SS -- you should be licensed as a Focke-Wulf assembly plant! This is the most concerted production line modelling I think I've ever seen, and to such excellent standard too! This will be a magnificent schwarm -- how about a flightline or hanger diorama to display them all???
I'm calling the Ta-152 done. It's been an education building a state-of-the-art kit from 25 years ago because Trimaster, for all the praise they have had over the years, and their near legendary status, had to start somewhere, and this kit was in many ways a let-down. I certainly hope Hobby Boss do the H-series planes as well as the -C series, because they will be a breeze to build in comparison to this one, which in essence fought me to the end, with dodgy decals, sloppy fit, vague instructions and so forth. There are a number of parts missing because either there are no locators for them or the instructions do not make positioning clear, or the part was simply impossible to remove from the sprue without breaking it. One of the main gear actuators went that way. There is a missing antenna under the fuselage, because there was no locator hole for it, nor did the plans mention to drill one at a time when it would have been practical. Lining up the main gear was a case of superglue and prayer, and the main shocks were moulded in the fully open position, giving the plane a serious nose-up stance -- however if the shocks had been moulded to represent weight, the moraine antenna would not have cleared the ground!
I decided it was finished today, I had no more time to invest in this project -- I skipped wash detailing the main gear and door interiors, which perhaps I should not have... I also skipped the loading decals for the outside of the doors, because I've seen Green 1 depicted without them, or with the loading data for the Dora-9, and Italeri have provided a visibly different decal, which is too large for the area! I also skipped the antenna wire, if one day I'm feeling masochistic I'll go back and rig one! The canopy, although a poor fit, does not want to budge, so I'll leave it where it is.
I was restrained with pigment work and metal dry brushing, so the plane is represented not long after work-up. Without further ado, here's the pics:
Not completed to the degree I might have liked, but I know when a kit fights and to what extent it's worth engaging in battle -- and while this one would not get by a judge's eye, it looks pretty good in the display case if I say so myself. I hope you like it, and all comments are welcome.
Now, with SS building a squadron more, the least I can do is complete the Hobby Boss D-9 in Rudel's markings, and maybe even throw in a 1:72 Academy A-5 I started way back for Reich Defenders III -- nit necessarily officially! I'll get the A-8 to the finish post as the decal issues are solved -- hopefully soon!
Cheers, Mike/TB379