That looks fantastic, Rowan! How about tacking the canopy on with a bit of Tamiya tape to protect those delicate danglies?

Cheers!
chuk

Hi Chuck

Thanks for the kind comments. Much appreciated! As for the "delicate danglies" (Ooh! Madam! ) - they're actually detached at the moment following the mishap that prompted me to post my warning, so I've been able to work on the kit without fear of doing further damage...

No more pics to add, because I was tinkering with the kit away from home today. This has got to be the silliest shaped aircraft to be carting around in a box and working on where I can find a space (barring a biplane, I suppose!), but there you go - ironically, I'm making better progress than I usually do in the comfort of my workshop!

Anyway, I attached the wings and added the flanges under the tail-booms that the designers missed. It's definitely starting to look like a '189 - and I have to say it's immeasurably easier as a build than the old MPM kit. I've still got one of those buried somewhere in The Stash and, between this and the imminent ICM model, I can't see me ever bothering to dig it out (exept possible to see if the decals are worth salvaging...)

All the best

Rowan

Hi Rowan,




You would be surprised of the many detail parts that can be used on the GWH kit. In fact the old MPM kit can act as a detail set in some places, especially if you have the Hi-Tech edition...

Jean-Luc

Hi Jean-Luc

Actually, I told a bit of a lie! - I did dig out the old MPM kit (maybe not the Hi-Tech version, although mine does include etch and resin). It didn't help me nearly as much as I'd hoped (again, it had an 'A-1 interior), and I ended up scratchbuilding all the extras I added.

All the best

Rowan

Hi Rowan,




LOL! So you do not always tell us the truth!

Jean-Luc

heeyy stop chatting! I want to see more pix of the build and no "Bauchpinselei" (hihi curious if you can make that one out)

really, even if you build on the side board ... finish this and you are allowed to start the Bf109E (which is sadly in the wrong scale) ...

cheers

Steffen

Hi Jean-Luc

I was just "economical with the truth"! - I should have written "I can't see me ever bothering to dig it out again".

All the best

Rowan

Hi Steffen,




You are just jealous that Rowan and I have a private talk...

Here is my "cockpit" interior...



It is very similar to the one Rowan did so I though it wasn't worth showing, but since you want to see something new...
I achieved approximatively the same result has him but I have mainly used parts from the MPM kit:
- Photo etched Flare holders from the MPM kit.
- Flare containers made from scratch.
- Main wing spar from the MPM kit.
- Resin gas mask containers from the MPM kit.
- Droppable messages containers from the MPM kit.
- Various boxes and satchels from the MPM kit.
- Added details for the rudder pedals from scratch.
- MG 81Z ammo cases made from scratch.
- Photo Etched Radio box from Eduard

I plan to use the PE + acetate sheet instrument panels from the MPM kit, as well as other parts such as a very nice PE bomb sight and maybe even a sun visor if it doesn't hide too much details.

The GWH kit is very nice and I have already glued some pieces together but I must confess I am a bit confused by the overall breakdown of the parts. The Fw189 was an unusual plane and I'm still not decided about the way I should proceed for the painting and the assembly, especially of the glazings. For example I think it will be necessary to mask the interior of the clear parts as well...

Jean-Luc

Definitely, yes! But i also would like to see this project progressing and I try to push Rowan to finish something

BTW do you build the Ju 87 too?

all the best

Steffen

Hi Steffen,




No, but I have started the Hs123 B from ICM. I have put it on hold because I want to include the Eduard photo etch. I have also done the Italeri Puma and I'm working on the Tankwagen as well. I'm almost done with a Tamiya Krupp Protze + CMK Luftwaffe Caravan.

With the Fw189 I think it is enough german stuff...

Jean-Luc

Hello Jean-Luc

you mean Hs 126B? ..Why not include some of that beautiful Vector stuff? At least the railed canopy should make a difference...

as for German stuff. Hope to have this one done this week and proceed with the Stuka ... I really like it though it might have an accuracy issue but we'll see



all the best

Steffen

Yes, of course...

Hi Rowan and Jean-Luc

any progress??

cheers

Steffen

Hi Steffen

I haven't had an opportunity to work on any models since my last update. If I can get the latest round of reviews and admin stuff done, I might be able get back to the workbench sometime next week...

I expect Jean-Luc has finished his Uhu by now!

All the best

Rowan

Hey guys ... what's up?

Rowan ... don't you want to finish at least one model this year ... yes I know I am guilty myself, but I have 16 ½ this year

Just got the kit from Lucky and luckily no customs visit this time.

cheers

Steffen

Hi Steffen

Sadly, teasing won't make the pile of work I have to get through before I can get back to the workbench grow any smaller.

Believe me, I'd love to do some model-building, but what free time I have has to go into Admin and trying to keep up with Reviews.

All the best

Rowan

Sorry for OT but don't you think Rowan that Aeroscale needs someone new who will try to fill the gap after J-L or at least help you with some stuff e.g. "/news editor", "/review editor" etc.

