Hello. I'm building Tamiya's Do335 and was wondering if anyone can tell me what color the fabric surfaces on the tail might be if there are any fabric surfaces on the tail. If there are, I was wondering if they were a sky color, like Tamiya's XF-21. I would like to depict this aircraft in an unfinished state by painting the tail section in natural metal. Thanks for the help, Wingman out.

Hi Michael

As far as I know, the control surfaces were metal skinned. But you can add a bit of interest as here, where the upper and lower fins have been attached as pre-painted sub-assemblies:



All the best

Rowan

Thanks Rowan. I might leave the tail planes natural metal as I like the look of the swatstika and tail number. I painted the spinners natural metal already. Just finished masking the clear parts BMF. Very cool photo. Wingman out.

Hello. I would like to depict the radiator flaps in natural metal so I polished the plastic with polishing pads and then used Novus #2 Plastic Polish for fine scratches and Novus #1 Clean and Shine. When I went to apply Tamiya's Gloss Black as a primer the paint pooled to both sides of the part. Do you think this happened because the part was too smooth and the paint had nothing to bite into? I wiped away the paint with Tamiya's X20 Thinner and reapplied the paint and it looks O.K. I wonder if wiping away the paint etched the plastic at a microscopic level and gave the paint something to bite into or did it have something to do with the Clean and Shine? Any thoughts? Wingman out.

Of course I am not Rowan, but I am guessing that you applied the paint too thickly (i.e. too much paint coming out of the airbrush). You will need to do a few mist coats to apply the paint without it pooling up as you described.

Looking forward to seeing the build!

Doug

Thanks Doug. I've been shooting the paint with the same settings as before when I primed with gloss black. I think it has something to do with the Clean and Shine I used as the last step when polishing the plastic. Thanks for the help. Everything has been painted and ready for a gloss coat of Alclad Aqua Clear Gloss prior to applying the decals.


Thanks for looking, Wingman out.

Paintjob looks great, you sure don't need any advice from me! The NM spinners should set it off nicely as well.

Doug

Hi Doug. Thanks. Any helpful advice is always welcome, that's how we get better at our builds. Decals from assorted Aeromaster sheets have been used as I didn't want to use the kit decals because they looked to thick although I did use the tail codes from the kit and they look pretty good. The mask for the swastika will be "taped up" on the tail. I decided to paint the cowl in natural metal also.

Thanks for looking, Wingman out.

Hello. The landing gear, engine cowl and a loop antenna made from copper wire have been attached along with the radiator doors. Exhaust stacks are resin items from Quickboost. The mask for the swastika has been applied with the help of spray adhesive. Tape from strips of Tamiya tape have to be painted and applied yet. Thanks for looking, Wingman out.

Looks GREAT Wingman, I really like your 335. What makes it all the better is the fact that this aircraft is not represented nearly as often as other more noteworthy Luftwaffe subjects. Thanks for sharing and please keep the photos coming. Take care :-)

Jim

Thanks for the kind words Jim. I don't know what it is about this plane, it's funky looking but cool looking at the same time. Weathering was kept to a minimum as this aircraft was abandoned with the allies coming. They didn't have time to finish the painting. I would like to display it on a grassy field all by itself. Does anyone know where I can get some quality grass matts? Thanks again Jim, Wingman out.

Wingman,
Great job on your Do 335 so far!

Try Scenic Express for grass matts, they sell stuff for model RR layouts but some of what they sell is perfect for aircraft models too.
I have bought grass matts from them in the past and was pleased with them.

Matrixone

Hi Les, thanks. I was able to purchase a grass matt from a company called ModelScene from MiniHighway here in Pennsylvania. I'll post some photos when it arrives. Thanks for the kind words and the help, Wingman out.

The 335 is looking very nice Mike! I build the single-seater ages ago, and remember it to be a very pleasant experience. Looking forward to more soon

Doug

Thanks Doug. A quick update. The windscreens have been attached along with the rear prop and the landing light cover which was attached without the use of glue. The tape for the mask on the tail was applied and a ladder built from styrene rod. I've included a photo of a Tamiya Do335B-2 Heavily Armed Version I built awhile ago. Your right, both of these Tamiya items were very nice builds. I will probably photograph this latest build in front of the backround that I used for the older build. Thanks for the kind words, Wingman out.

Hello. The canopies have been attached along with the front prop. Time to get the this beast on a grass field looking abandoned. Thanks for looking, Wingman out.

Hello. Finally got this build on a base. I'm not good a scratch building small details so a wood ladder was all that was added. It's made of basswood strips cut to size. The grass is from Model-Scene, very easy to use. I added tarps made from Magic-Sculpt, there is one laying on the wingroot. That's about it, thanks for looking and all the good information. Wingman out.

Lovely work Wingman, I really like this little scene. The 335 is an unusual looking aircraft and an uncommon build, but I am a sucker for the twin spinner fighters and love this big beast.

Cheers, D

Thanks Damian. I can imagine how big these things are in real life. Ugly and cool at the same time. Thanks for looking, Wingman out.