abufletcher

I'm not even a Corsair fan, but I think that's a REALLY STUNNING model!

lightning 759

Hi Neil
Stunning pic of english electric,.s hot rod .the only jet model i would ever want

it just dont get anybetter than that
Andy

rcphotog

It breaks my heart to see my favorite thread drop from page one

...a little fun with scale models, photography ... and "photoshop"

Ken.
ps; 27 degrees (f) here in sunny Southern California!
Global warming LOL....my a#%

abufletcher

My sister's family just returned from a trip to Saint Petersburg, Russia..and it was the SAME temperature there as it was in California! But then, this was unseasonably warm for Russia.

GPutt33

My Feedback: (2)

Ken, cool pic of the Curtis Robin. My Dad remembers sitting on my Grandpa's lap and flying in one of these. That's where he got his love of flying that continued throughout his life and which has been passed on to my brother and I as well. We got to fly with him in his rebuilt Culver Cadet when we were wee ones

sebo

Jacksonville, FL.........81 yesterday, 79 today and has been that way for the last 4 days and is projected to be that way for the next 3 days........Then we are supposed to get Califorinia weather......You guys are mean.......27 degrees!!!

david polley

All,

Just getting my hat in the ring....This is my De Havilland Mosquito I spent several years working on and modifying to get her in the air....It is a CMPARFkit which needed many upgrades and modifications to make her airworthy....I hope the ARF part is not offensiveto all of you fine Scale Scratch Builders out therewho put your heart and soul into your passion intogetting it perfect....I spent almost as much time on this Kit to just trying to makeit airworthy completely re-engineering the undercarrige, dealing with CG issues,the right landing gear, theright kind of engines, and modifying the wing to make the model quit stalling on the landing approach....
I know I will neverbe a Scale Builder like most of you , but I spent nearly the same amount of time on this troubled kit finally gertting in the air (I have been working on several problems with this kit since 2006)

It does flylikea dream.....Theproblem was always trying to get it off the ground.....Ihave finally mastered that....I have a photo fromour Wings of War event held at the Greater Cincinnati Radio Control Club inSeptember of 2012....

I also have a small video of one of the first flights I had made before I had installed the cowls....
The address is


Thank you all for letting me share...

David

Chad Veich

My Feedback: (60)

Oh boy...

bokuda

My Feedback: (7)

Apparently you did not save any time getting this "ARF!" But it looks very good, certainly not like an ARF.

I think if you could get a nice quarter to the rear shot of the left side of the model, it would "cut the mustard" for this thread as it would hide the engines/mufflers and rudder pushrod.

david polley

Bokuda,

Sorry about that, I guess I misunderstood the thread...Let me see what else I have...Did not mean to step on anyones toes.....

This is about all I have that doesn't really show the engines much....



David

sebo

September 2102?? You really have fat fingers. LOL

Spuetz

Hello David,

let me ask you a question. Can you truly and honestly say that your last picture is of such quality that it might fool the viewer into believing that it shows an original, full size airplane? If not: well. There is probably a misunderstanding: there is absolutely no obligation to post pictures in this thread! This is a thread that shows scale models photographed in a way that we think it is the original airplane. Your model is not a scale model and your pictures don't even try to meet that standard.

david polley

Well Mr. Spuetrz,

As I said in in my first post I never said I was a scale builder of the magnitude of all of these expert modelers...I stated that the model was an ARF and I was not trying to hide that...Imade that very clear.......

(Yes Mr. Sebo I do have fat fingers...and that was funny...I have since corrected that...)

You sir, Iguess are above that and Ithink you need to get off of you high horse for aminute...I am you sure you are God's gift to Scale Model Building in Germany, but around here in the United States mostpeopleI am sure will see right through that and despite yourcritiicism of mylast photo, (of which I now have replaced) people around herelike reading about what other people are doing in the modeling world...

