The Wait Is Over! Pre-Orders are GO!

One of my favorite shots from the book. A reminder that these highly trained fighter-bomber pilots were, at their core, just young men who loved the same things we did when we were that age. It also demonstrates the team spirit crucial to the operation of the group in combat.

The shipment of the new book has cleared Customs, and we will be picking it up from the warehouse early next week! A more than 2 year labor of love finally comes to fruition.

We are now accepting pre-orders for all three editions at the Barracuda Studios website:

http://barracudacals.com/products.php?cat=28

See the listing for pricing information. For shipping charges, please use the shopping cart in the website. It will calculate your shipping charges before you have to supply your credit card information, so you can just abandon the order if you decide to wait until late.

For the Limited edition , signed, bookplated edition, though, I would strongly recommend that you do not wait long. There are only 365 of these available, and when they are gone, they are GONE! The hardbound version is also limited in number, although there may be a second printing if demand is there.

There are 44 full page, full color profiles of P-47s flown by the Hellhawks, that are accompanied by a photo of the pilot and a few paragraphs of backstory. There are an additional 54 fully researched profiles in full color, three to a page. A massive research effort, as 95 of these aircraft have never been seen before!

Please be aware that this is a pre-sale, and first shipments of Thunderbolts of the Hellhawks will begin on Friday, March 16th. The demand will be heavy, so it make take a few days to process the first wave of orders. Please be a little patient, although I understand how difficult that can be when waiting for a new book!

Another great shot from the book. Most of the images have come from the personal albums of the pilots and families of pilots of the 365th Fighter Group, without who's help, this book would not have been possible.

So, the obvious next question is: when are the decals going to be available? The answer is April... can't give you an exact date. But there will be special release sheets in all three scales coming from BarracudaCals. There will be as many schemes as we can fit on the sheets!

Anyway, back to the workbench. I have a number of new resin sets in the works, and I have to get back to getting them ready for production.

Happy modelling! Roy

Going, Going... Almost Gone!

The first book in the Flightline series, featuring the unique and decidedly brutish de Havilland Sea Vixen, was released in November of 2010 to very favorable reviews.

Hi Guys,

After a little over two years, the Sea Vixen monograph is close to being sold out. Less than 20 copies remain. There may be a few left here and there at various online vendors, but after these are gone, its gone. This book will not be reprinted.

So, if you have been waiting to add this book to your library, there is very little time left. As before, if you order it from the Barracuda Studios website, you can get the book signed by the author (me!) if you like. Just include a note in your order letting me know how you want it signed. No charge for this option.

If you have not seen this book, it is an extremely in-depth close up look in full color of the Sea Vixen, including many reprinted manual illustrations. Exhaustive photographic coverage of the cockpits, landing gear, gear bays, dive brake and flaps, intakes, exhausts, radome, wing folds, droptanks and weapons, as well as a comprehensive look at the exterior, make this a very thorough reference. A detailed history of the Sea Vixen, written by noted aviation author Chris Bucholtz, and period photos, as well as a look at surviving airframes round out this book.

Just a heads up in case you were holding off til a later date to pick this one up.

Happy modelling! Roy

The wait is almost over!

A shot of an actual hardbound edition of the new book, sitting on my kitchen table, which, for once, is not covered in piles of Barracuda Studios related stuff!

Hi Guys.

Once again, its been too long since I last blogged. The 4 new 1/32nd scale P-51 sets have kept me away while I concentrated on getting them finished and released. Going to try and do better at keeping up with this blog. It's one of my New Year's resolutions for 2012. And we all know how well THAT works! :-)

The really great news is that Thunderbolts of the Hell Hawks has finished printing, has been delivered to the docks in Shenzhen, and is steaming its way to Port Oakland, California as I write this. It is due to land on March 4th. That does not mean that it will be ready for sale on the 5th, however. It has to go through unloading, Customs inspection, all sorts of clearance paperwork, then shipped to a holding facility. If all goes well, we should have it within a week of that date. If Customs flags it for inspection, add a week.

Pre-sales will begin once the ship has landed and the cargo unloaded. We need to know that the product has arrived and is in good condition before we release it for pre-sales. Last thing we want is to disappoint anyone. We will let you know when pre-sales are about to begin.

Note there are 3 versions: A softbound edition, a hardbound and dust jacketed edition, and a very limited run book plated, hardbound, dust jacketed version that is signed by three pilots (one from each Fighter Squadron in the 365th FG) as well as by the three authors. Here is a link to the website page for the book.

http://barracudacals.com/products.php?cat=28

The signed edition is expensive, but is extremely limited in numbers. There are only 365 available, and when they are gone, they are gone. Why 365? Think about it.... hmmmm.

This book is no weekend read. It is a book to be absorbed and savored. Unique among books of its kind, every pilot in every photo is identified by name. 21 surviving Hell Hawk pilots are still with us and have contributed hugely to making this book a rare and very complete look at a 9th Air Force P-47 unit in the final year of the war in Europe.

Note the very large size that many of the never before published photos are printed. Detailed captions identify each pilot and many of the crew. Over 550 photos detail every aspect of life in the 365th.

There are 98 color profiles of Thunderbolts from the 365th. Only 2 of these aircraft have ever been seen before! That makes 96 NEW airplanes. Every single airplane is linked to a pilot, and 44 of these are accompanied by a few paragraphs of history and background on the subject.

Yes, decals to support this book will be coming soon in all 3 scales. These will be special release decals, featuring numerous subjects and including some very cool extras never offered before (As far as I know) on an airplane decal sheet. Both Razorbacks and Bubbletops in OD/NG and natural metal finishes will be included. A mix of aces, leaders and colorful noseart will be featured. These sheets will follow in a few weeks after the release of the book.

