Most excellent Jim !

I should say the same about your Pfalz Terri ..iv been creeping your build ...verrry nice painting ...

Jim,

You've made some great progress since last I dropped by. Well done! I can't wait to see what you do with the paintwork.

Thank you Alex, and good luck with your big move !

I have started the finish coat on the kit. The undersides recieved an overall coat of TAMIYA IJN grey. The instructions call for "ash grey"...but I went with this ...its kinnnda ashy..isnt it?

Using my Iwata Hi-line I took thinned basecoat and added 2 drops of panzer grey for toning.
Yellow was added using floquil "insignia yellow"
Ill be coming back to the underside later to do some brushwork using artists oils,adding washes and doing some other shading effects ..

The next step will be to begin adding the burnt effect the engine exhausts would have had on the upper wing. Iv seen this in photographs and other modellers work, and Im very anxious to try my hand at it ..Iv also run across a happy accident during the riveting process Id like to try incorperating,,youll see what I mean if it works !

The rivets and panels have come out very nice. Are you pleased with it yourself?

Excellent progress Jim !

I'm by far an expert on IJN colours but your ash grey looks good .

Keep up the good work , this is turning out to be a most enjoyable build to follow my friend !

Thanks,Terri,JP
Yes Im satisfied with the results...after all it is my first time out ..I plan to do riveting on all kits requiring it now ..and Ill look at making my own riveters too if I can find the right gears..or Ill learn how to cut my own gears if " the machine" can be calibrated close enough..
The finish is always my favorite part of a model, and I plan on painting on all my markings on this one, except the tailfin codes.

does anyone see that piece of paper my work is sitting on in the last 2 pics? What I do is run through job sequences in my head then I put them to paper (to sort them and to NOT FORGET them ..lol)..I will numerate them and this applies to both paint sequences and construction sequences..

Here I have added a primercoat of gloss black, then sprayed Alclad Aluminum overtop. This is for a "burnt paint"effect I want to try. Its based upon a happy accident I had earlier in the process while I was preparing to rivet the wing..I hope it works ..

I have the top of the aircraft prepared for paint. All masking is done and I am placing on the paint coats:
Tamiya paints are used unless otherwise stated
basecoat IJN Green
individual panels picked out randomly with thin Buff
overspray(wetcoat) with heavily thinned IJA Green
fabric sections of the wing lightened marginally with very thin Deck Tan
panel lines picked out with thinned IJN Green
Im kinda in the middle of the paintjob,and will post pics later ..

Here we see the coats almost done on top of the aircraft. Theres some touchup work left to be done yet, as well as some shading, highlighting, and detail painting of the exhaust pipes. Hinomarus also remain to be painted on and tailcodes decaled in. Struts must be replaced also.

Jim,

Very, very nice. I like the way you're varying the paint for scale effect.

Mark

Very nice effect with the painting Jim !
Also great to see this one come together . The engines look super inside the cowls
Keep up the great work and look forward to the nexxt progress pic's

Thanks guys I agree Terri, the engines look awesome!..Im glad I went and got some for my upcoming Stranraer!...more pics coming later...

Hi Jim,

Fantastic work! Can't wait to see how it will turn out in the end...

Jean-Luc

Great stuff, Jim- I've been following with great interest.

Cheers!
chuk

Thanks guys for the kind words. After having some waterpipes blow this morning upstairs and send water cascading through the floor/cieling onto my entertainment center in the living room..I felt it necissary to unwind a wee bit by putting my meatballs on Mavis .

Yesterday I made up some masks using Tamiya Tape,masking tape ,and an Exacto circle cutter

I put the templates onto the doorframe so they would stay safe...no room on my messy bench! Regular masking tape was used to reinforce the edges so they wouldnt come apart at inopprotune moments..

Here you see them freshly painted ,masks still on. This is the moment of truth..(biting nails..) I sprayed flat white on first to let the red pop out, Gloss red was sprayed next,followed by a very dilute overspray of Red/brown

And here is the result. Not bad,but a tiny bit of touch up work is required. This will be done using green brushpainted on with a very fine brush. Dilute coats are an absoulute necessity.
My next step will be to add the exhaust effects on the wing....

here I have added the exhaust streaking on the wing. I had thought to try using Alcohol to rub off some paint in the airflow of the exhausts to try and show metal underneath,but I didn't like my results. Mabe I was too quick to judge,mabe not...So I hastily re-sprayed IJA green over my "handiwork" and re-established toning using very dilute flat black sprayed onto panel lines. I opted instead for a conventional black streaking, then I added some grey streaking over that , and then tied it together with verrry thin black sprayed on overtop carefully...the pics dont show it well, but I like the subtle look of it ..
The meatballs were given a thin coat or laquer flat clearcote, and now im in the process of scratchbuilding the struts for the tailplanes and the main wing. Pics to follow..

Nice effect Jim ! Maybe a little brown over spray on the exhuast stainning to break up the black a bit . Of course it's just me and you don't have to do it . I really like how this project is turning out so far . So have you built the spare room to display her yet ?

yeah...shes as big as a buick! Im Really counting on my freinds at the Shop to give her a home..usually if i lend out a piece for display I practically have to club them over the head to get them back,so it SHOULDNT be a problem...(biting my nails)..either that or I ll take out a home improvement loan...i hear theres a Government sponsered incentive on ....
I finished the main wing struts today and need to install them. Tail struts are all complete..pics to follow.

How is the build coming Jim ?

The build has been put on hold since last posting,but by the end of the week I should be back at her...
next: rigging the fuselage
painting the tail struts
removing the masks from the clear parts(!!!!)-got my goo-gone !
sorry if ive kept anyone waiting on this,but real life has been murdur, along with other commitments with deadlines...

Im taking off the masks from all the glazings now and all looks ok ..so far...using goo-gone to remove the tapecrud left from the adhesive foil..CAUTION:goo gone attacks acrylic paint even when fully cured. I did not have a disaster.....but it was close!
The wingstruts are built now and ready to be assembled. As I stated,other commitments have got me hog-tied right now,but Im trying guys,honest!
Pics to follow..
Deadline on this beast is October 23..

I know all about goo gone ! removes more then just goo !!! I use it for cleaning bike parts .

Looking forward to the progress pic's Jim , you have spent a fair time on this beauty , you will make it !!!!

Any up dates yet Jim ?