obdl3945

Lovely work... I like it all, but the rib detail and painting on the undersides of the wings is first class... well done.

Great work, Cris... I like this a lot. Well done... ;-).

Well, you had me fooled... I thought they were plastic kits. Having said that, they're beautiful and I don't really know which one I like best, so I'll just like them both in equal measure... ;-).

Excellent finish on this kit. I like Lukgraph kits, too... already have the Friedrichshafen FF33L, and recently bought the Rumpler 6B.1. You've certainly put in the hours on this build and it shows... very well done ;-).

Certainly worth the time and effort, Carlos. A beautiful end result... well done.

Well, whatever your issues in completing this kit, it was certainly worth revisiting... a lovely looking model. I remember the original kit from the mid 70s, which I got as a Christmas present. I loved it then and still do now. Well done... ;-).

Beautiful work, Oliver. Colour scheme and weathering is excellent... ;-).

Very nice work, Allan... . Looks like you sprayed the streaking? It came out very well, and the first time I think I've seen a 'sprayed' streaked finish. Like yourself, aftermarket transfers for this style of finish are not my favourites; I prefer the old 'paintbrush & drybrush-style' routine. Regards, Paul

Lovely work, Dmitry... ;-).

Best wishes to everyone... have a happy time :-).

Excellent Ju87... I especially like the fact that your splinter pattern is properly laid out as per actual Luftwaffe painting instructions; nice sharp lines as well, and the weathering is very good too. Your other kits look fine as well... keep up the good work. Well done... ;-).

Really nice work... well done ;-).

Jaro, there is definitely nothing wrong with your modelling/painting/weathering skills. This '109' is superb, and I also like the 'used' look, so the rather run down appearance of your kit is excellent. Regarding the Stuka, please don't wait for a few years, build it soon. Building models is like learning to ride a bicycle or driving a car after you've passed your driving test - you need to keep at it initially so you build up your confidence, then things will start to come to you more naturally and you'll wonder why you were hesitant in the first place. Also, I don't think the gentleman who asked you to build the Stuka for him lacks any confidence in your capabilities, otherwise he wouldn't have suggested you build it for him. Below, my two 1/24 scale Ju87s, both built a few years ago now; the first is a B-2 version, and the second, worked back to an R-1 with fuel tanks. It's an old kit now, but still got life in it. Best wishes, and keep up the good work. Regards, Paul

Great work, Seamus... I appreciate you saying you had some issues during the build, but it's still a lovely end result. I like the subtle highlighting of the external detail, very smart. Regards, Paul

Only what I've come to expect from you, Giampiero... exellence. Very well done ;-). Regards, Paul

A first class finish on this one, an old favourite of mine from childhood that still stands up pretty well today... well done :-). Regards, Paul

Lovely work, Mike. I also took a look in on your website and your other kits are every bit as good... you have made some really lovely models. As a relatively recent modeller of WW1 kits, also only in 1/32 scale, I appreciate the time put into these builds. My dad used to build 1/48 scale WW1 kits from the 'Aurora' range. I now largely stick to WW2 Luftwaffe subjects, mostly in 1/72 scale, but I enjoy the larger-scale WW1 offerings. As your latest build here is a Lukgraph kit, you may be interested in their Friedrichshafen FF33L... it's a beautiful seaplane and a great model when finished; you can see my build of it here: https://imodeler.com/members/paulh/ Keep up the good work... 😉. Regards, Paul

Great work, Oliver... I like the overall Sandgelb scheme. I sometimes think the bigger German aircraft which operated in the Mediterranean area look better in this scheme, but I do like the challenge of styles as well. Very nicely finished... well done. Regards, Paul

Great work on this one, Andy... I really like the yellow engine fronts. Would you be able to tell me what unit this aircracft was assigned to? Regards, Paul

Duncan... I have managed to find space in one of my display cabinets. It was, admittedly, difficult, and I accidentally caused a collision with another kit at the back of the cabinet in the process! Surprisingly, it isn't a noticeable piece of damage and everything looks in the correct place, but that kit rattles slightly if I pick it up. Oh dear, but something that can wait until I next change the display around. Fortunately, the Gotha got away unscathed. I'm just glad that I'm long past hanging things from the ceiling - everything on a level surface these days... ;-). Regards, Paul

Nice work, Brad. May I ask if you made the floats yourself, or are they accessory pieces? If the latter, what company makes them? Thanks, Paul

Lovely work, Ian. A very realistic winter finish. I've built this Airfix Do17Z as well, and I think you had the same issue as me with the four small transparencies on the upper fuselage/wing centre, where they are a tight fit. The Airfix transparencies are quite accommodating so these small items can be sanded smooth, properly cleaned with a little Revell Paint Remover which dries ultra quick and clears away any gunk, and the clear parts can then be returned to full clarity with a careful application of Future/Pledge using a small paint brush. The same is true of the He111 kit, where the side windows don't fit properly. I sanded those down and tidied them up before painting. Notwithstanding, your model is excellent and well illustrates your skills. Very well done... 😉. Regards, Paul

Thanks once again, guys, for your very kind comments. Joachim... a nice thought to make a diorama, but it was difficult enough getting the finished kit into a display cabinet. Maybe some day... Regards, Paul

Guys, thanks for your kind comments and 'likes'; they're much appreciated. Providence, the model stands 12.5cms (upperwing mid section) to 13.5cms (upperwing tip), about 37cms long and full wingspan is about 80cms... it's big! 😲

