French a/c group build 2012-13

Superb 520!!! another intresting subject

Tony - I'm using Gunze lacquers (Mr. Color line) and thin them with Mr. Leveling Thinner. Can't easily get my hands on their Aqueous line so I'm not sure what thinners are compatible...

D.520 update:

Decals are on! Since I don't trust Tamiya decals, I picked up a sheet by Berna Decals, who I've never used before. They go on quite well - a bit resistant to moving around so place them carefully, but they're thin, don't tear or fold up, and seem to conform really well to surface detail.

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

Looks great Doogs, and I like the pre-shading effect. I must admit I use many brands of paints depending on what I'm doing and what I have around at the time.

I've recently thinned Gunze acrylic with Tamiya Acrylic thinner, not sure if I liked it that much. I felt that something a little 'hotter' might be better,. What do you use ?

Cheers

Tony

I've never gone looking for Gunze's goods, but I keep hearing about them - must be available in the US without too much effort.

DoogsATX

Went back and re-shaded some of the brown and and khaki areas, then touch-ups all around, followed by a filter coat of the upper surface blue-gray thinned with white and 90% thinner to knock down the contrast and blend the colors a bit.

Pretty sure this wraps up the main camoflage portion of painting!

Beautiful kit, Doogs. Nice work. 

I am unfamiliar with the lacquer paint you are using.

Is it still available in the USA or must I send away to some former French SE Asia colony to obtain it ?

Dang Doogs that look good!

Do you find that the gunze lacures cure well if so thin? I have treid the same thing with humbrol and tamiya enamels to keep the shading but found if thinned to much they tend to not cure like they should, they rub of with handling the model more easlely.

Theuns

Freehanding it as well? Looks good. My hands are steady enough to do that on larger areas, but I need to pick up an a/b that can handle the finer details. (Yes, I'm blaming my tools!)

VanceCrozier

You are certainly thinning the paint down - it's more like staining than painting!!! Is this just to make sure you don't lose the pre-shading, or is it to allow you to paint despite the Texas heat?!?! I love the colours you're using. Tamiya Acrylics - or are those bottles just there to prop up the kit? 

I'm actually using Gunze lacquers exclusively on this one - they're a lot more "dustproof" than Tamiya's paints in this heat but airbrush about the same.

The thinning, though, is more something I've been into lately, both to preserve the preshade and to add some depth to the paintwork.

I should also note that I freehanded the camoflage - first time I've done that in a LONG time since I'm usually the king of overspray.

Looking good Doogs!

Looks nice! They had some very strange colors, and I think that adds to the, um, uniqueness of the planes!

Went back and re-shaded some of the brown and and khaki areas, then touch-ups all around, followed by a filter coat of the upper surface blue-gray thinned with white and 90% thinner to knock down the contrast and blend the colors a bit.

Pretty sure this wraps up the main camoflage portion of painting!

You are certainly thinning the paint down - it's more like staining than painting!!! Is this just to make sure you don't lose the pre-shading, or is it to allow you to paint despite the Texas heat?!?! I love the colours you're using. Tamiya Acrylics - or are those bottles just there to prop up the kit? 

Sprue-ce Goose

VanceCrozier

Interior pics of those WW2-era french machines do seem hard to find.

Even on the French language sites 

Well, slightly easier I suppose. Need to switch my brain into full-on Français mode & start googling terms that way, see if I can get some better results.

Finally have an update for y'all! Bigtime painting session tonight...still need to go back and do some cleanup in a few areas, and I'm guessing I may have to do some more general painting if there are any areas that look "light", but I want things to cure overnight at least before I make that call.

To give a sense of how much I've been thinning paint down lately, here's the first few passes of my blue mix:

And...

Sprue-ce Goose

VanceCrozier

Interior pics of those WW2-era french machines do seem hard to find.

Even on the French language sites 

VanceCrozier

Interior pics of those WW2-era french machines do seem hard to find.

