DaveRob

Decided to up the scale feature on the engine today... so added a spark plug lead set and harness.... IMG_1847 Maybe start to paint this this weekend 🙂 DaveR

Didn't want you to think Id given up on this project so photo of cockpit assembled to fuselage and the canopy TRIAL. fitted .... as Im debating the rear seat options. The kit seat isn't right so am thinking of a mini project to make it from scratch. It also seems like the fus sides need trimming and filling as the fit isn't the best so I have some filler to apply before sanding back. The wings are assembled but as I have some PE parts arrived Ill be finishing those soon... finish the cockpit then start to assemble the whole thing. As the wheels lack much detail Im going for the ski option and maybe do something from the Russian front. Any comments or suggestions for corrections please chip in before I get to far. IMG_1841 IMG_1842 Thanks for all your help and interest so far this has taught me a lot in prep for my next build.... should I start the Lysander next or have a go at the BF109-4 I seem to have acquired. Cheers DaveR

Many thanks to all who have helped me with this one...… Lacquer thinner is the way to go. Appriciate your help DaveR

At 50 ft Id be lucky too see ANYTHING with my eyesight.... so I could conceivably place a large rock at 50ft and claim perfection :-) seriously I understand the suggestion, and for a first model I just wanted to push how far I could realistically go and still finish in a reasonable timescale. Got some paint in the cockpit now, but my PE for the little details has arrived today along with the masks for the canopy so see what I can fit to detail it a little tomorrow. DaveR

Thanks for the pointer...... I had found that info but as you say it isn't in the most prominent of locations, yes their is a lot of detail to suck you in and I thought Id try to make an improvement on the standard kit but not go completely OTT as I do want to get this finished this year. As you say wheel wells won't bother me to much at the moment, but Ill bear it in mind for future..... on the subject of future, I decided to dip the canopy...maybe just because I wanted to find out what all the fuss was about. Well it did make a difference, infact their was a couple of marks on the outside where it had been roaming around in the box for years... now clear as a bell, am impressed with that... photos to come soon. Yes still enjoying the build, would be nice to have a bit more time on my hands to get on with it. DaveR

Did you start anything in between then .... 😉

Takes a bit longer than you think this kit building thing 🙂 I got everything in primer the started thinking ahead a bit then I was kindly sent some historical information that changes things a bit... so some reading and research later I find some masks and a bit of PE and resin detail so I ordered that, so Im just waiting for the post coming this week to see if I can make a decent go of this. It started out an OOB build and now Im trying to make a serious effort to get up to the standards that are often shown around this site.... Guess I got a bit swept up in it all..... BTW is it usual to start another kit before finishing one..... It just seems like my small stash is calling me to open another box 😉 Thanks to everyone who is taking an interest and providing help DaveR

I gotta watch this one also.... This is one on my list of 'must builds at some point' DaveR

Can anyone tell me what to thin the above primer with. It’s the light grey stuff and I have decanted it from the aerosol TIA DaveR

These were very helpful @CedB Thanks..... Looks like Ill be checking You Tube re paint techniques for weathering etc..... Ill get the primer on tonight then by Friday it should be dry enough to start the engine and ancillary final coats... then on to final assembly of the fuselage and wings. DaveR

Didn’t know they were fixed so that makes it easy. I’ll dig about for reference photos. Was just that photo in wiki that kinda showed them extended but trailing edge flat to the wing top surface so it looks like if they are fixed they still can be rotated I’ll check photos and pick what I like then 🙂 inhave the pilots notes for the Lysander so it’s an easier decision given they were linked to the inner flaps but all that’s to come in my next build log thanks for your input DaveR

I actually thought that the slats and flaps would be fully retracted when on the ground to prevent the wind lifting the wing.... Id prefer to display it as fully deployed slats and flaps so it looks like ... although its not completely clear from those photos ... the slats are more or less parallel to the leading edge, ie with an equal gap all round... although one of those photos shows them deployed forward with the trailing edge of the flaps against the wing surface, but is that in prep for landing???... the deployment I like best from those is the sprayer but would that be ok??? that looks like a posed for the camera shot.... a good breeze and that would take off on its own !!! DaveR