I was only sharing an experiance with an extremely difficultmodel that was notdesigned very well and was sharing what a thrill it was for me at leasttobe able toovercome so many problems with it......Iam proud of what I accomplished and I learned so very much from the experiance that some day when Ihave the money and the time to build something really special, thatit will be a pleasure to know wehave somany national andworld expert champion scalemodel builders right in my own club here in Cincinnati.....USA

I know thatthey would be more than willing to walk me through the process and help me produce a very fine, award winning, scale model that would even meet your "almighty" standards.............

It is sad that you had to put down someone else to make you feel better about yourself...Imade a mistake about what the thread was aboutand do apoligizeif I offended anyone else......Enough said......

abufletcher

David, the point of this thread isn't so much posting "what you have" but rather getting your camera and going out and MAKING a photo in which your model (even an ARF) looks like a real aircraft. This is easier done with inflight photos and your photo above fits the bill. Photos taken on the ground are much tougher. You need to get down on the ground, eliminate anything unrealistic in the environment, and just generally take a quality photo. So really this thread is more about photography than about models. Of course, the best results only come when you have both the best model AND the best photographer.

Speutz is channeling the frustration that many of us feel when time after time after time, people post photos in this thread that demonstrate a total misunderstanding of, or perhaps even disregard for, its intended purpose.

Spuetz

Hello David,

Iam very sorry that you felt put down by my statements. That was not my intention! Please accept my apology.
I have had quite a few models that wouldn't fly right to begin with, and understanding why airplanes fly - or why not for that matter - and then correcting that - how many people can say about themselves that they are able to do that? It is a great accomplishment and I do respect that. (I am still trying to get my F86 to fly right.. not quite there yet ;-) )
I also like to read about such achievements in the modeling world. In other threads I have communicated about a variety of problems and their solutions. Where would our passion be without that?
However, this thread is simply not the right place for that discussion. All I am asking of you isto respect the efforts of those who try to honour this thread, where people have tried on meanwhile over 180 pages to show true masterpieces of BOTH models ANDphotography. After all, the name of the thread is "Best Scale Photo". I do not understand what would motivate someone to post non-realistic pictures of models that he declares as non-scale in a thread with that name. But if they do, they must be prepared to earn some respectful criticism.
Also, I was of the impression that Imerely stated facts. I did not use offending terms, such as "gods gift...." or "almighty". And by the way - most posts in this thread are from the United States, not from Germany. So please leave offending comments on ones nationality out of this as well. I have the utmost respect for the many US-modelers who have shown their masterpieces of modeling AND photography here.
cool?

abufletcher

Here's a photo that I don't think I have posted before. This one's really a blast from the past. It's a scratch-built, stick-and-tissue rendition of the RAF (Royal Aircraft Factory) RE8 with a wingspan of just 32 inches! At the time I built it over 30 years ago it was the largest model I had ever built! And I have to admit that it was purely a hanger queen although I suppose in theory it could have flown as a free-flight model. I just wasn't at that time into flying models.

david polley

Mr. Spuetz,

Wellsaid.......

Itoo apoligze and understand what you are looking for...I would like the abilty to honor the thread with some very fine photographs I have of friends of mine that I know would meet the requirements of what the post is about here...Is it limited to models that have been built that only I ownor could I addphotos of others......? Again, a photo of a model that looks just like the real thing, which would include not showing the engines and mufflers, receiver antenna, if you have one, andany other attachments orhardware that is obviously not real..Is this correct...?

Ithink I can add some nice material if those rules apply...

Let me know

David

abufletcher

David, some posters (like me) only post photos of their own models. Others are pro or semi-pro photographers who post very high quality photos of other people's models (taken at various scale meets). Some do both. Some are better than others. We don't ask that anyone be perfect...just that they try.

