There's light at the end of that tunnel! you're so close!

This looks amazing.

Chuck,
Just fantastic progress!!

Paint is near on perfect, so is your masking for all the marking. Just simply outstanding. The engine detailing is getting better and better. I did notice the repaint on the spinner: you nailed it. WTG

Joel

I agree with Joel on the spinner and the whole job. This is a true museum piece.

Thanks, everyone!

Mal- oops, I misread your comment! My only argument with the Icaerodesign masks is that they not as thin as yours- it made the tiny black lettering on the rudder a bit too dicey for me to risk trying them. The decals were the "smart bet." Many thanks!

Thanks, Matt- I hope that light's not an onrushing train!

Joel, I'll post my home-brew spiral mask and the prodigious hand-brushing to make it presentable in the next installment. It was, indeed, worth a re-do. Cheers!

Brian, I much appreciate the kind words. You have me eying the bombers in my stash, you bad influence, you!

More to come- in time for Christmas!

Looking good Chuk! I really need to update my build and get it wrapped up as well

One note - on the RLM76 Light Blue colored area on the spine. I know a couple modelers on the Romanian forum painted that area 76, but looking at the below photo (and also the photo you posted of "Nina" being rearmed) you can see that the area on the spine is a darker color than the 76 on the internal canopy framing and cockpit sill area. In his new, second book on the IAR 80/81, Radu speculates it may have been a grey primer. I would also speculate it may have been 34079 green used earlier on some airframes before repainting in RLM83.



Looking forward to the next installment!

Doug

Thanks, Greg! At the moment I can't spring for Radu's new book , but I think I will change the color- it's too light. Now to decide- green or gray?

I will be starting the Azur Frrom 1/32 I.A.R-81C in the new year and will be cutting masks for the insignia. Watching your build has brought it to the front, well almost, of the do now pile and I am really looking forward to making a start Your build is quality and inspirational, but we don't expect anything less

Glad I was able to post the info before it was too late Chuck

If you go with the primer grey, Radu describes it as a "relatively dark bluish-grey". This primer color was found on surviving pieces of airframe, such as the interior of the cowling (under the RLM83 paint) and on the tailplane where the tailfin would have been mounted (which would have been covered when the airframe was painted in its camo color).

Doug

Doug, I've gone with a lighter tone of green, and I think I'll keep that. Again, thanks for the heads-up!

Well, I've had a lot of bench time, and Had some serious back and forth with this build! One thing I did realize was that I left poor Radu Brinzan out in the cold after he was nice enough to send me a set of his IAR 81C decals. What a dope I am! I did use them instead of the kit decals (which do look very nice, BTW) They were a treat to apply- judge for yourself.

I won't go into the issues with dullcoat blushing and bad material interactions, but it's all coming out in th wash. I had so many pics in my camera that i'm breaking it into two installments- here's Doging Bullets, Part 1-

Looks fantastic. Ur an artist, man!

chuck,

your weathering is just incredibly realistic, yet has that look of a well maintained operational aircraft with that "used but not abused" look to it. Your use of MIG Pigments really opened my eyes to just how effective yet not over powering that technique can be. Will be getting some for my next WW11 prop build. As for the decaling, I keep on looking at then, and they look just like they were painted on with masks. No flash, and the seat down into every nook and cranny. Decaling the way decaling should be done.

Well done my friend.

Joel

Absolutely fantastic build. Simply fantastic!

Hey Chuck, in a different one of your builds you used micro fibre sheets and qtip type things got polishing. Where did you get those??

Chuck! This is obscene (and I am certainly NOT talking about Magda here )!



Magnus

No kidding. Just lookit the color of the engine exhausts on that baby!

Thanks, my friends! After this post I'll be down to the Fiddely Bits. The end is in sight!

Richard- I love my Micro-Mesh sanding cloths, pads and swabs. Look them up- they sold in plenty of places, you can choose your poison.

Here's Dodging Bullets Part 2- Marina is just tuckered out from all the engine work she's put in. Read on, Bold Modeler!

Simply stunning work Chuck The fact the you re-did the cowling from just shouts class. I like the painting it gives the model a very realistic look and the catch of the yellow on the cowling is another great sign of dedication.

I bet that I am not the only one that is very much looking forward to see what you tackle next?

There is so much to learn from your exterior weathering techniques (among other things!) that it's hard to "take it all in." Much food for thought for later in my B-17 build. Stunning work; love the engine piping and detail.

I'll second that: looking forward to next build, looking back on the old ones every now and then and extremely impressed by how you handled the offending engine framework.

Things like that framework would probably have left me crying and the model in the bin...



Magnus

Chuck,
Certainly one needed step back then two steps forward to redo the engine mount. I've got to give you credit for doing it a 3nd time. From the overlay, one can easily see where the issues for the exhausts were. The end results speak for themselves. Same for the needed repaint on the engine cowling and cover.

As for your exhaust headers, they look better then the real deal.

Your weathering is at the same incrediable level as the rest of your truly outstanding build.

Joel

Many thanks, my friends! This has been a challenging build- but mostly due to my own "improvements!"

Mal, I was lucky enough to find those two pics of Nina I've posted- I'll wager they came out of Radu's latest book. He's likely fixed his profiles as well- he's the expert, after all. Next? I'll rescue my old Well Provisioned dio from the Shelf of Doom. No child left behind, as they say in halls of Congress...

Thanks, Brian- you're B-17 is an epic project and great fun to follow along with. You'll be surprised at how easy pigments are to work with- and should really liven up a canvas such as yours. Cheers1

Thank you, Magnus- I am cheating, after all- working in 1/48, that giant scale! ;D

Again my thanks to you, Joel! That ring- oy! It was him or me- and the outcome was shaky for a bit!

Ladies and gents, I am on the final lap, crossing items off the ever shortening list. One more update- stay tuned!

Chuck,
Looking forward to your last and final update to a very special build. The flip side is that the journey is done, and we'll have to wait for your next project to see the "girls" again.

Joel

Chuck you should do a kickstarter to publish all these builds as a coffee table book. I can tell you people I've shown them to who have zero interest in modelling find them engaging.

That will happen one fine day, Ray- cheers!

Well, this one's done at last. Like every build, this has been a real learning experience for me, and I hope I've been successful in sharing what I've picked up through the highs and lows. Thanks to all for reading along!