Justin Davenport

Great looking bird! And I agree - AS-12 rocks. Justin

Thanks everyone :lol: Yes, the fit was a bit of a problem, but nothing 20 second CA couldn't cure. The biggest issue was a mold flaw in the lower cowling area I had to fill in with plasticard and CA. Also I'll note what was said about the landing gear when I do my next 190 (the Tamiya kit). Speaking of the landing gear, I can't say I was too thrilled with the way Monogram set it up, you had to glue it in when you were gluing the wings together, you couldn't leave it for after that step like you would on most kits. Anyway, on to the P-40. Justin

Looks great! It looks a lot better than the Thief of Baghdad I did a few years back (same kit)...I rescribed but didn't use any washes on the panel lines and I don't think my rescribing was complete, there were a few areas I left raised. Oh, and I'll never try to use a BB cockpit on the Monogram kit again. Maybe use the ejection seats and instrument panels. Justin

Over on the Monogram GB I've been working on a FW-190, a 70's era Monogram boxing. It was my first ever foray into airbrushed Luftwaffe WW2 mottling schemes, and I had to do some research to make sure I got the right paints for 190's (RLM 74/75/76 for the camo job, RLM 70 for the prop, RLM 02 and 66 for interior parts) as the Monogram kit specifies what looks like different colors (dark green and black green). Even then I didn't have any specific references for the bird I did build (from the kit decals, the 190 A8/U3 with underwing cannon). Still, this was great practice. I got some more

Wow. Great start to your modeling life! Real nice build, good paint finish. I can't wait till the 380 shows up in airline service....I'd love to do something like a Singapore Airlines 380 someday. Justin

Madmike, thanks for the kind words about my finished 190. :D Now for the P-40B kit. While I was spray painting the 190 parts to kick off the GB (with the Badger) I took the time to shoot interior green onto the P-40 parts. (The black parts had been sprayed before the GB started). Tonight I started the assembly of the bird and now the fuselage is done. I'll do the wings next and get them on, get the seams filled in and the canopy masked and glued....then comes the primer, hopefully this weekend. This will be number "14" of the Flying Tigers. I've checked Flying Tiger paint references b

Well, everyone, I've finished the FW-190A. It was my first ever airbrushed mottling scheme, and I have to say I'm a little bit pleased at how that turned out, considering it was my first time. It'll be good practice for my Tamiya kit. The alignment on the landing gear is a little bit off and the tail section is a little warped, but this was a good low stress practice build after my "Netz". Now on to the P-40.

Thanks...and she's DONE! My fourth finished build of 2007. Please see the "Completed Builds" gallery post in this forum for the final product. Justin

Thanks, everyone ;) I've finished the landing gear, prop, and guns...now I have to go to work and will have some pics tonight. Canopy's all that's left to be done. Justin

I've futured up the bird and added decals....using the kit decals except for the swastika. (The kit decals didn't include the swastikas, maybe for export to Europe?). I got swastikas off my Tamiya 190 kit and gingerly unwrapped the tape around the landing gear....I am SO relieved that was done without breakage! Now comes the flat coat, then the final bits and canopy work, I'll have a finished product by this time next week if not sooner.

Well everyone, I've done it. I initially messed up the mottling on the left side but after some overspray of RLM 76 to blend in the job that I did, I'm a little bit pleased with it. Here she is!

Thanks....today I've applied RLM 74/75/76 and tomorrow I'll try my hand at mottling with an airbrush for the first time EVER. Justin

I'll be watching this build! I got that same kit as a present from my dad a long time ago and I have one in my stash now that I'd considered for this GB. Justin

Thanks Madmike! If you do get it, just watch out for the cowling. It definitely looks like a 190 and its cockpit detail, though not great, is decent except for the instrument panel. I'm going to practice my airbrush and "mottling" skills with this one! I hope to have the first coat of the main camo color by tomorrow or Friday. Justin

Okay, here's a pic of the primed bird. I'm almost ready to get the camouflage colors on it.

Wow, good luck with that bird! I have that kit and the B-52, both in 70's era boxings, in my pile. But I don't have the space to build them at the moment. Justin

Thanks...I'll have some more pics tomorrow, maybe with my new camera. I've applied primer to the bird and sanded a few more times, it may be enough now, we will see. I had LOTS of sanding to do on the cowling! Justin

Well, I've done some more work on this bird over the weekend, now she's in the middle of sanding and priming. Lots of seams to work with, particularly on the cowling, but the wing roots were also troublesome, as well as the wing leading edges. 20 second CA can cover up a lot of things. I can't say I was too thrilled at having to glue on the landing gear BEFORE painting the airframe, but that's the way this bird is set up, you can't assemble the wings and then glue the gear in. So I've had to mask the landing gear and I will need to be very careful when it comes time to unmask! I'm doing

Good luck on that build! I wish I could find that boxing...I have a Mig-15 in the newer boxing (twin kit w/F-86) I hope to get to. Justin

Thanks...looks like I'm going to do it with the kit decals, as a practice run for the Butcher Bird that landed at St. Trond, which I'll do with the Tamiya kit. And as far as the cowling mold flaw is concerned, I've come up with a plan for it: Glue the fuselage as normal. When everything's dry, cut up a sheet of plasticard and glue it over the hole. Then glue some plastic stringers onto the plasticard until the hole is covered with them. Then use putty or 20 sec. CA to blend everything in. Justin

Mark, I remember putting firecrackers in the back of an F-4 Phantom model in SEA camouflage. Grand times. Anyway, I airbrushed the RLM 02 and RLM 66 colors onto the interior parts and built up the cockpit, drybrushing and using my smallest brushes, and I like it. There is an issue that I found tonight...there appears to be a molding flaw on the bottom of the forward fuselage join. I'll need to fill in the resulting gap with plasticard or something like that, it's a little too big for putty. But it is on the bottom of the cowling, maybe I can cover it up? Or dig around for an undamaged f

Well everyone, I've gotten started on my first kit for the GB! It's in the 1970's era boxing, and I've sprayed the cockpit, the seat, and a few other things with MM Enamel RLM 66 to start off. I got myself RLM 02, RLM 66, RLM 74, 75, 76 after doing some research at swannysmodels.com and a few other sites, as I'm a raw newbie to German Luftwaffe stuff. (I also have some RLM 70, 71, and 65 for a 109 I'd like to do). I'll do this bird either with the kit decals...OR in the markings of a "Butcher Bird" that ended up captured at my grandpa's airfield (St. Trond Belgium) during the Battle of the

I noticed that when I saw the Voyager at NASM....over the reception desk. It should be either on the ground or hanging where the top can be seen. Again, good work! Justin

Thanks guys, my P-40 is in then! Right after the 190. Justin

"I know what Justin did last summer!" - the summer of Monogram love. Here's some pics from last year's WW2 build fest: And here's a shot of this winter's build of my 1/48 Monogram Hurricane: