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

Damon--Your Ta152 is simply magnificent!!!   

Guy and Steve--Many thanks for the advice.  I have printed your notes and will take them to the bench this afternoon. 

Damon, simply outstanding.  Opening up the engine and all the work that went into that sure payed off. 

Frank, the paint job looks superb and up to your usual perfectionist standards.  I have to ask though, are you up to Sarge's five bags a kit of coffee yet?

She's a beauty Damon!!!   Your modeling is superb... excellent work!

Dave, that pilot  is very well done now you have to force him into the cockpit.

Frank, very nice progress and I really like the unusuall scheme on this one. Good to see stickers on it.

Damon, what can I say. Thats a build to be proud of. Its a great job all round from the paint to the great looking engine. All round a fantastic job.

Steve

Great work everybody, been following along and enjoying the great looking builds everybody has been posting

Damon, outstanding job on the paintwork. The canopy looks crystal clear. Great shot of the bottom side. The engine bay looks very cool.

Everyone, thanks for posting all of the fantastic builds and the heads up on the Eduard kits.

Well, ive finally gotten a bit of paint on my bird. Ill post up some pics later. Dont panic, still a long way to go,

...Guy

Which means what? You'll be posting finished pics by tomorrow?

Soulcrusher

No where near Sir Crushlikins. Anyhoo, heres a couple of tasters. Ive found a fairly decent match to that elusive Luftwaffe colour, RLM 84 (The pale greenygrey)

More soon,

...Guy

Bit of progress on my end.  Major painting is finished and she is sitting on her own wheels.  Next to apply the Future coat and begin decaling.

Nice work Guy! The preshading looks very good.   I tried preshading for the first time a couple of days ago and really like the way it came out. Did you mix your own color for the RLM84?

Steven - Boy, you snuck up out of nowhere with an almost completed bird!   Looking forward to seeing some decals!

Excellent work there guys!

That RLM84 looks suspiciously like RAF Sky...

Guy and Arki, some excellent progress guys!!! Looking forward to more paint and decals!!!

Guy I just painted my 190 with the Testors acrylic RLM 84 for the underside and fuselage  and Frank is right. It is a dead match for the RAF sky in my opinion.

Soulcrusher

Daywalker - how does this GB work? Do you all compare finished projects at the end?

I've just about completed my first FW-190 and made a horrible job of the soft camo pattern and it occurred to me that what would be great is if one of you experienced guys were to engage in a group build whereby you did a certain part week by week and posted how you did it so us beginners can follow and ask questions etc. Magazines miss out so much detail (e.g. "I toned that down with filters") and never explained HOW they did something.

Would have loved to track the progress of my 190 against yours, so possibly something for the future?

Enjoy the GB - I will at least see what a PROPER 190 model looks like!

Your right boys, it is Tamiya Sky. I saw a completed build on hyperscale i think and liked the way it looked. It will probably change a touch when i add the matt coat and wethering. But im liking it all the same.

Stumpjumper, welcome aboard. It would be great to see your build. Just post it up. As for GB's. On this site. The subject is chosen (By the venerable Daywaster) and we all just build at our own speed and post up pics when weve completed something worth showing. If you have any queries about anything in the posters build, just ask the question. I dont think theres anyone in this build whos cagey with information. I love modelling and seeing great models, and if ive done something that you like the look of, im only happy to point out how i did it. Im sure all the others are the same,

...Guy

Cheers Luftwoller. In that case, here's my first question!

Those soft spots on the fuselage and tail plane are so synonymous with Luftwaffe planes so getting them right is, I think, essential. My problem was too much overspray and after some investigation I think I might have a slight bend on the AB needle tip (but it's micro-small). Anyway, I'll get that sorted so the question remains - what is the best technique for painting the soft camo spots? Free hand, or mask with soft edges (painful to do, surely)? Am using a 0.5mm airbrush and try and keep the pressure to 5-10psi and probably about 50% thinners.

Have just got back into modelling after 30 odd years and the standard is just simply amazing. Am hoping to revisit some of my boyhood models and do them 'properly'.

Thanks guys - you can really help me here! Good luck with your own builds.

The soft spots you refer to is called mottling and as you say, almost every Luftwaffe plane has them to some degree. I find thew best method (For me anyhoo) is to do them freehand. I personally mix my paint as normal, maybe 60/40 thinner to paint, and freehand them. Keep the pressure low (Around 15psi). I take it your using a Dual action AB? If so, apply the air first and slowly bring in the paint, making sure that the AB is moving when it comes. Look at your references to ensure your getting the right shape. Make sure the paint is coming out very slowly and build up the shape of the mottle you want. If theyre separate blobs, dont shut off the paint but move the gun quickly to the next. This gives a subtler mottle between the blobs. With me? Probably not LOL.

The big thing is getting your paint mix correct and practise. Use a sheet of A4 paper as this will tell you if your pressure is too high (Spiders webs)

Good luck and let us know how you get on,

...Guy

aboard Stumpjumper!!!! You seem to have the right recipe for getting the mottles on the fuse. I have to ask the question though, is you AB single or double action, and siphon or gravity feed. 5-10psi is about  the right setting. Don't be afraid to get up close and personal with the AB as well. Getting REALLY close with a minimum amount of spray is key to fine fine work. A tip I can pass on is to remove the end cap that sort of guards the tip in a way. It will let you get even finer spray patterns. That end cap creates more turbulance around the tip which makes for a slightly wider pattern. Maybe even thinning a bit more to help the flow. Practice practice practice till you find what's right for you. And sometimes everything I have just said gets tossed out the window when you use an unfamiliar brand of paint and it fights back lol. Anyways, like Guy said we are here to have fun building models and to help others excel.

