Aces on the Wrong Side of History GB - 2018

Gregbale, how do you typically cut something like that out? Can you do it with a knife, or do you grind it away with a dremel or similar?

up date on finnish f2a.

TheWaggishAmerican

Gregbale, how do you typically cut something like that out? Can you do it with a knife, or do you grind it away with a dremel or similar?

Sorry for the delay, WA, haven't checked back for a while.

For the 'pockets,' I started with sprue cutters, nipping away whatever I could reach, then finished with Mission Models' wonderful micro-chisel...an absolutely indispensible tool I couldn't do without. It cuts, planes and smooths, all in the tiniest spaces. (Not a paid shill...just a happy user!)

Don't have a Dremel at the moment, but that would work equally well. Knives would be a bit dodgy...since in my sad experience, they tend to want to skid off in unexpected directions...usually homing like a missile for whatever soft vulnerable part (read 'fingers') is closest. Been there, done that...and it's less fun than it sounds....

Now that my WW1 Halberstadt is done, I can devote a bit more time to my Mersu, as the Finns called the sturdy Bf109.

The Eduard etch set I'm using was actually designed for the Hasegawa kit, so I wasn't sure how much 'persuasion' might be required to adapt the fit to the 21st Century kit, beyond chopping out the 'pockets.' The set has the usual gorgeous instrument panel, and lots of fittings for other cockpit bits that should prove useful.

After careful lining-up and gluing of components...and the application of individual bezels for the gaiuges...the IP needed only a few 3D details of buttons and levers and such to finish it off. I lost my kit's so-so single-piece gunsight to the carpet monster, so I scratched another from bits of styrene, and added the nice Eduard fittings to dress it up.

Here we go:

The IP fit perfectly, and my gunsight cleared everything and lined up on the first try! Let's hope that's an omen of things to come....

Dremel has pretty limited use with plastic. The speeds are too high. I've got a couple, and use them for gross demolition of stuff. If you can, work no closer than 1/8" to the finished surface and then go the rest of the way with hand tools.

A lot of work can be accomplished with a sprue cutter of a set of Xuron clippers.

Rambo

Greg: Great job on that gun sight, did you do anything to the 3d bits on the IP to make them less flat looking? I will add drops of white glue to the PE levers and repaint.

Thanks.

I'll generally just ignore the flat switch and lever bits in the etch set...unless they're a complex shape of some sort...and just replace them with ones made from sprue and/or bits of styrene rod or strip. But yes, like you, I use white glue for knobs and handles.

That IP is very good Greg.

Cheers

Tony

Greg, lovely work on the pit, thats looking very nice.

I'm in. I'll be making his "White 3" Me 262 instead, using the Tamiya kit. 

@Greg,

Wow! Your cockpit looks, well, upea!

hogfanfs

@Greg,

Wow! Your cockpit looks, well, upea!

Kiitos paljon!

I appreciate the props, guys.

Hashing on with more cockpit fun. I'm using one of Radu Brinzan's neat harness sets for the first time:

I decided to add a tea colored wash to the paper-fiber 'belty' bits, just to put a little age and wear on. (The original yellow-tan color is on the right):

And after an hour or so of threading tiny bits through tinier openings (with my Optivisor knock-off and two pairs of locking needle-nose tweezers), they're ready for the seat-pan. The nearly-finished  'tub,' with Quickboost resin control stick added, and rudder pedals, cannon-cover strap and floor-mounted control box detail from the Eduard etch set:

Nice job on those belts Greg. They sou7nds as much fun to put together as HGW belts.

Bish

Nice job on those belts Greg. They sou7nds as much fun to put together as HGW belts.

 

I've got one of the HGW sets I'm saving for the Revell 109G, but figured I'd thin my backlog of older 'accessories' first. They look about the same level of cross-eyed and fumble-fingered difficulty!

gregbale

Now that my WW1 Halberstadt is done, I can devote a bit more time to my Mersu, as the Finns called the sturdy Bf109.

The Eduard etch set I'm using was actually designed for the Hasegawa kit...

Greg, that 'pit is looking INCREDIBLE! Those Eduard sets are fantastic! How does the printed color compare to your paint for the pit? I've always wanted to give these pre-painted photoetch bits a shot, but I'm peterified that the match will be painfully obviously different.  

kyleSD70MAC

I'm in. I'll be making his "White 3" Me 262 instead, using the Tamiya kit. 

Welcome, and added! You don't see too many people build Stigler 262, it'll be an interesting project!

-WaggishAmerican

TheWaggishAmerican

Greg, that 'pit is looking INCREDIBLE! Those Eduard sets are fantastic! How does the printed color compare to your paint for the pit? I've always wanted to give these pre-painted photoetch bits a shot, but I'm peterified that the match will be painfully obviously different.

Thanks!

The deal with Eduard and their pre-colored sets seems to be a roll of the dice. As you might see in my previously-posted photos above, the colors in this set look dead-on to me...and I've been looking at a lot of 109 cockpit photos recently. On the other hand...I've got some older pre-colored sets of theirs...probably from when the process was fairly new...where the colors are just weird: 'baby blue' Luftwaffe cockpits and slightly orange-tinted RAF ones. It seems like they might have gotten those color issues dialed in a little more accurately, now.

As to matching, I tend to mix my own colors much of the time, so it's not a big issue. (Besides...if you look closely at photos of original aircraft...you'll often see a slight 'mis-match' in colors in the real thing! Manufacturing processes being what they are, components from different sources and production runs were frequently installed in the same aircraft; they obviously weren't as careful about 'accuracy' as we modelers are....)

My Mersu cockpit is pretty much done.

I figured the molded detail on the kit's cockpit sides would paint up decently, so I left most of it intact...just adding styrene bits for handles and deep-relief features, some thin-diameter solder for various lines, and the assorted add-ons the Eduard etch set provided. Here's a 'before and after' of the port side:

Same deal for the starboard side...though I did scratchbuilt the distinctive oxygen regulator from a sprue disc and some small-size rod and tube (with an Eduard faceplate):

Not completely 'buttoned up' yet, but here's the finished cockpit 'effect' (minus the not-yet-added shoulder harnesses):

On to fuselage work.

Thats a lesson in how to do it Greg, amazing work. 

Cheers

Tony

Thanks, Tony & Rambo. I always liked the 'cobbled together' look of the 109 cockpits!

Greg, I echo the comments here, that cockpit looks awesome. Well done. I love the detail and the weathering, that is a well used office.

aeroplanegripper

Greg, I echo the comments here, that cockpit looks awesome. Well done. I love the detail and the weathering, that is a well used office.

Much appreciated!

Greg, that cockpit is looking incredible, especially given what you started with!

-TheWaggishAmerican

I've tried embedding images into this forum and it simply doesn't work, so I've uploaded a video on my youtube channel showing my progress on my 109.  Constructive criticism is welcome!

https://youtu.be/CNqwRApiKhk

Tomcat, your drybrushing was SUPER effective on the IP! Looking good!

Greg,

Wow! that cockpit is outstanding! Bravo!

Well, I finally started on the G-2. Here is the kit I'm building:

The Eduard PE purchased for this build:

And the decals for Grislawski's G-2:

What's been completed so far:

I have to say, I'm really enjoying working with PE. I have a bit more to finish on the cockpit before I start shooting the paint. And then several of the painted PE panels will be added. 

Thanks for looking and I hope to have another update soon.

That’s some mighty fine cockpit detail!