Sgt.Squarehead's 'Iraqi' Bf.110

[Sgt.Squarehead]

Finally got the last of the decals on the airframe (still six to do on the props, but they can wait):

 

 

 

 

It's 75% coated with Klear ready for some oils, going to try using my usual AFV weathering techniques, but very, very sparingly. 

[Sgt.Squarehead]

The Klear's done and I've also prepped the props for the final few decals, while everything cures I've been searching for images of weathering on the 110 and found this one:

 

 

Consequently I'm a lot less happy about my choice of base colour than I was. 

 

 

[Thud4444]

You hand painted that shark mouth?  That's impressive.   Really impressive.  

 

 

 

[Sgt.Squarehead]

Cheers. 

 

Sadly, further research suggests my teeth may be a bit too small:

 

 

Not to mention the camo (and possibly the decals) being completely and utterly wrong too! 

 

Why couldn't I find these pictures before I painted the bloody thing.....Oh well, I'm not repainting it now. 

 

I'm not finding very many useful photos of the weathering on the undersides of this thing, this one seems to have sprung a leak on the port underside inboard of the engine.....It looks kind of cool so I might have a go at reproducing it:

 

 

It also appears to demonstrate that I need to add some more bracing to the long-range tanks.....Stretched sprue should suffice. 

 

PS - Looking at those photos and then looking again at the Airfix efforts, I'm now doubly convinced that a panel line wash would be utterly superfluous on this model.  Indeed avoiding giving it one through capilliary action may prove to be a rather tricky proposal, given that the kit has been so generously provided with irrigation canals.....Whatever were they thinking? 

 

 

[Sgt.Squarehead]

Having a go at some fuel & oil stains using the dot & drag technique discussed elsewhere.

 

Dots, these were somewhat overgenerous as TBH I'm a bit tired and I was rushing things:

 

 

Drag, one pass with a scruffy old brush barely damp with white spirit:

 

 

Wasn't too happy with the differing colours, so I added an extra dot from the darker end of my mix and dragged it all again:

 

 

At his point I removed some of the excessively long stains with a piece of kitchen roll moistened with a single drop of white spirit:

 

 

Fairly pleased with the distribution and colours, but it's all much too strong, so I blotted it gently with a piece of dry kitchen roll:

 

 

Now we're getting there, but the stains are currently still much too strong and also very delicate, so I am chilling out, typing all of this and generally not worrying about until the oils have settled down a bit.....I'll essentially be repeating the dragging process until I'm happy with it. 

 

 

 

 

[Pete in Lincs]

I'd go for a little less too.

But about the same on the underside.

As for the panel lines on the fuselage,

you can just about see them on that

second picture. I'd go for a subtle wash

with a slightly darker brown.

And the teeth look good to me too!

[Sgt.Squarehead]

Cheers Pete.....Just finished reducing the stains to the level I'm after, I had to concentrate so just a couple of pictures (I'm really missing my wireless Eye-Fi setup). 

 

Happy with the fuel stains, but took the oil stain back to far:

 

 

Damn the Airfix decals look poor at this magnification.....The Revell one above is miles better! 

 

Here's how it looks from a more reasonable viewing distance:

 

 

 

[CedB]

Looks good to me Sarge, as does the shark mouth. Good job!

[Sgt.Squarehead]

Cheers Ced. 

 

I'll be messing with this for literally days now I've got started, it's changed again since the last photo and will no doubt continue to do so for some time yet.....As I said in PC's thread, once I get started with this I really get into it, the end results may not always be exactly what I'd like, but I have a lot of fun trying to get there! 

[CedB]

It's encouraged me to try oils again - the Guache set I bought got used once for a rubbish attempt at 'blending' and then put away. With your tips above I think I'll give it another go.

Thanks Sarge!

[Sgt.Squarehead]

Glad it's encouraged you Ced.....The really good thing about oils is that you can just keep on messing! 

 

If it goes utterly pear-shaped, just moisten some kitchen roll with white spirit and (gently) take it all off again. 

[TheBaron]

3 hours ago, Sgt.Squarehead said:

e kit has been so generously provided with irrigation canals.....Whatever were they thinking? 

Dual-use. Like the Italeri Sunderland that can also be used to grate cheese in a catering emergency. Your 110 can be used as a Güiro to join in with the band :

 

Your gravy-stains are coming along very nicely on those undersides in the latter photos Sgt. 

[Sgt.Squarehead]

Cheers.....I think! 

 

Not too sure what colour avgas (did these things burn avgas) stains should be.....Still got a good day or more to change it yet, if it's massively wrong? 

[Sgt.Squarehead]

2 hours ago, Pete in Lincs said:

As for the panel lines on the fuselage,

you can just about see them on that

second picture. I'd go for a subtle wash

with a slightly darker brown.

