SPA Modeler

From Aviattic—

Hello, Bruce,

Those classic 1/28 kits really do not get built often enough to warrant the time and expense necessary to design and produce dedicated decals - though, trust me, I have considered it and resin upgrades many times over the years!

The inaccuracy of the 1950’s Revell DVII, DR.I, Spad and Camel means they do not lend themselves to being scaled from any accurate 1/32 templates Aviattic has created and so they are idiosyncratic ‘originals’…which adds to the problem.

Richard

Tonight I am scanning the kit decals to prepare for making a second batch of higher quality.

Wow, fantastic work! Did you fire up that engine to see how well it works? It sure looks like it could run, given at how realistic you made it!

Thanks, Duke!

Duke! Duke! Duke!

You are far too kind but I gobble up your kindness eagerly! Your words are greatly appreciated. I promised I wasn’t gonna use filler but that cowling is messed up and doesn’t align properly. It’s certainly one of those deal breakers for a model of a Sopwith Camel—one of its distinguishing features—so I have extended my putty around the entire inner opening front and back with hope, a great deal of hope, that I may be able to properly replicate what I see when I see a Sopwith Camel’s cowling. Anyway I sincerely hope I get there in the end.

Key words: Sincerely, hope.

Replica—

Bingo. Bango. Boingo.

Forming a 1” diameter inner circle by hand—first the Milliput is mixed then it is rolled into a thin tube.
Pressing from the inside to form a circle.
The excess is hand rolled off against the exterior surface.
Then—sanded.
And—sanded again.

Starts to look really perfect Bruce!

Any pictures of test fitting into the fuselage, curious !

- Kari

Bruce, first of all, your cowling looks amazing and a fantastic start to getting where you want to go.

Second, I'm sorry you are so close to those fires. I am watching them as well even though I'm much further away. I don't have much room, but if you need a place to evacuate to, I'm willing to help out. You have my number; feel free to use it anytime. Stay safe and watchful; I'll be praying for your full safety and protection.

The fires are in main news here in Belgian TV, as well as in the news in the Finnish TV, that I also follow.

Stay safe Bruce and leave if needed, don't hesitate to do so, if needed, at all.

- Kari

Mark! Thank you. There is something I feel I must do soon and that is to come to your next Hobby Day. I missed seeing Carlos before he left California and that still hurts me a bit. Let me know when the next event is!! And thank you sir! I truly appreciate your support.

Kari! Thank you! It’s truly a disaster. I cannot imagine what it is like in terms of emotional loss and stress for the victims of this tragedy. So many fingers being pointed now as to the cause but I recall speaking clearly to one of my friends who just lost his home in Topanga about the why—why live in such a remote an area? Hanging off a cliff. His answer was very clear. He just wanted to be away from the city itself. Regardless, the Palisades Fire and Eaton and others are reminders of humanity’s fragile interconnection with nature. Was the fire arson? We won’t know until the fires are contained and we are at 0% containment so far despite a massive effort.

Bruce, Our Hobby Day is today from 1:00PM until 10:00PM; tomorrow from 8:30AM until 10:00PM, and Monday from 1:00PM until 10:00 PM. Now would be a great time to come on down. Skies are clear and no fires anywhere around our hall. You have my phone number, give me a call for more information.