Thanks Luftwoller. It is indeed a double action AB (gravity fed). I've cut my losses and sprayed the whole thing light blue again, so now I have a blank canvas! The project was designed for exactly this kind of thing - get it wrong and try again etc. I've even used different techniques on each half of the plane to see what looks best etc. Knowing you've made a mistake is one thing though. Knowing how to fix it is really what matters!

Moving quickly to the next blob sounds like a good tip. Will break out the A4 as you suggest.

Cheers

Hi Simpilot34 - thanks for taking the time to reply, it's all very encouraging! Will whip the tip off and get up close! For every disaster there is also a victory, right?!

Cheers

Good man, Stumpy. Thats the spirit. Best of British to you and post a pic up so we can see where your going.

Right, taster of the day. All top colours on with barely a misshap. Just a couple of small touch ups but ill do them when it isnt so bloody humid here,

...Guy

Stumpjumper70 these guys here really do give very good advise I'll tell ya, they got me going too. The talant in this group is just mind boggeling. If I may I might make a small suggestion my self, posting a picture or two of your mistakes will go a long way getting you help with the motteling paint schemes. As a side note once you do learn to mottle the control you have over your air brush will surprise you. I think my painting improved 10 fold.

Guy I like they way thoses colors look on your 190. The RLM 84 makes for a nice change in appearance as oppossed to teh RLM 76 that was used on almost everything. I loved the way it looked on my Dora.

Soulcrusher

Damon well done on a magnificent job !!

arki you look like your almost done, great job so far.

Guy, that paint work looks fantastic, no over spray, very clean and tidy. Nice job joining that new tail on the fuselage looks like it was an excellent fit?

Stumpjumper good to have you on the GB, you'll get loads of great advice from the chaps here, they are a very talented bunch. Post up some pictures of your progress, we'd love to see it.

Cheers...

Paint looks good Guy... you're on the home stretch!

I finally managed to put the decals on my Dora.

I'm using Aero Master decals and as they dry, they start to silver.   I re-wet them, push the water out and they look nice but as I watch, they start silvering at the edges until the entire decal is that way. All of them! Yikes!  Has anyone ever ran into this before? I've had decals silver a little but nothing like this. Any suggestions? I usually use Micro Sol on thick, stubborn decals but these aren't thick. I appreciate any help!

Stumpjumper-   Too bad you just finished your 190, but if you have another one handy, why not join in the fun and try again?  Sounds like the other fellows have got you on the right track with the mottled finish.  Once you get the hang of it, you'll want to paint mottles on everything!  Seriously, it's addictive.  I also thin to about 60/40 thinner/paint, and spray around 15 psi.  Good thin paint and the right psi is the key.  Also, keep your nozzle moving!  If you hold it in one place too long, you'll get spider webs.  Believe it or not, I also have a good, strong cup of coffee before I attempt a mottle finish.  The shaky hands seems to help!

Guy- Love that paint job, you're a machine!  Promise I won't tell the RAF guys that you're using their paint on a Luftwaffe plane LOL. 

Jeremy- Yellow 4 is comping along very well, looks like the primer grey worked out well.

Stumpjumper---A welcome from me too.  Everything related by Soulcrusher and Luftwoller is very good advice for successful mottling.  I will add two other points.  I thin Tamiya acrylics with lacquer thinner for control ( at least 6 to 1 thinner to paint).  I believe Luftwoller does also.  Guy, if I am out of line here let SJ know.  I also test and practice a bit with a new AB load on styrene card stock.  If you use cardboard or paper the absorbent qualities of those materials may not let you know your mix is too thin.  Go very easy when you pull back the trigger on a double action AB.  You can always add paint to an area.  Removing paint is a pain. 

Hi All,

I have been missing out on some awesome work in this last week! However, I was thinking of the group build and my new friends when I was able to get to the Air Force Museum after all! What a great experience!

Here's the first pic I took, maybe it will whet your appetite:

I did take your advice Frank and, well instead of a tripod I picked up a mono pod which worked really well. This place is amazing!!! I took as many as I thought possible of the Dora; to the point that my brother was a bit exasperated with waiting...even after he went and had something to eat I was still snapping away. Some pics aren't really great, but some are pretty good. Be the judge for yourself:

National Museum of the USAF

Here's one more of my favorite shots:

And one last:

Unfortunately, I've got no progress to report on the model itself, but being next to this great bird (and so many others) has really gotten me fired up to build!

Best regards,

Mike

jmabx

Paint looks good Guy... you're on the home stretch!

I finally managed to put the decals on my Dora.

I'm using Aero Master decals and as they dry, they start to silver.   I re-wet them, push the water out and they look nice but as I watch, they start silvering at the edges until the entire decal is that way. All of them! Yikes!  Has anyone ever ran into this before? I've had decals silver a little but nothing like this. Any suggestions? I usually use Micro Sol on thick, stubborn decals but these aren't thick. I appreciate any help!

Jeremy I have used the Aeromasters before and had them silver a bit. Wait for the decals to dry completely. Then pop a nice new sharp blade in the knife. Make some very light slices in the decal right over the spots that are silvered. Then take a slightly stiff paint brush and dip in in some Future. Then kind of stab at the sliced areas gentely with the paint brush. It should lift the decal up just a tiny bit and the Future should wick right unfer the decal and eliminate the silver spots. Works like a charm for me.

Steve the RAF Sky is a spot on match for RLM 84 in my eyes.

Soulcrusher