AIRCRAFT - Battle of Britain Group Build (Jan 1st 2005 - May 31st 2005)

Sounds like some good progress is being made here. I probably won't start my spit for a few weeks yet.

Tom The martlet looks great. Something different to the normal USN schemes. Thanks for the pics.

Tanky - and you doubted the 155 would? nice airbrush huh???

Tweety - yeah I bought two pieces of foam core poster board, cut them into sections and have a 2 or 3 sided (depending on my needs) box with the front always open to put my plane in... it really help get the light to diminish shadows... also I never have to hunt for an angle where the house doesn't show too much in the back ground (distracting) (P.S. Kremps helped me with it... she even gave me some tips on proper lighting!)

Dave - yeah was playing around with a filter called "mirage" and kind of like the effect it gave, might play with it some more and see if I can try to get the bottom to look like pavement with the heat shine to it...

Rick - agreed! this one is awesome, the Sony DSCF-828, a real jewel! But normally I do nature and outdoor photography, shooting at full zoom for an oddly colored woodpecker is my normal... snapping pics 6 inches from my subject, wide open and no flash is kinda strange still...

Daniel - I still plan to build another SBD n RNZAF colors one day... if I have to I am going to reduce the pic of the stomach holding the beer and whiskey bottles and print it on Testors...

Thanks for the kind words on the 109 guys, I appreciate it. I actually did a satin finish on it because captain stupid removed the canopy masking before flat coating canopy. I couldn't have a satin finished canopy with a matt aircraft, well you know the rest...

Tom, IT"S HERE!!!!!!!. I just got a call from my wife who said the parcel has arrived. Also love the Martlet, it has turned out an absolute treat, I really looking forward to seeing the final shots. Tell me though, exactly what is the foam board and a photo box all about? I am like Tweets, I just use a piece of blue cardboard as backing to cover my incredibly messy workbench.

Daniel, check out the following link http://www.eaglestrikeproductions.com/cgi-bin/amddecals.pl?scale=48&setid=680&dbs=aeromaster&pgs=2&currpg=1&dclimg=ad48680
This is the decal sheet I am working off for my Spitfire and if you want you can have WQJ as I have that one spare

Tweety, Can you send me an e-mail to confirm your postal address please.

Jules, I have sent you a couple of e-mails over the last few days, did you receive them? Also, Can you send me to confirm how long you are at your current address?

Cheers
Darren

Darren That would be great. Thanks very much for offering. I'll send you an email with my adress. Just let me know if you want anything in return. Thanks mate.

Tom love the Martlett mate a very unusual machine, good choice of build

Darren I recieved both of your Emails and i replied to both as well, didn't you get my emailsI'll send you one now...
OK i just sent you one mate can you let us know whether you recieved it or not

It's cool Jules, I got your emails

I'll try and post the suff off in teh next couple of days.

Cheers
Darren

No worries Darren Thanks mate........
BTW how are you going with that Spitfire I've just taken some shots of the Stuka's Pit before i joined the fues halves together, once i get to this stage i pick up the pace a little so i should be finished within 2 or 3 weeks............

Ok Fellas here are a couple of progress pics............





I wasn't that impressed with the job i did on this pit especially with the amount of PE that went into it but i guess it isn't too bad.......

Here is one for Tweets, i wasn't sure where to post this so i just figured i'd stick it here
It's that red nosed 109 F

Got the greenhouse 're-masked' and applied some flat black acrylic by brush last night. Hopefully get to peel the mask off this evening (valentine dinner with the wife, you know...nudge, nudge, wink, wink...). Also discovered that detail work late in the day requires the Walmart reading glasses....don't see how folks do the 1/72nd thing...

Darren - great!!! I was starting to get nervous about it... in afterthought since I sent it USPS the customs info was right on the form I filled out to send it to ya... I guess thats the part that had me worried... The foam board was my idea to have a rigid backdrop for my models... I was always looking for things to prop up the paper background against and due to the height I was always having to modify the shot to get the background at least in the edges of the frame. This is portable as it folds up when done, and the two side panels are removable if I need to get in one side to shoot up close. There is no front which is where most of the shots will be taken from. Also because the model is surrounded even one lamp works pretty good I have found. Cost was about $2.13 US so it wasn't a big thing...

oh and on the canopy thing, I always tack mine on with a few spots of white glue now so it can be removed for flat coating. Walked in those shoes too many times before (removing the masking before flat coating)


Jules - thanks! It did turn out to be a treat, I wasn't expecting the end result to look much different from a Wildcat but it does! It has a lot more "Pizazz" in the FAA markings... really brings a sleeker look to it than its American brother.

Like the Stuka! The cockpit looks nice!! seems there is just enough detail to make the interior look realistic. I never like a cockpit that was TOO busy, although they were in real life at the smaller scale it tends to make it look too crowded due to space limitations..

Bob - understand about the reading glass thing. I have a visor with 3 different lenses to do my work with, all the way from 1.5x to 3x magnification. I couldn't live without it now!! Good going on the 111... can't wait to see your progress!

Jules, the Stuka is looking good.

I have 3 Optivisors, each with a different degree of magnification. Seems like I use the strongest one more & more .

Regards, Rick

that looks very nice so far j.s!! as far as my build, it's the weekday again so I won't get any progress done.. wahhh. as for optivisors, I refuse to use any, even when using the tiniest of PE parts. But that's just me...

Oh yeah. toot my own horn time!!!!! Happy 1000 posts to me!!! Yay!!!!! Now I'll go post this on the odds and ends forum before joe gets there. I will have defeated the mighty toastmaster!!!

Nice looking pit for the Stuka Jules.

