ones starting out. Easy to build, pretty easy to fly…and went up like tinder (which I guess they were) when it came time for that “last flight.”
Welcome to the Forum, Dave. We’re glad to have you here.
Tim
Welcome aboard Dave,
[snWcm] Glad to have you on board. All ages and skill level are welcome and pics are a must. Sanity is optional.
Greetings and welcome, Dave! Not quite a geezer yet, but heading in that direction. Once I tried a balsa, plane–and quickly returned to plastic.
Welcome to the Forums Dave! Glad to have you aboard. We need more “Old Geezers” like us here to keep these young wippersnappers in line. I’ve been building for 66 of my 72 years. I build whatever strikes my fancy at the time. Enjoy!
Jim [cptn]
Dave,
The Academy F-86 is a great model. Mine went together well and I can’t think of a single issue I had with the build. The decals, on the other hand, left a LOT to be desired. Mine were almost like paper. What I mean by that is that they did not conform to compound curves or sink down into the recessed panel lines no matter how much decal solvent I applied. They were impervious to the stuff!!! I tried stripping them off using masking tape but those suckers didn’t budge a bit. I found out from the good folks on this forum that I wasn’t the only one who had issues to the Academy F-86 decals. I don’t know if ALL of Academy’s decals are like that but they certainly were for their F-86.
I have no reservations about picking up another Academy F-86 but, the next time I do, I’m just going to trash the kit decals and pick up a set of aftermarket ones.
Best wishes,
Eric
Eric,
Thanks for the heads up on the Academy F-86 decals. The kit looks like a good one from an in the box perspective - good molds, clear instructions, careful packaging. Do you have a recommendation for after market decals? Call me nuts, but I have considered making templates for spray painting USAF roundels. This could be great or a disaster, depending on the quality of the masks! Also, do you have a recommendation for natural aluminum finish paint? I have airbushed Tamiya acrylics with good results, but the generic bright aluminum color looks like paint, not metal. I am looking for a finish matching a weathered in-theater color, not factory bright.
Thanks for the response,
Dave.
Dave, I got my F-86 decals from Squadron.com. Specifically, it’s the sheet produced by Aeromaster (#48-749). I’m going to do the F-86E with the markings for “The Chopper”. I’ve just always liked the name of that plane.
Otherwise, you can’t go wrong with Aeromaster, Eagle Strike nor Cutting Edge decals. You can find those at places like Squadron and Sprue Brothers. Ebay is another good source as well.
As for paint, not too long ago I finished an F-89 Scorpion (Monogram’s 1/48 kit) using Floquil’s “Platinum Mist” and “Old Silver”. It was first time ever using that brand. I had seen others on this forum posting pictures of their models using those paints and I thought they looked great. It was enough for me to give them a try and, lo and behold, I am a convert! They went on like butter and didn’t have that grainy metal flake look to them.
I know that several forum members have used Tamiya silver (AS-12 I think it is) and it looks pretty good. I’ve never used it myself but I saw that you like the Tamiya brand. Personally I’m a Model Master enamel guy but their silvers, while good, are very touchy and can’t be masked over as well as Floquil.
There is a brand of paints out there called Alclad that people swear by. I’ve only used it twice: Once with phenomenal results and the other with lousy results. They come in many different shades of metalic silvers. I do believe they are a laquer and they go on quite hot. It’s generally advised that a person lay down a base coat of paint first rather than applying it to bare plastic. Otherwise, it could mar the plastic. That’s just what I’ve read in the past.
I don’t know that I’ll back to that brand. Like I said, some people swear by it but personally I find that the extra prep work just doesn’t sit well with me. I blame my natural inclination towards laziness. Also, if I have to add a flawless base coat, then it’s just an additional step that I could possibly screw up. But, if everything goes well, then the results can be amazing. I think it’s kind of pricey though and it can seriously kill brain cells if you inhale too much of the fumes. I know all the other paints will do that but Alclad paint fumes seem to be particularly cringe-worthy.
I hope this has helped! I hope others chime in with their experiences with NMF paints, too.
Eric
Welcome onboard Dave. I aint retired but got back into the hobby after a long break from it. I really enjoy the company of alot of the folks here as there is a lot of good input and knowledge here. Good to have you, Joe