Battle of Britain GB 2008 - 21 June to 31 Oct 08

Finally some progress pics to share. The decals have a very bad case of silvering although it did get a little better. I glosscoated, decaled and glosscoated again followed by dullcoat, all by Testors. The decals still have some silvering. As you will also see some decals are a little out of regester. If there is some other technique I could do please let me know. I can almost see the end of the tunnel now. Some detail painting and then put on all the fiddly bits and shes done. The 109 is finished and I will post pics later.

Thanks for looking and any critique is always welcome.

Steve

Guy, thanks for the , mate! Your result looks terrific too, I can't wait to see mine with the canopy unmasked. Did you use clearcoats? Anyway, we both took the same solution to handling the flank insignia, and SC did something similar, so that seems to be the 'modeler-preferred solution!'

Of course, I coulda Googled it 24 hours ago...

http://hsfeatures.com/gallanddt_1.htm 

and for Galland's E-4 and E-7:

http://www.asisbiz.com/il2/old/Bf-109E%20JG26%20$Adolf%20Galland/index.htm

They all seem to show the smaller insignia, precisely the width of two fuselage frames. Hmmm, should I strip the decal...? Or should I call it good, especially as the decal has really pulled down into the detail? I can always try the smaller insignia on future builds, of which there will be plenty, data suggesting I should... Hmph! Next step, check the Microscale site for stripping tips, and decide if it's worth the mess.

Mike

Hmmmm searching me memory banks. Can you smell the hard drive smokin?

 Displaying results.......

Hmmmm froze up again. My mind in pics.

Luftwoller wrote:

Aaron, The other thing you know about apart from cheerleaders ...Guy

RUM!!!  Your plan is to get the RAF drunk???? 

Rick, Theres a fair bit of detail in those 1/72nd Tamiya kits. Looks very impressive so far. Are the belts molded in or decals. They look very convincing either way.

Mark, Nice work on the preshading. I love the Stukas and am looking forward to seeing some paint on the beast.

Mike, Im reckoning that she looks just about perfect. I checked mine out (Not that my model is any sort of benchmark) and it looks the same, so its gotta be right LOL.

Aaron, The other thing you know about apart from cheerleaders

...Guy

Here we are, a promised! Okay, guys -- what's your call on that balkenkreuzer? Should I use the smaller one, or was there as much variety in late 1940 as would account for the size? It's unlike Tamiya to make a mistake like that, too...

Mike

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Hi all, esp. SC and others working on Tamiya Emils,

I'm working on the Emil today, touch-ups and decaling. I remasked the starboard wing and top camo and resprayed the 65 at the wingroot to correct the line, then touched up the leading edge with thinned paint -- I still got some bleed-under and had to clean it up again. I think I'll add a bit of chipped paint to disguise it! I'm probably being way too picky, I need #1 magnifying specs and a 3" hand lens to really resolve all this.

Decals are going on with very few problems. I had hoped for a slightly more enthuaiastic response to Micro Sol. It's taking three applications to draw the decals into the surface detail, but while I had my doubts, the rear fuselage access hatch did not disappear under the big crosses, but is clearly visible... Speaking of which, the #4 national insignia decals are about 10% larger than the designs appear, proportionally, in the plans. Alignment is off and they seem to wrap too far under. They're larger than the insignia in my references too. I lapped them a touch above the camo line to ease the problem, a scale six inches maybe. Should I be using decals #2, the same style of crosses, slightly smaller, which will fit comfortably between the #4 and #6 fuselage frame lines, and which are depicted as upper wing crosses on one of the other marking options? If so, do I remember correctly that soaking a decal in Micro Sol will loosen it so it can be removed?

I may be misreading the plans, but are there two pieces of stencil data that wrap around the landing gear legs???

Hopefully I'll have a photo up tonight of the port side, completely decaled.

Cheers,

Mike

Here's my progress on my stuka....hope to get more paint on her tonight...my first attempt at preshading...

Mark 

 Guy? I didn't know they had cheer leaders in this battle? Should be a cool surprise! All I can say is Ut- OH!

 Rick! Great looking start! Wish I could get off my rear and throw something ( not fancy) together that looked that fantastic!

