WIP : Hasegawa 1/72 F-104J Starfighter ‘JASDF’ Pt.1 – Construction
Continuing my JASDF collection, the F-104J is up next. There is now a more modern offering of the F-104J by Fine Molds but I believe this kit from Hasegawa is still up there in the details. Work begins in the cockpit which have raised details for the instruments and oddly, a clear piece for the …...
Scale model shopping in Osaka
I just came back from a short holiday in Osaka, Japan and of course, it’s hobby shopping time for me when I can spare some time (and of course I did). So in general terms, the shops are all smaller than in Tokyo and correspondingly they have a smaller selection. I did not manage to …...
WIP : Hasegawa 1/72 J7W1 Shinden Pt.2 – Painting & Finishing
Painting begins with a base of Black Surfacer. In the movie, the Shinden was found abandoned in a military warehouse and was repaired and modified to use against Godzilla. If that was the case, I can assume that the mechanics won’t bother with repainting it so it would have a less than pristine paint job. …...
WIP : Hasegawa 1/72 J7W1 Shinden Pt.1 – Construction
I usually don’t build props in 1/72 but this one is hard to resist as it was featured prominently in Godzilla Minus One. The Shinden featured in the film was all CGI with a 1:1 mockup made for the shots which involve the actors. It played an important role in the film as the aircraft …...
WIP : Academy 1/72 T-50I Golden Eagle Pt.4 – Finishing
With the landing gear settled, I went ahead to paint the small details and wingtip lights with a paint brush. A section of the starboard side of the tail is unpainted. I masked this off and (ironically) painted it the same color as the exhaust. During this time, the owner of Cap Jempol Metal (CJM), …...
WIP : Academy 1/72 T-50I Golden Eagle Pt.3 – Painting
I managed to carefully re-attach the main landing gear with CA glue. Painting begins with a base coat of black and a marble coat of white. TNI-AU T-50s are painted in a two-tone scheme of FS36314 (a light gray) and FS34148 (a medium greenish gray). As of 2025, only the MRP line offers FS34148 as …...
A look at Rocket Punch in 2025
The first month of 2026 is over and I’m behind on my annual look back at this site and my builds. Here we go: For 2025, I finished seven builds… But as you can see, while the mix is eclectic, they were all (unconsciously) aircraft and I don’t have gallery entries for any of them. …...
WIP : Academy 1/72 T-50I Golden Eagle Pt.2 – Construction
The nose gearbay is made up a small tub piece from Tori Factory and the bottom of the cockpit assembly. I used Epoxy Putty to secure the Tori part. I test fit the main gearbay into the slot and noted that some further trimming is required at the rear of the slot for proper alignment. …...
WIP : Academy 1/72 T-50I Golden Eagle Pt.1 – Construction
Time for my annual Indonesian Air Force build. This time it’s the current jet trainer, the T-50i Golden Eagle. The only kit available is this simplified one from Academy which features snapft parts and no landing gear. Tori Factory from South Korea makes upgrade sets for the kit and I snagged a copy of their …...
WIP : Hasegawa 1/72 F-35A Lightning II Pt.4 – Finishing
Next we come to the decals and the whole reason for buying this particular release: the special anniversary tail markings. Gone are the days when Hasegawa prints white markings as cream colored ones. The whites here are white and very opaque. So I was happily putting on the decals until I noticed that the painted …...
