Official Ground Attack Group Build

sub revolution: Plus, Il2s were armored, so they could absorb more punishment than other aircraft, (this made them slow, but very hardy) and given the fact that most (if not all) Russian equipment of the period was crude or quickly put together.

Tulkas, if you don't mind my asking, but what paint did you use on those CRT displays?  That's a nice, spicy bright green... 

Really nice builds everyone has going on here.  Thanks for having me!

TheWildChild:  Sorry to hear about the injury, I hope you make a speedy recovery.  I like that you got back to the line though.  The "skill players" can think what they want, but the games won in the trenches!   I had my share of breaks and sprains way back when I played football, so I feel your pain.  The wrist I broke still acts up now as I'm getting older lol.

Well anyway, here's where I'm at so far.   This the first model I've attempted in about 15 years.  Here's the fuselage so far.  It was a bit warped so I ended up just cutting off the locator pins and then cementing and clamping in sections.  Everything seems to come out flush.   Still have some more filling and sanding to do:

Here's the cockpit I've been painting.   Its the first time I've ever tried to add any details to the instruments/buttons/panels etc.  I'm liking how the details on the various switches and knobs came out but the display screens have been a point of frustration.  I've tried to "fix" them twice now and they keep looking a bit worse.   I think I'll just stop and remember what not to do I'm my next build lol:

Here's the seats so far.   Still some painting to do on these:

Finally, here's my one bit of annoyance so far.  Do they really need to put their copyright in raised lettering on the model itself?  Nothing a hobby knife and some sanding won't take care of, but still:

I'm definitely having fun so far.   I'd almost forgotten how much fun this hobby is, more so now that I'm actually trying to take my time and do a decent job.     I picked up an airbrush and compressor and been practicing a bit in between working on the kit.  Hopefully I'll be able to do it justice when the time comes.   I've also been putting together my "I wish I had these tools" list as I go.  After holding the cockpit up to my nose with a toothpick with a drop of paint, some sort of magnifier is definitely on my list.

Well anyway looking forward to following everyone's builds and learning a thing or two!

Looks like somebody needs to have a field day on their jets....

Yeah I've really been putting a lot of thought into weathering recently for my IL-2 in the 1942 GB. After looking at photos of the real planes I realized that they were VERY abused, almost as much as the tanks. But, consider the circumstances. Somebody is invading your home country and you are doing anything possible including putting anything remotely flyable into the air. You're operating from fields covered in grass, mud, snow, rocks, who knows what else! You have to keep the plane's camo up to date with changing weather conditions (ie whitewash.) There's a lot to think about with weathering, and you won't get it from a painting guide.

Medicman71

 

PaperPanzer:

 

medicineman71: Looking pretty good! For a first prop- powered build it looks nice. Prop planes tend to have chips and scratches on the wing roots on the top due to pilot and crewmen getting in and out. If the canopy slides back, they will appear on both sides, or on one side. (like the Me- 109) It appears on the side the canopy opens. I would replicate this with a pencil ( I used this technique on my Stuka) or a bit of scrubbing pad held with tweezers dipped in silver paint. (sort of  like dry- brushing) A bit of flat clear dulls previous chips, so they appear older.  Exhaust stains will appear on the ends of the pipes, a bit of dry- brushing or oils (even powdered pastels) will work to replicate that. Aircraft can't take much of a beating before they become un-operational, so go sparingly. Unlike armor, which can take as much beating as it can before being knocked out. 

fly-n-hi: Nice! The office is looking great, no "coal hole" effect here...

bish: I think jets aren't as weathered as WW2 planes because each jet is maintained to a high degree (don't want to fathom how much the real deal costs! ) A sludge wash would be the most weathering to a Jet, and that's only to accent the panels. Plus, they aren't covered in fabric, so patches wouldn't show. 

 Hmmm... I wonder if the damaged panels on a Jet would be replaced like car bodywork...

 

 

Thanks PaperPanzer. It's not my first prop, just first WW2 prop. I recently finished a O-2 Skymaster. But thanks for the tips on the weathering.

And jets do have a lot of weathering. Look at the bottom of say a Super Hornet. There's a lot of vents and drains around the back under where the engines are.