Even on the French language sites 

Interior pics of those WW2-era french machines do seem hard to find.

hello sub revolution

look your PM.

Does anyone have (or are able to find) any pictures of the cockpit of an Amiot 351 or similar bomber? My Google is turning up nothing and I'm really scratching my head over it.

On the other hand, if no one knows what it looks like, I have free reign, right?

I got the wings on my Mirage, the wingrott will need some carefull sanding. I filled the gap with glue and sprue.

As for the puma, the windows are a BAD fit and I will have to make some plan arround the cockpit top :-(

I also added the exhaust plastes from thin clear sheet.

Theuns

Here it is:

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/nukesmoothie/7745755712/" title="amiot 2 by nitsirt, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8285/7745755712_1d3d5c18ae_z.jpg" width="640" height="480" alt="amiot 2"></a>

That's what I have to work with. One sprue (plus clear parts) and an exploded diagram for driections.

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/nukesmoothie/7745756952/" title="amiot 3 by nitsirt, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8446/7745756952_d2d8251010_z.jpg" width="640" height="480" alt="amiot 3"></a>

Here's all the pieces laid out. In process of sanding and shaping them all down. And I need to figure out what to do with the cockpit. Sparse does not begin to describe it.

I think after this model, anything will be possible!

Thanks, Budd

Theuns! Racing ahead with a pair of SAAF machines. Shaping up very nicely.

sub revolution - The Amiot needs a little amour to build up then?!??

The Puma is looking good Theuns. I like the extra work on the sponsoon.

Cheers

Tony

As you can see I had to mod the wheel sponsons as the SAAF changed them on later Pumas.

There was also a plate attached to the rear side of the cowl just behind the exhausts I must sill make.

As for the Mirage I had to fill in the bottom edge of the front wheelwell.There is a small gap between the well and the bottom fuse so I will need to shape it till it fits.

Theuns

Hello all!

Finally back home (actual home!) So now I am getting caught up on everything. Very nice looking projects on here so far! Doogs, I will be living vicariously through you when you go to see that Tu-2! (Pardon while I wipe the drool off my keyboard...)

I pulled out the Amiot a few weeks ago and started messing with it. To say that the part fit and finish is atrocious would be, um, generous. I can't even do a "taped together" preview because the parts are so bad! But nevertheless, sometime in the next few days I will pull it out and start chooping away, er, shaping them. Pics to follow, when I get that far!

VanceCrozier

Nice touch on the rudder striping. Now you have me thinking what a D520 would look like with a radial engine....

yes ......

Nice touch on the rudder striping. Now you have me thinking what a D520 would look like with a radial engine....

DoogsATX

Had France stayed in the war, I imagine the D.520 would've gone something like the LaGG when it was radial'd and rechristened the La-5. But France didn't, and the D.520 didn't.

Also a bit more progress - wasn't anticipating bench time tonight but we're setting off on the road trip later than planned tomorrow morning, so I took some time to knock out the rudder:

Looking very nice !

An interesting comment about D-520 possible development.

Gives me an idea for a future "what if" build. 

Scorpiomikey

The D.520's an odd little aircraft that you dont seem to hear much about. I understand it was quite a nimble little diver.

Blame history. At the start of World War II there were, in my opinion, for "fighters of a kind" in Europe. All built to new specs in the 30s and revolutionizing aviation and aerial combat. The Germans had the Bf 109. The Brits had the Spitfire (and Hurricane). The Soviets had the LaGG-3. And the French the D.520. But the D was plagued by development pains, entered service too late and in too few numbers to do anything to turn the tide. Though it could hold its own against a 109E-3, France was out of the war a matter of weeks after it finally reached the front lines.

Had France stayed in the war, I imagine the D.520 would've gone something like the LaGG when it was radial'd and rechristened the La-5. But France didn't, and the D.520 didn't.

Also a bit more progress - wasn't anticipating bench time tonight but we're setting off on the road trip later than planned tomorrow morning, so I took some time to knock out the rudder:

Cross-overs are definitely welcome!