PLEASE STOP AND GO TO

http://www.largescaleplanes.com/articles/WW2/Rodney Williams/No9/No9.php

I would like you to study the photos and then tell yourself where this model should be rated on a scale of one to ten, ( 1 to 10 ). Photos can be very misleading and I should know as I have been a professional still photographer for over 30 years.

Now that you have viewed my first story on LSP you may ask: "Why am I rebuilding my model?"

The enclosed photos will relate to you why I choose to take this task into consideration. The model has a few dozen flaws on it. How did this happen you may ask, especially from a "master" modeler such as my self? Most all of the enclosed photos have written captions on them.

I wanted to enter this model in my next local modeling contest, which was coming in February, 2004. I had been building on this model and another Corsair conversion model, namely #5 since late summer of 2003. (#5 is also on LSP).

I got in a big hurry and really screwed up both models by pushing myself to finish them by contest time.

Yes indeed, I entered both of the models in our annual "Silicon Valley Scale Modelers" February, 2004 contest. I was convinced that #9 was a "shoe-in" for a first and that #5 would get the second place award. When the awards were given out, neither model won.

The moral of the story is:

"NEVER RUSH THE JOB, JUST TO WIN AN AWARD."

In early 2009 I had lot's time and took this model apart. I broke a few parts, thus I made new ones. In early 2003 I though my model rated a 9.5 on this "one to ten" scale, but I was dead wrong. When I got into rebuilding it, it really rated only a 4 or 5.

Now that #9 is rebuilt I think I have a model that can safely be rated a nine, (9). I took the model to a contest in November, 2009 and it won a second place, which was right behind my first place wining model. It was a 1:32 scale conversion of a F4U-4 to the FG-1A Corsair. This model can be viewed on www.skywriters.net . The FG-1A Corsair had the first "bubble" top canopy. I'll enclose a photo of the model.

Again, I hope you enjoy my rebuild and have learned a few "tips," on what not to do when building your model.