Frustrated with Airfix 1/72 Stuka build

[copcheck]

Have you ever started a kit and for whatever reason found yourself so unhappy with it, but you continue to build it?
That's how I feel with this Airfix kit I am working on right now.

It's my first Airfix kit and I think it's a dated one, but it feels cheap to me and is not at all working out well, but I'm too far into it to scrap it.

It's certainly not going to be a top shelf build for my collection, but I can't seem to put it down.

Anyone else experience this?

Cheers,

Jon

 

[Wurger]

A such old kits always cause nothing but troubles. Yeah.. I know these are cheap but their quality or detailing is controversial rather. However, dispite the poor quality these keep dimensions and a correct shape of a real aircraft often. In my opinion a such kit is a very good basis for making of a good model usually. Just these need more attention to details and more work on it in general. But being patient it's possible to achieve a nice final effect.

What more do you want to know?

 

[Wurger]

Here is one made by a guy from Lublin, Poland, 12 years ago. Source... dws.org.pl • Zobacz temat - Airfix i Matchbox - modele czy zabawki?

Also I would suggest checking the site.... Airfix 1/72 Junkers Ju 87B/R (03030)

 

[copcheck]

Thanks Wojtek,

I wonder if my kit is a bit different of if the one you posted is modified. My does not have the side bombs under the wings and what looks like control arms for the flaps. The kit you posted is very nice.

I'm just having trouble with some of the joints and the raised rivets are making the paint a nightmare.

Thanks again,

Jon

 

[copcheck]

Wojtek,

Can you tell from the pic you posted what color(s) the spinner is? Also the prop?

Thanks,

Jon

 

[Wurger]

I see Jon. The Airfix has been offering these Ju-87 kits for many, many years. Of course these are "equipped" with different decal markings and some additional stuff like these bombs for instance. Concerning these flap tappets... As I said a such kits haven't been very detailed. Therefore a few of details has to be made from scratch by a modeller usually. For these ones you can use small bits of a thin plastic plate and a brassy wire for example. For a such parts we need a few images and ascale drawings. Just to have agood look at these real parts. Making of them isn't very difficult then. These raised rivet lines ... to be honest these shouldn't be noticable for the scale. So you can sand them down. Raised panel lines can be sanded down too and then engraved as recessed one. But it is work for very patient guys. Similar to rivets these lines shouldn't be seen as well. Look , if we assume a real gap is 0.5mm wide and deep , the one for 1/72 scale has to be 0.5:72=0.0069444mm, rounding it off - 0.007mm. The gap would be so thiny and wouldn't be noticed when a paint was applied.

Any pictures of your current effort?

 

[Wurger]

Wojtek,

Can you tell from the pic you posted what color(s) the spinner is? Also the prop?

Thanks,

Jon

Props and spinners were painted with RLM 70 Schwartzgrun colour. Of course there were used other colours for spinners ( white , red or blue etc strips, white spirals ) but props were always of the RLM70 - FS34050 Humbrol91, Gunze H65, Aeromaster 1023, Testors 2080, Lifecolor UA051.

 

[copcheck]

Wojtek,

As always, thank you very much.

I am at work, however I will snap some pics this evening and post them. To be quite honest I was not even going to post a finish build to this forum as I am a bit embarrassed by this effort.

Poor joints and sloppy paint. I will do another Stuka in 1/72 scale, do you have any recommendations?

 

[LA2019]

Have you ever started a kit and for whatever reason found yourself so unhappy with it, but you continue to build it?
That's how I feel with this Airfix kit I am working on right now.

It's my first Airfix kit and I think it's a dated one, but it feels cheap to me and is not at all working out well, but I'm too far into it to scrap it.

It's certainly not going to be a top shelf build for my collection, but I can't seem to put it down.

Anyone else experience this?

Cheers,

Jon

I feel your pain Jon. My brother gave me an Airfix 1/72 SB2C as a gift last Christmas. Some gift! I was ready for a padded cell by the time I finished the model.
Not a very good kit but I stuck with it and it ended up as an OK model by my standards. It was a good platform to experiment and improve my modeling skills.

 

[Wurger]

Wojtek,

As always, thank you very much.

I will do another Stuka in 1/72 scale, do you have any recommendations?

You'r welcome .

A PM sent...

 

[copcheck]

Here are the pics thus far. I'm not at all happy with the wing joints on the bottom. The top half of the nose is another piece that I could not get good joints on either. I'll finish this kit, but again, it won't be a top shelf one for me.

 

[Wurger]

Not too bad Jon, really not bad. For removing of the gaps at these wing joints, especially on the bottom and at the area of the engine cowling you should have used some of a putty. Also the fuselage seams needed to be treated with the putty as well. But the main problem is the dihedral of horizontal stabilizers. These should have been attached at 90° to the fuselage.

 

[jjp_nl]

These should have been attached at 90° to the fuselage.

I guess that means the struts for the stabilizers should have been trimmed down a tad in order to get the perpendicular fit of the stabilizers to the fuselage.

It's true, these ancient kits do require you to 'walk the extra mile' so to say. I tend to think they are worth the effort nonetheless, even if the final result isn't what you perhaps had envisaged when you set out. These kits are a great and inexpensive way of getting your skills in general to a higher level, unlike say a typical Tamigawasan shake bake kit, where you have to actively try to mess it up.

 

[Wurger]

I guess that means the struts for the stabilizers should have been trimmed down a tad in order to get the perpendicular fit of the stabilizers to the fuselage.

You are almost right. But if these struts are attached to these stablizers at correct points and cause them going up though it means that these struts are too long.

 

[jjp_nl]

You are almost right. But if these struts are attached to these stablizers at correct points and cause them going up though it means that these struts are too long.

Not almost right...as that's exactly what I was trying to say . I would have glued the stabilizers in place first (at the right angle so you don't have to worry about that anymore) and then make the struts fit by working on them as needed. If possible I'd say try to make it fit as best as you can and leave them off until after painting (paint struts seperately) as they can get in the way when glued in place.

 

[copcheck]

Thanks guys.

Sadly I did use putty and I sanded but could not get a good fit. I decided to put a coat of white primer on so I could see flaws easier and it must have thrown me off as they seemed "acceptable"; clearly they were not.

Thanks for the advice on the stabilizers; I'll make certain I follow this on my next Stuka as this will be a practice kit.

Again thanks,

Jon

 

[Wurger]

I have to try to find the kit and check it personally.

 

[copcheck]

I have to try to find the kit and check it personally.

Wojtek,

I wouldn't waste your money, I'm sure it has more to do with my lack of skill than the kit itself. I'm not used to working with older kits like this and am probably spoiled with the fit of newer ones.

Thank you,

Jon

 

[Wurger]

Thank you Jon for the warning. But I have checked and the kit doesn't seem to be expensive here. It is for about 30PLN what is a reasonable price.

 

[Njaco]

Those Airfix kits are pretty cheap - both money and quality. I did a Tiger I years ago that was brutal. But I look at these as learning experienece so when I work on that $95 kit I won't waste it.

And the Stuka looks pretty good actually.