Airfix 1/24 Fw 190 A-7

[Kostucha]

Yeah! This one did. I'll fire a picture of the decals and of the colour profiles of the a/c they're for with tonights update - yep, there's an update coming. Like I said, free to a good home!

Edit: Decals have found a good home. Wow, that didn't take long at all.

Edited November 6, 2009 by Kostucha

[The Mikester]

Your reference book came with decals???

Is that something common? First I've heard of it. But then, I don't buy too many reference books.

Most books that Kagero publish come with a sheet of decals or some other goodie, but mostly decals.

[Kostucha]

Most books that Kagero publish come with a sheet of decals or some other goodie, but mostly decals.

Yep! It was a welcome surprise to say the least. Anywho, the decals come wrapped in clear plastic - a nice touch. Very crisp, a lot crisper than the picture shows:

As for the 190's they're inteded for:

Work is plugging away on the 190. Got the rest of the panels opened up on the LH side that I wanted open:

Then flipping it over, I put in a rough trace of where the internal framing is going to go... and when I say rough, I mean it. The top and bottom are in line with the rivet lines, as well as random points within. The lines are meant as a rough indicator for where the evergreen plastic is going to go into. In this build the colour lines will break down like this:

Green - Framing

Blue - Electrical lines

Red - panel/part mounted to the side

Anywho, now it's time to update the Stuka build.

Happy modeling!

Mark.

Edited November 6, 2009 by Kostucha

[Mark M.]

I LOVE those decals. I'd seen the scans of the pictures before online.

There were a similar set of snakes on a plane with blue and white RVB stripes. Something about the plane being transfered, the number painted over, but the rest of the markings left in place. Looked pretty striking.

[Eastern]

Hi Mark!

Fw 190 along with Stuka, at the same time...simultaneously!?? :D

I've made sure once more that you are a real modeling FANATIC!

Cheers and happy modeling!

Alexander.

[Kostucha]

Thanks Eastern... I think?

Woke up early this morning (got a full night sleep for the first time in a long time). Being up before everyone else gave me a chance to plug away on the 190 a little bit. I decided to finish cutting out the panels in the 190 fuselage halves and traced out the interior panel lines. As we've seen how exciting and fun that can be, no pictures were taken. After that was done I wanted tackle the lower instrument cluster. Found something of interest too... on the 190's the lower 6 instruments aren't surface mounted. They are "sunk" in... mounted from the underside and the panel face covers everything exposing just the center.

So, right away the Eduard gauge faces are out. Perfect for the rest of the instruments, just not these. So, I opted to go with the kit faces instead. Knowing that, it made life easy for sure. Going through some schematic drawings, I used this one for the instrument panel:

Making a nice scan & copy, I cut out the template for the section... yeah... the general shape is there...

So, work began. I wasn't too concerned about the kit piece as I plan on scratching the whole cockpit. Figured this panel was a good place to start. So, work went like this:

After cutting that piece out, drilling out all the needed holes in the right space, I shot it with RLM 66 (was actually Euro Grey from MM, but the FS numbers between the MM colour and RLM 66 match (FS-36081)). A lot different than RLM 02 that's for sure. The panel is being done in two parts, the one in that picture, and the lower leg of the panel. After the paint dried and my second cup of coffee I began using some leftover dry transfer stencils to apply the stencils on the panel. Amazingly enough ,spraying that metal tape flat black, then applying the stencils to it worked really well. Perfect amount of definition. Sure, it's not the right German text... but, until I either figure out how to make my own dry transfers or another company begins making these, it's only about the look:

Did some light tan/white dry brushing on the instrument faces which had to be split and spaced to fit the new panel face. The lower leg of the panel is finished as well, and the whole thing is ready to be glued together. I used the same method for the "glass" as I did on the Stuka - using the surran-wrap or celaphane (spelling?) squeezed tightly between the panel face and instrument face. Works like a charm.

All that is left is the flaps contol lever and the fire extinguisher handle but I'll put those in later on as they were a PITA on the Stuka panel, breaking off about a dozen times each. Here's what I finished with this morning:

Well, thanks for looking!

Mark.

[The Mikester]

Amazing stuff Mark, looks like the real thing!

[johnsan]

Very inspirational stuff, Mark.

