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

Oh Man handi, That there is going to be a thrill to watch you build. Bring it on!

Well alrighty then!!! Can't wait to see the build handi!!!

Box has arrived ,,not sure when it will get cracked open but soon....

Black Dog, the currant one is a Revelle/Monogram pro modeler Fw190G2/3

I agree with all the others on the gel tip. The best seatbelts in any scale are HGW's fabric seatbelts however (in my opinion at least). They are very fiddly (only the 1/48 ones), but surprisingly easy to build. You can either buy them in sets for 2 planes or only for one plane and pre-cut.

Mornin' Greg, I'll echo what Joe advised concerning the gel. First, the gel doesn't run all over the place. Second, the gel has a little bit of time before it sets thus, giving you a bit of time to adjust the part. Something else you might consider is some CA accelerator to instantly set the glue and part.

Hello all.

I'm still here haven't had much time on the bench but have bi trying to look in on group a's much as. Times allow.  I see the gb is still growing.

if all hos well I should be building by the weekend and have some pics to throw up.

Greg. Did yoh take on a Edward. ?

Rigirider. Looking good wich kit is that.  ?

Hey Greg. I'm having some of the same issues with mine and resorted to gel super glue which appears to be holding a little stronger than the thinned out stuff that runs all over the place. I wont say thats the fix but right now its working for me bud, Joe

Hit a little snag, looking for some tips/advice.

Decided to try the 'curl and bend' the PE seat belts prior to gluing method this time. The lap belts worked out great, I'm very happy with them. Not so much with the shoulder belts/harnesses so far.

Trying to secure them properly on the deck aft of the pilot's seat this time. Best way I can think to put this, I touch them, they move. More like look at them, they move. Figure no matter what I do, going to end up with a glob of adhesive (be it CA or white acrylic glue (Gator's Grip) at the aforementioned attachment point, if I can ever get them to stay where I want them.

Open to ideas/suggestions, TIA!

Great job on the custom lower cowl, Doug. Is amazing to me the things that you guys don't let faze you, you just move forward.

Please keep up updated on the paint job. I'm quite interested in watching the steps involved as you more forward on this one.

The post office thing is odd.....

Thats what I was wondering, they send kits through the mail... What the hey...

Yep. I had to send it twice!!

What? Post office stealing modeling parts?...was it deemed a weapon of Mass Destruction??

Looking forward to seeing the pics of your build Mike!!

So our leader Mustnag1989 sent me the stick, the envelope showed up but the stick didn't, the post office opened the envelope up and removed it.  GGGRRR I HATE THE POSTAL SERVICE!

So he had another one and put it in a Christmas card so they wouldn't notice, and it showed up just fine since he taped it in there.  I believe I have one more weekend of 7 day a week work then I'll be at this one again.  I did however make sure to glue that stick in there.  LOL.  As soon as I get the rest of the interior together and painted I'll snap some pics and post them.

Whoa Ho, Outstanding recovery Doug. Brilliant and skillfully done Doug.

Well alrighty then...A little more progress,

The lower piece of the cowling was missing, nowhere to be found, and I had to make one. Luckily I had some lower cowlings fron a Me110 that wernt used, and I had the basic part, and a few hours of filing, and fitting and I had one that would fit properly.

ready to prime...

primed and starting to lay out the scheme. Some of the shading is subtle and difficult to see in the picsBut its basicly going to be 3 seperate paint jobs when all is done. The darkest grey is Tamiya FX63 I believe(German Grey) The intermediate grey is RLM66 Model master and the base will be straight Luftwaffe primer grey< the under side and a bit of the fuselage side and tail will be RLM light blue.

Clear coat (or 3 ) of future... Paint job 1 finished. 

Well, if Tamiya wasn't planning on it certainly they will read your post and change their minds, Joe.

Being the Corsair lover  that I am I was doing cart wheels (that hurt) when I heard about Tamiya releasing their 1/32.  Only thing is that I am not into the Birdcage version. So, I will wait patiently for their 1A or 1D Bubbletop. I mean I know they're going to release one. Right?

