Airfix 1/72 Airfix Bv-141
This is an old kit with raised panel lines and thick rivets, and very little detail in the crew nacelle. I sanded it smooth and engraved all lines and panels/hatches, and riveted. Added lots of details in the crew nacelle and two aircrew (it would have been difficult to pose a gunner, so left him out). Drilled the exhausts and added some rear shackles to the bomb shackle mounts with wire. I also thinned the boarding ladder and added the rear supports with acrylic rod. There were no hatches engraved into the top of the crew nacelle, so I engraved those and use some pieces of acrylic rod to denote hinges.
I didn't realize how poorly the clear parts seated until I started taking pics. If I had it to do over again, I'd probably spend another week trying to fill and blend those lines more fully, as that is what stands out to me the most as a "typical" old Airfix kit.
I had some difficulty getting some of the elongated panels aligned, but left it as is. That fuselage is such a tight pipe I just had difficulty getting the metal engraving templates lined up and then held in place securely, having to use the template twice for each panel to get the correct shape.
The ammo clip receptacles ended up a tad over scale, so was only able to fit one in the final build rather than all three. As it is, you have to look REALLY CLOSE and use a flashlight to see all the detail once everything is closed up - even with all the glass.
I probably should have laid down a bit more paint over the blackbasing for a more realistic look, but aesthetically it looks ok to me! Call it modern art...
The 141's weren't really operational, so I didn't weather heavily - no chipping or paint fading - just some walk and servicing wear, and a little runway dust and exhaust smoke.
As you probably know by now, I enjoy sprucing up these old kits occasionally, though it slows down my output! Took me about 2 months.
Super build & finish. All good.
Greg, @gkittinger, that is a really great looking build. You really made the old kit shine, and your paint work is masterful. Makes me want to build mine in 1/48th.
Nice build. The ponce wheel must have gotten quick the workout with all those rivet lines.
Great effort and Great results, Greg. Well done!
Great achievement on this old kit- looks great, very well done!
This is a wonderful project. I’m especially impressed with your scratch building skills and how well it spruced up the interior.
Another thing that I immediately noticed was how sharp, straight and smooth the canopy lines are. They look exceptionally well.
The final thing that I noticed on my first look at your pictures was how well the overall RLM 02 paint scheme looks. The pre shading helps to make it look more interesting and less monotone.
I looked at the pictures several times now and each time I see something new. My up close vision is not very good so I’m no longer able to build up the 1/72 scale kits anymore. My hat’s off to you. Well done my friend.
I’m definitely going to be clicking on several of the various “like” buttons.
Great work Greg!
Great result on that old kit. Occasionally I like to spend some time and elbow grease on an old kit like that just to amuse myself. After all, it's a just a hobby. And I know what you mean - photos can reveal flaws you never noticed before!
Wow, what an exceptional build. Perfectly executed. Can you tell us how you did your pre/post shading technique?
Congrats Greg!
@totalize - just blackbasing - Mr. Surfacer black primer, then MRP white (which is a thin paint) shot through my HS airbrush at a lower pressure with a .1 needle (I think that's the smallest size I have) to put paint between all the "panels" created by the crossing of panel and rivet lines.
Ahoy Greg. If I were grading this build, I'd give it an A+ and then give it ten extra points. It's nothing short of wonderful. Well done. And thank you for the great photos too.
What a job on an old kid's Airfix .69 center. That's a fabulous overall result. You can't go too nuts sometimes, the canopy looks good from One foot away, close enough. I particularly like the shading on the wings to get the "oil can" look. Must be an Iwata Micron You used. Great model.
Excellent build, Greg.
A sow's ear turned into a nice cloth purse!
Well done, Greg
Really great improvements. Exceptional result.
Wow, at first couldn't believe this was the old Airfix kit. The weathering is amazing, fantastic paintjob! great work Greg @gkittinger!
Excellent Greg (@gkittinger). I'm with you on sprucing up old kits. There's a lot of satisfaction in doing that. What's also great about these old Airfix kits is they cover a wide range of subjects, not always available in other scales. I have several in my unbuilt stash and one (the Hudson), I recently completed. Your paint work and sprucing up the detail turned this into a very nice display piece.
Very nicely done!
Wow, Greg! That’s a masterpiece.
Absolutely marvelous, Greg @gkittinger. Terrific paint work on one of the weirdest looking planes ever designed.
Beautiful work, Greg! Hopefully your sacrifice will result in a new tool 1/72 scale kit so the rest of us mere mortals can build one too!
It’s like seeing a post from Michelangelo and reading how he starts with a chunk of marble and ends up with a gorgeous statue!
I pulled this kit out of my stash and had a look, hard to believe it’s the same kit.
Amazing transformation of this ancient ‘gem’, Greg.
Amazing work, Greg (@gkittinger). It is hard to believe this is the old Airfix kit. I got rid of mine several months ago because I figured it could never be brought up to decent standards, but you have certainly proved me wrong. Well done.
I totally agree about sprucing up old kits. Though they do cause me to curse the end result is always very satisfactory. That is excellent work and a fantastic result.
Excellent job and really beautiful result out of the old and simplistic Airfix kit, Greg!
Well done!
This is really impressive, Greg @gkittinger
Hard to believe you created this out of a simple Airfix kit.
All the extra work you put into this build was well worth it.
Greg, Wow! that is some really nice model work.
(This has to be one of the top weirdest aircraft ever designed!)
Outstanding build Greg ! excellent display also.
G’day Greg (@gkittinger),
Another blast from the past!
I remember building this kit when I was a kid. And I remember those rivets.
You have done a marvelous job on an old kit.
I particularly like what you did to the crew area, even if it is difficult to see, you will know it is there.
Coincidently, I am in the middle of building the 1/48 Hobby Boss version, although mine will have the splinter camouflage.
Liked!
The best modern art I have seen, Greg. @gkittinger
Great subject, and great results from a less than great kit. Well done.
Greg, this is an incredible job on a vintage kit. To look at it, one would never guess it was as poor to start with. I love seeing these wonky German designs. I really like the "lived in" look you have given the interior, plus I really like seeing aircraft models posed in in-flight displays. Fairly new here, participation-wise, but I look forward to enjoying more of your work!
Very nice job, Greg! I built the 1/48 Hobby Boss kit and can only imagine how much "fun" that was to do in 1/72. The masking of the clear parts is a major project in itself. I really love your detail. That is a show winner!
Amazing job Sir!
Greg has an amazing talent for turning less than amazing kits into utterly amazing builds!
Excellent work upgrading this classic kit, Greg @gkittinger , it looks very impressive.
Smart... really smart. Well done with this 'Airfix oldie'. Made a few of these when I was a youngster, but never anything as good as this... ;-). I really like kit mounted on a stand, makes it stand out.
Truly a masterpiece, Greg @gkittinger. Amazing stuff, a beautiful and very interesting subject that si finished as it it were 1/32 and not 1/72. Serious kudos.