I could go on about this amazing book that Don Barnes has created, but I will leave it at that for now. Suffice to say that it will be worth the wait. More to come.

Happy modelling! Roy

Barracuda Studios December Update!

We now carry the new ADH book on building the Tamiya 1/32nd Mustang!

Hi there, fellow modelers.

I am back from the UK Nationals and working hard to get some stalled projects finished up so you guys can have some new stuff to tempt you. A lot is happening, and all at the same time, but it's all good news after some frustrating delays.

To start with, we have decided to carry the new ADH on building the Tamiya 32nd Mustang, as I am one of the contributing authors to the title. While you are browsing 32nd Mustang accessories, you might want to add the book to your pile. I can even deface it for you! By that, of course, I mean I can personalize it if you wish. Just note in the comments section when you place your order that you would like it signed, and how you would like your name written. There is no charge for this, as I'm not sure if anyone would be silly enough to pay for it!

This book is up on the site and to ship right now. Look under the books tab.

Speaking of Mustangs, the question that seems to be on everybody's mind is: What happened to Kim Kardashian's marriage? How on earth did it manage to last as long as it did? OK, the OTHER question that seems to be on everybody's mind is: Where the heck are the Mustang resin detail sets?

The answer is that they are coming pretty soon. They have been delayed by what I can only explain as a Gypsy curse. I don't recall incurring the wrath of any Gypsies recently, but I must have. Aside from the large amount of work necessary in the last few weeks to get the final details of the Hellhawks book finished, and the trip across the pond for the IPMS UK national Convention at Telford back a few weeks ago (and you would not believe how much crap I have to do to prepare for a show like this!), there was also the week or so it took me to get back on my feet after coming home. Was not feeling all that well for about 6 days.

The curse part has to do with some inexplicably long delays with the photoetched parts that are included in two of the new sets. I have worked with the etchers many times before in the old Cooper Details days. The guy who designed my etched parts is the same guy who designed them before. Yet, somehow, this time, a perfect storm of technical and communication problems turned this somewhat straightforward job into a morass of frustrating delays that seem to have been no ones fault that I can find.... hence my theory about the curse.

More on the Hellhawks book shortly.

The upshot of all this is that the etched parts arrived yesterday afternoon after a scare in which UPS reported to have delivered the package to my doorstep at 3:26PM. When I checked outside less than 10 minutes later, it was nowhere to be seen. I scoured the property looking for it, but came with bupkis! A call to UPS yielded the same information. Delivered at 3:26 to my door. Called the etchers and asked them to launch an investigation.

Long story short (ish): Package showed up at my door as if by magic less than 2 hours later. Crisis averted. Completing the sets could not be done until I had the etched parts in hand. I have them now, and they look really great. I am working now on finishing up the sets and getting them into production. I have learned not to give hard deadlines until the work is done, so for now, let me just say that it's soon, and I'll let you know by early next week a hard order date.

In other news: BC32009, the 32nd P-51D Mustang Part 1 decal sheet is almost sold out. I have 3 or 4 sheets left, so if you have been waiting to order this one, time is just about up. I am considering reprinting the sheet, but can't promise anything at this point.

Speaking of decal sheet stock levels, three 1/72nd decal sheets are getting very low on stock.

• BC72005 P-40s of 112 Sqdn part 1
• BC72009 P-51D Mustangs part 1
• BC72010 F4U Corsairs part 1

Not sure if any of these will be reprinted, so get em while you can.

That's all for now. Have to get back to the workbench to get the Mustang sets finished up. Thanks for stopping by.

Happy modelling! Roy

Stop the presses! Another surprise, out of the blue, yet very cool product will be debuting later today or tomorrow. As in, available for sale on the website. Watch for another blog post very soon with the official announcement.

Telford 2011: the aftermath.

I am sitting in my cousin Juliet's living room, near Banbury and not too far from Telford, recovering from the show. I slept nearly eleven and a half hours last night! I never sleep that long!

I have been a little technologically challenged the past few days, as my cellphone is on the Verizon network, which is CDMA, and therefor useless outside of the USA. Frustrating! The Internet works, but finding an open wifi network has been a challenge.

It was a great show and it was good to catch up with many old friends and make some new ones. I will post more soon, but it is a little slow going on my phone, and it's dinner soon.

Happy modelling! Roy

Leavin on a Jet Plane...

Hi Guys,

It has been business as usual here at Barracuda Studios since my last post. Read: busy as heck.

Just have a few minutes to bang out a quick post on the old blogaroonie (being that I am writing this at 3AM, forgive the weirdness, if you can!) before I hit the hay for a very few short hours before I get picked up for my trip to the airport.

I'm off across the Atlantic Ocean for the IPMS/UK national Convention in Telford, England. Its a smallish town just Northwest of Birmingham. Its a long trip with 3 flights, so I will catch up on my sleep on the planes.

Just a quick note to my faithful and patient customers that Barracuda Studios will be closed for the next week, and no orders received will be shipped until later next week.

The good news is that the new book " Thunderbolts of the Hellhawks" is in its very last stages and should be sent to the printer before the week is out. Its been a crazy few weeks wrapping up all the loose ends.

If you will be attending the Telford show, please stop by and say hello, and buy lots of BarracudaStuff!

OK, off to bed now. If I can find time and a wi-fi connection, I will try to post quick reports from the show.

Happy modelling! Roy

365th Fighter Group book progress report.

