Greg, Lawdog, Thank you very much.

You did an outstanding job on this, Steve.

The aircraft looks great and it's really complimented by your great base and I'm jealous of your figure painting. You really stuck with them and they came out great.

Nice of Aleksander to notice and point out the gear doors. I missed them too and she really does look better now.

This was a good and informative WIP, thanks for posting it.

Aleksander,

There is no need to be concerned about that. I thank you for it. It was a stupid mistake and an easy fix. I would far rather have found out through someone on the forums than have a judge point it out at a contest. 

Just continue to find errors so I/we and fix them. I don't want an inaccurate build on my shelf.

She looks great! 

I didn't even notice the gear doors before. 

Thanks BK!

Excellent, Steve; simply stunning. I love it!!!  

BK

OK, this is better. Now I can call it done. Thank you for following along like I said it was an enjoyable kit and would eventually like to add the Italeri C.205 to go next to it.

M. Brindos

I didn't even notice that.  ':/

 

Right?? I didn't notice them either until Alexsander pointed them out.

I didn't mean to miss you Mopar. Thank you.

Mississippivol, Thank you too.

I didn't even notice that.  ':/

Thanks Gam and Mike,

Those reversed gear doors are really bothering me though. I'm going to have to fix them before the canopy come in.  I'll probably work on those tomorrow when I  get home after mowing the yard.

Well done!! That all came together very nicely, Steve. Im a little envious though, bases are not my strong suit lol.

Beautiful job there Steve! Love the Macchi and the figures ain't half bad either!

Excellent build!  Ive enjoyed watching this one.  I have the new Eduard/Hasegawa kit in my stash so I might have to dig in to it.

BK, Scott, Tigerman,

Thank you, I'm looking forward to the Airfix kit, then I have a Hase Kate right after that.

That's beautiful. Love the paintjob. lookig forward to that Kate one day.

Aleksander

didn't you glue the undercarriage covers backwards?

It sure looks like it . I think I can fix it easely enough though. I'll fix them when I replace the canopy. Thanks for pointing that out.

Great looking Folgore - I like the splinter camo!

But... didn't you glue the undercarriage covers backwards?

Hope you can mend it easily!

Cheers!

Boy Steve,

You really did a swell job there, and while juggling other projects and airbrush problems.  I sure do look forward to your builds.

Scott

Beautiful, Steve. Excellent finish, I love it. 

BK

Thanks Brit.

Well I'm done with it. I will replace the canopy when It comes in.
This was a nice kit, typical Hasegawa, good fit, nice detail, not overly engineered. 

The base isn't a good as I would like but that's another area I need to get better at.

Anyway here it is. The Macchi C.202 Folgore.

Steve

Just catching up to all of this Steve. It's been hard for me to carve out time for much other than family and work lately. Sorry to hear the sad news in your family. 

You're Italian bird is coming along. The markings and decals have her looking sharp! =] I do enjoy Mediterranean paint schemes. You're convincing me to knock those builds up a few notches and not wait so long. Looking forward to the finish.

Thank you Toshi and Chris.

I was adding the canopy and antenna wires last night and while attaching the cable that holds the canopy open (made from stretched sprue) the clear plastic was marred by the tiny bit of accelerator I applied (I had thought better of it but went ahead anyway). I ordered a new one from Hasegawa which will take several weeks to arrive however I can also remove it and try to polish it out. Just goes to show you have to be on your guard all the way to the last. I want to show it at an upcoming IPMS contest in the Italian category. I still have time to receive the new one and install it if it comes to that however.

I also started on the base last night and it was still drying this morning. Not much to it though just sand. I'll look around in the parts box and see if I have some items of interest to put on it IE 50gal Drum, create etc.

Beautiful work Steve.

Chris

This is looking really fantastic!

Toshi

Lol thats just like my list, but with way more in que. Lol!

Yeah, I had to. Take a look at what on my bench and in que. Too many kit too little time....and room.

Did you pass it up? Lol

I had my eye on a 205, but the Cr.42 is still calling me. I just have to wait for the right opportunity. :)

Thanks guys. I saw our local HS has the Italeri Macchi 205. I really had a hard time passing it up this time.

