Me 163 Komet - trainer version

[Plastic surgeon]

Insane!!!! It's a bloody 1/72 Komet, which means that it's about 7 centimeters in total length....and you're adding remarkable detail to it....

Awesome!!!!

Edited January 26, 2013 by Plastic surgeon

[Michel C]

Insane!!!! It's a bloody 1/72 Komet, which means that it's about 7 centimeters in total length....and you're adding remarkable detail to it....

Awesome!!!!

Thank you Plastic Surgeon, glad you like it!

Michel

[Michel C]

Hi folks!

After close to 2 months away from the bench, gosh does it feel good to get glue on my fingers and the smell of paint in my nostrils!

Not much of an update but I thought I’d drop by and say hello. So here we go.  

Some work was done on the tail, removing the nozzle as the S had no engine.

Problem is, the joint will be visible on the inside. I think I’ll just plug up the whole thing with a FOD cover. Simple and plausible.

Next I cut out the rudder. Just couldn’t resist… LOL

Before assembly of the fuse parts I covered the ejection ports from the inside (no weapons on the S either) with pieces of soda can. The aluminum finish will be left unpainted.

There are props for the tub in the lower fuse part but somehow the tub wouldn’t fit, maybe because of the added PE, not sure. I made quick work of them.  

The fuse parts still woudln’t join.

To pinpoint the trouble area I daubed some red paint onto the bottom of the tub and pressed the fuse parts together. Culprit caught in no time.

I got the fuse buttoned up after that with no more problem, just the tedious clean--up/re-scribing work.

[Michel C]

That's where things stand.

See you soon with more news. ;)

M

Edited April 6, 2013 by Michel C

[Mark M.]

I am LITERALLY mind-boggled by how much detail you have added to this build! It is BEYOND comprehension!

Wow, just.... Wow! My hat's off to you.

[kurnass77]

Super job Michel,

this thing is colibrì sized!

Cheers,

Gianni

[chukw]

Another fantastic update- cheers, Michel! I like your paint-daubing technique- it will be useful in the future, I'm sure.

[Michel C]

My belated thanks for your replies, guys! I never saw them, something must be wrong with my notifications settings.

This Komet now has got a tail, although some work was needed to make that happen!

I removed the socket for the engine nozzle at the rear end of the fuse as the S didn’t have an engine. However, I later realized that without the nozzle the seam on the inside will be visible. Hmm…we’ll solve that later.

The small vents were not present on the S so I filled them with bits of styrene melted with Tam Extra Fluid, my preferred filler for larger gaps.

I re-scribed the missing panel lines.

The small access panel was present only on the left side. The one on the right side was filled with CA.

The inside was tackled next. I find tail wheel bays are usually neglected by manufacturers and this kit is no exception.

Ejector pin marks were filled with CA.

Some Evergreen and aluminum foil were used to make the inside of the well.

Once the tail parts were glued together I closed off the rear opening with a FOD cover made from a piece of sprue of the right diameter, cut straight and at a 90 degrees angle and fitted so it exactly matches the opening.

Although the fuse/tail joint is a complex one, all went well and only some filler was needed where the joint doesn’t follow a panel line.

Wings are on by now but I’ll post pix later. ;)/>/>

M

Edited April 24, 2013 by Michel C

[Michel C]

Here’s the latest but first a pic of what I found in the mail box yesterday:

One more Komet book! :D/>

Before gluing the wings I added the small Eduard PE parts around the gun ports. Later I’ll plug the holes as the S had no guns anyway.

The wing/fuse joint is a pretty good fit, praise to Academy. To get it perfect I used the engineer’s blue trick again (no read paint this time but a black felt pen). It worked so well that the seam almost disappeared in some areas and I had to re-scribe it!

The next shot was taken not for your benefit but to verify the dihedral. Yep, looks pretty much like zero, which is right. (Lest you wonder: I verified before gluing!)

Besides a good fit of the wings Academy also did the wing’s warp very well. Without it the tailless bird would have been unstable.

That’s were things are at.

Easter’s coming up in this part of the world. Time to paint the eggs!

;)/>

M

[Michel C]

Last pix before painting!

The pitot was redone with a hypo needle.

The rudder was put in place before painting or it’d be impossible to keep the mottling consistent. The other controls will be painted separately.

Ready to go!

M

;)/>

[Michel C]

Hi folks,  

The heavy use and abuse this whif Komet trainer has been subjected to warrants signs of wear. Hence an undercoating for chipping purposes.

I did the wings first. The Komet had wooden wings, primed with a reddish-brown paint. I made my own mix, approximating what can be seen on pics of the real thing.

Next I did the fuse with MM Aluminum Plate.

Next up: fix the boo-boos revealed by the metalizers.   ;)/>

M

[Michel C]

Why is it that one always has to overlook scratches only to find them later? I do anyway…

That’s White-Out. Dries hard and extremely fast.

Other than that the Gunze RLM 76 Lichtblau went on like a breeze. I lightened it with flat white at a 35% ratio for scale effect and later darkening through washes, etc.

