Model Forum / General / Models / December 2005

Hi Troops:

       I had knee replacement surgery on November 9. Been putting it
off as long as I could stand the pain in the original. Yesterday was a
milestone. I had to go to Gettysburg on club business. Destination was
the office of the "Friends of the Park" organization, 2nd floor of an
old house with high ceilings and stair wells.
    I went up the stairs like normal people, no more step with the
right foot and drag the left along behind. Marvelous! I kid the
therapist working on me about having been trained by the World
Wrestling Federation, but I'm thinking I should have signed for this
knee replacement right after I retired in 2002. Oh well, live and learn!
    To keep things on topic, I picked up the Special Hobby 1/32
scale Curtiss Hawk at the hobby shop today. I have seen some criticism
of the packaging in some posts and was prepared for problems. No such
bad! Some complained that the lower wing was just barely able to fit in
the box and had been dinged in shipping, and maybe parts had come out of
the mold too hot and soft. Mine has no such problems.
    From the engineering of the forward fuselage there will be other
versions of this bird. The kit is obviously designed for a wright
engined version in the future, and the clear sprue has three different
wind screens so my guess is a French bird and probably a Finnish
aircraft as well. When we get the Wright engined version there will be
at least British and Dutch East Indies aircraft I'm betting. I can see
where assembling the forward fuselage may be tricky due to the way it is
engineered, but that is the price we pay for getting more out of the
molds, it's just economics folks!
    The clear sprue is packaged right in with the other parts which
may lead to some scratched up clear parts, I put my set in a small
separate baggie right away. The parts are quite clear and very thin.
This Eastern European consortium is getting better with each release.
    This might be a good excuse to go purchase those three sets of
1/32 Curtiss Hawk decals that Dave Klaus' people at Meteor Productions
have for his 1/32 conversions of the Trumpeter P-40B. I could end up
with a whole shelf full of these.
                    Merry Christmas All!
                                            Bill Shuey