Spuetz

Hi David,

as abufletcher said - it is more a thread about photography, really, than about scale model building. Lots of people have posted pictures that they shot, but that show other people's models. So that's perfectly ok, I guess. So go ahead - I am looking forward to them. The idea is that it lookes likea full size airplane.Obviously this can be accomplished on different levels. An ARF, shot in the air and from far away - just a speck in the sky - can be easily taken for a man-carrying original. However, that's very easy. A close-up shot of model on the ground in front of airfield buildings - a lot more difficult to be convincing. In that case, the model has to be scale down to each rivet, and the surface it is sitting on - concrete or grass - has to be of a coarseness and detail that it lookes real. Normal grass doesn't work. The grass leaves will be too big. I have contemplated shooting a model sitting on a putting green of a golf course. I have the feeling that that could work. I know of same airfields in Arizona (Prescott Love Field fore example) that are right next to golf courses - that should work...
Then the choice oflense and depth of fieldare important. Best taken in bright daylight so you can use a very high aperture which allows for a great depth of field...
I wonder how snow would work - does it come across as "non-scale"? has anyone every tried that?

Cheers, Martin

abufletcher

Or better yet photographed in the very early morning or very late afternoon and use a minipod or an improvised beanbag for that depth of field! They don't talk about Dawn Patrols for nothing! Actually some of the most realistic photos can be made with limited depth of field.

Hmm...I suppose that depends on how hard the snow is! It was a bit too powdery for me yesterday!

WinterHawke

Good afternoon, Dave

Glad to see you checking out this thread - In My Humble Opinion one of the most prestigious (and toughest) on RCU to be an active participant.

The plane your photo portrays doesn't at all need to be your own - it actually is kinda tough to do it that way, as it would mean someone else is flying your plane whilst you shoot pictures(!).

I've only managed to post a handful or so of photos on this thread, even though I shoot hundreds upon hundreds during all the events I attend. It is very difficult to attain the three main requirements this thread (and it's fans) demand:

A great scale airplane, with nothing immediately apparent to betray it being a model

A great flying site (or ground location) for the background, again with nothing out of scale to destroy the illusion.

And just as important as the plane and the background, it needs to be a pretty good photo on it's own merit - subject plane is clearly in focus in the shot, well framed and presented.

Here's a couple of shots from a few years ago that managed to not get shredded when I posted them (I didn't manage any this last year despite all the fly-ins I attended!!):




Paul LeTourneau's Skyraider, from the Balsa USA Fly-In 2009



Billy Thompson's BUSA Sopwith Pup, at the AMA Flying Site in Muncie, Hoosier Dawn Patrol 2007


Looking forward to seeing what you'll have for us to admire!!

Very best regards,

Lee McDuffee
the WinterHawke

Idigbo

Here's a few on a sunset theme. 1/4 scale Desoutter MkI, Laser 150, then a 1/4 scale De Havilland Leopard Moth, Laser 150, then an Handley Page HP42E 4 x Zenoah 22. Finally a 1/3 scale De Havilland Tiger Moth, Zenoah 62.

I think this is my favourite thread on the whole internet, thanks folks.

Ian.

Dwhart24

Ian,

Were you standing next to Neil when you took those photos? If you go 2 pages back to post 4669, you will see similar photos posted by him. And as a matter of fact, the last photo you posted of the Tiger Moth is the same photo Neil posted in post 4669. Were you flying the model and did you get that photo from Neil?

david polley

All,

Well here goes...My first attempt at getting this right...This was taken by Mike Hoffmeister of the GCRCC during our annual Air Circus at the Butler County regional Airport in Hamilton Ohio. We have beenputting on the Air Circus for 52 years now...The B-29model was scratch built by PaulConrad in 1996and it has a 12 foot wingspan...The model also carries the X-1 rocket as we simulate breaking the sound barrier druing this event...

How is this for starters....

Idigbo

Dwhart, Neil did in fact take the Tiger shot. I didn't take any of the pics since I was busy flying my models. Neil knows how much I appreciate his pics and I do praise him greatly for any I show. I have however overlooked the praise in this instance. I also thank the other photographers, their moms, pops and offspring for any pics I haven't given due credit to.


Heres a couple I did take of my 35" span Borel Monoplane, whilst flying the model too, talk about multi tasking!! Crap pics, I'll leave the photography to those who can!!

Ian.