Jpthedog

Built properly Pat?? Not sure about that - I don't like cockpits/cabins so they usually just get a cursery dab of paint with no add ons! Glazed windscreen a bit wider than the fuselage? Maybe just me. Pics following. JP

Finishing straight for the two Heller GB Bf108's and the local club weekly build night, prompted me to get another Heller kit out and start building. Bought this in a 'new' boxing' about 20 years ago and thought why not - its a simple build again. Apologies to Jockney for copying him with the model and indeed the colours! Box and decals - great looking 1930s Frenchness! Sprues Definately Heller.... Two hours work - in between distractions of our Zoom meeting! Should be a nice easy build. JP

Quick update Decals on both models and now adding final details - prop, undercarriage, pitot, aerials, exhausts etc Will be finished this week and onto the next Heller classic!

Looking good Pat. I cracked this kit open on Tuesday to work on during our weekly club build night. I was prepared for the 'bright scheme and interesting to read that it may have been silver and red. I've looked out a suitable looking yellow - Xtracrylix RLM2 - but may consider a silver instead- to contrast with yours. I will post up my pics in this GB shortly, JP

Daylight pictures to show the Revell 54 blue colour - its a tad darker to be honest. Will be fine with a coat of Klear... JP

Dave thanks for the comments. Let me take a picture in daylight to see how the blue is looking. I think it's fine - who has a colour pic of the original to check?????, JP

A bit of progress onto the two Taifuns. Masked the rear windows with Maskol for a change, as I didnt want to risk pushing the transparency into the fuselage by using tape. Rest of canopy masked with Tamiya tape and a sharp scalpel. Next we are onto priming using Ultimate Primer for the fist time instead of my usual Tamiya from can. Grey (make that dark grey) - hope the top coat paintwork will look OK on such a dark base. The two Taifuns primed. Leave overnight to harden off. A very light rub with the foam backed sanding pads - 2500 grit? just to take off any roughness. Underside showing some minor additional scribed detail - looks OK even though the rest of the kit is raised panel lines. Revell 54 blue enamel sprayed on - the light not quite replicating the actual colour. Will let this dry a day or so then apply Klear for the decals and just to see what the paint looks like. Willie Messerchmitt's grey one using Hataka RLM63 - added a couple of drops of flow improver and didnt have any clogging this time!! Again has a nominal green tinge in real life. Underside detail again I will let harden for a day or two and then work out how I am painting the chrome strip around the glazed parts. Then get them ready for decalling. This Heller kit has a simplicity and looks reasonably detailed for the size and age. Enjoying the simple build. Cheers JP

Dave I've used Revell 56 matt enamel - I will coat with Klear and see how its looking after that

Thanks Jinxman Cheers Steve. Yes a simple but decent kit. Thanks Dave - what colours are you going to paint yours in? I have the Techmod decals - will be the dark blue one D-IBMY I thing the reg is. Canopies are cemented in and one is masked so I am leaving canopy as-is I think. The canopy is bordered by a silver frame which I am hoping covers the fault....

A bit of progress on the two 108's at the weekend. Fuselage together and interior painted. I also sprayed the wheel wells and added some small scribed details, copying them from my 1/48 version. Cockpit glazing not fitting as well as i thought despite numerous dry-fittings. i think the glazing is overall too wide for the fuselage - thats my excuse anyway!

Cheers Chris

Heinkel 111B-2 Pedro 25.7, Pedro 7 Condor Legion March 1938 Kit: Roden Paint: Hataka and Sovereign Decals: Steeworks DE Well I had heard that the kit was a difficult one so i was prepared, but it is frustrating more than anything with not much (anything) fitting but I battled on knowing most kits are buildable and here we are. A fair representation of the real thing form what i can see from old photos etc. and overall I am happy with it. Nominal weathering as I always bottle it and loose my way on this stage. Apologies for inside lighting (I missed the daylight hours!) Build log for anytone who missed it Thanks for your support and company - another enjoyable GB completed with moments to spare!!! JP

Last minute matte coat and adding of aerials etc. Will be finished in time! And here we are - one shot of the finished model. Some wee details I may still add..... And relax - good to finish another GB entry. JP

Cheers Heather - nice aircraft from the golden age. I have the Eduard 1/48 boxing too, so may dig that one out as reference. I noted that some were impressed into RAF service - camo schemes I think.

Dave thanks - yes plastic is decent in both kits. I agree, just a little detailing in the wheel wells at that scale will suffice. I am studying pics of the real aircraft as little details at that scale can elevate the finished model - he said!

