Intermission – Necessity is the mother of invention

I have been working steadily on the AT-6 (Harvard), but this was nagging me…

No decals!

How can I finish up my Monogram FW 190 since the decals were unusable? Could I use leftover clear decal sheets I had bought a few years ago? I know I can’t use clear aerosol decal fixative spray outdoors in winter?

Necessity is the mother of invention.

I had a few options. To buy overpriced aftermarket decals… To buy another Monogram FW 190 just for the decals… but they could be unusable also… To buy Tamiya FW 190 and use the decals, but get struck with another unbuilt model kit without decals…

Last week necessity had to kick in. I decided then to copy a decal sheet found in this model kit on my color inkjet printer …

I then used a large brush to put four thin coats of clear acrylic paint over the copied decal sheet letting each coat dry for at least 24 hours. I then painted a white undercoat where the decals would go since there is not white background.

How did it go?

To be continued…

 

More progress report

I am almost there adding all the decals.

All the Me 109 decals have been added and went surprising well. The pitot tube was replaced with one in the spare box. I told my son about the camouflage not been realistic for the time period, but my son did not mind.

 

I forgot to file the bottom of the cockpit armour plate before glueing it. You can see it.

The decals on the Stuka have been added. I still need to paint the 37mm cannons to finish it for my brother’s birthday next week.

 

 

What about the decals for the FW 190?

I got a reply from Revell in Germany. They are not available anymore which is not surprising.

I was tempted to buy another FW 190 on Amazon.ca but only for the decals since the decals which are available online are in my own humble opinion overpriced.

 

Amazon.ca had two good deals, but when I took a look at my stash, I decided not to add more since it is still growing now that I have received my Tamiya 1/48 scale Me 262.

I will probably scan some decals and make replacement ones for the FW 190.

The Do 335 had been finally completed. The camouflage seen under more light looks better but is not perfect.

 

 

 

What’s next?

 

Long overdue…

Progress report

Some decals were finally added.

The Me 109 decals went surprising well although I managed to break the pitot tube.

I know the camouflage is not realistic for the time period, but my son won’t know the difference.

The decals also went well with the Stuka.

The decals for the FW 190 was another matter.

As soon as I put them into water they began to curl up. I decided to write Revell for replacement decals sending them a photo and the instructions as proof of purchase.

We’ll see what happens…

The Do 335 is still waiting for its decals.

As you can see the camouflage is not perfect. The black green is not black enough even if I tried to fix it twice.

Progress Report

All four model kits are waiting for decals. I don’t know what to expect from 20 to 30 year-old decals. We should find that out tomorrow since an acrylic clear coat was applied this morning with a painbrush.

 

 

 

 

While I’m at it…

While I’m at it, why not add another build while I am waiting to put a finishing touch on these…?

I had another Me 109 G in my stash bought 20 years ago.

Last year my youngest son asked me to build him a Me 109 for Christmas. I had already one built when he was a young child back in the 1980s.

I just could not wrap this one up…

So I have decided to build a new one which should be the last Me 109 I would ever build.

Binge Painting

I had a binge painting yesterday when I found out I had the right dark green colour for the Do335 A-O.

These Polly S paint jars I had bought in the 1980s were still usable.

I had painted the Stuka and the Fw190 with Polly S Paint black green before so I could now finish up the camouflage.

I still have some touch-ups to do. I have painted a strip of Scotch tape for the canopies since the frames on all three model kits are very narrow.

That will be my next binging…

Intermission – Before disaster strikes…

I cleaned up the workbench before moving on to the next step.

The wings were glued last Thursday and Friday.

The fitting is… well 1970 fitting.

I will try to remedy without having to use a filler.

Monogram chose to have the pitot tube molded with the lower left wing, which isn’t a great idea. This is why I am protecting it with masking tape to avoid snapping it off.

The Fw190 is still waiting to be painted as well as the Ju87G.

I have since glued the two propellers, the front and the main wheels and the stabilizer halves. I will work later on the landing struts.

Intermission – Well I guess it’s Christmas time…

Having just finished reading A Higher Call…

 

I knew I had to get my hands on another Me 262 model kit. I know I had said I would not buy another model kit, but reading A Higher Call prove to be impossible to keep this promise. Of course I knew the story, but the book tells so much more…

About the crew…

and how they survived, except the tail gunner… and how they were able after to fly a complete tour.

Frank Stigler’s story as well as Charlie Brown’s is worth reading.

You can read some of it here or view this video on YouTube.

As for the Me 262 model kit… well I could not ask my brother to give me back the Me 262 I gave him as a gift.

The only alternative left was buying another model kit.

What about the three kits that are still on hold?

I think having broken my promise will be enough motivation to finish them before the Me 262 arrives in the mail by December 31st.

Progress Report – Ju 87G-1 Stuka and FW 190

I took these photos of the progress I have made since last week.

The workbench is a little untidy…

It tells you about the progress I have made. First with the Stuka which has been painted dark green with 40 year-old Polly S acrylic paint.

The light blue jar of Polly S acrylic paint was unusable, but I used the light blue shade to mix a homemade light blue which looks fine on the FW 190.

I have used paintbrushes all the way since winter is closing in and I mainly want to get on with the next project…

The Dornier Do 335…