 

 

PaperPanzer

medicineman71: Looking pretty good! For a first prop- powered build it looks nice. Prop planes tend to have chips and scratches on the wing roots on the top due to pilot and crewmen getting in and out. If the canopy slides back, they will appear on both sides, or on one side. (like the Me- 109) It appears on the side the canopy opens. I would replicate this with a pencil ( I used this technique on my Stuka) or a bit of scrubbing pad held with tweezers dipped in silver paint. (sort of  like dry- brushing) A bit of flat clear dulls previous chips, so they appear older.  Exhaust stains will appear on the ends of the pipes, a bit of dry- brushing or oils (even powdered pastels) will work to replicate that. Aircraft can't take much of a beating before they become un-operational, so go sparingly. Unlike armor, which can take as much beating as it can before being knocked out. 

fly-n-hi: Nice! The office is looking great, no "coal hole" effect here...

bish: I think jets aren't as weathered as WW2 planes because each jet is maintained to a high degree (don't want to fathom how much the real deal costs! ) A sludge wash would be the most weathering to a Jet, and that's only to accent the panels. Plus, they aren't covered in fabric, so patches wouldn't show. 

 Hmmm... I wonder if the damaged panels on a Jet would be replaced like car bodywork...

Thanks PaperPanzer. It's not my first prop, just first WW2 prop. I recently finished a O-2 Skymaster. But thanks for the tips on the weathering.

And jets do have a lot of weathering. Look at the bottom of say a Super Hornet. There's a lot of vents and drains around the back under where the engines are.

Bish

 

PaperPanzer:

 

bish: I think jets aren't as weathered as WW2 planes because each jet is maintained to a high degree (don't want to fathom how much the real deal costs! ) A sludge wash would be the most weathering to a Jet, and that's only to accent the panels. Plus, they aren't covered in fabric, so patches wouldn't show. ..

 

 

 

O ye, deffinatly. Another thing to think about is where they operated from. Many WW2 aircraft, German especially, operated from grass airfields, if they were lucky. Another thing to consider is that jets don't have exhaust staining, at least not to the same degree, if at all.

PaperPanzer

bish: I think jets aren't as weathered as WW2 planes because each jet is maintained to a high degree (don't want to fathom how much the real deal costs! ) A sludge wash would be the most weathering to a Jet, and that's only to accent the panels. Plus, they aren't covered in fabric, so patches wouldn't show. ..

O ye, deffinatly. Another thing to think about is where they operated from. Many WW2 aircraft, German especially, operated from grass airfields, if they were lucky. Another thing to consider is that jets don't have exhaust staining, at least not to the same degree, if at all.

medicineman71: Looking pretty good! For a first prop- powered build it looks nice. Prop planes tend to have chips and scratches on the wing roots on the top due to pilot and crewmen getting in and out. If the canopy slides back, they will appear on both sides, or on one side. (like the Me- 109) It appears on the side the canopy opens. I would replicate this with a pencil ( I used this technique on my Stuka) or a bit of scrubbing pad held with tweezers dipped in silver paint. (sort of  like dry- brushing) A bit of flat clear dulls previous chips, so they appear older.  Exhaust stains will appear on the ends of the pipes, a bit of dry- brushing or oils (even powdered pastels) will work to replicate that. Aircraft can't take much of a beating before they become un-operational, so go sparingly. Unlike armor, which can take as much beating as it can before being knocked out. 

fly-n-hi: Nice! The office is looking great, no "coal hole" effect here...

bish: I think jets aren't as weathered as WW2 planes because each jet is maintained to a high degree (don't want to fathom how much the real deal costs! ) A sludge wash would be the most weathering to a Jet, and that's only to accent the panels. Plus, they aren't covered in fabric, so patches wouldn't show. 

 Hmmm... I wonder if the damaged panels on a Jet would be replaced like car bodywork...

Bish

Medicman71:

Bish:

Medicman71 looking good so far. I take it your more of a modern jet man.

 

Thanks Bish. Yeah I am. Nothing against props and WW2 aircraft, just not good enough of a builder yet to tackle that area yet. Gonna really test my skills when it comes to painting and weathering this one.

@Vance- Not sure yet. May use the REALLY big gun on this one. Haven't decided. What do you guys think?

 @Fly-n-hi- The Super Bug is looking good!!

Odd that, i am the otehr way round. Modern aircraft tend to be cleaner and less worn than WW2 aircraft. I fine it easier to do the more weathered look than i do getting the less weathered modern aircraft to look right. Big guns, deffinatly.

Yeah I think it's time for the BIG gun. Since i'm an A-10 fan, gotta go with the bigger gun.

