Here are more pictures of the construction of the cockpit floor and also a comparison shot with the kit supplied cockpit. This version is going to be a rough draft so to speak, I will use it to check my measurements and to make sure that it fits within the fuselage. Once I refine the measurements, I will build a final version.

I have also included this photo of the M1A1 Tank that I completed about 2 months ago.

B-17F Memphis Belle Project

I have begun working on scratch building the interior. I have begun by taking measurements of the kit supplied parts and then drawing out new replacement parts based on those measurements. I will then use the drawings as templates to cut out new plastic pieces. The picture below shows the floor pieces needed for the cockpit and nose section.

The following pictures show the progression of detailing one of four engines. I am adding all of the ignition wires using very fine brass wire. The last picture shows a completed engine next to one that has yet to be modified.

B-17F Memphis Belle Project

I have finally decided to begin construction of my in-flight "Memphis Belle" model. I have spent a while trying to decide just how I wanted the airplane to look and also how much detail I wanted to put into it. Well, I have decided to go all out in detailing. In short I plan on scratch building most (95%) of the interior, including a fully detailed bomb bay, I will be posing it in-flight, wheels up, with the bomb bay doors open. The full crew will be visible at their posts. The biggest decision I had to make was weather I wanted to use the revell b-17f model, which has no detail what-so-ever, or graft on the nose of the revell model onto the Monogram b-17g model, which has much more detail, and is more conducive to an in-flight model, but would be 100 times more work. In the end I opted for the hardest path to provide more detail. So last night I began by taking apart one of my old b-17g models, striping it of paint and decals, and began grafting on the b-17f nose. I have also begun research and sketches of the bomb bay and cockpit so that I can begin building those parts. I Also plan to give it a mix of 150 lb and 250 lb bombs.

Above I have removed the nose off of the G model in preparation to receive the F model nose.Above I have started removing decals and paint.
Above is a shot just prior to removing the decals.
Above is the F model nose to be attached to the G model fuselage.

Above shows both sections of the F model nose attached to the G model Fuselage. You can also see on the paper below the model where I have begun to make some sketches of the interior bulkheads and bomb rack.

Revell F-15E OIF

Finally, I have posted something new. I apologize. Life has been busy, but I finally have something to add. I have recently completed my Revell F-15E. Its been a few months of on and off work, more work in the recent weeks, to get it done. In addition to the kit, I also used weapons and targeting pods from the Hasagawa Weapons Set D, I used AA missiles from Revell's F/A-18E Kit. Decals Came from Afterbuner Decals. I was able to use some new techniques when finishing this kit to give it a more used look, without going overboard. Thanks for looking.

Updates

Hey, Here is a short update on what I am working on.

1:48 A-26B Invader converted to a Fire Bomber

1:48 F-15E with full OIF markings and Loadout

1:35 M1A1 Abrams OIF Diorama

1:200 Boeing 747 in TWA Markings

1:25 Ford Focus Ralley

Caribbean Pirate Ship

Yes, I am working on all of these at once. I will post pictures soon.

COMING SOON...

Update

Hey just wanted to post an update and let you all know what I am currently working on. At the moment I am building a Caribbean Pirate ship. It will look pretty cool when it is done. I have most of the hull done and now I must begin work on the masts and sails. I plan on painting the sails black. I am also working on a 69' GTO Judge. It should be pretty cool. I plan on painting it pearl blue with a tan leather interior. All of the parts will be box stock, I don't plan on making any modifications to it other than to add seat belts. Anyways, I should have pictures as soon as I get some taken. Thanks for checking.

P-51 Mustang Complete

Yeah! Here is my completed Dragon P-51d Mustang. It took about 25 hours to complete and it was just difficult enough to challenge my skill level but also keep me interested. I added detail to the engine compartment and I detailed the gun bays including building doors for both. The whole model was airbrushed with Tamiya acrylics with the exception of the interior color which was Model Master Acrylic. The whole plane was coated with Future and decals were added then coated with Tamiya Flat coat out of the can. Weathering was done with a combination of pre and post shading with Tamiya Smoke and Tamiya Black. Pain chipping was done with aluminum enamal.

I named the airplane after my daughter Lucy and gave it a fictional paint job. I wasn't striving for period accuracy, but I was just looking for a fun build that I could name after my daughter. I had good time building this kit and look forward to more 1:32 scale kits. Perhaps one of the new b-25 kits that are coming soon.

Thanks to my sister Vanessa who did a great job taking the pictures of the completed model.

I just wanted to upload this super cute picture of my Daughter Lucy! She is the greatest and I am so lucky to have her. I love her so much!

New updates soon

Sorry its been a while, I have recently completed my P-51 and I have plenty of pictures to post, and I have recently started a pirate ship and I will have pictures of that to show as well. The fish are doing great and loving life, I am getting ready to start my Beta bowl. Thats all for the moment. More pictures will fallow soon.

Mustang Pictures

Greetings, as promised here are some in-progress pictures of the mustang I am working on. everything I have done up to this point has all been interior things. The engine, the cockpit, all of the radiators and the rear landing gear. All of the interior parts were given a coat of Nato Black to act as a primer and to create a dark base to apply the next colors. Next the parts were given a coat of U.S. Interior Green. Once dried, I sprayed on a coat of Flat Clear to protect the paint, then began all of the detail painting. I also painted and assembled the Propeller Hub. This was where I encountered my first hiccup in the build. I had finished painting the propeller blades and had given them a coat of future to prepare them for decals, but when I placed the decals on the blades the immediately stuck in the wrong position and was unable to move them into the correct position, so I had to strip of the decals, re-sand the blades and repaint them. The now look pretty good.

Also as an update on the fish tank, I did my first partial water change yesterday. A partial water change is when you remove about 10-20% of the tank water and replace it with fresh conditioned water. This helps remove dangerous nitrates that build up in the water and can harm the fish. It also allows one to clean the gravel slightly and get any trapped food or waste particles.

Thanks for reading.

Greetings to All

Greetings to all. I have decided to join the world of blogging and try my hand at attempting to write about something that someone might find interesting. So, I have decided to write about my hobbies, hence the name"Brett's Workbench." I would like to begin by introducing you all to my newest hobby...Fish. I had decided a little while ago that I wanted to learn how to keep and maintain an aquarium. I red plenty of books from the local library and visited the various pet stores a few times, but it wasn't until my sister Vanessa and her husband Chris surprised me with a brand new 5 gallon fish tank that I started to really get into it. After all of my reading I learned that you must set up your aquarium and let it run, without fish, for a few weeks. This helps the tank and its bacteria tenants get acclimated and creates a suitable environment for the fish. But soon enough it was time to get some fish.

With Vanessa and Chris I went to the Aquarium store and asked the clerk which fish would be the best for a beginner. He suggested Zebra Danios. They are small little silver fish with black horizontal stripes and a slight blue sheen when caught by the light. So far they seem to be doing well and one in particular has asserted itself king of the tank. He is the fish you can see in the pictures. He as taken possession of the front of the tank and chases the other fish away if they come out into the open. So the remaining 3 fish spend most of their time in the plants and rocks in the background. The only time they are all out is during feeding time. Trust me there are 4 fish in there. I haven't been able to come up with names for them yet so if anyone has any suggestions please let me know.

The other Hobby I would like to share with you all is Scale Model Building. I have been doing this for as long as I can remember. Currently I am working on a 1:32 scale P-51D Mustang. I will post pictures shortly of what I have done so far. Thanks for reading, I hope I haven't bored you too bad.