Reich Defenders IV Group Build: Strike From Above

Nice to see this up Mike. I'm pretty clear on the rules, but how about a D-5 stuka in '44 markings? I have one in the stash but not sure when I'll get to starting on it here. Darn group builds comittments..lol!...or better yet, darn work comittments.. I take it anything in '43 markings would be alittle out of the theme?

To right i am in. I have just finished the Academy Ju 87G-1, but i know i have other kits to choise from. Not sure what i will build yet, got a pretty full bench this ye but will deffinatly sort something out.

Mike, did you mean the G-2 rather than G-1. I have the Fujimi G-1 as well and that doesn't have the markings for Rudel's bird.

I cannot commit at this time, we'll see what the future holds.

Hi all, welcome to the build!

Nathan T -- ideally anything post-Overlord would count as Defense of the Reich, but by '43 things were turning against Germany, the invasion through Italy was well underway and the disaster at Kursk saw them lose the initiative in the east and go on the defensive, so potentially 1943 could be counted. A D-5 in '44 markings would be a definite yes.

Bish -- you're absolutely right, it's a G-2, sorry about that. Yep, there's plenty of time to sort out a project, just let me have the details when you've decided.

ww2_psycho -- no worries, if you fancy comign aboard at any point, just let me know.

Cheers,

Mike/TB379

Look forward to seeing that. I originally got the Fujimi G-1 and G-2. But then replaced them with the Academy kits. As a big Rudel fan, i can't wait to ssee your build. I plan on doing his G-2 as well at some point.

Would German what if aircraft count, just so i know how many kits i have to consider.

Sign me up Mike, I'll let you know in a little while what it will be.

Cheers

Tony

You got it! M

Bish -- yes, I have the Academy kit lined up as well, including Eduard masks, I might slip that one in too, you never know... A what-if? I see no reason why not, I have no grounded objection to speculation, and Germany came up with so many experimental and proposed concepts it would be impossible to catalog them... So go for it, it's all about fun!

Cheers, Mike

The Academy G-1 is a nice kit, i used the eduard mask's and they were very useful with that type of canopy. Look forward to seeing yours, i have a massive soft spot for Stuka's.

I just got a kit today that in got on E-bay. Its an Me 262 variant that i have wanted for ages and only recently found out had ever been produced in 72nd. Its the MPM Me 262A-2a/U2, the one with the bomb aimer in the front. So i will probably do that one.

Bish -- I have that one somewhere in my stash, I remember it being a most unusual piece -- great, shall I go ahead and list that one as your project?

TB379

Ye, deffinatly. It looks a pretty nice kit. I am going to add an Aires resin cockpit, but i think that will be it.

Done! I'm getting the itch to cut sprue already myself...

This sounds interesting. The only problem is I don't have anything Axis.Unlike most fellow modelers, I don't have a stash of kits. I built or am building everything I bought. Ya'll should see the basement of my local hobby shop. I bet he has literally 20 tons of kits and all kinds of spare parts and such down there. The first time I went down there, I thought I died and went to heaven.

All I can say right now is I might possibly sign on.

Okay, mandatory box art shot to start the ball rolling:

Greentracker98 -- I can understand the sense of going to kit heaven when you encounter a motherload like that! No worries, the build runs a year, if you fancy coming aboard with an Axis ground attacker, you're more than welcome to sign up at any time.

Cheers, Mike/TB379

Nice stuka there Mike. Bish has set the bar pretty high here in the 1/72 scale Stuka world. Looking forward to this.

Mike - That box art makes me want to start one of those Stukas too.  I'm thinking that I might build the Tamiya 1/72 Henschel 129B-2. It will depend on whether I can find a decal option in the kit or on a decal sheet that fits this GB. For the moment, put me down for that, and I'll investigate the options that I have. Just for my understanding, does defence of the Reich mean defence of Germany or defence of any country that they had occupied ?

Bish - I really like the different versions of the 262, I'll look forward to your build, and also to acquiring that kit myself. Hurry up with it man !

Cheers

Tony

Hi Tony -- I would rate "the Reich" for our purposes as including the occupied territories -- the factories and manpower of those regions were utilised to support the war effort and Allied advances through those territories cumulatively eroded the power of the Third Reich.

Okay, will list your kit at this time -- I think it's an Italeri rebox, yes???

Cheers, Mike

Hi Mike,

Yep, I'm pretty sure it is an Italeri re-box.

Cheers

Tony

Thnaks for that comment Nathan. I just hope i can carry it on with my future builds.

Tony, those Fujimi box arts are very nice. I have quite a few of their Ju 87 kits, and they all have similar boxe's. I rather like unusal aircraft and variants. For the Me 262 RD GB i built the C-1a. And last night i won an MPM A-1a/U3 recon variant, anotehr kit i didn't realise anyone had ever done in this scale. Keep an eye out on E-Bay for the bomber version. There was one on there from the US a couple of months ago but i didn't win that, but they seem to be coming up every to often, and they don't go for that high a price. It will be a few months before i start on mine though.

I have the Itaerli 129B-2, so will be looking forward to your build.

Hi all, here's something to whet your appetite, a parts layout shot of Rudel's bird:

I'm thinking of getting the dark gray into the cockpit today, then I can go through a large part of the assembly. i have an order in for both a mask set and some paints at this time.

Cheers, Mike/TB379

Nice, looking forward to seeing how your going to tackle the yellow wing markings. I was thinking about painting mine on when i get to it.

Mike, would i be right in thinking the end date for this is end of Jan next year.

Bish -- yes, I'm thinking about painting them, I have 04 on my order list. Fujimi supply them as decals but the paint option seems preferable if practical.

Yep, January 31st next year -- I'll say that clearly at the next update of p1.

Oh, got the 66 onto the interior parts, and am doing a bit of detail work now...

Cheers, Mike/TB379

The Academy kit has decals for that as well. But i just don't trust yellow decals on such a dark background.

Good point, it's inviting a strikethrough situation. I've painted the 04 on previous projects, such as a Fw 190 F-8, and I have a Bf 109 F in Werner Molders' markings, with five yellow areas, in progress. I would have finished it long ago except I had a situation with bluetac used for soft masking and have not yet been able to clean away the goop on one side...

M/TB379

Hey all-I'd like to join this party but it might be a few months before I get started.

Unless something changes, I'll be working on a 1/48 Fw 190F-8...Hasegawa kit.

Welcome aboard, Bob, will update p1!

Hi guys, here's a small progress report. The Fujimi kit has very little cockpit detail, so I started with dark grey (all Tamiya Acrylics), drybrushed with silver, used redbrown for the leather areas, and applied the instrument decal over the panel. The instruments are in raised relief but too low to drybrush without a bit of luck. I used satincoat on the panel first and it took about five rounds of MicroSol to get the decal to pull into the surface. Future was applied to create lenses.

The only detail I have added is harness from slivers of tape, painted Deck Tan.

I'll paint the sight pad as leather and get some grey on the back of the panel as it's exposed in the coambing, then I can bring the fuselage together.

I assembled one of the canons and while the fit is okay the sprue gates are so heavy that cutting the parts free snapped the barrel of each half. I had a look for metal replacements but have not found them in this scale yet. The repair is straight but far from invisible...

Cheers, Mike/TB379

Nice start Mike. As far as i know there are no 72nd barrels for this, i couldn't gind any. I think you have two options. You could get the Aires resin guns. They are meant for the Academy kit, but would also work on this. Or i can send you the guns off my Academy kit as i didn't use them. The sprue attachments are pretty fine and should cut ok.