Number two for the photo GB

stona

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I've started a second project for the photo based GB.

I'm not sure which photo I'm going to base it on yet! I know it isn't a requirement to exactly match a photo but Ron's (spanner570) effort has inspired me to at least have a go.

Here's how far I've got.

Those familiar with WWII aircraft will recognise a Fw190 A or F complete with pilot. I've a few suitable photographs and I'll be raiding my decal stash to see which one I finally attempt to match.

Cheers

Steve
 

yak face

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Hi steve, nice looking pilot, if youre wanting photos of luftwaffe stuff theres a guy on here who has...er , hang on , it doesnt matter. LOL!!!!!!!! tony
 

Ian M

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Your going to be a busy bee Steve. Looks good, what kit is it?

Ian M
 

stona

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\ said:
Your going to be a busy bee Steve. Looks good, what kit is it?Ian M
Sorry,I should have said.It's the 1/32 Hasegawa Fw190A-8 (kit ST21).Very nice so far and plenty of bits to make slightly different versions.

After the Z-M Ta152 and the PCM Hurricane this one seems to build itself.

Cheers

Steve
 

spanner570

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Steve, glad to see my attempt at copying a photo has inspired you to 'Av a go! Best of luck.

It will be interesting to see which one, from what must be a vast choice, you decide to do.....As I recall, you did mention the whitewashed 190 a short time ago!?

I'm pitching in with a second one soon too. I am going to have a bash at one of the Me 109 pictures you kindly sent me. I bet you can't guess which one?? lol

Cheers,

Ron
 

stona

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Yep! I'm going for the whitewashed 190. I've just been adjusting the underwing panels from the A-8 to the F-8,removing all the outer cannon gubbins. I also only had two of the outer bomb racks in the spares so I've made a couple out of some Spitfire wing tips! Looking at the photo I think my subject may have a camera on one of those racks but I'm not going that far. I've found three Fw190 canopies in the spares but none of them are quite right for this aircraft so I'll attach one in such a way that it can be swopped later and live with it for now.

I don't suppose anyone else has a "blown" late canopy for a 1/32 scale Fw190 do they?

Finally he isn't carrying a bomb but a SB250 container,a sort of early cluster weapon.It would contain 108 SD2 anti-personnel bomblets,the famous "butterfly bombs". I've hacked the nose off a standard 250 Kg bomb and will adjust the nose to give a reasonable representation of this weapon.

Great kit this Hasegawa one. I just dry fitted the wings to the fuselage and the fit is so good that I won't need to take them off. I'll just run a bit of cement along the joins.

Cheers

Steve
 
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stona

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I won't be needing my lovingly fashioned under wing bomb racks as I've found a mutch better image of my victim and they are not fitted.

The kit is so good I've nearly finished building it! Painting after a couple of days away (work).

Cheers

Steve
 

Ian M

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See I told you so: Its easy to knock one off quick when its a good kit.

Looks good so far.

Ian M
 

stona

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\ said:
Its easy to knock one off quick when its a good kit.Looks good so far.

Ian M
And doesn't have many parts! The engine is four parts,no seperate ailerons,rudder or elevators,even the undercarriage is made up of only three parts a side. This isn't a criticism,more an explanation :smiling5:

Cheers

Steve
 

stona

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I have at least four books with this well known photo which I'm using as my reference. I'm trying to match it as well as I can. I have Ron's rather good match of his tank to his picture to thank for that :smiling5:

I've now found a much better reproduction on page 57 of the nattily titled "Luftwaffe Camouflage And Markings 1933-1945 Photo Archive 1" by Ken Merrick.

I now know that the underwing bomb racks ARE fitted,so I've stuck them on. Merrick identifies the apparatus fixed to the inner port rack as a camera so I will have to fashion something to approximate that. You can see the device outboard of and behind the undercarriage leg.

I can also now see the yellow "Victor" (V) marking under the wing which I'll assume overlaps the upper wing by the regulation amount. The 40cm yellow band that should be around the front of the fuselage infront of the wings to accompany the V is missing but it looks like the standard yellow theatre band behind the fuselage cross has been reduced in width in a loose interpretation of the order.

This is all in the future as right now the model is sporting a coat of grey primer.

I've also made some measurements and the container on the centre rack is an AB 500 not an AB 250. Luckily I have a spare 500Kg bomb to adjust.

AB stands for Abwurf Behalter for any linguists out there.

Cheers

Steve
 
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spanner570

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Yes, that is the picture I remember you posting a while back.

No skimping now Steve, we need to see the running figure, presumably trying to tell the pilot he's forgot his 'chute. Either that or he's about to lob a snowball at him!

Cheers,

Ron
 

stona

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I don't know about the running man,I might have a bash at some snow. Snow and sand are about my scenic limits!

I've done some preliminary markings. The nose is in a dark colour so I've gone for red,it's as good a guess as any.

