80 Years of Airfix GB

John,

I am a member of that crew, but after the Captain jumped ship several years back it just wasn't the same.

I have a question for the Luftwaffe guys. When the mottling was applied to the fuselages of the BoB era 109's, did they repaint the markings and stencils, or just the major markings such as the cross and number or squadron designation?

lewbud

John,

I am a member of that crew, but after the Captain jumped ship several years back it just wasn't the same.

I have a question for the Luftwaffe guys. When the mottling was applied to the fuselages of the BoB era 109's, did they repaint the markings and stencils, or just the major markings such as the cross and number or squadron designation?

 

Its hard to tell from photo's. But i don't think every stencil would be re-painted or carefully gone around. But the important ones like first aid location and fuel and oil signs would be kept.

tempestjohnny

I would definitely be in for an FAA build

 

I have the army GB next year and am planning a Falklands war one in 21/22 and an 8th Air Force in 22. I might well do an FAA build in the later part of 22.

I am not a fan of never ending GB's, they tend to just die a death while at the same time putting people off from running anything similar. But i think it will have been long enough for a fresh go at it.

lostagain - wow, can't recall ever having any problems like you had with the Boomerang.  Maybe you can still slap it together and use it for painting experimentation?

So I'm out of town, but the gloss coat on the Emil was dry enough for it to go with me!  I had some spare time at the hotel so I applied most of the decals, omitting some of the teeny tiny markings that can't be seen without magnification!  My apologies for the makeshift studio backdrop and lighting.  

I figured it was best to complete at least ONE of these before the GB officially ends next week!

Bish,

Thanks. I was hoping that was the case. Now I just need to figure out how to duplicate the mottling. It looks like they used RLM 71 for the mottling.  I found the Spitfire that came with the Dogfight Double, but it probably won't make the deadline. I know that you'll be broken hearted to hear that, but I have a feeling you'll be okay.

Ernest,

Are the leading edges white or hellblau? That's a fine looking 109!

Thanks lewbud!  The leading edges are hellblau, hard to tell in the first photo.  I think the flash from my cell phone camera washed out the blue.  I actually used Vallejo Model Air RLM 76 Lichtblau instead of their RLM 65...I felt their 65 was too blue for 1/72.

With 2 days of stencil decals behind me, I'm just about to cross the finishline on this one. Some panel washes and post shading and I think I'll be done.  Here's are some things I've learned from my first metallic finish:

• Metallics are as delicate as fine China! 

• You MUST have an ultra smooth surface as the metallic shows EVERY flaw!

• They don't hold up well to masking!

• Lastly... I'll absolutely try this again! 

jeaton01

There is an existing unending FAA build, it's just dormant:I don't know where the scurvy dogs are, everytime we get to port they disappear until the money runs out.  Maybe their pay should be cut (again)!

http://cs.finescale.com/fsm/modeling_subjects/f/29/t/167518.aspx

 

The Lightning is looking good Chad!

Thanks Buddy! I had no idea metallic finishes were so high maintenance. 

Thats looking lovely Chad, can't wait to get it on the front page.

Ernest, thats looking great, nice work on the finish.

I have never had problems masking alclad finishes, I use taiya tape and it works well.

This Kate is now done except for needing to matt clearcoat the wheels. 

I tried preshading the pannels for the alclad but I am not sure if I actually like the effect or not. Granred it does break up the mono tone look but it may look "wrong" to me.

As for weathering, I didnt go mad , just enough to look used.

airfix 1/72 Kate by Theunis van Vuuren, on Flickr

airfix 1/72 Kate by Theunis van Vuuren, on Flickr

airfix 1/72 Kate by Theunis van Vuuren, on Flickr

airfix 1/72 Kate by Theunis van Vuuren, on Flickr

airfix 1/72 Kate by Theunis van Vuuren, on Flickr

Bish thanx for another cool GB

Theuns

That loks lovely Theuns, really nice work. Do you want me to post one of those pics or wait until you have done a matt coat.

You can go ahead and post one Ta

Theuns

Will do mate, and thanks for taking part.

Nice subtle weathering!

Well done, Theuns.

Theuns,

That is a good looking Kate! I really like your natural metal finish.

