Reich Defenders IV Group Build: Strike From Above

Done!

Mike. put me down for the 1/48 Hasegawa Hs129B. John

Nice work Mike. I went for the usual RLM 02 and your right, you can hardly see the wheel hubs.

Looks like I have to throw this kit in then!

I love the look of the 410...

Clemens

A little progress, I airbrushed the wheels for the Stuka using the Eduard mask set, hubs in satin black, tires in off-black. (I found references to Stuka hubs in natural metal, semi-gloss black and camo colours, so for simplicity I went with the black, they're barely visible when the spats are on... The spats are cleaned up ready for assembly and the stubs for the sirens removed (they were molded for the early mark dive bomber and easy enough to trim).

My next update will hopefully feature the completed landing gear, radio boxes installed, canon gondolas completed (they almost are) and maybe canopy masking underway.

Cheers, Mike/TB379

Thats a nice kit Clemens. There are a few wip over on britmodeller. They mention the canopy fits kind of tough but the detail in and out is amazing. It includes a few photo etch items in the box. Looking forward to you building this! I like the look of the captured soviet markings.

Thats a sweet kit and very high on my to get list! Meng (If I,m not to badly mistaken) is kinda sorta new as a company but I think has been around for a while doing things for others. Every thing I've seen and read about them is impressive. Go For It!

Doug

That's one sweet looking cockpit, Doug!

I'll have to wait for a while untill I can start on my Jug though. I still need some stuff for the build.

To be exact, I ordered the following:

• Eduard paint masks
• HGW seatbelts
• Master gun barrels
• Quickboost engine

I have to get me some decals for the German markings printed, but the guy who makes them is ill atm, so I'll have to wait...

Maybe I'll this one to the GB:

Does anyone know how that kit is? I just had a brief look at the sprues at my hobby shop two days ago and the parts look quite nice.

Cheers, Clemens

Hey Nathan... Yes it a tru-detail set. I'm only using about half on this build and The other half on another I want to do.This one wont have detailed engines but will be more of a OOB build with just a few additions. I have another in mind to do here if I have the time. I fear the 1/48 scale kit is fast becoming too small(ha) Getting older is a b***h. LOL

Doug (RR)

By the way, I love the older kits, I'm in talks with a vendor right now who has a Lindbergh 1/48 Ju88 kit that was molded in the early 60s (61 or 62 ) and I want it very badly, I built this kit when I was a boy. I dont know what happened to Lindbergh over time, but they used to produce some amazingly well detailed kits. Now they are no better then snap fit kits. Oh well ...Take care !

Nice work Doug. Can't wait to see what you do with this classic kit. Is that True Details Resin?

Mike, thats a clean looking build so far. Good call on waiting for those masks, lol!

OK ... I've caught up and can now start my build...

Let me please introduce my subject, This will be one of the craft piloted by Heinz-Wolfgang "The Spook" Schnaufer. Heinz Schnaufer piloted the Bf110 and had 121 aerial victories to his credit. Most were 4 engine British night bombers. He was nd still is the highest scoring night fighter ace in aviation history.  Heinz survived the war,and after seperation from his Luftwaffe duties took over the family winery and ran it until 1950 when he was tragically killed in a car accident at the age of 28. As the Reich shrunk around them he was pressed into other missions including this aircraft which provided ground support and dive bombing duties. It was equiped with rockets, bombs (  220kilo) and 20mm cannons along with self protection. Hope you like and most of all I hope to honor the pilot and crew with my efforts.

Thanks...

Doug (RR)

That's indeed a nice looking Stuka, Mike!

I hope I can start the cockpit of my Jug tomorrow after priming my Airacobra

Cheers, Clemens

MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM, Stuka. She is looking nice. And you more than welcome.

Clemens, defiantly looking forward to seeing that one.

Hi all, the eduard masks i've been waiting for for months have finally arrived so i can get back to Rudel's bird in the Fujimi idiom... here's where the project stands right now:

That's the gun pods and radio boxed from the Academy kit (thanks, Bish!), the Eduard masks and MM Acryl RLM 04 and RLM 71.

My first step will be to paint and install the radio boxes behind the seat, install the canopy, apply the masks, paint the wheel hubs, mask them and paint the typres, then I can assemble the landing gear. I'm thinking of leaving the gear off until after painting to ease masking around the roots -- does anyone else do that on Stukas?

