Author
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Topic: Revell's Hornet +3 Apollo 11 Recovery model kit
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ea757grrl Member Posts: 729 From: South Carolina Registered: Jul 2006
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posted 05-16-2010 07:09 PM
The "Hornet +3" kit (the 1:530-scale Revell SCB-27A/125 Essex-class carrier, this time with Trackers, Tracers, Sea Kings and a tiny Apollo CM) is to be reissued this fall. |
RocketmanRob Member Posts: 268 From: New York City USA Registered: Mar 2005
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posted 05-16-2010 07:10 PM
Hornet +3 - now that's a kit I haven't seen since I was a kid and would be a must buy just for nostalgia's sake. |
cspg Member Posts: 6210 From: Geneva, Switzerland Registered: May 2006
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posted 05-16-2010 11:54 PM
I also built it as a kid- but only to play with the tiny airplanes (the Forrestal was great too)! It was only years later that I understood what "+3" meant! |
ea757grrl Member Posts: 729 From: South Carolina Registered: Jul 2006
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posted 10-12-2010 09:23 AM
According to e-mail correspondence I've had with Revell, the planned reissue of the Hornet + 3 kit has been canceled due to manufacturing issues. |
Henk Boshuijer Member Posts: 450 From: Netherlands Registered: May 2007
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posted 10-12-2010 04:57 PM
That would be a big disappointment. I've been looking for this Hornet model for a long time. Last December I visited this ship and I realized what a great ship this is.Are there any other Hornet models besides the Revell-version? |
ea757grrl Member Posts: 729 From: South Carolina Registered: Jul 2006
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posted 10-12-2010 06:47 PM
The only other kit of Hornet, specifically, that's available right now depicts the ship in her vastly different 1945 configuration. It's a great kit, as are all of Dragon's 1:700 Essex-class kits, but it's of the ship as built. As for the ship's current configuration, there are no kits currently available. There have been a couple of angled-deck Essex-class kits produced as resin kits (of Oriskany and Ticonderoga), but neither is suitable for Hornet. The little Lindberg kit of an angled-deck Essex, in about 1:800 or so, isn't worth dealing with. Dragon's kit of Antietam isn't suitable, since Antietam was a one-off, basically a WWII-configuration Essex with an experimental angled deck. Renwal did an angled-deck Essex in about 1:520 or so, but it's based on the Lexington/Bon Homme Richard/Shangri-La and would require a lot of work to turn into Hornet. It's also hard to find. The Revell 1:540 kit also needs a lot of work, but can be found more easily on the secondhand market (good building kits seem to average about $40 US on eBay), and best represents an SCB-27A/-125 ship. It's been issued as Essex, Yorktown, Hornet, Lexington, Wasp, Bon Homme Richard and others, but it's all the same plastic inside, just with different aircraft. But, yes, this is a great disappointment. At this point, I'm thinking my preferred route (if I don't convert the Lexington kit I have upstairs) will be to buy a set of plans and scratchbuild my own in 1:350. Still, the news from Revell sure is a disappointment -- I have so many fond memories of that kit, even though I know its many flaws, and the "Hornet + 3" had a neat anti-sub air group, just right for a late -27A ship. (And yes, Hornet is a great ship. And a lucky one, too, considering how close she came to being broken up. It meant a lot to me to see her saved, since I was peripherally involved in some of the original preservation efforts in the early '90s, and I need to go visit her again soon!) |
tetrox Member Posts: 142 From: London England Registered: Jan 2008
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posted 10-13-2010 04:15 AM
Thank you for the information regarding the available Hornet kits.As someone with virtually no knowledge regarding carriers would it be possible to expand upon the many flaws you mention and what would need to be corrected to build a reasonable Hornet model from the Revell kit and would this also apply to the similar Wasp kit? Very many thanks. |
ea757grrl Member Posts: 729 From: South Carolina Registered: Jul 2006
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posted 10-13-2010 07:51 AM
There's a lot that has to be done, but I'll give you the short version (if you want more details, especially on specific ships, feel free to e-mail me using the e-mail button above): - The hull is much too narrow and needs to be widened. There's no easy fix other than cutting the bottom of the hull off and make it a waterline model (you can really tell how narrow it is by the way the top of the escalator housing at the base of the starboard side of the island doesn't match up with the escalator housing on the starboard side of the hangar deck bulkhead).
