My rendition of "Macky" Steinhoff's 109G-2 is now complete. It was an enjoyable build overall, similar to the other two Eduard Gustav's I've built. Everything was OOB except the decals (Pössum Werks) and the pitot tube, which was made from 0.4 and 0.6mm brass tubing. All main camo paints were Mr. Color lacquers, which has now become my favorite for main camo coloring. MRP is a close second at this point.
Since the last update, the decals went on with no issues and really looked good after another thin gloss coat.
For a change of pace, I decided to do a full Flory wash on the entire model this time rather than my usual panel lines only. I used gray on the underside and dark dirt on top. The wash exposed the all of the lovely Eduard rivet detail, which is nice on this kit. It added some visual interest at the minor expense of some realism.
The final flat coat was Alclad II 50% matte and 50% flat. I usually use matte to bring out a slight sheen but the photos of the hardworking airframe don't show a hint of a reflection. Alclad flat is "dead" flat, which is too flat for the scale IMO so I mixed the two and am happy with the outcome. I buffed and sanded the flat coat with abrasive pads and cloths til smooth.
Tamiya brown/black mix was next for panel lines, giving extra attention to the engine and exhaust areas. The photos indicated heavy exhaust staining, which was recreated using the black/brown mix along with various black and brown shaded areas.
Prismacolor pencils were used for chips and scratches.
In general, more weathering than usual was applied to this build to reflect the grubbiness in the photos. Being in airfields near the front in southern Russia in the summer of 1942, it's likely the unit struggled to find time to keep the machines clean.
Overall, I'm happy with the build. When looking at the model, the dot treatment on the cowl really tones down the bright yellow, which I believe was the intended effect. Thanks for looking and enjoy the photos.
