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

Joe: Looking good!

John: That's amazingly fine mottling in such a small scale!

JJ: Man, you are making some serious progress! I agree with Joe: A spreader bar right behind the rear cockpit wall helps a lot...

Nathan: I never tried using Mr.Surfacer, because it's really hard to get here in Austria. My LHS just recieved a few bottles though, so I'll give it a try! Thanks for the tip. BTW, what do I need to thin it with Gunze acrylic thinner or laquer thinner?

Joe (Rix), Greg: I'll sure as hell post some pics when I get around to building it! It will be my project for the Radial Engine GB starting this summer (mounted to a Thunderbolt, of course!) I just hope it'll fit the kit I have in mind without too many problems. The set was designed for the Hasegawa kits, but they only have a Bubbletop Jug. I want to build a Razorback version (Magic Carpet: OD with NMF wings and cowling), so I chose the Trumpy Jug...

Thin the Mr. Surfacer with Mr. Color leveling thinner. Yellow bottle/blue cap laquer.

Thanks,

Clemen's

   I finally broke out my stand with the alligator clips on it to use as a third hand.  worked great cuz now I don't have to hold the plane and stencil with one hand and the air brush with the other.  The stencil was just held up to the side of the plane a small distance so I could get a slight feathering of the paint as it went through the stencil and avoided those large splatters  I got on the mottling on my last 190.

John

Nathan: Leveling thinner is almost impossible to get here. The owner of my LHS told me that it's banned because there's something in it that is forbidden thanks to some stupid EU regulation. We also don't have Gunze Laquers for similar reasons (I prefer to use acrylic paints anyway). Getting that stuff shipped from an online shop outside of Austria is tricky as well as most of them don't send paints and thinners abroad... Any tips where I can get that thinner (and maybe some Mr.Surfacer 500)?

John: I found suck a stand at a local craft store, but it looked kinda fragile. I can imagine of how much use it can be though... I hope they still have it in stock...

Just to refresh with a new plate, this is in Jerry Crandall's book Dora Volume 1. This is the bird that I'll be building. I'm going to try my absolute best to replicate this ridiculously difficult camo scheme (at least it looks like a real bear to me!). Up to now its been the same ol' hum drum upper wing camo but the sides, underside and fuselage camo is all another animal. Its lookin like a 82/83 camo pattern with some 76 at some points on the sides and 75/76 and bare aluminum on the bottom sides with black and white bands AND an oversprayed III Gruppe identifier behind the side crosses. I almost forgot the yellow tail!!!

Anyways this is what I'm after:

and so far this is now where I am:

and here:

.....and here:

This is the other color reference that I have at this point as well. It'll be the bottom bird on the set of three here:

SchattenSpartan

Nathan: Leveling thinner is almost impossible to get here. The owner of my LHS told me that it's banned because there's something in it that is forbidden thanks to some stupid EU regulation. We also don't have Gunze Laquers for similar reasons (I prefer to use acrylic paints anyway). Getting that stuff shipped from an online shop outside of Austria is tricky as well as most of them don't send paints and thinners abroad... Any tips where I can get that thinner (and maybe some Mr.Surfacer 500)?

John: I found suck a stand at a local craft store, but it looked kinda fragile. I can imagine of how much use it can be though... I hope they still have it in stock...

LuckyModel.com. Or, how about Model design Construction in the UK? Otherwise, try and get some lacquer thinner at your Hardware store?? If this is all too much trouble, I'd try a different brand of primer that you can easily get. Or, try Getting Mr. Surfacer 1200 in a rattle can?? They spray nice and dry really thin so the detail is still visible. 

Mustang- Holy cow, I owe you some scans don't I?? I'm on it tonite. Hopefully they would still be some use. Again, its not this exact bird, just its younger brother 5 serial nos. away. Colors look exactly the same, it just lacks the yellow tail, and the group bar is for 2nd grouppe I think??

It's all good so far Nathan. I'd appreciate the pics alot but I did look back a few pages and looked at your bare metal job and downloaded that to add to the reference list.

mustang1989

This is the other color reference that I have at this point as well. It'll be the bottom bird on the set of three here:

I believe that's the same aircraft that I modeled with my Fujimi Fw-190D-9.  "Black 10 of II.JG26 was abandoned at Celle, spring 1945. This aircraft wears an unusual scheme of RLM82 and RLM81 over RLM75." -quoted from the decal sheet I used.

Thats it Gary! And that paint looks really good. It looks as it did before it was transferred to I Gruppe JG/26. (or at least before it was painted that way). Nice build..............I like!!!

Looking good Joe! Your doing just fine on the paint... I havent been able to say much lately but I do stick my nose in every now and again...