Our local modelling group have started 'meeting' once a week via zoom for a build night which has been great for catching up, banter, nonesense and of course some actual modelling! I like to pick something that doesnt require painting, too many tools or concentration, so the perfect opportunity to crack open new kits and the Bf108s. Building both in unison - this is my progress for the 2 hours in between the banter The early 'instructions' - the newer ones provide a bit more guidance and give an order, but the old ones looked 'typed up' and very quaint, if you are into nostalgia and analogue modelling... Cockpit/cabin arrangement fixed to the the wings, quite tidy for a 50 year old kit and it makes you wonder why some current manufacturers, albeit short-run, have not progressed in moulding quality. I have the wing /fuselage joint to tidy up on both - top half of wing very flexible at that point. Also a little bit of sanding of the wing tips to remove, overlap. Wheel wells were bare so I added nominal detail with stretched sprue - no one looks underneath anyway..... Fabric flaps and ailerons in evidence. The pictures I have studied show a smoother fabric, will reduce under primer and paint hopefully. Thats me up to date but hopefully the weekend weather will mean more modelling time!! JP

Obligatory box and sprue shots Two different boxings My favourite of the two - easily! Great artwork and of course the old Heller box style. Old moulding - and dried up bulb of glue! New moulding not so appealing in 'peely wally' sand coloured plastic! Raised panel lines and fabric surfaces but we will live with that - its classic Heller after all! So another GB about to begin. First evenings progress to follow. JP

Nice one Steve - I am building two for this GB - started this week but not 100% of schemes. Good to see another one here, JP

Thanks Pat. Have looked both boxes out from the loft - box 1 - and ordered some Techmod decals - thinking one civil and one SCW but cant see any decals for the Condor Legion version. Hopefully simply builds!

A placeholder for this GB from me. I put my name down for this build earlier in the year and here we are without a definite choice of kit until today! I have the stash on a spreadsheet (!) so I listed all the Heller kits - 24 in total with a couple of duplicates. I thought about a smaller kit as I have a few other build on at the moment and not sure I am need a big build - Constellation, DC6, Noratlas taking up the bench space just now - a Stratoliner has that privilege! OK enough of the waffle - not sure I saw any other Bf108 Taifun's on the list, so I will build at least one of these. A really attractive aircraft in my opinion and small without being fiddly I think. Not got the kit from the loft, but at least I know I have one in box 1 and 6..... Scheme to be decided ,but I favour Spanish Condor Legion or D- civil from the 30's Looking forward to the build. JP

Great result Adrian. Really like it and when you consider what the kit started out like, the completed model shows great work. You opened the side vents and I did the grilles in the top - should have done both! Next time I am really tempted to do a civil version from the KP kit which I think is fairly available. Well done again.

Oh well GB end date and here's where we got to. Stumped by the undercarriage arrangement for both kits. Each having 10 pieces of plastic/metal (not shown) that somehow fall together. I will crack them and probably scratch build a new undercarriage to replace the white metal but I think it will be a challenge to get them correctly aligned and level . Enjoyed the first part of the double build.

Cheers Adrian. Yes Mil 4's seem popular. Green and blue not hugely interesting scheme, but hey ho. The civil one is really different and turned out well from the original kit.

Last day completion for me with my Mil 4 Hound from KP. The inspiration was an old Hound sitting at Chernoye, Moscow with various panels off and having been sat outside for probably years, heavily weathered and rusting away, but I bottled out of doing a similar treatment for my model presented here. I used Hi Decal Line aftermarket decals for the very simple and standard Russian AF scheme. Tamiya paints generally, but I went for Sovereign enamel for the underside. Opened up the vents in the nose and used a metal mesh as I felt this was prominent on the real aircraft. I maybe should have opened up the side vents, which I know are an option on other Hound kits. First helicopter for a lot of years and when I came to photograph it I realised it was more difficult than I imagined to get decent pictures. The build if anyone is interested Enjoyable GB and, as ever, time always runs away with me, leaving my 2 autogyros unfinished. The pictures:

D Day! Last day of GB and as usual I am working to the deadline! State of play Saturday afternoon.... My preferred wheel painting method..., cut out masks and then spray the hubs... my brush painting skills not good enough freehand! And we are finished.... well as far as I am going with this one today One pic as a teaser. Quite difficult to photograph the helicopter with the blades on! Panel wash, then an average attempt at weathering with some oils. I think to do the weathering well you need to let go and I always bottle out of really going for it. Any way final pics in the gallery. Thanks for hosting this busy GB, JP