Thanks for your feedback, guys! Glad to hear, that you like what you see here 
Joel, good eyes! But the step is really tiny and not worth to reapir. It’s more the gap, that makes it noticable. But in the end it will not be seen, I’m sure … 
Concerning our expo, it was the first in a new hall. We have rented half of it and paid 800 €uros for the weekend all inclusive. We had built up 132 tables and during the weekend we noticed that we could use up to 150 tables. So my table plan for 2023 has now 141 tables with a few for backup. As usual I had 2 tables for my models but nearly no time to really see the show and take photos because there was so much to do in the 2 days. But it was a successful show. New on my table was only the Chipmunk in the foreground, everything else are older models I’ve shown elsewhere but not here. My next show will be in August in Switzerland …
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Wow, that sounds like a steal. We have paid more for only 8 hrs for a facility and that was the cheapest around. It also happened to be the best choice with regards to the amenities needed.
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Thanks Ryan!
Until 2019 we had our expo in an other, smaller hall and paid 650 €uros. But that hall is under renovation now and we had to look for something else and found this multipurpose hall by accident. Mainly sport events happen there. We wanted to go there first in 2020 but something unexpected happened … 
Here we rented only 50 % of the hall. A curtain divides in the middle. We are quite happy about this find and hope we can stay there for the next years …
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Torsten,
sounds like your club had a great show. That’s some impressive display of your builds.
joel
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Thanks Joel! Very kind!
Yes, I think everyone of us exhibitors had a great time at the show.
The instrument panels are done now. For KH680 I have used the PE parts (12 pieces), because it will get the open cockpit. KH716 will have a closed cockpit, so I just dry brushed the intruments with a tiny bit of White …
… and completed …
Here you can see how useless all the PE parts on the IP are. You just can’t see them, even with a flash …
… only when my work bench illuminates the cockpit directly there can be seen a bit of the IP …
… same on KH716 …
… for comparison the instrument panel in a Bf 109 …
… and in the original Mersu …
Torsten 
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Torsten,
Both IPs look plenty good enough. Agreed that the amount of PE one can add to a cockpit including 1/24 scale race cars far exceeds what the viewer can actually see once the cockpit is closed up.
joel
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Pity so little will be seen as they look great.
When etch first came out, I was as captivated as everyone else with the thought of the detail it can add. Over the years I have become more and more selective on etch for my armour builds, as once painted a lot of it is barely noticeable.
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You’re right, Joel and Peter! That’s why I’m not a big fan of PE parts and try to keep them to a minimum during a build. I would never buy extra PE parts and use only the ones which come with the kit.
In the past few days I’ve done some small progress on the Mustangs. Have added some more parts (not all yet) and did some masking and preparations for painting. The canopies are now masked and added to the cockpits. Mask is Eduard EX740 and Fine Line Gold Tape. While KH716 got the full load of Micro Kristal Klear, KH680 got only a few drops of Ponal White Glue on the sliding part …
… some tiny masking on the formation lights, here on KH716 …
… tail wheel bay is also masked and filled with a bit of a sponge. The underside of KH680 will be Medium Sea Grey later …
… the wheel bays are filled with wet kitchen paper. I’m sure I have to do some paint corrections in the end though … 
… I’ll add the landing flaps tomorrow after the paper has dried and will prepare some more parts for painting. Hope to throw primer on the ponies in the next days. Stay tuned …
Torsten 
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The ponies are galloping along nicely…
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Thanks Peter!
Finally paint!
First I’ve cleaned the complete builds again with methylated spirit and then KH680 got white primer. This morning I sprayed Yellow (Revell 310) for the anti glare panel, canopy frame and propeller spinner and Sky (Revell 59) for the fuselage band. Now follows again some masking …
… KH716 has got black primer though the wings still need some paint. But first I’ll mask the anti glare panel. Here I have used Satin Black (Revell 301) …
… also this morning I painted the side rudder of KH716 with Sky Blue (Gunze H25). It’s very glossy so I see what I can do later to get it a bit dull in the end …
After masking the next step is Medium Sea Grey for KH680.
Have a nice Sunday!
Torsten
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Despite the warm summer weather here in the Southwest (36°C = 97°F), I also spend a good amount of time working on the Mustangs. While KH716 didn’t need a lot of masking before painting it was a bit more on KH680 …
…I hope I have not forgotten something so the Flying Maple Leaf is slowly getting there … Here fresh from the paint bench this afternoon I have used Vallejo 71273 Ocean Grey for the first camo. I forgot to take a photo of Medium Sea Grey (Vallejo 71307) before masking, sorry …
Next step now is Dark Green in the next days. Silver on KH716 is Revell Aqua 90, the same as on my F-80 Shooting Star.
