Figured I'd pop by and say hello.
The Hawk 81 is mine - built it for my brother, who's nuts about early P-40s. I didn't list it as OOB (it wasn't by a long shot - the card says "Super-detailed") but dumped it on the table while I went to find out where it really belonged! FSM has the build article on it at the moment. I corrected the wretched thing, from putting the nose on a diet to modding the stabs instead of the elevators (which are quite a close match to factory drawings, hinge line notwithstanding). That kit is a dog.
That winter 109 is mine too. It made the front cover of FSM for the May 2014 issue. Actually, FSM just sent me the contract for my portfolio, but who knows when they'll publish.
I don't know if any of you knew Dave Mulligan (Otterkins2, I think his moniker was), but that 109 was built out of kits he'd given to me before he died. I got to know him through our mutual interest in German WWII Luftwaffe hardware. He had asked me to finish some kits he'd been working on but was unable to finish due to the progressive nature of his illness. I was humbled, to say the least. I didn't find out he'd died until a few months ago, and I miss his generosity, his crotchety ways, his eye for detail and his meticulous research. I have some of his artwork and line drawings at home, and refer to them often as I slave away over another 109 or 190.
Due to work constraints this was the first contest I'd been to in about 4 years, and to my eye the competition was fierce - there are some really talented artists out there. Reading this thread, it seems I've found some of you!
Regards,
Simon