A sneak peak of the final cover art of the book. The Red, Yellow and Blue segments represent the colors of the 3 squadrons that make up the 365th FG.

Its been a while since I have updated you on the progress of this book, and some of you may have thought the project had died on the vine. Far from it. In fact, VERY far from it!

First off, the book now has a title. The previous working title lacked a little in the sexiness department. Thunderbolts of the Hell Hawks has a lot more punch to it, don't you think?

Don Barnes, the man who's baby this project is, has dug deeply over the last 2 years, and has come up with a vast treasure trove of never before seen photos and personal stories. He has tracked down over 20 pilots that are still with us, and has become good friends with almost all of them. He has collected a staggering 800 unpublished photos from the personal photo albums of the pilots and crew members.

The book contains about 600 photos, of which about 20 have been published in other books. The rest have languished unseen in photo albums for the past 66 years. Many of the images will be printed full page. The range of subjects is quite varied, showing life in the Hell Hawks in great detail, with many images of the Thunderbolt's they flew, the pilots and ground crews, quarters, airfields and support equipment, even a selection of captured aircraft and destroyed targets. The vast majority of men in the photographs are identified by name.

To make this even more impressive, Don has fully documented and illustrated ninety two P-47s that were attached to the unit in detailed color profiles. Before this, the only documented aircraft from the unit was "Coffey's Pot".

John Crump has spent hundreds of hours researching and writing the history of the unit. I wrote the first few chapters, but I had to back out, as I did not have enough time to devote to the project. John stepped in and did a terrific job of bringing the story to life. I am very proud to be a part of this project, but my contribution is small compared to what Don and John have done.

This book is in the very final stages of layout. Some last minute photos and stories have slightly delayed the process, but it will result in a better and more comprehensive book. We expect it to go off to the printers in the next week.

What started life as a book with about 140-150 pages has grown with each passing month into an impressive 320 pages. If you have read Jones' and Dorr's book Hell Hawks, you will find that Thunderbolts of the Hell Hawks has very little overlap, and it will add a lot of depth and background to what is a fascinating book and a great read. They are complimentary. Reading both will give you a very detailed and rich understanding of what life was like for these brave men. Its a story that has been largely overlooked up til now.

More news on the book will be coming in the next few days.

Happy modelling! Roy

Mustang Madness 2: The gathering storm!

Here's an image showing the port sidewall of the new Tamiya P-51D, tricked out with our new Mustang cockpit stencils. Click on the above image to see it in more detail.

I know I promised to post a new blog entry a few days ago, but a family situation took me away from my blogging duties. Its been an extremely weird year for me; its certainly had its ups and downs. I'm back and here to make good on my promise.

Again, most of you may already be aware of this, but BarracudaCals has released a new decal sheet for the Tamiya Mustang;

BC32010 P-51D Mustang Cockpit Stencils and Placards in 1/32 Scale.

http://barracudacals.com/proddetail.php?prod=BC32010&cat=23

This sheet is comprised of over 100 separate decals that replicate nearly every stencil or placard in the cockpit of the P-51D. Yes, this will take a bit of time and care to install, but the results, as you can see in the image above, will be well worth it.

As with the P-51D Part 1 decals announced in the previous entry, these stencils are well researched, fit to the actual kit parts, and beautifully printed by Cartograf. Clear carrier film is kept to a bare minimum, and they really suck down over detail very well, as they are commendably thin.

Once you see a 1/32 Mustang cockpit with these little babies installed, you will find it hard to build yours without! All part of my little plan. World domination? Noooo! Don't be silly! Not at first... Now, I've been asked more than once if these cockpit stencils will be made available in 1/48th scale. To which, I reply "Hey! No fair peeking!"

Once you see a 1/32 Mustang cockpit with these little babies installed, you will find it hard to build yours without! All part of my little plan. World domination? Noooo! Don't be silly! Not at first... Now, I've been asked more than once if these cockpit stencils will be made available in 1/48th scale. To which, I reply "Hey! No fair peeking!"

Now, I promised you an announcement about the forthcoming resin sets for the Mustang in 32nd scale. Here is a breakdown of the sets to be released. They are still in the works, but they should be released in about two weeks. Once they are finished , I will post images of the parts and the sets will become available for preorder.

BR32012 P-51D Mustang Cockpit Sidewalls

Super detailed, accurate cockpit sidewalls directly replace the Tamiya

kit parts. Much extra detail such as wiring, refined switches, and separate parts add to the realism. Resin castings supplimented with photoetched parts, including perforated canopy rails and uplocks for the gearbays.

BR32013 P-51D Mustang Instrument Panel

A super detailed resin instrument panel, with high quality etched parts and super crisp and petite film dials, directly replaces the Tamiya kit panel. This will yield a much more authentic look. May be adapted to fit other 1/32 Mustang kits.

BR32014 P-51D Mustang Cockpit Upgrade

Super detailed resin cast radio, battery, stick, gunsight and throttle quadrant for the Tamiya P-51D. All parts are highly visible in the finished model, and will add that extra touch of realism to your masterpiece. May be adapted to fit other 1/32 Mustang kits.

BR32015 P-51D Mustang Mainwheel Tires

Resin cast tires directly replace the soft rubber Tamiya kit tires. The advantage being that the mold parting seam on the kit tires is very difficult to remove and the tires are dust and dirt magnets. While they can be painted, the paint adhesion is not good. Resin tires have none of these drawbacks. Clean, seamless castings need little work to be ready to install.

