I just finished this article on Hasegawa's 1:48 Hurricane Mk. I. I really like this aircraft, especially in these colors.

http://www.pix.prettyneatinc.com/hurricanebuild.htm

Hope you enjoy it !

Hello Bill!

"Figaro the cat" looks great!

About pre-shading or not... well... sometimes I do, sometimes not! It really depends on the plane. But for aircrafts wich served under very sunny, dirty or salty conditions, I think pre-shading (or post shading) is a good option to start.
You seem to prefer your models relatively "clean", I like them "dirty" with lot of color variations for the camouflage! This way I don't have to bother about the exact colors! :-)
Making "dirty" models also allow me the hide imperfections... and this is something you really don't need for your builds!

Jean-Luc

That's a great looking Hurricane there Bill. I must admit I smiled when I read the instrument pannel fell into the cockpit interior,

I can't remember the last kit I built where some small part of the cockpit didn't come lose and fall inside the kit. Most of my aircraft models rattle to one degree or another.

Got to agree Bill, I too like the Hurri in these colours. I have references that show Ian Gleeds mount to have a red forward nose and spinner, so I did mine like that. Looks good in blue though


I remember reading that one competition judge (in the UK) recond that modellers only weather models to hide imperfections (what a plonker). Sometimes though I do use weathering for that, but only if the imperfection occours in a place where the weathering to hide it would occour, therefor helping with the random effect, if you see what I mean This makes it completely ligitimate as far as I'm concerned.
I couldn't build a clean model, certainly not to Bill's standard, probably harder to do than weathering.


Me too, been there done that
Mal

Thanks Jean-Luc, Martin, and Mal !

Jean-Luc - I still havent seen a wartime pic of an aircraft that looks like that. Only some of the modern carrier-based aircraft have anything like it, and it doesn't follow every panel line evenly.
I prefer my builds to be clean because I don't do dios or bases. A weathered aircraft on a clean shelf looks as out-of-place to me as a clean aircraft in a wartime dio. I figure that weathering is part of the environment, and if you don't model the environment, then why is it there? I realize that many modelers prefer that look, but I need a reason why mine look the way they do. When I can afford to do it, I will build a large display case that is a 1/48 museum, complete with velvet ropes and placards. Someday . . .

Martin - a build that goes smoothly is one that isn't worth much, IMHO. Overcoming obstacles makes each build special.

Mal - I just had the kit instructions, and one pic of Gleed sitting in the cockpit (taken from the right side, showing the mirror and Figaro). It just proves the saying: "The person with one reference is happy; the person with two is confused."
Fixing things that go askew is a rewarding challenge. If there's something I don't like, I'll rework it until I'm satisfied. I learned the importance of this to me when I was a sound engineer. My name was going on it, and it would remain in that state forever. Was I satisfied with what I did, or can I improve it? It's difficult for me to allow myself to settle for something with which I'm not satisfied any more. Oh well. At least I enjoy the work !

Thanks again !

I was lucky (or unlucky) to get the reference just before I commenced painting my Hurri. Red made sense because this plane was later to become a night fighter, painted black with a red forward nose and spinner (or that was my interpretation of what I have read and seen). Blue makes sense, if you don't have the night fighter info, because of the blue horizontal stripes on the rudder. I wouldn't claim that I'm right but I had a nice time painting the scollope shape on the forward nose, using the kit decal as a mask
Mal

Hi Bill

That is a fantastic truism - and one I haven't heard before! it explains a lot... this is mostly the Luftwaffe section of my library:



Plenty of refs - but how many actually agree? I daren't think...

All the best and keep 'em coming!

Rowan

Thanks Mal and Rowan !

Mal - I scanned the decals, printed those "darts" for the nose, cut them out, and used them as templates for drafting tape masks. A little more work, but if I made a mistake cutting them, I could print them again.

Rowan - that truism probably explains why we collect references the way we collect kits.
I've recorded every WW II movie and documentary I've watched since about '94. I have the complete series for "World at War," "Victory at Sea," and every other one that has been aired in that time. Since this pic was taken, I've added about 50 more tapes. They're almost all recorded at the slow speed, so there's 6-8 hours on each. Certain documentaries that are special to me ("Victory at Sea," "Wings of the Luftwaffe," etc.) were recorded at the faster speed for quality. When my cable TV goes out, I'm not at a loss for programming !


Thanks again !

Hi Bill

I daren't think how far that pic could extend, given a fish-eye lense!

All the best

Rowan

Hi all!

And I thought I was crazy! :-)

Jean-Luc

'kin' 'ell Bill, I have a couple of shelves with Mags and books.
Mal