I was wondering where I left off with my 109, turns out that I had retired for the evening with something that looked like an airplane in primer gray. I was going to do one of the 109E-4s from the Xtra Decals German Battle of Britain set, but decided to use the kit decals instead (I have enough BoB 109 decals to last several lifetimes). I thought about how to replicate the mottling as shown in the painting guide for the model, but it looked like it would have been a couple of hours dotting the model with a piece of .5mm brass wire. I found some microbrushes (actually they are small sponges on sticks for cleaning airbrushes) and proceded to dot away. Not accurate according to the instructions, but suitable for my tastes. All she needs now is a coat of gloss and then the decals.

All I have left to paint is the prop and the landing gear. I might actually get this done in time!

Thats looking very nice lewbud. They BoB mottling looks though it would be tricky to do with an airbrush, good soloution.

Thanks Bish. I forget who makes them, but I have seen some photoetch stencils to make airbrushing easier. It would be easier to airbrush freehand in 1/48, but not impossible in 1/72.

Nice Buddy!

Chad/Mopar Madness - Yeah, metallics can be a PITA, especially if you don't prep everything properly!  What metallic paint did you use for the Lightning?  Whatever it was it came out great! I love the black/blue combo on the top!  Looking forward to seeing it all done!

Theuns - Super looking Kate!  I especially like the chipping you did, totally gives it a weathered/worn look.  Pre-shading on the metal finish looks good!  I tried that once and the metal paint just covered it all up!!

lewbud - The Emil is coming along nicely!  Gotta luv those yellow nosed Me-109s!!  Sweet job on the camo, trying to airbrush that on 1/72 is krazy, but like you said, not impossible.

Speaking of Emils, my Me-109E is almost done.  Gave it a wash of Flory Dark Dirt, then matt finish applied and landing gear installed.  Just have to finish up the prop assembly, add the MGs and paint up the replacement antenna.  No aerial wire for this guy....the new antenna is fragile and I'll probably break it off again if I try to add the wire!

And I think I'll finish up the Butcher Bird in time.  Here she is all decaled up and nowhere to go! 

The P-51 is getting closer to completion, but I don't think I'll finish it in time.  More likely I'll finish by next weekend.

I love those Ernest!

Bish, I made a rookie mistake by throwing away the clear parts when I was cleaning off my workstation! So the navigation lights on the wingtips are void. Normally I would commit one build for each group build I participate in but this is my favorite manufacturer so I had to represent my interest accordingly!  Thank you for hosting this group build. The first picture would be most appropriate for the front page.

Done that more than once Chad. Its been a real pleasure seeing all your Airfix kits, some really nice subjects, great variety and lovely builds. And that Lightning is really up there. Thanks for being such a big part of the GB. I will update the roster tomorrow.

I have a few GB's planned for the coming few years, so i am thinking i migt go for 2024/25 for another one. Hoefully we will still all be here. I will sure you will have re-built your Airfix stash by then.

Those both look stunning Ernest, can't wait to see them wrapped up.

Just a quick reminder guys, the GB officially ends as the clock strikes midnight GMT tomorrow. But of course, if your on the list, please keep posting your builds.

Chad,

You did a beautiful job on the Lightning!

Ernest,

The Emil and 190 are looking good! I really need to expand my horizons and learn washes and weathering. There are a couple of interesting 109's on the Xtra Decals German BoB set. Two that I intend to do eventually are similar to the one you did. One has a totally white nose and white wingtips, the other is a yellow nose with yellow wingtips. After that, I have no desire to build another.

Sitrep on my 109. Whilst painting the landing gear and wheels for the 109 and 110, my can of air ran out. I will be at the LHS as soon as they open to get a new can so I can get them glossed and decalled. Just remembered I forgot to paint the scoop on the left side of the nose, so I'll have to mix up some 65. Hopefully I'll have pics of a finished model tomorrow.

Man! I can't believe a year has gone by already. It's been a whirlwind to be sure. Today dawned to clear skies, cool temperatures and low humidity. A good day to be on the patio painting, so I shot clear coat on the Meteor -- finally. I use Tamiya Gloss Clear thinned 1/1 and mist it on. We're going out of town for a couple of days so the clear coat will have plenty of time to cure. When we get back I'll paint the yellow leading edges and then do the decaling. Yep. The Meteor is my last build for 2019 and my first build finished in 2020.