Yeah! Looking awesome! The base and figures are going to bring it to life. :)

Looking good there Steve, very nice.

BK

Looking good there MC! You're in the home stretch now it looks like.

I'm almost done with the Folgore. I need to complete the canopy and then work on the base, but here it is so far.

I found several Cr.42's by Italeri on Amazon. Prices are... interesting.

I think I'll wait a little longer. 

M. Brindos

That Cr.32 is really nice. Where did you find that one?

eBay LOL, for a song. Sad thing is I thought I orderd the Falco LOL. When it arived I checked the listing again and yep, I made a boo boo.

Yes. Yes it did. They look great!

That Cr.32 is really nice. Where did you find that one?

Italeri does make one. I put the 1/48 on my wishlist.

I purchased and airbrushed MM flat lacquer. I think it flattened the look some.

Thanks, MC. Looks like I'm limited to 1/72. I think the last one I built was a Matchbox kit. Think I'll look for the Italleri this time.

Thanks again!

Steve, so sorry to hear about your BIL, my thoughts are with you and the family.

Hadn't really been following the build til now.  Bird and figure look great!!  Now that you have the figures down, they are going to be just like you water scenes....out of this world.

M. Brindos

back on topic, who makes a good 1/48 Cr.42 Falco?

Clasic Airframes, Italeri and Tamiya.

https://www.scalemates.com/search.php?fkSECTION%5B%5D=All&q=Fiat+CR.42+Falco+1%2F48+cr-42*

I love helping and am very happy to see someone get good results from my help. :)

Makes me feel like I really do know what I'm talking about lol.

My father in-law went out quickly with small cell cancer. One day he was with us at work, and two weeks later we were at a funeral.

Unfortunately he suffered greatly.  :(

So, back on topic, who makes a good 1/48 Cr.42 Falco? I want one more than I want a 109E!

Thank you guys,

Mike B, I have had problems with it (Badger 105) since I bought it. I have tried several thorough cleanings and even replacing the needle and nozzle. I packaged it up and sending it to Badger to see what they find. Luckly the Macchi is at the hand weathering stage so that won't stop it's progerss. I did a Fiat CR-32 a couple years back and really need to get a CR-42 in the stash.

!/72 Suppermodel CR-32

Mike your right, Mike B's and the others help on figures is invaluble.

I guess this thread shows how quickly life can turns on you. From the initial heart attack to the final day was just a week.

Thank you everybody againg for your thoughts!

Steve - I've been away from the forum for a couple of weeks dealing with a crisis of my own which I won't go into right now.

I am very sorry to hear of the loss of your Brother-in-law.  We never seem to be prepared for the catastrophes that happen in life.  My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family in this very emotional time.

Thank you, Mike. When the time comes I'll help as much as I can with those figures. :)

Hard to believe I've missed this thread.

PJ, My sympathy for your and your family's loss.

On a lighter note, This thread is an example of how one can stumble upon invaluable information in our model building world. Your kit is coming along very well indeed and I agree with all the others who've praised the Italian design hegemony. They're top dogs in that department AFAIC.

I now, thanks to Mike Brindos, have upped my knowledge on painting figures from 0% to what I hope will be a healthy start when I get around to the figures in my TBM-3 diorama WIP. Great stuff in this relatively short thread!

Following your build now PJ with great interest.

The 202 is looking great, MC. :)

Not sure what problem your AB is having, but when I've got sputtering issues it's usually a partiall plugged nozzle. Give it a good, deep cleaning and see if that helps.

Your build is making me want a new Falco in my collection! I love the Italian markings.

Thank you Gam! You have Always been one of my good friends on here.

Oh gee, first I've looked into this thread this week, I'm so sorry to hear about your loss. 

I lost my best friend of 22 years last fall. It's rough and I miss him. He took very poor care of himself as well. It's crazy how quickly someone can just... Be gone.

i hope he made his peace so we can see each other again someday.

--------

The 202 looks good.

Thank you for you're thoughts John. He beat us there.

Steve, so sorry for your loss.  May God bless you and yours with comfort and peace in this hard time, and may your brother-in-law be granted swift entrance into heaven.

John

BK and Timdude, thank you!

