Hi All.
This is my just finished BF109 E-3 for the Duel In The Sky Campaign.
Its the Academy kit,built OOB and sprayed with Xtra Acrylics.
The decals come from Eagle Cal and it represents the mount of Major Hans "Assi" Hahn,,late 1939 early 1940.
This and my previous build (the Revell Hurricane in Finnish markings),are a bit of a turning point for me,as Im finally starting to get some panel line washes that Im happy with.Not totally,but I believe Im finally starting to get somewhere with them.
Not the best kit in the world,and not one of my better completed models,but all in all Im pretty pleased with it.
Loads of room for improvement though, and as with every build I learnt a bit more on this one.
The photos arent brilliant.I will try and take some in what natural light nature decides to give us this weekend.
Heres the best pics from today.Comments and advice for future builds welcome as always.




Nige

EDIT
yeah yeah,,I know the props backwards.Ive changed it

Dont build it as per the instructions or you'll make the same mistake

Hi Nigel:

Nice one. I think that the antenae mast is a bit thick and it´s inclined.
Well done. That kit is really small, isn´t it ?
What are you using for the washes ?

Hola Carlos.
I agree on the thickness of the antenna mask.There are a few parts that are over scale and not the best on this kit,but by the time I got to that stage of the build I just wanted to get it finished and over with to be honest
For the washes Im using heavily thinned acrylics.It takes about 4 or 5 washes until I get the effect. Ive tried oils but couldnt get along with them too well, so Im going to work on the acrylic method for a while and see how it goes.
As I said earlier,theres only this build and the FUMS Hurricane that Ive started to get washes Im happy with.All part of the learning process
Thanks for the comments Carlos
Nige

Looks like a nice build to me. As far as the washes go, it sounds like you're doing the best possible thing.....and that's practicing. I get teased a lot by some of the guys I work with because they know I have gradually acquired a pretty good stash of kits and haven't really built anything to completion yet.

The funny part is I always get hung up on wanting the kit to come out like some master modeller and the reality is that my skills are never going to get to that level unless I start to do some building (and invariably, screwing up a bit along the way!) After all we learn from our mistakes...anyway that's my two cents worth. Your work looks good and hopefully I'll have something to take a picture of soon and I can start down that road to making a good looking replica.

Hoss

Nice work Nige. I use acrylics for my washes too with a little liquid detergent to break the surface tension. I use polly scale paints for the acrylic. What do you use? I have tried tamiya and had a really hard time removing it, so I am curious what paint others use...
Thanks,
Leon

Thanks guys.
Im certainly starting to get somewhere with my washes.
Leon
I use Vallejo acrylics diluted with water.I havent tried adding detergent yet but will do so at some point soon. I find them very easy to remove after about 15 minutes.Id rather wipe them off too early and have to redo them than leave them longer and end up having to almost scrape dried paint off.
As I said earlier,,it usually take 3 or 4 washes before it builds up to something like the level I like.
Nige

Like the Decals - were they standard in a kit or custom made/ Mail Ordered?

Hi Sam
The decals are from Eagle Cal #7250,which gives you the marking for 4 of Major Hahns 109's.
Nige

Hi Nige:

The washes look fine. It´s a nice build

Nice one Nige. Not your best build but far from your worst. know how you struggled getting motivated with this kit, but the end result looks pretty decent. The wash looks good.
You will be able to get loads of practice with washes with the figure your doing now .
Andy

cheers for the info on the decals nige