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Louis Gardner
169 articles

Happy Thanksgiving! Revell 1/32 Messerschmitt Bf-110 a blast from the past...

November 22, 2018 · in Aviation · · 10 · 2.2K

Here in the USA we are having our Thanksgiving Day Holiday. This is a day where we are supposed to be thankful for the blessings we have, and to celebrate the first "meal" shared with the Native Americans by the Pilgrims. It also gives the banks, city and government buildings another day "off".

Some of us end up eating too much, watching football games (the real kind not soccer ! 🙂 ), and parades on TV.

I am thankful to have my wife, some great friends, my family and my dogs. My faith, my health, having a place to call home, food to eat, and a nice warm bed to sleep in at night are also some of the things that I am thankful for. Some of us are not this fortunate. Often times we take these things for granted until they are gone. It's then we tend to miss them the most.

This happens to be my 110th article. My friend Pedro L. Rocha @holzhamer had the idea to post a 110 as my 110th article, when I joked about posting a Spitfire decal review as my 109th article, when it should have been an article on a Bf-109!

So I took his idea and ran with it. Thanks Pedro!

Now I can post my 100 Years of the RAF builds starting on number 111. Too bad I don't have another completed Heinkel He-111 sitting around. It would be the perfect next posting! This one is a "Moldy Oldie" as I built it many years ago as a teenager. It was probably constructed some time during the late 1970's or early 1980's. Later, when I re-entered the hobby in the mid 1990's, I used it as a test pallet to learn how to spray on Luftwaffe "Mottling" using an Aztek air brush. It has survived several moves and a few pieces have been glued back on. This one was also a test bed for chipping the paint. I used a small pointed brush and chipped the paint in various places. There even could be some fabric places chipped that incorrectly show bare metal underneath, which does not happen in reality.

The decals are supposed to represent a "fictional" machine from NJG 3, but they could possibly be for a Ju-88. I'm really not sure.

It was painted using Model Master enamels, and is finished in RLM 74/75/76. The exhaust staining was done with a Q-tip and some black chalk. I also remember trying to make a round antenna from scratch out of wire that was installed under the rear fuselage. It turned out OK - kind of, well maybe not.

Sure, this one has had a few bumps and bruises, falling apart at the seams and a little "silvering" on the decals. It actually sounds like me...

Here's a few more things that I'm thankful for: That's having the ability to post some of my builds here on Imodeler, and having made some new friends on here from around the globe.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone !

As usual,
"Comments are encouraged".

Reader reactions:
4  Awesome

14 additional images. Click to enlarge.


10 responses

  1. Louis, I wasn’t expecting you would pick on my goofy idea, but hey, a 110 (th) is always welcome in the highlights 😉

    I haven’t seen this old kit built for years, and yours is pretty good. Any 74/75 splinter camouflage sprayed free hand has my vote, it’s the way I do and the method that best replicates the real deal when made with a very fine line, like you show here. It looks far better than just an early effort with airbrush. I know I won’t post any old model of mine, too embarrassing now ahah

  2. Thanks for sharing your thoughts and reasons to be thankful, Louis.

    On this side of the pond, this holiday is just a thing we see in movies, although the way things are going here, it’s a matter of time before our politicians literally break from Europe, float the whole damned island just off the East Coast, and make a bid for being the 51st state.

    Gratitude. Well, I’m thankful for health, family, this modelling ‘home’, and having a career that still excites me. Christmas is just around the corner and I love that time of year. Although my mojo for building has slipped a little, I’m thankful I can still do it to a standard I can accept. I’m grateful for music, being able to cook and eat in a kitchen I adore, having a good relationship with my kids, and as life goes on - I’m more grateful for worrying less.

    I did see the 110, Louis. Built at a time when I was leaving a kid and finding a man. I can’t imagine holding on to anything from my life at that time. Gosh, that was a long time ago.

    Thanks for the post, Louis. And making me think of gratitude.

  3. Nice job on an oldie Louis. God bless and Happy Thanksgiving buddy

  4. Happy Thanksgiving Louis, going back to memory lane, I remember building this kit back in the 70's. Brush painted, learned about the RLM color codes for the first time. Decals applied with water, no gloss clear, no decal solutions all by the seat of your pants building. It was fun. Thanks for sharing.

  5. I'm grateful that "the secret project" (you'll likely hear about it around in February, and then your mind will be blown) "passed the finish line" this week. Hint: yes, it does involve a war movie.

    I'm also thankful that, while many writers my age are retiring, I'm just getting up a good head of steam, more success than ever before (including "the secret project"). Finished the most difficult and tedious (and important) chapter of "Under The Southern Cross" around noon today. The rest is easy-peasy from here.

  6. looks darn good louis

  7. Louis - Like David L-S, I can't imagine where all those models I built as a teenager are now. Many, I'm sure, ended up in the bin during one house move or another, sacrificed at the altar of space-saving and "maturity". I often wonder with your prodigious output rate, where on earth you find the space to keep all the great models you manage to produce, including this "oldie". Good luck on the future and here's hoping 2019 won't spring any nasty unexpected surprises on any of us.
    Paul

  8. The ‘real’ kind of football?!? Is this like the baseball ‘world’ series that just involves the U.S.? As the saying goes, it’s a small world... ?

  9. A belated happy Thanksgiving, Louis. Even your older builds stand out! The classic Gardner style seen developing in an earlier incarnation! This is a lovely post about the things that matter most.

    If you are going to make landmark articles match aircraft 'numbers' I'll be looking forward to a 'Reggiane Re.2005 Sagittario' (in about 2 years time , given your productivity).

    Joking aside, we are all very thankful to have you here on iM!

  10. A nice blast from the past,Louis. Nice to see some one else's older builds. Happy Thanksgiving!

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