Homepage Text - January 2008

Thursday,   Jan 31  2008 

Shawn Phantom Weiler is back today with Chapter 3 of his 1/48 Hasegawa F-16's article.  This particular article is rather special for me as it shows his F-16's that were damaged when his cat went on a  wrecking spree.  I'm pleased to see Shawn was able to pick up the pieces. 


Serge Dompierre has been busy getting the details right on his 1/48 Esci Douglas A1-H Skyraider.  This Skyraider is finished in a SEA camo complete with a full weapons load and full weathering.......which is particularly important when it comes to the exhaust stains.   Nice job Serge.


Sebastijan Videc is here from Slovenia with a very special model.  This is his 1/72 ZZ Models P-35 radar, which is a resin and photo etch kit that builds up to quite the delicate looking finely detailed  finished model. 


Rafi Ben-Shahar is here to make my day with his 1/48 Hasegawa IDF SkyhawkRafi is well known here on ARC for his high quality models and his Israeli Skyhawk does  not disappoint.  Thanks for sharing Rafi.


Edward Grabot is here with his Grumman F4F-3 & F4F-4 Wildcat profilesBoth of these profiles came out looking very good to me.

Wednesday,   Jan 30  2008 

Shawn "Phantom" Weiler is here with Chapter 2  of his F-16 series.  Today Shawn shows us his 1/48 Hasegawa F-16(N).  Shawn has a full variety of camo schemes in his 4 Vipers today.  Shawn must have one very colourful display cabinet. 


Paul R. Miles "Huey Gunner" has been very busy getting all the details right on his 1/48 Tamiya DeWoitine D.520.  Paul also weathered his model with a variety of techniques to add realism.  You've got to check out the instrument panel.....the gauges look perfect.  Very nicely done Paul.


Francone Diego has dropped by today with his nicely done 1/72 Hasegawa F-104 ASA-MFrancone has added a wonderfully detailed ejection seat and aftermarket decals to complete his Italian Starfighter.  


Mark Hanney has added plenty of effort to create a wonderfully detailed 1/48 Revell-Monogram B-17GMark added a pile of interior detail which he shows in his in-progress photos.  He finished off his Flying Fort with exquisite weathering and sexy noseart.


Tghsmin is here with a  first article on ARC today.  This is a Tools 'n' Tips article for getting the computer screens correct on your next 1/48 F-18 Hornet Instrument PanelAll I can say is.....WOW!!!


Yoav Efrati is here with a review of the  1/32 F-15I Ra'am decal sheet from Sky Decals.  If you're building the big Ra'am....then you need to check out this decal sheet. 


I have a review of the new 1/48 P-47 Thunderbolt Part 1 decal sheet from Mike Grant Decals.  This sheet includes 5 Thunderbolts including a movie P-47 in Russian markings and some Pacific Theater of Operations P-47's.

Tuesday,   Jan 29  2008 

Shawn "Phantom" Weiler is here with his 1/48 Hasegawa F-16's Chapter 1 NSAWC.  This is the 1st of a 4 part series by Shawn on his F-16's.  Today's Vipers use Twobobs decals.  Nice one Shawn....these are some of the very best F-16 paint schemes. 


Dean Large went seriously to town on his 1/32 Matchbox Bf-109E.  Dean added a huge amount of detail to enhance his Battle of Britain Bf-109.  I was deeply impressed Dean could do all this in a total build time of only 96 hours.  Grab a coffee or tea and enjoy the photos.  


Eduard Boxem has done a marvelous job building and weathering his 1/32 Revell Hawker Hunter Mk. 6. This is a very nice kit and in Eduard's skilled hands this kit came to life.  Eduard finished his Hunter in the markings of the KLu (Royal Dutch Air Force).  I love how this one looks and the techniques Eduard used gave very good results.


Matouš Rybár is here with his first article on ARC.  This is his 1/72 Hasegawa F4U-1C that Matouš put much effort into getting the details right on this older kit.  Very nicely done Matouš, welcome to ARC!!! 


I have a review of the 1/72 or 1/48 Junkers Ju-88 Part 2 decal sheet from AirDOC (Aircraft Documents).  This decal sheet includes 16 different aircraft in a variety of camo schemes and theatres of operation.


Ted Taylor is here with a  quick look at the 1/72 or 1/48 International P-39 Airacobras decal sheet from Euro Decals. 


Francisco Bonilla Soria is here with a look at the  1/72 Ecuadorian Kfir decal sheet from Andean Decals.  This decal sheet includes markings for three 1/72  Ecuadorian Kfir aircraft.  These include Kfir C-2, Kfir CE.


Ugo Crisponi is here with a Kumamoto Prefecture Prevention Fire Fighting Air Corps "Dauphin" print from AVIATIONGRAPHIC.COM.

Monday,   Jan 28  2008 

Richard Elman starts today with his very well done 1/48 Tamiya P-51-B MustangRichard chose to make his Mustang as the famous P-51B "Shangri-La" of the WW2 ace Captain Don Gentile.  Richard hit the mark with his mustang in so many ways and ended up with a excellent model of this Mustang. 


Yoav Efrati is here today with a selection of his Yom Kippur War veteran fighter planes.  These models include 1/72 Mirage V, Mirage IIIB, Mirage IIIC, MiG-21MF & Super Mystere and Yoav explains some of the work he did on each model .  No doubt about the Israeli air force has some great looking paint schemes.  Good to see Yoav.


