Going for broke! Revell 1/32 Arado 196 A3

 Well, all the seams have been taking care of.

Even using the liquid plastic, it'll still take about a day to dry completely and let me work on it. I like using the liquid plastic because once dry, it sands at the same rate as the plastic that surrounds it.

The instruction's next steps are all related to wing building. I think I'll skip around a bit and go for the engine next though.That looks like there could be a lot of detail work added to it.

Great tip James!

I'll keep it in mind when painting begins.

I you are going the repair patches I suggest that you lighten the overall paint slightly then use the proper colour that way your repair will look newer with the slightly darker paint on it.

James

OK.

I've let the fuselage dry for a whole day since I closed it up. Time to work on the seams. I hate seams, truly despise them.

This kit has a lot of seams. Besides the usual top and bottom ones, it has seams the work their way around the wing roots as well. The main reasons I hate seams is because I lose detail when sanding and because a scriber is useless in my hands. I realize I won't be mastering either skill during this build but I have to at least be competent.

To avoid work, I tried to be very careful when I glued the fuselage half's together. I held parts together and used Tenax or  Tamiya very thin. I slight separated the parts, pushed them back together a few times and added glues as needed, until I got a bit of melted plastic squeezing out of the seam when held together for the last time.

I used clamps where I could to make sure I good a got weld. On some parts it wasn't possible to do so and on some I couldn't get the goo to squeeze out so I guess I'll have to use filler on those. I made a bit of "liquid plastic" to use as a filler with Tamiya very thin glue and some plastic from sprues from this same kit.

 This airplane's fuselage has parts that are covered in metal sheet and others covered with canvas. I will be covering the metal parts with bare metal foil and wine bottle lead before painting. I'll be adding repair patches on both before painting.  I realize the paint will have to have a different texture on each.

Shawn M.

great work, makes me want to start on mine!

Thanks Shawn. Well worth it, a very nice and fun kit all around. 

snapdragonxxx

Yes it is possible. Quite a few builds have shown this way. All you do is just follow the instructions for wing folded on one side and extended on the other. they are independant of each other.

Like this

http://www.hyperscale.com/2010/galleries/arado196a332dw_1.htm

Should give you some ideas.

 

James

Thanks again! Great linky!

great work, makes me want to start on mine!

Yes it is possible. Quite a few builds have shown this way. All you do is just follow the instructions for wing folded on one side and extended on the other. they are independant of each other.

Like this

http://www.hyperscale.com/2010/galleries/arado196a332dw_1.htm

Should give you some ideas.

James

James,

Thanks very much for the color luftwaffe colkors and they will be a huge help! Also, thanksfor the photos of your wonderful finished build.

Since you have the experioence with this kit, do you think it would be possible to build mine with one extended wing and the other still folded?  

A Critque? Outstanding my son!!!!!!!!

This should help you further

100% match luftwaffe paints from original unfaded paint chips

/forums/t/138929.aspx

My own Arado painted up using the list above.

THe list has since been updated with some new colours.

Hope this helps.

James

 All right!

I got three thinner gauge wires and managed to braid them together. Thank you for this wonderful suggestion! I think it'll work in other applications as well, like armor.

Here they are in place. Still not perfect but I like it much better than the red and green wire I had installed there initially.

And here's the end results. The wires will never be seen again. Well, at least I know they're in there and I learned something new. Thanks guys!

I have to say that I've really enjoyed the fit of this kit. Every thing goes into place very well. The Revell 1/32 BAE Hawk I recently finished was pretty decent but the fit on this Arado is much better. 

Thanks very much Bill.

Got busy last night braiding thin wires for the panel.

Didn't go very well but I'll keep trying this afternoon when I get back from work. With the little I did get done, it does look a lot more "scale like". Considered not doing it at all since it won't be seen but on second thought, will continue the wiring process until I get it right.

Hi Dan,,,  haven't checked in for a while,,,  you are putting loads of talent into this build..  very nice indeed.    Everything looks great...    Even though you say you have not built much armor or aircraft, your expertise certainly does cross-over.          Wonderful work.

I also agree,,,  enjoy the ride    as you have noted         (I also carry that as my tag line)

Will keep watching........

Bill

Thank you very much Wingnut and thanks for your kind decal offer!

