Reich Defenders V: Hunters of the Dark

Bish -- the old Future dip is a technique I'd like to know more about, it seems like a great trick for clarity! Also, if using decal strips for the framing, it would serve to lock down the decals which at the moment haunt me with visions of them drying out and lifting somewhere down the track...

Work proceeding on the 262: I installed the gear bay components:

Then I was clear to assemble the engine pods. The fit of the old Trimaster parts is actually pretty bad and there'll be a LOT of filler work needed to blend them together and to the wings:

They look pretty good in the pic but in real life there's plenty to do. That also means iIll be proceeding a bit slower than I had hoped, as I've not received the putty I was waiting for and the last dregs of my previous tube (which must be 15 years old) have finally gone rock hard... Hopefully it'll be in the mail on Monday.

Until then I'll proceed with the cockpit and fuselage assembly.

Cheers, Mike/TB379

It looks like you're making pretty good progress to me Mike. I really like the detail of the landing gear bays.

Mike, I am not sure how other do it, I have never seen it discussed only people saying they have done it. I have an old Tamiya paint jar, one of the older larger jars, that's filled with future. Its big enough for most of my 72nd pits but you might want something bigger for larger scales. I just grab the clear ;piece with a pair of tweezers, at the edge on the frame if possible, then dip it in, shake off a bit and leave it on some tissue to dry. I leave it in a plastic tub with a lid to keep dust of. Nice progress.

Thanks Bob and Bish, I'll press on with the pit today.

Bish -- thanks for the info, that's pretty much what I remember reading many years ago -- it sounds like a case of screwing up one's courage and going for it -- maybe with an  old scrap part. I have some Bf 109 canopy parts that were scratched in the box and I'm trying to replace them, I could afford to give them a go and see what happens. Heck, if the Future muted the scratches I could perhaps still use them...

Cheers, M/TB379

mike, ye, I would defiantly try it on an old canopy first to see what you think. I need to do that on a new bottle of future got recently. They have changed the formula over here and now its a milky colour. But apparently it dries clear, I just want to test it first.

Thanks, Bish -- I have some Future I got sent over from Sprues Bros some years back, it's the original clear. The Micro Scale clears coats I use are milky in the bottle but dry clear. M/TB379

Ye, there different future in different parts of the world. I have read that the new one here does dry clear, I just want to try it first before I run out of the older bottles.

Well, guys, this GB officially ends in a few days, but I'm always open to those wishing to take a little extra time -- my own entry won't be done in a few days, that's for sure. I've been hamstrung for filler -- the agent who used to carry Squadron stopped dealing with them recently and Squadron products, including their putty, are nigh-unobtainable in Australia at this time, so naturally my tube that I've been using for many years chose this period to finally expire, rock hard... I tried Tamiya white but it's too liquid in the tube and dries very hard, so I'm finding it quite an unfriendly putty to use, which is unfortunate as the Dragon ex-Trimaster 262 calls for a lot of filling. I have the port engine mated to the wing today, but have more rubbing down to do on the starboard before mating up, and then there are more seams to dress, so progress has been frustrating. The cockpit etch has been particularly fiddly too. I can just promise to plug away, a little at a time, and I'll post the results when she's done. Until then, thanks for making this a great GB (eight completions to date) and I hope we'll see just a couple more in the week or two ahead! Cheers, Mike

Thanks to you TB. What's next for RDVI. I was thinking bombers. He111 Do17/217 Ju88 types. John

Mike, don't feel bad. You wont be the last one finished. I have just gotten around to tinkering with the 110 this past week. Here are some of the larger components of the cockpit.

 

 

 

 

I have also done some work with the wings. I was actually pretty impressed with the way the nacelles fit. Not much work will be required to blend them in. 

 

 

The back part is the worst, but even thats not too bad

 

tempestjohnny

Thanks to you TB. What's next for RDVI. I was thinking bombers. He111 Do17/217 Ju88 types. John

 

 

I would fully support the next one being Luftwaffe bombers.

Thanks, TJ and AJ! Please take the time you need, I'd rather have finished builds out there than get all official about time! Bombers? Interesting... Though bombers are an essentially offensive weapon, and the theme is defence.... I recall Hitler's edict that all new aircraft be able to carry bombs to act in the strike role following the invasion, so that would count as tactical bombing in the defensive role. What's your thinking on this? There would need to be some distinction between the role of Reich Defence and a general build on German bombers as such. Cheers, Mike/TB379

Sorry to hear about the lack of putty Mike, hopefully you can get it sorted out. Thanks for hosting, it was fun doing a Luftwaffe plane again, even if painting it drove me a little batty. Ajd, that's a great start on your cockpit.

Thunderbolt379

Thanks, TJ and AJ! Please take the time you need, I'd rather have finished builds out there than get all official about time! Bombers? Interesting... Though bombers are an essentially offensive weapon, and the theme is defence.... I recall Hitler's edict that all new aircraft be able to carry bombs to act in the strike role following the invasion, so that would count as tactical bombing in the defensive role. What's your thinking on this? There would need to be some distinction between the role of Reich Defence and a general build on German bombers as such. Cheers, Mike/TB379

 

Touché.

