Ju 88A-4, Sicily, June 1941 (Revell 1/72) +++ Finished 19-08-2016 +++

[jrlx]

Hi again,

I've progressed slowly since Sunday.

Some of the cockpit parts have ejector pin marks:

They probably won't be visible after closing the fuselage. Anyway, I thought this would be a good chance to test a new way of filling them without using putty: CA plus Rocket Powder:

Rocket powder is grainy and in combination with CA results in a very hard, grainy mass:

It was very difficult to remove the excess. I had to use files and the resulting filed surfaces were very irregular due to the grainy texture of the hardened powder:

Still trying to avoid the use of putty, I decided to use white glue to smooth the surfaces:

Unfortunately, the white glue was completely removed when I tried to sand the excess, after letting it dry for three hours. So, in the end I used putty diluted in enamel thinner and applied with a paintbrush:

The putty was left to dry for two days and, then, the excess was removed with wet & dry:

As can be seen, the putty filled in the little spaces between the grains of Rocket Powder. When I prime the parts, we'll see if all this effort was worthwhile, compared to the simple application of putty.

In the meanwhile, I glued a few remaining plastic and PE parts to the cockpit walls:

A few cockpit parts that must be painted separately were glued to toothpicks:

One of the seats must be detailed with PE, as shown in the PE instructions. The picture also shows the PE part already off the fret and the seat separated from the head rest:

The head rest was glued to the PE part:

and this was glued to the seat:

These parts were also glued together:

And the other seats and remaining cockpit parts were glued to toothpicks in preparation for priming and painting:

I decided to assemble the gondola, as the interior colour is the same as the cockpit's. There are several PE parts to detail the gondola's interior:

After glueing the parts together, this is the end result:

I'll try to progress as much as possible with parts preparation and assembly before starting to prime and painting.

Thanks for looking.

Cheers

Jaime

[Mottlemaster]

This is mental ,but in a good way . can i ask where you get the rocket powder from as my trusty piece of talk from a cycle tube repair kit is so small only you could pick it up

[CedB]

Great work Jaime - very precise work as always.

Can I ask why you're not keen on putty? I know some of them shrink back and often show up under the paint. I'm restricting my use of putty to thin joins where I need a smooth finish now as sanding later will be difficult / impossible, like wing roots and around coolers.

I've had the same problem with Roket powder and CA - it's VERY hard and almost impossible to sand - I only shifted it with files. I've moved mine to the back of the bench and will only use it now where I need to fill really​ deep areas and I'll make sure the 'filler' is below where I want the surface to finish, using another filler for the final 'coat'.

I've also tried 'sprue soup' and, though it sands well, mine is quite hard and shiny so not as easy.

I'm using Liquid Green Stuff for joins now and Humbrol putty now for ejector marks, small dips and holes. It's quite 'hot' and merges with the plastic. It can also be shaped / scraped while it's going off. Both also sand well and don't seem to show up under paint. YMMV!

[jrlx]

This is mental ,but in a good way . can i ask where you get the rocket powder from as my trusty piece of talk from a cycle tube repair kit is so small only you could pick it up

Thanks Alistair! I got the Rocket Powder from my LHS

Great work Jaime - very precise work as always.

Can I ask why you're not keen on putty? I know some of them shrink back and often show up under the paint. I'm restricting my use of putty to thin joins where I need a smooth finish now as sanding later will be difficult / impossible, like wing roots and around coolers.

I've had the same problem with Roket powder and CA - it's VERY hard and almost impossible to sand - I only shifted it with files. I've moved mine to the back of the bench and will only use it now where I need to fill really​ deep areas and I'll make sure the 'filler' is below where I want the surface to finish, using another filler for the final 'coat'.

I've also tried 'sprue soup' and, though it sands well, mine is quite hard and shiny so not as easy.

I'm using Liquid Green Stuff for joins now and Humbrol putty now for ejector marks, small dips and holes. It's quite 'hot' and merges with the plastic. It can also be shaped / scraped while it's going off. Both also sand well and don't seem to show up under paint. YMMV!

Thanks for the kind words Ced! I try to avoid putty because sometimes it shows marks under the paint. I'm using Squadron white putty, which was recommended to me at my LHS because it shouldn't shrink. The problem is filling deeper areas or gaps, where it is more difficult to ensure the final sanded putty surface is level with the surrounding surfaces. My experiment with Rocket Powder lead me to the same conclusion as yours: use it only in filling deeper areas, making sure it doesn't "overflow" the surface to finish and using putty to level the remaining depth. I still have to try your other suggestions but will look around for those products

Cheers

Jaime

[CedB]

You're very welcome Jaime

Humbrol putty should be available from your LHS if they're a dealer.

Liquid Green Stuff is from Games Workshop and there're several stockists around Lisbon you can search for here. I first went into one of their shops quite sheepishly, but they're great guys. If you do venture in I have quite a lot of stuff from them:

- For 'Stew's Pilot Painting Method', Ratskin Flesh, Bestir Flesh, Riekland Fleshshade and Abaddon Black (great for a part-shiny leather look)

- For Robvulcan's cockpit wash Seraphim Sepia and Nulm Oil

- For jet pipes (recommended by the shop) Drakenhof Nightshade and Guilliman Blue glaze

- Biel-tan Green for general washes and

- their 'Mouldline Remover' tool for removing flash and joins - a bit expensive but a gentle stroke cleans up joins and flash really easily, especially on small parts like control columns.

