1/48 Eduard Messerschmitt Bf 110E 5/ZG Wespen "Herbert Kutscha" (FINISHED)

As usual another spectacular build.

Nikola

Excellent work man! I love it, well done! Very nicely balanced paintwork and finish. 

 

Best, 

Nikola

 

Thank you Nikola

Excellent work man! I love it, well done! Very nicely balanced paintwork and finish. 

Best, 

Nikola

I wanted this turkey off my bench, so last night I sat down and didn't leave until it was done.......at 6am.......lol. 

To backtrack a few days, I gave her a few doses of X-22/MLT clear coat and then I added the decals.  Everything performed well except of course the wasp(s).  I had trouble positioning the said wasp(s), which was a total of six decals (3 each side).  I presume this is for the folks opening up the gun bay so they wouldn't have to cut the decal.  I had considerable trouble getting them to line up properly.  I suspect the ill fitting nose piece contributed to this problem as well.  I ended up positioning the bottom pieces first using the bottom nose cannon ports as a guide.  Micro Sol was used and they snugged down nice. Once reasonably dry, I added the top pieces of the wasp, lining them up as best as I could.  These were then locked down with Micro Sol. The wasp wing tips were then added.  Once dry, I touched up all the gaps with the appropriate color paint using a small brush. It passable but it's far from perfect. Too bad they couldn't offer a full decal for the closed version which certainly would have helped.  Perhaps I should have sought aftermarket. 

I began adding everything else, such as the landing gears/doors and other such fiddly bits.  Aside from the aforementioned exhausts, I used Eduard Brassin wheels and Quickboost gun barrels which were an improvement over the lousy kit pieces. The landing gears were quite tricky to get installed. Perhaps it's their instructions that are hard to understand. I finally got everything installed but it was a frustrating experience for me. The instructions make no indication of where the Pitot tube goes and their rendition of it is poor.  I made my own with brass tubing and plasticard.

As I said, I wanted a used grungy look so I went with a Flory Wash this time around.  I gave the wasp an oil wash and added some AK oil streaking to give it a used look.  This also seemed to help hide some of the imperfections.  I gave everything a Testors Dull Coat and added the canopies.  These fit fairly well but I had a glue mishap with the "driver's side window".  One last middle finger to me I suppose.  I have to figure out a way to fix that.   

Of course I realized too late that the cover art subject was different than "profile A" in the instructions (go figure), so I inadvertently painted the prop hub tips yellow to match the cover art instead of profile A, which are red.  I haven't decided if I'm going to correct them or not.  I guess the cover art subject is to remain a mystery to us.  Ok, so this was actually the last middle finger.  

So I'm glad it's done.  I'd like to do a Battle of Britain version someday, but I'm in no hurry (I still have a C and G-2 in the stash).  In my opinion, Eduard made this kit much more difficult than it had to be, a wee-bit over engineered and their instructions are confusing. Perhaps I'm being too critical but these are not cheap kits, so critcism is certainly warranted. Time for something easy before I have to dive back into another Dauntless.  

Reasoned

Looking great Joe, nothing like a little challenge to keep the hobby interesting. I've had that kit in the stash since I went on a BoB kit binge (years ago) and was completely intimidated by all the fiddly bits when I opened the box, looking forward to your completion.

 

Thanks Reasoned.  Huge challenge!  This thing gave me all I could handle. It's done so I should have some finished pics up soon.  

Mopar Madness

I used to dread painting and weathering Joe but now it has to be one of my favorite parts of the build. I'm glad to read that info on the exhaust? I'll have to get a set of those too. Looking great my friend.

 

Thanks Chad

Nikola

 

 

bvallot

Watching the paint go down is one of my favorite parts! =] Those colors just go down so sexy. 

 

 

 

 

I'm with you on this one. One of the nicest things to look at. :)

Best,

Nikola

 

Thanks Nikola

bvallot

Watching the paint go down is one of my favorite parts! =] Those colors just go down so sexy. I don't know why that's the word that pops in my head when I see it, but that's just the way it is. Excellent job on the splinter camo...that's no surprise though. ;) I had one of these on my build list for quite a while. I wanted to get through a handful of german birds just because of the color schemes they've got. They must've had Hugo Boss on that committee too. I hear you on the the way time flies. I can work out one tiny part of some larger process and suddenly it's been two hours.

But isn't it worth it.

Usually?

 

 

Rod Stewart tune going through your head? (Do You think I'm Sexy?).....LOL.  Thank for the kind words Brit. 

......Yes it's worth it.

Looking great Joe, nothing like a little challenge to keep the hobby interesting. I've had that kit in the stash since I went on a BoB kit binge (years ago) and was completely intimidated by all the fiddly bits when I opened the box, looking forward to your completion.

I used to dread painting and weathering Joe but now it has to be one of my favorite parts of the build. I'm glad to read that info on the exhaust? I'll have to get a set of those too. Looking great my friend.

bvallot

Watching the paint go down is one of my favorite parts! =] Those colors just go down so sexy. 