Ed Ritchuk has been busy painting and weathering his 1/72 Italeri Ju-52/3mg6e.  This Ju-52 was part of the airlift into Stalingrad during WW2 to supply the ill fated German troops.  Ed finished his Ju-52 in winter camo with very good results.  Nice one Ed. 


José Carlos Simón has done an exceptionally nice job building and weathering his  1/48 Hasegawa F/A-18E.  You've got to check out the detailing painting and weathering on this Super Hornet.....it is very well executed. 


Keenan Akin has done justice to his 1/72 Hasegawa F-5U "Flying Pancake".  Keenan has talked to the folks that worked on the real prototypes for this very radical aircraft.  Keenan includes some history on this aircraft and then details the effort he put into his model to make it more accurate.  Nicely done Keenan. 


Yoav Efrati  has a review of the new 1/48 F-15I Ra'am decal sheet from Sky Decals.  If you're planning on building the Ra'am....then this decal sheet might be exactly what you need.


Martin Korecky is here with an inbox preview of the 1/72 Bilek / Italeri Mig 29 A.  Thanks Martin.


I have a review of the new 1/48 V-22 Osprey weighted wheels from Royale Resin.  These wheels have some lovely detail.


I have a review of the new 1/72 KC-135R, MC-130E, T-28D, A-10A & F-4D  decal sheet from Wolfpak Decals.  Aircraft on this sheet includes Special Forces MC-130's that participated in the ill fated Iranian Hostage rescue as well as the POW rescue attempt in North Vietnam during the Vietnam war.  This was a successful missions although the POW's had been moved to another camp 4 months earlier due to local flooding.  It's an interesting story and well worth doing a Google search on.

Sunday,   Jan 27  2007

  Russia - End of Leningrad blockade  (1944) 

Colin Harrison starts your Sunday update with his first article on ARC.  This is Colin's recently refurbished 1/48 Hasegawa CF-18.  Colin used Leading Edge Models and did his pilot up in a training mode.....which is good to see.  I hope to see more of Colin's work on ARC in the future.  Welcome to ARC Colin!!!


Gabriel Stern is back again with another article to make you grin.  This is his 1/72 Scratch-built Gurney-Grice Mosquito which is also known as the The Flying Coffin.   Read Gabriel's article to get a few laughs......I love the wacky models he builds.

Saturday,   Jan 26  2007

  Australia Day 

  India Republic Day 

Lee Burns is here with a first article on ARC.  This is Lee's marvelous 1/48 ICM Spitfire Mk IX.  There is no doubt this is not the easiest kit to re-enter the hobby but I am pleased Lee did stick with it not run for his life when he came to the filler stage.  It is very good to see Lee's work on ARC and I look forward to seeing more of his models on ARC in the future.  Well done Lee and welcome to ARC!!!


Chuang Xue Qian is also here with a first article on ARC.  This is Xue Qian's 1/48 Hasegawa F-16CJ finished in RSAF markings  (Republic of Singapore Air Force).  Xue Qian put quite a bit of effort into this F-16 including RBF tags and weathering and a full weapons load.  I look forward to seeing many more models from Xue Qian on ARC.  Welcome to ARC Xue Qian!!!

Friday,   Jan 25  2008      
No update today.  I've been busy with other issues on ARC.

Thursday,   Jan 24  2008 

Constantinos Stoumpanos is here with Part 4 of his 26th IPMS Hellas Scale Model Show & Contest.   Use the slideshow feature and enjoy all 46 photos.


Tolga Ulgur is here with a wonderfully finished and weathered 1/48 Tamiya P-47 D23 Thunderbolt.  This is a D-Day P-47 complete with resin and photo etch goodies and finished using different shades of Alclad to give it that very realistic look.  Tolga's weathering job has to be seen to be believed.  


Niels Dol has been busy building his 1/72 Xtrakit Gloster Meteor MK.8.   Niels chose to finish his shape looking Meteor in Dutch markings.  This does look very good indeed. 


Mark Andrews is a big fan of racing planes and this is quite evident when you see his 1/48 Accurate Minitures P-39Q Cobra II.  Mark had to do quite a bit of extra work and detailing to make his P-39 a more accurate scale version of the real aircraft.  Well done Mark.   


Alain Conte is here with his 1/144 Concorde AWACS.  I must admit this is quite the interesting concept.  It looks great Alain. 


I have a first look at the new 1/72 or 1/48 CAF CF-18 410 Squadron 2007 decal sheet from Leading Edge Models.  I'll do a  full review when a review sample becomes available.    


I'm pleased to announce that the PropBlur 1/48 Simulated spinning props are back in production.  If your unsure what they are.......have a look....they are pretty cool.   


Here's a product announcement for the 1/72 "Strega" racing plane conversion set for the Tamiya P-51D available from Thrust Decals.  This set is limited in numbers so buy it if you want it.  Check out the other racing plane set on their site.   

Wednesday,   Jan 23  2008 

Constantinos Stoumpanos begins today with part 3 in his 4 part series on the recent the 26th IPMS Hellas Scale Model Show & Contest.  Use the slideshow feature to enjoy all 63 photo in full size. 


Serge Dompierre is here to show you his stunning 1/48 Tamiya Spitfire MK Vb.  Serge built his Spitfire in the markings for a Canadian Ace from WW2.  Serge has the full story of this ace and how he died during a mission in 1944.  Serge's Spitfire is perfect in every way and includes aftermarket detail items to improve upon the Tamiya kit parts.  


Karl Holubar has gone above and beyond with his 1/32 Revell F-14B Tomcat conversion.  Karl added a Black Box cockpit and many other detail items as well as plenty of scratch building to complete his F-14B.  Grab a coffee or tea and sit back and enjoy the detail on this one.  


