Doras Galoras - Unofficial GB

[Zaggy]

Just for you Wayne, I'll see what I can sort tomorrow night (I have lectures from 9am tomorrow....errr, today; then have some work to finish typing up tomorrow evening for work on Wednesday, after Uni and then again on Thursday... damn); it may have some Squadron Green on it by then again too, having just noticed a gap under the fwd part of the Fuselage ECT rack. And I have decided, despite the pain, Im going to remove the Grey primer off the Black Microfiller on all the engine cowls above the exhaust. I want this thing DONE an out of my sight, but I still have to do it right....


D

 

[Wayne Little]

I await your snaps....

 

[Crimea_River]

Me too!

 

[Zaggy]

I await your snaps....

OK then - warts and all. Got caught with works and etc, last night (only got home about 3am) so I only took shots tonight for all... Seems I also bought a Super Hornet on eBay in the wee-hours of Wednesday morning - but more on that later!

We'll start with an overview:

... as you can see, the area's that the primer went onto THIN and NOT over any Alclad (eg, wings and spine) finished BEAUTIFULLY. Alignment was 'fun' (Jigging the whole thing up in 3-axes) but I think everything sits pretty much spot on now; including overall length. But enough of that; we want warts, thus with the majority of the work being on the FWD-LEFT, this is the list of tasks.

As previous, the primer on the Upper Left Engine Cowl is coming off tonight or more likely tomorrow as I just dont trust the iffy primer and how well I can blend the surface back in. Getting the countours right AND keeping things smooth on the Deck Lid is also proving tough, due to the engine bearer fairing; you can go too hard in there, without damaging things you want left alone! Again, CHRIST Macro is cruel!

More...

More, overall...

Right side, which has honestly been pretty much a breeze, excluding a minor screw up with the vertical reinforcing plate (note the Grey Tamiya Suface Filler on the rear edge of the plate) and a small nick one the top/front of the nose, which I never noticed until highlighted by the Grey primer! And as promised, there would likely be a little Squadron Green peeping through again

I like to look at this side

The bottom; the Alclad shows the remains of the solvent affected surface, with a few high and low spots highlighted by the Black Primer/Filler - thats all taken care of though, upto 800 Grit. Also visible is the way the lower cowls were 're-extended' after a certain someone screwed up his overall length calculations, and the filling in of the Radial Exhaust fairing between the wheel wells.

And another - in hindsight, I SHOULD have just gone and used another Dragon D-9 kit (which Alclad PROMISED ME, but never came good on...), as the work I put into this after the 'Alclad Incident' to restore the surface, was just ridiculous! You dont see it so much on the fuselage, but on the area's with Black Primer/Filler over (and too a lesser extent, Tamiya Grey Surface Primer), it really shows how deformed parts of the surface was! Oh and while you cant see it, the centre pylon needs filling between it and the fuselage.

On the positive, more little snippets of how the lower rear cowl was built and etc...

I know I have said it before, but were ALMOST there (or maybe thats just positive thinking?) - a LITTLE more minor filling and some finish sanding (upto 1200 grit - Im lazy) and it'll take paint...


In other news, having pinched a nerve in my neck, I've been back on some HEAVY pain meds - so for some reason unbeknownst to me, I seem to have seen a picture of an Aggressor FA-18E. jumped on eBay and proceeded to buy the closest matching decals I can, and the Hasegawa FA-18E kit. Now, some have said 'Why buy the expensive one?' and can remember at the time debating this myself, but I shall explain (based upon vague recollections and scribbled notes). I looked at the Revell kit (about half the price) and looked at what I wanted to do and concluded, to do it right, It was going to cost me MORE than the Hasegawa kit or take 2-3 times longer over all. On the ground, USN Hornets have the flaps/slats/rudders/etc all 'hanging in the breeze' and also wings folded - all standard on the hasegawa kit; Revell on the other hand, requires cutting/reshaping/correcting/scratchbuilding, etc; and if you go with the aftermarket solutions (such as the Wolfpack Flaps/Slats and Wingfold sets), you're over and beyond the cost of the Hawegawa kit, with almost as much cutting and sanding left as before. That seems to be the logic anyway!

Regardless, the Fw 190D-15 and Ta 183 'Missiler' will be finished before any of these 'new fangled supersonic' types!


Dan

 

[Wurger]

 

[Gnomey]

Good work so far!

 

[Zaggy]

The entire project has been a TOTAL **** fight from the very beginning! Hahahahaa... Next time, I'm just doing an OOTB Eduard D-9 ProfiPACK; maybe with some EagleCals. None of this 'purist' stuff, modelling rare variants that require this much work!