 Looks like another Me-109 inbound! SC!

Sorry that I haven't acknowledged the great work being displayed here for a couple of days, so......

Soulcrusher-Nice E-3.  I need to add that kit to my stash.

Steve-Good job on the yellow nose.  You know, I could never figure out why the Luftwaffe went to the extremes of all the sponging/mottle/splinter only to paint the nose of the plane in 'See Me Yellow'.  Go figure.

Mike-Looking good.  Keep up the good work.

Rick-Very impressive, especially for 1/72nd scale.  I'm not brave (or skilled) enough to try braille scale yet.....

OMG, looked at the Calandar & figured I better get off my butt & build something.  My bench time has been limited by Golf, Gardening, training my new Dog & other distractions.  But I did get started on my build.  Yet another Tamiya 1/72 Bf-109E3.  I haven't built a 1/72 kit in about 3 years, with 1/48 being my normal choice of scale.  I've had this kit in the stash for even longer, as I recall buying it shortly after it was first released.

Decided to build this one strictly OOB.  Got the pit done.  Used kit decals for the seat belts & Instrument panel, rather than my usual PE used in 1/48 builds.  Not as nice, but OK in this scale.  I'd forgotten how small these birds are in 1/72.

Nothing fancy here, but it will have to suffice .

Regards,  Rick

sfcmac wrote:

razordws wrote:  Luftwoller wrote: ...im actually feeling sorry for the RAF. So i have a cunning plan! Hmmm...  Me 109 in RAF markings? Geeze don't give him any more ideas! Is that AirFix kit Steve (sidure) is working on 1/48 scale? I don't believe I have ever seen it?

Muwahahahahahah.......Its almost finished. Just a couple more nights. Ill give you a clue.. Aaron knows all about them.

...Guy

Alright guys...was up late last night doing some final touch ups on my Stuka after a coat of primer..then got the airbrush out and laid down some pre-shading.  Was going to get pictures but was way too late..pictures of my progress on the way this evening...Hope to lay down the first REAL color on her tonight!! 

Mark 

sfcmac wrote:

Thanks Steve. I hope it lets you get that Condor all wrapped up cuz it's a beaut!  SC looks like you need to go back on the Hurricane production line with all these fine looking 109's!

Funny you should mention that Aaron! I planned on turning my attention towards finishing up my third unoficial Hurricane build that I put on the back burner for the Fw 190 GB. The Airfix kit is no jem but it should help even the odds up a bit! I think I can hear Herman shaking in his boots already! The battle is winding down and it is becoming readily apparent even to Herman that the Luftwaffe can not sustain these losses and operation sea lion must be "postponed" i.e. the battle is over!

                                                                           Soulcrusher

Aaron, the Airfix 109 is 1/72 scale. It was a special edition that Airfix came out with called ''Aircraft of the Aces''. Bought a lot of them at a store a log time ago. I dont know how many are in the series but I got about 4. I figured it would be a quick and easy build to go along with the Condor. I normally build in 1/48 but for odd and rare kits I pick up in 1/72. I need to get a 1/48 Condor next. It was not available when I got the 1/72.

The 109 is finished and waiting to be photographed. Pics comming soon.

Steve

razordws wrote:

Luftwoller wrote: ...im actually feeling sorry for the RAF. So i have a cunning plan! Hmmm...  Me 109 in RAF markings?

Geeze don't give him any more ideas!

Is that AirFix kit Steve (sidure) is working on 1/48 scale? I don't believe I have ever seen it?

Luftwoller wrote:

...im actually feeling sorry for the RAF. So i have a cunning plan!

Hmmm...  Me 109 in RAF markings?

Hi Guy -- thinning it, that's what I should have done! Well, I'll have plenty of practice, it turns out the masking wasn't secure in a few places and I got bleed-under, especially on the leading edge. I could tell when I used both magnifying specs and a hand lens to inspect her as I started decaling. I put a dozen pieces of stencil data on the port side this evening, using the Microscale system, but haven't touched the starboard side yet... I discovered I had the starboard wingroot masking in the wrong place. By rights I need to remask the wing and fuselage camo and splash a bit more 65 along the wingroot to even them up. GRRR, seriously!

