Fw 190 Butcher Bird 2013 (extended to June 2014) Group Build

Joe - The engine block looks very convincing! never done a resin one before.

Doug - Congrats on a fine looking 190! I like the worn out look as if it had better days.

All - Here's more progress pics. This time, I am working on the flaps. As promised, the only major modification will be just playing around with the flaps.

Sawing each ends  with a Hasegawa mini-saw.

Thinning the inner line with the help of a steel ruler.

Bending it slowly to get a dropped angle.

Rigidrider. Thank you I'm going to look that book up. I have always liked the africa campaign like you said its always 109s and also the 110s.

I always wondered what was behind that panel in the 190 tail.

damn, look what I have been missing. Some stunning work there guys.

Doug, are you going for your own Staffel,is that 6 now, half way there. You still have 5 months, I reckon you can do it.

Allen, that's a great job on that white scheme.

And everyone else as well, just so much to keep up with.

Monty... Nice technique, I've tried the tape belts when none were available and they come out nice!

Black Dog... Yup and Ju88s and Ju87s. I've read 2 things about the 190s , 1, they entered the war about the time that Germany was starting to be pushed out of North Africa and 2, The intense African heat could play hell on the BMW air cooled engines. Just something I remembered reading somewhere.

Bish...Hadn't thought about that but now that you've mentioned it...(ha)

Joe (M) excellent progress! Loads of good detail !

Doug! Awesome build. You captured that particular scheme perfectly. Very talented work on all your builds. Thanks for sharing.

Mustang- Great work on the resin parts. Your painting and weathering  really brings the resin to life.

Monty- nice cutting. I would've slipped with the blade a dozen times doing that....

Handi:Thank you for the encouraging comments bud.

Monty: Thank you also and you should really give resin engines a shot. You of all people could really do a job on that!

blackdog:I used to wonder what was behind that panel as well before I researched this bird. CMK offers the undercarraige set that contains this detail as well as a resin access panel.

Bish:A Staffel.......................HAHAHA lol.

Nathan T:Thanks man! I really focused on weathering on this one because I knew these birds were worked to death with little regards to cleaning out of desperation.

Doug:I can't wait to see this thing in a diorama!! I'll post pics of it when you have it all done pal.

Well folks here she is on the "engine/maintenance stand:

L/H view:

and R/H view (upside down of course):

Joe: Beautifully done Joe!! You're getting that engine detailing stuff down to an art. Looking forward to your in depth tutorial.

Monty: Whoa! Now that's very cool. That is a new one on me and you have executed the downed flaps very well. Thanks for the step by step on that, it's greatly appreciated.

Joe- That looks really really good ,,, I'm jonesing because the Aires set for mine was on the "do it and die " list with the budget manager ,, that turned out fantastic bud!

Monty- Go Go Go man!

Monty, your cockpits are coming along nicely. I will also be watching to see how your masking tape belts finish up. First time I tried that was early this year, my first GB here at FSM. I didn't know they were supposed to be painted, and I don't think I'm going to try to get into those cramped quarters now.

Very good work on that dropped flap. Never would have thought of that.

Doug, let me tell you this one is over the top. Zowie. Want to say thank you yet again for taking the time to take and post pics of the exterior progress. So very helpful. And I agree, this one is very deserving of one of your splendid dios.

I'm glad JR asked about the exhaust treatment, and for your detailed reply. I've been having very little luck spraying very thin acrylic mixes, guess I never thought of going even lower on the pressure for some reason.

A thousand apologies if you covered this earlier, but to save me some searching, could you tell me if you used any enamels (or non-acryls) on the exterior? Thank you, sir.

MJ, your name is becoming burnt into my brain as the master of engine superdetailing. This one is looking great (that resin kit is really something, I also have not tried a resin engine set yet), and I watch your progress with bated breath, mate.

Allen, congrats on your first GB badge. Very well deserved indeed with that nicely executed 190 of yours.

Everyone, Monty's post made me remember I've been looking for a very thin and small razor saw something like the Hasegawa one Monty showed. I've looked at Sprue Bros and Squadron to no avail. Can anyone recommend anything, in addition to the one Monty showed for me to consider?

Joe Rix:Thanks buddy!! I had a lot of fun building this engine up. I'll work on that tute!!!

Handi:I know the feeling about the "powers that be". Had I not got this update kit on sale I might not have gotten it. I still caught a little flak over it anyway. Thanks for the good word!

Greg:Thank you for your supportive comments as well. I think sometimes that being an automotive technician by trade has helped me in the powerplant build ups. P.S. You should really give one of these things a shot. It will definitely test and thus improve your creativeness. Plus they look sweet when they "fall together" like this one has so far.

Hey Greg, Not a problem, Never a problem.... Yeah the thin coats are a bit frustrating cuz they dont lay down a coating you can see at first, and several coats are required just to begin to see the results. Thats why I go thin like that, so as to have the graduated (in density) appearance that such a stain would have. Exhaust soot would not have a "hard line"pattern, and would graduate from denser to almost un noticable.

