FW-190 Reich Defender III 5/10-2/11

Wow, I've only been able to go back a couple of pages, but you guys have cranked out some AWESOME builds!

I'm still plugging away on my 1/72 Hasegawa A8, but (long story short) my inability to obtain any form of broadband internet has pretty much killed my forum attendance. Blah. I'll be sure to post some finished pics, and hopefully - internet gods willing - some WIP stuff as well.

Hope you guys are all doing well. Talk soon!

Clebode; I use my spray booth and rolls of vinyl .The vinyl is colored and I use it for letters and such in my sign work.Sign supply houses have roll ends for cheap ,or a local sign shop may sell pieces.I tape one end to the top of the booth and pin the bottom. Its tricky to dodge the glare from the light ,but I set this up in moments and the pix look good in all my wips ,different colors look good as well. Ill post a pic of the setup next time on here.

Well im calling this one finished. The only thing i left off was the detailing on the top of the UC legs. Anyhoo, heres the pics. I liked this build,

Im not saying thats the last for this GB but i have to go build something un-Luftwaffe im afraid, but be assured ill still be watching,

...Guy

Guy- Nice stuff. I like your weathering.

I have been finished with mine since last night, but I don't have time to post pictures. I will tonight though.

Splendid Guy, looks very aggressive in those colours, which I like . Were those the lifecolour paints, what did you think in the end, yay or nay?

Cheers...

Outstanding build Guy!!!!!!! Stunning work as always!!!!!

Guy, thats fantaboulious build. From the weathering to the finish its a beauty. Great job my friend

Steve

Guy- Great Goggly Moogly, you finished that one already?  You are a machine mate.  Well done!  Especially the camo sprayed around the fuselage crosses- nice touch.  I updated page one for you.

I have to admit, Black 13 is one of my favorite schemes, gotta build one for myself one of these days.

On a side note, a package arrived from Jason (SupressionFire) with the needed bits for my build!  Feels good to be back on track with mine.  Thanks a million Jason!

What incredible work is going on here! Steve's diorama -- simply superb, the figure work tells its story and is so beautifully compelling, setting off the meticulously finished aircraft to perfection. Now Guy's Black 13, another classic plane with a finish so good you'd swear you can smell hot oil and cordite. The bare metal chips are very realistically done!

My hat is off, gents!

Cheers, Mike/TB379 ... who would paint something if it wasn't a pouring, cold day in winter...

                           Alright as promised. I would have posted these last night, but I have been way too busy. I think that this is my best build because I tried my best mottling the fuselage, and I filled the wing gap seams, and I used Tamiya tape to mask the canopy, and I used paper masks for the wing camo. This is my 11th build this year, so without further interruptions:

The A-8 above was the plane I built 10 months ago. I think I have improved a lot, but still I am not even close to the masters.

For those of you who don't know me, I am an aviation nut. I am even working on my pilots licence. Anyway after some research I was shocked to see how good the Fw-190A was. In 1942 It was superior to any Russian, British or even American planes. Was Hauptmann Hans "Assi" Hahn the highest scoring Fw-190 ace?

Last, does someone have a tip on the landing gear assembly? I have trouble aligning landing gears. Anyway thanks for the awesome GB Frank! I will still be around watching, but now I am moving onto my next build (spirit of St. Louis)

Again thanks everyone!

Guy thats a sweet 190 man Love the weathering and the markings very very well done indeed

Andrew- Absolutely GORGEOUS!  I love this one.  By far your best work.  The camo on the wings and the fuselage is perfect.  Seriously, I would call this a master's level build if I ever saw one.

raptordriver

I think I have improved a lot, but still I am not even close to the masters.

Don't sell yourself short!  You're a lot closer than you think.  At the rate you are progressing, your work is going to be what we all compare ours to.  Nicely done, and thank you for being a part of this!  Glad to hear you will still be around.

Krow--What lens and lighting are you using? 

Guy---Two superb 190s!  I can't believe how quickly you produce such gorgeous results.

Raptor---It looks like a masterpiece to me. 

Guy yop notch work as usual! I agree with Frank that color scheme is a real eye catcher. The all black nose gives it a real sinister look. I love it!

Andrew looks like a top notch build to me. The Fw 190 was an amazing airplane for its day. When it was introduced in late 1941 it was without a doubt the absolute best fighter in existence under 20,000 feet of altitude. It had the best roll rate of any fighter fielded in the European theatre. It truely was an amazing airplane.

Soulcrusher

Raptor that is absolutely stunning mate!!!! I love the mottling!!! I find myself buying planes now that have the best camo jobs just so I can go crazy with the AB!!!

