1/48 Ta152H - Allied Advance and Defense of the Reich WWII.

[Wurger]

I would say these hinges could the same like those of the Fw 190D-9 that were the same for the Fw 190A. Of course these could have been of more aerodynamic shape without the pivods seen.

 

[Crimea_River]

Thanks for the help guys. John, I think I have every pic of the NASM specimen that have been posted on the net and none are from the right angle to discern the hinges. Wojtek, you're probably right. Those that I have done are far too big either way.

 

[Wurger]

I have checked on the Kagero books for the Fw 190 and there are drawings for Ta 152H with these hinges marked. Really these are smaller and more streamlined. I have had to use my magnifying glass to see them. Also I found the diagram for the Ta 152.

 

[Wurger]

I think the hinges looked like these made by the modeller at the site:
125% (1/4 scale) Anderson TA-152H - Page 24

 

[Airframes]

Good info.
I've just checked some detail shots of FW190Ds, and the hinges are the same, so I'd guess the Ta wouldn't be any different.

 

[Gnomey]

Looks great so far Andy!

 

[Crimea_River]

Excellent info guys, thanks. I have removed the large hinges and will replace with some smaller stretched sprue bits. I'm also looking at possibly making changes to the sloped frames.

Fw190:

Ta152:

 

[Wurger]

The windscreen frame looks like being more streamlined than the one of A variant. So no wonder these hinges were of better shape causing less of the aerodynamic drag.

 

[Crimea_River]

Got a lot done over the last 24 hours. Last night I mixed up a batch of RLM 83 and got that sprayed on.

The windscreen was modified to more resemble the Ta152 one but I'm not very happy with how this turned out. I tried a light sensitive putty to fill the bolt hole cut-outs but it did not stick to the glossy surface. I will leave this for now and may try another option later. You can also see that I turfed the kit hinges in favour of smaller bits of sprue.

Tonight, I free-handed the RLM83 on and am pretty happy with the colours.

White 7 had the Stammkennzeichen CW+CG and I decided to represent a lightly overpainted code. I really don't like the strong colouration used by the EagleCals to simulate this effect so I cut my own mask using the decals as a guide.

After taping on a square piece of paper to identify the position of the cross, I then applied the masks and sprayed on a mix of my 76 that was slightly darkened with a touch of grey.

One of my favourite milestones is pulling all the masks off and here's the result. Everything turned out great with no touch ups needed. One the below pics you can see the faint outlines of the overpainted Stammkennzeichen just in front of the yellow ID band and under the white 7 on the fuselage.

The last bit of masking needed was for the 0007 Werkenummer on the tail and this was an easy matter of measuring the decals and cutting a piece of tape to suit. I'm not quite sure why this area is in a darker colour (maybe it was a retrofitted wooden tail?) but I chose to go with RLM02 for the background colour, given that the black numerals stand out quite well against whatever colour it is in the reference pics.

That's it or today. Tomorrow I will try to get a little touch up done on the camo around the wing edges and then get a coat of Future on so I can lay the decals down and finally get this project done. Thanks for looking in.

 

[Airframes]

Very nicely done Andy, it's looking brill.
Just a thought about that windscreen frame - would a piece of flattened, stretched sprue do the job ?

 

[Wurger]

 

[Gnomey]

Great work so far Andy!

 

[Wayne Little]

Done good there Andy the Camo colours look pretty good.

 

[Crimea_River]

Thanks guys. It seems I have an unseemly seam that has opened up, marring the finish on the nose. Tackling that now.

 

[JKim]

Paint and decal work looks great Andy!

 

[Crimea_River]

Decals? No decals yet John - the 7's are painted.

 

[Crimea_River]

So I didn't get a pic of the seam before attempting a repair but it was bad enough to my eye. I have heard of seam lines appearing after finish painting but never had it happen to me until now.

My first try was to apply some surface primer to the seam which I then sanded down and repainted - didn't work.

So my next try will be to apply some thick coats of Future, which I will then carefully sand and polish down, hopefully without marring the paint layer underneath. For added insurance, I went over the seam again with some brushed on Future and yet you can still see the seam line in a couple of spots. These have been brushed over again and I am letting this cure for at least 24 hours before attempting to smooth the area down.

To continue with my run of bad luck, the spinner decal was an epic fail so this will be sanded off, repainted and a new decal applied.

 

[Airframes]

It's a pain when a seam re-appears. I've only had it happen a couple of times, normally after a few years ( a RAF Phantom built around 15 years ago is now showing a seam along the top), but it also happened on the Mitchell I'm currently working on.
Fortunately, re-sanding, and building-up with primer, then a couple of coats of paint has hidden it - I hope forever !
Looks like you've probably got it under control, but a pain none the less.

 

[Wayne Little]

Spinner decals can be hit and miss affair...screwed up a few in my time....

Those friggin' seams they always get you when you least expect....

 

[JKim]

Ah... my mistake! I find the minor touch-ups that I do worth the effort.