Enzo the Magnificent Posted November 30, 2014 Share Posted November 30, 2014 Way back in the dim and distant past, when I woz but a lad, I sadly insulted the Bf110. On the run up to the school Christmas party, the ones who would be leaving to go to secondary school the next summer were allowed to choose what presents they got from Father Christmas. Most of the boys asked for "Airfixes". The Christmas party duly arrived and so did Father Christmas. We all got our presents. I tore mine open and was somewhat disappointed. It was the Airfix Bf110. The big problem was that the boxart was boring! True, the aircraft was involved in a dogfight with Hurricanes... but.. well... it didn't inspire me. These were the days when Airfix thought that German aircraft had a single colour uppersurface scheme and that really didn't look like it would be interesting to paint. Ah well.. Chris, my best mate, had also got an Airfix and was also disappointed. He had the Grumman Duck. It was a biplane. That's not very fast. Not as fast as mine! I looked at the Duck and was as envious of it as Chris was of my Messerschmitt. And when I said "This is rubbish!" he suggested we swap. So I ended up with a Grumman Duck, which was a lot of fun to build and paint and he got the rubbish Messerschmitt. And now, forty-odd years later, I think it is time for me to apologise to the Bf110. In all that time I have never built one, so now is the time. My original intention was to build a Bf110 from 14/LG1 in the early war scheme. The one that Airfix used to think was just a single shade of green but is in fact a rather smart two-tone green. The kit was to be the 1/72 Eduard Bf110C Profipack. So I started building the kit. It simply fell together and was really enjoyable so I thought "why not build two?" I know... that the slippery slope that leads to me building five in one GB!!! But I started a second, using the Weekend version of the same kit. And I changed my mind about the colour schemes. Instead I will be building two aircraft flown by Wolfgang Falck. Bf110C, 2./ZG76 in the early war scheme BF110E, NJG 1 in an overall black night fighter scheme. Falck was heavily involved in formulating tactics for the Luftwaffe night fighter fleet and this was one of the aircraft used before radar was fitted. Here are the kits I will be using. Rather than photograph the sprues, can I direct you to Woody's excellent review here. http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234930519-messerschmitt-bf110cd-profipack-172-eduard/ Hold on tight, rider! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
galgos Posted November 30, 2014 Share Posted November 30, 2014 Hello Enzo, what a brilliant introduction.....but never built a Bf110! Shame, so now IS the time to make amends, glad you're doing two - you could rival Stew with his prodigious output. The rest of us just stumble along. Max 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stew Dapple Posted November 30, 2014 Share Posted November 30, 2014 I'm on board Enzo , after such an eloquent introduction I hope your builds will live up to it Cheers, Stew 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carts Posted November 30, 2014 Share Posted November 30, 2014 Bit of a cop out I reckon,if your apology was sincere you would be building the Airfix original! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlCZ Posted November 30, 2014 Share Posted November 30, 2014 Good choice ! Eduard small Zerstörer are nice kit.... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ettore Posted November 30, 2014 Share Posted November 30, 2014 Vai Enzo, vai ! Ettore 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Enzo the Magnificent Posted December 1, 2014 Author Share Posted December 1, 2014 Bit of a cop out I reckon,if your apology was sincere you would be building the Airfix original! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woody37 Posted December 1, 2014 Share Posted December 1, 2014 Lol, great introduction Enzo, PMSL, worse thing is, as overgrown balding children, we still spend our money weakened by a good box art!!! I end up buying Matchbox kits knowing the kit is rubbish, but can't resist the box it comes in! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Enzo the Magnificent Posted December 1, 2014 Author Share Posted December 1, 2014 Good choice ! Eduard small Zerstörer are nice kit.... Indeed they are! And here's why... The airframe is just clipped together! The wing uppersurfaces are glues to the one piece lowersurface part, but everything else is clipped in place without using tape. The kit is beautifully engineered. The tailplanes hold the fuselage halves together and the nacelles are held in place by deep groove on the wing undersurfaces. It all fits together perfectly. This is the cockpit. I pilot's seat was stolen by the carpet monster so I replaced it with a Quickboost Bf109E seat. The rest is straight from the kit. Both kits assembled with the canopies masked. Ready for priming. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
