1/48 Tamiya Fw-190 A4 , JG 2 Nord Afrika

Started by Louis Gardner · 161 · 6 years ago · 1/48, FW-190, Kasserine Pass, Tamiya
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    Louis Gardner said 6 years, 6 months ago:

    I added the decals to the last FW-190 over the weekend.
    Here's how the plane looked at the beginning stages. I installed the "crosses" first to make sure that the painting was going to align with the decals. I lucked out this time and it was just right.


    Then this photo shows the plane with a few more decals added.

    Now here's the same plane but under a different light source. Amazing how the light affects how the color looks. This is Model Master RLM 76 right out of the bottle and not tinted.

    Here I still have to add the chevron and bar fuselage decals. I'm glad to report that even though these decals are quite old, they worked perfectly.

    These last photos show the plane after the rest of the decals were added.


    Here's how I mounted the plane to dry after I sprayed on the Dull Coat . I'm fairly certain that the glossy finish will turn more flat as the Dull Coat dries. I may have to go back and give it another coat or two to get the finish I am looking for.

    Luckily the black stripes on the cowling snuggled down into the little cracks and crevices after a dose of solvaset.

    I hope that I can finish this one up later tonight.

    As usual, comments are encouraged.

    Thanks

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    david leigh-smith said 6 years, 6 months ago:

    Striped cowling looks as good as I thought it would, Louis. A terrific addition to the collection. Outstanding job.

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    Michel Verschuere said 6 years, 6 months ago:

    AMazing paintjob! So now the challenge is not to get your hands on the machine before the cote dries! Kudos Louis!

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    Pedro L. Rocha said 6 years, 6 months ago:

    Great work there Louis!
    Jg/1 sure had some colourful cowlings during 1943-44, I’m still to build a checker subject one day. Did Dragons box of this plane in the nineties, great fun but yours is far better than mine was.

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    Louis Gardner said 6 years, 6 months ago:

    Thanks David for the kind words on the stripes and overall compliments on the build. I had planned on painting the stripes on, but the decals acted so well, I was able to use them and this saved me some considerable time (which has been rather limited lately). πŸ™ πŸ™ πŸ™

    Thanks Michel, and yes I did somehow manage to get a small finger print in the clear... luckily I don't think it is too noticeable unless you are looking for it. I ended up getting a few runs in the last clear coat application. So I had to sand them out, and in the process I sanded down through the color layer in a few small spots... πŸ™ πŸ™ πŸ™ not having a good day there. I ended up re spraying the affected areas and I was very worried since the decals are in place... Luckily it turned out better that it was originally I think. So I'm leaving it alone now.

    Hello Pedro ! Thanks for the kind words my friend. I agree with you on how JG 1 had some unique cowlings during this time period. Eventually the idea grabbed hold, and the Luftwaffe ended up using multi colored "Defense of the Reich" rear fuselage bands.
    I have a Dragon FW to build, but it's part of a Ju-88 "Mistel" combination kit. I have heard the kit can be a little "tricky" to build, so I have been hesitant. One of these days I'll get my nerve up, and give it a go...

    I'll bet your Dragon kit turned out excellent. I have been watching your dual combo 109 builds with great anticipation for the next installment. Sorry to hear about the peeling paint problem. I don't have any experience with that brand of paint, but have experienced similar problems with acrylics. It takes the wind out of your sails...I eventually stripped the plane down to bare plastic and started all over again.

    Hang in there and don't give up.

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    Louis Gardner said 6 years, 6 months ago:

    Unfortunately for me, "Life" has been getting in the way of my hobby as it occasionally does from time to time. Because of this, I have not had the time at the work bench as usual.

    However, I did get some good stuff done with on the last "Wurger" over these last few days, bit by bit...

    As I mentioned above in my last post, I ran into trouble with the last application of dull coat. Unfortunately, I had several big runs in the clear that looked horrible. The scary thing is the decals were applied, and the plane was almost done.

    So I said a few prayers, and broke out the "wet / dry" sandpaper. I used 600 grit initially, then swapped over to 2000 grit paper. I was able to knock down the runs and not ruin the decals. Unfortunately though, in the process of wet sanding, I managed to break through the color and ended up with bare exposed plastic in a few small places.

    I ended up having to re spray these areas. Luckily they turned out OK... Here I have installed the canopy and prop after the near disaster with the paint was fixed. After the last near fiasco, I decided to leave it alone "as is" with a mild sheen to the finish after Future was applied. As a rule, typical RLM paints had a little shine to them when new. I like how it looks now, so I'm leaving it alone...

    Here's a close up of the cowling stripes for David... These decals worked perfectly and snuggled down much better than I ever expected. Here you can see the inboard cannon barrels that I made out of brass tubing. I somehow managed to lose one of the original barrels, so I had to improvise. I think these look better than the kit parts...


    Time was spent on installing the main gear and fuselage boarding step. Here the parts are being readied for installation.

    Once installed, I propped the plane up and let everything dry overnight. I did this to maintain the "odd" geometry angles of the FW... It looks a little off kilter in these close ups, but they are actually good to go.


