As promised in my review, I am going to do a build blog of this kit, so I can see if the kit builds as well as it looks.

At this point, I plan to use the Quickboost exhaust, and of course, Eduard masks for the canopy (or this might never get done). I picked up the Eduard cockpit pre-painted PE set, but plan to save that for another build, but I may change my mind once I see how my attempts at painting up the kit instrument panel turns out

As always, this build starts with lots of parts cleanup. I then assembled everything I felt comfortable putting into the cockpit in preparation for painting:







Since the back of the radio rack is hollow, and seems to be visible on the completed model, I put some thin sheet styrene on the back to cover up the holes:



I did not glue the radio rack to the cockpit frame, it appears that it should stay in place well enough for painting.

Thanks for looking, more to come! As always, comments/questions always welcome!

Doug

I will be following this one!

I built the C-7 some time ago (thus my avatar), and it's a great kit. Correction, it's an AWESOME kit! I feel like doing another one - the nightfighter - sometime in the near(ish) future.

And yes, the holes in the back of the radio rack will be visible after assembly, though only faintly.

Cheers

watching with interest as I have the same kit.

Thanks guys, I hope this will be an interesting build

Kenneth, can you post a link to your build blog? I'd love to see how you built your kit.

These days, when I build a model, I tend to do a lot of research on colors for the particular aircraft I plan to model. Sometimes it's easy to confirm what the decal sheet or kit instructions tell you, other times it's not.

When this kit arrived, I decided to build it in the scheme shown on the box-art, as it looked good with the yellow cowls and wide white fuselage band. The kit instructions show the aircraft 3U+NT assigned to 9./ZG26 which was based Sicily during 1941. The instructions call for an RLM 66 Black-Gray cockpit and an exterior scheme of RLM 74/75/76.

Now, having studied Luftwaffe colors for many years, this seemed that it might not be correct, as "official" orders for this scheme were issued in late 1941, and this aircraft would have likely been built in late 1940. I then dug out all my 110 references, and searched the internet for information on this aircraft.

Surprisingly, there is not a lot of good information out there on 110 colors. The Vasco book on the 110 C/D/E is great for technical details (which show that just about anything could go, as 110's seem to have been constantly being upgraded in the field or at repair depots), but his book on 110 color profiles was no help, as it only added to the confusion with it's ambiguous paint schemes on the profiles, many of which do not even state what color they are supposed to represent. I believe this is because there is not any definitive info on the schemes the aircraft carried, so rather than publish incorrect info, they chose to leave it to the readers interpretation (personally, I would prefer an expert's best guess compared to nothing).

So, in the end, after consulting the above references as well as Merrick's latest Luftwaffe Colors series, I was able to come up with the following:

1) Bf110 C/D aircraft could have an RLM 66 cockpit rather than RLM 02 (Gray Green). An order existed which stated that 110's in for repainting/repair should have their cockpits painted RLM 66 when possible (my interpretation of the info - remove easily accessible equipment and spray everything else RLM 66). Photos exist of 110's where the pilots cockpit was repainted 66, and the rear is still 02, and others where the top half of the rear was 66, and the bottom 02. (We also see this in 109E's where some of them have RLM66 interiors, or just the canopy frames in RLM66, etc.) It could also be that the sub-contractors building these Messerschmitts could have used RLM 66 as that may have been what they had on hand having previously (or concurrently) been building non-fighter aircraft which had RLM 66 interiors prior to the order for fighters).

2) I found photos of some 9./ZG26 aircraft operating in the Med (same as my model) that have a RLM 74/75/76 scheme, rather than the earlier RLM 71/02/65. It may have been these were repainted in the field (perhaps when having damage repaired), rather then being a factory-scheme.

3) The fine folks at Dragon had engaged Jerry Crandall and Mark Proulx (both well-respected in the area of Luftwaffe colors), which would imply that the color callouts in the instructions are accurate (at least based on their expertise).

Not wanting to over-think it too much (I can see you shaking your head at that if you've read this far), I decided to just go with the kit instructions for this build, as it certainly appears to be a good possibility that it is correct, and I cannot find anything to disprove it, in fact the evidence would seem to be tilted in support of the kit instructions.

That decision being made, I've pressed on with painting the interior sub-assemblies. I started by painting everything flat black:



I then painted RLM 66 over the black, starting by spraying 66 in the areas between details, then spraying thin coats over the entire part until I got the look I wanted, which left low-lights in the right places (hard to see in the photos):



I also assembled the engines and nose gun sub-assembly, as well as the wheel hubs and other misc parts and painted them with semi-gloss black:



Since I don't plan to have the cowls open, I just assembled the basic engine blocks, and left off any small bits. After thinking about it more, and studying the instructions, I may try to built the model without the engines installed. If feasible, I will go that way, otherwise I'll stick these in later.