 

[Wayne Little]

Well now...that doesn't look too shabby Dan....dunno what all the fuss is about....looks perfectly like a Mustang to me...

seriously, keep at it no matter what this Dora needs to be finished! remember best for last

 

[Zaggy]

Hahaha, I'm guessing youre referencing Luftwaffe pilots refering to their D-9's as Focke-Mustangs/Focke-Wulf Mustangs, when they firsy showed up?

I KNOW it has to be finished (like seriously, regarding relative numbers, a MODEL of a D-15 is probably rarer than a Real D-15 was), so Im just chipping away - when it all gets frustrating, I just work on the Ta 183 Missiler and a 'Ghost in the Shell' resin figure - whcih Needs a jig built to attch bits at the correct angles.

Re: Ta 183 Missiler, at its current rate, it'll probably be very near painting when the D-15 is... Despite the scratch built conformal tank (both interior and exteror, as the interior is visible in the MLG-bay), scratch built cockpit, detailed resin MLG-Bay and the in progress Radome and Chaff/Flare Dispenser (my logic there is, i) 'Window' was working by 1943, so it could blind airborne defensive radars once attack was begun, ii) Flares were used to signal airfield flak units by Lw a/c, IR detection was just in its infancy in WW2 AND if you're being tracked by a human gunner on a bomber or anti-nightfighter at night time, releasing a flare is going to blind them so you can dive and escape).

Re: Jigs and 'Motoko Kusanagi', I seem to end up making Jigs for almost everything these days! This jig is needed to ensure the boots BOTH sit flat on a surface AND sit in a way that the CoG works; plus the obvious benefit of alignment! I can not understore the importantance (at least to my style) of Jig more - I seem to be the guy that align things perfectly, then as things are drying, they move! As well, when you're scracthbuilding large area's of a/c (which I must say, is quite rewarding), its very easy to loose alignment in any of the three axes (as well as length) and not realise. On the flip side, MDF is cheap, easy to work and file and shim (I avoid softwood like Pine, because it warps too easily), or an MDF base with Balsa Frames. I should probably take some pics of my Jigs at times?

The Fw 190D-15 jig is in pieces, so maybe I should build one for the Ta 183 wing alignment, just to share, with Datum Lines drawn on it, etc? (Must put a new Blade on my Jig Saw, as I snapped it, making the D-15 jig) I'm also planning a more 'premanent' Jig for the MASS of Eduard Fw 190's I have; thinking of a 7mm steel plate base, so I can have sliding parts for the tail and a changable nose section for the A- and D-series, but I fear I might be over thinking that and will likely just make two MDF ones. I also need a DML Ta 152 Wing Jig for the reasons of 1) de-warping the wings and 2) aligning the wing tops, as I THINK I like to attach these to the fuselage first, then close the bottom up.

The engineer-part of me just gets a bit over-excited at times - it loves designing 'tools'. Though from what I can tell, Tool-making is a dying art; industries that used to have 'tool-making shops' now just buy mass produced tools and none of them repair/recycle, they just replace! now I am ranting!


Dan

 

[Zaggy]

And of course the OTHER thing I do when it all gets too frustrating, is go and buy kits and decals and etc on a Whim! I have improved of late however; in the last month there has only been three such incidents, one of which was kind of planned. The 'planned' one was another F-14B, but one of the Hasegawa ones with Cartograf decals in it (as the equivalent Fightertown decals sheet is impossible to find) which will likely get an Aires Cockpit and Exhausts because they save time, trying to make the Hasegawa plastic fit AND the seems go away (seriously, intake seams arent too bad if you're patient, but exust seems on an F-14 are a NIGHTMARE).

The 'unplanned' events seem to focus on Super Hornets; which I dont understand as I really don't have any love for the jet (unlike F-14's, Sabre's and Fw 190's!) - event 1 was a $60 FA-18F, which I justified as being 'Australian'. Alas that meant I then had to go and buy an Avionix Block 26+ cockpit for it (as the rear pit of the early jets is NOTHING like the updated cockpits in our jets) as well as Australian Decals. I resisted the urge to get seemless intakes and exhausts, as again, I think intake seems arent't too bad with some patience and the exhausts arent as big an prominent as the F-14.

And checkout the cool way that the upper spill vents can be used as air brakes!

Then for some reason, I saw a picture of an aggressor FA-18E - a pic I've seen many times before (because the decal sheet for this a/c has the modex 102, which was only applied for a short period before it became modex 101 - which annoys me), but in the state I was in (pain meds for neck), I just decided I i) needed one (yeah, like I need 20+ Eduard Fw 190's), ii) would have PLENTY of time to build it (WTF?!?! When Im retrired in 30 years???) and iii) because it SHOULDN'T be that hard for me to make replacement modex number decals (god I am an idiot at times)...