[Kostucha]

Thank you gents! More to come soon I think... new cockpit floor... and a few other parts too. Until then,

Happy Modeling!

Mark.

[AX 365]

Go Mark!

[Kostucha]

Ax, Thank you!

Couldn't sleep. Needed something to put the brain to rest... cockpit floor it is... surprised I got it done tonight. But, who want's to hear about that right? Onto the work. The original cockpit floor, along with the rear wall:

Not impressed with those I started with the cockpit floor. Using an index card, I cut out the shape and began scetching lines. Just as in the fuselage, these are only rough guidelines:

Knowing I was going to cover this center section with foil, I cut out the holes in the floor, and filled them with white glue. Before it had a chance to cure, I drilled a small 'pressure relief hole' underneath. The white glue will act as a thick medium to give the foil something to shape around. Otherwise you run the risk of tearing the foil:

Once it was almost fully cured, I layed down the foil. Starting from the highest point, I flattened the foil out from the center to the edges with a Q-tip very lightly at first, then going back with firmer circular movements to heat the glue a bit and help it stick better. Using the same method I also added the three access panels:

After a shot of dullcoat dried, I applied the RLM 66 - you can see the nice smooth shape the foil gives:

Using Q-tips and toothpicks I rubbed and chipped the paint off. I love this look in this scale a lot more than drybrushing paint chips. Going off of great reference pictures I tried to duplicate the heavily worn areas:

Once that dried, I applied a brushing of dark grey (80%) pastel chalk. This was done symetrically, but made not to look too uniform, if that makes any sense. Areas behind the panel and around the front of the side panels were all made a little darker to help promote the "shadows" of the enclosed area later on, then another application of dullcoat to seal it all in:

Once dried I cut the excess plastic off the edges. Did a quick dry fit in the fuselage halves, and it fits great:

Decided to have a bit of fun and fought with a toothpick for a while to mock up the already completed lower panel:

Well, the bench is clean now, and I think I'm going to go for a smoke and try to get some sleep. Trip to Ottawa begins tomorrow, so until next time Gents, thanks for looking, and comments are always welcome! Take care, and as always,

Happy Modeling!

Mark.

[Neo]

Real nice work Mark

im impressed that cockpit is going to be amazing

Cheers

Neo

[Kostucha]

Thank you very much Neo, greatly appreciated!

[Big Kev]

Awesome Mark, simply awesome. The work you've done on that cockpit floor is just amazing. So lifelike. I really wish I had your skills, but I'm grateful for your threads so that I have a chance to learn them.

Kev

[Kostucha]

Kev,

Thank you very much. Honestly, it was very, very simple. Let me know when that tape arrives, and once I get back, I'll just throw together a quick "how to" (as I'll be working on the side panels in the cockpit which also showed some good chipping). That floor took all of a couple hours. I'm really happy with this method, it's giving me the results I want, and a whole heck of a lot faster than I was expecting.

Thanks again for your compliments good Sir, greatly appreciated.

Mark.

[WymanV]

I like that foil trick. Really gives the right look to stamped sheet metal. I'll be ripping that idea off one day...<_<

Ken

[Big Kev]

Kev,

Thank you very much. Honestly, it was very, very simple. Let me know when that tape arrives [...]

Arrived safe and sound a few days ago Mark...many thanks! I sent you a PM, not sure if you got it.

Kev

[Kostucha]

Just got connected again Kev, and sent a reply. That tape is really a great thing to have in the modelers tool box. I'm writing up a how-to on the various things I've used that tape for. I find myself simply trying it for different things and have yet to be disappointed by any of the results. Its heavy, but allows you to do a lot more than just BMF on items. It stretches, it forms well, it adheres very nicely, and as well, stands up to a great amount of other things - there is no way I would have been able to get the same effect on the floor with a thinner metal.

Mark.

[Kostucha]

OH BOY! OH BOY! OH BOY! OH BOY!

Jerry Rutmans' parts came in today! WOW! Got the seat, wheel wells, and landing gear. I never thought, in my wildest dreams that I would be looking at not only such great quality, but so many parts from this order!

Full preview of the parts will be posted later on tonight on this thread, and hopefully we get to see what the seat that Jerry made looks like in 1/24 with the Eduard seat belts!