Next up I'll need to start the detail painting on the interior parts.

Thanks for looking, comments/questions welcome!

Doug

thanks Doug for "taking us along for the ride". I have the "Nacht Jaeger" version and I should either build it or sell it. Maybe this will be the inspiration to get my rear in gear and build it. What ever happens I am subscribing to this build. Thanks again !
Tom

Looking good Doug!

I built a Bf 110E last year, I also ran into some questions as to what the interior should be, it looks like the time period the Bf 110D's and E's were constructed was the same time the change over from RLM 02 to RLM 66 interior colors was taking place. So its hard to pinpoint which aircraft had which color.

The way you paint the RLM 66 on the cockpit parts is how I do it too, I usually spray black first and then spray on the RLM 66 usually on the raised areas and leave the recessed areas almost untouched by the RLM 66...this is pre-shading reversed.

Matrixone

Hi Doug

Nice work so far. Your shot of the engines etc. caught me out for a moment because I thought you'd painted them "gun metal" - but then I saw your description of semi-gloss black, so it's a trick of the light.

I'm just starting to "get the itch" to build things again after a long lay-off, and Blogs like yours only make it worse (i.e. better!)!

All the best

Rowan

Thanks for looking in and commenting guys, I appreciate it!

@ Tom - so far it really is a great kit and is building as great as it looks. I would definitely recommend building it rather than selling it.

@ Les - I like to use paint these days to add lowlights and highlights instead of messing around with washes and drybrushing.

@ Rowan - yes, just a trick of the light. But, I am pretty certain I can build this kit without the engines (and it might be easier) since I plan to have the cowls all closed up. You could always go finish off your Flycatcher if you have itch to get back to the workbench

For this model, I am basing my colors on my previous post, and assuming that this 110D went through a depot repaint, which included painting the cockpit RLM 66 - which would have meant taking out the major components that could not be painted over, and spraying everything else RLM 66.

Because of this, after painting everything in the interior RLM 66, I painted the radios, instrument panel, and some of the large boxes on the sidewalls a slightly lighter shade of RLM 66, as these would have been RLM 66 even with an RLM 02 interior. The added benefit is this breaks up the single interior color a bit.

I also took the lightened RLM 66 and added highlights to the raised areas around the cockpit, and then blended it with some really thin RLM 66. The result is pretty subtle, which is what I was after.

Ok, let's seem some pics!

Here are the main cockpit components after some detail painting. Still a tiny bit left to do before it is completely finished:



Here is a closer photo of the instrument and radio panels:



For the details, I used thinned Mr. Color Semi-Gloss Black, a 0.5 black marker and Mr. Color Flat White and Red and Silver I used the marker to color flat surfaces (and wherever else I could get the tip into) and then used a 10/0 brush to paint the black in the remaining areas. Most of the instrument panel is painted, as the marker does not do well there. I also used the 10/0 brush for the white, red and silver details.

Next up, I will gloss coat the interior, and am going to try to use the AIMS models Ju88 instrument decals for the instrument and radio details. I also have the Airscale Luftwaffe cockpit placards which I will place as appropriate around the cockpit based on the few photos I could find (and the Airscale Luftwaffe instrument decals in case the AIMS decals do not fit well).

That's it for today, thanks for looking! As always, comments/questions welcomed!

Doug

Got the decals on the instruments today I used the AIMS Ju88 instrument decals for most of them, and punched out the remainder from an old 1/72 instrument decal. I'm happy with the results:



Next I'll spray with dullcoat once the decals have set/dried, and then do the colored bezels where appropriate, and add some more future to the instruments to simulate lenses.

Thanks for looking! Comments/questions welcome

Doug

wow, that looks great!
Maybe this pic will help with bezel colors:

My build thread is here:
https://aeroscale.kitmaker.net/forums/178285&page=1

And some pics of the finished thing:
https://aeroscale.kitmaker.net/forums/182786&page=1

Great work you are doing here.

Regards,
Kenneth

Hi Doug

The instruments and radios look great! A touch of colour on a couple of the lower bezels as Shawn has pointed out, and it's spot on!

Is the lettering on the radios decals? - it makes all the difference...

All the best

Rowan

@ Shaun, thanks! The Eduard IP (both the 1/4 scale and the 1/32 scale) is a bit different than then one supplied in the kit, but I got the bezels colored what I think is appropriate nonetheless

@ Kenneth - thanks for the link, build looks great! Quick question, it appears that you built up the cowls and the parts that attach to the wing, and then stuck the engines in, and then put the assembled cowls over them. Did you have any issues with that approach? I was thinking of just leaving the engines out, but if they fit good, I might stick them in to hang the prop off instead of making a disc.