HTH (and sorry if I'm spending too much of your money!)

[jrlx]

Hi Ced,

Thanks again for the link and the recommendations. Don't worry about making me spend money: I've spent some already in very useful tools recommended by you in your build threads I'm also always looking for good tools and products to use

Cheers

Jaime

[PlaStix]

Hi Jaime. What a great update - well worth waiting for! Your work, as always, is impeccable! Everything always seems so neat and tidily done. Very impressive!

Kind regards,

Stix

[jrlx]

Hi Stix,

Thank you very much for your, as always, extremely kind comments and interest

I hope I can keep up to such high praise...

Cheers

Jaime

[DaveyGair]

Good Grief, this is '72nd!!!!

Not using any PE on the aircraft build, just some bits on the WGr rockets.

Excellent work so far

[jrlx]

Thanks Davey, much appreciated!

Cheers

Jaime

[Arniec]

that looks great. What you can do with etch is amazing. I sometimes use it in 1/48 and get mixed results and to be ohnest I am not a big fan of it. But in 1/72!!!! You must have hawk eyes.

Cheers,

[jrlx]

Hi Arnold,

Thanks a lot for the kind comments, much appreciated! I don't have hawk eyes, I use a headband magnifier

Cheers

Jaime

[smuts]

Wow that detail looks awesome

Andy

[jrlx]

Thanks Andy, very kind!

Cheers

Jaime

[jrlx]

Hi again,

This weekend I managed to make some small progress.

Since some of the transparent parts will have PE applied, I decided to remove and clean all transparent parts off the sprue, in preparation for the next phases.

Here's the transparent parts' sprue:

For removing and cleaning transparent parts I use the method described in my RAF "Shark Teeth" Phantom thread, but this time I'm using RB Productions' Micro Saws, which were recommended by CedB in one of his builds.

I started by removing the gondola and the canopy's back parts (4 on the left, 4 on the right, respectively):

Most of the times I used the mini-saw instead of the nº 10 (curved) blade to remove most of the stubs:

... resulting in this:

The remaining excess plastic of the sprue gates was removed with a nº 11 blade and sanding sticks if needed. Here's the end result:

The same procedure was used for the wing headlight and the spine portholes:

The part that goes in the chin had to be polished, because the sprue gates partially overlapped the transparent areas. For polishing I used the micro-mesh pads shown in the picture behind the part:

There are 9 pads with successively finer grain. The pads must be used in succession, with perpendicular movements between successive pads. The transparent area starts by losing all its transparency and, then, becomes progressively transparent. In the end, it must be rubbed with a polishing liquid (micro gloss).

Here is the affected area of the part, near the bottom edge, before being polished:

After polishing:

This was done on the opposite side as well, because the part was connected to the sprue by two gates.

Here are the remaining transparent parts: chin, front canopy and nose:

... and this one, which will be glued to one of the machine guns:

... as shown in the instructions (it is part J-C 139). However, it isn't very clear which areas of this part should remain transparent:

All the transparent parts were washed with water and dish-washing liquid and left to dry for a few hours. Then, I gave them a bath of Alclad Aqua Gloss, to improve transparency and protect them from glue vapours:

The parts were left to dry overnight and this is the result:

I didn't want to mess around applying the PE immediately. So, I decided to remove some plastic off the sprues and clean it in preparation for the next steps in the instructions.

Here are the fuselage and tail gear parts:

I also removed and cleaned the wings:

That's all for now. Thanks for looking.

Cheers

Jaime

[Mottlemaster]

superb set of build sequence photos . I think i will take a Que into this coming working week ......Preparation , preparation and more preparation .

[CedB]

Very good job Jaime on those clear parts - they look great.

I'm glad you're finding the nano-saws useful and I think I'll copy your coating process in the future - thanks for the step-by-step.

[jrlx]

Alistair, Ced,

Thank you for the very kind words! I'm glad you found the SBS useful

Cheers

Jaime

[Nigel Heath]

Those clear parts have turned out a treat.

[jrlx]

Thanks Nigel, much appreciated!

Cheers

Jaime

[mcdonnell]

Hello,Jaime - I'm in awe of your skills and finesse with the photo-etch items.Fine work indeed.The transparencies also look superb.This is another interesting build that will showcase your organised approach. All the very best,Paul.

[jrlx]

Paul,

You're unfailingly extremely kind in your appreciation... Thanks a lot

Have you already started a new build, after your fantastic F-101?

Cheers

Jaime

[rob85]

Your really putting your full force into this one Jamie, finding all you processes fascinating!

Keep it up it's excellent work

Rob

[jrlx]

Thanks Rob!

You're being very kind, as always!

This kit is a pleasure to work with.It's a pity the transparent parts distort the view.

I'll progress as further as possible with building sub-assemblies until I can prime and paint as many in one go.

Looking forward to seeing your build taking form

Cheers

Jaime

[rob85]

Thanks Rob!

You're being very kind, as always!

This kit is a pleasure to work with.It's a pity the transparent parts distort the view.

I'll progress as further as possible with building sub-assemblies until I can prime and paint as many in one go.

Looking forward to seeing your build taking form

Cheers

Jaime

Me too! Waiting for pay day to get some paints then I can crack on.

Rob