Work will be continuing tonight with the seat, which I'm very excited for, and getting the right amount of spacing and placement for the continued scratch building of the cockpit. Best Monday EVER!

Mark.

[Pete Wenman]

Looking Great

I'll following this with interest

P

[vvwse4]

Yep, Jerry's got some great stuff!!!

Rick.

[Kostucha]

Rick,

You're absolutely right! So, once I opened up the parcel, here's what I found inside:

I read reviews before about other parts that folks have picked up from Jerry before, specifically about the flash that came with them. I wasn't overly worried about the flash as it made a lot of sense what others wrote - given the small parts, and how thin they are cast, the flash helps ensure they stay together and on the sprue in shipping. Easy enough to clean off so I'm not worried at all.

Upon a closer look, these parts are amazing! VERY crisp details. Now, I want to be very clear here, that the next comments are in no way aimed at criticizing Mr. Rutman, or insulting his work in any way shape or form:

The parts that I got from him are of some of the highest quality resin aftermarket parts I have scene, ESPECIALLY in this scale. They are far better than the kit supplied parts of the Airfix kit, and I cannot speak of them in comparison with the Trumpeter kits as I have had no desire to go out and buy one for what I want to do with the 190. That being said, the comments I put in here as to what I'm going to add to them are very minor things and should not be thought of as things that Jerry has missed. Minor things, like the seat adjustment rails, or various other parts are not supplied with the seat, nor are they supplied with the kit. Things like that I will be making, as I would have anyway.

I'm lucky enough to have gotten my sticky little fingers on items such as JR's seat, Eduard dials and seat belts. They tend to make life a whole lot easier when making a whole cockpit with limited time. If I decide to make, change, or replace parts that I got from Jerry, it's either because the specific A-7 (White 1) I'm making was different from the parts supplied, or I broke something in my first attempt. I can't begin to explain how happy I am with the quality and craftsmanship of these parts and, yeah, I'd highly recommend contacting him and trying to get them for your 1/24 190 if you're building one. Aftermarket detail is sparse in this scale, so any little bit helps to spice up a kit from the blan OOB cockpit, and kit area's like the wheel wells. JR's products go a very long way to give a great look and I hope I can do them justice in this build.

This isn't intended as a 'plug' to promote buying or not buying of parts. I'm just calling a spade a spade here, and giving credit where it is due... Here's a few shots showing the details included, such as the straps on the ammo drums:

The detail in the barrel and heat shields, as well as showing how thin some parts truly are!

Here is the kit 'firewall' with ammo cans mounted. Jerry has his piece separate from the ammo cans. Although there is a significant amount of framing that isn't present here, it is obvious that the intent was to indeed have the cans placed onto this part. If you are building a 190 with engine removed and/or the ammo cans replaced, I'll have a few good sketches of this particular framework when I get to that stage... or simply look through Squadrons "Fw 190 A/F Walk Around", of all the books, so far this one has shown it the best. The lower section is much deeper too, giving a better effect of how deep the wheel well went, and the framing in this area too:

The seat is very nice and thin. Although I've found multiple references as to what the 190 A/F seat looked like, and there are a large number of 190 seats in various scales, this one seems to capture it best. It does seem have a couple faults - the upper area seems a bit too squared off, where the outer 1/3's of the seat taper down a little more (but more on this later). That, and I'm not a fan at all of the molded in cushion. As you've seen in my Stuka build, I was really looking forward to using a cigarette butt again to get the cushion effect. HOWEVER, this dislike came from the cushions usually lacking in detail, wrong size, or had no difinative break between them and the actual seat... Jerry's seat doesn't have this, it's very nice. There are a couple of pieces missing underneath... let's call another spade a spade... you don't see this, nor can you see this unless you're doing a complete cut-away of the fuselage side exposing the cockpit that way, so no more needs to be said about it. The seat:

Remember what I said about the shape of the seat and not looking just right? Well, Jerry and I have been firing messages back and forth for some time in regards to the seat. After explaining to me how the measurements were found - a great effort was made to measure the real thing! - the nature of "reference material" really comes to light. There's a big difference between "it seems real" and "it is real" when it comes to reference and measurement. One book shows a completely round seat back much like in that of Allied aircraft such as some of the Thunderbolts. Others show a taller, narrower seat. Where some reference books get their info is sometimes left quite unclear. Frankly, if the man got measurements and angles from the real thing, that's good enough for me! The texture of the seat cushions are amazing too! Here, just for argument sake is the original kit seat with the one from JR:

