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Alistair Gauld
102 articles

Kovozavody Prostejov 1/72 Iljušin IL-2M “Černá smrt”

July 24, 2019 · in Aviation · · 13 · 1.9K

Hi There,

This one was for me and I think I bit off a lot more than I can chew at the moment.

Having been reading the marvellous "Red Star Against the Swastika" by Vasily B. Emelianenko and having received this kit whilst finishing the book I just had to give it a go.

I had built a kit without locating pins and such earlier- Eduard 1/48 Mach Buster X-1 - I thought how difficult would it be.

Painted with UMP White Primer, Vallejo Model air AMT-4 Camo Green, Mig AMT-7 Greyish Blue, Tamiya Nato Black and Neutral Grey.

I'm not convinced that the Vallejo Green is any where near the correct shade but the Mig green that I was going to put on just pooled on the surface. The Vallejo amt24 Green may be closer. I will see on the next one.

I messed up the white band by making it much too large. Still learning about masking stuff correctly.

I spent what seemed like days filling, filing and sanding to try and get this to a reasonable level but got to the stage that I just wanted it finished.

Not KP's or the kits fault, all purely down to my inexperience and impatience. I still had fun and learned a lot of lessons to be taken into future builds.

Anyway Here are the pics in all their brutality

Thanks, as always for checking this out and any comments, criticism and tips gratefully received.

Cheers,

Alistair

Reader reactions:
5  Awesome

4 additional images. Click to enlarge.


13 responses

  1. Alistair, having fun, learning, and sharing your work are the core elements of improvement. We all get to the point when we “just want it finished” - when that happens, try and take a step back, exercise a little patience, and focus on details.

    This is a project that gets to the core of iModeler; enthusiasm, willingness to share and learn, an open mind, and wanting to connect and support with modelers. A great post.

    ‘Liked’

    • Hi There,
      Thanks for your kind and sage words.
      Normally I can step back but I think that going back to work after my long weekend encouraged me to do more than I should. Thinking that I wouldn't get back to it for some time. I need to learn to walk away.

      Cheers,
      Alistair

  2. hi! yes its not the most perfect build we've seen. But thats the way it is... we all have been there
    There are a lot of tutorials on youtube you can learn from.
    Have fun and take your time.
    sometimes we have to go back and redo a lot but thats the way. The white bar is bigger than it should? yes! but the white is ok! and white is not easy to paint 😉
    keep going

    cheers,
    Manuel

  3. Every project finished means the next one will be better - but as suggested above, try not to get in a hurry! That's the time I make almost all my mistakes (and believe me, I still make plenty of them!). A nice looking model in the end.

    • Thanks for that. I know I will make mistakes but that's half the fun it's not repeating them that's the tricky bit. I've just started my Airfix Vulcan as I managed to get hold of transfers for "The Grand Lady of East Fortune". I am prepared to be more than patient with this one as i know I am looking at weeks, possibly months of filling, sanding and filing to get her to the stage I want her to be. Madness I know.

  4. Alistair the only way to improve your skills is by doing more modeling. As any acquired skill the more you do the better you'll get. Being impatient will usually lead to a lesser result than desired. Remember it's only a hobby. Getting enjoyment out of a modeling project means it was a successful one as your Il-2 shows.

  5. I think it looks fine. I don't know this kit , but some K P kits can be a challenge in fit.

  6. Having "fun" - well, maybe not so much for ya on this one - and experimenting, is what it's all about. However, despite the various learning curves involved here, I DO like that base you created. 🙂

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