Just remember to be patient and build up little at a time, remembering to dry in between coats with a hair drier if desired, that will speed up the process and allow you to see errors or progress as you go coat by coat.

As far as enamels go... Rarely do I ever use enamels any more, and none were used on this build, The reason is that with todays new and improved acrylics they smell, clean, adjust, and apply better IMO then enamels. They even have acrylics now for automotive applications that are way easier to apply then enamels or urithanes .

I have some acrylic candy shades that I use to do Motorcycle designs like tanks and such that cant be beat and are MUCH easier to use then any enamel I've ever tried. That includes lacquers which at one time was the best paint on the market.

Sorry I'm getting long winded again, but the only non acrylics I use any more are the occasional artist oils mixed (Thinned) with paint thinner, or the lacquer "metalizing" paints from Model Master. Alot of the specialty paints (other then RLM and such colors) I use I order from tcpglobal.com . They are the best source for House of Color brand paints. There is no custom paint that you could ever think of that they couldn't supply. enamel, lacquer, urethanes, and yes acrylics.

Doug

Joe, your are right, being familiar with what something really looks like  helps to re-create realism for sure.  I spent some time around aircraft powerplants in the maintenance hangers, but I didn't pay a lot of attention. Guess I didn't pay attention to details, just liked to fly them. :)

Doug, thank you VERY much for that, and don't you dare apologise for being long-winded! It just isn't possible to answer some questions in a sentence or two. And mine was definitely one of them.

Thanks for reminding me yet again about patience, and waiting for dry between coats. I continue to struggle with that. This borders on insanity on my part, I know I have to slow down. Small improvements though, I think.

Really appreciate your commentary on your take on acrylics, even if we've covered it before and it slipped my mind. You accomplished some very intricate work on the finish of this build (yet again, really). I just about had myself convinced to take the enamel plunge for certain exterior spraying, I'd really rather not, my inventory of acrylics is already ridiculous for one reason. Will keep plugging along!!

Greg- for good quality razor saws, check out the JLC saw-available at umm-usa.com, or RB productions for super small blades that chuck in a exacto handle. They come on a stainless pe fret. For the Hasegawa or Tamiya ones, you need to search ebay.

Joe Rix - thanks Joe I use a pretty strong ultra fine invisible mending thread which allows me install the antenna early in the build - I'm just a little more careful when painting but i'm used to it now so no probs.

Cool jugjunkie!!! Cant wait to see some paint bubba!!!

Greg, I guess its just a personal preferance, Years ago when the acrylics were first starting to force its way into the hobby, I tried them and swore I would never use another acrylic again...EVER. Again IMO Polly-S which was one of the first ones I tried was HORRID! Terrible adhesion, poor coverage and very difficult to thin.

That was in the mid 70s, and I didnt touch another until the mid 80s, I bought a few bottles by accident thinking them to be enamel. well I didnt feel like returning them and thought to give them another try, Much to my suprise, they were much improved to the first ones I tried.

Since then as the enamels were used up they would be replaced with the acrylics unless I absolutely had to have enamels.

Noto long ago I went to the LHS and bought some paint, got home and found that I had grabbed enamels...I really didnt want to take them back...I wound up taking them back and exchanging for acrylics.

So as I said, just my preferance,,,

Doug

Nathan, thank you sir! You solved many curiosities of mine in that one post. Now I know those PE saws that fit in x-acto blade really work, the JMC you recommended are just what I've been wanting. I found the blades somewhere but couldn't find the handle. Been looking for a source for actual surgical scalpels and blades, etc.

What a cool online store, umm-usa. A bit odd to navigate, but they sure have some neat stuff! Thanks again!

Doug, interesting to hear how your progression to acrylics occured. Mine was much simpler. Back when I fell off the face of the earth modeling-wise, not sure acrylics even existed at that time. I read a bunch of threads here before I bought any paint for my first kit back, decided to give acrylics a try. Good thing I had you guys to help me through that first build with the MM acrylics or I might have given up on acrylics in general!

I'm sold, but still have to figure out if I can manage the very fine spray jobs with them or if I will have to resort to enamels. I figure if you and other here can do it, eventually I might get the hang of it.

I think I need to stop yacking about modeling and go down and practice now.

Greg:I started off using acrylics just simply because I paint indoors and have no fumes to contend with. This counts for alot to keep everybody that resides in the house from getting a case of the grumpy butt at me. But I found that I'm getting really confident in my abilities with acrylic paint.

There's a totally AWESOME DVD from Vallejo by Mig Jimenez called AFV acrylic techniques. Its dealing with armor but there are some worthwhile techniques in there. I love watching it because he's taking a Panzer II from primer to paint to final weathering and it's the greatest, and it's all with acrylics. Give it a shot and watch it.