@ Rowan - yes, the letters on the radios (SL, SK, EL, EK) are decals from the AIMS set. The rest is paint. Speaking of which, I took the opportunity to build up the Eduard IP, so that I could compare it with the kit part now that I've got it about finished.

First, I cut out a backing part from sheet styrene, since I was not going to be sanding everything off my kit IP:



Then, I attached the black PE part to the backing piece, and then applied a piece of clear packing tape to the surface:



This will give the instruments a nice flat, yet reflective simulated glass face:



So, here is the kit IP and the Eduard IP side-by-side for comparison purposes:



I'll go ahead and use the kit IP for this build, since I have all the rest of the kit parts being used. I will use the Eduard set on my next 110D/E build, as the other parts (throttle quadrant, pilots side panel, etc) are a bit better than the kit parts it would appear.

I've got to paint up my compressed air bottles for the canon tray (they should be purple apparently), attach them and then do a little more painting (like the RO's seat cushion), attach and paint the kit seat belts and it will be time to get this cockpit put together and finished!

Thanks for looking, comments/questions welcomed as always!

Doug

Hi Doug

That's a really interesting comparison. Pros and cons in both. Your added colour on the instruments looks great - especially the artificial horizon - and I have to say the decal instrument faces "pop out" stronger than the etched version. The etched buttons have an extra delicacy that's hard to beat, but against this the "grain" in the pre-coloured panel is evident too.

I'd call it a pretty even match, with the result in favour of your expertly finished kit panel.

All the best

Rowan

Doug, Thanks! You are correct, that's the way I did it. I remember a tiny fit problem with the assembled cowling on one side, but no big problems. I would suggest that you install the engines, since a bit of them is visible from below.

D*mn, I want to build the Nachtjäger!

Kenneth

EDIT: It is some very nice instrument panels you have there. I must say I like the kit IP most. Question: The kit IP instrument faces, are they decals?
EDIT-EDIT: I found the answer myself. I should start reading the posts before asking questions...

A great build so far in what I have seen. I used to be quite annal about colours, now not so which is a good thing. Who can say that you are wrong. I do have an Eduard kit in the stash along with a few monogram and Fujimi kits with associated correction kits. Finished an Iraqi flagged kit for the g/b.

Hi, intresting build!
I've noticed on the picture:



You have weird "cage" element (upper part of cockpit), which you rather should throw out. (it probably just repeats glass frame)
There wasn't such thing in Bf110.
I have 1:48 kit form Dragon, and there is also this bizzare element.
I did search in pictures and didn't found something like that in real plane.

Thanks guys! Been working on all the small bits so that I can get the cockpit together and the fuselage joined.

@ Rowan - thanks, I too like the kit instrument panel, my objective with this build is really to show what is possible with what comes in the box. I thought it would be (and will be) a good idea to compare the kit parts to available aftermarket so the reader can decide if they need/want it I just wish Dragon had provided the decals in the kit.

@ Kenneth - thanks for the info, you're right, I'll need to stick the engines in since there is that open part on the bottom. Glad to hear they should fit without issue.

@ Trevor - I know what you mean, I used to be much more anal about colors, but in the end, I build for myself so as long as I am happy with it, then all is well. However, I do like to a little research as I like the "detective" aspect of trying to determine the "correct" colors.

@ Jerzy - I beleive you are correct, I think the reinforced cage is more appropriate for a "G" model 110, and one could just leave it out and fill the mounting slots, and put the aerial bit directly on the canopy. However, I'll leave it for this build, as I've already got it prepped, and want to stick to OOB as much as possible

Ok, small bit of progress. After thinking about it for some time, I decided to take advantage of the "field repaint" aspect of this aircraft and go with the two-color interior, rather than just overall RLM66 (which will be for my G-4 kit when Dragon get around to releasing one). So, I repainted the bottom areas of the rear cockpit with RLM02,added a little weathering to give it a somewhat different look:



I hope to get some time to put the final touches on the cockpit and start gluing things together tomorrow

Thanks for looking, comments/questions always welcome!!

Doug

Time for another update!

I got the cockpit 99% finished, just need to add/paint a couple small things and I should be ready to seal this one up!

Fit was good for all parts, although I did have a little trouble getting the pilot's seat in position. The instructions leave out where to place 3 of the spare ammo cans, but it was easy to determine where they go looking at references and other builds. Finally, in keeping with the spirit of this build, I used the kit PE seat belts. They are a bit thick, which made bending them into position a bit more effort than normal.

So, without further ado, here are some pics (looks like I need to get all the dust off these parts before I close it up):











As you can see, things are pretty busy straight out of the box, and it will look even more busy once it is closed up. I am pretty happy that I decided to take advantage of the ambiguity around the field repainted cockpit and do the two-tone one I had seen in photos before.