For the record, I LOATHE the new Photobucket interface. I thought I'd retro'd to the old one which made sense, but this new one is very unfriendly indeed.

Okay, hoping to get to grips with this project again shortly,

Mike/TB379

YAY!

Thank you Mike!

now I have to find some german bombs and a way to put them on there....

Maybe some new Bomb mounts on the pylons (a field modification to carry  german bombs)

I can't really use Allied bombs, as the Germans got them in great numbers, but only falling on their heads with a big boom following

I'll start on the cockpit asap and post some pics.

Cheers, Clemens

Clemans -- what the hey, why not? It's a most interesting subject, so we can stretch the point -- go for it!

M/TB379

Can I build a Thunderbolt?

This one, to be exact:

I'll put some bombs on too (maybe even the rocket tubes)

Clemens

Hi Stalkerfish -- welcome aboard, Jabos are the theme indeed, especially post-Normandy.

I'll add you to the build list in p1, feel free to slit the shrinkwrap and dive right in!

Cheers, Mike/Thunderbolt379

I'd be interested in adding my Cyber-Hobby 1/48 Bf110D-3 fighter-bomber to this GB once it arrives in the mail. I've heard many great things about this kit and can't wait to start it!

After the nice easy start, things got a little complicated with the wings. The instructions have you trimming some off each end of the centre section. 3mm off the front and 10 at the back. I did this but it still didn't fit, more had to be trimmed off the front. Either i messed up or the instructions were wrong. This meant a large gap at the rear. I also had to file back some of the top wing so it would fit. The meant the leading edge of the wings don't line up with the mounts on the fuselage. So i still have some more filling and sanding to do.

On the plus side, the cockpit fitted in very nicely, and despite the problems, its not looking to bad.

If all goes well, i hope to have soem paint on by the end of the week. 

Ye, its not to bad a kit. Working on the seam now, and theres only one small bit underneath that needed filler, the rest just need some sanding down. I have had to thin the platic around the wheel wells a bit to fit the wing halves together over the PE wheel bay, but nothing to major.

So far so good.

That's a nice looking cockpit tub, Bish.  Not too much of a seam there either, that looks like a nice kit.

Time to get this build under way.I have been working ion the 262 for a few days in bwteen rigging the 0/400. This is the kit i am useing.

I have a few MPM/Special Hobby kits in the stash but this is the first time i have built one. Despite being an old kit, it has some nice detail and a nice PE set. Some of the sprue attachments are a bit thick but are generally well places not to cause a problem.

Also got the fuselage together with the bomb aimers floor fitted. That still needs painting and the seams need a little sanding, but nothing to major.

Thats it for now.

Mike,

Thank you.  The pre-painting approach worked for me on my Tiffy, and I'm hoping that momentum will stay with me.  I swing back and forth with the build and the airbrush so often that I don't really hit a block, my difficulty is ensuring I keep that level of weathering consistent, though I am getting better at this.  I'm trying a new technique in using business cards as soft masks for my pre shading.  

The real trick will be leaving for work Friday and coming back one month later and picking up again smoothly.  Not easy.  I've tried taking a few pieces and an airbrush with me to work, but it's just too difficult, and I never get the quality of workmanship out of myself at work as I do at home.

Sanderson,

Thank you.  I'm just hoping in the end I can do the bird justice.

Nice looking work on the 190! 

Andrew, marvelous work, you have a very methodical and quite ambitious approach. Prepainting is often a stumbling block for me as I have to mentally switch gears between building and painting and sometimes my shifter gets stuck! Looking forward to seeing this bird come together!

Cheers, Mike/TB379 (still waiting on the mask set for the Fujimi Stuka...)

Nice work Andrew. Your detail painting and drybrushing is really making stuff pop out nice. Good mix on the 76. Unfortunately you'll come to find Vallejo sucks at most RLM colors, but this is somewhat an opinion too.

Thanks Bish.

A little follow up, I forgot to mention, while the pit fit like a charm, I decided to use Eduard's etched instrument panel.  What an awkward piece to mount after having the halves joined.  I placed my pit tub in first, as I wanted that to go in without an issue.  I figured I could reach in from the forward end and mount the panel.  (that gap over the foot pedals).  Wow, what a tough job.  I wound up (for those of you familiar with the Eduard panel) splitting the top from the bottom and mounting them as two separate pieces, the only way I could get it in.

Thats looking good Andrew, nice progress.