Projects in this gallery are:

- Bf 110E, Eduard 1:48
- Focke Wulf Fw 190A-8/R-8, Hasegawa 1:32
- Focke Wulf Fw 190F-8, Hasegawa 1:32
- Messerschmitt Bf 108, Eduard 1:48
- Focke Wulf Fw 190A-5, Hasegawa 1:32


Eduard Bf 110E 1:48



Very nice indeed...this new stunner is very impressive. Just getting into it as we speak, but first impressions are good. The fit is very good and the pre-painted etch will complete an otherwise very comprehensive cockpit.



This project should appear in TMMI in due course, so I better get on with it or Marcus will be after me!

Here's a couple of images to show you how it's going. Very well now, despite the huge number of parts that, to be honest has taken the edge off the enjoyment to say the least! Still, a very nice kit and loads of detail...





Certainly not all the cockpit parts to be painted RLM 02 - just some and so you can see what a mamoth job the cockpit is in its own right...

Well...

Nearly there now, but boy what a complicated build! Just too many parts that says more about the ability of the Eduard guys and their great capabilities in being able to breat down parts into their smallest possible combination. Certainly the parts breakdown has spoiled a lot of the potential enjoyment for me as a scale modeller - I just kept asking the question: "Why"?...Still a very nice Bf 110E does result, if you can hang in there and finish it! Good luck...

Here are a few of the final build-up images...A full review should appear in TMMI in due course.




A light grey wash has been applied over the very dark grey base colour. The base colour isn't as indicated in the instructions, but 'black' overall. The flat varnish is about to be ghosted on to give that satin look that I hope will resemble a painted metal effect.


The kit decals are superb and went on well using Mr Mark Setter. The flat varnish has been lightly sprayed over the gloss Gunze varnish.

Finished! At last....

Hope you like the finished effort?














Hasegawa Focke-Wulf Fw 190A-8-R8 1:32

This was one of my most ambitious projects - mainly because of the additions. These included:
- Eagle Editions resin cockpit, tail wheel, armour plating to outside cockpit sidewalls
- Eduard dropped flaps
- Eagle Cals decals













Focke Wulf Fw 190F-8, Hasegawa 1:32 scale


The Hasegawa Focke-Wulf Fw 190 kits in 1:32nd scale are superb - little more effort than 1:48 - no, really! They are extremely well tooled and fit together with ease. It's up to you if you wish to add any extra detail and there are plenty of aftermarket sets from Eagle Parts, Cutting Edge and Eduard.

I mostly scratched some extra detail for the cockpit and undercarriage units (see pics below), but allowed a little finesse by using the stunning pre-painted seat harness from Eduard. It will make all the difference in this larger scale...

The images below are pretty self-explanatory, but if you've got any specific questions just e-mail me and I'll help you out with any additional detail you may need. geoff.coughlin@btinternet.com

There's always my modelling manual in the Osprey series that features this and other Fw 190A, F and G scale models...

As for paints, Hannants Xtracolour as always - super glossy finish and great for applying a thin Citadel Colour ink wash (Rust Brown ink). Also a great finish for the kit decals.




Some fuse wire and lead foil work well in the tub. I use cyano glue for anything metal.


The seat cushion is fabricated from plasticune and dimpled/moulded into shape with the blunt end of an old paintbrush. Then painted using citadel colour brown paint.


A simple rat-tail file is good for rounding off and finishing the wing leading edge gun ports





More fuse wire and lead foil detail the main gear legs. Note the tiny placards scratched from black lead foil and scratched to depict the writing




A simple rat-tail file is good for opening up and finishing the wing lading edge gun ports


The interior of the flaps is sprayed a base colour of RLM 02 and then, when dry a wash of Tamiya Smoke (X-19) is hand brushed over the surface. the 'wash' collects in the recesses and looks effective when dry.