BR32016 P-51D Mustang Paper Droptanks

Resin cast nose and tailcones for the 108 gallon paper tanks replace the kit parts, which are smooth and scribed. The real tanks were made of paper mache, and the nose and tailcones were scalloped and slightly irregular. Just saw off the front and rear of the kit tanks and attach these new resin parts. The saves on weight, as well as allowing plastic cement to be used to hang the tanks.

Now, please read this part carefully! These sets ARE NOT available yet. They are coming soon. I have not added them to the website, and will not be accepting pre-orders yet. I just want to be sure that everyone understands this to avoid disappointment. I will post pictures later this week. I will also be sure to get the press release about the release dates to all the major sites as soon as I am convinced they will be ready to ship on time. They will also be announced here and on the Barracuda Studios website as well.

The second half of 2011 is certainly a great time to be a Mustang mad modeller!

Off to bed now, its super late again.

Roy

Mustang Madness!

The much anticipated Tamiya P-51D Mustang kit in 1/32nd scale has been released, and the jury is in!

And the verdict is: Tamiya found Guilty! Guilty of making a kit so superb, it may have edged out their recent Spitfire series as possibly the best plastic model airplane ever made.

I have also been found guilty. Guilty of not blogging in months, but, to be fair, its partly YOUR fault! You guys have been keeping me working long hours, trying to keep pace with demand.

While this might be old news to most of you, some might just be returning from an around-the-world cruise or stranded on a desert island for the last 3 months. Barracuda Studios has responded to this release with 2 new products. The first of which is a new decal sheet featuring 5 schemes for this new kit.

http://barracudacals.com/proddetail.php?prod=BC32009

Rest assured that these sheets were designed to fit the actual kit parts, so there should not be any ugly surprises when going to actually use them! They are, like all but our earliest decal sheets, printed by the masters at Cartograf in Italy. The sheet features a full suite of stencils, and the stencils are accurate for the D model Mustang. Most previously released sheets feature stencils that are not really accurate for a P-51D. If the stencils on a decal sheet have the fuel filler caps on the upper wing surrounded with a ring of text, the stencils aren't really right for the D.

A LOT of research has gone into this sheet. The correct green color (a dark green, probably British Dark Green) has been printed for the checkers on the "Millie G" of the 55th FG. They have always been shown before as a bright green color. The name is also given in the correct red with a green drop shadow. "Alabama Rammer Jammer" and "Double Trouble Two" are both new schemes never available before in decal form. Lou IV is represented accurately for the first time, complete with full, correct pilot and crew names forward of the canopy, as well as properly sized codes (The Tamiya decals in 48th and 72nd give you these codes, but they are much too small) The name Athelene on the Starboard cowl is also provided.

The last scheme on the sheet is Chuck Reager's "Amorous Len III". This is a fictional scheme, but intrepid modelers can modify the markings to recreate a different aircraft with what is included on the sheet. A sad state of affairs that this is necessary, but its not a perfect world.

This sheet has also been released in both 1/72nd and 1/48th scale, and all three are available now on the website. I hope you find something to your liking on this new sheet.

http://barracudacals.com/proddetail.php?prod=BC72010

I also have scaled down and released the new F4U-1 Corsair Part I sheet to 1/72nd. Those modellers tired of the same old Corsairs will have 5 never before available schemes to play with. My good friend Johnathan Strickland has been researching Corsairs for years, and this sheet is a product of his fine work. Note the inscription on the nose of the well worn Birdcage from this sheet. How this one got past the wartime censors is anyone's guess.

Lieutenant Colonel Donald K. Yost's Corsair, a very colorful and striking aircraft, from the USS Cape Gloucester is featured on this sheet, as is 2nd Lieutenant Kenneth Walsh's Birdcage named "Viva!". 1/72nd scale modelers are not getting a lot of new decals these days. I continue to bring you new releases in this scale, but please note they are printed in very limited numbers. Once they are gone, they are GONE!

One thing I forgot to mention about the two new 1/72nd scale sheets. They are an even greater value, because they both contain 2 complete sets of stencilling! As with the 32nd and 48th scale Mustang sheets, the 72nd sheet includes the first ever accurate P-51D stencil suites in decal form. Note that the decal set comes with two half sheets taped together. This is not a packaging error. You need two sheets to have enough national markings and other major markings, such as codes and serials. Its a little confusing, but trust me, that's how its supposed to be!

Look for another blog installment tomorrow. Lots of news, and I will list the 5 new resin sets coming for the new Tamiya Mustang in 1/32nd scale. Glad to be back here on the blog, and I will really try to keep a more regular schedule. I enjoy doing it, and hope you find it a worthwhile way to spend a few minutes.

Happy modelling! Roy

New Gallery Section is Launched!

Finescale Modeler bigwig Paul Boyer built all three P-47s in 1/72nd scale from BarracudaCals BC72002. We love this kind of submission. It's just too cool!

We are pleased to announce that the long promised Gallery section of the BarracudaCals website is now up on the Barracuda Studios website. Follow the link at the end of this post to take you there.

The Gallery section has been up for almost a week now, and there are already 11 features on it. I have at least another 5, and they will be rolled out every few days, so stop by once in a while and check it out.

I am actively looking for submissions. The rules are pretty simple for inclusion. Your model needs to have utilized a Barracuda Studios product. Models featuring Cooper Details products are also more than welcome. You do not have to be a modelling god for inclusion. Just get the decals on the right side up, and a nice clean build, and you are in!

Jens Haakon Brandl has done a great job converting and accurizing the Hasegawa Spitfire IX into a FR. IX in the special pink scheme. Bet those pilots never got razzed for flying pink airplanes!