Very sad news. However that is a great way to look at, I will be stealing that quote  that saying.

user="modelcrazy"]

Lesson learned. If I'm going to take that flight to heaven, it will be because God bought the ticket not me.

[/quote]

So sorry to hear that Steve. My deepest sympathies to you and your family.

BK

All I got to on Saturday was masking the fuselage stripe.

We received a call from the hospital Saturday morning around 10 AM. The nurse said my brother-in-law relapsed and was having another heart attack and they were moving him back to the ICU. When we arrived they were doing chest compressions and paddles. Once they got him stabilized they inserted a ventilator and he would stay that way for an hour or so and decline again. He would be harder and harder to stabilize and in the end the family said no more heroics. He passed away shortly after 5:30 in the afternoon.

He really didn't take care of himself health wise. He was overweight, smoked, didn't manage his diabetes and in the end the body had enough. Sad thing is he was looking great the night before and he was serious about getting straightened out because this had been a wake-up call. The sad thing is he was 6 months younger than I, he wanted to work out with me at the Cardio/Pulmonary Rehab center, stop smoking and start on his diabetes meds.

Yesterday was obviously hectic due to arriving family and arrangements.

Lesson learned. If I'm going to take that flight to heaven, it will be because God bought the ticket not me.

Thank you to everyone for your thoughts prayers. I will be back to the Macchi in a few days.

lawdog114

I'm glad you bro-in-law is doing better. Your family is in my thoughts. that pilot looks great, but I can't help but think of Blazing Saddles......"Excuse me while I whip this out".......

 

He may be describing how one goes about eating a Shnitzengruben, but then again, perhaps he's just an animated speaker lol.

Thanks Lawdog, I hope I can do half as well on the Macchi as you did on your Corsair.
About the pilot, I've got noe idea what that pose is supposed to be about.

Thank you ManCityFan. I really like the look of the Italian birds. They really had/have a flair for design.

Thanks Gam,

They moved him from the ICU yesterday and should be out in a couple of days.

Hey Steve, sorry to hear about your brother in law and hope he's healing and out of the hospital soon. 

The figures look pretty friggin' good! As Mike said they just need a little matte varnish and they're done. 

Deal!!  :D

Thanks again Mike, the one area where I really need help is figure painting.

If you ever want to do a water scene I may be albe to help in that regard.

I've no doubt you'll get it figured out. 

I've settle on using Vallejo Matte and I am very happy with it. You have to AB it though. Brushing it on doesn't work as well at all.

Ive not found a clear matte that does yet.

The second best, for me, has been the classic spray can of Testors dull cote. Mostly I use it on A/C and armor, but sometimes figures when I need a quick "save" between steps.

You, my friend, have been shown some really good tips and have used them very well indeed. When you're ready for more advanced tricks just say the word and we'll help you get that life-like finish that really catches the eye!  :D

We are fortunate that there is a good  amount of excellent figure painters on this forum. All you have to do is ask.  :)

There is much more to learn when you want to.  ;)

Now that you've got the figures sorted out, I'm positive that we're all looking forward to seeing the Fulgore make more progress. Lol

Thank you Mike, I highly regard your comments and they mean a lot to me. 

I'll keep working on the shine. I'll be looking for some of the products mentioned to see if I can get that cut down some more.

Steve

I must say, the figures are now quite impressive. :)

They are still a bit shiney, but they will really enhance the build regardless. Getting a dead flat finish takes a little practice and I am more than confident you will gwt that problem solved in a short time.

You have done a simply fabulous job with them!  :D

I'm sorry to hear of your brother in law.  My best wishes and a quick recovery!

Toshi

Most goggles have metal frame for the lens, just do a highlight around the edge before you do the clear.

Ooooo, I like that!!

Suggestion for the goggle lenses, drill them out, paint the area in a color to match the sorrounding area (not the frames), and then put a drop of your favorite clear in there, as you might for an instrument lens.

Hey Steve great job there on the fighter and the figures!

You might try a very dark gun metal like metallic for the lenses with a tiny spot of silver near the top to give the impression of sun reflecting off them and see how you like it. 

Here are the promised pictures. I have to load them at work since my laptop is still giving me fits and may need to go to the shop.