I use the booth 2'  flourecsent ,with a piece of 2' masking  tape on the inside face to diffuse the light. The camera is a S-100 ,first edition 9 years old . Set on no flash and full tulip macro ... Shoot from 3-4 inches and push it close to find the boundary , then back off into focus. Lots of pix as well ,on my bobber wip I'm over 200 pix and lots deleted.

Thx everyone, i was inspired by all of yourt great work.

Spike, I quite like the lifecolour range so far. Takes a bit of getting used to , but im coping. (Different mixing, behaviour etc) Good colours though and very thin. Great for hand painting.

Mike, heres my Lufty tip of he week. Those bare metal chips arnt bare metal. I think bare metal chipping is a little too harsh. I use RLM 02 chips. Much subtler. Im glad you like it though,

...Guy

Daywalker

Andrew- Absolutely GORGEOUS!  I love this one.  By far your best work.  The camo on the wings and the fuselage is perfect.  Seriously, I would call this a master's level build if I ever saw one.

 

raptordriver:

 

I think I have improved a lot, but still I am not even close to the masters.

 

 

Don't sell yourself short!  You're a lot closer than you think.  At the rate you are progressing, your work is going to be what we all compare ours to.  Nicely done, and thank you for being a part of this!  Glad to hear you will still be around.

 

Raptordriver a big time to what Daywalker has said above and to and everyone else who has commented. I cant say it any better than they have, a stunning build my friend

Can't wait to see the Spirit of St Louis Andrew.

Krow--What do you mean by "full tulp macro"?

Guy -- Oohhhhhh!!!! I shall have to try that. Subtle, as you say -- the eye sees scratches and chips, but not so that they stand out so strongly they seem to overpower their surroundings, make too strong a statement.

We're never done learning in this game!

Raptordriver -- I'm with the others, it's a honey of a job you've done, you're well on your way. With 11 builds done so far this year, you're getting loads of practice and putting into effect the lessons you've learned. That's how we improve, and you're serious about it!

Cheers, M/TB379

Its an early digital camera , it only has the tulip icon for the macro lens, basically pretty simple setup .Difffusing the light is the key for low shadows and good close ups.I tried the tripod and such but now I simply pose the shot and take it , quick setup is good because I now have it as part of the model procedure.

Guy: Wow...you're a 190 Production Machine! Suh-weet Butcher Bird! What's your secret? How do you crank them out so fast yet so nice?

Andrew: Ditto to what Frank (and others) have said. I still recall some of your first builds. While they were great for what they were, this 190 is a whole new level for you. The mottling is superb, the self-made masks for the canopy show real modeling skill. I hope you're puffing out your chest after this one!!

Guy-  Another gem, really beautiful work, not that we expect anything different!

Andrew-  That's really looking good, amazing to see how far you've come as a modeler over the past couple years.  BTW, I believe Otto Kittel scored the most kills in a Fw 190 and was the 4th highest scoring Luftwaffe ace of the war with 267 kills.

Wow thanks everyone! I have learned a ton since I was watching the whole GB even though I didn't say much. Like I said, this was really fun.

Great job Raptordriver, you've pulled off a very nice clean build, paint job looks excellent

Cheers...

Thx again everyone,

Your Highness, my secret is to buy them all from ebay!! Pre-built. Its the only way my friend,

...Guy

LOL! I'll drink to that, Guy!!!

It's still quite an achievement, though, to find so many nicely built aircraft on Evilbay.

Wow... I haven't been keeping up here! Many gorgeous planes! I've even missed Mr. Bondo and Richie getting a start! For shame!

Steve -  Awesome work! The little dio is great and, of course, the plane looks mighty fine!

Andrew - Your mottling looks great... I'm jealous! Took me years to get a good mottle and I still screw it all up sometimes! Nice work!

Mucker - No need to hide that bird in the back... she looks good! I too would like to see some pics with a tad more color.

Guy-a-licious - You're ace and I wish I was your son! Beautiful work as always!

If I missed anyones builds, I'm sorry... I'll go back and give it a good read through. You guys work fast! I'm still working on my Tamiya kit. I was a little discouraged with the fit of the wings to the fuselage. Huge gaps at the wing roots. Being a Tamiya kit, I'm sure it was my fault! She's mostly together now and just needs a little fine tuning before paint. Here's a pic.

I drilled out the gun barrells on the cowl to make them look a little better. I also removed the gun barrels on the wing cannons so that I could take care of the seam problems I was having. I drilled holes for them and will replace them with sprue rod.

Quick glimpse of the radiator 'cause I like how it came out!

Frank - Did you finish yet? Did I miss it?

Nice work so far Jeremy. The radiator does look good. To bad once you put the cooling blade and the propeller you will never see it agian. I'm hungry you have any extra meatball sammies left over anywhere?

Your joking about Daywaster ummm  I mean Frank being done yet right?

Soulcrusher