I honestly don't have much aircraft modeling experience, aside from ruining well over a dozen airplane kits now. I did however model cars for about six years and even won a few contests at that. Afterward, I took a five year break.

Armor and aircraft  are still pretty new to me though but I've been having a blast learning the new techniques for the last year or two. I've picked up many tips here on the forums and feel that I'm finally getting proficient enough that my airplane builds won't end up on the waste basket, even though they are still very far from being contest quality.

I realize I still have a million things to learn and perfect but don't see it as a definitive finish line on the horizon. It's more of enjoy the road and the ride while you're on it. 

Electric Blues

Not so good at airplanes huh?

Need some critque huh?

Need some help do ya?

OK then here's a crtique for ya... Damn nice work!  Makiin' me want to build mine.

I probably have some swastikas in the box I can send you.  When you decide on a scheme just let me know the style you need and I'll take a look.

Thanks guys!

I don't think the panel wiring will be visible once it's closed up but the braided wires suggestion sounds great so I'm going to do that before I close up the fuselage. I'll post pictures of the results before closing it up as well.

Now I have to decide what color the inside of the fuselage will be so that it's correct but a shade that will let the inside structure stand out visibly.

Here's some progress shots. The purple smudge on the seat isn't there. It's probably just a reflection of the camera lens.

Electric Blues

No critique?

Honestly it's a bit hard to critique the quality at this point - you're doing a pretty bang-up job!

But since you've asked for it, I will point out that the wiring coming off the back of the IP seems a bit oversized for the scale. Particularly the red wire.

One thing you may want to consider is taking several strands of very small gauge wire and twisting them together to look like the wires have been braided. 

great work on the cockpit! it turned out great, washes, drybrushing, looks like it all came out real well. I dont' build in 1 32 but i'd say you nailed the pit. Japanese markings look interesting

Nathan

Repairs? Patches? Hmmmm, that's a really good idea. Maybe I could try and add a bit of that into this build?

While I build, I'm also thinking of the final paint scheme. Go German as the box art suggests or possibly a Japanese version?

Yup, firewall is what its called. Occasionally you hear about pilots "Firewalling" the throttles. means slamming it up as far as it will go. Aircraft have both firewalls and bulkheads. Firewalls usually around engines (like in cars) bulkheads usually behind the crew compartment separating the fuselage.

As for the bump on the seat, didnt even notice it. When you pointed it out i looked at it and thought it looked like an armour plate repair job.

Thank you kindly Scorpio.

I have no idea where that small bump on the top edge of the seat came from but I've gotten rid of it now. Another thing I'll keep in mind for the next build is that I should have sanded down the top edge of the seat so that it would have been thiner and more to scale. Too late now though, I'd screw everything up if I tried to pull the seat out now.

I'm working on the fire wall now. Is that what it's called. Fire wall? Just like on cars?

Im just watching with interest. How can i critique something thats better than i could do?

No critique?

OK, I'll continue on then. First, correct a few mistakes I've noticed and then move forward.

Thanks!

I managed to file off the ones on the back seat. Here's a few shots of where I am now. It's up to step 8 in the instructions. I tried wiring the control panel and hand painted it, used PE seat belts for the first time, used clear blue on the sights since it was invisible in transparent. Didn't use correct gauge wire it looks like but left it since it won't be able to be seen on finished model.

Used salt technique on cockpit floor. Dry brushed some of the structure due to wear and tear. Added a hint of rust since the was a sea plane and no matter how good the maintenance was, I imagined there had to be a least a little rust in it.

Going to have to stop for a couple of days, I'll be leaving on a business trip.

The best way to remove the molded-in seat belts is to use a Dremel tool with a decent grinding bit, and just grind off a little at a time. Once you're satisfied with it, use a small polishing bit in your Dremel tool, and smooth out the plastic. It's easier than it sounds. Just be careful, and do a little at a time, so you don't grind away too much plastic. 

Here's step 1 of the instructions finished. I'll be adding the PE belts next. The instructions say I should eliminate the molded in belts first but I have no way of doing that and for me at least, it would be a good way to screw up the seats. What do you think about that?

.

Looking forward to this build! This one is on my " to buy" list.

After studying photos on the internet, these will be the colors (with a few mixes) that I will be using for the interiors.

Here are the pieces for step 1 in the instructions. All flash and detachment points have been cleaned up and sanded.

Painting them on is a good option. If not, I have some decal paper around.