Hi Chris

Nice work so far - that canopy joint is undoubtedly the scariest aspect of the build! I've still got the old HiPM kit in the Stash somewhere and, although they handled the fuselage nacelle differently, it was still the make-or-break point.

All the best

Rowan

Hi Rowan, yes I agree wholeheartedly. I wasn't as careful as I should have been and was to liberal with the thin cement. Just enough to wet the joint would be sufficient and would still create a solid join. As Joel has suggested having the canopy masked before hand would also reduce the risk of damage.

I've got the tail cone on after assembling and painting the turret ring that holds the MG-15. This then gets glued to the tail cone, just a word of caution when fitting the parts inside the tail cone , you'll need to file and sand both parts to get them to fit together. The majority of the material was removed from the clear part. I worked till the fit was tight but didn't pop apart like it was doing on the initial dry fitting.

The pace begins to slow now as I get down to the nitty gritty. I simply don't have the wherewithal to get precut masks so I'm now masking the canopy surely but slowly. I'm using the tried and tested method of Tamyia tape and a fresh scalpel blade. I'm using the tip of a bamboo skewer ran around the edge of window to define where to cut and it's working out fairly well. Here are some progress pics to let you see where I'm at.

Chris,
Certainly an excellent job dry fitting the cockpit rear glass. As for your masking, it's coming along quite well. Believe me I know the frustration of greenhouses like that. I struggled through a P-61A, TBM-3 Avenger with the ball turret no less, a TBD-1 Devastator, and a SBD-4 Dauntless.

Sprue Brothers has a great selection of masks. Good ones are well worth the expense.

Joel

Joel: It was more simply being unable to afford to buy the masks than anything else Joel. So rather than wait a possibly very long time I masked the canopy by "hand"!!

So without further delay here is the progress so far! Splinter camouflage is done, engine is on, landing gear is painted waiting to be assembled and the next thing on the horizon is decaling!

Neat job on the splinter Chris, very nicely done.

Cheers, D

Thanks D it was relatively simple to mask, however getting the shape and proportions right was a bit of an issue. I had to adjust a couple of them but it looks pretty good if I do say so myself.

Chris,
I'll 2nd that. Just an excellent job of masking and then painting that splinter pattern. Looking forward to seeing the canopy unmasked. Should be a real eye opener.
Joel

A little further along so time for an update, the decaling is done! The decals are wonderfully thin and settle into the panel lines without fuss or the need for softening solution. There are a couple of points to keep in mind though when working with the decals.

The swastika is a two part affair and will need careful handling to get it into position and correctly aligned, they do look good when together though. Be careful of the decals they'll want to curl up on you, usually to the underside. They will stand a substantial amount of abuse though and I put the under-wing radio codes through hell. But excessive handling will take the ink of the back of them!

Also keep in mind the bomb racks are usually hung on the airframe AFTER the radio codes have been applied! I put the racks on first which led to me having to cut the decals up to get them to fit, a lot of work that could have otherwise been avoided. They turned out pretty well for pure guess work, see for yourselves.















Also I decided to remind you guys that the lack of a second row of cylinders is painfully obvious as can be seen in the last pic.

Chris,
Just an outstanding job with the decaling. They all look like you painted them on with masks. As you said, they just settled right into the panel lines.

As for decals that want to curl up, I've found that making sure that the water is room temp or slightly highly helps to relax the decals, but they still tend to want to curl some. What I do to just about eliminate that issue is to place them in the water upside down. For some reason that I can't figure out, it prevents most of the curling issues. As curling can led to cracking, the less is certainly the preferred way to go.
Joel

Really nice job on the BV 141, Chris. You're nearly through. Well done on masking that greenhouse. I hope to get my Eduard masks next month. We have a hobby shop dealer in our club, that makes things easier. He is just a phone call or an e-mail away.
As Joel mentioned, keep the decals warm and cosy and use warm water. I always use an old food warmer with a little candle inside for that. I've got it from my mother many, many years ago and it looks heavily used already. But it has seen many decals already. I just have to watch out that the water doesn't get too warm or hot.

Joel, Torsten my thanks for your compliments gentlemen they are greatly appreciated. Thanks for the info you two I'll keep it in mind. The water was warm as I always use warm water for my decals, but they were not put in upside down. They were taken off the backing paper to place them rather then sliding them off so that probably complicated things as well. But they are pleasingly resilient other model company's decals would not have stood up to that amount of rough handling!

Chris,
Once I remove the decals from their water bath, I turn them right side up on a piece of paper towel, then try to gently move them with a toothpick. if it moves great, if not, then I let it set for a little while longer.

When I'm ready to place the decal on the model, I gently move it the proper edge of the paper and hold it with clamp tweezers. I wet the area that the decal is going to be placed with Mico Set (Blue label), then gently slide it off the paper and position it. I never handle the decal off the paper backing, that's a sure fire method to have it curl over itself.
Joel

Progress has slowed I'm currently working on the panel lines but capillary action is not being my friend at present and we're out of cotton buds so wiping off the excess and not cleaning out the panel lines has proved a little more difficult. Anybody have alternatives they could suggest? I'm using Tamiya's panel line wash.

