1/48 Me 410A-1/U-2 Dietrich Puttfarken - Me/FW Group Build

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Today is a cool, rainy, generally crappy day. Perfect for modeling! So here's an update on some work that's getting me closer to finishing off the cockpit.

First off, I wanted to start experimenting with a technique that ajcmac has shown us in a number of his builds whereby a base colour has it's shades highlighted with a slightly darker tone and the highlights shown in a slightly lighter tone. I started with the Bordfunker's pit sidewalls by dashing a bit of black into the RLM 66 and going over the framing to create a shadow effect. After that had dried, I dry-brushed the highlights using a Medium Grey. Below is the port sidewall with a oxygen panel and hose painted up as well. The big ejector pin mark won't actually be visible on the finished model so I didn't bother trying to remove it (sorry!).



Here's the starboard side. Most of this will be hidden behind the large breaker panel.



The pilot's starboard sidewall looks a bit of a mess but you need to know that the console sits quite high up, above the two pins, so the paint blotches and ejector pin marks won't be visible.



I like how the sill panel worked out. The framing and ammo hatches stand out nicely. A bit of paint chipping following the dry brushing finished this off, although I may need to paint the cable running along the one side.



The final two shots show the completed Bordfunker's compartment. The radio cluster and the breaker panel has been cemented in, as has the unusual seat. The latter received the same treatment as the pilot's seat, with an added cushion made of Millput and lap belts fabricated from wine bottle foil plus a few left over Eduard belt parts. Apparently there wer no shoulder harnesses attached to this seat. Some photos show harnesses attached to the canopy framing so these will be added later.




That's all for now. Thanks for looking in.
 
Very nice work Andy. One thing though - the Bordfunker would normally use a seat-type parachute, so the seat pan would be empty to accommodate this.
 
Thanks guys. Terry, I admit the thought crossed my mind but I when had a close look at the seat diagram in one of my references there did not appear to be a pan in that seat, nor was one molded into the one on the kit. You may be right and the bit of conjecture on my part will serve as "artistic license" and will be left alone, now that it's done!

More pics tomorrow as I've accomplished a bit more since the above update.
 
As they say here Terry, whatever turns your crank!

A few more update shots now that I've also looked beyond the pit. The tail wheel molding is a bit of a disappointment. As you can see, it's a solid clump of plastic reminiscent of some older 60's kits.



Here's the same wheel after drilling out and scraping away the excess material:



I've launched into the main gear bays and have cut out an opening and installed one of the CMK resin wheel wells. The wing on the left is how the kit part looks before modification. Although most pictures of Me 210's and 410's show the gear doors closed while parked, there are a few that have them open. I chose to have mine open to show off this always-interesting area of a model. Obvioulsy, the area around the resin part has yet to be sanded and cleaned up.



Here's a pic of the near finished cockpit tub. Getting this together is very tricky. The B/F's breaker panel had to be removed and repositioned slightly as it would have been difficult to fit it properly to the deck without there being a large protrusion. To fit snugly against the fuselage sidewall, the breaker panel, in addition to being repositioned, had to be thinned down and the ribs on the fuselage had to be cut back. This was all revealed during an all-important dry fitting step. The pilot's tub was cemented into position with the entire assembly fitted into the fuselage to ensure the angle came out correctly as there is no positive positioning at the front.



The pit is almost done. The split instrument panel has been partly assembled and intrument wires added but I need to finish the other side. Pics on this later.
 

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