World War II: Germany
Aircraft of Germany in WWII.
Hosted by Rowan Baylis
Fine Molds 109F-2
lampie
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Posted: Friday, April 25, 2008 - 12:10 AM UTC
Keep going Magnus!
Soon that side camoflage will be behind you and you'll be wondering what you were worrying about
Wow,,that was so easy to say,,lol.
Watching with interest :
Nige
FalkeEins
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Posted: Friday, April 25, 2008 - 09:08 AM UTC

Quoted Text


Talking 109s, how's the langing gear bay detail in the Fine Molds kit?
Academy leaves room for improvement. The bays aren't boxed-in and the roofs of the bays are quite devoid of detail. Nothing that a little styrene strip couldn't fix, though.



...unfortunately the gear is the worst part of the Academy kit...the legs are splayed far too wide apart and the wheels are hopeless...
Emeritus
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Posted: Friday, April 25, 2008 - 09:08 PM UTC

Quoted Text


Quoted Text


Talking 109s, how's the langing gear bay detail in the Fine Molds kit?
Academy leaves room for improvement. The bays aren't boxed-in and the roofs of the bays are quite devoid of detail. Nothing that a little styrene strip couldn't fix, though.



...unfortunately the gear is the worst part of the Academy kit...the legs are splayed far too wide apart and the wheels are hopeless...


Aren't Academy's late G variants "based" on Hasegawa's kits?
I've built one, and I don't think the gear legs splayed too wide, in fact I feel they could have been a little wider. A few swipes from a file would do the trick.
Hopeless wheels? Comparing to photos of the real thing, the tires look a bit too small perhaps, but I don't see any that serious flaws. It could be my untrained eye, of course. Please correct me if I'm wrong.
Yeti123
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Posted: Saturday, April 26, 2008 - 09:09 AM UTC
Magnus:
I have really enjoyed this thread. The model looks great. I can not wait to see which path you choose for the side camoflage.
signed: one of the vultures
magnusf
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Posted: Saturday, April 26, 2008 - 05:51 PM UTC
Hello friends and vultures !

Sorry to disappoint you, this post is mostly for the benefit of Eetu showing the landing gear wells of the kit. I am still avoiding that camo in a very cowardly way...

Gear wells are boxed in with neatly detailed roofs. Note that piece of flash around the edge: I haven't seen it before looking at this photo, I'll remove it promptly:


If you are curious, you can check the distance between the location points on the Academy kit against this photo. On the Fine Molds kit that distance is 16 mm, if that is accurate of course is a whole different matter!


Regarding the Hasegawa Bf-109G I have also heard that it has accuracy issues but I don't remember the details. I am not sure that is something to worry about anyway!

And since you are all curious, I'll tell you: I will do the camo freehand. I was away yesterday and got a bottle of Gunze RLM02 (mine was dry in the bottle) so now I have both RLM70 and 02 from the Gunze range.

One final thing I have noticed: I got the wing cross proportions wrong. It irritates me immensely since I test painted several crosses on one of my paint wrecks but never checked the result aginst the references. As you can see, the white strips are much too wide:


See you tonight, then it's camo time!



Magnus
magnusf
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Posted: Tuesday, April 29, 2008 - 09:41 AM UTC
I've taken the plunge!

I used Gunze acrylic paints for both the squiggles and the blobs, thinned with about 60/40 alcohol/paint. No matter what paints I have tried (and they are many!) I always return to Gunze for all the finer jobs.

I spent yesterday evening painting the squiggles so this is what it looked like before tonight's painting session:





And this is after filling in all the RLM 02 spots:





The lines could be a bit finer but I feel I have to draw the line somewhere (sorry for that one...)... There will be more chances to practice airbrushing thin lines in the future so this model will be a testimony to my learning curve!

Regarding the camo pattern with a green spine on the aircraft: It is hard to tell how those aircraft really were painted, I go with the instructions and use the camo decals as a pattern. They are probably no more wrong than my own guesswork and they certainly save research time...

It is also interesting to note that a camo pattern is almost always "self-weathering", all those little mistakes and irregularities gives a worn look. The contrast with the yellow fuselage band is astonishing and weathering the yellow is something else that worries me a bit.

