Lostagain: I really like that landing gear. Nice!!

Matt: Man I hear you on that!!! That feeling doesn't really happen with alot of my aircraft builds but with my automotive builds it does. I started building custom autos last year after building a couple "OOB" and it's just one thing after another. I plan a direction with a build and soon it's taking off in about 5 different ones. I have thoughts of shelving any given build at that point but then I say to myself, "Naaaaaaaaah!" and keep building.  lol

Everybody: Still plugging away at the Arado. I tried to re-rivet the panel behind the wing after sanding all of the rivets flush during body work and it didn't turn out good. I stretched a section of sprue this morning and filled each one of the rivet holes and bought a dang rivet tool for cryin' out loud. I moved on to the starboard engine nacelle in the interim so I'm still moving on this one.

I understand the feeling.  All this resin, super small bits and vague instructions. I have almost shelved this one several times just to build something easy OOB.  Keep up the great work.  Maybe one of these days I'll learn how to work with brass like to did on the landing gear, that impresses me.

Thanks Matt, the slow progress of the build and having to measure, cut, check, cut, check, file, check, drill, cut, check, file then glue each piece does take some of the excitement out of build. But then I see a completed cockpit or tail wheel well and there is satisfaction in that small completion.

But it will be a while before I do another vacform. I do have three more in the stash.

And I am going in the Weekend Madness GB to get this out of my system for 48 hours...

Lost, thanks for the compliment.  I must say that your vacuform kit is coming along nicely.  I don't think I would have the patience to work all that scratch built details, really looks great!  

thanks for sharing!

Matt,

Coming along nicely there. Good work with the preshading, are you just putting on very thin coats of the colours?

So the other day I managed to get some good time on the MB5. Some of that involved soldering brass and salty language.

First up was getting structure into the wheel well. The u/c was in as a sanity check that nothing was way out of whack:

Next the brass socket that the u/c will sit in. The long arm will help me get the forward rake right before it is locked in position with epoxy.

And the combination tacked in place:

And with the lower wing resting on top:

NOt finished yet, still need to do detailing inside, get the socket properly positioned and add a spar of some kind. Of course I have to do the other side as well, I am counting on it being easier to do both at the same time.

Matt, i dolike that scheme, i am rather keen on Ge3rman schemes with a light base. I did a 335 acouple of years and the 555 this year, both 3colour with an RLM 77 base, i took the idea from the pre war 3 colour scheme but with late war colous, soft edge and more flowinglines. But i really like the look of what you did there. You could almost pass that off as a winter scheme.

Alright, round two.  Here was the first paint scheme which I based off of the FW-190 pattern. 

Did not look right, so I removed the paint (acrylic thankfully) and went with RLM 77 and 75, and went back to the splinter pattern.  Looks much better to me now.

Next will be the RV band and possibly masking for a third color (would be RLM 80) to add to the scheme. Then mottling along the sides.  Some of the Panels are going to have different camo on them in the same manner as other late war aircraft had. 

Thanks for looking.

You are certainly doing a remarkable job of whipping that vacu-form into shape Lost. Kdos on the work you have done so far. 

blkhwkmatt

was able to mask, prime and begin painting last night.  Not 100% sure I like the colors though.

preshading was done with Tamiya NATO brown, really like the way it adds depth.  Lower surfaces are in RLM 84(the straw colored one) with light green(83) and greyviolet (75).

[IMGhttp://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y54/blkhwkmatt/Mobile%20Uploads/E3D3B343-5904-4C0B-AB93-B6DCF4246EEB_zpszedkcm7a.jpg%5B/IMG]

 

trying to post from my phone, Photobucket doesn't copy correctly I guess.  Will update when I get home.

was able to mask, prime and begin painting last night.  Not 100% sure I like the colors though.

preshading was done with Tamiya NATO brown, really like the way it adds depth.  Lower surfaces are in RLM 84(the straw colored one) with light green(83) and greyviolet (75).

[IMGhttp://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y54/blkhwkmatt/Mobile%20Uploads/E3D3B343-5904-4C0B-AB93-B6DCF4246EEB_zpszedkcm7a.jpg%5B/IMG]

Nice work lost, you have my respect as well for building vacform. I had a couple of vac kits years ago but never plucked up the courage to build them.

I have noticed problems with PB as well. yestefrday i could not get on, then when i did, the links didn't work. I had to open the pic and copy and paste the addy.

Matt: Wow, that's some detail there. She's coming right along. 

LA: Looks good too! You have my respect for building a vac-form kit, someday I guess I will try one..... Love the instructions telling you to use a large lump of epoxy to anchor the gear legs! 

Matt,

The detail on the Pfiel is looking great, there is a huge amount of work and detail there. Looking forward to seeing it progress, and the open front engine. I do have the 1/72 Frog nightfighter version, it doesn't have that level of detail.