That 109, does it have any PE in the pit?
I know the seat belts are PE, but can't quite make out the rest!

Tom, thanks again for your help with the Future mate, it is muchly appreciated by us all.

Hopefully tonight I'll have the 109 finished, just gotta get the antenna on. Jules, I trieed using the EZ line, but it is too big, and looks out of scale for a 1/48 109.
Would be fantastic on a larger subject though.

Sean, you might try going to a sewing shop and ask if they have "invisible thread" It's clear polyester and it is the thinnest thread I have ever seen... smaller than my stainless wire I usually use for antennas... bonus is like ricks fishing line, a little heat will snug it right up!!!

No prob on the future, make sure you mix it with something first because drinking it straight always gives me a headache the next day!

I'll try to work on it today, but the new episode of 24 will probably keep me glued to the TV. woohoo, that's 1002 posts!!

Looking good Jules. I don't see any reason not to be impressed by that outcome. Thanks for the pics.

Well I got the fuselage of the Monogram Spitfire together last night!!

Progress at last :)

cheers

Mike

Tanky, congratulations on the 1000 posts . As for the Optivisors, tell me in 20 years or so why you refuse to use them .

Regards, Rick

Mike, glad to hear your making progress on the Spit. I have the Hurricane interior about done except for some minor touch up here & there. Got invoved in another project, but hope to finish it off soon.

Regards, Rick

hehe. yeah I guess you're right Rick. I actually considered buying them for my resin/PE cockpit set, but in the end I decided I could do without them... we'll see come 30 years though.

Tanky Congrats on your 1000th post

Jules I don't know what your dissapointed about, the Stuka looks great from where I'm sitting. As for the Spitfire, it's coming along fine, I've masked the canopy and sprayed the underside. I'm just letting the paint cure for a day or so before I mask the bottom and spray the top. BTW, what kit is that 109 F?

Cheers
Darren

Resturant was busy, therefore little modeling done tonight. Did get the tape pulled off. Nothing on the schedule tomorrow night (he says knowing that he has doomed himself)
Still haven't gotten the desk lamp and I need to make a back drop, but......

Looks very impressive Bob. Great work !

Regards, Rick

That's looking great Bob. The camo looks nicely done. Keep up the good work.

QUOTE: Originally posted by tweety1 Nice looking pit for the Stuka Jules. That 109, does it have any PE in the pit? I know the seat belts are PE, but can't quite make out the rest! Tom, thanks again for your help with the Future mate, it is muchly appreciated by us all. Hopefully tonight I'll have the 109 finished, just gotta get the antenna on. Jules, I trieed using the EZ line, but it is too big, and looks out of scale for a 1/48 109. Would be fantastic on a larger subject though.

Hmmm i must have accidentaly sent you the thicker gauge EZ Tweets, SorryI bought two spools of EZ one thick the other thin, the thick stuff i grabbed to use on my U-Boat..

The 109f only has the Eduard coloured seat belts in it the rest is OOB, For some reason i only like opening the canopy on A/c that have a sliding canopy, and of course the 109's have a hinged canopy so i keep em closed, with that in mind i decided not to worry about filling the interior with AM bits........but if you were to open the canopy when you build yours i would definatly reccomend stuffing it full of AM, for a Hasegawa kit the C/pit detail is a little sparse but the parts fit is very good and it's a quick build i've only put about 3 hours into it and already all the wings are on and i'm almost ready to start sanding

Tanky - I give you 3 yrs at best before you need an optivisor.. working with this stuff is gonna make you blind before ya know it!!! Or at least make hair grow on the palms of your hands... not sure which comes first... oh yeah congrats on 1000 posts... can I say it??? you know... "I remember when you were only at 13 posts" and here's where I tweak your cheek... haha... BTW: 24 has kind of lost its charm for me.. used to be a rabid watcher of it but this season hasnt caught me up yet.. dunno why...

Bob - the 111 is looking good!!!! I see you got a backdrop to help reflect the light and it already shows! a little more light and you are there! Even one of those $5 Walmart lamps will do the trick, with a Reveal bulb in it..


Well I start my Typhoon for the Aussie build tomorrow.. (I hope) was gonna start tonight but by time I got supper cooked, the dishes washed and got the clothes washed/dried and folded it was too late... (this was supposed to be a day off!!!)

also you can see who the housewife is in THIS family! of course the fact she is one belt away from her second degree blackbelt helps my decision to be servile and domestic... kidding.. she is great and because she is a teacher, in the summers she does EVERYTHING (except cook! which she cant do) so it's alright with me... During the school year there is so much for her to do and so many after school programs I catch the slack for her... also th fact she came in the door tonight and was a bit upset because she didnt see any new kits from the Hobby Lobby 50% off sale, makes me feel good too. I had to lead her to the closet and show her which ones I got today... she feels better now!

Bob that's really looking impressive Keep going, keep going...

Darren

Tanky: Congrats on the 1000 posts!!!!!

Bob: She's looking real good!!! Your on the home stretch now!

Tom: Sounds like you better keep that woman of yours! My stash is only up to six and she's already giving me the "look" when I come home with a new kit. BUT she can cook!!! Baking is her stress release and I love it when she gets the urge to bake . Unfortunately Hobby Lobby hasn't made it up here to Canada yet so no 50% off sales for me.

Anyway, got the upper dunkelgrun on my He 111 today. Had hoped to at least start the schwarzgrun tonight but was just too tired. Hopefully tomorrow and then I'll post some pics.

Nice work BobLove the camo scheme.........

Tom i know what you mean regarding those supposed days off, i spend most of my days off running around after the kids..............

Thanks all for the encouraging comments.