Hope your'e all happy up there on vultures row, entertainment is over for this time !



Magnus
Yeti123
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Posted: Tuesday, April 29, 2008 - 12:47 PM UTC
Magnus
I think it looks great. I think the free hand approach gives it a more realistic look than the decals could have ever achieved. When you take in account this was a 72nd scale kit, well my hats off to you . At that size I couldn't tell if it was a Mustang or a 109. Now what to do with myself that the suspense is over.
lampie
#029
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Posted: Wednesday, April 30, 2008 - 09:52 AM UTC
Hi Magnus.
See,,I knew all along you'd be fine!
Great job!
Nige
magnusf
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Posted: Thursday, May 01, 2008 - 06:59 PM UTC

Quoted Text

Magnus
I think it looks great. I think the free hand approach gives it a more realistic look than the decals could have ever achieved. When you take in account this was a 72nd scale kit, well my hats off to you . At that size I couldn't tell if it was a Mustang or a 109. Now what to do with myself that the suspense is over.



Sorry to have to tell you Taylor but it is a Hurricane !


Quoted Text


Hi Magnus.
See,,I knew all along you'd be fine!
Great job!
Nige



Your faith in my abilities is almost touching, you should have seen the experiments (and heard my language) the past week!

Quick update, I have now adjusted the proportions of the wing crosses. Still not perfect but a lot better:




And the canopy has been masked. I have never seen such an easy canopy maskingwise, there is a narrow but distinct groove around all the clear panels making them extremely easy to follow with the scalpel blade. Thanks Fine Molds!




Magnus
Emeritus
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Posted: Thursday, May 01, 2008 - 11:47 PM UTC
You managed to pull off the fuselage camo then. Looks great!
Does the kit include just a single closed canopy? I havent tried self-adhesive metal foil for masking before. How does it come off after painting?
However, I think I'll be sicking (no pun inteded =) to masking tape. Me, tracing canopy frames freehand with a knife, on a canopy with less-than-distinct frames surely equals trouble!

Good job on the painted markings too, although I think I can see some white showing under the black in few places. A quick touch-up would make them sharper.

Btw, I noticed the machine gun barrels are separate parts in this kit. How do they mount under the cowling? Be careful gluing them on.
On my 1:48 Bf-109 G2, I cut cut off the barrels from their mount (the kit wants you to install the barrels at the same time when gluing on the cowling) and built a simple mount inside the cowling so I could attach the barrels after painting. I ended up with two MG barrels rattling inside the fuselage... Fortunately, I had a G6 kit in my stash with the G2 barrels included, so I got the spares.

Man, I got to get that Spifire of mine finished and started on a Finnish bf-109 G6.
There was the annual Model Expo last weekend and I purchased an InScale decal sheet to go with that Academy G6 I got in my stash. It'll be Lt. Leo Ahokas' (12 victories) mount.
magnusf
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Posted: Friday, May 02, 2008 - 01:11 AM UTC

Quoted Text

You managed to pull off the fuselage camo then. Looks great!



Thanks! Now I am ready to tackle an Italian smoke ring camo...


Quoted Text

Does the kit include just a single closed canopy?



Yep... I would say that is the one major disadvantage of the kit. And after my Meteor canopy mishaps I've grown quite reluctant of dividing one-piece canopies... On the other hand, it saves cockpit detailing!


Quoted Text

I havent tried self-adhesive metal foil for masking before. How does it come off after painting?

With a bit of persuasion, it comes off... If I leave it in place for more than a few weeks (I am not the world's fastest modeller...) it sticks badly to the canopy but using a toothpick cut to a chisel shape it is still possible to get it off. Glue residue is easily removed using a Q-tip dipped in Humbrol enamel thinner or lighter fluid!


Quoted Text

However, I think I'll be sicking (no pun inteded =) to masking tape. Me, tracing canopy frames freehand with a knife, on a canopy with less-than-distinct frames surely equals trouble!



Better safe than sorry What I like with the foil is that it is very thin allowing one to see exactly where the frames are. But the risk is always there when using a scalpel in close vicinity of clear parts!