    A day later and the plane is now sitting on it's own wheels for the very first time.

    Hopefully soon I can get a little more dedicated time at the work bench. Add a little exhaust staining, a little dirtying up here and there, then install the antennae lead cable, and this one should be done...

    As usual, comments are encouraged.

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    david leigh-smith said 6 years, 6 months ago:

    Classic Louis; tease us with some lovely photos, tell us of a possible disaster, show us how tragedy was averted, and give us a happy ending, and at the same time supporting fellow modelers. Modeling, learning, and a great little narrative - all in one post. Hugely entertaining, Louis.

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    Pedro L. Rocha said 6 years, 6 months ago:

    I can’t tell where exactly are the near disaster areas of this 190, he sure looks great Louis!
    And the brass is a very neat addition, easy and very effective, since the 151 cannon tip was very much like yours is. Kudos to you sir

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    Bernard E. Hackett, Jr. said 6 years, 6 months ago:

    Frank Cronin has this letter comment, something about "I know where the mistakes are, and I'm not going to tell you". Gold!

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    Louis Gardner said 6 years, 6 months ago:

    Thank you David ! I am happy to hear you are enjoying this build log... Hopefully as much as I have been as I present the "progress reports". πŸ™‚

    Hello Pedro,
    The brass wasn't intended, but I am happy with the end results. The problem with the runs in the clear were on the top side of both wings, (including both ailerons), and the rudder. If you look close, you may see where I have added a little more "mottling" to the rudder on both sides in RLM 74 and 75.

    Bernard, I think I remember seeing that on one of Franks postings... Golden indeed !

    Thanks gentlemen !

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    Louis Gardner said 6 years, 6 months ago:

    Tonight I completed the last "Wurger"...

    I added the light "exhaust" weathering to the fuselage sides and underneath the fuselage as well. Then I added a little dust to the tread surfaces of the tires. I painted the wing tip and rudder navigation lights, then the little landing gear position indicators on the top surface of each wing...


    Once that was done, I installed the antennae lead in cable...

    Now that the last FW-190 has been completed, it was time for a family reunion photo...

    and another photo was taken from a different perspective.

    I am very pleased with how these turned out, and will be writing articles for each 190, and posting up some more photos during the reveal for each plane.

    I would like to thank my friend Dave Thomas for hosting this outstanding Group Build. I also would like to thank each and every one of you who have cheered me on by posting comments along the way.

    Lastly, I would like to thank Martin and his staff at Imodeler for maintaining this wonderful website that allows us to post our work and make new friends.

    So I'm done with this build log... The journey has been completed. They say that every good thing must come to an end. Please keep an eye out for the future articles in the headlines section.

    Take care, and as usual, "Comments are Encouraged" !

    Now on to finish the 1/48 scale He-111's, (or possibly the 1/48 ICM Do-17), but then again, the Airfix BP Defiant is almost completed now too... and would probably be the easiest one to get completed.

    Decisions, decisions.

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    Paul Barber said 6 years, 6 months ago:

    Louis, these are the photos we have all been waiting for! What a magnificent project! I absolutely love the way each has its own character. The composition of that first photo of the 4 is brilliant, too. Your research and commentary throughout these builds has been first rate. What stands out for me however is the outstanding quality of the painting and finishing. The most important thing to a modeller is what it all looks like in the end. Every one of these delivers and their paint jobs - full of contrast on the individual models, and therefore showing brilliant contrast between each Wurger, are just beautiful. This has been a history lesson, a tutorial in modelling and the perfect demonstration of how to realise a concept from start to finish. We are lucky to have you here! Thanks and congratulations!

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    Bernard E. Hackett, Jr. said 6 years, 6 months ago:

    Marvelous representative collection of the Wurger family. Well done!

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    Pedro L. Rocha said 6 years, 6 months ago:

    Taking the risk of being called an echo I’d say that not only by the quality of each model but also for the fact that it is a unique quadruple built marathon of one specific subject (and what a subject it is!), your Kasserine entry deserves all praises. For a Luftwaffe buf like me, your work here as been both a source of fun, jealousy and mojo. Can’t wait to see more like this posted, and I eagerly await that He.111 completed.

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    Louis Gardner said 6 years, 6 months ago:

    Thanks gents for the kind words in closing. This has been one of my favorite builds so far. The kits fit together very well, and I didn't experience too many set backs. I am very happy with the choices of markings for the different planes. Each one is different from the other in more ways than one.

    I hope this build log will inspire others to go out and build up a few planes. For me the hardest part is getting started on one and then getting mired down in the details of historical "accuracy". On the "Otto Kittel" plane, I just winged it, and made an educated guess as to how the plane would have looked like prior to an application of winter white wash. I have always wanted to build a summer time FW from JG-54 and this is what I came up with. If I had an A5 version, I probably would have built one of Emil Lang's birds with a little splash of tan or light brown thrown in for good measure...

    Anyhow, I sincerely appreciate all of the comments and assistance with finding out how Yellow 1 was painted... among other things.

    Thanks again !