This is what 102 looks like - although the RH-side Modex numbers are in the LIGHTER Blue, where as on the Fightertown sheet, they're in the Darker Blue (I really like this photo though - well composed, captures the angles of the jet and its config, etc):

But the a/c was soon given Darker Blue Modex's on the RH-side, then became Modex 101, like this:

So either way, I need to make at least two new Modex Numbers OR if I go '101', chop up the '102' carefully and make them into '101'? But what am I even worrying about? This project is a long time off!!!

And just in case any of you are wondering what 'Ghost in the Shell' is and who 'Motoko Kusanagi' is:

...damn Uni-bums! All they do is sit around drinking and watching cartoons! They should grow up!


Dan

 

[ratpit]

Upper cammo now on - standard 74/75/76 scheme - apologies to those who want to see the Dora's in the wiered and wonderful cammo schemes of the late war. I have seen variations of this kite done in 81/75/76 but I'm trusting my reference. Also got the gear legs and prop done - sorry no pics there, maybe tomorrow? Hoping to get this done next week, before we go on leave on the 17th.

 

[Crimea_River]

Looking good Adam, almost there.

Dan, the D-15 is looking fine. Get that paint squirted on soon man!

 

[Zaggy]

Upper cammo now on - standard 74/75/76 scheme - apologies to those who want to see the Dora's in the wiered and wonderful cammo schemes of the late war.

Many would argue that RLM74/75/76 is a 'weird and wonderful' late war camo, being that it only appeared on some of the Fieseler 600- and 601-series a/c! All machines that were factory finished in RLM74/75/76, had the WHITE fuselage balkenkruez, usually filled with RLM74 (tho there are opinions that some 601-series machines were doing this in green too, but Im not 100% convinced).

Arent you doing 210194 <ll of Stab./JG2 though? These early Focke-Wulf (Cottbus) manufactured machines (210- and early 211- series) were almost certainly in the RLM83/75/76 scheme...

Dan

 

[Zaggy]

Dan, the D-15 is looking fine. Get that paint squirted on soon man!

Soon - the surface just isn't 100% yet; I'm NOT a beleiver in 'a Coat of Paint can hide a Multitude of Sins'. And as Wayne and I have said, saving the best for last; thus, we can't go cutting corners at this stage of the game!

Dan

 

[ratpit]

Many would argue that RLM74/75/76 is a 'weird and wonderful' late war camo, being that it only appeared on some of the Fieseler 600- and 601-series a/c! All machines that were factory finished in RLM74/75/76, had the WHITE fuselage balkenkruez, usually filled with RLM74 (tho there are opinions that some 601-series machines were doing this in green too, but Im not 100% convinced).

Arent you doing 210194 <ll of Stab./JG2 though? These early Focke-Wulf (Cottbus) manufactured machines (210- and early 211- series) were almost certainly in the RLM83/75/76 scheme...

Dan

Dan - you're absolutely bloody right. I don't know what shagging planet I was on last night but my ref clearly states 83/75/76. Comes of doing things at silly o'clock!! I think I'd be pulling my hair out if I had any!!!!!!!

 

[Zaggy]

Sorry mate - as for the hair though, this is my little theory on it... No hair = No hair problems! As well as saving money on haircuts, shampoo and conditioner, time spent doing it, etc...

 

[Zaggy]

Its all sanded now... I'm up to 800grit across the entire fuselage and lower wings, upper wings, tails and radiator cowl are done; I think we'll take the fuselage to 1200grit and then shoot some paint later in the week Might go buy some Tamiya Black today as an undercoat... The Tamya Acrylics tend to be a bit harder and sand better (just in case, yeah ) than the LifeColor Acrylics I'll be using for 'colour'...

Addendum - Tamiya Matt Black now bought

 

[ratpit]

Still moving forward with this one and hopeful to get done by the end of the week?
I've redone the upper cmouflage to RLM 83 (as clearly stated in my references!!!!) using the new Humbrol RLM range. Most major components fitted - just the canopy, lower flaps and a few aerials still need to be fitted. Decals and weathering later this week:
Apologies for focus of some pics - done late last night.
Flash off:

Some with flash on:

Finally a close up of the wing after a light sanding with 6000 micromesh has really brought out the rivet details:

Whats the current opinion on end date with the number of completed builds and it being the main holiday season?

 

[Zaggy]

Holidays? Really!!! I'm glad someone, somewhere is on Holidays - I wish I was! How about you Wayne; you on holidays?

Dan

 

[Wayne Little]

Holidays? Really!!! I'm glad someone, somewhere is on Holidays - I wish I was! How about you Wayne; you on holidays?Dan

No Holidays here man...my 3 weeks holidays (Dora Time) got reduced to ONE whole day...which is a friggin' blur right now....I blinked and it was gone.....
Now I'm under the pump to get my Mistel done by the end of the month....so any Dora time is sadly reduced for the time being...will look for an opportunity though!