Mottlemaster

I visited the Imperial War Museum last weekend with one of my Sons. We both looked at the Lancaster nose section currently on display. I noticed the protroberance and wondered what onearth it was until I realised it would normally be covered by the wing . I spouted out that it was a hot air duct to either heat the crew or for delivery icing the wing . My son foolishly still trusts me to be the font of all knowledge: 😀

I wish you a speedy recovery Stew . Looking forward to more progress on the Whirlwind whenever you're back the bench . Cheers Alistair

Thats some nice detailing . I think you have got your chipping spot on . Cheers Alistair

That will be so large your thread will need its own server . 0ver 0.5m wingspan you better find an airport to house it . Looking forward to seeing it come together. cheers Alistair

Agree . I am looking forward to some Whirlwind magic .

As a provider of entertainment your thread is much more interesting and dare i say it , exciting due to the fight the kit is putting up and your counter attack . Def the antidote to out of box modern Tamiya Keep up the fight during your winter offensive . Cheers Alistair

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Thats a nice bit of metal folding Alan . Your vision must be top notch to achieve those results . Somehow mine never get such a sharp and straight fold and if i do the part will inevitably ping out of the tweezers or get stuck in a twisted position after i drop it in close to the right place but not close enough :(. Cheers Alistair

Pleased to see your start on the nose . Hope the project runs smoothly Cheers Alistair

I have just been reading the Zm old man's blog on the construction of the He 219 fuselage and came across this useful tip which I have taken to heart . I hope others here may find it useful, " When you have come this far, don't be in a hurry and don't be in a hurry. Please remember the saying, "If you hurry, you can turn it around," and simply become a crafting machine in a state of mindlessness." So the question is how many Mindless Crafting Machines are going large ? 🤔

That is a lovely sculpted pilot .It is going to be so much fun to paint . Good idea to test fit .So many times aftermarket crew just dont fit or are far to small . Cheers Alistair

Like you Max , i too find the night air war fascinating . I have heard of the Battle of the beams book but not read it . I can recommend A nicely laid out book which also covers some details to help detail many of 100 groups electronic warfare equipped aircraft . Work on the 219 fuselage has started . This is probably one of the most crucial stages of the construction to get right . Instructions indicate that even 1/10 mm out and disaster awaits . Its a particularly difficult stage as its really only the bulkheads that keep the two half's together so doing a dry run is hard I have attached the bulkheads before painting so as to avoid the thickness of paint throughing things out. All panel lines match up so i hope when i come to attach the multitude of panels , wings and tail it all works out but wont know until i get to them .... After a coat of duralium , ready for some weathering here is the floor section for the 3rd crew member or traveling mechanic My first attempt at painting some wood grain , of course when assembled it will never be seen again apart from here on the forum . The oxygen bottles likewise never to be seen . This is a typical Luftwaffe O2 bottle from my collection I have just painted the two white stripes on the kit bottles . Other bits and bobs to go in Added some plastic strip banding to the flame dampers as ZM missed this detail Thats all for now .Thanks for looking Alistair

Great work Alan. All the fine details will be on view to the world via the cloud (whatever that is) long after you have sealed up the parts . Anyway this is what I'm telling myself as I face the same dilemma of detailing up areas never to see the light of day. . More photos to look back on in years to come on The plus side you won't have to dust around all those engine pipes Looking forward to seeing more Cheers Alistair

Thats some nice wiring Rich . Can you come over to Devon and give me a quote for first fix for the electrics of a new build house im starting this October .a 1:1 very large build cheers Alistair

I find myself falling into the "I'll take a photo later" habit and before I know it the kit is half built . My Zm he 219 atleast has a natural modular construction pattern which shouts out Take a photo now otherwise all that painted detail will never be seen again . I find that often Trumpeter interior detail isn't even worth putting in ,let alone taking a picture of. Cheers Alistair

The The Hobbyboss 1/18th kit will be a great painting and weathering project ,even if little or no addition to the detail . Do you get a pilot figure with the kit ? Will be following both your builds . Cheers Alistair

My vote is for the Grand Slam to be built first A big bomb in a big scale works well . Cheers Alistair

Gosh Alan ,has the UK got enough detail in store .I expect a shortage this winter with lots of bland Christmas cake decorations . 🙂 The braided hoses sound interesting taking details to another level. Cheers Alistair

Wow you are setting the 1/32 Gloster Sea Gladiator bar so high your record should last for years . Amazing Cheers Alistair

Watching your build come together with your clear photography is a real pleasure , Way beyond my skill level . cheers Alistair

Thats true Alan . I have many pieces of ww2 Luftwaffe equipment from early , mid and late war periods and the RLM 66 dark grey is consistent in color . The red fox version i recon is a perfect scale color being just slightly lighter . Matches the Mr Color i am using . The cockpit and front wheel well are now almost complete (except canopy The pop up armor plating at front of cockpit is an interesting feature . Never realized it existed . you only get the option to have it in the raised position .(i think ) Two cathode ray tubes in the FuG 220 Lichtenstein SN-2 radar system can be seen at the rear of cockpit . This is an example from my collection complete with the plotting grid looks like Red Fox got the cathode ray tubes the right color Next stage is Rear fuselage . This is a huge section . can see at least 3 weeks or more . cheers Alistair

Your engine looks like it could be a complete kit in itself . Well worth all your efort . Cheers Alistair

I have never come across the term Silhouett machine .,please what is it and what can it do . Sounds like its going to save you some time Cheers Alistair

As a secondary aim to finishing this kit i will count reducing your resistance to Zero Since last update i have almost completed cockpit . Much has been said about the use of 3d printed instruments etc . I like others do feel their is a trade off with loosing the satisfaction off a successful hand paint job verses the near perfect detailed 3d instruments . The color of the Red fox product Rlm 66is perfect as is the fit . decided to attach using pva glue to give time to make sure they were all square etc . unfortunately most of the radio and radar details will be hidden when attached to side walls I left one of the radar visors off so the cathode ray tubes are visible and more of the radio equipment can be seen . So far I'm finding this to be one of the most enjoyable kits iv ever built . I have never taken so much time to weather and paint the detail . Defiantly a case of tantric modeling Thanks for looking Alistair

looking good Pete. Those Barracuda cockpit decals make a large impact on detail level . I bet there is a neck twisting angle it can be seen Cheers Alistair