Denis Coudert joins us from Dijon, France with a very nicely done 1/48 Revell North American T-6G Texan.  Denis took this older kit and re-scribed the panel lines and added scratchbuilt details to get a Texan model to be proud of.


Sebastijan Videc has done a marvelous job building and detailing his 1/72 Heller Gazelle.  This little Gazelle looks very nice indeed.     


I have a review of the new 1/32 244 Sentai Part 3 decal sheet  from  Lifelike Decals.   This sheet features the Ki-61 which is my favourite WW2 Japanese aircraft.


Damian Edwards is here today with an In box preview of the 1/48 MPM he177A-5 Greif Hi-tech.  Well done Damian.  This looks like quite the fine kit.  


Here's a product announcement for the 1/72 Ecuadorian Mirages F1 and T-37 Dragonfly decal sheet  from Andean Decals. 

Tuesday,   Jan 22  2008 

Here's the latest Hot Babe of the Week! photos from TwobobsThese photos are of F-15's by Todd Pearson.


Constantinos Stoumpanos is here with Part 2 of his 4 part series on the recent 26th IPMS Hellas Scale Model Show & Contest.  Use the slide show feature and see all the photos in full size.


Shawn "Phantom" Weiler is here with a  quickie build of the 1/48 Hobby Craft Sea Fury.  Shawn makes it all seem so easy and effortless.  A well done Sea Fury Shawn.   


Ermanno Bonafin has gotten everything looking perfect on his 1/48 Tamiya Messerschmitt Bf-109 E-4 Trop.  Ermanno dressed up the cockpit a bit and weathered his 109 to give it the look of a 109 in the Desert campaign.  I sure do like seeing these Luftwaffe aircraft in all the different camo schemes.  


Pete Malaguti is here to give all of us a taste of history.  This is his 1/72 Airfix Lunar Module and as I gaze at the photos it brings back the excitement I felt when the astronauts landed on the moon and then again when they would visit the moon in follow-up missions.  Pete went all out fixing the accuracy on his Lunar Module.  Excellent job Pete and thanks for the memories. 


Phillip Steele has done an outstanding job building and finishing his 1/48 scale Monogram CF-101 Voodoo.  Although this is an older kit is is a favourite with most modellers and Phil shows it builds up into a very nice model with a little bit of effort.  


I've got a review of the new 1/48 F-15DJ Nyutabaru JASDF Cold Face Killas #2 decal sheet from Two Bobs Aviation Graphics.  This is the third and final sheet in this new Japanese Aggressors series.  Thanks to Bob for producing these sheets.


Yoav Efrati has dropped by with his review of the 1/72 F-15I Ra'am decal sheet from Sky Decals.  If you're building the 1/72 F-15I Ra'am, then this sheet is well worth looking at.  Thanks Yoav.  


I have a review of the 1/32 A-7 Corsair II Correction kit from Zactomodels.  This set has caused quite a bit of buzz on the forums and once I took a close look at it I quickly understood why this set has been so well received and why it is so popular.

Monday,   Jan 21  2008 
This weeks Twobobs newsletter was sent out last night and I thought it would be a handy have the TwoBobs newsletter available online as well.  

Jean-Charles Goddet has worked hard to create something truly special.  This is his 1/72 Hasegawa F-15I Ra'am with plenty of aftermarket parts and decals from IsraDecalJean-Charles took all these wonderous items from IsraDecal to transform his F-15 into the an F-15I of the legendary Israeli Air force.

Rafi Ben-Shahar has completed yet another model.  Now it's not that Rafi just pumps out models quickly......he creates extremety fine models at a very regular pace as you'll see when you look at the photos of his 1/48 F-6B MustangThis one is a beaut.

Alexis Demulder is here with today's second jet.  This is his 1/32 Tamiya F-4D Phantom done to a  very high level with Airdoc decals, and Verlinden accessories and good old fashion skill.  But what really caught my eye was how Alexis did the oily weathering.....using Tamiya smoke........very smart and effective. 

Mario Krajinovic dropped by the ARC Corporate offices today with his 1/48 Hasegawa AH-64D Longbow Apache.  I must admit Mario did have some tough moments building his Apache (as you'll read in his article) but he stuck with and not only completed the beast.....but he created a very accurate model of this tank killer.  The homemade RBF tags really completed the look of his chopper. 

Constantinos Stoumpanos is here with 63 photos from the recent 26th IPMS Hellas Scale Model Show & Contest.  This is part one and I'll run part two tomorrow.  Use the slide show feature to view all the photos in full size and splendor.  Nice one Constantinos.

Bob over at Twobobs is keeping me grinning with these JSDF decal sheets.  Here's a first hand look at the  1/48 F-15DJ Nyutabaru JASDF Cold Face Killas #3 decal sheet from Two Bobs Aviation GraphicsRight on Bob.....keep on doing what you're doing.

Here's a product announcement for the new S-3B Viking VS-21 Fighting Redtails NF700 & NF701 - 2004 print from Deployment ProductionsThis print honors the Last Cruise of the Fighting Redtails.   Deployment Productions offers 20% off of any products for every ACTIVE, registered ARC community member! 

Floyd S. Werner, Jr. has dropped by with a  review of the new The Fighting 51st DVD from Victory Films.  This DVD focuses on the Korean war........read Floyd's full review for the whole story. 

I have a review of the new 1/32 244 Sentai Part 2 decal sheet from Lifelike Decals.  This sheet features 4 different Ki-61's, which just happens to be my favorite WW2 Japanese aircraft.  I particularly liked seeing the Ki-61 at the top of the review.