I guess if you really wanted to, you could argue that after North Africa fell, the Germans were for the most part almost always on the defensive (On the Western/Italian front that is.) That said, I see your point, and I would probably agree with you.

As you said after about 1943 the bombers were on the defensive striking out at invading forces. It was no longer about gaining new ground. Just keeping ahold of what they had

I do agree with Mike in that bombers do cause some problems when we are thinking of Reich defence. We already had 3 aircraft specific GB's, and seeing as we have recently had a 109 and 190 GB, I think its a bit to early to revisit them. If there is interest in a 6th round, maybe late war fighters could be an option.

Thanks AJ, TJ and Bish. Interesting thoughts here! Late war fighters? The last-ditch interceptor race against the bomber streams? That would give us types like the Ta-152, Bf 109 K-4, Me 163 and so forth. It's hard to know where to draw the line between what actually served and what was on the verge of serving -- the Me 262 B1a/U1 was in service but only 16 were delivered, that sort of thing. Would the build be open to those that "nearly" served? Like the Bf 109 K-14, or the Me 262 A1/U5, with its six canons and quartet of air to air missiles? Should the build be actually devoted to the "nearly served types" like these, plus the Natter, the Me 263, the plethora of jet designs, the Wasserfall SAM and so forth? All interesting possibilities and I'm sure we'll get around to them all in time! Cheers, M/TB379 (It's November 1st on this side of the dateline and my 262 has not advanced since last week... Okay, I'm finishing a Spit!)

That is an interesting possibility. Another thought could be aircraft that served in the Zerstörer roll, as they were mostly bomber destroyers, which would certainly be a defensive roll. Of course that would have us dealing with many of the same airframes that we just dealt with for the night fighters (Bf 110, Ju 88, Do 217, ect) so that may not be a great idea after all.

Some good ideas. Here's another. How about a sort of what if. What would have happened if the war had lasted one more year. Same outcome but more planes that were still in development would have been in combat. He162 Me 262. Do335 ......John

Only issue with that John is that it would clash with the 46 What If Gb and possibly spread the builds of both a bit thin.

True. Didn't think of that

Ah, well, guys, better late than never! It's over a month since the GB officially closed but I swore I'd get that 262 done. I realised the thing that's been keeping me from doing it has been both difficulties with putty (laboriously overcome) and a loathing of photoetch.

The etch problem -- well, I added the etched levers to the cockpit after a great deal of mental resistance to working with parts too small for me to actually see properly, even under a good light and using a magnifying aid. The harnesses -- well, I abandoned them. Not every model I've built has harness, and here's one in that category.

So, you'll see in the pics below the extent of filling needed on the engines, plus the completed cockpit and the nose gear bay installed, with the recommended 9g of weight added. That's crushed air rifle slugs, very old stock -- we haven't had guns in Aus in nearly a generation.

The next photos should show the fuselage together and mounted to the wing, and hopefully I'll sail through the job from that point.

Cheers, Mike/TB379

Coming together nicely Mike.

Keep it coming Mike.

Here we are at last -- as promised, fuselage assembled and mounted to the wing. What a job -- look at all the filler on the engines, for one thing! Now I'm using Testors putty and I'm having more luck than I did with that rock-hard Tammy stuff. The wing did not want to fit at all, in fact the overall fit has been a challenge from day one, so the wing was shimmed with styrene, superglued at the back, then flexed into place everywhere else and held there by friction fit with tape while liquid glue flowed throughout and did its work. I won't dare untape it till tomorrow at least, after a couple more applications anywhere there looks to still be a seam...

Then some more joint dressing as necessary, add the tailplanes, and I'm getting into the home stretch re construction. I have all the paints and clearcoats necessary so hopefully it'll be fairly straightforward (he says with a wry smile, given the mottle involved...)

We have a particularly strong heatwave here in southern Australia (108F today, I believe, and a bit more tomorrow before a major crash over the weekend, then the temp goes north again in a hurry...) so I'll be working through it as possible. I have this one plus a Banshee approaching the finish line, a Bf 109 for the 109 GB at the painting stage, and a Brumbar to paint, hopefully all by New Year. If I can manage that lot, I'll be only one model behind last year's completions.

Cheers, Mike/TB379

I've done that kit Mike. It fights you all the way

TJ -- doesn't it?! :-) Well, Hobby Boss have tooled this subject and I'll only be building that one in future. I have one or two other Dragon 262s in the stash and I'll sell them on. Tamiya and HB only from now on... The masking tape comes off today and I'll do battle with the joint lines, which probably won't be invisible but at least acceptable. The tail surfaces can be fitted, then I'm onto things like painting the cockpit surround, adding the gunsight, boring out the holes for the drop tank pylons... She'll get there, one detail at a time. Cheers, Mike/TB379

She's finally starting to look like a 262:

Looking good Mike!

That is a 262 for sure. Nice work TB. Can't wait to see it in colors.

This was a cool and fun GB. I'm kinda hoping we see a general night fighter type GB in 16. Hint hint.

BK