Thanks for looking! Comments/questions always welcome!

Doug

Hi Doug

I probably build my cockpits "dirtier" than you (sometimes I overdo it and scrap the results!), but I'm really impressed how well your RLM 66 re-paint over RLM 02 works. There are other examples where such re-paints took place (Devastators, for instance) and yours is a really effective way of representing it.

All the best

Rowan

Thanks Rowan

I have seen this interior in photos of a real 110, but try as I might, I cannot find the photos again on the internet. It seems to be popular these days, as I've seen two other recent build with a similar scheme

In looking at reference photos of in-service cockpits, I have found that they do get lots of chipped/worn paint, but otherwise stay fairly clean, so I try to replicate that (even though I don't have the skills to do a good chipping job).

I have put some scuff marks where the paint was worn through on the floor of the rear cockpit, since the floor was the "original" paint, and added some dirt to the floor of the front and rear. I did add a little paint wear (using drybrushed silver paint) to the seats and other high wear areas, but most of this is not visible in the photos.

While the instructions can use a bit of improvement, overall, I am impressed with the detail provided by Dragon for the cockpit, and everything fit very well. It looks great to me painted up, and should satisfy anyone who wants to have a peak inside once the canopies, etc. are on. I am so pleased with the results, that I won't be adding any details to any future builds and will build it out of the box as I have on this one.

I closed up the fuselage today, and will let it get all set and will start minor sanding tomorrow (the nose and the rear cockpit cover are not glued in the photos):



Will need to do a little sanding and re-adding of detail in this area (my fault as I should have sanded the top forward edge of the belly insert to get a better fit):



I painted the RLM74 on the nose where the MG's will stick out to make it easier to mask and keep from painting the MG's when I paint the exterior of the model:



Looks like we start on the wings/wheel wells next!

Thanks for looking! Comments/questions welcomed!

Doug

Time for a small update! Been spending most of my build time correcting minor self-inflicted issues, such as repairing panel lines, etc, which don't translate into a build blog very well

Also got started on the wheel wells. Dragon's engineering here is quite impressive. Everything falls into place with "Tamiya-like" ease. I've read build blogs on the first release ("C" model) where the builders have complained that the instructions are incorrect for the placement of the wheel well side ribbing, but that seems to have been corrected on the instructions for this kit, as I had no problems at all getting everything installed.

The only recommendation I have for this area, is concerning the "U" shaped brace that goes at the back of the wheel well. Dragon would have you attach this to the floor, but there are no locating marks to confirm where exactly it should be. The wheel well itself does have a groove for it, so I placed it in the grove, dry-fit the floor assembly in place and then put a touch of liquid cement at the attachment point. Conversely, you could simply attach to the well itself like the other ribbing.

Here are a couple snaps of the wheel wells with the floor assembly dry-fit in place:





At this point, I have painted the wheel wells flat black, and then filtered in RLM 02 so that there is just the hint of high and low lights.

I also spent some time attempting to get the tail cone to fit properly. I was not really successful, as can be seen in these photos showing the poor fit:





Also a small sink mark in the fillet to deal with. In retrospect I should have done as most everyone suggests when dealing with multi-part fuselages - which is to join each half of the tail cone to its respective fuselage have before joining the fuselage together.

I'll end with this mock up shot of the model on the bench, with the tailplanes, nose, canopies and upper wing halves dryfit on the main fuselage. I like to leave it like this as I find it motivational as it seems I am making progress after all that interior work



Thanks for looking, comments/questions always welcome!

Doug

Doug,
Great job on the cockpit, this model is shaping up nicely!

Matrixone

Hi Doug. Love the instrument cluster, very nice. Good job, Wingman out.

Thanks for the comments guys!

Time for a small update. Got the tail sorted out, and now it looks good:





After I got the rear extension sorted, I then worked on getting the tailplane to fit as perfectly as possible. The rear join has to be eliminated after attachement, so having it level with the rear extension is very important. I had to scrape a bit off the mating surfaces to achieve optimal fit:



Before I attach the tail, I need to get the dingy release cable attached to the port side of the fuselage. Dragon very nicely provides this in the form of a wire, that you attach to a hole at each end, and with two PE parts.



I am a bit concerned about the wire, as it has a sag in the long part. I am not sure if it will go away once I get it in place. I am thinking of replacing it with some .010 or .005 styrene rod, so I can easily glue the whole thing to the fuselage, as it does appear to be an extremely tight fit on the real thing, as it is almost invisible in most photos. I am afraid that the wire will not fit as snug to the fuselage, so I think the styrene rod might be the better route.

Also started getting the engine nacelles together and the rear sections attached to the wings. More photos of that later!

Thanks for looking!

Doug