I also sprayed a 900mm standard yellow Eastern theatre band behind where the fuselage cross will go.I then masked this down to the 400mm band the aircraft sported at this time and over sprayed the rest of the band in RLM 75. It's not obvious in my reference photo under all the whitewash but I have good evidence from at least two other aircraft from the same unit that this is how it was done.

Tomorrow I'll mask all this up start on spraying the underside and top camouflage. It's a bog standard Focke-Wulf RLM 74/75 over 76 scheme that I should be able to do free hand from memory!

Finally I'll worry about the national markings and all that white.

Cheers

Steve
 

stona

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I've had a chance to spray the basic camouflage scheme. Not sure about the mottle as there was often very little from the factory so I might reduce it. I'll also do a bit of shading despite the fact that most of this will be covered in white!

Schlachtgruppen specialised in ground attack and almost as a matter of course modified the camouflage,particularly on the light coloured sides of their aircraft. I've squinted at several references for this and other Gruppen and I'm going to overspray the sides (and fin) with a dilute wash of RLM 02 which was something I know was done and I suspect had been done to this particular aircraft.

Cheers

Steve
 

tr1ckey66

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Looking good Steve, I'll be interested to see it in it's winter coat.

Cheers

Paul
 

stona

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\ said:
Looking good Steve, I'll be interested to see it in it's winter coat.Cheers

Paul
Me too!

I've got it decalled up as it would have been in the autumn before the winter camo was applied. Decals are from the kit (generic Fw190 and swastikas which happened to be correct) otherwise from the spares box and homemade. They're applied onto a splosh of Klear as I didn't want to gloss the whole model before applying the white.

Microsol this afternoon while I entertain myself with a spinner spiral and hopefully get some work done.

Cheers

Steve
 

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Hi Steve

Looking good. Do you paint the spinner spiral free hand? and if so how?

Vaughan
 

stona

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Cheers Vaughan. I have free handed spinner spirals. You've got to do it before you build the propeller assembly. Mine look a little wobbly but so did a lot of the real ones. I just fill a nice long brush and rotate the spinner against it. Blu-Tac and a cocktail stick and a metal table with holes through it help. I can rotate the spinner from underneath whilst it rests squarely on the table. I always use enamel paint for this because it tends to cover better,also if you mess it up it is easier to remove before having another go.

For this one I'm using a three part decal for the spiral. It's from some other kit but it's close to the ones visible on some of this aircraft's stable mates. Of course if I b*gger up the decals I'll be breaking out the paintbrush.

Cheers

Steve
 

spanner570

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Very nice paint job Steve.

Seems a shame to cover most of it up with the white wash. I will follow with interest how you go about applying the stuff...

Was the white wash applied to the wings as well and was it brush or sprayed on? I ask because on most armour it was brush applied.

Was it water based, if so I suppose it would have to be re-applied after each mission.

Cheers,

Ron
 

stona

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The Luftwaffe were caught short by the need for winter camouflage in the winter of 41/42 and all sorts of things were applied. They thought it was all going to be over by Christmas. When it wasn't they were better prepared for the following winter. In June 1943 "Luftwaffe Directive Sheet 27" gave an official designation for a white Ikarin aircraft paint,7126.21,to be used for "snow camouflage".

Another "Directive Sheet",number 43, issued 4/10/43 gave more information.

"The following is to be used for the winter camouflage of aircraft and aircraft equipment,provided such latter is fitted to the aircraft or protrudes from it (e.g.on board armament)

Camouflage paint,white aircraft paint 7126.21"

This paint was also to be used on "anti icing covers (snow and frost covers for wings and tail surfaces)" and "aircraft tarpaulins".

This paint provided a permanent finish,it was not,as you will often see quoted,a distemper but an aviation lacquer. It could be applied by "brush,broom or spraygun". Der Flugzeugmaler (the aircraft painter) book,1944 edition, suggests paint brushes. I have plenty of evidence that it was often sprayed and I think my subject was. Luftwaffe units seem to have been well equipped with spray equipment unlike the RAF who usually had one spraygun per airfield! There was no set scheme for the winter camouflage patterns and it was not therefore described in L.Dv 521/1 of November 1944. Units were allowed to come up with their own schemes which is great for we modellers today.

Some units do seem to have used "removable paints" but this was usually achieved by applying an "insulating lacquer" beneath the white. I've never found any instructions for this just it's various reference numbers. Maybe Ray (Sprayman) would be able to cast some light on this stuff. I think semi-permanent would be a better description for the result as it evidently took a bit of work to get it off.

I've no idea what was done on the upper surfaces (wing and tailplane) of my aircraft so I've invented a scheme based on common sense and a little awareness of the sort of thing that was used by other units.

I've finished painting having agonised over the port side engine cowling. I have a photo of another aircraft from the same unit where these are left unpainted but I think mine is painted. I have decided that it is a replacement,you can just make out the remains of some kind of marking at the front of the cowling, and is painted. It is a very easy piece to replace and is easily interchangeable between aircraft. It doesn't match the rest of the camouflage.

Should be finished tomorrow or the next day and I'll take some piccies.

Cheers

Steve
 
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