The most important aspect of your submission is decent photography. A solid color background is helpful, but not absolutely necessary. Good lighting and in-focus images are the only thing I insist on. You can get some pretty decent images with a large sheet of colored paper or cardstock, a pair of swing arm lamps, and a point and shoot digital camera with a macro function are all you really need.

Remember to adjust the camera settings to match the light source you are shooting. If you are shooting indoors with tungsten light, set the camera to tungsten lighting, and you will avoid the red cast that is common to pictures taken without changing this setting. Shooting out doors will give you tons of light usually, but be careful not to shoot on windy days. We don't need action shots! Again, remember to set the color balance for where you are shooting.

All that said, the images do not have to be award winning! In-focus is about the only real criterion that must be met. If you are not Ansel Adams, don't sweat it. We can crop and color correct and stuff like that. Most important is that we want to see your models!

Gallery images do not have to be of finished models. See the existing galleries that show cockpits in progress. Modelers love to see how its done. And you can certainly send an update later on, with shots of the completed model. We will be happy to add them to your Gallery.

Closeup shots are great, especially when it reveals hard to see details. Jereon Veen's nicely built and painted Spit IX cockpit in 1/32nd scale.

So, shuffle on over to BarracudaTown (not an actual website) and check out the new feature. I hope you will find it inspirational. Send your submissions to :

barracudacomments@gmail.com

Please send a few sample images first, so I can check out the quality of the photos first. No need to send a lot of pictures if they might need to be reshot. Along with the photos, I will need a least a paragraph describing the subject and any notes about building the model. If you want to rave about how great our products are, we may be a little embarrassed, but will not stop you! We also need the scale, kit used, your name and city, state, and country where you currently reside.

In particular right now, I am looking for a gallery on a 1/48th scale Airfix BAC Lightning built using our stencil sheet, more P-47s, and any P-40 variants, either USAAC or British, in any scale.

Hope you enjoy this new feature. You can click on the link below to take you there right now. Please fasten your seat belts and return your tray tables and seat backs to the upright position. Thank you for flying BarracudaAir...

http://barracudacals.com/gallery/

Happy modelling! Roy

1/32nd Spitfire Cockpit Upgrade Status Report

Hi Guys,

Just a quick blog entry in response to a number of questions I have gotten recently regarding the status of BarracudaCast set number BR32003, the Spitfire Cockpit Upgrade set.

It has been out of stock for a few weeks now. The reason behind this is that the decal sheet that is included in the set that supplies you with all the stencils and placards for the cockpit is out of stock. I somehow overlooked the fact that they were running low. I went to get more in order to package up a new batch of sets, and discovered that they had indeed sold out. The problem is that they need to be printed on a sheet with another project, so there has been some delay in getting everything done. The sheet is just about finished, and should go out to the printers very soon.

The good news is that I took the opportunity to revise the sheet somewhat, to include a number of stencils not found on the original sheet. The cockpit door stencils have been added, as have stencils for the oxygen cylinder, the radio selector box, the remote contactor (found in the new Starboard Sidewall Set), the morse key, and the windshield de-icer tank. A number of generic small white text stencils are also included as a bonus.

I will let you know when the sheets have arrived and shipment of the upgrade sets can resume. It will be worth the wait. I will also be announcing another cool little product at the same time. It's something that has been strangely missing for a very popular kit for a long time!

Above, you can see an image of the revised decal sheet. I think you will find it have been worth the wait.

Happy modelling! Roy

Still alive and well!

"Every now and then I know its kinda hard to tell, but I'm still alive and well" is a line from a classic Johnny Winter song from his 1973 album "Still alive and Well".

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QdB3msFJWyM

Johnny, a master of rock blues guitar and one of the best slide guitar players ever, was one of my major influences as a guitar player growing up in the 70s.

It applies here because for the last 5 months or so, its been pretty quiet on the Barracuda Studios front. More on what has been keeping me busy in a future post, but tonight, a quick update on what is going on here these days.

New stuff has arrived! Five new resin detail sets were released on April 18th, and it has been very busy here since then, packaging product and filling orders. We are back, baby! Three additional sets in 1/32nd scale for Tamiya's superlative Spitfire VIII, IX, and XVI kits. These first of these is a new resin starboard cockpit sidewall with all of the plumbing and wiring molded in (see image at the top of the page). Also new are both 4 and 5 slot mainwheels fitted with Z-Block treaded tyres. These tyres were fitted to many Australian Spitfires, and impart a very different and mean look to any aircraft so fitted. A wash of dried dirt or mud will pop out the very detailed and authentic tread pattern on these bad boys.

1/48th scale is back in the mix with two new products designed for the later mark Gloster Meteors as kitted by Classic Airframes. This is admittedly a reasonably esoteric product, as these kits have been out of production for a number of years now, but they are pretty cool nonetheless! The small and large bore seamless Meteor intakes are a quick and easy way to make a big improvement to your CA Meteor kits that are lying patiently in your stash, waiting for you to get to them (hellllllooooo? remember me?). The kit nacelle fronts are reasonably accurate, but are completely hollow. The lack any kind of intake throat, and leave you with a big nasty internal seam to try to address. These parts are designed as a drop fit replacement and have an accurate intake throat molded seamlessly inside them. They should install very quickly, without any grinding, scraping, or thinning. Just align them, attach them with CA, and with some reasonably minor sanding, should have you moving on to other tasks very quickly.

Anyway, just a quick hello to let you know we are back. much more to come! Go to the website:

http://www.barracudacals.com/

to see great closeup shots and read detailed descriptions of the new sets. More new stuff is in the works right now, and you can expect new releases to be announced in the next 2 weeks or so!

