klugi
Airman 1st Class
looking good
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Good work so far!
- Thread starter
- #103
JKim
Senior Master Sergeant
I am progressing in small steps. I could've started the main painting but with a trip to Kyrgyzstan coming up, I've decided to hold off and just try to work on the smaller details.
I wasn't happy with the base of the DF loop antenna after comparing it with photos. It looks too flat.
So I sculpted a higher profile base using White Milliput.
I've decided to use the rudder that I've shaved smooth to represent a wooden rudder.
The Alley Cat control surfaces for the wings and tails are attached using CA glue.
Revell provides movable control surfaces but I've chosen to ignore this feature for the most part and glue the pieces on. The outer flaps will be the only exception and that is simply because it is a more solid attachment than the other pin/slot joints. The outer flaps are a bit funky and they will be left off until the end so I can figure out how they are oriented.
The drop tank and rack were pre-shaded and painted.
But there were still some seam marks showing so I wiped it clean, did some more sanding and painted it again. It still needs to be detail-painted and weathered.
The wheels were given a dirty wash to complete.
The prop spinner was painted black and the white spiral decal from the Eagle Cal sheet was applied. It was wrinkly at first but multiple applications of MicroSol made it lay down nicely.
I got a hold of some scribing templates so I could address the circular hatch that was damaged by sanding. Very important to have the template firmly attached. My first attempt was hand-held and required a do-over. This one was still a bit sloppy. I'll take another look at it after I lay down the primer coat.
She's just about ready for primer!
I wasn't happy with the base of the DF loop antenna after comparing it with photos. It looks too flat.
So I sculpted a higher profile base using White Milliput.
I've decided to use the rudder that I've shaved smooth to represent a wooden rudder.
The Alley Cat control surfaces for the wings and tails are attached using CA glue.
Revell provides movable control surfaces but I've chosen to ignore this feature for the most part and glue the pieces on. The outer flaps will be the only exception and that is simply because it is a more solid attachment than the other pin/slot joints. The outer flaps are a bit funky and they will be left off until the end so I can figure out how they are oriented.
The drop tank and rack were pre-shaded and painted.
But there were still some seam marks showing so I wiped it clean, did some more sanding and painted it again. It still needs to be detail-painted and weathered.
The wheels were given a dirty wash to complete.
The prop spinner was painted black and the white spiral decal from the Eagle Cal sheet was applied. It was wrinkly at first but multiple applications of MicroSol made it lay down nicely.
I got a hold of some scribing templates so I could address the circular hatch that was damaged by sanding. Very important to have the template firmly attached. My first attempt was hand-held and required a do-over. This one was still a bit sloppy. I'll take another look at it after I lay down the primer coat.
She's just about ready for primer!
Crimea_River
Marshal
Excellent work there John!
- Thread starter
- #106
JKim
Senior Master Sergeant
Not so fast there Andy!
Jumping around out of order has its drawbacks. Especially when you are not paying close attention. After I gave the top a coat of Mr Surfacer 1000 (thinned with Tamiya lacquer thinner), I discovered that I forgot a couple of pieces near the headrest armor (under the already glued down clear pieces). I also was not liking the fit of the front windscreen to the fuselage. And there was a nasty gap between the canopy and windscreen that I didn't notice. So... I tore off the clear pieces (carefully). The windscreen was sticking stubbornly and I ended up taking a piece of the fuselage bulkhead with it. I got the forgotten pieces installed and the rough joints where the glue had been cleaned up. I glued the windscreen in first, making sure that the fit was better than before (easier to see now that it had a coat of primer on it). Despite the potential for a major mess-up, I am liking this area a lot better now.
Time to put the kit away and pack for my trip. I will be resuming this build in a couple weeks when I return!
SANCER
Senior Master Sergeant
Have a good trip John, we see your back with more of your bird ... I'm glad things turned out better with the windscreen, it's a beautiful progress so far.
Saludos amigo
Luis Carlos
Saludos amigo
Luis Carlos
Nicely done so far!
fubar57
General
Coming right along. Have a great trip John.
Geo
Geo
- Thread starter
- #111
JKim
Senior Master Sergeant
Back from my travels with a little bit of an update. I've applied decals to the drop tank and done some weathering on it...
Finally pushed this build over the hump and started on the main painting. First I had to re-attach the canopy and stuff the wheel wells with moist tissue.
The bottom of the wings for Black 11 are specified as natural metal so a base coat of gloss black is put down first. I purposefully left the black on the blotchy side as I did not want a perfect finish. I also put the black along the wing roots and fuselage as a base for some light paint chipping via the hairspray method.
A coat of Alclad Aircraft Aluminum is laid over the black. You can see the effects of the blotchy black base coat.