Chris,
that a 1st for me. I always have a spare package of Qtips on my work shelf. I don't use the ones for the family as that has known to created some domestic issues here.

A substitute is a very small piece of paper towel balled up and held with a pair of tweezers.

Joel

Hi Joel funnily enough I've just purchased two packs of cotton-buds and hidden my pack well away from the prying eyes of my wife and daughters who will descend on my pack ravenously if given the chance! I'll try the paper towel scenario to see how well it works and report on my progress.

Well it's been a long time between posts and I've made no less than three attempts to do the panel lines on this beastie and pretty much failed each time. The panel lines are so fine that I keep cleaning out the panel line wash no matter how careful I try to be .... there is also the possibility that I'm to ham fisted to make it work on this kit. However on the panel lines I've had too re-scribe I've found the panel line wash has stayed. I would therefore suggest going over the panels lines to deepen them slightly. The wash usually flows along the panel line pretty easily but would only flow minimally on this kit. So I've left the third try as it is as the panel lines at least look a little darker and I'll move onto the weathering here are some pics to show my progress. I will say that this kit has been a rather troubled build for me I've dropped it twice broken off the tail wheel numerous times had it jump of the bench and break off the aerial mast which has disappeared so I now have to manufacture a new one. I love the kit aside from it's identified short comings but I seem to want to destroy it LOL. I will not let it beat me I will get it finished!

Chris,
Sorry I jumped on board so late in the build but it looks great. As far as the panel lines go, I would keep at it and keep it light. You can always add more later if the need or mood strikes you.

Cheers,
Rick

Hi Rick no problems! I've been rather static with this build but I'm getting back into it now! I've fabricated the replacement aerial mast and just need to paint it then onto the weathering!







Although after looking at these photo's I think it may need just a smidge more refining. What does everyone else think? I've just thinned it down a little at the top so it's a little narrower. And I'm happier with the result so I'll leave it as is and get onto the weathering, assuming I can find pics to help me with how it looked.

Chris,
The aerial looks fine. Right now it sticks out like a saw thumb because it's stark white, and you've drawn our attention to it.

As for the panel line wash, like you said, the wash stayed in some lines but not others. To some degree that happens to me all the time. I'm not a big believer in having to rescribe recessed lines in order to have the wash remain after clean up. Guys working in 1/32 scale complain about that issue all the time, and compared to 1/48 scale, they're working with what I call canyons.

I prefer to use an enamel oil base wash over an Glosscoat which is a lacquer base. And I let the wash dry for a full day. Clean up is with a damp Qtip with Mineral Spirits. I rub gently as close to the recessed line as possible, but I try not to go over it. You be surprised at just how close you can consistently get.

Another option that I use is when I'm going to be applying a sludge filter using a custom mix of Flory's Natural wash. I let it dry and then just rub a almost dry paper towel over the entire model. The wash will stay in the recessed lines. It does come right out with a wet or very damp paper towel or cotton cloth.

Joel

Hi Joel thanks as always for the input. I use a damp cotton bud (Q tip for you continental types LOL) but I think the issue is that it's to damp putting to much solvent on the model and dissolving the wash right out of the panel line. I'll try adjusting the amount on the cotton bud and see if it makes a better job of it. I agree Joel the cotton bud is the best way to remove the wash as you can get close to the panel line without running over it so to speak. I'm currently looking for weathering information on the Bv141 so if anyone has a good link or direction they can send me I'd be appreciative.

Not much weathering data, but a really nice shot.

Hi Carl thanks and welcome! Yes I've seen this pic as well from what I've been able to garner there wasn't really that much in the way of weathering from exhaust aside from some localised soot from the exhausts. So I'll go with that for now unless definitive proof is offered elsewhere. I've also noticed that the airframes seem to have a high level of "oil canning" ie dishing of the panels.

Chris, nice to see your BV 141 nearly finished. I thought you have finished it already without showing us the final result ....
In May I have started my own build but I'm not even half way through it. I didn't get the Eduard masks for the canopy but Montex Masks from Poland. Surprise, Surprise! They have masks not only for the outside but also for the inside. It took me several days to mask this greenhouse from both sides ....
I hope you don't mind if I show you (and all other viewers) my masking.
This is how it looks like without paint (masking in- and outside) ....

.... here I have airbrushed the inside with RLM 66 (Revell 69 granite grey) and removed the inside masks ....

.... and this is how far I was yesterday evening. I will leave all canopy entry hatches open and have closed them with Kip Tape during painting. The top machine gun will be added very late, when the kit is nearly finished ....


Torsten

Hiya Torsten always good to see you, no problems buddy post away! The Montex masks look good and with the pre-painting it should lessen the chance of marking the canopy as I did in mine. I intend to build a second one and get some of the after market goodies for it, first and foremost the propeller! As it was pointed out it spins in the wrong direction!! Hopefully somebody might create a drop in replacement for the woeful engine! Your Bv 141 is looking good Torsten keep up the great work.