Hi Steffen,




Well, I'm not finished (far from it) but I think I have overtaken Rowan...



I have added some details in the cockpit and in the left engine so this has slowed down the build a little. I will wait until the glue dries and then I will add the wings. I hope to start the painting this week-end if all goes well, but I have a lot of work to do for the school at the moment...

Michal, I think Rowan has asked many times for support in the past years. Rather than one person, I think several are needed...

Jean-Luc

Hi Jean-Luc

thank you for the build update!!

BTW Scott Van Aken of MM has build his kit already. IMHO the booms look strangely curved on the lower side, but this might be a matter of the pix and/or camo. (or my eyesight)

all the best

Steffen

Hi again

People seem to be forgetting the fantastic job all the other Staffers are doing on Aeroscale. I can honestly say the site couldn't function without them!

Back to the Fw 189.

Nice work Jean-Luc! As I've predicted all along, you'll finish long before me. This is the point at which my build has been stalled for the last few weeks:



I hope to get back to work on it in a couple of weeks' time.

Steffen - as regards the tail booms, I think what you describe must be lens distortion. The parts are quite straight and seem fine to me - they just need the missing flanges added on the undersides.

All the best

Rowan

Hi Rowan

Thanks! e.g. this pic hows what I mean. There is a certain kink on the real thing, but the combination of slightly off angle camo and a bit of distortion has a strange effect (I did not notice anything on th kit parts)


(http://modelingmadness.com/scotts/axis/luft/fw/48189k.jpg in case hotlinking is restricted)

all the best

Steffen

Hi Steffen

I see what you mean - a definite hint of downward curve. Don't worry, the actual parts aren't like that.

All the best

Rowan

I hate to be yet again a rotten joy stealer, but THE TAPER OF THE TAIL BOOMS HAS STRAIGHT SIDES!!!!!!!!!!

I would have to see a good perspective photo from the front of the kit, from slightly above level, to see if I am really correct as to the extent of the problem (I'm pretty sure the kit's sides are a near-dead straight taper though), but the real FW-189 had a noticeable aerodynamic "swelling" of the tail boom sides, when viewed from the front and slightly above, and this is the very first thing I noticed was missing on the MPM kit which made the exact same mistake...

I tried to correct the MPM kit: After emptying three or four tubes of Tamiya putty I gave up...

This seems to be a significant error, and if true it would definitely give the edge to a kit that didn't have this error... Note, in addition, that the whole fuselage pod is not quite rounded enough in appearance, as I pointed out earlier (not visible from the 3 pictures here)...



Take as a reference here the yellow boom bands in roughly the same place (Note however the effect may be slightly diminished here because the bands on the real aircraft seem to be a touch further back on the booms...): Note how on the real aircraft they appear to have more girth to go accross, showing the boom to be closer than the kit to being nearly as thick there at as it is near the wing trailing edge. However, the kit's camo demarcation does not help make this obvious on the kit without looking at the picture at a slanted angle, and it would be nice to have a shallow-angle picture of the kit's booms...



Now look at the model and notice the yellow bands show the tail booms to be narrower at the band level than at the trailing edge of the wing (again, a bit hidden by the upper camo demarcation line on the model): Looking at the kit image at a sharply slanted angle also reveals not much trace of side swelling in the kit's booms: It does seem to be a mostly straight taper...

This shallower angle shows how marked the aerodynamic "swelling" is: It is not a straight taper at all...



That being said, as usual, it's hard to point out how obvious the difference is with just mismatching pictures... On the MPM kit the effect was huge...

While not quite an impossible task, it is a very labour-intensive error to correct on the MPM kit... There could be as much as 2-3 mm of width to add in total in some places (1.0-1.5 mm per boom side, twice)...

This new kit is however still much better-looking than the MPM in other respects, maybe even in this area also...

For those who are not yet committed, I would very strongly recommend waiting to see the ICM kit... No, I would not bother posting this if I didn't know another kit was waiting in the near future, in case you are wondering...

Gaston

Hi Gaston

Good catch on that one. Maybe a touch over excited in the announcement though? - I thought the end of the world was nigh for a moment!

Checking the old CAD images of the forthcoming ICM kit, it does look like they've incorporated a bit of curve (maybe it needs a tad more?).



Whatever, it's easy to add some curve with a simple spacers. It's too late to alter my GWH kit, so I've demonstrated the effect roughly using the old MPM tail-boom.



Of course, once you've filled the resulting gaps, it'll mean replacing the moulded flanges on the top of the booms, but seeing as you have to add them on the bottom anyway, that's no great loss.

All the best

Rowan

Great post, Rowan!

I remember those weird flanges: They really did get in the way...

I think your corrective solution is very good because the swelling does appear to be mostly in plan view, and not quite so visible in the profile view...

This is the first I see of ICM's CAD work by the way: Thanks!...

Sorry about the overuse of caps...

Gaston