I suck at weathering so it's gonna be a challenge to weather this one. Any tips or pointers are more than welcome.

Medicman71

Bish:

Medicman71 looking good so far. I take it your more of a modern jet man.

Thanks Bish. Yeah I am. Nothing against props and WW2 aircraft, just not good enough of a builder yet to tackle that area yet. Gonna really test my skills when it comes to painting and weathering this one.

@Vance- Not sure yet. May use the REALLY big gun on this one. Haven't decided. What do you guys think?

 @Fly-n-hi- The Super Bug is looking good!!

Medicman71

 

Bish:

 

Medicman71 looking good so far. I take it your more of a modern jet man.

 

 

Thanks Bish. Yeah I am. Nothing against props and WW2 aircraft, just not good enough of a builder yet to tackle that area yet. Gonna really test my skills when it comes to painting and weathering this one.

@Vance- Not sure yet. May use the REALLY big gun on this one. Haven't decided. What do you guys think?

 @Fly-n-hi- The Super Bug is looking good!!

I used the big gun pack instead of the REALLY big gun pack on mine. (I'm Canadian, I liked the slightly more subtle look )  But the REALLY big gun looks good too.

Bish

Medicman71 looking good so far. I take it your more of a modern jet man.

Thanks Bish. Yeah I am. Nothing against props and WW2 aircraft, just not good enough of a builder yet to tackle that area yet. Gonna really test my skills when it comes to painting and weathering this one.

@Vance- Not sure yet. May use the REALLY big gun on this one. Haven't decided. What do you guys think?

 @Fly-n-hi- The Super Bug is looking good!!

Sorry to hear that WildChild.  I broke my collar bone playing football when I was 14 so I feel your pain.

Well, I got back from my honeymoon a few days ago.  10 of the best days of my life spent in Tahiti with my lovely wife.  It was hard to come home.

Anyway,  I've got some updates.  I finished the cockpit enough to install it and wrap the fuselage around it.  I also installed the completed intake sub assemblies.  Definitely not my best pics:

I'm just finishing up the seams and the re-scribing of the lost details now.  I also removed the seam line on the canopy, polished it up and dipped it in Future along with the windscreen:

More to come...

Medicman71 looking good so far. I take it your more of a modern jet man.

I love your flying artillery! Are you using the big gun pack, or the REALLY big gun pack???

Ok well I started my first WW2 plane (So be nice.....please?). This is the 1/48 ESCI Henschel Hs 129.

Fuselage glued up.

Here's the fuselage after the glue dried.

Dre

Damn, Logan- heed the doctor's advice!!    I take it that you play a line position?

Yeah i think im gonna listen to him this time lol. yeah, i played just Defensive tackle and nose tackle last year, but i was all over the place this season.(my avatar picture was taken two weeks before i broke it.) played d tackle, nose tackle, guard, center, and got to play outside linebacker(even though im about 2-3 inches shorter and out-weigh most NFL linebackers lol) for two games....that was fun lol. gotta be alot smarter to play linebacker though, so i went back to the line. its honestly alot more fun on the d line, all i had to do was launch forward and crack skulls (my wounded count was 6 on the season....too bad i dont play for the Saints, i coulda gotten paid for it LOL!) it was alot of fun...hopefully i can make the local semi-pro team because im not ready to give it up yet. i had a pretty good season for my senior year that i can be proud of: new school record for sacks in one season with 19 in 8 games, third on the team in tackles, and made the all conference team. not to toot my own horn, but i had a good year, and worked hard to make it happen. it really is true what they say: Hard work pays off.

Paper Panzer- it honestly didnt hurt when i did it (it was 4 minutes from halftime when i did it, and just didnt tell the coach or trainer and played the rest of the game.) but i knew it was broke because i could move it and feel and hear it click and catch. it just got too swollen to get my glove back on so taped it down and kept playing.

the paperweight would be a good idea, but oh my lord would that be a rotten smelling paper weight lol.

TheWildChild: Ouch! That must hurt! Iv'e never had a broken bone in my body, but I don't want to know what it feels like.

You could use it as a paperweight when it's off...

Damn, Logan- heed the doctor's advice!!    I take it that you play a line position?

TheWildChild

Everything is lookin awesome guys!

