al_the_drummer

Good work - it's a lovely and simple kit, and you've brought it to life very nicely. Nicely done!

I'll keep my comment short as there's little I can add that hasn't already been said... That is a scale work of art. Absolutely beautiful. Great work - awe-inspiring.

Wow. That's absolutely blinding. I've just picked one of these up and that's real inspiration what can be done with it. Top work - the weathering is beautiful.

That is absolutely wonderful. So precisely done - it really captures the delicate fragility of the airframe around the cockpit. Great painting and finish too...

Thanks for all the lovely feedback chaps, it's much appreciated! Tim - thank you for that excellent information... I followed the markings on the EagleCals sheet, so it shows that extra reading is valuable. Rather than any radical repainting, this is the perfect excuse to get the more accurate Eduard offering and get the scheme spot on!

Great builds - they look lovely!

Hello BM'ers... After a bit of wrangling with myself as to the worth of this post, I thought I'd take the plunge and put this up as RFI... This is my very first 1/48th scale completed since the days of yore, and if I'm honest it's the first model I've finished (8 and counting) that I'm actually genuinely happy with. Despite the 'Fisher Price "My First Focke Wulf"' sound of things, it marks a few other firsts too - first attempt at mottling, first attempt at free-hand camo, first attempt at a spiral spinner (there was some swearing involved, but patience is a virtue) and first bird that when I look at it I don't think I've massively overdone everything about it...although I'm certain that many of you won't necessarily agree with the last point! I don't really think there's much to be said about the kit, other than despite it's known failings (the gear bay being the most glaring one, even to a accuracy-optional hobbyist like me) it's a joy to build, falling together with only the tiniest amount of putty at the wing roots. It's OOB, other than the Eduard cockpit Zoom set, which fitted utterly terribly and EagleCals decals which behaved impeccably and QuickBoost wheels... If, like me, you're looking to broaden your scale experience outside 1/72 this would be a wonderful place to start - it's a thoroughly enjoyable build experience! I tried to get the ariel line to sag properly, and whilst it's not quite right I'm pretty pleased with it for a first go at that kind of thing. As for this particular aircraft, since I was a nipper I've been a fan of the FW190 design, and as I've grown older I really think the D9 reached a peak of rakish elegance - there's no escaping the regime it was used by, but nonetheless it's a beautiful aeroplane. The pilot, Hans Dortenmann was a true ace in this aircraft, claiming 18 victories. More about him http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hans_Dortenmann here. Anyway, enough babbling, here are some pics:

Absolutely wonderful build. The weathering is truly inspirational...

That's an absolute corker - simply superb modelling and a wonderful finish... Such impressive work - love the flaps!

Mi'Lord I present: Exhibit A) A full, opened bottle of MicroSol. Exhibit B ) A brand new, as yet untouched 1/48 EagleCals FW 190 decal sheet. The expensive one with the snake on it. JG 10 Schlagenschwarm to be precise. Exhibit C) A mug of freshly brewed tea. I shall explain as concisely as I can: - mug handle - off it drops - tea lands upon legs causing much alarm - rapid upwards movement from seated position - FW190 launched from desk edge by said movement - strikes, with amazing precision, full bottle of MicroSol - swooshes, like a tidal wave, across said decal sheet Two amazing things then happened: watching a whole sheet go crinkly and float off the paper surface all at the same time; an hour later, realising the varnish has disappeared on a lot of desk surface below, as the 'Sol had crept underneath protective work mat. Much swearing did then ensue.

What a beautiful rendering! Fantastic paint-job, and as a fellow modeller who doesn't chase the millimetres (a great phrase!) I think you've really brought this model to life. It certainly brings the impression of reality shrunken down. Great weathering too...

Fantastic build! Love the weathering and solidity of it all - very convincing.

That looks great - I've built one of these, and whilst it's very nearly lovely, it does present some 'oh, hang on' challenges... Lovely finish to it, particularly the under-side. @85sqn - the step comes from removable cowling which without significant heat treatment (or replacement with resin parts as I chose) just doesn't fit - it's fundamentally the wrong shape! Top work!

That looks great! Lovely paintwork.

What a cracking build! Lovely paint job too - just the right level of weathering. I've just invested in the Barracuda wing/wheel correction bits to go with my one (bought, I guess, on the same Amazon deal day as JimHead23's!)... I'll be pleased if it turns out as well.

Good job! Looks like a tidy build and nicely weathered finish

That is absolutely superb. What an inspirational build... hugely impressive.

Good job - I do like that! I think the photos merely illustrate a successful camo scheme

Thank again to all the posters above... I've picked up some Aqua Gloss, and it's working perfectly - the first coat is matt-ish, but with 2 or 3 passes of a middling misted coat it's drying with a high gloss, hard-as-anything finish. Looks like Aqua is the way to go...

That's a lovely dirty bird... great work

They're both cracking builds - especially like PR-Q. Great work...

Very very nicely done - great paintwork, and the weathering looks very nice.

Thanks all for the feedback, and whilst I feel everyone's pain in having dealt with the same issue as me I'm glad to hear it's not just me... I'll grab a bottle of the Aqua Gloss and give that whirl, although I've got some Mr Colour Levelling thinner in a box somewhere, so might have an experiment on a scrap of painted surface to see if that makes a difference. If people don't mind a potential necro-post, I'll report back. Thanks again, happy modelling. Al

Quick question for anyone who has the time - have you experienced Alclad Klear Kote Gloss not seemingly drying properly? I recently built a Spitfire ( http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234979756-airfix-spitfire-mk-iia-172-finally-back-at-the-bench/ )and used the aforementioned Gloss. I left it sitting in a warm-ish environment curing for a solid 48 hours, and despite this, with even a little handling it was becoming very tacky...at points I ended up having to actually touch up the paint as it turned to mush. Wondering if it's something I did (misted on 3 coats around an hour apart at 18PSI), or if it's something up with the product...given how good their lacquers & primer are, I'm left a little puzzled... Any advice greatly appreciated... Oh, and BTW I used Klear Kote Matt for the final coat, and it dried hard as rock...!

Big thanks to you all for the lovely feedback I'm inclined to agree that the panel wash was is just too much and emphasises the depth of the gaps too much, but it's all a learning process isn't it? I'll give Flory Dark Dart wash a bash - thanks @Doozer1974 Quick question for anyone who has the time - have you experienced Alclad Klear Kote Gloss not seemingly drying properly? I left it sitting in a warm-ish environment for a solid 48 hours, and despite this, with even a little handling it was becoming very tacky... Wondering if it's something I did (misted on 3 coats around an hour apart at 18PSI), or if it's something up with the product...given how good their lacquers & primer are, I'm left a little puzzled. Have a great weekend all...