John A. Martini

Doggie Diner sighting! 🌭

#histscalemodels #scalemodels

Thought I’d try my hand at a Miniart model plane, in this case a P-47D. Pretty impressed how well it’s going together. The cockpit looks great, even without any photo etch parts.

A later illustration of the discovery

The map Ayala drew of the bay

Ayala

Aug. 5, 1775: Explorers sail through the Golden Gate and into San Francisco Bay for the first time. The historic voyage is made by Spanish captain Juan Manuel de Ayala as he is returning from an expedition to the Pacific Northwest to San Blas, Mexico. 1/8

#histscalemodels #scalemodels

Well, things didn’t quite turn out. Supposedly a float plane, this kit has the same wings as the carrier version, complete with large landing gear openings. These should have been faired over but not in this kit. No parts provided for blanking the openings either.

Real men don’t cheat at golf.

Yeah, totally visible location. Either the manufacturer (Great Wall Hobbies) put in the wrong wing sprue, or they just cut corners. Given the numerous mistakes in the direction sheets, I'm suspecting the latter. I notified the hobby company I purchased it from and hoping for store credit.

Big frustration. Turns out the kit is just a standard TBD-1 kit with pontoons. But not the correct wings. The wings provided have huge landing gear bay openings, which would have been blanked off on the TBD-1A float plane. I'm good, but don't have the skills to seal those huge openings.

Big disappointment. Turns out the kit is just a standard TBD-1 kit with pontoons. But not the correct wings. The wings provided have huge landing gear bay openings, which would have been blanked off on the TBD-1A float plane. I'm good, but don't have the skills to seal those huge openings.

Time to mate the two halves of the fuselage. Always a pulse quickening maneuver. Then I get to see how much seam sanding and polishing will be needed.

Progress on the TBD Devastator float plane. Decided to start with something simple (the two pontoons) then tackle the cockpit (and its teeny tiny photo etch). #scalemodels #histscalemodels

I also notice how Tamiya's 1/48th scale vehicles have yet another type of box art: black borders top & bottom, and realistic background rather than stark white.

At least it makes it easier to avoid buying the wrong scale!

Thanks Matthew!

#histscalemodels #scalemodels I've noticed that the cover art on Tamiya armor models show the vehicles facing in different directions. Does this have anything to do with newness of the kit? Or reissues?

In early 1942, General John L. DeWitt, chief of the U.S. Army's Western Defense Command, wrote about Japanese Americans on the Pacific coast: “112,000 potential enemies … The very fact that no sabotage has taken place to date is a disturbing and confirming indication that such action will be taken.”

There was only one TBD Avenger built as a floatplane, supposedly as a prototype for overseas sales. The war ended that idea. The Navy used this sole model for testing air launched torpedoes.

It should look nice in pre-war aluminum with yellow wings.

Thanks. Will keep you posted

#histscalemodels #scalemodels No more armor for awhile. Getting just a little tired of OD green and dunkelgelb. So, I'm going to try my hand at this Great Wall Hobbies' Devastator. (Bare aluminum is always fun.)

Never built a G.W.H. model before, so into the great unknown I go.

#histscalemodels #scalemodels I'm thinking there may be a diorama possibility in this.

Just so we’re clear: (Pucture of a cow behind a barbed wire fence) COW (Picture of an American Bison) High Capacity Assault Cow.

DO NOT PET THE BIG FLUFFY COWS, THE FLUFF HIDES NAUGHT BUT RAGE 😭

Taken from Alcatraz Island.

Made by Academy. Pretty nice kit but had some fit problems with the engine nacelles. Took a bit of white putty to fill the seam between wing surface and curved nacelle.

Can I come and play?

Pam Bondi after being shown Alcatraz: "It could hold anything,” she said. “This is a terrific facility – needs a lot of work..."

That's a heckuva understatement.

Wonder if she really got a close look?

In the good old days, island sewage went right into SF Bay. The projected need to build a sewage treatment plant was one of the reasons the BOP shut down the penitentiary in 1963. Their old study reported no room on the island and big, big costs.

Beg to differ, Pam. I'm an Alcatraz historian (got a couple of book titles about the island). Several dozen men escaped from Alcatraz up to 1933 when it was an army prison. My favorite is a convict who had himself nailed in a crate addressed to SF. It was dutifully delivered. Never seen again.

I was supposed to be interviewed on CNN today about the whimsical idea of reopening Alcatraz, but got bumped for time by the press conference about his medical issues. And Epstein. And tarrifs.

So many “Look, squirrel!” moments , so little time.

I’ll be one of the “retired Alcatraz rangers” on hand to share Island lore.

They’re not showing the dysentery

Conversely, American tourists to Australia frequently ask if they can drive to Ayer's Rock (Uluru) and back in a day.

From Sydney, it's only 1,763 miles each way.

If you're looking for some weekend reading, we highly recommend Gary Stark's Cliff House Project - the ultimate resource for Cliff House history and photographs of the beloved restaurant and its environs.

cliffhouseproject.com/introduction...