Happy Modelling! Roy

Faces of Telford. Part 1

My good friend Mike Grzebien and I preparing for the clock to strike "Beer Thirty" in the lobby of the Holiday Inn in Telford. We have been friends for coming up on twenty years now.

Hi Guys.

One of the more under appreciated aspects of joining an organization such as the IPMS is the people you get to meet. IPMS takes a lot of flak over the contest and judging system. So much so, that the real benefits are often glossed over.

I joined IPMS/USA back in 1983. Since then, I have made many lifelong friends, not only locally, but around the world. Some modellers consider the hobby a solitary pursuit, but they are missing out, if you ask me.

I started Cooper Details back in late 1989, and the number of great people I have met has grown exponentially since then. I started attending the IPMS/UK National Convention sometime in the early 90s, when it was being held at the Stoneleigh Agricultural Centre. It was a very spartan facility, and I spent a couple of very cold nights sleeping in what amounted to a hostel (more hostile than hostel) designed by someone who had probably designed detention facilities in his past. Cinder block walls with a tin roof on beams with a one foot airgap all around. A narrow, flimsy vinyl mattress with one ratty little blanket woven from burlap castoffs, metal shavings and twine, it was not one of the more comfortable nights I had ever experienced. November in England can be a little brisk.

Almost too much talent for one image. The amazing Spencer Pollard is is arguably one of the best painters in the hobby. Daniel Zimarbide does some incredibly intricately detailed models. Both regularly display their work on the Plastic Pics Forum at Hyperscale.com.

It was at Stoneleigh that I met Mike Grzebien, who started Avia Imports to bring Cooper Details into the UK. Mike and I have been mates ever since. I have stayed with him and met his family. We have been on Pub crawls in Peterborough that I kind of remember! LOL. We spent a miserable, cold afternoon at the Newark Air Museum crawling all over their Sea Vixen, talking photos and detailed measurements. Avia went on to become a much bigger company, and they carried a huge range of products. Mike was very busy with his career in the USAF, and eventually handed the reins of the company to his sister in North Carolina.

Many of you may remember Christina from Avia Imports USA. It was my great pleasure to get to know her and work with her. Cooper Details eventually shut down in the late 90s due to a number of factors, chief amongst those was my mother's declining health. Those were some dark days for me. Hard times rarely last forever, and I worked though them. Things have improved a lot since then. But I digress.

Mike Grzebien of Avia Imports fame. Barry Numerick, respected Bf-109 guru and master modeler. Kevin Baxter, former dictator of IPMS Ipswich and well known hen teaser. Me. Again.

I've been back many times to attend the UK Nats. Donnington was a step up , and the Telford Exhibition Centre is a huge improvement over both of these venues. Huge, well lit and heated, it is also supported by some very good hotels and great food and drinks is within a few minutes cab ride. Over the years I have met many modelers as well as fellow vendors.

One problem with being a vendor is that you meet so many nice people, but you only get to talk to them for a few minutes once a year or sometimes even less often. Remembering all the names is very tough. I try hard to remember, but the real problem is that I'm usually jetlagged and exhausted from working very long days leading up to the show, making recalling much more than my name and room number (which I forgot back in November and ended up pounding on some poor sods door to let me in) I'm surprised they didn't call security! So, if you see me at a show and you are not wearing a name tag, don't be hesitant to remind me of your name. Or don't be surprised if I call you guy, or chief or dude!

Too many Roys. Too many Norwegians. Mark Atrill, who can't find Norway on a map. Me, who is half Norwegian, but is not sure which half. Jens Haakon Brandal, exiled from Norway for unspecified acts. Roy Noraas, who wishes he would be exiled from Norway!

Annnnnnyway...I thought it might be interesting to share a few photos of some of the people I've befriended over the years. Some will be familiar names of people in the industry, or well known modelers, or even guys you may recognize from the various modelling website forums. I think its fun to put faces to these names. Hope you enjoy it.

This post was started over 3 weeks ago, but work and the holidays intervened. More on that later. I told myself that I'd post it before the end of the year. It's not under the wire, but its pretty dang close. Happy New Year to everyone.

Happy modelling! Roy

Tales of Telford 2010. Part 2.

The new Airfix Sea Vixen in 1/48th scale Built up on the Airfix trade stand. A very impressive model, and it shows the care in planning and design lavished on it.

Hi Guys.

The problem with a two day show is that there is so much to see and so many people to talk to, there just isn't enough time. It's worse... much worse when you are a vendor. You are torn between the desire to represent your company and talk to all of your customers face to face, and the need to get out and see the competition area, the many amazing club displays, and the other vendors and manufacturers booths.

As I said before, the Spitfire stuff was very popular and sold out early. The new decals garnered a lot of interest, especially the new Mosquito Stencil sheets in 1/72nd and 1/48th. The Sea Vixen book was also popular, especially with the imminent release of the new 1/48 Sea Vixen from Airfix. I am particularly excited about the new Airfix kit, as I had a small part in helping make the kit as accurate as it is. I gave Airfix a copy of my book last year, and they referred to it extensively during the development of the kit, which is all very thrilling to me, in a nerdy kind of way.

I was very impressed with this new kit. It was displayed in sprue form, as an unpainted build up, as well as a fully painted and assembled model at the Airfix stand. Having studied the Sea Vixen for over 20 years, I can tell you it is a very accurate looking kit. I look forward to building one.

The hall was packed with modelers and drop in visitors. There was little sign of the crappy economy at the show. Attendees were there to spend money, and spend they did! Lots of good feedback and suggestions for future products from customers were gratefully accepted and notes taken.

