1/48 MPM Heinkel He 177 A5 "Captured Bird", FINISHED :-) !!!

[Ohm-men]

Thanks all for the kind comments!!!
Slowly I'm progessing further with this kit. I'd like things to go a bit faster, but due to the complexity of this kit it's not really a possibility.
So, one step at a time...

I've been working on the air intakes for the engines. MPM provides resin parts for these and the Eduard Exterior set has some small brass parts to bring some detail to these. I had some trouble in aligning the front of engine parts, hence the use of putty and I also inserted the engine's exhaust pipes. Not much of these will be visible as these will be covered with flame damper pipes, but these parts need some shaping and sanding or outright replaced by scratch build items...

Next was the back office and tail. Here the typical nature of short run shows itself. Non of the parts fit and require a fair amounth of sanding. Though a bit more difficult since most parts were already painted. Though the "Cockpit glue" I bought for fitting the clear parts proved to be exellent and is far, far better then the PVA based producs usually used for this.

And I also worked a bit on the tail landing gear. Kit parts and some Eduard brass. Still needs the doors and some Eduard detail on the landing gear "fork".

And luckily Eduard provides all the hatch detail that is present on the spine of the aircraft, since I lost these details sanding in order to have the fuselage halves fit. I also decided to detail the upper turret a bit as I find MPM's part underdetailed even when spruced up with the Eduard detail. Both take a short cut. Eduard provides an armour plate for this, but this is not visible in pics of the real thing. So I'm gonna rework this part. The plastic card "ring" I added is scratch and hold the electro engine for the turret and some additional wiring as seen on the real thing.

So, that's all for now. Small steps and still many togo. Slowly but surely I'm taming this beast... I'm really looking forward to get some paint on this thing. I've been drooling over "JKim's" superb Fw 190 D build here and I'm hoping I can snatch a few of his painting techniques on this big Heinkel...

 

[Wurger]

 

[SANCER]

It is a process, apparently long, but the work you are doing with the details and the care you are giving it, are reflected in the result so far.
It is always shocking when you face the biggest kit you have ever built; but as you say: you are dominating the beast!

I continue to enjoy and learn from your progress, Greetings.

 

[Crimea_River]

Excellent work and you are doing the right thing by taking your time. Keep it up.

 

[JKim]

Yes, take as much time as necessary. From the photos, one can get a sense of how big this subject is. Very impressive build so far!

 

[Ohm-men]

Thanks to keep me motivated . I'm glad most of the work is done now. Though the detail seam to take their time as well.
I still have a month to go before reaching the deadline for this build. I think I can make it.
The foresight of painting this beast really motivates me as I now hanve an idea on which techniques to use to get a suitable paintjob for a subject this size.(been borrowing a lot of tips and trick's from the 1/32 and larger scale builders community) I'm also glad I bought another MPM He 177 as it's parts came to the resque more then once, though I don't think I will tackle it in any soon...

But so far, despite it being a rather dificult kit to build, I have enjoyed it imensly.

I hope to start masking the clear parts soon with the Eduard pre cut masking set, which seams very doable due it being made from masking tape material rather then the useal vinyl masks.

Pics hopefully soon!

 

[Crimea_River]

What's the deadline you're talking about?

 

[Gnomey]

Nicely done so far!

 

[fubar57]

Looking good

 

[Ohm-men]

What's the deadline you're talking about?

Deadline is the 10th of december. There is an anual modelling contest that I usually atempt (ran by the plastic modelling club that was originally started by Francios Verlinden). So I hope to put the He-177 in the competition. I haven't done any competitions in 12 years, but since this years theme is "Captured Equipment", I found the He 177 in R.A.F. markings a good idea.
So, If the kit is finished in time, (which I hope to achieve) it will be put in the contest. The guys at my local IMPS chapter have been kindly asking me to participate for years, so I finally gave in....

I don't participate in contest to win something. But since the He-177 is a rather big project for me, the contest and it's theme is the main motivator to get it finished in time. And I kind of hope it will attract some attention on the contest table as you don't see many of these being build, most of them end up as shelf queens, which is a shame imho, though if it wasn't for the contest, my example would surely be on the " one day do to pile" as well... (as the size of this kit is a bit scary at first sight...)

I know this kit won't end up being perfect, but learning new things, trying new techniques is my main goal. If I can improve some skill's or techniques at each model I build, I'm more then happy. After all, I just build models as it's one of the few things that really get me away from everyday's life...

Anyway I started masking the clear parts yesterday and can safely say that the Eduard Mask set is a real treat! The masks fit very good and speed up things considerably. The idea of having to cut each window individualy would drive me insane...

 

[turbo]

Coming along very nicely Looking forward to the paint. I use pre-cut canopy masks all the time now, life's too short for cutting them yourself!

 

[Crimea_River]

Deadlines are good if they can be managed without forcing shortcuts that could ruin an otherwise great model. You are doing well so far and hope that You can keep up the quality of your work and also meet the deadline.

 

[JKim]

Yes, I hope that this gives you positive motivation to finish rather than rushing your work. Ditto on the Eduard masks... I love using the Eduard masks. Better than the vinyl Montex ones.

 

[Ohm-men]

Thanks again for all the kind comments! I will not rush this build. I have a few days of vacation coming up, so I think I can make it. If not, then I won't meet the deadline. Not rushing this one.

I have a question regarding the fuselage ETC rack on the which the A5 version carried the "smart" weapons like the Fritz X and the Hs 293/294 guided bombs.

Does anyone have good pics of this fuselage rack? Or perhaps drawings with some dimensions?
The 1/72nd scale Revell kit is of no help as it included a wrongly shaped rack, idem ditto for MPM's "Hi-Teck kit of the he 177, again a wrong rack. Shapewise the two aformentioned kits are far from correct.

I hope to scratch build this item as I have collected most parts for it and the main structure will be made from layered plastic card, cut, filed and sanded to shape. But I'm unable to find a decent picture or drawing of it.

 

[fubar57]

Unfortunately these are the best I could find, not sure if the wing is the same as the fuselage...

Heinkel He 177

​

 

[SANCER]

Jerry, it's an excellent project; I believe you are in time to captivate the attention of judges and visitors at your next local event.
As you say, it's a captured model, rarely seen in contests.
I'm enjoying the process so much, and a spectacular close is coming.

Greetings to Belgium, friend.
Saludos hasta Bélgica, amigo.

Luis Carlos

 

[Wurger]

Here two enlarged shots of the rack I could find. Also two diagrams that can come in handy...

 

[Ohm-men]

Super! Thanks a lot for the info, pictures and diagrams! Now I have a pretty good idea of what the overall dimensions of the rack are.
Looking at the Resin racks for the wings of the NG set, I think I have enough info to scratch build this rack.
Thanks again. i'll keep you posted on my progress.

 

[Wurger]

My pleasure.

 

[Crimea_River]

It would be handy to have a complete listing of the various ETC racks and their purpose but I've not found one.