- There's no hangar deck. Easy to fix with sheet styrene. This (and some lengths of sprue or Plastruct I-beam) will also let you fix the hull width problem, too.
- The island is about 3/16" too tall at the base. It's easy to fix, but you have to restore a lot of detail. Also, the bridge levels are sort of crude, and their configuration varied from ship to ship.
- The platforms on the stern beneath the flight deck are just flat platforms, without the enclosures you see on the real ship.
- As is typical for Revell ships of the period, the radars and railings are molded solid. Gold Medal Models makes an excellent photoetch set for the Revell box-scale carriers; it comes with a lot of valuable detail pieces, and is highly recommended.
Now, on to Wasp/Hornet-specific details (since the kit basically represents Essex circa 1956): - The curvy bow shape is roughly okay for Wasp (here's how her bow looked), but Hornet's has a different shape, flaring smoothly out and meeting a flat facing. In either case, to depict Wasp during Gemini recoveries or Hornet during Apollo recoveries, you'd have to add the stem anchor that was added during their FRAM overhauls.
- The guns are all *very* crude, and by the mid-1960s most of the Essexes were down to four 5"/38 mounts. For Hornet and Wasp, you'd also have to remove the big gun platform on the stern (as in this picture of Wasp) and delete the aft Mk 37 gun director on the island (behind Primary Flight Control). IIRC, there are no representations of the Mk 56 gun directors along the gallery deck level, either.
- The radar fit had changed drastically by the mid-1960s; you'll have to scratchbuild both the SPS-30 (the horn and reflecting dish on the platform at the top of the island) and the dome on the rear of the island (which I used to make from those bombs you got in Monogram's B-17 kits). You'll have to make the outrigger for the air search radar from plastic rod, and modify the platforms on the mast according to references. The Gold Medal Models sheet provides excellent period radar antennae. An SPS-30 (and its associated IFF on the mast) isn't too difficult to scratchbuild, since it's sort of just a bunch of basic shapes.
- Finally, the other big letdown with all the kits are the decals. Starfighter Decals makes excellent decals for specific ships, including sets for the Wasp as Gemini recovery ship and Hornet on Apollo 11.
For aftermarket parts, Starfighter Decals sells some really nice replacement bits and supplemental aircraft, and Matt Stein Models also makes replacement guns, directors and other accessories. They're well worth taking a look at. Whew! |
tetrox Member Posts: 142 From: London England Registered: Jan 2008
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posted 10-13-2010 11:46 AM
Thank you so much for your extensive reply and information/photographic links, I really do appreciate the time you have taken. |
ea757grrl Member Posts: 729 From: South Carolina Registered: Jul 2006
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posted 10-13-2010 01:59 PM
Happy to share what I've learned about these ships the last two and a half decades. Feel free to e-mail me if you need any additional details (and I'll extend that to anyone else who's interested, too). |
alexbaja Member Posts: 448 From: Naxxar, Malta Registered: Dec 2010
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posted 09-28-2011 01:56 AM
quote: Originally posted by ea757grrl: Happy to share what I've learned about these ships the last two and a half decades. Feel free to e-mail me if you need any additional details (and I'll extend that to anyone else who's interested, too).
I have recently bought one these kits on e-bay is it possible that anybody could share the colors used on this particular model.
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ea757grrl Member Posts: 729 From: South Carolina Registered: Jul 2006
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posted 09-28-2011 04:31 AM
quote: Originally posted by alexbaja: I have recently bought one these kits on e-bay is it possible that anybody could share the colors used on this particular model.
The best-looking, most easily-accessible color I've found for modern US Navy ships is a 2:1 ratio of Testors Light Ghost Gray and Testors Light Sea Gray. The Light Sea Gray gives that little hint of blue-green I've noticed in modern US warship paint. Below the waterline the hull is dark red; there's a black stripe at the waterline. The flight deck will be a slightly darker gray than the hull and island, with the angled landing area painted black with white stripes and a white/yellow centerline. This page has an overhead picture of Hornet during the recovery deployment that should help you. (Don't paint the flight deck too dark of a gray, or it won't look right.) All other decks will be dark gray. If you're so inclined, Starfighter Decals produces a nice decal sheet for this specific kit, complete with aircraft markings. The artwork captures some very nice subtleties about the ship's markings during the Apollo 11 recovery. |
alexbaja Member Posts: 448 From: Naxxar, Malta Registered: Dec 2010
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posted 09-28-2011 05:27 AM
quote: Originally posted by ea757grrl: If you're so inclined, Starfighter Decals produces a nice decal sheet for this specific kit, complete with aircraft markings. The artwork captures some very nice subtleties about the ship's markings during the Apollo 11 recovery.