Also helping man the booth is my buddy Ken Kindler from Indianapolis. There were a number of modelers from the US over for the show. Make plans to attend next year. You will not regret it!

Day one of the show started winding down around 5PM. We closed down up the stand and headed back to the hotel to have a couple of beers with some friends. Later, we took a taxi to Beefeaters, a local Steakhouse in Telford. Dinner was good. We had some nice steaks, followed by desert of treacle sponge pudding. A traditional classic, it is sponge cake topped with treacle; a warm brown sweet syrup. Mighty fine. Brought back fond memories of growing up, as my dad was English.

Back to the hotel for more beers, then off to bed to try and combat the jetlag. A very busy and enjoyable day.

Happy modelling! Roy

Tales of Telford 2010. Part1

A general view of the hall we were in. While you can't see the whole thing, it gives an impression of the size. This room was one of 3. The third hall housed the cafeteria and its many tables, as well as a full scale replica of a Spitfire IX. It was actually a 1:1 scale model of sorts, complete with wonky landing gear attached at a goofy angle.

Hi Guys.

Well, I am home and recovering from the jetlag earned from crossing 8 time zones. It's a long way from Northern California to Telford, England. As you know, my plans for blogging during the show were scuttled by the amazing lack of Wi-Fi during the entire stay. How this can happen in 2010 is hard to fathom. The hotel is next to a gigantic convention center, where businessmen are constantly attending various and sundry trade shows. If this were to happen in the States, there would have been a crapstorm of angry complaints, and it would have been fixed in a matter of hours, no matter the cost. The inability to blog was a minor inconvenience for me, but for others I talked to who had business to conduct, it was a real pain in the ass. I digress.

I arrived on Friday afternoon and met up with my good friend Lee Coll, who often meets me for shows and helps me run the booth. Lee also has done some superb pattern work for Barracuda Studios. He did the lion's share of the work on the Meteor Intakes, the Sea Vixen Intakes, the Bear Props and a number of other products to be released in the near future. If you stopped by the booth at Phoenix or at Telford this year, you have met him. We met around 20 years ago through the now defunct Fleet Air Arm Special Interest Group (USA). We both have a abiding interest in RAN aircraft, especially the postwar stuff, from Sea Furies and Fireflies through Buccaneers and Phantoms, even extending to the Sea Harriers.

We headed over to the hall after checking in to see if the decals from Cartograf had arrived. They were not at the table. Not a good sign. I was told to see Paul Regan of IPMS/UK, who was very helpful (Thanks, Paul!), and gave me the good news that they had pulled them aside and locked them away for safe keeping. The package was collected and we headed back to the room. After a really good dinner with some IPMS Pittsburgh friends at a Chinese restaurant in the nearby town of Shifnal, we came back to the room, and packaged hundreds of decals until about 1:30 in the morning.

Lee Coll, of Baton Rouge helped me run the table for the show, as he has on many occasions in the past. Olga, from Russia, was running the MasterClub Models table next door. She was very nice and shared her special "tea" with us!

Up early Saturday morning for a quick breakfast in the hotel restaurant, then over to the Hall to get set up and ready for the assembled masses. Did not have time to shoot photos of the hall, but I'm sure you can find a good selection online. It's a very large building; well lit and climate controlled, with plenty of space for even this huge show. The doors opened at 9AM for IPMS members, and to the rest of the public at 10PM. Sales were brisk, and the 1/32 Spitfire cockpit sets sold out by early afternoon. I thought I had brought enough product, but obviously not.

Olga's beautiful Samovar. Instead of tea, its contents was a very nice Russian Vodka that had a name I could not pronounce, nor spell with a English Standard keyboard without the use of special keystrokes!

The new decals were well received, and are all available for sale now on the website. See earlier blog posts and the website for more information. Also new (and not yet up on the site, as production packaging has not yet been finished) are 1/48th scale small and large bore Meteor intakes for the Classic Airframe family of Meteor kits. There were released a number of years ago under the Cooper Details brand, but they were not available for long before Cooper Details went into hibernation. They're back! More on these later.

Also debuting at Telford is a new line: BarracudaMasks. The first two releases are both in 1/48th scale.

The first is a set of masks for the Airfix Canberra PR 9, including the canopy and the rest of the transparencies. There are even a couple small masks to be added to the airframe to simulate raised panels missing from the kit.

The second is a set of masks to paint the small, oddly shaped dialectric panel on the spine of the BAC Lightnings. 2 masks are included in the set. A quick and cheap time saver for your next Lightning build.

Enough for now. Part 2 to follow shortly.

Happy modelling! Roy

Post Show Report

Telford 2010. The very talented modeler and fellow cottage industry owner Radu Brinzan stops by the booth to say hello. The social aspect of model shows is one of the most enjoyable parts for me.

Hi guys.

I had the best of intentions regarding blogging every day of the show. The Holiday Inn in Telford, where we stayed,however, had other ideas. The wireless network was down for most of my stay. As a result, it was virtually impossible to post updates.

I am now visiting with my cousin Juliet, who runs a bed and breakfast in Banbury, in Oxfordshire. It is a beautiful part of the country, surrounded by sheep farms. I do not want to tie up her computer for long, so this will be a quick update. I will blog more when I get home.

The good news is that the new decals did arrive at the Convention Center on Friday. Guess what we were doing on Friday night til 1:30? If you guessed packaging decals like crazy, you are correct. The show was huge. Despite the tough economic times, the convention attendees seemed to be spending money, which is a welcome sign to us in the business.

Time to get back to spending time with the family. There is a lot to report on the show. In depth reports will follow later this week.