DHC2 Beaver  walkaround photos by Hans van Dijkhuizen

Sunday,   Jan 20  2008 

Sylvain Couture begins today with an award winning 1/48 Tamiya Bf-109E-3This 109 is in Battle of Britain markings and Sylvain added a good variety of aftermarket items to all the important areas on this stunning Bf-109.  The photos are also first class.


Brian Waldorf is here with today's jet article.  This is Brian's 1/48 Hasegawa F-16C ADF conversion complete with a variety of aftermarket goodies to complete his conversion and add needed detail.  Brian then finished off his Viper with Two Bobs decals.  This is a great looking model with great looking photos.

Saturday,   Jan 19  2008 
I continue to put in long hours rebuilding the gallery articles on ARC.  There are about  9,000 gallery articles on ARC and I can only rebuild about 40 per hour, so it is a time consuming process..

Gabriel Stern is here with another of his aviation oddities.  This is his Scratch-built 1/72 Filip Mihail Stabiloplan which was created by a Romanian designer.  I gotta' admit this tiny aircraft looks like it has some promise.  Nice one Gabriel.


Max Kohnke is here to honor the Florida Air National Guard's (FANG) transition from the F-102 to the F-106.  These are Max's 1/48 Monogram F-102 & F-106  done up with aftermarket items to get the look just right.  It's good to see these modern classics.

Friday,   Jan 18  2008 

Gerald Asher is first up today with his oil canvas artwork that is also the VFS Models 1/24 P-47D Gabreski Box Art.  Gerald has expertly captured the drama in the skies during WW2.   


Bob Bartolacci has been busy building the big 1/72 Italeri Heinkel He-111Z.  The He-111Z is one of the odd aircraft created for the Luftwaffe to deal with their various needs as WW2 progressed.  Bob tells the history of this aircraft type as well as providing some very good photos of his beautifully finished 5 engine model.


Brian Waldorf  dropped by today with his big imposing 1/32 Tamiya F-14.  Brian jazzed up the cockpit with goodies from Eduard and used Two Bobs decals for the weapons load.  Brian's finished Tomcat captures the look and feel of this much loved fighter in all it's glory.   


Laurent “Angus” Beauvais joins us today with the next aircraft in his personal SIG: non French aircraft in French markings.  This is his 1/48 Scale Hasegawa Hurricane Mk II C Trop  as it appeared in Egypt during WW2.  Laurent goes into fantastic detail about the history of the aircraft as well as many in-progress photos as he walks you though the build process.  I've quite enjoyed seeing each aircraft Laurent has created in this theme.    


Burt Gustafson has done a marvelous job building and weathering his 1/72 Trumpeter F-105D Thunderchief.  Burt tells the history of the Thud during it's time in Vietnam.  Burt's F-105 is in Vietnam era markings complete with a full weapons load.  Burt has captured the look of the SEA Thud very well as it appeared just before another mission.....    


Right ON!!!  They arrived!!!  These are the 1/48 F-15DJ Nyutabaru JASDF Cold Face Killas #1 decal sheet from Two Bobs Aviation Graphics. They arrived in my mailbox and they are everything I had hoped for!!!   

Thursday,   Jan 17  2008 

Yoav Efrati starts off today in fine style with his IPMS-Israel Annual Convention.  Yoav has included 22 photos from the contest  and it looks like it was quite the show.


Eddie Lau has gotten everything looking perfect on his 1/72 Academy P-51C Mustang.  Eddie added Eduard photo etch to the cockpit and finished off his Mustang with a bare metal finish with exhaust stains.  I was quite impressed how well it turned out.   


JochemP joins us from Panama with his first model on ARC.  This is his 1/48 Italeri F-16 & 1/48 Revell F-16.  JochemP has done an excellent job on both of his F-16's and I look forward to seeing more of his models on ARC in the future. 


Greg Goheen is here with one of those desert camo 1/48 Hasegawa Bf- 109E-4N.  Greg pre-shaded the panel lines then lightened the interior areas of the panels with great effect.  Read his article for the full story on how he got his 109 looking so realistic.   


Niels Dol joins us from the Netherlands with his 1/72 Special Hobby F-86K.  Niels has high regards for this kit which he added aftermarket decals to give him a fine looking Dutch F-86.   


Michel Jacqmain is here to make you Corsair fans grin.  This is a beautifully finished and weathered 1/72 Academy Corsair F4U-1AMichel got this Corsair looking perfect. 


Here's a decal sheet featuring 3 Raptors including one flown by everyone's favourite Raptor pilot.  This 1/48 F-22A Roll the Dice Raptors decal sheet from Two Bobs Aviation Graphics features 3 jets from the 90th FS of Elmendorf AFB up in Alaska.   


I LOVE the look of the Sundowners, so this Sundowners Rising, VFC-111 Sundowners, 2007 print from Deployment Productions was treat for my eyes.  And of course Deployment Productions offers 20% off of any products for every ACTIVE, registered ARC community member! 


I'm pleased to bring you a review of the 1/48 U.S. Navy Aircraft Carrier Deck WW2 to Korea from Flat Tops And More.  This is a wooden planked set with photo etch tie down strips.  The wooden planks come in strips with over 20 planks joined together side by side for quick and easy assembly.  These come in 1/72 and 1/48 and there are other kits for other carriers plus pre-printed carrier bases for a quick and easy base.   


It's with great pleasure that I get to show you  some sprue shots of the new 1/72 Bell X-2 model kit from Ace Model Kits.  This is a limited run kit. 