I'm with you on this one. One of the nicest things to look at. :)

Best,

Nikola

Watching the paint go down is one of my favorite parts! =] Those colors just go down so sexy. I don't know why that's the word that pops in my head when I see it, but that's just the way it is. Excellent job on the splinter camo...that's no surprise though. ;) I had one of these on my build list for quite a while. I wanted to get through a handful of german birds just because of the color schemes they've got. They must've had Hugo Boss on that committee too. I hear you on the the way time flies. I can work out one tiny part of some larger process and suddenly it's been two hours.

But isn't it worth it.

Usually?

Hoss WA

Painting and exhausts look fabulous. The color scheme along with the fading really pops. Beautiful exhaust stains. 

 

Thanks Hoss

plasticjunkie

The extra work with the paint fading and mixing paid off, it looks great. 

I see you mixed Tamiya and AK paints together and remember reading somewhere that it was done as well so that is great news that they are compatible. That Tamiya thin white vinyl tape is fantastic for masking tight lines like your prop,  canopies and other parts that regular masking tape will not work on. 

Can't wait to see that nose art work on this one, it's gonna be a stunner.

 

Thanks PJ. Indeed that tape works well. It's good for the curve on the blue nosed Mustangs too.  

Painting and exhausts look fabulous. The color scheme along with the fading really pops. Beautiful exhaust stains. 

The extra work with the paint fading and mixing paid off, it looks great. 

I see you mixed Tamiya and AK paints together and remember reading somewhere that it was done as well so that is great news that they are compatible. That Tamiya thin white vinyl tape is fantastic for masking tight lines like your prop,  canopies and other parts that regular masking tape will not work on. 

Can't wait to see that nose art work on this one, it's gonna be a stunner.

I sat down and fired down the top camo last night.  I read some scuttlebutt about these Russian E models in 1942 that may have been in the earlier Battle of Britain camo scheme.  It's not clear when they changed at the factory to the newer RLM 74/75 over 76 and I'm sure many were in that scheme.  Eduard shows this subject in 74/75/76 color scheme.  I figured they did their research and I followed suit. I started with AK Real Colors 75.  They did a nice job on this color. I also mottled the side fuselage.

Next I added some XF-2 White and mottled it up a bit for fading.  Then I went back with straight 75, concentrating on the panel lines.  I'm really starting to like this technque, especially in conjunction with the later oil wash.   

I taped off the splinter scheme per Eduard's instruction and did the same technique for the RLM 74, except I added XF-57 Buff to fade it a bit. I may have mentioned that their 74 seems a bit too green to my eye.  It's also entirely possible it's perfect and I have no idea what I'm talking about.  Either way I can live with it.  Off came the Montex and they worked perfectly.

I also painted the prop hubs as I wanted to see how they looked in place.  I used the white flexible Tamiya tape to mask the yellow and it worked great....

I grunged up the underside a bit with a postshade.  

One of the big weaknesses of this kit are the exhaust stubs, they're not hollowed out and there was no way I was manually doing it on all of those.  Furthermore, they are too prominent on this plane skimp here, so I replaced them with Quickboost.  They are designed for this kit, but for some reason I had a heck of a time trimming them enough to fit in there.  I eventually got them to fit.  As you can see they are worth it. This is the port side outboard exhaust.

I wanted to make them look realistic, so I spent quite amount of time pouring over photos (and some well done models too) to get an idea how they looked and how the exhaust stain pattern went. I didn't want to overdo it either. First I sprayed them XF-1 flat black then followed up with XF-64 Red Brown.  I made sure to avoid the holes so they remained black. I superglued those turkeys in there.

Now for the staining.  I took a deep breath then sprayed a very heavily diluted XF-69 NATO Black/XF-64 Red Brown mix, slowly building it up.  I then sprayed the tips diluted XF-19 Sky Grey/XF-57 Buff mix and swept that back to simulate heat staining.  I repeated these until I listened to that little inner voice telling me to stop.  Before I knew it an hour had passed....

The undersides were more challenging, but I did the same technique.

Time for a clear coat then that dreaded wasp decal......

RadMax8

Need to bookmark this one for when I tackle this kit from my stash, and I'll be doing mine with the dogs eating a plane. I hate myself, so I'll probably get myself an F or a G to put the Wespe decals on, and a night fighter with the schräge muzik cannon. Of course I'll probably be 50 before I get to that point...

Excellent modeling, my friend. I think you're a touch critical of your own work, your fix for the nose particularly turned out pretty nice.

Thanks for sharing!

 

Thanks Max. 

Hoss WA

Nice construction work on the nose and nacelles. I like the plasticard approach you used for the nose. Great paint work as always.

I'm probably going to move this one down on the priority list. My recent Me 262 was enough sanding and filling for 3 kits. 

 

Thanks Hoss. Your 262 was outstanding. 

knox

  I’m sorry I don’t comment as much as I should on your builds. Often, I run across them late, and all the good adjectives have alreday been used. As always, you do masterful work, I appreciate you taking the time to post, and your wip’s are a blast to follow.  I’m thinking of getting a thesaurus to help with commenting on your work. 