And what does it all come down to? I can't wait to combine these two sets together:

To top it all off, the instructions that Jerry provides are very straight forward and explain things as per the skill level. What I mean by this, if you are comfortable enough to use resin, and purchase aftermarket parts like this, you do not need instructions that tell you "the seat goes here" and so forth. What Jerry does give good information on is not only construction of the wheel wells and other multi-part areas, but also a few quick hints and tricks with some of his smaller more fragile parts. Given the cost of this set from JR, as I said before, I was expecting a lot fewer parts than I received. This really made my day. I really am looking forward to working with this set to get that extra little bit of 'nice' to this kit.

That's my two cents on that! It's not often I have something aftermarket really surprise me like these parts. Unfortunately I'm going to have to hold out on using them... I want to finish off more of the cockpit first, and as the two seat rails are mounted to the fuselage halves, the seat, like in the Stuka, is going to be one of the last bits going in. That's not to say I wont have fun making it a bit early... but I've got a good plan as for how it's going to be "slid in" to place.

Next up on the docket though is the wiring in the gap of that stamped steel plate, as well as a couple of parts I forgot from the floor. Then it's sidewalls mounting to the floor, and we'll see where things go from there! Until next time though... maybe later tonight...

Happy modeling!

Mark.

Edited November 17, 2009 by Kostucha

[Kostucha]

Well, got back to work after a short break. Decided to tackle the LH side console in the cockpit. Work started with trying to figure out exactly how close the kit piece was. The big error here is that the side consoles were at an angle, about 20 degrees I found out, being higher on the outside. Having a good diagram, work was made quick and easy:

The kit piece was almost spot on with the inside measurement, so it was lined up and a short red line drawn to see what portion of the fuselage side would remain exposed:

The big things I wanted to corred was the layout of the panel as the setup White 1 would have was different from that of the A-5/6 from the kit. As well, the adjustment 'pipe' sticking out the bottom is going to be made floating like it was. Further, the side console was not one piece, so I wanted to add the easily seen panel join line from the top piece and the bottom. As well, as a side note, just like the lower instrument panel, the gauges and most other items were mounted under the consols faceplate. Another close shot of the kit piece:

Work started with cutting out the rough pieces from evergreen plastic:

The faceplate was then "bevelled" using a slightly larger drill bit and lightly scraping off a bit of the top. Using this here pointy thing, the screws were made by pushing in from under the soft plastic. Later on, once I have all the parts done, I'll be going in with a blade and giving a single "line" to them in a random pattern to give the look of the screws that were used:

A quick dab of CA thin brought all these parts nicely together:

Seeing how delicate this part now became, I added a quick fix and a portion to hold on to while working:

From the inside you can see the simple construction of the whole part. As well, it really doesn't take much to give that rounded screw head look on the other side. Careful though, it really doesn't take much to punch completely through... especially if you're working with the thin stuff:

[Kostucha]

A quick shot of the RLM was applied:

Then once dried, most of the details were added:

And the application of the pastels, a little rubbed off paint, and a dull coat:

Once dried, the two Eduards instruments were added from underneath, and one on top:

A quick shot from the side:

And finally a quick dry fit and compared to the original. I also wanted to put this shot up to show the different layout. Far as most reference material I have, the Airfix one is almost spot on with an A-5/6. Not so much for the F's, but the difference also between the A-5/6 and the A-7/8's:

Well, that's it for tonight. Tomorrow or the day after I hope to have the RH side done. After that, it's simply adding a bit more to the floor, the back panel, and working on the seat some. Who knows, maybe it'll be ready for the weekend... we'll see. With the Stuka waiting until Christmas break to be painted, I've got a lot more room for the 190. As for the Throttle control and trim control, those will be added just before the cockpit sections will be glued together. Thanks everyone!

Mark.

[Big Kev]

Yet more awesome work Mark! I love the level of detail you go into with your explanations and accompanying photos - it really helps make things clear and easy to understand.

Kev