I applied liquid masking stuff (Gunze) to the wings roots and other strategic spots on the fuse for the chipping. I daubed it on with a sponge.

Next I’ll add some variety to the monotone with different shades of the same color.

M

[Michel C]

Some piccies of the the bird after post-shading.

That concludes the RLM 76 chapter. I’ll try and finish with the painting this w/e. ;)

M

[Michel C]

After post-shading the RLM 76 it was time to add some more color. I wasn’t sure what I was going to spray this bird with and have been pondering the matter since the beginning of the build. The RLM 81/82 scheme usually seen on Komets didn’t appeal. Then I saw a 163 in a nice 74/75/76 scheme on another forum. I really liked that one but then the guy’d just done it so I didn’t want to copycat. But then it clicked! Recombine the two standard patterns and voilà!

A Komet in 75/82/76 scheme! Never seen on a Komet, at least not on any that survived (to my knowledge, I might be wrong).

And here’re the piccies.

The 82 is lightened with 30% flat white. 20% for the 75. Might seem a bit too light but you have to realize that the real thing is about half size of what you see in the pic so scale effect is about right. (Plus I like faded colors.)

Done with Gunze, free-handed.

Next I’ll break the monotone with some random post-shading and then tackle the mottles.

M

[Santtu Pikkarainen]

Outstanding modeling!

[Michel C]

Thank you Santtu!

Did the post-shading yesterday night and here’re the pics.

Tonight I’ll do the mottling. ;)

M

[Michel C]

Yesterday I did the really fun part: mottling! :)/>/>

[Michel C]

I used the same paint as for the wings, lightened to the same ratio. Some of the mottles were picked out with a slightly darker shade of the same color, sprayed into the center. To make it look like what you can see on the pics of the real thing, ya know…

Hoping you like it.

A final pic to put things in perspective. ;)

Cheers!

;)/>/>

M

Edited May 15, 2013 by Michel C

[kurnass77]

Wow Michel,

this build look better and better at any progressive stage!

Gianni.

[Michel C]

Thank you Gianni!

This is the kit unmasked. Or should I say ‘unmaskoled’?

Where chipping was too pronounced I put back some paint with a sponge/small brush.

Got to air that pit too. Stuffy in there.

On the bottom, some chipping along the keel behind the skid, as per reference pic.

The landing flap bays are painted in RLM 02.

I did some detail painting and fix some boo-boos also but not much to show. Next step: markings.

M

[Michel C]

After unmasking, remasking! I decided to paint my markings rather than use decals. Miracle Masks to the rescue! Found out about those from Chukw. Thanks, Chuk! :cheers:/>

You can order your own masks, tailor-made to your project. The service is great and the product itself fantastic: precisely cut, good adhering power, clear instructions. The masks stretch enough to take the shape of a complex surface but without distorting.

I wanted the swastikas to be the outline type. Had my doubts if it could be done. But there you have it, see for yourself! These and the code numbers are a wee 5mm high!

Here’re the pics.

I added some green and/or gray to the white and RLM 76 to the black to add some fatigue to the markings. That's what's great with painted-on markings: no need to weather flashy decals!

Next: stencils, in decals those. ;)/>

M

[Bigasshammm]

Utterly ridiculous.

[Michel C]

Thanks Bigasshammm!

After the painted-on markings, decals for stencils and stuff. I used three decals sheets: Academy, Peddinghaus and Rocketeer. Peddinghaus turned out to be wanting: bad printing, overscaled... I ended up using only a few stencils from it, those not available on the Academy sheet. The 14./JG 400 emblems come from the Rocketeer sheet. I don't have that one but a fellow modeler gave me the two decals.

Enjoy the pics.  

Decals were sealed with another coat of Future, making ready for the wash.

M

[Michel C]

I just finished with the wash. I like doing washes: you can mess up as much as you want with no consequences. Oils on Future leave absolutely no trace, except where they’re supposed to, of course.

I used lighter fluid as thinner, which dries almost instantly and a mix of black and white oils for a dark gray color.

Here’s a trick for those areas where the panels lines are too shallow for the wash to grip well: instead of wiping off the excess with Q-tips or kitchen paper just do it with your finger. Preferably while wearing latex gloves. Latex is low grip and won’t pull the oil out of the panel line.

Here’re the pics.

M

[Michel C]

I sprayed the flat coat yesterday. I usually like my war-weary planes to wear a flat finish. But in the case of this Komet I decided upon semi-gloss. From what I read Komets usually had a glossy finish, which makes even more sense for the S, which was a glider. In 1/72 scale this means for me a semi-gloss finish.

Here's how I did it. I used Gunze Flat Clear, which is really on the shiny side of semi-gloss. To each cup I added one single drop of Vallejo Flat Clear. This stuff is incredibly matt. Use it straight and you get a finish that's as flat as flat. By adding just a drop of it to the Gunze varnish I was able to increase the flatness gradually through successive coats until the result was just as I wanted it. I could increase the flatness in areas, like the bottom of the fuse and go for a more satin look on other parts, just by jockeying the number of coats. It works beautifully and you're totally in control.  

M