I will complete the bottom painting before moving to the top camo. This will include spraying some random panels in different shades of Alclad to get some tonal variation in the metal. I'll probably do a little post shading as well.
Finally pushed this build over the hump and started on the main painting. First I had to re-attach the canopy and stuff the wheel wells with moist tissue.
The bottom of the wings for Black 11 are specified as natural metal so a base coat of gloss black is put down first. I purposefully left the black on the blotchy side as I did not want a perfect finish. I also put the black along the wing roots and fuselage as a base for some light paint chipping via the hairspray method.
A coat of Alclad Aircraft Aluminum is laid over the black. You can see the effects of the blotchy black base coat.
I will complete the bottom painting before moving to the top camo. This will include spraying some random panels in different shades of Alclad to get some tonal variation in the metal. I'll probably do a little post shading as well.
Crimea_River
Marshal
Love the drop tank!
Airframes
Benevolens Magister
Nice work.
Looks great so far!
Catch22
Major
Looking good John!
Agreed..
SANCER
Senior Master Sergeant
It is seen that tank amazing !! 
And we expect a beautiful paint job accustomed.
Me mantengo atento John
Luis Carlos
And we expect a beautiful paint job accustomed.
Me mantengo atento John
Luis Carlos
- Thread starter
- #119
JKim
Senior Master Sergeant
Thanks for the comments everyone! The painting continues! After the Alclad is used at the wing roots, this area is given a couple coats of hairspray (decanted from an aerosol spray and sprayed through an airbrush). This will allow me to produce paint chipping effects afterward.
I've accented some bottom wing panels with a different shade of Alclad (Dark Aluminum) just to break up the monotony of a uniform metal surface.
Once that's done, I mask the metallic wing portions to prepare for the camo painting. I've done something a little different with the preshading. In addition to highlighting the panel lines, I've filled the panels with random doodles to give the overlaying camo finish a little more depth. If you recall, I did this to the drop tank and liked the results so I'm applying it over the entire aircraft. It looks kinda crazy but rest assured, it will start disappearing once I start spraying the camo colors. In fact, my main worry is that the top colors (74/74) will completely overpower the preshading.
Ahhh... but before that, I have forgotten about the fuselage bands. I determined that it would be easier to paint the bands prior to the camo. The dark blue is very transparent and needs to be built up with multiple coats.
The fuselage bands are masked off and the light blue (76) is sprayed on. I am using VERY thin coats for the camo colors (thinner/paint ratio of 4/1 or more) to have more control of the preshading effect. Photography doesn't capture the preshading effects very well... it's subtle but it is there.
I've added some postshading to the bottom of the wing...
After the light blue has dried, I mask the trademark wavy demarcation line along the front edges of the wings. The masks are strips of Tamiya tape free cut slowly with an X-Acto knife.
The light gray was the most tedious to spray. It is similar to the primer coat so it is difficult to keep track of.
After the light gray, the dark gray is sprayed on. Other than the leading edges of the wings, no masks were used.
A brush moistened with water is used to produce some paint chipping. I've kept the chipping light to reflect the grounded state of many of these late war 109G-10's.
Here's what the paint looks like so far.
I've accented some bottom wing panels with a different shade of Alclad (Dark Aluminum) just to break up the monotony of a uniform metal surface.
Once that's done, I mask the metallic wing portions to prepare for the camo painting. I've done something a little different with the preshading. In addition to highlighting the panel lines, I've filled the panels with random doodles to give the overlaying camo finish a little more depth. If you recall, I did this to the drop tank and liked the results so I'm applying it over the entire aircraft. It looks kinda crazy but rest assured, it will start disappearing once I start spraying the camo colors. In fact, my main worry is that the top colors (74/74) will completely overpower the preshading.
Ahhh... but before that, I have forgotten about the fuselage bands. I determined that it would be easier to paint the bands prior to the camo. The dark blue is very transparent and needs to be built up with multiple coats.
The fuselage bands are masked off and the light blue (76) is sprayed on. I am using VERY thin coats for the camo colors (thinner/paint ratio of 4/1 or more) to have more control of the preshading effect. Photography doesn't capture the preshading effects very well... it's subtle but it is there.
I've added some postshading to the bottom of the wing...
After the light blue has dried, I mask the trademark wavy demarcation line along the front edges of the wings. The masks are strips of Tamiya tape free cut slowly with an X-Acto knife.
The light gray was the most tedious to spray. It is similar to the primer coat so it is difficult to keep track of.
After the light gray, the dark gray is sprayed on. Other than the leading edges of the wings, no masks were used.
A brush moistened with water is used to produce some paint chipping. I've kept the chipping light to reflect the grounded state of many of these late war 109G-10's.
Here's what the paint looks like so far.
Wow that is very nice !
