Ronan71

Absolutely, I thought they were great decals. I would definitely go blind trying to do this scheme in 1:72! 😳

Thanks Rich! Yes indeed, it was a monster size on my smaller than I'd like bench! Love the progress on your build, I agree, the layout of the decals on the sheet is a pain, so much time is spent hunting down the decal you need...

Great subject for this group build! I just finished a Tamiya 1:32 F-4EJ in this scheme, using the same DXM set but in 1:32 They are excellent decals and went down really nicely, the only thing being that there were so many of them..... Looking forward to seeing how yours turns out! A pic of my effort:

Thanks very much guys! Life is pretty good really, not sorry to be rid of the ex (nearly anyway, divorce in 2020 fingers crossed) and I’m now living with my wonderful new partner Liz who actually encouraged me to get back into modelling and whose Dad is a modeller too, so all good! Plenty of builds to come in 2020 I hope!

I got back to building a few months ago after an 18 month layoff (due to a marital breakdown), so I've only completed one model to date (a 1:32 Trumpeter P-47D) but I've nearly finished a few more (which will be the first in my 2020 yearbook!).

Hi Mark! Glad you like the model and fantastic to hear about some first hand history about the Cobra from you. I’ll send you a pm with my email and I’d love to see the photos you have.

Progress was stalled on this one due to a house move, but tonight I got back to it and added the first coat of colour (RLM02 Grau by Mr Paint). Coming along nicely now, hoping to get it finished soon.

No problem! Yes, I think Techmod do various markings for this kit and they are easier to get. The only thing I did hear about techmod is that they are very thin and can be hard to use, but I think definitely worth a go if you get them for a good price. Good luck and looking forward to seeing the final result!

Thank you! I also found the Tamiya decals way too thick and unusable. The decals I used were from an old set by Aeromaster which I found from this website in the Netherlands: http://www.flash-aviation.nl/ The set I got was this one: https://www.scalemates.com/kits/174324-aeromaster-48-212-fighting-mustangs-p-51b-c-part-ii I think I might have got the last set from the Dutch site, but worth asking them. I'd say you might be able to get a set of generic RAF markings for it if that sheet is no longer available, if I was buidling it again I'd probably paint on the roundels using some Maketar masks or similar. Hope you can find a set and good luck with the rest of the build!

I mask off the cockpit and paint the canopy separately, although I might try the white glue method in the future. Here's a Mirage F1 in 1/48th I did last year showing the canopy masked off: I used a combination of sponge and tape to mask off a P-47 I did earlier this year: And finally my Hasegawa A-7D build at the end of 2005 (masked off the cockpit with tamiya tape):

Thanks guys! An unusual one for sure, and which I think will look good alongside a Me-262 I also plan on building next year. I could not find that much information about the He-280 online, the Wikipedia page for it is pretty basic. According to the information in the instructions from Eduard, there were eight built, and some only flew as gliders with no jet engines attached. The Jumo engines were added once it became clear the Heinkel engines were not performing as expected, and as the Me-262 was a better match for the Jumo set up, the Heinkel project was cancelled. It first flew in early 1941, before operation Barbarossa, so interesting to think how much earlier in the war the Luftwaffe would have had operational jet fighters had they prioritised it then (and thankfully they didn't!)

Thanks guys, this model I'm trying pre-shading, but so far (i've got a good bit of paint on now) I'm finding it is just disappearing under the paint. Previous builds I've tried the black basing technique and I think it works better for me, but ultimately I'll see how this one turns out. I'll use a Flory models wash on it later and I think that will look good. As it's a prototype plane which I think did not accumulate much flight time I reckon it would be a pretty clean aircraft overall. I think Eduard released this model back in 1999 according to scalemates, as I really like early jets it was one I had to add to the stash!

Excellent work, especially the weathering.

Very nice! Excellent work.

Currently I'm working on an old Eduard kit of the He-280, the first jet fighter in the world, but which did not go into production and ultimately lost out to the Me-262. I found the kit online from an Italian seller and I think it's long OOP from Eduard. This version has Jumo engines just like the Me-262, as the original prototypes used an engine by Heinkel which was problematic and never performed as expected. I was a bit disappointed that this version of the kit did not come with resin wheels and a seat, plus photoetch for the cockpit as I believe an earlier version did. I started with the wings and engines, and I found them a bit tricky as there are no location pins on the nacelles, I guess because this was an early limited run type kit by Eduard. I added some basic sidewall and wheel well ribbing with some thin evergreen strips which went some way towards busying up a very plain part of the model. For the cockpit, I added a set of the new steel belts from Eduard, these I think are meant for a FW190. I also added some airscale generic photoetch levers for the throttles and so on, but not being able to find a photo of the interior of the He-280 I used a bit of imagination here! Some photos of the model put together, I found the seam lines to be a pain on this one, still an area I don't like (getting rid of seam lines!). Not 100% happy, but I think if I kept filling and sanding I'd have no plastic left! And now it's primered (Mr Surfacer grey 1200 from a rattle can). I've now pre-shaded it and the first coat of colour is going on (it's RLM02 Grau all over from Mr Paint). Not so sure about the preshading, I've been black basing instead on recent models and I think it's easier, but I'll see how this one turns out!

+1 for the Mr Paint range. I started out using Tamiya acrylics which I find airbrush great when mixed with Mr Levelling Thinner from Gunze and I still find them good. I also have some Mr Hobby (Gunze again) paints which I find very good too and are as user friendly as Tamiya. My absolute favourites though are the Mr Paint range from Slovakia. They have similar properties to the Tamiya and Mr Hobby acrylics (which are more lacquers really) and are ready to use in the airbrush without adding thinner. You get 30mls per bottle, so I find they last well as they also cover well, so do not need multiple coats. They also have lots of aircraft specific colours including Swedish types.

Plenty in the stash I could build for this one, count me in please.

Looks great! I find it really satisfying when I get it right with the airbrush!

Glad to help! Brian at the Hobby Den is a very nice guy and very passionate about his modelling so I'm sure you will enjoy your visit.

Brian at the Hobby Den which is in Kildare town has started stocking a good range of the Gunze/Mr Hobby paints and they are superb. I would recommend thinning them with their own brand Mr Levelling Thinner, I've had superb results with this. Actually Brian is really helpful and I think runs beginner airbrush classes so I would recommend if you can calling into his shop and you will find all you need. I also use the Mr Paint range with sounds similar but is in fact a Slovakian brand with a fantastic range of colours, and they are ready to airbrush without thinning (and do so beautifully). I get them directly from their website and I find on average it takes a week to get them from Slovakia to Dublin via my local Parcel Motel. Feel free to PM me if you need more info! Ronan

Thanks!

Thanks!

Thanks Stephen, I used the Flory Models dark dirt wash on a semi-gloss varnished surface and I was pretty happy with how it came out, especially as the model has raised panel lines.

Thanks Andy!

Thanks Craig!