                                                knox 

 

                            

 

Your kind words are appreciated Knox. Thank you. It's always nice to know my WIP threads are useful to some folks. 

Mopar Madness

Awesome LD! I was really curious as to how you were going to handle that gap between the wing and nacelle. I have this one on the shortlist so I'll try that same tip. Thank you for sharing.

 

Thanks Chad

plasticjunkie

Well regardless of the gap issues it's coming along nicely. The mrkings are looking great too.

For thin gaps I use Plastic Weld in my Touch N Flow applicator to close those gaps up, works every time. Have you thought of shooting white first where the yellow will go? It will be a lot easier for the yellow to cover over the white and takes less paint too. I also do the same under red paint.

 

Thank PJ. I tried to fill them with only MEK, which I presume plastic weld is, but they were too wide. I prefer a black base undercoat as it gives them depth and that darker used look I was going for. I appreciate the suggestion. 

Nikola

Hi Lawdog,

Looking great so far! Following with pleasure.

 

Best,

Nikola

 

Thanks Nikola

Need to bookmark this one for when I tackle this kit from my stash, and I'll be doing mine with the dogs eating a plane. I hate myself, so I'll probably get myself an F or a G to put the Wespe decals on, and a night fighter with the schräge muzik cannon. Of course I'll probably be 50 before I get to that point...

Excellent modeling, my friend. I think you're a touch critical of your own work, your fix for the nose particularly turned out pretty nice.

Thanks for sharing!

Nice construction work on the nose and nacelles. I like the plasticard approach you used for the nose. Great paint work as always.

I'm probably going to move this one down on the priority list. My recent Me 262 was enough sanding and filling for 3 kits. 

  I’m sorry I don’t comment as much as I should on your builds. Often, I run across them late, and all the good adjectives have alreday been used. As always, you do masterful work, I appreciate you taking the time to post, and your wip’s are a blast to follow.  I’m thinking of getting a thesaurus to help with commenting on your work. 

                                                knox 

Awesome LD! I was really curious as to how you were going to handle that gap between the wing and nacelle. I have this one on the shortlist so I'll try that same tip. Thank you for sharing.

Well regardless of the gap issues it's coming along nicely. The mrkings are looking great too.

For thin gaps I use Plastic Weld in my Touch N Flow applicator to close those gaps up, works every time. Have you thought of shooting white first where the yellow will go? It will be a lot easier for the yellow to cover over the white and takes less paint too. I also do the same under red paint.

Hi Lawdog,

Looking great so far! Following with pleasure.

Best,

Nikola

I've been plugging along on this bad boy.  Well, reviews out there on this kit are pretty much dead on, it takes alot of patience. I will point out the areas I had trouble with for those who wish to tackle this turkey. 

I closed up the fuselage to discover the panel lines were slightly staggered.  Not unfixable, but enough to be annoying when trying to rescribe lost panel lines on the spine. The nose fit was as reported, absolutely comical if you want it closed up.  Heres my solution.

1.First I glued the two nose pieces together (top and bottom).

2. You'll find that the lower piece is slightly longer, so I sanded the back face until it's flush.             

3. The fuselage nose is unfortunately slightly larger in diameter than the nose piece, which leaves a step.  I sanded the front face of the fuselage back until it's the same width as the nose piece. It worked for me.  It will look lke this...

4. Don't add any of the gunbay parts.  Instead, add some plasticard to the inside of the nosepiece so it has something to sit on. I did it this way. 

5. Glue that turkey in place. Mine was far from perfect but it's passable.  It will get covered by a big wasp decal anyways, so I got that going for me. I also added a piece of plasticard inside the nose so the Quickboost guns have something to butt up against. 

I moved on to the wings.  The nacelles actually fit very well but there's a hug gap at the top joint where they meet the wing.   On both sides of course.  I filled it with superglue and used the accelerator sanding trick.  I then rescribed the panel line back in.  Again, not perfect but good enough. This was sort of a pain. Next time I'll fill the gap with plasticard. I know this looks horrible now, but it was passable once primered.    

I put my silver Sharpie to good use on this one and it needed quite a bit of filler. Sometimes we need one of those kits to hone our skills I suppose. I thing the worst is over...

I eventually got the seamwork to a satisfactory point. 

I had a left over Montex Bf109 set in the stash and horked the crosses. The rest will be decals. First I preshaded the lines and general areas that are to be black thusly....

Next I added the white and masked those areas.

Next I got the yellow fired down, which in this subject is the lower wing tips and an oddly placed fuselage band. I added a few drops of red to brighten it up.  

Now the fun part.  The Eduard instructions call for RLM 74/75 over 76, then a white wash on this subject.  I won't be doing the white wash, as it will be depicted as it looks on the box cover art.  I started with AK Real Colors RLM 76 early version.  Their late version seems too blue to me.  I mottled and faded it with the addttion of XF-2 White. As always, these perform flawlessly. 

Next I will start on the upper camo.