nimrod54

I've had quite a productive weekend, in the main due to some wet weather. That allowed me to work on the mottling on the fuselage sides and tail. I also made a start on the decals, I got the main ones on yesterday the decals on - those on the tail coming from the spares box, and after a spot of gardening this morning, I started adding the stencils. There are around a dozen more to go on the fuselage and underside which I should be able to sort tomorrow. by John L, on Flickr by John L, on Flickr by John L, on Flickr Back with another update soon. John

I have brushed on the main camouflage colours over the course of this week. I'll try and get the mottling done during the next few days and then I should be able to start on the decals next week. by John L, on Flickr by John L, on Flickr by John L, on Flickr Regards John

Thanks Stix. I had the 1st cycle yesterday, one of the side effects of the Oxaliplatin is that you can't touch anything cold and/or metallic. This leaves me with a numbness and tingling in my fingers, I am looking to source some plastic handles for my scalpel blades, and sanding sticks will help with tidying the joints. I am going to tape up the ferrules on my paint brushes and have a go at adding more paint over the weekend. I should be able to manage that. The side effects aren't too bad at present but could worsen over the course of treatment, the next cycle is due in three weeks so I would like to try and finish this before then. Regards John

Thanks for the comment buddy. I need to find a suitable box frame with enough depth to accommodate it, then it can be displayed properly. From what I have found so far I think that it will need to be a custom made job. Regards John

Thanks Ian, I have recovered the missing pitot and this has been reattached. If it comes off again I will replace it with some Albion Alloys tubing. I brushed on a third coat of Hannant's Acrylix RLM 76 this afternoon. This is how things look tonight. by John L, on Flickr by John L, on Flickr I have the first of six cycles of chemotherapy treatment later this week, so I am not sure when the next update will be, but I hope to be back at the bench soon - side effects permitting. Cheers for now. John

I finished the gunsight late in the afternoon today. It was tricky at times, trying to determine how the etch crosshair sight was one example, I am still not sure that I have got that right, but it was the only workable solution that I could come up with. I finished the final assembly work a little while ago and popped outside to grab a couple of photos. The completed panel. by John L, on Flickr And a shot with a 1/48 Tamiya 109E in the foreground. by John L, on Flickr Thanks to all who have stuck around for this build, and my apologies for not completing it in time for end of the GB. Cheers for now. John

I added the decals to the remaining panels this morning and once they were dry I sealed them in with a coat of matt varnish. by John L, on Flickr The panels were then fixed to the lower section along with the remaining details like handles, etch data plates etc. There are a couple of handles to add to this to complete it. This is how the two main panels look so far. by John L, on Flickr The next job is to paint and assemble the gunsight, this can then be fixed to the upper panel. Back with more soon. John

I bought the kit back in 2012 as something a bit different. It has been in and out of the box several times since, this time I decided that it was about time that I put it together. As you say, it's a shame that they are so expensive on the second hand market. Regards. John

Well folks, following a brief interlude over in the 109 GB, I got back to work here. I had filled in the hole for the lost gunsight in between, and today I fixed the canopy in place, masked it off and painted the outside with the interior colour. by John L, on Flickr by John L, on Flickr I had also added the engine section by this stage and once the paint had dried it was time to mask that area, along with the wheel bay that was not covered by the closed undercarriage doors. I used some White Tac for the masking and then give the model a primer coat using Citadel Grey Seer. by John L, on Flickr I will let that dry before I give it a polish and then I can start to get the RLM 76 on. The observant ones amonst you may have noticed that the pitot has done a bunk, it didn't survive the masking phase. Wadda ya gonna do! Cheers. John

I got back to work on the Bf 109E instrument panel on Monday and have been adding bezels and placards to both upper and lower sections since. The upper panel is almost complete whilst the lower requires a few more bells and whistles to finish it off. by John L, on Flickr I'll try to get this finished over the weekend. John

Messerschmitt Bf 109G-6 Trop Staffelkapitan Oblt. Dietrich Boesler, 12./JG 27 Summer 1943, Tanagra, Greece Airfix 1/72 and EagleCals sheet EC#28 by John L, on Flickr by John L, on Flickr by John L, on Flickr by John L, on Flickr by John L, on Flickr Link to Build John.

Many thanks again, Greg. I've spent today scratching a few details. The pennant on the aerial mast was up first, punching out a 2mm disc of sheet plastic and gluing this to the radio mast. I then had a go at making a DF loop using some brass wire and roughing out a base from a piece of scrap plastic, it looks okay when the 6ft rule is adopted. The final minor detail was to add a small piece of stretch sprue between the nose and the Sand Filter cover to represent the mechanism for closing this. Regards. John Cheers Steve, there is certainly a wide variety of schemes available, I don't think that I have seen so many options of a type represented in one place before. And thanks for your best wishes for my treatment. Regards. John I finally completed this one today, and it is my first completion for 2026. Hopefully I can get a few more done before the end of the year. by John L, on Flickr by John L, on Flickr I will post some more photos over in the gallery shortly. Thanks to all for both the comments on my build and also for the well wishes. Back soon. 🤞🤞 John

Thanks Greg, and here is the next update. I have spent most of the day working on the decals and stencils. There are another couple of small details to scratch build - the pennant being one of them. I should get this one finished tomorrow. by John L, on Flickr by John L, on Flickr Back with more tomorrow. John

Thanks guys, at least I know what to expect this time around, one of the side effects is not being able to touch things that are too cold or metallic. Last time I had to wear gloves to get anything out of the fridge and ended up buying a small set of cutlery with wooden handles. Anyway on with the model building. I tried my hand at mottling with a combination of small pieces of sponge and a stippling brush. I stippled on a light coat of the paler grey (Revell 47) around the centre fuselage and rudder then used the same brush to add the darker of the two colours (Revell 69). Here are the results, it's not too bad for a first attempt using this technique. by John L, on Flickr by John L, on Flickr A couple of gloss coats next and then I can start adding the decals. Cheers John

Thanks for your kind comment Greg, the brush painting went well using a combination of Revell Aqua Color and Hannant's Xtracrylix. Now lets see if I am as successful with the mottling. Not your fault at all Jean, the last couple of years I have been receiving cancer treatment, so the modelling area is littered with kits that have been started and almost completed and not a lot of posting from me. Caron has been amazing over that time and the Black Beauty continues to keep us both on our toes - at the age of 9 years next month she still behaves like a puppy, and is showing no signs of calming down. I was determined to post more model builds this year, but there are a couple of lymph nodes that are misbehaving. After attending the Oncology clinic today we have decided that the best option going forwards is going to be another 6 cycles of chemotherapy, which I am due to start in a couple of weeks. I am trying to get this and my Airfix FW 190 wrapped up before then, and to try and start another couple of builds at a later date, if I feel up to it. Regards John