What would be suggested for the goggle lenses? Silver just does not look right.

Steve

I second that. My technique is a little more advanced than that (I like to apply tones like makeup lol) but it will serve you well. :)

Just don't forget the eyebrows. Faces tend to look a little wierd without them lol.

A sharpened pencil will work well after a dullcote. 

I can't wait to see the results!

Yes, for figures, the Siennas and Umbers, both raw and burnt, are most useful colors. Especially as washes to create various effects. Top that off with a little dry brushing and smaller scale figures can really come alive.

I added some Burnt Sienna and that added some color. Burnt Sienna and Burnt Umber seem to be the miracle paint.

I softened the camo edges on the 202 and worked on the guys.  I think I'm finished with the guys, i just need to dull them down. 

I have pictures but I can't get my computer to load Crome or Edge and boot up correctly. I can get them to come up and even load a page but they lock up shortly after that. Forget about loading 2 websites at the same time. I'm not sure what to do about this.

I'm posting on my phone for now.

Try a wash of Burnt Sienna over the skin areas to change the tone. Use oils or enamels, and not acrylics. A little goes a long way.

Mike, two things. The skin tones are a little washed out and you're right about the hard lines. My Badger 105 has never really made very good lines but I'm going to go back and try to soften them some.

About the skin tone, this is where I go wrong with figures. I'll darken the paint some to see if that works.

Fantastic idea on the camo.  Stunning!

Toshi

That was a clever idea for the camo pattern. A bit hard lined, but effective.

i think you're on the right track with your figures. You've got good blocking, but the skin tones look a bit washed out.

I'm betting the camera had a lot to do with that. How are they looking now that you've done more work on them? :)

A pox on your Folgore! 

I applied the Silly Putty to the 202 for the camo. It made it look like it had the measles. Next will be the underwing grey.

Steve

Thanks Jay Jay. If I can't find the paint at our local HT then I'll give that a try. 

Another technique that works for me is thinning testor's dull coat with 20% laquer thinner. it produces a dead flat finish.

Thanks Stick and BK, I'll see which one I can get here before going to the internet.

Humbrol Satin or Matt coats airbrushed on will take care of that. The Satin stuff gives off that reflective sheen only at certain lighting angles, and the Matt coat is dead flat. The best I have used yet. But watch your thinning ratio or it can start doing the foggy whitish coat if not thinned enough.

Steve, the figures look great. I would try to spray them with flat MM. Then when really dried out I would take a cloth like an old T-shirt and rub the hands and face a bit to buff them up a touch to give them a bit of life over the flat coat.

BK

I was able to get some work done yesterday and painted the green base coat. I will apply dots of Silly Putty and go over this with the sand to get the effect I want.

I worked some on the guys and repainted the flight suit green. The vest and parachute will be tan. I'm having a hard time with the mechanics face. I can't seem to get it to look right. The pilot is looking good to me though...maybe a tad sunburnt but.....well they are in the desert after all.

Steve

M. Brindos

Not all Irish have red hair, nor do all Germans have Blonde hair. I do not see this as offensive, nor do I find it a point worth mentioning here. It was not said to illicit an argument and neither was it said to hurt any one's feelings. It was simply one artist's OPINION to another on the subject of painting a model figurine.

I will not say anything further on this subject and I do not require a response to it. I appologize to your sensitivities and wish you well.

 

And no offense was taken either - just stating my opinion.  We're all good 

Can't wait to see more WIP shots, as I have this kit in my stash.

Not all Irish have red hair, nor do all Germans have Blonde hair. I do not see this as offensive, nor do I find it a point worth mentioning here. It was not said to illicit an argument and neither was it said to hurt any one's feelings. It was simply one artist's OPINION to another on the subject of painting a model figurine.

I will not say anything further on this subject and I do not require a response to it. I appologize to your sensitivities and wish you well.

M. Brindos

Well... They're Italian. Black or dark brown hair would be the logical choice

Hmm...being of mostly Italian - actually Sicilian - decent I do not agree with that.  Yes, I have relatives that have black and brown hair.  I also have relatives with red hair (as Sophia Loren does) as well as blonde hair.  So please don't generalize.  I suggest walking the streets of Italy/Sicily and you'll find all hair/eye colors.