You are very helpful, thanks to your suggestions I have bought the decals and also the photo etch from Gold Medal Models.I have managed to pick up lots of photos of the Apollo 11 recovery so I would like to build a diorama of this recovery. If you do have one of these models and wouldn't mind sharing a few photos of it I would greatly appreciate it, or maybe you have a link for some photos of this particular model as I have never come across any yet. |
ea757grrl Member Posts: 729 From: South Carolina Registered: Jul 2006
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posted 09-28-2011 03:37 PM
Glad to have helped. I wish I had pictures to share of one I've built, and did have plans to build one up the "right" way when the kit was scheduled to be re-released last year. But after Revell canceled the reissue when the tooling was damaged, that idea went out the window. If I can ever find another one that won't cost an arm and a leg, I may try it. |
golddog Member Posts: 210 From: australia Registered: Feb 2008
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posted 10-01-2011 05:47 PM
Off-topic model building-wise, but I visited Hornet in late 2004. Stayed looking around her till closing time and the staff offered me and Mrs. Golddog a ride on the aircraft elevator, which is still fully operative, before we left. To paraphrase Gene Cernan "What a ride!" That thing is really quick! |
tetrox Member Posts: 142 From: London England Registered: Jan 2008
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posted 02-05-2013 07:48 AM
Just a short heads up after the re-release of the Revell CV12 USS Hornet failed to materialise back in 2011.Revell AG Germany have now listed it for release in August this year. |
the clocks running Member Posts: 382 From: Rochester, NY Registered: Jan 2012
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posted 02-05-2013 10:48 AM
Thanks for the update. I want this kit! |
Henk Boshuijer Member Posts: 450 From: Netherlands Registered: May 2007
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posted 02-05-2013 04:47 PM
Great news! I can't wait to get my hands on this model. |
ea757grrl Member Posts: 729 From: South Carolina Registered: Jul 2006
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posted 02-05-2013 08:08 PM
Word has it the hull has been retooled, since that was the part of the original mold that was damaged beyond repair. I'm hoping the new hull tool incorporates some improvements and corrections. Glad to see this kit come back. |
tetrox Member Posts: 142 From: London England Registered: Jan 2008
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posted 02-07-2013 12:59 PM
I too had hoped for new tooling, though the IPMS of Germany show it as an unmodified re-issue and they are generally quite reliable. Even a new decal sheet would be a nice touch. As for the hull maybe it is duplicate tooling, certainly the USS Wasp was manufactured in Europe as well as the USA. |
ea757grrl Member Posts: 729 From: South Carolina Registered: Jul 2006
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posted 02-09-2013 05:39 AM
Most of the parts in the Hornet kit will no doubt be an unmodified reissue. The hull tool, however, developed a split along the bottom that could not be repaired in a way that would stand up under a production run. They tried numerous times but could not get a satisfactory result (molten plastic would come out through the split), and thus had to cancel the planned reissue.Now, whether Revell managed to make an effective fix to the old tool, or if a new tool was made, I'm not yet certain. It's also possible that if a new tool was cut, it could have just been a pantograph of the old hull. That would be the easiest way to do it. That said, I know (from someone I know who was contacted by Revell) that Revell did seek input from knowledgeable people on improvements and corrections to the hull. How many improvements we'll see, or what those improvements will be, we won't know until the kit arrives. As a longtime fan of this kit, but one all too familiar with its shortcomings, I'm trying to remain cautiously optimistic. |
tetrox Member Posts: 142 From: London England Registered: Jan 2008
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posted 02-09-2013 10:42 AM
Thank you, I also hope it has some improvements.I was just curious because my understanding was that the planned re-release a couple of years ago was Revell USA and this time around it is Revell Germany, both effectively being run as separate companies although I believe both are now owned by Hobbyco. What I can be sure about is that we will finally be able to take advantage of the invaluable information you provided earlier in the thread. |
tetrox Member Posts: 142 From: London England Registered: Jan 2008
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posted 08-19-2013 02:39 PM