Wednesday,   Jan 16  2008 
No update today.....I got seriously pulled off track by the  forum problems yesterday.

Tuesday,   Jan 15  2008 
I will be hiring the experts at Invision to move the ARC forums to the new server computer.  The move will be done with little warning sometime in the next 3 or 4 days if all goes well.    Unfortunately I can't be more specific than that as I have no idea when they can fit it into their schedule.  The old forums will be taken offline....data backed up and moved to the new server.  Once the move is complete, I will then put in a request to move the ARC Forums domain name, which should take 12 to 24 hours.  With luck this will all be complete by Saturday Jan 19.  Keep using the current forum until it goes offline......it is possible Invision could be busy and not get to this for 2 weeks.  The temporary ARC forums can be found here  http://disc.yourwebapps.com/Indices/239669.html

Andrew Desautels is here with his story of the 2007 U.S.S. Arizona Survivors' Reunion.  Andrew was indeed privileged to have been able to touch history by meeting these gentlemen....a rare event that Andrew will never forget.     


Nissim Tzukduian has taken the classic 1/48 Monogram F-8 Crusader kit and upgraded it with resin sets and plenty of expertly done scratchbuilding to produce a truly exceptional Crusader.  Nissim displayed his F-8 with RBF tags and folded wing on a  display base.  You're going to love the photos of this one.   


Serge Dompierre is back today with his  1/48 Tamiya Focke-wulf 190 D-9.  Serge has captured the look of the Dora perfectly and his photos will take you back in time to the epic events of WW2.    


Sebastijan Videc is here from Slovenia with his 1/144 Attack Su-7B 'Fitter-A'.   Sebastijan  works at the at Vyskov air museum in the Czech Republic, so of course it would only be fitting to pose his Su-7B on the wing of the real aircraft.  I was very impressed when I saw that this was a 1/144 model as it looks finely detailed.  Very nice indeed.


Pablo Calcaterra is here to keep the BOB fans happy with his 1/48 Revell Spitfire Mk I.  Pablo chose to use the markings for one of the most successful RAF aces....Adolph "Sailor" Malan in the time period towards the beginning of the Battle of Britain.  Pablo really did bring this kit to life and show that in the hands of a skilled modeller that it does build up into a first class model.  


Lyle Brown is here with what he calls....P-40 Cartoon fun.    Lyle did the top image and his friend took that and changed to to something quite unique.  Enjoy the artwork and go to his site if you want to see more.....he is an artist that does a variety of subjects.   www.lyleart2000.com


Oh baby....just when you think life can't get much better, along comes the new 1/72 & 1/32 F-16A/B NSAWC Vipers #2 decal sheet from Two Bobs Aviation Graphics.  This sheet features four 1/72 F-16s and three 1/32 F-16's all done in the colorful adversary paint schemes.  Now the hard part will be deciding if you build the blue one or the gray one or the tan one.....decisions decisions decisions.

Monday,   Jan 14  2008 
I'm very pleased to report ARC regular Hal the P-47fan is safely home from heart surgery.  If you missed it, he posted on the ARC forums here.  It's good to see Hal's surgery went well.

Pierre Baudru gets things started today with his desert camo 1/72 ICM Bf-109E-4.  Pierre did some extra detailing using aftermarket items including an Eduard Zoom set.  And he finished it off in one of those famous Luftwaffe desert camo schemes.


Helinton Luis Costa has gone to great effort to produce a stellar 1/72 Hasegawa F-4J Phantom II.  This Phantom is detailed to the highest level with a variety of aftermarket sets and detail items as well as scratchbuilt details.  Helinton then showed great skill by applying a beautifully shaded paint job.  The panel line shading and overall weathering looks outstanding. 


Xavier Baron is here to wow the crowd.  This is Xavier's 1/48 Tamiya F4U1-D and although this is Xavier's first model......that didn't seem to prevent Xavier from doing a truly jaw dropping job.  From the resin cockpit and wheel bays to the resin engine....this model is blessed with detail.  And when it comes to painting and paint chipping, Xavier seems to have mastered many talents.


Gerald Asher deserves much respect.  Not only did he build the 1/48 Combat Models YRB-49A.....but he built it well.  Although as you'll see when you read his amusing article.......most of his flying wing is scratchbuilt.  Read his article for the full story of ants in his display case and what they did to this flying wing.  I tip my hat to you Gerald....this one is a beaut. 


Grab your charge cards.....this is the F-18 sheet you've been waiting for.  This is the 1/72 & 1/32 F/A-18A/B VFC-12 Shades of Gray Omars decal sheet from Two Bobs Aviation Graphics.  You get both scales on one sheet.....and this sheet includes 2 jets in adversary schemes.  Special thanks to Ken Middleton and Mark Broekhans for helping with the reference photos to make this sheet possible.  


Quick....look around your room....see those blank walls...they need artwork and here a fine looking Return of the VFC-111 Sundowners limited edition print from Deployment ProductionsThis is a limited edition print and as an added incentive  Deployment Productions offers 20% off of any products for every ACTIVE, registered ARC community members!

Sunday,   Jan 13  2008    No update today.....I'm working on some behind the scenes items on ARC this weekend.
The ARC forums are offline.  Needless to say I will begin the process of setting up the program on a new server and then importing the database.  This process will be complicated by the fact that the old server is off line....so I'll need to get it back online before I can begin the process. 
Saturday,   Jan 12  2008 

Mark L. Rossmann is here with three of his Iwo Jima VLR Mustangs.  These were Mustangs that flew the long escort missions to Japan protecting bombers.