Now for the spraying...Gloss enamel every time for me (Hannants Xtracolor here). The main camo colours of 84/85 over RLM 76. Always gloss because I always seem to find that acrylic paints clog / dry up too quickly when spraying. The pressure is turned right down to about 9 psi on the compressor. Also the nozzle has hardly any paint coming out so careful hand / trigger control is needed, especially when using a double-action airbrush. The paint is also very well thinned using cellulose thinners (to about the consistency of milk).




The yellow chevrons to depict an aircraft operating from Hingary on the Eastern Front are added by masking the areas to be sprayed using Tamiya tape. Much more effective than trying to apply ofen translucent decals that allow the camo pattern beneath to show through - not good!






The bombs need to be weatheredtoo and an ordinary HB graphite pencil does the trick - I use a small 'stabbinbg' motion to get the effect here. the base colour is zinc-chromate yellow.


A similar effect is used for the prop blades. 'Silver' paint is often too shiny and glaring to be used.


CMK now produce some good weathering pastels and they are being used here. A stubby brush is used to gently work in very small amounts of pastel dust.



And some of the finished project...













Eduard Messerschmitt Bf 108

Here's my attempt at the excellent little Eduard Messerschmitt Bf 108. The kit is straightforward to build and benefits from the etched details (mainly for the cockpit) contained in the Profi-Pack. All paints used are Xtracolor gloss enamels. The mottling is achieved by thinning the paint with a little more cellulose thinners than I usually use and come in close to the surface spraying directly over the target area. The needle is also turned right down so that very little paint is coming out. The pressure on the compressor is about 8-10 psi. I used my old badger 150 for this project.

















Here are some of the build and finished pics for my Fw 190A-5. The model comes from the superb Hasegawa offering in 1:32nd scale. The kit is almost straight from the box and I wanted to really try and focus on the finish. The aircraft is featured in detail in 'Modelling the Focke-Wulf Fw 190A, F and G in the Osprey Modelling series Number 27. All the images I've used here are new and not used in that text - shot at the time, but unused, so hopefully they'll be one or two that you may find helpful.


The kit instrument panel is very neat - with nice raised detail. The dial backs were painted with a thin black Citadel Colour Armour Wash ink (black). As this is very thin, the dry-brushing with light grey stands out well. The various colours of the dial rims are picked out in other colours from the Citadel colour acrylic range.


The base colour for RLM 66 is represented using Tamiya German Grey in their XF range. I lightened it with an overspray to the centre of the panels with a lighter grey - this helps create a deeper, 3D effect.


The tub's now installed and everything fits perfectly.

Painting the Fw 190A-5


If you've a really steady hand and nerves of steel, then you may be happy spraying the demarcation line between the upper and lower fuselage camouflage. You can, instead, take the easier option and use thin rolls of Blu tac or similar putty. A few things to remember though...1. you need to remove the putty within 24 hours, otherwise the oil in it will start to stain your paintwork. 2. The thinner you roll the putty, the finer the featered edge - logical if you think about it?




You can just make out here the lower fuselage RLM 76 Lichtblau (Xtracolor X208). Thinning with cellulose thinner instead of enamel thinner helps speed up drying time, so that you can add the Blu Tac in about 24 hours, or less.


Tamiya masking tape (simply the best available) is used to mask off the RLM 76.


Next up is the RLM 75 Grauviolett (X207), followed by RLM Graugrun (X206)




The mottling is a mix of 74 and 75 blotches. they are not as difficult to add as it seems. I thinned the paint to about that of skimmed milk (!) and spraying at about 10 psi came in very close to the surface, with the nozzle turned down so that hardly any paint was coming out. Working carefully across the fuselage sides, the pattern can be built up steadily until you get the effect you desire. I just can't get acrylic paints to work anything like as well as enamels for this task, so enamels it is and probably will be. I remember trying to use enamels last summer and they just kept drying in the airbrush nozzle - drove me mad!!!


Note the slight dark grey pre-shading showing through the RLM 04 Gelb [yellow] (X213) rudder.


The excellent kit decals went on next, and when dry, an ink wash using Citadel Colour rusk Ink applied to the panel lines with a very fine paintbrush.