Looks great, Steve. I really need to add some Italian birds to the stash. Love the 202.

BK

Like you Mike I've always liked the Falco, such beautiful lines.

I'm going to change the pilot's jumpsuit to a green and the vest and parachute to tan. That's what I found after some reserch. I really need to stop taking the manufacturer's suggestions on color. 

My favorite has always been the Falco, but the Fulgore has always been a close second.

Im also looking forward to seeing it in camo.  :)

I've always liked the camo schemes on these planes. Look forward to this build.

Well... They're Italian. Black or dark brown hair would be the logical choice. Lol

a little dry brushing to highlight any texture and it should be good.  :)

Taking shape fast!

Great work so far. I need to get to work on one of these sometime. Can't wait to see the finish.

-BD-

Looks great Steve, really impressed with the flap detail you added too. 

I'm excited too. Just treat your figures like any other part of the build and you should do just fine.

I've got a lot of pointers, but I'll start with a couple that should help you out.  :)

Faces; choose a medium skin tone, wash with a brown tone mixed with the base color and a very tiny bit of red.

Highlight with the base color mixed with white. 

Remember that shadows are easier to paint if you turn the figure upside-down. Bottom of the chin, nose, and eyebrows.

Highlights go under the eyes, bridge of the nose, upper lip, and the chin.

To finish it off add a little rose to the cheeks and add dots for the eyes with a 0.05 artist's pen. (Dotting the eyes) can also be done with a fine point pencil for scale effect.

For the clothing you can use the same processes mentioned above, but you can get away with dry brushing the highlights after a wash.

The secret is actually just getting the blocking clean. 

But for best results, always wash with a similar color to the base color (Yellow vest- orangeish yellow wash). An overall black wash on your figures will make them look dirty, especially in the smaller scales.

Of that advice, use what you want. There is more than one way to paint a figure and I encourage you to find out what works best for your style.  :)

Now, I can't wait to see how you do.  :D

LOL Thanks Mike. I really stink a figures, but I keep trying. I colud use some pointers.

Oh! Now it gets even more interesting.  :)

Thnks guys,

I have some figures I wanted to add to the Macchi dio.

Test fit and troubleshoot... good job!

Very cool Steve! Looking forward to your build. =]

Yes I had forgotten about the Stormo site as well. Thanks for posting the link and reminding me about them. I now have it saved.

looking forward to your next progress.

Yeah, the Stormo site has a wealth of info. I forgot about it.

As far as the camo, no I’m going with the box art. The “Macchie Verde su fondo Nocciola” scheme, or literally translated “Green spots on the bottom Hazel”

I was planning on the smoke ring originally but I didn’t want to try my airbrush capabilities or purchase the decal sheet. I did think of trying the method in the new issue of FSM by using Bob Dively liquid mask but not this time. I would like to get a c.205 and do the smoke ring pattern on that kit.

You're welcome. I knew that they used something like two or three different sand shades- a couple more yellow, and the hazelnut shade. As well as a few different greens. I'm not too keen on instruction sheets for color call outs in many cases. 

Are you going to do a "smoke ring" camo scheme? 

stikpusher

Copy that on the cockpit color. You're not going to use Italian colors for the exterior?  

 

modelcrazy

 

 

 

YUMMY!!!!

Copy that on the cockpit color. You're not going to use Italian colors for the exterior?  

Thanks guys, 

Stick. I used MM enamel pale green FS34227, what is called out in the instructions. I need to get RLM 78, 79, and 80.

The entire underside of the wing including the wheel wells, struts and flap interior is RLM 78. The only part that is pale green is the pit.

Verily . . .     the Ferrari of WWII aircraft.

Looks great so far MC.

Chris

Been wanting to do one of these. I'll watching this one for sure.

BK

I was just eyeballing this kit in my stash the other day. I will be filling this build. 

Just curious, but what green are you using for the cockpit interior color? Are you following the instruction sheet mix, or do you have a good recommendation for an off the shelf (and hopefully not Vallejo)?

I love this kit.  Can't wait to see the end result!

Thanks Mike.

Watching!  :)