The Revell USS Hornet is currently being released and from what I can see from various illustrations it is unmodified re-release which is a little disappointing but still very welcome.I have however noticed that later this year Revell are releasing a 1/350 limited edition USS Intrepid, which would be a very impressive display piece. Having very limited knowledge of nautical models I wonder if anyone could let me know if this illustrates the kit as it would have appeared in the 1960s and whether it is a re-release or new tooling? |
ea757grrl Member Posts: 729 From: South Carolina Registered: Jul 2006
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posted 08-19-2013 04:35 PM
While Revell's limited retooling of the Hornet kit will probably involve just the hull and not much else, I wouldn't draw too many conclusions just now from the pictures on the Wonderland Models home page. It's likely that's a built-up from an older kit done for purposes of illustration, which is a common practice (as I know, having done some of it myself).The talk of the 1:350 Essex-class kits has been flying quite a bit on the ship boards. The Boys Town link has been discussed a great deal, but the announced Revell kit will most likely be of the ship in World War II configuration. Not known if it will be a new tool or a reissue of the Trumpeter 1:350 Essex-class kit. That said, Gallery Models will be releasing a kit of USS Intrepid in her final/current configuration in 1:350 scale. That configuration will be correct for building Intrepid, Ticonderoga (Apollo 16/17/first Skylab mission recovery ship) or Hancock. You won't be able to get other ships of the class from that kit without extensive modification, as Intrepid/Ticonderoga/Hancock had a unique configuration. Similarly, the old Renwal 1:500 scale Shangri-La kit will be reissued by Revell in the Fall, but it's really suitable only for Lexington, Bon Homme Richard and Shangri-La, none of which were recovery ships. Again, you would need to perform a certain amount of surgery to represent other ships of the class beside those three. |
ea757grrl Member Posts: 729 From: South Carolina Registered: Jul 2006
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posted 09-04-2013 11:52 AM
An interesting post on the Steel Navy forum about the reissued Hornet +3 kit. Apparently, despite the efforts, the only change made was to repair the mold. It's a missed opportunity. On the other hand, those of us who know the kit know what we're getting, at least.The really intriguing news is next year's release of a 1:350 kit of USS Intrepid as modernized. This opens up possibilities for building Intrepid as a Mercury/Gemini recovery ship, or Ticonderoga (whose conversion configuration matched Intrepid's) as Apollo/Skylab recovery ship. For this, I can't wait. |
Robert Pearlman Editor Posts: 42982 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 09-04-2013 11:55 AM
quote: Originally posted by ea757grrl: This opens up possibilities...
It would be neat if someone would use the new kit to build a diorama of Enterprise being hoisted onto Intrepid's deck. |
ea757grrl Member Posts: 729 From: South Carolina Registered: Jul 2006
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posted 10-15-2013 02:38 PM
Okay, so the Revell-Germany 1:530 Hornet (officially styled on the box as "USS Hornet Apollo 11 Recovery Vessel") is now out, and the two I had on pre-order arrived today. Quick impressions:The box art is dramatic and very nicely done. It has several accuracy errors (equipment on the ship; the scene depicted is implausible for several reasons) but the artwork does its job, and that's to inspire you. The plastic looks exactly the same as the original Hornet +3 issue. In looking at the hull bottom, there's a squiggly, slightly-raised line that stretches between the two holes for the display base, and that's probably where the mold split was. The good news is, the repair was made and the tool lives on, but those of us hoping for some corrections... well, you can't win 'em all, friends. The anti-sub air wing (with S-2s that can easily be made into C-1s, some E-1 Tracers, and some SH-3s) is there, as is the little Apollo command module on its little square platform. To me the real disappointment is the decal sheet. Revell-Germany has spoiled me with its kit decal sheets, which have been the highlight of recent reissues, not only beautifully printed but also surprisingly accurate in some cases. Unfortunately, the decals supplied for the Hornet kit are a mishmash of 1950s and 1960s deck markings, with very little of it accurate for the 1969 configuration (for example, instead of the modern "runway" markings for the angled deck, there are instead three white stripes representing the style Hornet wore in yellow immediately after modernization). Fortunately, Starfighter Decals does a beautiful and accurate