French a/c group build 2012-13

Great work Theuns !!

That's a very sharp looking helicopter! Certainly not something you see everyday, nice work!

Thanks for the help Doogs, I will have to try that sometime.

Hi all. Here is my completed South African Air Force Puma.

Humbrol #'s 29 and 30. Future dullcoat to seal it in.

Theuns

In Texas of all places?!?! Thanks for the link, will keep an eye on that project.

Some nice looking builds going on here.  Thought this would be an appropriate given the theme, it was in a recent Classic Wings magazine with wind under the wings.

www.worldwarbirdnews.com/.../a-potez-63-11-will-soon-fly-in-texas

Here is my SAAF Puma so far. Notice the different shade of paint and the demarcation line not lining up where the tail boom meets the fure. The real helo lost it's tail rotor in field and a new boom was flown in and then manhandled into place.

Theuns

Very nice work, DoogsATX !  

Excellent work Doogs 

DoogsATX

Alrighty...I'm calling the D.520 done. This one's been a heck of a fun build, a good training ground to refine some techniques and try some new ones...and an awesome paint scheme to boot! The only thing I'd have liked out of the kit would have been better treatment of the landing gear. Seems there's always one minor letdown in these Tamiya two-sprue wonders...but the rest of the kit is superb.

Thanks Vance for hosting this one. Nice off-the-beaten-path subject matter!

Wow - great finish DoogsATX, really itching to break open one of my kits for this GB, trying to finish up other items before getting french! Adding the finished pic to the front page.

Alrighty...I'm calling the D.520 done. This one's been a heck of a fun build, a good training ground to refine some techniques and try some new ones...and an awesome paint scheme to boot! The only thing I'd have liked out of the kit would have been better treatment of the landing gear. Seems there's always one minor letdown in these Tamiya two-sprue wonders...but the rest of the kit is superb.

Thanks Vance for hosting this one. Nice off-the-beaten-path subject matter!

sub revolution

Looks great! Can you clue me in a little on how the salt thing works?

Looks great! Can you clue me in a little on how the salt thing works?

DoogsATX

Sludge wash for the panels, final matte coat, unmasked the clear bits, started some chipping. Still have a lot of little things to see to, but this sucker's in the home stretch...

Wow - lots of weathering going on there Doogs, but all very subtle. Very nicely done.

i have an unfinished ms-406 from long time, nice plane, but the d-520 looks really better in shapes.

Great work Doogs

Sludge wash for the panels, final matte coat, unmasked the clear bits, started some chipping. Still have a lot of little things to see to, but this sucker's in the home stretch...

Thanks guys!

Doogs, that D.520 is looking real sweet too! I loved building that kit! A great kit of a good looking fighter.

Love that salt-fading look. On the decals as well?

Excellent Mirage, stik! Jets typically aren't my thing these days but I dig that paint work!

The D.520's taken a few more steps toward completion. Some more salt fading, which will fade with the final matte coat...hoping to get to that tonight or this weekend.

Love how that one turned out Stik.

Excellent mirage Stik 

Well I have not yet started my Rafale for this GB yet... but I did finally complete another French bird, my Mirage IIIEA for the Falklands GB, so I thought that I would share a peek at it here 

I have at least one more jet to finish before I can think about any new starts.

Oh yes, the North-African machines kept on going, I was just basing that on the lack of Vichy-stripes. Yep, momre subdued after the clearcoat but it can still be seen. (Or maybe I just know it's there now?!?!)  That would be a great effect to try on a worn & weathered car, could be made to look like spots where wax has abandoned & paint has started oxidizing.

Well...that's before the clear did away with the salt stains. It's much more subdued after:

As to service life, a lot of these D.520s actually served for years, from 1940 into 1942/43 (when the Free French got their hands on some P-40Fs and Ls). And in North Africa, no less. Not exactly the most hospitable of climates. Here's one example where you can definitely see the kind of fading and staining that they bore (especially evident near the base of the tail)

ahhh - looks good in the close-up. I don't think I'd want the effect any heavier than that though. Most of these machines saw months of duty, not years, right?

VanceCrozier

hmmm - salt as a filter Doogs?? Hard to pick it up in the photos, how's it look "in-person"??

To be honest I think I need a slightly heavier coat. It was more pronounced with the salt staining before I put down the Alclad light sheen.

hmmm - salt as a filter Doogs?? Hard to pick it up in the photos, how's it look "in-person"??

VanceCrozier

Not sure how well it worked as camoflage, but I love the look of those colours!

I think they were too busy surrendering to worry about the colour of their camouflage (I AM SO SORRY THAT WAS UNCALLED FOR AND INAPPROPRIATE)

DoogsATX

This D.520 represents an Aeronautique Navale aircraft of Escadrille AC1 operating out of Algeria (Tafaraoui Airfield to be exact) in 1941...

Thanks Doogs, it's th other way here, I don't see Mr Color in the shops anywhere, except for the metallics for some reason the aqueous line is readily available. I think it must be the wholesaler.

Cheers

Tony