Torsten
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Just finished a bit more. Both props are ready for action. They are both Aeroproducts Propellers as I found out in the instruction. So far I only knew Curtiss Electric and Hamilton Standard. Well, somehow you never stop learning …
More to follow soon. Stay tuned!
Torsten
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So, after quite a session today I have airbrushed RAF Dark Green (Vallejo 71324) on KH680. Originally I had planned for 2 or 3 sessions but it went so well that I decided to spray it all at once. Though I have just noticed that I have to go over it again in some parts because the paint came on a bit “cloudy”. The paint is quite transparent as most other Greens from Vallejo. I’ll do that tomorrow. Shouldn’t take that long.
BUT … BUT I noticed that I have forgotten the yellow markings on the leading edges! 
See arrows. I should have done that earlier but it seems I haven’t studied the painting instructions careful enough in the beginning. So after I have finished Dark Green there will be another masking orgy … 
Next update follows soon …
Torsten
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Torsten,
Usually we’re also in the mid to high 80s by now, and a few 90+ days thrown in just for the fun of it. But this year has been the complete opposite. Most days are in the mid 70’s with an occasional mid to high 80’s. Just two 90+ days so far, and the last one was just one day then the next day barely got into the 70’s. We’re certainly loving it, but it can’t last forever, or can it?
Both Mustangs are really coming along quite nicely. I’m more partial to the Aluminum finish but the Cameo paint scheme certainly looks up to your usual standards.
As for the Yellow markings on the leading edges, at least it just has to cover the Gray. Much easier then trying to cover the Green as well.
joel
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Thanks for the kind words, Joel!
Today I went over the green parts of KH680 again and also did some repairs with Ocean Grey, were the green overspray was a bit too much. So I can start with masking for the yellow stripes in the next days. Will also start with the landing gears now, at least for KH716.
A bit off topic. Temperatures here have “cooled down” a little to the high 20s (Celsius) but forcast for the weekend is again in the high 30s. But before that it will rain down a lot which is not only needed but also much welcomed, especially in the area west of Berlin where we had already some bigger forest fires. Not only fire fighters are there, the Berlin Police sent some water throwers and the Bundeswehr helps with ARV tanks and helicopters. The fire season here starts earlier each year …
Here a 10 minutes video from yesterday
[BUNDESWEHR MIT PANZER & WALDBRAND-TLF] 1.000 EINSATZKRÄFTE IM KAMPF GEGEN WALDBRAND | BRANDENBURG - YouTube
and another 8 minutes
[WALDBRAND WIRD ZUR KATASTROPHE] HUBSCHRAUBER DER BUNDESWEHR IM EINSATZ | GROSSFEUER | BRANDENBURG - YouTube
Torsten
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I finally did the masking for the yellow stripes on the leading edges of KH680 and painted them today.
Step 1 …
Step 2 … 
… et voilà!
Most masks have fallen and I’m quite happy with my work. Some minor touch ups here and there but nothing serious …
… in the meantime KH716 stands on its wheels already. It’s some fiddly work because the location holes for the gear are very small, so it needs a few hours before the glue has dried thoroughly …
I’ll do the same on KH680 later, so that the landing gear is stable tomorrow.
Have all a nice weekend!
Torsten
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Coming along very nicely Torsten. You certainly don’t miss noticing the yellow do you!
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Torsten,
I watched both videos, and if I didn’t know better I’d have thought that the forest fire season has started in California already. About 25 years ago we actually had one here on Long Island in the Suffolk County Pine barrens. By our standards it was huge, and the fire line actually got to a 1/2 mile of so from my store in Rocky Point. Not something I’d like to have to deal with on a yearly basis for sure.
Excellent job on those leading edge yellow bands. And it’s nice to see KH716 standing proud on it’s legs.
joel
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Thanks for your feedback, guys! Much appreciated!
Yes, you sure can’t miss the yellow bird, Peter! Somehow it remembers me of this fella … 
Anyway, there’s not much missing to the ponies now … The props will get a drop of glue in the end. Please note also the different exhaust stacks.
I hope to do the paint corrections on both tomorrow and carry on with Bodenglänzer later next week. Only KH680 will get the floor finish. KH716 will get the decals directly on Silver and I hope to achieve nearly the same result as on the F-80 Shooting Star …
Oh, before I forget. Would bombs be okay for KH716? I think I read that No. 3 Sqn RAAF also flew fighter bomber missions. Bombs are included in the kit but not required for this build.
Have a nice week!
Torsten
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