Doug

Joe, Man your paint work looks fabulous to me. You have certainly improved your skill with the airbrush and it definitely shows on your D-9. Extremely nice handiwork there my friend.

That is looking seriously cool Joe, think you nailed that camo.

Doug, Joe Rix and JJ:Thanks for the kudos! I'm feeling a little more at home with the airbrush these days. Part of what I used the Dauntless build for is to get better at color transitions so I could pull this scheme off. I knew that I wouldn't be able to unless I practiced on another plane that I had two of. This one is proving to be a test of skills for me I'll tell you all that! Thanks again guys!

Well its on to the yellow tail and the beginnings for the DoR bands. Still need a little touch up work at this point but I'll manage.

and another shot:

Nnnnice Joe! Very sharp looking . Excellent effort that looks great Buddy.

Love that yellow!

Watching your progress with great interest, Joe. Looking good!

Looking very nice, Joe! That's some mighty fine paint work!

Joe Rix:Thanks there Joe. I'm really trying to replicate this one as well as I can. I aint gonna be 100% exact but I'll get as close as it gets.

Nathan T:At first I was a little scared of the yellow because I've had trouble with it in the past but it seemed to just go right on this time. Thanks for the "atta boy".

Greg:You're not the only one surprised! I'm surprising myself every step of the way with this one pal! Thanks for the encouragment!

Clemens:Thank you also for your kind words of support. I'm going to need it!!! LOL

Everybody:Well guys it looks like weekends are the jackpot for time at the bench. I'll be finishing the bands down the road but for now...................We're decaling!!!!

and the other side......

Fading the Gruppe identifier comes next..............

Great work, mate! I'm totally digging that paint scheme! I wasn't too sure about the decals on my weekend D-9. I thought about building a 2nd bird from my EagleCals decal sheet, but your build convinced me to use the kit decals (that arcraft has a yellow tail as well)!

Just one (probably really dumb) question: I hope you guys remember my little flat coat "problem": The flat coat killed almost all the drybrushing and reduced the effect achieved by the washing. Can i make those color effects pop just a little bit more again (i just want it to be slightly more noticeable, not a lot) by applying a semi-gloss coat on top? I'm asking this because I'm not too convinced with the dead flat appearance the cockpits have now and I need to know if any additional drybrushing is needed before spraying said satin varnish on top tomorrow.

I know i could've made that question a bit shorter, but it's 1:42 AM already and my brain ain't workin' that well when I'm tired...

First off thanks for the "atta boy" Clemens and secondly I honestly don't know what to tell you about the cockpit question. I usually don't even think about the flatness of the cockpit ,which maybe I should. I really don't know that I would mess with it a whole lot where you are right now. I have this phobia of going back over work that turns out fairly decent to make minor changes.  Maybe in the future use a small amount of gloss in with the paint when you paint the cockpit initially. Just an idea.

Do your drybrushing before the gloss coat. Then gloss, then wash, then see how things are coming along. Maybe try a semi gloss next time, or just a careful misting of flat varnish.

Love the contrast on the yellow tail Joe, looking great my friend. I cannot wait to see that engine plug mounted and her standing on her own two legs!!

Thanks Eric! I'm trying to be really careful about not getting in a hurry right now with a finish line in sight. You know how that stuff goes. I've got one more morning before I can't do anything for another 4 days. I get up too early during the week now to get ready for work to do anything to the plane. I have to save my time for my weekends and pack as much in as I can. The landing gear, now that you mention it, is almost assembled. I used the Eduard supplied landing gear from my A8/R2 Royal Class that I built for this GB being that it had two complete kits in that box.

Hells Bells but you are certainly motoring there Joe, and man it looks killer.

That's looking really nice Joe. Can't wait to see more.

Many kind thanks JJ and Bish! On the last pic , the Gruppe idientifier is not centered.  I use pictures alot as an unbiased judge. They let me see the imperfections through a whole new angle alot of times. Like the Gruppe identifier not being centered in the middle of the overspray pattern.

I'll recap the last pic and throw the correction pic just below it to show you. The correction pic will also have the painted DoR bands completed as well. You guys nevermind this stupid bold characters that won't seem to turn off problem. Oh well if thats the worst thing that happens today I'll be ok.

First, the previous picture with the Gruppe identifier off kilter (how I missed this I do not know but we're gonna take care of dat!!!)

and the corrected Gruppe identifier that's now faded with the crude overspray.

ahh....much better!! Now if you'll excuse me.........I gotta have some more coffee!!

Might be my tired old eyes but it looked pretty good before. Overall this is really looking good Joe - good choice of subject.