Everybody:Well I've got the engine assy together minus guns. Next will be the build up of the nose/radiator assy and then the prop assy. FYI just because I've had a few of you about the exhaust staining technique that I use: I painted both exhaust pipe assemblies with a coat of rattle can silver. After allowing the silver to cure out I applied a thinned down rust acrylic over them to allow just a little silver to show through to give the appearance of metal with some rust/ oxidation on metal instead of a painted exhaust in all rust. That would have looked like what it would have been-pipes painted rust color.  Then light oil based black wash (MIG productions) , allowed to dry and then dry brushing black pastel on the #2 through the #6 exhaust stacks on both sides. #1 doesn't accumulate any soot on the outside due to being the first stack on each side. I dabbed some thinned down black acrylic in the end of the pipe and made sure that the circumference of each pipe outlet had the silver showing through to simulate the metal of the pipe.

Here goes:

Joe, Excellent work as always... Your engine is very realistic. Gonna put a ser # on?

Greg... You can do it, Thats why I like the Tamiya and Model Master paints because they will thin with Alcohol or Lacquer thinner without any problem. Using those two mediums help to atomize the paint at a dryer rate than water, and it (they) also help the paint to adhere better then water, dries naturally faster too. If you choose to use either of these to thin, Just crack the pressure up a bit.

Doug

OK, here she is on her Dio base... Not real fancy but I think it gets the intent across.

Red 7 is being prepped for her second mission of the day, With the Reich collapsing on all fronts, she is needed to help buy the retreating troops a bit of time to put all possible distance between themselves and the pursuing Russian Army.

Two of her "Black Men" are doing what they can to get her ready to fly again so soon. Her starting cart was towed out and is being plugged in while another cleans the cockpit and canopy.

Joe, I found the intro to the DVD on Vallejo site. Can you advise where the DVD is avail for purchase from? As you know, I am an avid Vallejo user and have to have this DVD!

Doug, even after my delight painting my TBM nose ring Tamiya yellow, I never did follow through on my pledge to give Tamiya acryls a serious go.

Seeing some improvement my efforts with Vallejo at lower pressures, thinner viscosity and smaller needle diameter, but I'm not there yet. I am going to do some testing against MM and Tamiya for sure now.

Do you have any reason to believe that dry tip is any worse with Vallejo than with Tamiya or MM? As far as I can tell, dry tip is my main problem. I've tried retarders, etc to no particular avail.

Ok, back to test fitting my A8 fuselage halves now. Arrggghhhh! (reminder, newbie Eduard builder here, and it IS ok for you guys to make fun of me. :) )

For some reason the last comment didnt print... I had added...

Her hardstand will require a good cleaning that wasnt possible this time due to the short turn around time required to get her in the air again, Mud and snow pack in around her wheels causing brake and landing gear problems so her lower doors were removed to try and reduce such build ups.

Darn it Joe... You've left too much time for me to add to the Staffel! (lol)

Greg... I have a bit of dry tip issue but nothing that I cant deal with. I guess I'm a bit confused, I hear about all the drytip and to me its not that big a deal. I am trying to fugure why you might have so much problem. Now me... I keep a towel (small cloth) in hand and every few moments I back wash the paint by holding the cloth over the tip and releasing air while fully pulling trigger back which blows air back into the reservoir , mixing the paint and clears any dryness. But maybe I thin a bit more then some. Im not big on measuring out exact ammounts, and just add paint , then thinner and mix until it looks good to me. I will try in gun, and if it sputters or tries to splatter I add more thinner, if its too runny I add a few more drops of paint until it comes out smooth. Depending on desired look thats where the pressure adjustments come into play. My typical shooting pressure is almost always 18-20 psi.  Higher for close up /thin paint worh, and lower to fog very thin paint and washes. We'll get it figured out for you. Keep trying!

Doug

Really nice base Doug. I like the wet/muddy look. I know snow is hard to replicate, but you did a convincing job.

Greg- glad you found some saws. Good quality thin/fine razor saws are a must for all types of modeling, not just resin. I have about 10 exacto blades on my bench at any given moment, each chucked with different blades/saws, glue loopers, riveters, etc...

Joe: She's looking better all the time.

Doug: Sweet Dio! Glad you went the extra mile on that build. It really adds to you miraculous effort.

I'm the opposite of you all as I am an enamel man and have been slowly replacing my acrylics. Although I still have specific needs for some of the acrylics. That is all.

Mustang- I did find some pics of a Dora Black 10, of III JG 26, only 3 Werk Numbers behind yours. Same colors and wing undersides, only it lacks a yellow tail. If your interested I'll scan and post them up here.

Whoops, sorry I missed saying thank you jugjunkie for expanding on your antenna prior to painting method. It does seem backward to me but, that means nothing as I am programmed.

Thanks Nathan... That snow is just a tad large for 48th scale, but I ran out of the right size. I will have to replace the next trip to the Hobby shop or Hobby Lobby.

Thanks Joe. Yup, thats why they make so many different types and brands. The way I see it... Whatever floats yer boat! Thanks again my friends!

Doug