Mike

Mike, dont panic about touch ups. I always thin my paints 50/50 and then brush paint the small touch ups. That way you rarely see where its been done.

Im having a senior moment where im actually feeling sorry for the RAF. So i have a cunning plan!

Hopefully some pics soon. (I have the day off today BTW)

...Guy

SC -- what an absolute beauty! I can't wait to get this one completed, if it compares well to your own I'll be mightily pleased!

I just did the wheel wells. Here she is with masking in place, much of it multiply-reused strips from earlier:

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Spray painting must spoil us, the tiniest brush touch-up leaves you feeling as if the finish isn't what it should be... The wheel well curved parts were masked with straight lines leaving tiny fillets of grey at the edges to be brushed over, but even so... Hmm, gotta find a way to mask curved lines. Masking the three-dimensional contours of the wells themselves was something I couldn't get my head around, and my fingers certainly weren't interested.

Here she is with the masking away and touch-ups done:

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The paint lustre looks amply good enough to take Tamiya's decals, I've applied them to matt finish on tanks without difficulty in the past so this should be a breeze. I can start decaling tonight.

Cheers,

Mike

Mike I think it is the lighting. I do not really have any type of set up to properly photograph. As you can see in most of my pics the model is just sitting on my workbench under a bare bulb. I really need to invest in some simple basic materials like a sheet of white poster board and mabye some better lighting. The 02 gray appears much lighter in the photos for some reason. There is aslo no weathering done to this model either. This is the pic I ment to post earlier that showed the demarcation line not the top view. The kit says this is the plane Adolf flew in August of 1940. I believe the Mickey Mouse plane markings are from a plane he flew earlier that summer. I thhink he also flew a E-4 after this one though i have not done any reseach yet to see what markings it carried.

Aaron a big thumbs ups for providing the replacement props for Steve.

                                                                           Soulcrusher

I just want to make a big thank you to Aaron for comming through with making m a replacement prop for the FW-200. I got them today Aaron and you did a great job on such a delicate item. I know it must have been a pain with all the trials and errors. You put a lot of effort into it my friend. Now I have three props and many spare hubs and blades to work with. Its guys like Aaron that make this GB and the FS forums a great place to hang out and build and share info with and meet new good friends. You all rock.

Tonight I hope to decal the Condor and finish up the 109. My camera is out of action for a while but I will be posting pics soon.

Steve

SC -- sweet job on the Tamiya E-3! I see you masked the wingroot camo at the upper edge of the concave fairing panel. I masked at the base, following the box art, as it's an area very hard to see in photos and invisible in most profiles. It may be just the lighting but you seem to have much more contrast in the camo than me -- is it 02/71 over 65? Must be!

Steve -- good work on the Airfix beast, I'm dying to do a yeller-nose-bastard too!

Mike

Steve, Mike, excellent progress guys.  Keep the pics coming!

SC, That's a nice looking Emil too.  I think Guy is right, it's looking pretty grim for the RAF.

Looks good Steve.  Nice Emil.

Regards,  Rick

Wow, Steve and Souly, awesome fellas. Both Emils are beautys. The RAF must be starting to panic. Outnumbered!!! Oh yes.

...Guy

Steve, nice job on the old Airfix Emil.

SC, very clean looking build there.

Karl

Mike, the Airfix kit does come with Gallands markings with the Mickey Mouse emblem and the different camo scheme. I am almost finished it for this GB. I am doing the finishing touches next few days. The kits not too bad as far as fit goes. No interior detail and the nose detail is not too sharp but accurate lines though.

SC, that a beauty. I have that one on my to do list next after I finish a few GB's. I have been making models since the early 70's and can you believe I have never built a Tamiya kit yet !!!!. I have 3 109's in my stash though.

Heres my Galland effort.

Hope to finish it soon.

Steve

The Tamiya kit of the E-3 has the markings for Galland's later BoB plane. I finished it just as this GB started. It is all hard edge masked and the demarckation line is very high as you can see in the photo.

                                                                                       Soulcrusher