Happy modelling! Roy


A small taste of the organized chaos seen this year (and most every year to date) at Scale Model World 2010. This was the view from my trade stand, looking out over a sea of happy, slightly inebriated modelers!

I've gotta run. Jet lag has played havoc with my sleep schedule, and I've not slept more that 4.5 hours a day for the last 2 evenings. More soon.

Happy modelling! Roy

Live from the UK!

Hi guys.

I am blogging from Birmingham bus station, waiting for the bus to Telford.

I am here with my good friend Lee Coll, and am using his laptop to post this. The weather is about 50 degrees F and lightly raining. Typical November weather in England at this time of year.

Just a quick posting to say that we have arrived and will be heading over to the Exhibition Centre to start setting up. I will know soon if the news is good regarding the new decals. Cartograf has shipped them to the booth at the hall. If they are there, guess what we will be doing tonight? Yes.... packaging decals! We know how to party.

If you are attending the show. Please be sure to stop by and say hello.

More later.

Happy modelling! Roy

Last Two New Decal Sheets!

Details, details! This closeup shot shows a number of interesting details. Note lower nose demarcation which most profiles show incorrectly for HL-K. Note high degree of wear and exhaust staining, the tight but soft edges to the uppersurface camo, and the very matt finish usually only seen on weathered desert equipment and dried salt spray covered naval aircraft.

OK, fellow Spit lovers.

A very quick posting to let you know the 1/32nd and 1/48th Spitfire VIII decal sheets are at the printers. They should be done now and hopefully winging their way to me. The delay in printing this sheet, as discussed here in the blog before, has resulted in a more accurate sheet.

I really like this sheet, and can't wait to see it. There are two, possibly three schemes that I will have to build from it. With all my free time....

Anyway, not much new to report on these two sheets, just a heads up that they are coming very soon. Now it's back to work. So much to do before the show.

Next up on the blog: New resin releases.

Happy modelling!

Roy

Note the big changes to A58-517 "Hava Go Jo". New information, which usually surfaces when it's too late, resulted in a reworking of this subject. Previously depicted in Dark Green and Light Green camo (interesting, but complete fiction) and more recently in desert colors, but with the Middle Stone overpainted in Foliage Green (also cool looking), new research has shown that this batch of Spitfire VIIIs were delivered in standard Grey/Green camo. Thanks to Peter Malone for sharing his knowledge!

Mosquito Bytes!

The DH Mosquito NF Mk XIII on a daylight low level test hop over the English countryside. Actually a composite that I created in Photoshop featuring my 1/72 Tamiya FB VI converted to the AI MK VIII equipped night fighter

Hi Guys,

Mosquito bytes... get it? Another devastatingly clever title...as in electronic memory assigned to hold information on the wooden wonder. Ok, it is lame, but there is a payoff for suffering through it. Here is the next announcement of new product to be debuted at the Scale Modelworld 2010 on November 13th and 14th.

Mosquito stencils in 1/72nd and 1/48th scales.

Big deal, right? Well, the truth is, the kit stencils are pretty thick. No aftermarket decal sheet for the Mosquito I know of includes a full stencil suite on it. Not only that, but our sheet features an all new decal for the instrument panel that is more detailed and accurate. Placards and stencils for the TR1154 and 1155 radios, as well as the cockpit sidewalls are also included, a first in these scales. As a final touch, there is a selection of very small white stencils for use on various boxes and panels in the cockpit. Cockpit stencils are designed to fit the Tamiya Mossies, but will most likely work with any reasonably accurate kit as well.

Some external stencils are provided in both black and a proper dull red, which color used depending on the scheme carried on the aircraft to be modelled. Printed by Cartograf in Italy, the decals are thin, sharply reproduced with good color density, and features a bare minimum of clear carrier film.

Not the most thrilling decal sheet ever produced, but one that every Mosquito builder should have at least a couple examples of in his stash!


Finally, a really good set of stencils for all Mosquito variants in both 72nd and 48th scales.

As stated in other recent blog posts, these new decal sheets are NOT available yet. This is a pre-release announcement. They will be available for sale on the 13th in Telford, and on the website shortly afterward. I will post here to let you know when the sheets are available for pre-order on the website.

Happy modelling, and hope to see you at SMW 2010!

Roy

Tired of the same old Corsairs?

An early preview image of the forthcoming F4U Corsair sheet, featuring five new, never before seen F4U Corsairs.

Hi Guys.

Sorry, I know I promised a new blog post a day last week, but I have been working feverishly to get some orders filled as well as attending to the myriad details involved in getting new products to market. Even working very long days, this is the first chance I've had to sit down and post.

I am very pleased to bring you this new sheet. It's our first Corsair sheet, and features some aircraft never before represented in decal form before. Heck, most of these aircraft have never been seen before by all but the most serious F4U Corsair researchers. A nice selection of markings, with interesting noseart and one of the wildest inscriptions ever seen on an aircraft in WWII! Available in 1/48th scale only this time, it will follow shortly in the other popular scales.

Now, I must point out that these new sheets are not available yet! They are coming from the printers in a week or so, and will be available for sale for the first time at the UK Nationals on November 13 and 14. They will be up for pre-sale on the website around the same time. Go to: www.barracudacals.com


White 126 is an extremely weatherbeaten Birdcage with an inscription that took four of us many hours trying to figure out what it said. We showed it to some fresh eyes, and he saw it immediately. When he told us, it instantly became readable. Let's just say it's not very politically correct!

Two more brand new decals sheets will be announced tomorrow. OK, consider yourself blogged. It's 2:30AM and I'm off to catch some shuteye... maybe I'll ever shut them both this time.

Happy modelling!

Roy