Dan,

Racing ahead there, should be done soon! Looking forward to the build and what you think of the Tanker truck.

You are certainly pulling off some magnificent work Matt despite the pace. All that patient work needed to add all your AM parts is really paying off. Great work.

Dan:After watching the way that 110 turned out I'm really looking forward to the P-51 build.

Matt: I've got the Tamiya trainer version of this kit with just about as much resin and is one reason I haven't started on it yet. I do look forward to building this unique aircraft and am in awe of the work that you are doing here. Keep it up and keep plugging away at it.

This kit has the most resin I have ever used.  Also using lead wire for the first time, that makes wiring the engine much easier.  Since I plan on having the front engine cowlings opened, it's importanot to have enough to look busy.

Good to see you back Matt. Some nice work going on there, looking forward to seeing more of this.

All,

I have been lurking here for a while as real life has kept me plenty busy.  I am impressed with all the work that has been done.  I am truely impressed with the dioramas that have been produced.  I know that  I dont have the time to put one together.  I have been able to do a bit of work on my Do-335, the hardest part was getting past the engines.  Once I was able to do that things have been moving a bit faster than a snails pace.  Here are some pictures to prove it:

I am even further on than this shows, I am working on the detail painting an wiring of the front engine / radiator assembly now.  Hope to Prime this weekend and see how much needs to be cleaned up on the cannon farings.

Thanks for looking.

Off to a good start Dan, and i hope you can do that fuel truck as well. Looks like we are going to have a flurry of completed builds in the final 2 months.

Dan: Nice choice there. I've got a couple of decal sheets for Pacific Mustangs and there were some pretty awesome schemes on some of them. 

Thanks Joe Rix: Happy to share my building experience on the Bf-110. It is a hand full but well worth building.

Thanks Mustang: When I got the landing gear stage, had to look that up about the wheels camber. Kind'a looked like some had it while others did not.

Thanks Jgeratic: Was a little nervous at first airbrushing exhaust stains on, first time doing that. I like the final result, the key is the start at the area where the exhaust empty’s out over the wing and airbrush down. Don't know much about the black painted side on the bottom wing.

Thanks Gamera: Luckily the front antenna has some give to it, I've bumped it a few times. only just bearing came undone. Good luck on your Japanese twin fighter.

Thanks Bish. My pleasure, might be adding a 1/48 Tamiya US Airfield Fuel Truck #32579 to my Mustang build.

Thanks Lostagain.

Thanks Muff: I'm happy with the acrylic panel wash, but some times it's hard to remove it from area's of rough paint.

Started my Italeri 1/48 P-51 D/K Pacific Aces #2743 on the 17^th, after finishing my StuG III and when the Bf-110 was starting to be wrapped up. This kit is a rebox of Hasegawa P-51D Mustang #09014, dated 1991.

Kit comes with six decal marking on a big decal sheet.

Before painting the cockpit area I washed the parts with soap and water.

The cockpit is nearly assembled, the pilot is from a Monogram P-51D kit. With a small part count, this should be a quick build.

@DanTheMan: 

Wow!  That 110 is beautiful...the weathering really makes the panel lines pop!

mustang1989

Moff: Thanks for the comments (and I'm Joe-mustang1989-lol) Joe Rix is that "other guy". These days aircraft are ALOT easier for me after doing some of the crazy stuff I've been doing with auto builds.....or rather what they're doing to ME. Outside of the aftermarket detail stuff, the aircraft seem to almost put themselves together as opposed to the hacking, cutting , fabbing and all those other situations I seem to get myself into with auto builds. I swear this Pro Street VW Bus I'm building now's gonna be the death of me.

Whoops, sorry! I had a feeling something was wrong when I posted that! Too much scrolling back and forth I guess. 

And yeah, I imagine they are easier compared to auto builds. I'm coming at it from the perspective of a spoiled armor modeler though. The two things that made me tired of aircraft modeling were all of the subassemblies that needed to be painted separately, and the stringy little radio antennas.

Dan, stunning job there, really like the look of this. Love it.

Front page is updated, and i look forward to your third build. Thanks for shareing that with us.

Hey Dan thanks and if I may return the compliment your Bf-110 looks friggin' fantastic! Super work there on the camo esp but everything looks perfect. I love the radar antenni on the nose- I'd have broken off all of them five or ten times a piece! I've got a Japanese twin-engine night fighter that's basically the same thing- after your work here I now really want to pull her out and start on her!  

Hi Dan, great looking 110.

I like the the heavy exhaust stains, coupled with the asymmetrical array of the pipes.  The black bottom wings is also interesting - any story behind that?

regards,

Jack

Dan: I've gotta say that your 110 looks fantastic! Paint and weathering look great. Are the main landing gear wheels supposed to have that much positive camber?

Thanks for the comments Dan and Joe.