John McNamara

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I want to make an A8 specifically. I build Radio Control scale models (very slowly it seems!). I got back into building plastics again as a means of better visualising the real aircraft. I realise that they are not always as accurate as we would like, but it is generally easier to correct a 1/32 scale model than a 1/5 scale one. I came up with this idea when trying to finish the scale cockpit of a 1/6 scale F86 Sabre. I had tons of pictures, but I could just not make sense of what I was looking at. So I got a Hasegewa 1/32 scale kit and just built the cockpit parts. I then understood completely what I had to replicate on the big one. Very useful and when the inspiration is wearing thin. a nicely finished plastic model can help get the creative juices flowing again. So, I have a kit for a 1/5 scale FW190 A8. This kit is a bit of a rarity and was reknowned as being super accurate, if somewhat heavy. The same comany (a German company called SiSt) made a 1/4 scale one, but they lost there workshop and all the moulds in a fire, so the big one is even rarer than hens teeth. John

Thank you for the link MDriskill. I had seen this thread some time ago but I thought it was on this forum. It makes interesting reading. I made a decision and hot the Revell kit for £37. Good VFM but looking at it the moulding does not have the crispness of Hasegawa kits or Tamiya kits. It looks like I have some work to do to make it really accurate. The kit I have is the A8/R2 Sturmbock version, which is not especially what I wanted, but hey, The FW 190 is such an obscure aircraft that there is a dearth of 1:32 scale kits of the them🤔 I mean to say, where are the Airfix and Tamiya offerings for heavens sake? The Hasegawa kit I would have bought (despite its flaws) if I could have got one in good condition and at a sensible price, appears to have been released in 2004. So not exactly a recent introduction. John

Well, first of all it has to be an A8, so unless ZM come up with that version, I won't buy it. I am intersted in detail, but with all the cowlings closed. I am not intersted in showing the engine.

Hi Guys, I am considering purchasing a 1/32 scale FW190 A8 Kit. Options appear to be the newer Hasegawa kit and the Revel Kit. For me accuracy is more important than ease of building. Now, leaving aside that the Hasegewa kit is now as rare as hens teeth and similarly priced, I am wondering what people consider is the best choice for me. I built a lot of Hasegawa kits long ago and I was generally impressed. But the original Hasegawa FW 190 was not as good as I had come to expect from them. Nonetheless, I have a soft spot for Hasegawa and I realise that this may mislead in this current choice. So what do you guys think? TIA John

Thanks for the suggestion ED. That is a possibility, but being mostly light grey isn't great. https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=https://cdn.jetphotos.com/full/6/95766_1544357472.jpg&tbnid=2L8-pIQ4IS1CDM&vet=12ahUKEwiUn5SF-Nj-AhUSrEwKHe52C2IQMygEegUIARCYAQ..i&imgrefurl=https://www.jetphotos.com/photo/9166794&docid=ZcCNiHpU9FpnRM&w=1280&h=851&q=Hunter+T.8C&safe=active&ved=2ahUKEwiUn5SF-Nj-AhUSrEwKHe52C2IQMygEegUIARCYAQ#imgrc=2L8-pIQ4IS1CDM&imgdii=80kaOkVETIvhvM This is the current scheme, which is not so bad. As you can clearly distingish between top and bottom. However, the previous owner has made such a mess, the model will need repainting and if that is the case, then I have free reign to choose any scheme I like. These two have caught my eye. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hawker_Hunter_T7,_UK_-_Air_Force_AN1131259.jpg https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hawker_Hunter_T7,_UK_-_Air_Force_AN1927868.jpg I have posted some images in the RC Models section on this forum of a couple of my scale jets. BR John

Thanks Ed, Most informative. I am a somewhat unusual modeller as I started with plastic when I was a kid and then went on to build flying model and Radio Control. These days I mostly fly scale jets. What I realised some tome ago was that builing an accurate plastic model in say 1:48 scale was both a source of inspiration and an aid du visualisation of what I was trying to produce 6 or 7 times bigger. Last year I rescued a 2 seat Hunter T8 in 1:6 scale. It had been built by a butcher and was a mess. However, it is the only T7/8 Hunter available, so I am working on it now. These are no longer in production otherwise I might have bought a new kit. As for the final decision about version and colour scheme's I have a different imperative these days. Seeing the RC model in flight, or rather knowing its orientation. Logically then, it should be an easy to see scheme. Building a 1:48 version and getting the colour scheme right on that will allow me to see staight away where the mistakes on the big one are, as well as making it easy to copy the colour scheme. Right now I am thinking about a T7 in the raspberry ripple scheme. Red White and Blue. This RC model will never be truly scale , as some angles and curves are wrong. The dogtooth LE for example is too swept back and it has no undercamber, which the real one did (subtle, but there). On my model this area in convex except right at the dogtooth. Not only does this wrong it affects the way the model handles in the air. BTW, I have another larger scale Hunter F6, to finish up. This one is 1:45 scale and is very accurate as it was designed to enter the World Jet Masters. I have the Revel 1:32 scale kit to build in preparation for the F6 I think I will go ahead and get the conversion set. I would love to see your pictures. BR, John