Armin Knes joins us from Austria with his 1/48 OZE Suchoi Su-25 K.  Armin's Su-25 is finished as a Soviet plane that was based in East Germany.  Armin does these Soviet jets up very well.

Friday,   Jan 11  2008 
I'm continuing to put in very long days re-formating the articles on ARC.  I've reduced the amount of Google ads on the new articles and I'm using ads that are much less intrusive to the flow and layout of the articles.  Currently I am redoing all the model Gallery articles to permit more dynamic features.....and this will delay gallery archiving until the rebuilding is complete.  All articles will be archived during this rebuilding process.

Antonio Avalos Valverde starts things off today with a beautifully finished 1/144 Revell F-14 D TomcatThis F-14 is exceptionally nice when you remember it is 1/144 scale. 


Gabriel Stern is here with what I can only describe as a amusing geography lesson in his article along with pics of the 1/72 Converted RarePlane's vacuformed Seversky AP-7.  I always like to grab a hot drink and sit back and enjoy reading Gabriel's articles.


Malcolm Reid has done a marvelous job building and weathering his 1/48 Esci Impala MkII.  Malcolm finished his Impala in SAAF markings which required making custom decals.  After much effort Malcolm was rewarded with an Impala worthy of any display case.  


Serge Dompierre is back again today with his 1/48 Tamiya FW-190 A3.  Serge chose a mid war fighter and did it up in his usual high quality and then went the extra mile to pose his 190 in a realistic looking photo.


Thursday,   Jan 10  2008                  
No update today.  

Wednesday,   Jan 9  2008                    Last day of Silly Week 2008!!!

Steven 'Buster' Keeton  gets things started today with his 1/72 F-14 Bomb Cat.  The story behind this F-14 involves a F-14....T-Rex....yup....you've got to read the article to figure out the story. 


Max Tollens Jr. has completed a fine looking Revell USS Yorktown.  It's good to see Max's model of the famous USS Yorktown.  Thanks for sharing Max.  


Jeff Wilson joins us today with his Canadian "What If" 1/72 V-22 Osprey.  Jeff added extra detail to his V-22 and finished in a in the What-if camo scheme.   


Bill Bunting has done a stunning job on his  1/12 Tamiya Honda RC211V.  These Tamiya motorbike models really build up into exceptional models in the hands of an experienced modeller such as Bill.   


Srdjan Radosavljevic joins us today with a 1/144 Revell F-16A Fighting Falcon.  This F-16 is done up in What-if RAF markings and paint scheme.  Srdjan provides the whole story behind these RAF F-16's. 


KH Lee has been very successful in building the 1/300 Kitech MDD DC-10.  The colourful Power Puff girls artwork on this model were custom made at home by KH.  Very nicely done KH.  


Nick Pedley is here with his USN Harrier FRS.1.  Nick built his little Harrier in What-if markings for the US Navy.  


Nick Walton is here with his 1/48 Academy Hawker/Mitsubishi Ryoushi.  This is a Japanese built Hunter in Japanese markings.  Nicks include the background story on this sharp looking Hunter.  


Alvis 3.1 is here to finish up silly week with his ET-37B Leet Tweet.  Silly Week on ARC wouldn't be complete without a Tweet and this is the ultimate Tweet.  Alvis wrote his article in "Gamer Speak" (A language used online by gamers), but he has kindly translated it for us older folks.  

Tuesday,   Jan 8  2008 

Danny Coremans has been very creative with his Saddam's worst nightmare diorama.  This was quite the creative idea and well done.  


Ben Taggart was challenged for a very long time by this kit but persistence paid off in the end as you can see in the photos of his 1/100 Imai Gerwalk Phantom/YVF-4 "Specter".   


Harry Quirk has done some imaginative kitbashing to create his FA-86 'SABRESTANG'.   This design used the Mustang wings on a F-86 fuselage.    Harry explains the needs and reasons for the creation of this aircraft.


Alvis 3.1 has taken kitbashing to the extreme with his 1/24 T-32 Deuce X-Wing.  This is a combination of a 32 Ford and the Star wars speeder bike.....the story is also a combination of 2 stories.  


David Chong has a great what-if story for his 1/72 Italeri MiG-37 Ferret.  This particular aircraft was used by the Drug Cartels.  David tells the whole story in his article and also reveals for the first time how these planes were first discovered and the ARC connection to their discovery.   


Nick Pedley has dropped by with his RCAF P.1127.  This is a Royal Canadian Air Force Harrier.  Nicks article tells the whole story including how the Canadian Carrier HMCS Bonaventure fit into the picture.   


Alvis 3.1 is here with a worlds first.....a Jurassic DJ.  Read Alvis's story to give yourself a chuckle. 


Brian da Basher has been very busy creating his 30 cylinder 1/72 Curtiss P-52 Super Tomahawk.  It was thanks to this design that WW2 was finally won in mid 1946.  Brian explains the full what-if history in his article. 

Monday,   Jan 7  2008 
I got a flood of Silly Week articles in during the past 2 days....so I'm going to extend silly Week for 2 more days.

Alvis 3.1 begins today with his disclosure of Operation Cute Kitty: Report for 2007.  This is of course the top Secret mission to Mars by Dan's Mon-key.  Unfortunately unspecified government agencies have blacked out certain portions of the article for security reasons.  


Bud Sliger is here with his very special North American F-100G.  This particular aircraft is in Luftwaffe markings and Bud tells the whole story behind this aircraft.  