Quoted Text

Good job on the painted markings too, although I think I can see some white showing under the black in few places. A quick touch-up would make them sharper.



There will be some touch-ups and careful weathering can cover up many mistakes!


Quoted Text

Btw, I noticed the machine gun barrels are separate parts in this kit. How do they mount under the cowling? Be careful gluing them on.
On my 1:48 Bf-109 G2, I cut cut off the barrels from their mount (the kit wants you to install the barrels at the same time when gluing on the cowling) and built a simple mount inside the cowling so I could attach the barrels after painting. I ended up with two MG barrels rattling inside the fuselage... Fortunately, I had a G6 kit in my stash with the G2 barrels included, so I got the spares.



Very little can be seen of the barrels on a Bf-109F, it is only the left one that actually protrudes throught the hole in the cowling. Kitwise they were cast as one part and they are already safely installed. Rattling pieces are irritating, especially when fellow modellers shake the model and smile!


Quoted Text

Man, I got to get that Spifire of mine finished and started on a Finnish bf-109 G6.
There was the annual Model Expo last weekend and I purchased an InScale decal sheet to go with that Academy G6 I got in my stash. It'll be Lt. Leo Ahokas' (12 victories) mount.



I might do a Finish 109 for the Battle for Europe campaign in order to practice mottling!



Magnus
Roxter
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Posted: Saturday, May 03, 2008 - 05:51 AM UTC
Well that is a truelly interesting model!

Check out the photos here - both 3rd photos in the 2nd and 3rd rows show the subject (I guess).
SGTJKJ
#041
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Posted: Sunday, May 04, 2008 - 01:24 PM UTC
Looks really good, Magnus. The camouflage job is very well done. Very impressive - especially in this scale.

Looking forward to see more
magnusf
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Posted: Saturday, May 17, 2008 - 08:19 PM UTC

Quoted Text

Well that is a truelly interesting model!

Check out the photos here - both 3rd photos in the 2nd and 3rd rows show the subject (I guess).



Arseny! Thanks for the photo links! The ones you point out show the aircraft in the boxart, the aircraft of Dietrich Hrabak. The one I am doing is the other option in the box, "Yellow 9" belonging to Hans Philipp. If you happen to stumble over a photo of this one I am interested in seeing it (I have one that fills the formal requirements for the campaign but nothing more, you only see a small part of the fuselage including the "9").

I have been through my usual "mid project efficiency dip" and now the project is picking up speed again. I spent last night decalling, using Aeromaster decals for the national insignia and the kit decals for the rest. The Aeromaster decals behaved excellently as usual while the kit decals were a bit special. They felt like Academy decals (you know the ones they make from recycled plastic bags, stiff as cardboard and totally inert when it comes to setting solutions ) but when in place they settled down nicely using Gunze Mr. Setter.



I gave up on using the brass stencils for the rest of the crosses, the results didn't correspond favourably to the amount of work (and risk) involved! Now I have a weathering problem, evening out the difference between the offwhite/dark grey apperance of the wing crosses and the white/black fuselage crosses.

See you soon!



Magnus
magnusf
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Posted: Tuesday, May 20, 2008 - 09:38 AM UTC
Not much difference from my last photo but if you look closely you will see that the stencilling is in place and it has also gotten a matte coat.

I opted for using full stencilling on the wings; which appear to have been kept in the factory paint scheme. On the fuselage I used only the most important servicing markings (oxygen, compressed air, oil, fuel...) and left out the station numbers and jacking instructions since the fuselage was repainted in the field. Studying photos doesn't help much: the stencilling is thin and hard to see.





Magnus
magnusf
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Posted: Wednesday, May 21, 2008 - 09:11 AM UTC
Another step towards completion!





Magnus
Emeritus
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Posted: Wednesday, May 21, 2008 - 10:58 PM UTC
Looking good!
That canopy seems to be of superb quality, very clear and apparently thin as well. With the cockpit detailing on my Academy 109, I think I'll have to pose the canopy open, as that lid's a little thicker.

