falcon91352

This grossly oversized view shows how nicely WW2 Luftwaffe mottling colours can be airbrushed even with smaller scales.

Now, I would like to spray some free hand patterns of a darker Hataka colour tone for a simulation of a camouflage scheme. Colour of choice was RAL7012 Basaltgrau and I shaked the bottle a couple of minutes, so that the paint is completely mixed. This procedure also is recommended by the producer, as with mixing it with the original thinner. However, due to the limited performance of this combination for spraying fine lines, I tried many other thinners I have by hand, like AK, Ammo of MiG, Lifecolors, Elita Lifecolours, GSI Creos, etc.. Best of these was Ammo of MIG. The Hataka paint performed

Now it was time to load my H&S Infinity with the aboved mentioned mixture to cover a 1:48 F-15 wing part of an Academy kit with an uniform coverage of RAL7001 Silbergrau. During the painting work I felt some mixed emotions. The coverage was quite well, the finish was dead flat but unfortunately, the surface got a somewhat grainy texture, which I don´t like really. After a drying time of 30 minutes, I polished the surface slightly with my fingers and the surface now became more and more smooth. During the painting process, I already tried to spray some fine lines in order to achieve to pain

The setup for my first trial was a 1:1 mixture of 1 part RAL7001 and the original Hataka thinner. For the camouflage scheme paintwork, I am using my trusty Harder & Steenbeck Infinity CR with the 0.2mm needle. I am having this since four years now and it is a very nice airbrush, which I highly recommend. I am also using a 1st. generation H&S Evolution from time to time, which now is 17 years old and still going strong with no malfunction.

Hello Just got the new Modern Luftwaffe Paint Set Vol. 4 from Hataka, a relatively new model paint brand from Poland. This set is labeled as a Mega Pack and contains no less than eight bottles with an eye lid dropper, like Vallejo, AK, etc. The paints included are RAL7030 Steingrau, RAL7039 Quartzgrau, RAL7009 Grüngrau, RAL7012 Basaltgrau, RAL7037 Staubgrau, RAL7035 Lichtgrau, RAL7001 Silbergrau and RAL9005 Schwarz. These are the standard colours of the very attractive Norm 81 scheme of Luftwaffe F-4F from 1983 till the mid 90´s. This is a specially welcome set, because Norm 81 col

After a small break, the work continues with the construction of the front fuselage maintennance doors

The avionic bays are now finished. Next are the appropriate doors, which require some work.

After the second big step (avionic bays and the cockpit) probably is done next weekend, I am now thinking about the next one. My plan is to open some panels on the top of the wings and fuselage as well, mostly on the left side since I wish to show the right side almost unclattered. Accordingly, the ailerons and flaps should be released more or less like it is shown on pictures in Jake Melampy´s reference book. But I am plagued by a moral issue concerning this matter. To my understanding, the underwing pylons with the LAU-114 and/ or -128 missile lauchers had to be removed, when mai

Nicely done!

Initially, I thought that your Tornado picture shows a real aircraft on a ramp somwhere in the Deasert Storm theatre. But it´s a model actually, isn´t it? If so, nice work!

Oh, excuse me please, don´t believe the nonsense I wrote! The show already was on 29 October. My cold apparently is stealing me some mental power ... . My pictures are having a slight greenish hue. I have to try a bit with white balance settings and also other camera measurements next time.

Hello Today, I tested my new photographic gear on my recently finished Alpha Jet in 1:48. It was built from the Wingman/ Kinetic Luftwaffe Alpha Jet kit, but is somewhat improved and modified. The model is earmarked for a subject in a future issue of a German modelling magazine, so I have to limit my presentation to three photos. BTW, the model took Gold in the Aircraft Class at the Euro Scale Modelling at Niewegein/ Utrecht/ NL on 29 October. 2016.

The solder is coming from Edsyn an the ordering no. is SSAC2010. But beware, it´s not that cheap! The tiny lettering on the signs is done with oil colours on the pointy tip of a 000 brush (Windsor & Newton No. 7 and Rafael are the best). Preferably, put a small amount of the oil colour on a piece of cardboard for 30-60 minutes, which will detract some thinner from the paint and making it more dry to improve the control of fine stencilling.

Hello gentlemen I´ve got a serious cold last week and due to this my morale was somewhat limited to work on my F-15C. But I almost finished the first avionics bay behind the radome. I was asked, why I didn´t opted for a open radome to show the radar. My answer is simple: I don´t like opened radomes! In my opinion, this would destroy the look of a fighter aircraft. Opened panels also does harm the aesthetic lines of a fighter, but not that much, the character still retained. However, I improved my photographic device. All my previous pictures were done by a simple Nikon

Now, the avionic bay devices are being painted. These are the ones from the bay beside the radome.

Main instrument board is finished. Now, the cockpit components have to be glued together and put it into the front fuselage halves.

The cockpit tub and Bay 5 is now fully painted and weathered.

Wow, this is a really nice F-104S from the Italeri kit. Despite all the doomsayers, this excellent model is the proof that the Italeri kit is a good basis for a convincing F-104!

Superb F-16C Block 50 model! Very realistic weathering and equally good photography! Pascal did a super job on it, especially itaking into consideration, that he was just 22 years old, when he finished this model last year! He took with this model a gold medal at the KMK Scale World 2015 in Mol/B and silver during the Euro Scale Modelling at Utrecht-Nieuwegein/NL last saturday.

And here is the back side of Bay 5 painted and weathered. At ARC and in Jake Melampy´s book, I have learned that Bay 5 in FY84/85/86 F-15Cs are painted in white.

The other side of Bay 5 has been finished:

The right cockpit sidewall also is painted now. The color of the cockpit tub and sidewall on the real F-15C normally is FS36231. I have used a mixture of Agama Acrylics consisting of 4 parts FS36231 and 1 part FS36320. To add volume, the recessed parts of the sidewall are painted in a darker shade of grey. The borderlines are threatenend with highly diluted Black acrylic color to add contrast. After a light coat of Ammo of MIG Clear Satin (I love this stuff!!!), I did a pin wash around all the tiny details with Xtracrylix RAF Black diluted with Revell Aqua Color Clean. Be careful to use this m

First part painted in the cockpit section was the left side of Bay 5 with all those ICMS boxes. The segments were airbrushed with Xtracrylix RAF Black and mixes with Black and Grey tones. Enhanced detail painting was conducted with mixed Windsor & Newton oil colours and acrylic paints from Agama and Xtracrylix mixed with Lifecolor Acrylic Thinner and AK Drying Retarder.

My first painting stage is the color of the avionic bays. Despite I almost entirely switched to acrylics 15 years ago, I prefer the trusty old Xtracolor X159 to match the proper metallic green shade of the F-15 interior. During airbrushing, the smell of this paint reminds me back to the 80s, when Xtracolor was my premier brand of choice. It sprayed nicely and a few hours later, I gave it a coat of AK Intermediate Gauzy Agent to protect the fragile Xtracolor finish for a slight washing with dark brown umbra oil color in the corners. Later, a coat of clear satin Ammo of MIG was misted to reduce

It goes forward with the right sidewall of the cockpit