Hi, guys... It's been a while since I posted here on Britmodeller, so I thought you might like to see the latest addition to my collection. This is the wonderful Gotha G.IV kit from Wingnut Wings. It's a large kit when finished, with a wingspan of almost three feet, but like any other model, spend a little time and you'll likely end up with a good outcome. So, to begin with, I painted and assembled the fuselage floor, bulkheads and cockpit area. Everything you see in this first image comes from the kit and I especially liked the seatbelts, oxygen bottles and the instrument decals, all of which bring great realism to the model. The floor was given an enamel undercoat of pale khaki, then overpainted using burnt sienna oil paint from the Cass Art range. I was very pleased with the wood effect on the floor and bulkheads. In this next photo, the framing around the cockpit has been added in and its rigging shows up well. The 'steering wheel' control mechanism is well produced, as are the integrally-moulded fuselage frames, although some of the cockpit areas in my kit had a lot of ejector pin marks. These were in tricky areas in some instances, but all were easily enough removed. The majority were on the right side of the fuselage, so had to be addressed, as they would have been very prominent if left unattended. I took this photo after the fuselage was closed up, and you can see some of the detail in the gunner/bomb-aimer's forward position including the bomb release mechanism and the oxygen bottle. Once I was happy with the internal areas of the fuselage, I moved on to building the engines, leaving one covered and the other without its engine panels in order to show the detail. The central section of the bottom wing was also painted up and the walkways painted metallic and then blackwashed to give a bit of a 'worn' look. I liked the fine detail on the radiator grills and the exhaust pipes came up very well with their grungy appearance; this was oil paint used again, and blackwashed. After varnishing the fuselage, the relevant decals were attached and the external fuselage rigging - which extends to the tail and connects with the control surfaces - was added on at this point and later tidied up when the elevators and rudder were attached. The few transparent pieces included in the kit are small, but are very clear and fit well. Some additional blackwashing was applied to both the panels and small fitments on the fuselage sides, and the engine cowlings. Moving on to the wings, both upper and lower surfaces were painted in the dark grey-blue, with the exception of the underside of the top wing, which like the engine covers, struts, wheel hubs and fuselage and nose panels, were left in the extremely pale blue shade, almost an off-white tone. Adhesive tape was added to cover the wing ribs after a whilte undercoat had been applied, thereafter being oversprayed in dark brown in a non-uniform manner before the tapes were removed. When this happened, the original white undercoat was again uncovered on the ribs, and these were later given an overspray in the relevant camouflage colour... ...which in turn, was a process that was helpful in drawing back any excess of the brown paint and also helped to remove the white and bring the ribs, generally speaking, back to the appropriate colour. I deliberately left them slightly 'untidy' in their appearance as I felt this gave a good final presentation. Once varnished, the national markings were applied. So, in the following image, you can see the extent of the wingspan with the lower wing sections now in situ; the cabane struts have also been attached. The Gotha's wings had noticeable dihedral and on such a large kit, you may think this would be difficult to effect properly, but the lower wings have the correct dihedral built into them and have quite a bit of 'play' as well, and the top wing, after securing the rather flimsy lower central section into place, rests easily on the cabane struts and engine frame struts without any additional support required at this stage. Now you can see that I have started to attach the interplane struts; I rigged the inner areas between the engines and fuselage first as these are the most difficult to get access to and some of the rigging crosses over other lengths of rigging diagonally and therefore, awkwardly... patience is definitely needed here, and possibly a leather mouthpiece to bite into if/when things don't go according to plan - you don't want to scare the neighbours with aggressive yelling, cursing and swearing at the top of your voice! 🤬 🤣 The cabane struts and each section, moving gradually out towards the wing tips, were rigged in their entirety before moving on to the next. The struts themselves were easily inserted into their location holes due to the 'play' in the wings, and this flexibility was very much instrumental in making the whole rigging process much easier. I resisted all thoughts of turning the kit upside down to complete the rigging under the top wing, instead electing to use two blocks of upholstery foam to support the model while accessing these areas in order to attach the turnbuckles into the leading and trailing edge points. The larger block of foam, which stood about four inches tall, allowed me to tilt the model forward onto its nose, thus giving better access to the trailing edge. The thinner strip of foam was used to support the undercarriage and raise the front of the kit, thus giving better access to the leading edges. In the latter process, it's good to remember to position the tail against something solid in order to support the model and minimise the likelihood of it slipping off the foam, and this should be done before attaching the tail control surfaces. All of the above negates the requirement to move the model around as it takes on more and more weight and size, and also reduces the need, in my opinion, to go boring right through the upper wing to draw rigging through before secuing it. I have seen this done online and admire modellers who use this method, but I wouldn't have confidence to try that, and given the rarity and cost of obtaining the model nowadays, I feel my method is every bit as effective. The rigging was completed using elasticated thread and the turnbukles came from the excellent GasPatch range. These last few photos show the model in its final stages of construction. All control surfaces are attached and rigging finished; upper wing fuels tanks, MG mounts and the guns themselves, the bombsight and all external ordinance has been added, and only a space in the cabinet needs to be found! All enamel paints used were from the Humbrol range and markings largely from the WnW kit itself, although the 'Lori2' markings were taken from the Pheon decals after-market offering for this model. So, I hope you have enjoyed seeing the photos from my build. There is a more extensive build article which you can access here: https://imodeler.com/groups/imperial-german-air-service-luftwaffe-group-build-may-1st-1910-to-present-day/forum/topic/wnw-gotha-g-iv-1-32-scale/, and I've made a YouTube video which you may also find interesting, available to view here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yQqvVuxKUyM. Thanks for looking in... ;-). Regards, Paul