Don't forget to add the langing gear doors.
And watch out for that pitot!
...assuming that's the kit item. Having learnt from my first Academy kit, its pitot tube was sliced off as a part of my normal clean-up procedures. Being molded-in with the wing, it's really asking for trouble. A hypo needle and steel rod replacement won't suffer from my handling.
magnusf
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Posted: Monday, May 26, 2008 - 09:33 AM UTC

Quoted Text

Looking good!
That canopy seems to be of superb quality, very clear and apparently thin as well. With the cockpit detailing on my Academy 109, I think I'll have to pose the canopy open, as that lid's a little thicker.



I will stick to the Fine Molds 109s from now, I'll probably get myself a few of the later versions just in case I might need to build them one day


Quoted Text


Don't forget to add the langing gear doors.
And watch out for that pitot!
...assuming that's the kit item. Having learnt from my first Academy kit, its pitot tube was sliced off as a part of my normal clean-up procedures. Being molded-in with the wing, it's really asking for trouble. A hypo needle and steel rod replacement won't suffer from my handling.



The landing gear doors are painted and washed, and I even know where they are so no worries! No one is more surprised than me that the pitot still hangs on to the wing tip... A very rare occurence for me!

Some touchups done and the heat resistant paint on the wing roots has been applied tonight:




Magnus
magnusf
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Posted: Wednesday, May 28, 2008 - 09:30 AM UTC
Almost finished!

I'll save the antenna thread for friday night and I am sure that I will find something else to fix until then as well.







Magnus
dcandal
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Posted: Wednesday, May 28, 2008 - 01:08 PM UTC
An excellent paint job, that´s wonderful. Can you tell me witch airbrush do you use.
magnusf
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Posted: Wednesday, May 28, 2008 - 06:36 PM UTC

Quoted Text

An excellent paint job, that´s wonderful. Can you tell me witch airbrush do you use.



I am glad that you like it! Regarding the airbrush: an old Badger 150 would probably do this as well as my H&S Infinity! Accoding to my experiences, it ONLY comes down to the paint and I use Gunze acrylics heavily thinned with alcohol.

If you try the old Aeromaster Acrylics or Polly Scale, the most expensive Iwata will still make a mess of the fine lines since the paint will dry on the needle tip, something no mechanical changes or precision machining can do anything about!

As an answer to your question, I use two airbrushes, both from German manufacturer Harder&Steenbeck. I don't know how common they are in your part of the world but here in Sweden they have been the preferred choice for many modellers for a decade. Price is on par with Badger or even a bit lower.


The lower one is my Evolution, the upper one is the Infinity. They share the same parts so with what I know today, having used both, I would have gone for a second Evolution since the Infinity is more expensive. On the other hand, you have to admit that the Infinity's design is übercool and that counts for something as well

The reason for having two airbrushes is that I use the Evo with 0,4 nozzle and the Infinity with a 0,15 nozzle for fine detail work.

So, my advice to anyone having spraying problems with an airbrush: The fault is usually with the paint brand, changing to a more expensive airbrush probably won't help!



Magnus
dcandal
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Posted: Thursday, May 29, 2008 - 01:13 AM UTC
Thank you very much for your so clear explanation, it´s very useful.
CMOT70
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Posted: Thursday, May 29, 2008 - 01:55 AM UTC
Magnus, the 109 turned out really well.

And i agree 100% with your airbrushing comments. They mirror my experiences exactly. Anyone that has struggled with Pollyscale/Xtracrylic paints, do yourself a favour and try the two Japanese brands thinned with alcohol and you will never go back, not even to enamels.

Andrew
magnusf
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Posted: Thursday, May 29, 2008 - 09:51 AM UTC
I'm done!

In retrospective, there is no reason for this model to take almost two months to finish! Fit is better than excellent and detailwise there is no real need for any after market stuff so it is an ideal out-of-the-box project! I have enjoyed the build a lot and will probaly do more of these, especially the late war variants are tempting.

The antenna is on, enjoy:







Thanks to all who have commented and followed the build!

And now on to something (comparably at least...) modern....



Magnus
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Posted: Thursday, May 29, 2008 - 10:14 AM UTC
WOW. Magnus! That turned out great! I like it!