I am thinking of having a bash at one of these. Ideally I would like a T8, but T7 is what seems possible. I wondered if anyone had done the conversion and how they got on? Thanks in advance John

Hi Guys, Thanks for all the advice. Much appreciated. I will try the Humbrol bottles. I always used the Humbrol varnish in the past with good results, but that was only available in tins back in the day. I have read a lot about how Humbrol has gone down hill a lot so I thought I had better avoid it. I never used acrylics until last year and I found two problems with them: 1. I don't like them. They seem to be fragile and have poor adhesion compared to enamels. The best results I got with acrylics was with Tamiya rattle cans. Those gave super results. I tried Humbrol and Tamiya in the airbrush. The Humbrol was awful and the Tamiya also had some problems with one batch. No adhesion and very poor opacity. 2. They do not like me. I am asthmatic and the vapour from acrylics has a very negative affect on me. It seems to last several days too. Strangely, enamels do not seem to affect me. Hence my preference for enamels. I also was concerned about mixing chemistries. I take on board Graham's comments though. There is no substitute for experience. Thanks John

Thanks Graham, However, I am looking for enamel rather than acrylic.

I am looking for a little wisdom on this subject please. I have just aquired a Special Hobby 1:32 scale Westland Whirlwind and I have ordered a Colourcoats BOB set, plus a few other colours and their thinner. I did not see any varnish in their range, so what enamel varnish plays well with Colourcoats? TIA John

Interesting book if you can get a copy. A rather expensive one too. 🙂

Boy, this whole subject is a can of worms. I spent 40 years in the printing industry so I know some things about subtractive colour mixing and matching. It used to keep me up at night, quite literally, stood at the end of a press at 3 in the morning with a customer, trying to match colour. I am not going to comment on the specifics of the posts above, but rather just make a few points that members should know before going too far down the rabbit hole. This concerns matching colours from say a photo to a museum example or a model. Lets start with subtractive mixing (paint, ink etc): The light source and its colour temprature is all important. If you are trying to compare using differing light sources you are wasting your time. In an ideal world you should be viewing colours you are trying to assess, mix or match under a 6500 K light source, approximating to midday on a summers day. If you are under electric light (almost certainly will be), what type is it because many will give a colour cast? As examples, old incadescent lamps gave a red cast, and flourescents give a green cast. Therefore if you have a colour you want to check against an indoor museum exhibit, take it with you and do a direct comparison. It will be easier in daylight. Colour photographs may well distort the hues of the colour you are seeking to replicate. The light source at the time of taking the photograph will make a big difference. Photograpers who make photos for the printing industry go to great lengths to ensure that their images have colour integrity. All colours mixed together give you a very dark grey or brown, but almost black. In the case of additive mixing (light): Everything is reversed that you think you have known from a child. So, on a monitor, red and green mixed produce yellow! All the colours mixed togethe rin equal proportions produce white. Most monitors will not provide and accurate colour hue. If you want the most accurate look at something like the Eiko Colouredge range that are designed for photoeditors. Even then, a online colour guide is not 100% accurate. It it is what it says it is, a guide. I will not need to tell anyone here that the substrate that you put the colour on makes a big difference to hue and shade, and so does the underpinning with other colours, and the desinsity of the layer applied. Also the type of paint or combination of paint layers. If you want to know what colour a paint is, get a colour sample, preferably painted on to the same substrate you are going to use. Like I said, a can of worms! John

I just recieved my kit for ths model. It has always been a favourite of mine and I vaguely remember building a couuple of (airfix?) 1:72 examples in the late 60's or early 70's. I have also just ordered some paint from Soveriegn Hobbies for it. I just need a workshop now (work in progress-new house!) and I can't wait to make a start. I plan to make a diorama of it and I have a pilot who will be posed about to board. I need a trolley acc in 1:32 scale circa 1940/41 if anyone knows where such a thing can be aquired? If not I will scratch build one. John

Hi all, This week I have recieved my kit and the Air Britain book. Quite a tome. The kit looks very well moulded and detailed. I am looking forward to building the kit, but it will have to wait until after our inpending house move. John