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…

Monogram Ju 87 G-1

About the Ju 87G-1

The ear splitting screech of its sirens served as the introduction of the Ju 87 dive-bomber to France. Poland. the Balkans. Africa, England and Russia.

The first version of this famous plane. the Ju 87A-1 saw action in 1937 with the Condor Legion in Spain. Joined in 1938 and 1939 by the later Ju 87B, the Junkers dive-bomber attained greater notoriety than any other weapon with which Germany launched the Second World War.

Within the first nine months of the war, the Ju 87 acquired an almost legendary reputation. This Junkers product became synonymous with the abbreviation “Stuka” — from Sturzkampfflugzeug, a term descriptive of all dive-bombers. The success of the Stuka lasted until August, 1940, when Germany launched its aerial offensive on the British Isles. Ill-armed and out maneuvered by the defending Spitfires and Hurricanes, the Stuka paid a fearful price for its role in the “Battle of Britain”. By the end of August, the last of the Stuka Geschwader or dive-bomber wings were removed from action in Great Britain.

As late as 1945 the Ju 87 was a lethal weapon, which in the hands of an experienced, determined pilot such as Ulrich Rudel was capable of destroying 500 Russian tanks.

The Ju 87G-1 was the last version to see combat and is the subject of this Monogram model. The Ju 87G-1 and the installation of the two 37 mm. BK (flak 36) cannon under the wings had been the result of masses of Russian tanks which plagued the German army. Major Rudel, already specialized in tank-killing, flew the first experimental foray’s and was successful. The Ju 87G-1 began the struggle of destroying Russian tanks before time ran out on Germany’s Eastern Front. This version had also seen service in North Africa and on the Western front.

The Ju 87G-1 was powered by a Junkers Jumo 211J-1, 12 cylinder, inverted vee, liquid cooled engine. With the direct fuel injection this engine was rated at 1,400 H.P. at 2,600 r.p.m. With the two man crew and armed with the two 37 mm. cannon and the 1-MG 81Z machine gun the Ju 87G-1 had a range of 1250 miles, a maximum speed of 250 m.p.h. and a ceiling of approximately 24,600 feet.

Source below…

Instructions

Decals

I have decided not to take several pictures of the progress made last week since building it went very fast. It is all but complete except for painting and decalling.

This is what you get for now.

 

 

I have decided instead to build the Fw 190 before finishing the Stuka.

The Focke-Wulf Fw 190 has been called one of the truly great single-seat war-planes of the Second World War. The reason for such a statement was, that it was not only a “pilot’s airplane”, but was easy to maintain and able to with-stand a large amount of battle _damage. At every task to which it was committed the Fw 190 played a vital role.

In the summer of 1941 the Fw 190 made its combat debut over the English Channel and was an immediate success. It had clearly displayed its superiority over the best the Allies had to offer at that time, the Spitfire V. The Fw 190 maintained this superiority over all the Allied fighters for almost two years. It could outmaneuver its opponents on almost every occasion and its speed enabled it to retreat without fear of pursuit.

The Focke-Wulf Fw 190 underwent continual modifications throughout the war. Many different versions were produced, the A-5 through A-8 being some of the more notable. The Fw 190A-5 was 29′ 7″ long, had a span of 34′ 6″ and weighed 9,750 pounds. It was powered by the B.M.W. 801D-2 twin row, 14 cylinder, air cooled, radial engine producing 1,700 h.p. under normal conditions. With the aid of its MW50 supercharger it could produce 2,100 h.p. for short durations. This gave the Fw 190 a speed of 408 m.p.h. at 20,600 ft., a cruising speed of 298 m.p.h., a range of 500 miles and a service ceiling of 37,400 ft.

This Monogram 1/48 scale kit was designed from photographs and measurements of actual Fw 190’s. The kit includes all of the parts necessary for assembling any one of six versions of this famous fighter.

Source below…