WVP51guy and Tulkas, i added you to the roster, happy building!

sub revolution, thanks a million for savin my butt with those badges!

unfortunatley, i have some bad news: i will be unable to build for six weeks i broke my hand during football season, and foolishly decided to take the cast off after only 3 weeks(end of the football season so i figured i didnt need my giant fiberglass club anymore) instead of the 6. well it didnt heal very strong, and while working on my uncles mud truck this weekend my hand slipped off the ratchet handle....it turns out that a transfer case makes a very stout backstop. hence i am back in a cast, and sidelined for six more weeks. sorry i will be out for a while guys, but i will be following the thread and build progress and looking forward to getting back in the saddle!

Regards fellas, Logan

Ahh man that sucks!! You might wanna keep it in the cast for the six weeks this time. Just saying.

Everything is lookin awesome guys!

WVP51guy and Tulkas, i added you to the roster, happy building!

sub revolution, thanks a million for savin my butt with those badges!

unfortunatley, i have some bad news: i will be unable to build for six weeks i broke my hand during football season, and foolishly decided to take the cast off after only 3 weeks(end of the football season so i figured i didnt need my giant fiberglass club anymore) instead of the 6. well it didnt heal very strong, and while working on my uncles mud truck this weekend my hand slipped off the ratchet handle....it turns out that a transfer case makes a very stout backstop. hence i am back in a cast, and sidelined for six more weeks. sorry i will be out for a while guys, but i will be following the thread and build progress and looking forward to getting back in the saddle!

Regards fellas, Logan

Thanks sub revolution! I'll keep the badge I take it?

Well we only ever got two votes, so I finally got around to resizing these down to a decent badge size:

Panzer: That is a mean looking Stuka! The camo job is just awesome!

Anybody else looking forward to a nice pair of Strike Eagles? I know I am! As for myself, I will eventually be in on this, but don't know with what yet.

Thanks

I'll probably be into the "late 2012-early 2013 semester" lol, I've got my nose in several GBs already that need to get caught up.  BUT I've got some options to choose from (Hasegawa Mosquito FB Mk6, some French WW2 twin-engine machines from Heller, an Italeri Sukhoi 22 M, and a FW190 G2/G3 would all fit the category)

EDIT - I suppose I also have a "Strike Flanker" that would work here too...

Vance, you up in this too?

Looking good Dre!

I've spent a long weekend detail painting and learning Model Master metalizer lacquers, so far the results have been good.

I painted all of the separate engine parts with MM enamel gloss black late Friday night and began shooting metallics Saturday morning.  I used MM Steel on the forward section and the warmer and slightly darker Burnt Steel on the rear section.  Smaller parts were either painted in Steel, or Burnt Steel with details in flat black, chrome silver (can there be a better paint?) and the bottle was done with Tamiya clear blue over chrome silver.

Since these are going to wind up buried deep inside the nacelles, I didn't put any effort into detailing the kit parts any further and seam clean-up was basic- if they were more prominently visible I would do more work on them. A little bit of weathering and they'll be ready to be installed.

I've spent a great portion of Saturday night and most of Sunday working on the resin cockpit side panels and they're just about finished and ready for weathering..  slow and steady with plenty of breaks to let my eyes rest!

I'm off the start working on the rest of the cockpit parts....

Ok guys... the build is done!

I haven't been able to post pics for a while now, final exams... , but now they are behind me, so I could finish the project and take photos this weekend!

It's my "ritual" you could say, I always put the finished model on top of it's box.

These next two are a tribute to my first 5 years of the hobby, in the next two pics are the first kit I ever built, Revell's 1/48 Ju 87d stuka, posed next to the latest, HC 1/48 Ju87 G stuka. Stukaholic you might say...

I then took it outside, and got a little creative... here's the first-

And then, using HP Image Zone, I made these pics black and white, and edited them to appear faded and worn. The "Gun cam" pics received a more battered treatment. Enjoy!

That's all folks... but in the first pic lurks my next project, a 1/48 Revell Do. 335. It will appear in this thread.

I'll still actively participate in the forum, and who knows, might build another ground attack bird. It remains to be seen. - Auchtung! Sturzkampfflugzeug!

sub revolution: I'll use the badge I like for now, when the forum decides officially I'll switch.

If you wouldn't mind having a new guy I've started a Revell F-15E as well.  I've just started and have only gotten to joining the fuselage and wings together, and been alternating taking care of seams and painting the cockpit/seats.   Not sure how much I can actually contribute accept for pics but I could definitely use some tips and advice as I go.