PLAN Type 039A submarine

While working on other models, I like to build something simple at the same time as more difficult projects.  1/700th scale subs fit the bill and I’ve built quite a few of them.  This is the HobbyBoss Chinese Type 039A sub.  A very simple kit. but attractive in an ugly sort of way.  (Clearly I need to dust my models before I photograph them.)

My Favorite modeling tools #8 X-Light

It has been a while since I did one of these.  In fact this is only the 8th time I’ve done one of these posts since I started blogging.

I’ve previously had a lighted X-acto knife before, but the bulb was incandescent and the light was hard to turn on and off.  However, I recently came across the X-light which has a switch on the end that turns it on and off and uses a long life LED bulb.  I got mine on Amazon, but my local hobby shop, Scale Reproductions carries them as well. I recommend it.

 

The SS-4

Alabama modeler and doctor, Dr. David Geldmacher ,has started blogging.  I highly recommend you visit his blog.  What the good doctor has done is embarrass the heck out of me.  He has managed to post more actual modeling content in the last three weeks than I’ve managed to post in the last 6 months.  I post a lot of links to modeling news and interesting current events, but I’ve gotten away from actual blogging about building models, which is the reason that I started this blog in the first place.  Well I am rededicating the blog to that purpose.  I’ll still post the other stuff, but there will be a lot more model building stuff too.

The SS-4 is a Soviet Intermediate Range Ballistic Missile.  It was one of the missiles at the heart of the Cuban missile crisis.  This model covers a couple of modeling interests for me.  I like to do missiles and spacecraft and the Bay of Pigs and the Cuban missile crisis are subjects I am interested in.

Luckily for me, the Canadian company, Belcher Bits, has come out with a resin kit of the SS-4.  I managed to pick a copy up at the IPMS/USA Nationals in Omaha in July.  As you can imagine, there aren’t that many parts to the kit, since, like most missiles, it is little more than a tube on top of a launch platform.

The parts are well molded  in gray resin.   They are well detailed with engraved panel lines.  There ares some mold lines and pour plugs to remove, but nothing beyond the ability of most every modeler.  However, some of the missile body parts have locating keys that could be mistaken for pur stubs.  Don’t remove these by accident.  There are also a few seam lines that must be sanded down.

The kit doesn’t come with decals, which makes sense because the SS-4 doesn’t seem to have any markings in operational service.  However, I may add a few stencils just to break up the overall Russian green color scheme.

Now for some additional preparation of parts and then the assembly begins.

Me-109D

This looks good.  This will fill a hole in the 72nd scale universe.

Jim Bates blogs again

Our friendly west coast correspondent, Jim Bates, has finally started blogging again.  Visit his site. 

More X-37B news

Looks like we are going to have another X-37B mission.  Wonder how long it will last? (Post in memory of Mike Nofsinger)

MiG-25 reference

I love the MiG-25.  It is a brute of an airplane.  Here is a webpage with a lot of reference links.

Yak-130

Zvezda comes thru.

Q-5

This is good news.  We’ve needed one of these in 72nd scale forever.

China ups its ASAT game

Story here.  The big question is, are they doing this because they also fear North Korea?