War in the Desert - African campaign GB - 12/9/07 to 5/13/08

Sure, that'd be fine - looking forward to seeing that built!

Sorry for my absence....I've been traveleing last week, and shoveling snow this week. We just got another 8" bringing our snow totals to over 16 inches....

Got room for a late entry from a first time poster?

I'm just getting back into the hobby after about a 15 year hiatus. The older my kids get the more free time I seem to get.

I found an old 1/35 Tamiya Pzkpfw III Ausf. M/N kit in a box recently. The kit is date stamped 1971. I think I got it as a gift as a teenager & barely started it. The wheels were assembled and the lower hull had the rear panel installed - that's it!

I just primed the wheels and started some assembly on the upper hull when I ran across this GB. The kit has a box stock option for an N type with Afrika Korps markings. Looks like a simple build to get me back into it. 

Welcome aboard Paul .  Looking forward to your build.

Regards,  Rick

Bit quiet around here after the initial flurry of building...I'm sure that little holiday in there had something to do with that. Heh.

I've been plugging away on build #2, this is the 21st Century Toys Macchi 202 in 1/32 scale. I've never done an a/c in this scale...it's pretty darn big. I can see why someone with a propensity for superdetailing would go this route though - you could go nuts if you wanted to. Sadly, this one is a bit soft in the detail arena, but I really just wanted to try out the paint job.

Here's what I've got so far:

I've never tried the pre-shade thing before, but I can tell I'm going to really like it...once I've got a little practice w/this technique under my belt, I think I could do some cool stuff with it.

Next up is masking some white stripes (should look realllly nifty) and then slapping some pretty interesting decals on - crossing fingers that TCT took the time to make some decent ones.

Enjoy! 

Holy crap you paint & build fast!  You airbrushed those smoke rings too, didn't you?  Your preshade technique is just fine, and so is the fine line work on the smoke rings.

I've always liked the C.202.  Very sexy lines. 

I DID airbrush those...freehand, too. Toot toot!

Honestly I never would have picked one of these up if I hadn't snagged it at Wally World for 9 bucks. But I have to agree, it is a darn fine aircraft. May will have to grab a 1/48 Hasegawa to add to the "normal" scale collection.

Don't know a lot about Italian stuff...is the C.205 much different? 

Very nice Dupes.  The smoke rings look great & they are very diificult to do freehand with an AB.  Well done .

Regards,  Rick

dupes wrote:

Don't know a lot about Italian stuff...is the C.205 much different?

The C.205 Veltro had an upgraded engine, the 1475 hp DB605, and swapped out the rifle-caliber machine guns in the wings for harder hitting 20mm cannons.  Visually it was similar to the C.202 Folgore except for a retractable tail wheel and twin cylindrical oil coolers under the chin.  IMHO, I think the twin coolers give the Veltro a more aggressive look.

Hey! Thanks guys, I'm really liking how this monster is turning out. It's going to look pretty swanky hanging from the ceiling...may have to find something else to build in this scale to give it some action.

Was going to head right to masking this morning, but I think I'm going to fire a really dilute coat of the sand base to cut the smoke rings back a little bit first. Should have those white parts on later this afternoon or tonight if all goes well! 

Very nice work on the smoke-ring camo, Dupes. The good thing about WWII Italian camo is that you can do pretty much whatever you like and noone can criticise you for doing it wrong unless they have a photo to prove it.

The MC 205 differed from the MC 202 very marginally. It had the DB 605 instead of the DB 601 for starters. Does the 21Cent Toys model capture the slight assymetry of the wings of the MC 202? The left wing should be a little longer than the right IIRC to compensate for the precession of the propellor (or something like that).

http://www.perthmilitarymodelling.com/newkitnews/academy.htm

Progress pics:  I've shot the upper color now.  Still need to do some paint touchups particularly on the bottom where I had some bleed under the masking.  Some darn seams still aren't where I'd like them to be, but I'm moving on. 

Hey, looking good! Seam work has never been a strong point of mine either...but I don't see any issues with this guy. Must be pretty minor?

Couple of questions for you Arki - what colors are you using on this one? I have an Arii P-40 in my stash, and the instructions are all in Japanese...not a lot of color info for me to glean. Heh.

Also - see you have an 85% finished Academy Flanker going...is there a build log or some pics somewhere I could look at? Really want to get my hands on one of those!

Thanks Dupes.  Color instructions call for Sand upper color and Neutral Gray undersides.  I used MM Acryl Neutral Gray and MM Acryl Tan.  It's close enough for me.  And of course for interior areas Interior Green.

I don't have a build log for the Flanker.  It's not part of a GB or anything.  I was in the mood to build a jet and pulled the Flanker out of the stash. 

If you want a decent run-down of the kit, click this link:

http://lindenhillimports.com/48flankers.htm

FYI, there is much more out there for this kit in terms of AM now as well.  I'm using Eduard exterior PE, Cutting Edge wheels, Cutting Edge exhausts, Cutting Edge decals and Verlinden resin bang seat.  There is a resin nose replacement that is more accurately shaped than the kit nose, but I'm not using it as I learned about it too late.  Cutting Edge and Neomega have entire replacement cockpits, being necessary as the kit cockpit is a travesty.

Click here for a brief but not complete list of extras:

http://www.flankerman.fsnet.co.uk/su27surv.htm#Accessories

These guys sell some good Flanker stuff:

http://www.lindenhillimports.com/

The tough part for me with the build has been 1) Academy fit, and 2) paint colors.  Flanker colors are a pain to reproduce as not many companies make them and there is a lot of discussion about who is more accurate.  There are also virtually no acrylic colors either, just enamel.  For me, that's a pain to shoot and clean up although the finish is much better.  I used MM Enamel Flanker line and the consensus is the colors are too dark.  I mitigated that by overspraying with a mist coat of the base color. 

If you want to see a bada$$ Flanker build, albeit the Trumpeter 1/32 version, go over to ARC in the jet galleries and look for a Flanker by Masa Narita.  Unbelievable.

Ok, I've been long enough.  If you jump into building one, PM me and I'll help however I can. 

The P-40 is looking real good arki.  Nice work so far.

Regards,  Rick

The Tamiya 1/48 Panzer III Ausf.N is now about as done as I'm gonna get it.

I may make a small base to sit it on, but for now I'm calling it ready for the shelf.

Regards,  Rick

Arki-the P-40 is looking good.  Looking forward to seeing more pics.

Rick-very nice job on the target.  You should hang out in the armor section more often.

Bob, thanks!

Rick, as always with you a well executed project.   I especially like the subtle weathering on the treads. 

Rick - looks great! Suffiently dusted and wind-blown for blitzing across the African veldt...I'll have the 222 swing over into formation shortly.

Arki - wow! That's a ton of info - and I like it! Obviously I'm getting to the point where I want to build one of just about everything - but I'm going to be fitting this guy in sometime soon. Give me a heads up when yours is done, eager to see finished (or WIP) pics!