Halsted Morris is here to tell about a special tri-engined 1/72 P-47 Forked Lighting.  That was used during the much later stages of WW2 to liberate Europe after the British Isles fell under German occupation in 1940.  Halsted reveals the whole story in his article.


Killroytech is here with a model of a 1/144 Airbus A380 AWACS.  No doubt about it, this is one of the biggest AWACS aircraft in the world.  


Bill Harr has photos and the historical story behind the Piasecki H-21 'Flying Banana'.  I gotta' admit.....the story is pretty darn funny.   


Alvis 3.1 is here with some sales posters and photos of his 1/36 ATPT Cruiser.  This model is based on the actual special  PT Cruiser going on sale soon at your local Daimler/Chrysler dealership.


Bud Sliger stopped by today with his F-20A 'GG1001'.  Bud finished his Tigershark in a unique looking camo and include the history behind this aircraft.   

Sunday,   Jan 6  2008 

Dave Bailey, aka "The Rat starts today with his article he calls A Slippery Situation.  Dave's story is quite amusing.  Great creative writing there Dave.  


Alvis 3.1 is here with his 1/72 Avro CSF-208 Cosmos.  This particular rocket is very special with regards to preventing nuclear wars.  Read his article for the full amusing story.


Bud Sliger has a creative story about the Iranian Tu-22M2I Backfire.  I don't ant to give away the story......but it does weave a interesting tale. 


Lorraine Johnson aka Mrs Madmike on the ARC forums is quite the figure modeller.  Today she's here with her Magic of the Orb.  Lori goes into some very helpful detail on the tricks used to create something this beautiful.   


Lee Miller is here to prove that folks on ARC design the best aircraft.  This is Lee's F-4U-10 Corstang and as you guessed it....this is a combination of the Corsair and Mustang.  It actually looks pretty good.  Read Lee's article for the history on this aircraft.   


Halsted Morris should be working for Skunkworks.  This is his 1/72 SR-105. which is a kit bash between the F-105 and the SR-71......the funny part is....it actually looks pretty realistic.  


Carl Gootzen has a talent for building buses as you'll see when you enjoy the photos of his 1/24 Heller Autobus TN6 C2.  His article tells more about this bus.....including the fact it has a 94hp motor....I guess it wasn't very quick.  


Chas Bunch is here with something I've never seen before.  This is his 1/48 Hasegawa A6M2 Model 11 done up in 1040  Luftwaffe colours.  Seeing these markings on a  Zero really messes with your mind.....I love it.  


Ken Lim joins us with his Salamis class cruiser from Gundam.  After reading Ken's article and seeing the model, I can begin to understand the attraction people have for Gundam models.  


Bud Sliger has been busy building his F-14B 'Victory-207'. based on the James Huston's Flash Point book.   I must admit the story does make me want to read the book.  And yes.....this F-14 does have Jolly Rogers markings.


Claus Gustafsen has done a marvelous job creating and building his1/32 Arsenal VB 26 Aigle de Mêr.  This is a What-if post war French Me-262 designed for carrier operations.  I must admit this one caught my attention.   


Jim Knight is here with his float equipped Curtiss P-40W Waterhawk.  Hey this looks quite possible.  It's fantastic what you can come up with when you're building What-if aircraft.   


Pablo Angel Herrera has mixed some old with some new to create his Arado 327.  This is definitely a Luft 46 (or later?) creation..........which actually looks pretty good.  Nice one Pablo. 

Saturday,   Jan 5  2008 

Alvis 3.1 fires up your Saturday with his 1/48 Heinkel-172W Sea Salamander.  As you may have guess this is a What-if model.....but considering Alvis's story......I'm not so sure.   


Gerald Voigt is here with one of the wilder looking desins I've seen for a flying wing.  This is his 1/72 Kit Bashed-Flying Wing Bomber.....no doubt about it....this is one cool looking aircraft. 


Patrick Heeren is here with his alternate history of the Belgian Air Force.  This is Patrick's 1/72 Heller Saab Viggen done up in Belgian markings.  Patrick does of course include a very convincing story about these Viggens.   


Ole A. Hoel is to make you Battle of Britain fans happy.   This is his model of the Project Daisy Cutter, which as we all know was a top secret project to stop the German invasion of the British Isles.  It must be true......Ole has included a vintage photo.   


Bud Sliger joins us today with the full story behind the Rockwell Excalibur B.1 operated by the RAF.  I must admit the idea of the RAF flying the B-1 sounds pretty cool.   


Dean Large has made me laugh with this one......my wife was wondering why I was laughing.....when I told her....it seemed to confirm to her I was crazy.  Anyways.....Dean has decided to paint his 1/48 Airfix Hurricane as it would appear in a  black and white photo.  This is  a pretty funny way to interpret old photos.   


Nick Walton has been busy creating his 1/72 Italeri Sea Jaguar FRS.1.  Nick includes the history of this aircraft's adventures during the Falklands War.  A warning to the historians........I think some of Nick's history might not be fully accurate.   


Brian da Basher has been busy researching the WW1 history of a famous German Ace.  This is his 1/72 Fokker Funf Decker (five decker) complete with the full story of this famous ace. 

Friday,   Jan 4  2007

  Union of Myanmar Independence Day 

Ian Moore gets day 4 of Silly Week started with one of the goofiest Harriers I've ever seen.......I love this model!!!  This is Ian's 1/72 Panzerharrier V and yes....Ian has included the full history behind this Harrier with a tank turret. 


Dave Bailey is here with his what-if 1/144 Hobbycraft "Warhammer F-19".  Dave has of course provided the full story behind this never before seen Stealth Aircraft.


