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

Joe... Is this your first work with foil? Doesn't look like it. Looks like your an old pro at it. I love the foil for NMF, and I'm sure you know it comes in various shades right? (HA) Just what we all need more model stuff to spend money on! LOL

Clemens, Falcon, Ditto!

My stash has grown alot since starting to build here a couple years ago. And I blame Joe too! LOL... Still say there isnt a better bunch to build with!

Doug

Joe: Magnificent work, buddy! a few of my 190s (I think 3 of them) have NMF panels as well. I still have to decide wheter to get some bare metal foil or to put my Alclad collection to use here. Your awesome foiling job makes that decision even harder. I'll probably do both to give me an excuse to visit my LHS for the BMF and buy a few more 190s while I'm at it... At least I don't claim to be sane anymore...

Joe: Magnificent work with the foil. That looks great.

Clemens: When, in the wide wide world of sports , did you ever claim to be sane in the first place?

I believe I did way back when I only had a single 190s on my bench... I can't say for sure though (it's hard to remember things like that once you are nuts)

Doug, Clemens and Joe Rix:Thank you all for the atta boy. Yes this is my first time working with the bare metal foil and I used about a half of a sheet in practice and re-tries before I finally got an application I could stick with (no pun intended!!). Oh yeah you guys can blame me if you want. You all love building 190's and you know it! lol

For the latest photo shoot here I have to recap a bit to properly show a before and after pic of the paint progress. The first is before the dull coat mixed with 70% ISO and about 2 or 3 drops of gray for that sun bleached effect.

Here's before:

and here's after:

and another viewpoint:

 It really dampened the camo effect in a good way. Looks like its off to the landing gear guys!

Looks great Joe, that dullcoat mix toned it down just right!

Looking great guys!  Can't wait to rip the boxes open and get cracking on this one!

Thanks Eric and handi!! Just to see it sitting there with a final coat of paint on it allows me to exhale and relax a little bit . That was one of the more tedious paint jobs to complete for me.

Ok guys................................................she's got legs now!!!

These struts, doors and brake lines all came from the Eduard Royal Class kit and look alot better than what the Tamiya parts would have!!

and another angle:

Joe, The iso treatment turned out great. Very nice effect. I'm sure the Eduard landing gear is a vast improvement over the stock Tamiya ones. Overall she is shaping up beautifully. You have done some tremendous work on this one Joe.

Hey Joe... Morning,    Man,   That is really looking great! I love the way the paint is toned down and the weathering effect is just right! Keep up the great work !

Doug.

You've achieved a truly awesome looking finish there, Joe!

Joe, Doug and Clemens:Thanks for the encouraging comments. I'm currently working on the landing gear painting and weathering the main landing gear actuating arms, tire and wheel assys and installing the last of the gear PE. I also masked off the canopy sections and painted them with a coat of 02 and I'll apply the top coats next.

Holy damn, Joe, that metal finish is awesome. I must do a little studying of the metal foil application as some day I might be building my 1/32 scale B-25 in NMF. That'll be a major challenge for a bumkin like me.

Were there entire gruppes  that had metal finish on the undersides of their 190's or was the one you're representing unique?

Man what an incredible lineup of outstanding models - I think this GB should change from a Group Build to a special interest section so that it never ends. I also got some more work done - not much mind, but I got some of the dreaded finicky stuff metal coated and completed the cockpit with the hood....

JJ: Looking very good! I need to continue work on my Staffel, but I have only very little time ATM, so I concentrate on other builds that need less attention untill I'm less busy... I don't think this GB will fade away if the end date was removed, but I think every GB has to come to an end at some point. Joe and I have been talking about hosting a German/Late war Jet GB next year though, so I expect to see most guys participating here in that one as well...

Bill: I don't know if there were any Gruppen with all their planes having bare metal panels, but such paint schemes don't seem to be that unique. Some of my 190s have NMF panels as well.

By the way guys, I'll be going to the "Hope it Don't Snow" model show in Rochester Minnesota on Feb 1st. I plan to show everything that I've finished in the past year: my Spitfire Mk IIb, Fw190A5, Speeder Bike, STAP (with droid if I finish him in time), and Dual .50 cal AA.

I was kind of surprised that the Rochester show isn't in the list of "Events" in our forums here. It is sponsored by an IPMS club after all

Clemens, I didn't mean to imply that I thought NMF was rare on 190's. I was curious if Joe's guy had NMF under the wings as a personal choice, repairs, panel replacement or such. Unique in his gruppe.

I never thought you did think so. LOL Looks like I have to work on expressing myself a bit more. At least I have the excuse that English isn't my native language...

Reagarding NMF finishes on 190s: How 'bout this one (2nd bird):

I definitely have to build this one...

mustang1989: What paint scheme are you going with?  That looks close to one of the ones I'm thinking on my DORA.

So I do have it narrowed down here.  I'm going to model a Hans Dortenmann mount.  the interesting thing here is that while the Eduard profipack kit appears to have all the markings for 3 Dortenmann aircraft, it only shows for one aircraft, and the scheme it shows I cannot find that scheme with any of those markings depicted.  The ones I found that can use the available markings in the kit(with one being altered which is Red 1), are as follows.

The really bad part here is, I don't know which one to do......................................   Pretty sure it'll be one of the first two.

Fantacmet:Its a D-9 alright. It's Black 10 of JG26 Wrk No. 500618 operating out of Celle May 1945 just after it left III. Gruppe and was assigned to I. Gruppe.

I'd like to interrupt this GB for a very important message..GO BRONCOS!!! That is all. Carry on.

I'm a bit confused now. My Eduard weekend kit has decals for a Dortenmann bird too. It looks exactly like the first one you posted, but the whole tail fin is yellow (like on the other 2 Doras). I'm assuming Eduard got that yellow area wrong?

JOE RIX

I'd like to interrupt this GB for a very important message..GO BRONCOS!!! That is all. Carry on.

Near as I can tell Eduard did get that little detail wrong.  I can find no reference for it with those markings.  The nice thing is, you can do any of those Dortenmann birds with what's in the kit.  So I guess Eduards screwup worked out for the best with a little research.

That's Wrk No 210003. Lemme see what I can pull up.

Got you an answer and some info.....stay tuned.

Bill, to maybe help with your NMF question, From what I've read, As was with the most of the war (but more so towards the bitter end) the aircraft were never built nor assyembled at one point exclusively, and as the war turned against the Reich, a "Cottage Industry" mentality was relied on even moreso then ever in the past. Many of the components were mfg and shipped to an assy point by numerous points in germany. There are instances where Folks would assy instrument panels and related wireing in sheds and garages out side their homes.

Many of the underside NMF panels and wing sections were sent from their assy points in that way, because they just flat had no paint to put on them, and the upper surfaces were more important to be painted to try to conceal from the now marauding P-47s and P-51s, that had free orders to attack anything they felt was a target. In a nutshell I think thats why you see more NMF undersides. Not that it was desired, just a consaquence of the circumstance.

Doug

PS... Sorry My Brother Joe R but ... GO SEAHAWKS!