galgos Posted December 1, 2014 Share Posted December 1, 2014 Blimey.....BOGOF!? Max 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stew Dapple Posted December 2, 2014 Share Posted December 2, 2014 Ah, it wasn't just me who found these kits incredibly quick to build then Great start Enzo, both looking good Cheers, Stew 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gingerbob Posted December 2, 2014 Share Posted December 2, 2014 I'm going to have to explore this new "snap-tite" technology! bob 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Enzo the Magnificent Posted December 22, 2014 Author Share Posted December 22, 2014 Both models primed and ready for painting. I have already sprayed the yellow band on the NJG1 aircraft. I have never found a yellow acrylic which can provide a decent depth of colour so I sprayed an undercoat from a rattle can and oversprayed it with Xtracrylix XA1213 RLM 04 Gelb. The ZG76 aircraft with the base coat of RLM 71 sprayed on and masked ready for the RLM 70. There is a bit of a problem though. I usually used Lifecolor paints for early-war Luftwaffe schemes. This particular scheme was designed to be very low c-ntrast, which led Airfix to believe that this aircraft should have had a single shade of green up top. Because of that, if I use the Lifecolor shades, the contrast is incredibly low - so much so that when it is all varnished up, the contrast almost disappears. In order to get away from that, I substitute the RLM 71 colour for something slightly lighter to improve the contrast. Hey... it's 1/72 scale... scale colour, yannow! In this case I am using Xtracrylix XA1001 RAF Dark Green! You can see how the contrast looks on the tailplane. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mottlemaster Posted December 22, 2014 Share Posted December 22, 2014 Useing the lighter green is a good idea . I agree that the contrast can almost disapear in the smaller scales. I'm going to lighten my 71 with a dash of yellow. Alistair 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
galgos Posted December 23, 2014 Share Posted December 23, 2014 Agreed yellow is a real problem colour with acrylics. For its depth I think Xtracylics trainer yellow is probably the best but I never get on well with it, even thinned it clogs my airbrush. My 110E is also an NJG1 aircraft, a nightfighter finished in black with a yellow band on the aft fuselage so I've got a similar priming and painting problem. Max 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trickyrich Posted December 28, 2014 Share Posted December 28, 2014 very nice, has there ever been a GB in which you only built one?? I agree with your idea to change to the colour to add a slight contrast, in bigger scales you would have been ok to have limited contrast, the size give the contrast. In smaller scales "colour scale" does change quite a bit and you need that contrast. For the yellow you really have to have a white base coat for it to have any chance to "pop", the same goes for any of the "bright" colours. great job, you've gotten a nice finish. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Enzo the Magnificent Posted January 11, 2015 Author Share Posted January 11, 2015 Just in case you thought I'd forgotten these... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Enzo the Magnificent Posted January 18, 2015 Author Share Posted January 18, 2015 Stickers on and standing up on their own legs. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stew Dapple Posted January 18, 2015 Share Posted January 18, 2015 Hey Enzo, they're both looking very cool indeed Cheers, Stew 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Enzo the Magnificent Posted January 18, 2015 Author Share Posted January 18, 2015 Thanks for the vote of confidence. I have to admit that I have thoroughly enjoyed this GB and now I want to build more Bf110s. I shall definitely be building another in the Battle of Britain GB later this year. I also want one in the three grey scheme with that huge wasp on the nose. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stew Dapple Posted January 18, 2015 Share Posted January 18, 2015 Yep those Eduard kits are a pleasure to build, I wanted to squeeze a couple more in this GB myself but I don't think I'll be able to now... still as you say there's always the BoB GB coming up Cheers, Stew 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smuts Posted January 18, 2015 Share Posted January 18, 2015 .Hi, looking good do like the 72nd 110's from eduard .. Andy 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Enzo the Magnificent Posted January 31, 2015 Author Share Posted January 31, 2015 Finished! Photos tomorrow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mottlemaster Posted January 31, 2015 Share Posted January 31, 2015 Enzo ,are you sure your photos should not be put up today before 23.59 . I may well be wrong but its worth a check just in case. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Enzo the Magnificent Posted January 31, 2015 Author Share Posted January 31, 2015 Enzo ,are you sure your photos should not be put up today before 23.59 . I may well be wrong but its worth a check just in case. Phew! You had me going there! The GB finishes on 1 Feb, so I have tomorrow to take photos and post 'em. Or is it 1 Feb where you are? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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