Yufei Mao is here with what I think might be the very first cruise missile.  This is the 1/72 MP Models KS-1 "Kometa".   It looks pretty neat and well built as well.


David Horn joins us with his What-if 1/48 F-117A Roo’akh (Ghost).  This is a surplus Nighthawk picked up by Israel.  David tells the full story including the secret missions flown by this aircraft.  


Patrick Heeren has been busy creating the What-if history for his 1/72 Heller Fouga Magister.  And yes....this Fouga Magister is wearing Canadian markings. 


Nick Walton has done a fantastic job on his 1/48 Hasegawa Skyhawk FG.5.  This aircraft is finished in What-if UK markings complete with a full story of it's history.  A great looking display Nick.   


Bud Sliger is here with his special F-16AM Block 24.  Check it out....this F-16 is fitted with a JATO booster.....bud tells the whole story in his article. 


Richard Letham has been busy redesigning his 1/72 F-4G Phantom.  Wow....this is quite the sharp looking Phantom.     

Thursday,   Jan 3  2008 

Matt Jacobson starts off today with his award winning 1/48 Flying Sub FS-01.   Matt has put a phenomenal amount of thought into his Flying Sub and he details all the effort and background story in his article.


Björn Dol has been busy working on his What-if  RAF 1/72 Vigilante Mk.2.  Björn explains the story behind his RAF Vigilante MK.2 which includes the Mk.1 version of this project.  And yes, Björn  did equip his Vigilante Mk.2 with the correct weapons load.   


Albert Moore is here with another of his car models......which is a treat to see.  This is his 1/24 Revell Ford Taurus stock car.  This is a What-if themed NASCAR with the name of a very special driver painted on it......Alby's son.  I got a kick out of that and I'm sure he did too.    


Nick Walton is here with his 1/72 Revell Red Arrows Hunter.  I have to admit the look of this Red arrows Hunter is just right.  Nicely done Nick.    


José Carlos Simón is here with his 1/72 Italeri Matilda Mk.2 Tank.   For a 1/72 tank....it is packed with fine detail and an excellent painting and weathering job. 


Bud Sliger dropped by today with his F-14B Tomcat.  This special Black Tomcat includes a news release story to explain the model further.   

Wednesday,   Jan 2  2008 

Twobobs is having a big sale.....get 'em while you can!!!


Alvis 3.1 gets things flying today with his Famous World War One Air Ace.  This is a kit bashed scratchbuilt model, but it wouldn't have been possible without a large creative imagination.  Seeing this model reminds me of the famous Christmas song about Snoopy and the Red Baron.


Mark YC Goh is here with a 1/144 Airfix Singapore Airlines Concorde.  I got a kick out of seeing a Concorde in these markings.  I think Mark might be on to something here.


Karl W Branson is here with his 1/142 Revell Fishing Trawler.  Karl did quite a bit of extra work to add more detail to his Trawler and when it was done, he gave it to his Dad.  This is one of the best aspect of Silly Week.......lots of variety to enjoy.   


Nick Walton built his what-if 1/72 Revell Hunter F.15 as an updated aircraft.  Nick seems to have covered all the bases from weapons to radar in his what-if Hunter.  Nicely done Nick.  


David Campbell builds a wide variety of models and this is a good example.  This is his The Eagle Has Landed. which he built in a  surprising short period of time resulting in a model that would look good in anyone's display case.


Niels Dol is here from the Netherlands with his 1/72 Fujimi F-16 "Retro" article.  To honour the Royal Netherlands Air force, Niels painted up 4 Dutch F-16's in Retro paint schemes from days gone by in the and Royal Netherlands Air force.  I must admit these are very creative paint schemes with a firm connection to history.   


Bud Sliger finishes up today update with his What-if F-4T Phantom II.  This is a single seat Phantom with special mods.  bud tells the whole story in his article.  

Tuesday,   Jan 1  2008

  Cuba  -  Anniversary of the Revolution 

  Haiti Independence Day 

  Sudan  Independence Day 

Alvis 3.1 begins Silly Week 2008 with one of the oddest models I've seen.  This is an actually 1/3 scale model Alvis 3.1 calls "My Biggest Fan".  And this fan even comes with an electric motor.  Alvis 3.1.....you slay me.   


Nick Walton has one of the more creative "what-if" F-16's I've ever seen.  This is his 1/72 F-16 with a difference which is a delta wing, twin tailed F-16 in Canadian markings.  Nick tells the history of this aircraft and it's nuclear bomber role including a near nuclear incident back in 1984.  Great come scheme Nick.   


Paolo Yuen has dropped by today with his 1/350 Tamiya USS Enterprise.  This is quite the kit and in the hands of an experienced modeller it can be made into a stunning scale model of this famous aircraft carrier.  Paolo added aftermarket details such as photo etch railings and scratch built detailing.    


Dave Bailey, aka "The Rat" is here with the little know story of the  1/300 Academy XB-70.  Dave tells the story of this aircraft launching a satellite as well as a connection to Queen Elizabeth II.  He also explains the special anniversary paint scheme.   


Albert Moore has been busy creating a 1/25 Revell 2006 Mustang GT for his wife.  Alby did a fair bit of extra work on his Mustang to add further detail.  I must admit I'm quite impressed by the quality of the shine on the paint.......this is very tricky to get right.  Alby finished it off with a custom made license plate and photo-etched license plate frame.    


Bud Sliger has been busy with his "what if" model of Chuck Yeager's F-20 Tigershark.  I must admit this is an interesting twist on history.  Nice one Bud.