109 fan Posted October 1, 2017 Author Share Posted October 1, 2017 The final trim panting is done and she's nearly ready for decals. The AMG kit has a rather nice representation of the early wooden prop. The colors are open to interpretation, but I decided on silberweiss for the front of the blades and black on the reverse. The central portion is Gunze RLM 02. The small cap is one of two versions provided by AMG, the other lacks the central hole seen here. For this piece I simply rubbed some Uschi Van der Rosten chrome powder directly on the unpainted plastic. It adds some interest to overall appearance of the plane. 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wm Blecky Posted October 2, 2017 Share Posted October 2, 2017 You've certainly made a silk purse out of a sow's ear Barry. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
One-Two Posted October 2, 2017 Share Posted October 2, 2017 The propeller looks really nice and I think is also correctly represented...historically speaking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
109 fan Posted October 4, 2017 Author Share Posted October 4, 2017 Thank you, gentlemen. Decals are on. These Cartograf decals are excellent. There is virtually no excess clear film and they settle down very nicely with Gunze Mr. Mark Softener. Next will come a very light clear coat to remove some blemishes, then on to the oil wash. Despite being very simple, these markings really complement the silberweiss finish. 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
109 fan Posted October 5, 2017 Author Share Posted October 5, 2017 Tonight I did some touch ups on the silver and added sprayed clear gloss over the decals. This eliminated some marks left by the Gunze Mr Mark Softener. As I mentioned before, this is a very "hot" solution. You do not want to let it puddle on the decal; even though it wants to. Keep spreading it with a paintbrush as much as possible. Despite my best efforts, there were some spots but the Gunze GX-100, well thinned (6/1), made them disappear nicely. I've also started the oil wash process. This will probably take up to three sessions. I don't want over accentuate the panel lines, since they are practically invisible in photos. I have seen some photos however, that do show some distinct panels, probably after the planes have spent some time in the field. These very early 109s seem to have been repainted frequently. In fact there seems to be no standardization to them at all. The same airframe will show different sized codes during its service, prop changes from fixed pitch wooden to variable pitch metal, and cowl panels showing variations of vents that just shouldn't be. Then there is the temptation for some artistic license... Anyway, here's where she stands at the moment. 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
109 fan Posted October 6, 2017 Author Share Posted October 6, 2017 Tonight I finished the oil wash and weathering then sealed everything under a coat of Gx-100 clear. Now on to adding the canopy frames. I used the technique I first tried on my Bf 108 from earlier this year. Cleal decal paper was painted RLM 02, then gloss black, and finally Silberweiss. This time I embossed the screws using a Rosie the Riveter with 0.065 spacing. A few of the frames have been applied to test the effect. 10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
109 fan Posted October 8, 2017 Author Share Posted October 8, 2017 The canopy framing is complete. I tried to replicate the placement of screws and overlapping frames of the original. This was made much easier by referring to a Russian publication that literally dissects "6-15", a 109 Anton that was captured in Spain, transported to and evaluated in Russia, abandoned, then recaptured by the Germans. The photos in the book have been posted frequently on the web, so it shouldn't be too hard to find them. The screws were replicated on the decal strips with both a Rosie the Riveter and the Radu Brinzen riveter, which is actually a very small beading tool. This was only used on the curved panel at the rear of the canopy. Using painted decal strips can be a challenge. You have to use a softener like Micro Sol to get them to bend around curves on the canopy. So you are frequently guessing as the final positioning. When the decal begins to soften, it does so quickly and often becomes too soft to move around without distorting it. Fortunately I only had to remove one of the frames for being noticeably misplaced. With the framing done it is on to the home stretch. Here I have attached the landing gear and stabilizer bracing struts. More soon, thanks for looking and your comments along the way. 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
109 fan Posted October 10, 2017 Author Share Posted October 10, 2017 I don't remember when this project transitioned from drudgery to fun, but it has become a very enjoyable project. She's on her legs now. Just a handful of parts remain. I'll say again that this model is, despite the fit challenges, an accurate replica. I used the Thinnerline cutter to make masks for the tailwheel. It took two attempts. After roughly painting the tailwheel PollyScale grimy black, I cut a mask to spray the RLM 02 wheel. The tailwheel hub is rather ill-defined so plotting the center can involve some guesswork; both sides were slightly off. No problem; I cut a slightly smaller circle to mask the wheel and spray the tire. This time it was successful. Just a quick testimony to the usefulness and capabilities of the Thinnerline. 11 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corsairfoxfouruncle Posted October 10, 2017 Share Posted October 10, 2017 Your work is impeccable and beautiful. Glad to hear you're nearing completion and looking forward to seeing this in the RFI Section. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
109 fan Posted October 11, 2017 Author Share Posted October 11, 2017 I can hardly believe it, but the Anton is done. It has been a hate/love relationship with this kit. I hated it at the start; the stupid engineering, ill-fitting parts and somewhat gummy feeling plastic. But the further it progressed, the more I liked it. The shape is good and there is enough photo-etch and resin included to make up a decent out of the box build. The landing gear doors provided the most drama tonight. Photo-etched parts always give me grief. Even PollyScale paint, which usually sticks to everything, including the airbrush guts, flakes off of these beauties. Very gentle handling minimized this, but that coupled with alignment challenges caused me to make a combined seven attempts to get them right. Tiny drops of white glue were used first, followed with thin superglue. Then these spots were touched up with paint. The rest moved quickly. Among the final steps was making the wingtip lights using tiny drops of white glue tinted with food coloring. They were applied with a piece of stretched sprue. Here are a few photos taken right after completion. I'll take some glamor shots later including some of the undersurface. Again, thank you for the comments and compliments along the way. Now...which one will be next. I'll tell you, I've taken a liking to silver 109s... 17 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
One-Two Posted October 11, 2017 Share Posted October 11, 2017 What a beauty! Excellent replica, congratulations! If my 6-7 will turn to be only half of good as yours, I will be a happy man. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rgb40 Posted October 11, 2017 Share Posted October 11, 2017 I think you have outdone yourself on this one Barry. WOW George Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
109 fan Posted October 12, 2017 Author Share Posted October 12, 2017 Thank you, gentlemen. It was a fun ride. I'll post more photos in the Ready for Inspection section. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stew Dapple Posted October 12, 2017 Share Posted October 12, 2017 Lovely job mate Cheers, Stew Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beard Posted October 12, 2017 Share Posted October 12, 2017 That's really rather splendid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CedB Posted October 12, 2017 Share Posted October 12, 2017 Superb Barry. That canopy framing is amazing at this scale, great job Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shortCummins Posted October 12, 2017 Share Posted October 12, 2017 impressive build, even more so at 1/72 rgds john(shortCummins) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duncan B Posted October 12, 2017 Share Posted October 12, 2017 Another fabulous build, in the last series of photos it gives the impression of being a much larger scaled model. That is due to your amazing attention to detail and neatness. I might be tempted to have a go at one of mine after all ! Duncan B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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