Cool! Thanks for the release info on the Big Ed. I put a reminder on my phone to remind me Mar 1.  I'm hopeless. :)

Thanks for additional thoughts on PE colour mis-matches, Clemens. I'm still struggling with flat clear leaving a white-ish cast on everything. Until or unless I come to terms with this, I'd best not do any more flat coating to the A8 pit!

I pre-sparyed (LIGHTLY!) a matte clear on the panel faceplate and both of the side panel flats, just don't like the way the black details ended up. I read somewhere that Polly S used to have a matte 'varnish' that was well-loved, but that's no help.

I don't think a blue wash is necessary. I'd suggest spraying one or two coats of semi-gloss or flat varnish to to blend the colors together a bit. You can't really notice the color difference anyway once you assemble the fuselage around it. Eduard's PE parts vary a bit in color and two of my 190s had a very strong blue tint. That's the only reason i mixed my custom RLM 66...

Ooh, that's what I call a great deal! You'll love this kit!

The Big-Ed for the Tamiya kit is announced for February 2014:

www.hannants.co.uk/.../EBIG3335

It's kinda expensive, but it's one of the biggest Big-Ed sets...

Clemens, you recently picked up the 1/32nd Tamiya Corsair 'Birdcage', didn't you? I picked one up at Squadron last month for 1/2 off, if there is a Big Ed avail for it already, I'm gonna do it. Would keep me occupied for a year! Thanks for the tip, mate.

Also, thanks for your input on the PE colour issue. I rationalised that the slight blue of the PE would add a splash of color to my A8 office. Now you have me wondering about maybe at least adding a slight blue wash (or something) to the tub might be in order..........

I have a tip for you if you want to experience the joy of "real" PE madness:

Buy oe of the 1/32 Hasegawa, Trumpeter of Tamiya kits (Tamiya's new Corsair is a beat of a kit and it features the finest rivet detail I've everseen) and get yourself one of the Eduard Big-Ed sets. Lotsa PE goodies in there! Their P-47D-20 set includes all the PE frets and some masks for the Razorback Jug (cockpit, engine, gun bays, wheel wells, exterior, cockpit placards) and believe me, those sets are HUGE...

Regarding the color: It seems like Eduard has some problems getting the right shade of gray  for the colored PE. Their PE stuff for American planes (interior green) is almost spot on (at least compared to Gunze's interior green). I solved this problem by mixing my own shade of gray (darker, slightly blueish) and then spraying a flat clear coat over the 'pits after adding the PE parts.

I hear ya, buddy Joe. Cameras have so many features. I have more trouble with my little point and shoot than I do my more serious kit. Too many options sometimes. D-Lighting can work out very well sometimes.

Greg

Eric, thanks for commenting on the pics themselves, amigo. Still sorting some things out on the close shots like these, but getting closer.

Before that all my pictures were dark and I couldn't fix it!!!

Gary, Nathan, Doug, Mustang Joe, & handi Much appreciate your comments and continuing support!! Thanks!

Reasoned, thanks! A question for you and everyone: I know by now that PE isn't everybody's cup of tea, and that color mismatches happen. So I'm curious how you more experienced modelers might deal with it? I'd considered matching at least some of the cockpit with Eduard's blue-ish PE, for example.

Joe Rix, saw a cartoon somewhere showing a guy enthusiastically cutting PE from frets, I am sort of turning into that cartoon character, you're right! Starting to look forward to working with the stuff. :)

Clemens, when I joined up here earlier this year, I didn't know what dry-brushing was. Thanks for noticing my efforts here, mate. I still can't duplicate the delicate dry-brushing work I see from many of you here, but getting better at corners and edges.

Eric, thanks for commenting on the pics themselves, amigo. Still sorting some things out on the close shots like these, but getting closer.

Great looking pit Greg and also those photos are so crisp and clear!!

Greg: Very nice work indeed, my friend! Your drybrushing looks great (something I still have to work on) and your detail-work is stunning as well!

Very Nice office!  Watching!