decal sheet for this kit, allowing you to accurately depict Hornet on the Apollo 11 recovery deployment. On the other hand, Revell's sheet does provide specific unit decals for four of the helicopters, four C-1s and two E-1s, and those will be handy. So I greet this kit with mixed emotions. I'm glad to have this childhood friend of a kit back, and I'm glad to have another shot at the Hornet issue, and the air group included with this kit is about the most desirable of all the Essex-class issues. It's also not that expensive, which is good. I commend Revell-Germany for bringing the kit back to life, but I'll be left thinking about what could have been, especially if the effort had been there on the decal sheet. Be that as it may, it's still worth buying and I hope you do. Revell-Germany deserves the thanks for taking the effort to fix the kit and bring it back to market. Even though it's old and has its bugs, I can't help loving this kit. |
alexbaja Member Posts: 448 From: Naxxar, Malta Registered: Dec 2010
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posted 04-03-2014 05:09 AM
I have commissioned Lou Carabott from Malta to build me the Revell HMS Hornet + 3 Apollo 11 recovery mission, Lou is world known for his outstanding work on model shipbuilding specialising on carriers.I will be posting pics of works in progress for this project with courtesy of my great friend Lou. This is a Facebook page of some of his works and another link of in my opinion on of his great models the USS Wasp.
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alexbaja Member Posts: 448 From: Naxxar, Malta Registered: Dec 2010
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posted 04-03-2014 08:28 AM
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ea757grrl Member Posts: 729 From: South Carolina Registered: Jul 2006
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posted 04-03-2014 08:29 AM
If any of you need reference materials to accurately represent Hornet in 1969, please send me an e-mail. I recently completed a build of this kit as Hornet on the Apollo 11 recovery, and will be happy to share what I'm able. The Revell kit is a decent starting point, but it represents a 1957-or-so configuration. |
alexbaja Member Posts: 448 From: Naxxar, Malta Registered: Dec 2010
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posted 04-03-2014 09:39 AM
Thanks very much, you are ever so helpful. Will be e-mailing you. |
Constellation One Member Posts: 119 From: Lorain, Ohio, USA Registered: Aug 2008
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posted 04-03-2014 02:48 PM
Please know that what ea757grrl built is an amazing piece representing a specific moment in history.I would HIGHLY encourage you to accept any suggestions from her! |
ea757grrl Member Posts: 729 From: South Carolina Registered: Jul 2006
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posted 04-03-2014 04:58 PM
A couple pictures of what I did with this kit:
An article on this project should be in an upcoming issue of the IPMS/USA Journal. |
alexbaja Member Posts: 448 From: Naxxar, Malta Registered: Dec 2010
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posted 04-04-2014 09:35 AM
Thanks Constellation one, yes ea757grrl was ever so helpful. She has sent me all the information she had for this build. She is a highly commended lady and I have already past on the information to Lou who will be building this model.I will be posting more pics in the near future. |
alexbaja Member Posts: 448 From: Naxxar, Malta Registered: Dec 2010
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posted 04-09-2014 05:34 AM
More pics on the modifications done to the Bow, Stern and Port side of the hanger done by Lou on the Revell USS Hornet + 3Bow before:
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alexbaja Member Posts: 448 From: Naxxar, Malta Registered: Dec 2010
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posted 04-09-2014 05:56 AM
Bow After:
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alexbaja Member Posts: 448 From: Naxxar, Malta Registered: Dec 2010
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posted 04-09-2014 08:57 AM
Stern Before:
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alexbaja Member Posts: 448 From: Naxxar, Malta Registered: Dec 2010
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posted 04-09-2014 08:58 AM
Stern After:
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alexbaja Member Posts: 448 From: Naxxar, Malta Registered: Dec 2010
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posted 04-09-2014 09:01 AM
Port side Hanger view:
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apolloprojeckt Member Posts: 1447 From: Arnhem, Netherlands Registered: Feb 2009
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posted 04-09-2014 09:35 AM
Looks great the extra details!!! |