OK so I got a bit further... I decided to paint sub assemblies and parts that I couldn't get behind and off sprue... so their is a decision. I have a cockpit sub assy and engine sub assy, its mount as a sub assy, machine gun, flight deck, wheels and the a load of small parts that ill paint before fixing ... suitably masked of course... but lets get them in primer first as my other decision is to prime first by decanting Tamiya fine primer then airbrushing. My first attempt looked good so crash on with the rest of the parts.... hopefully priming tomorrow evening IMG_1833 Engine IMG_1834 Then I thought lets start on the wings and here is the first bit I could do with some historical... or even aeronautical advice. The Storch features slats and flaps, as does my future Lysander project.... Im familiar with flaps and their positions in relative flight modes... but slats... hmmmm. I have 3 photos where I have positioned in dry fit the slats in relation to the leading edge, this is going to be a static model portrayed as it would be on the ground / apron / field not running and awaiting a pilot With the Storch will the slats be in position 1,2 or 3.... and would the flaps be stowed to prevent the wind creating so much lift it takes off.... Or maybe a better question is what would, in your opinion, be the best way to display the slats and flaps photo 1 IMG_1830 photo2 IMG_1831 photo3 IMG_1832 As always thanks for your input.... primer tomorrow and some paint in a couple of days after to make sure its all dry and gassed off TIA DaveR

Thanks for the advice Matt... Im comfortable with the challenge I have set myself, and Im under no illusion that its going to be easy.... I have already made a couple mistakes its the correcting them that gets you learning. Ive got some primer onto the cockpit now and made the base part of the engine. Ive had an enjoyable few hours at the bench and feel like progress has been made. IMG_1826 IMG_1827 IMG_1828 For all those that are helping me along my journey a couple of questions arise after todays building Whats a good material to mask very small areas when I need to join 2 parts that have been painted separately.... or do I just scrape off paint? I seem to have a fair bit of thinners, meths, panned wipe etc after a build session... how do I dispose of it? As always appreciate your help and comments DaveR

So I started a bit this weekend, time to assemble the cockpit. The first thing I have found is the the instructions are no more than a vague guide.... Its the detail thats lacking, that and the parts sometimes need trimming or adjusting due to moulding tolerances or maybe a degree of wear in the tooling has left a bit extra material that shouldn't be their. inspecting the components of the magazines for the rear gun their are seam lines and flash in the detail so I removed this and sprayed them with some primer.... well the primer is another issue but first a photo IMG_1822 a sanded one and one straight from the sprue Then the instructions say to assemble the interior tubes to the cockpit base. Well no indication of how things are lined up so I took the fuselage sides and the canopy and did a dry run... this seems to require extra hands, tape and pegs but I got their in the end. It means that the front tubes are vertical the mid section tubes are raked back and by doing the dry run you get the perfect angle for the rear section and the support tube positions.... IMG_1824 This image shows the the mid section tubes need trimming to fit to get the geometry right and the canopy to fit. On inspection the hoes in the top section aren't deep enough and the canopy fit suggests the top bars need to be parallel to the horizontal line of the fuselage IMG_1823 Ok priming, I have read so much on this and watched you tube vids... some say yes and some no but I thought Id give it a go.... first mistake was to prime out of the Tamiya rattle can.... NOOOOOOO..... at least it was just one part I did but a real struggle to get the stuff off. It simply went on to thick with so much overspray so as my airbrush arrived yesterday Ive decanted it into a jar and am waiting for it to degass. In the mean time Ill finish the cockpit floor and do some filling as some parts of the molding aren't brilliant and some of the fits aren't as good as I would like before the primer goes on. Hopefully Ill get a bit of primer on this afternoon and post up the result. In the mean time, after a bit of research it seems to me that the supplied rear seat is all wrong and rather than looking a slightly smaller version of the pilot seat actually looks like this IMG_1804 Yup its a folder.... so Ill not use the supplied and will try to scratch build something more appropriate. If anyone can see anything glaringly obvious that Ive missed please feel free to point it out.... hopefully a primed cockpit photo by this evening. Thanks for all your input DaveR