SPA Modeler

Please do keep updating your builds Bruce! It's always good to hear from you no matter what you're working on.

I’m preparing to move this project over to the John Eaton Memorial Group Build; I hope that’s not going to cause confusion for anyone, but this is also a project John was following and gave me some advice on building so I do feel that finishing this under the aegis of his memorial will close the circle. Finishing what was started and struggled to finish will be the goal. To that end, I pulled the box down from the closet and discovered when I opened the box that I had kept the fuselage halves closed with a rubber band which melted and stuck in some parts—mainly to the very top area.



Despite my best efforts to gently pry the rubber band away the tension has pressed into the paint surface, so now I’ve done a combination of light rubbing with erasers both kneaded and gum but that has lifted and rubbed away the top surface of paint. I’ve built a mask for the area and wet sanded the surface gently. With the warm weather in Los Angeles I’ll be able to go outside and set up my airbrush. Long post! But it has been a bit difficult revisiting and seeing the damage.

Good to see this one is back on your workbench Bruce! Rubber bands are tricky tools. They can cause problems if left in place too long. And some do leave residue behind.

Bruce, just get this one done. That’s all I can encourage you to do.

Oh the years of my youth…. rubber bands I used to hold parts together while they dried. Good to see this back on the bench. By all means do it in the memorial thread.

Stikpusher wrote: ↑Wed Jan 14, 2026 8:06 pm Bruce, just get this one done. That’s all I can encourage you to do.

I hear ya, master. I hear ya.

BlackSheep214 wrote: ↑Wed Jan 14, 2026 8:25 pm Oh the years of my youth…. rubber bands I used to hold parts together while they dried. Good to see this back on the bench. By all means do it in the memorial thread.

Live and learn! Thanks, Tom. I appreciate the dose of humor at this point. Gotta learn from my mistake!

Zee mask of Zorro! I haven't used this much yellow tape in a decade, heh. Let's see if this will work.

Putty on the prop, preparing to add a color coat.

speedgraflex wrote: ↑Wed Jan 14, 2026 10:11 pm Zee mask of Zorro! I haven't used this much yellow tape in a decade, heh. Let's see if this will work.

Very nice paintwork Bruce, really nice!

- Kari