 

I pretty soon came to the conclusion that you are right, but for a slightly different reason, the areas which have received an incidental wash as a result of doing the streaking contrast too strongly with the other panel lines, so I have have just given them all one of the thinnest pin-washes I've ever mixed.....Done in-situ by adding more tiny dots of paint and then deliberately doing exactly what I said not to do above, flooding them out with white spirit. 

 

This has had a pretty catastrophic effect on the streaking so I've removed it completely and will lay it down again over the panel wash.....Hopefully it should look a bit more convincing this time round. 

[SleeperService]

You're being hard on yourself Sarge. The shark mouth looks fine, the picture shows they varied and you're in the right ball park. As to the base colour nick a trick from AFV model making and dry brush a lighter shade of the base colour over what you've done. Repeat will lighter dry brushes of lighter shades and you can make it any colour you want! The markings are new so no problems there.

 

Have fun. The Dark side that is aircraft modelling is tricky is it not?

[Arniec]

Or another AFV trick. Use a filter of while to lighten the topcolour.

 

Cheers,

[Sgt.Squarehead]

 

I'm going to have to put up with the base colour, but I am in the process of doing a dust filter right now as it goes, using flesh rather than white.....Will be messing around with this for for ages yet. 

[Pete in Lincs]

There are those who take this

modeling lark too seriously.

 

Fun and messing about suits me!

 

Who was it said that sometimes the

journey is more important than the

destination?

[Sgt.Squarehead]

Quite agree Pete.....I'm having some fun, it's the first time I've tried to do this with an aircraft kit, maybe I'll discover some new things, maybe I won't. 

 

Since my last post I've added dot filters using Naples Yellow, Flesh and Raw Sienna.....Here's the current state of play:

 

 

Finally a reasonable photo.....These big flat glossy surfaces are just not something that I'm used to working on, or photographing! 

 

Notice I took yersterdays fuel stains off completely (oils are great like that).....Can anyone tell me what colour they should actually be? 

[Learstang]

 I think you're doing fine, Sarge. Especially for a tanker (or is that tankist? Tankovik, maybe?)!

 

Regards,

 

Jason

Edited December 19, 2016 by Learstang

[Sgt.Squarehead]

Cheers Jason, part of the issue is knowing what order to do things, it's very different to working on a tank.....I think I now know how to go about things on the other wing and the undersides now, but the fuselage will be a whole new experience and those bloody great panel lines will be very much working against me. 

[Martian]

That looks just about right now. Don't forget that the final; matt coat will lighten the finish a bit and bring it closer to the pictures you have.

 

Martian

[Sgt.Squarehead]

Funnily enough I was just wondering about that.....Will the contrast increase or decrease do you think? 

 

I've toned everything right back at the moment, I'm happy with the filters which I think are reasonably subtle, but I'd like to make some of the oil and fuel streaking (when I redo it) a little more defined.  I also plan to 'map' some dust & grime onto the inboard upper wings, where the crew and mechanics would clamber around. 

 

 

[Learstang]

I may well be alone in this, but I rather like the Airfix Bf 110 kit. I have to admit never having seen the Eduard offering(s) that people rave about, but my Airfix Bf 110C went together very nicely and I like it, and I'm not exactly a huge Bf 110 fan (perhaps that's why I like it as I wouldn't know any inaccuracies unless they jumped up and hit me on the head). Regarding the panel lines that seem to cause some around here to have seizures and start speaking in tongues, they don't particularly bother me. I tend to be a bit generous (read heavy-handed) with my coats of primer, followed by equally generous coats of camouflage paint. Delicate 'scale' panel lines whither under this chromatic onslaught, but more 'robust' panel lines work out well for me. To each her or his own, I suppose. As a matter of fact, I'm working on a High Planes Beaufighter Mk.Ic which despite its decidedly short-run nature is actually a rather nice, accurate kit. It has very nicely-done, delicate panel lines, almost scale, that stand little or no chance against the painting barrage that I shall soon of habit be directing against them. What amuses me about this whole panel line debate is that sometimes I will read where a modeller complains about heavy panel lines, then they accent the living blazes out of them to where they look like the plates were a scale 1 inch apart in real life! Again, to each their own. Whatever you do with yours, just make sure you like it. As has often been said, that's all that matters, as you're the one who laid down the quid and put in the effort on this model.

 

Regards,

 

Jason

[Sgt.Squarehead]

That's precisely my problem Jason, these panel lines need no accenting at all TBH, but it's almost impossible to work on the model with oils without the panel lines taking their share.....What I'm trying to achieve is an accent that doesn't exaggerate them to the point of screaming at you. 

 

Where black has got into the panel lines I'm dragging it aft, hopefully to give the impression of an oil spill or leak that has later been blown away in the airflow (and hopefully thus to deceive the viewer into believing that the panel line really isn't too black after all).....Here's where I'm at now:

 

 

With the other untouched wing for comparison: