andyh59

Not an easy build for an Eduard kit, two built in the past so can fully understand your comments. Your build and finish is excellent very well done.

Great build and finish, very well done. Seeing the cockpit detail for a 72nd kit puts ICM's 48th Ju88s in the shade😒

I bought the ICM, 1/48 Dornier Do217N when first released and of course it went into the stash. Then Aims released their Do 217N-2 conversion which went into the stash. Over the next I don't remember what time I collected the following add-ons:- Aires Do217 Wheels Eduard Big Ed Set Quickboost Prop/Spinner set; Intakes: Exhausts AML FuG 202 Aerial Set Aims Decal Sheet Aber Mg17 Barrel Tips When I realised I'd got all I required I actually built it!!! The ICM kit went together without too much trouble, I did modify the ailerons as there was a pronounced gap between them and the wing. Other than that no problems. The Aim's conversion consisting of the streamlined fairing for the bomb bay. a longer tail fairing (contained a parachute). Also rear fairing for canopy, the N-2 version I built had no turret. Conversion work went pretty easily, with the use of filler and wet and dry paper !! My biggest problem was the AML FuG202 Aerial Set it consists of resin and photo etch with a jig to help with alignment, problem was the jig was a waste of time. I don't really think it was meant for this particular set, so alignment was an absolute nightmare. This is the one thing I'm not happy about with the finished build. The machine represented was operated by NNJ/Lw.Kdo.Ost. Nachtjager Eastern Front 1943. The version I built had an 'Allied style astrodome' this with some luck I found in my spares boxes, saving the trouble of making one 00 Cheers Andy.

This is the excellent Eduard Bf109K-4 virtually OOB with the addition of Brassin 3D print cockpit, exhausts, guns & Quickboost 109G spinner (more accurate than kit supplied). All the minor 'errors' were corrected hand/foot hold, under fuselage shell ejector, louvres and holes for rear fuselage support. My only criticism is the cockpit floor in the Brassin 3D print, it actually curves upward towards the front bulkhead and requires a bit of surgery to get it to fit properly! This isn't an isolated problem as the other Brassin cockpit I have has the same curved floor!! The problematic Eduard decals went on without any problems including the removal of the carrier film. I found a profile in the MMP Bf109 Late Versions, which took my eye, of a machine found after the wars end. I also had an old KommanDeur decal sheet with the same machine. The two references disagreed with each other so I decide to go with the MMP details, only using the Wk. Nr. from the KommanDeur sheet. This Bf109K-4 was found at Monachium-Riem May 1945. This machine appears to have part of the rear fuselage replaced with sections from a Bf109G-14/AS Wk. Nr. 785800. The 109K-4's Wk. No. is unknown, the replaced sections were in a greenish/yellow primer with some traces of red putty. The rest of the airframe was finished in RLM81/82, yellowish variation of 76. Cowling RLM76 with 74 upper surface and 82 mottle. Under surfaces left natural metal. Sorry didn't focus it very well!!! Cheers Andy

Great conversion, build and finish really well done. I did the same conversion some years back using the Dragon kit and the Falcon vac-form conversion. The end results were as follows:-

Great build and excellent finish.

Really great build, good to see the research put in to this model. Very well done.

Great build and finish, well done.

Excellent build nicely detailed and finished, very well done.

Very clean and tidy build of this iconic machine. Well done.

Great work, very well done.

Unfortunately I am unable to find the link to the pic of Red 2 (I found it over 12 months ago and printed a copy,) Thanks to FalkeEins for confirmation of the lack of slogan. Take a look at Claes Sundin's excellent profile https://luftwaffeinprofile.se/Fw 190 D Hofmann JV 44.html. As far as I'm aware all the 190Ds had yellow spinner tips ? At the end of the day our models are our interpretation of how we personally think the prototype machine appeared rightly or wrongly!!!!!!!!

Thanks for your positive comment. As to the slogan you quote, I know that it has been put forward as being on Fw190D-11 Red 2. However the photo I found on the internet shows no slogan on the fuselage and some Luftwaffe 'Experten' also confirm that Red 2 did not have this slogan. Although one decal manufacturer does supply it on their decal sheet for Red 2! Maybe there's a sixth 190D from JV44 that no photos have been found of? Cheers Andy

Yes I know JV44 Protection Flight (Platzschutszstaffel) has been done to death BUT not by me!!! I commenced this project in late 2022 but due to illness and a spell in hospital-yeuk! I had a break from kit-bashing and shelved this project. Then late last year I re-discovered the project, blew the dust off it and decided to complete it. Enough of the project history and on with the details:- Items used:- 1 x Eduard JV44 combo 1/48 Fw190D-9 + Fw190D-11 1 x Eduard 1/48 Fw190D-9 'Profipack' 1 x Eduard 1/48 Fw190D-9 'Weekend' 1 x Eduard 1/48 Fw190D-11 5 x AML 1/48 resin replacement tails 5 x Quickboost Fw190 Gun Covers 5 x Kits World 3D Instrument Decals - not recommended they did not fit well even though stated for the Eduard kit. 1 x EagleCal JV44 Decal sheet Eagle Files 1 ' Doras of the Galland Circus' plus as much reference material I could gather. The Eduard kit is not the easiest of kits to build but is probably the most accurate, except for the inaccurate too thick tail. Eduard should have taken the opportunity for a new tool D when they did the A - but still!! The build was a bit of a trial, I added what detail I could and eventually got to the painting stage. I used the EagleFiles book as the main reference for colour schemes and markings. AK Real Colours were used for painting. A couple of notes on the final result, I chose to show the undersurface white stripes a little ragged as they were probably hand painted. The stripes under the rear fuselage I chose to omit due to the fact they can't be seen on any photos, even though the photos aren't too clear. Also it would have been a bit of a pain for the ground crew to paint them???? Even though Red 4 & 13 were shown to be finished RLM 75/81, I found a reference by Jerry Crandell ( I think on Hyperscale) that all these machines were in fact RLM81 variations/ 82 which is how I decided to finish them. I also decided to build all five of the protection flight after finding a photo of Red 2 an Fw190D-11 on the internet. Not some of the best kits I've completed, some of this build was done whilst I was unwell so you will probably see some errors in my work!! It's certainly not a project I would repeat, I'll stick to two builds a time in future, Thanks for looking Andy

This is a straightforward OOB build of the LF Models 1/48 Heinkel He112 kit with the 3D printed detail set. One thing I found necessary was to re-scribe the panel lines as to my mind those in the kit are rather soft, my personal choice and not a criticism of the kit. Cockpit is rather sparse so added some detail to it, not that much can be seen when built. Instrument panel is just raised detail so used Airscale instruments decal to give a better representation. The detail set provided hollow exhausts and guns, oleo links and improved tailwheel leg. Three options are given with the kit. I chose to build the V-9, prototype for the B series machines, On checking in Michael Ullman's Luftwaffe Colours it appears this machine was painted in LV40/52 a light grey used pre-war by the Luftwaffe. I found a reasonably close match to the colour swatch, in the previously mentioned reference, in the Vallejo paint range. The decals turned out to have a complete coat of matt varnish over them and required cutting out individually. I was a little uneasy about using them but they went on well, to the Kleer topcoat. With another coat of Kleer they looked fine, I left the Kleer as the topcoat as photos of the machine show it to be in a gloss finish. The machine is represented as the Heinkel He112V-9 photographed at Rostock, July 1937. Cheers Andy