It’s alive! - 1/72nd Airfix Do17E conversion to Do17P Frankendornier

[AdrianMF]

Hi Heather, sad to hear the airbrush is back in the bad books. If you are going for brush mottles, my only advice is to keep the paint fairly thin and wipe the brush almost clean before going anywhere near the model. Because the paint will be lying around for an extended period it's surprising how fast it dries out. Then only dab for a short while before going back to the paint, wiping almost dry and repeating (and repeating...). At first you dab away and you might think it's making no difference, but the paint does build up eventually and it can look pretty convincing. Light sanding with a fine stick can also help steer the result in the direction you want too. It's more difficult mottling with acrylics than enamels because acrylics do the fast-drying plastic skin thing, whereas enamels stay mobile for longer.

 

I don't have anything in progress but here's one I made earlier...

 

Regards,

Adrian

[Heather Kay]

Good advice, thanks Adrian.

 

You've echoed pretty much the way I have been thinking. I have the relevant colours in enamel form, so I’m minded to use those for the mottles for the very reasons you outline. The profile apparently shows the secondary colour mottling as fairly half-hearted, so I think dry brushing and stippling will achieve what I want.

 

 

[CedB]

Don't give up on the airbrush Heather (yet).

 

Maybe try some retarder medium to slow down the drying?

 

Maybe try some different paint - you've done exceptionally well with Humbrol but I, like many others, gave up trying to spray them  

[Martian]

It sounds as if the paint is drying in the brush, specifically the nozzle Some leveling thinner should help prevent this from happening. If you punch some suitable sized holes in some stiff card and spray through them, it will obviate the need for a smaller nozzle. Some companies make brass mottling stencils. In the long run it would be advantageous to invest in a smaller nozzle. Present from other half on some suitable occasion perchance?

 

Helpful of Mars 👽

[Heather Kay]

8 hours ago, CedB said:

Don't give up on the airbrush Heather (yet).

I slept on it. Not the airbrush, but what to do about using it. More later.

6 hours ago, Martian Hale said:

It sounds as if the paint is drying in the brush

It does, but it wasn’t, if you see what I mean. It was the paint to thinners ratio, allied with the low pressure I was trying to use. The very same mix, at full pressure and full trigger travel, worked a treat. The airbrush also needed a deep clean, as dried paint had begun to build up in the inlet feed area. 
 

The idea of making ad hoc masks for mottling has much appeal, and it’s something I may try for the Italian mob. For this job, the mottling on the drawn profile is so vague and, literally, random, I don’t think masks would help much. Consider this still very much a learning curve for me.

 

 

With nothing to lose at this stage, and with things almost heading for a total respray in to a more orthodox camo fashion, I thought I’d try using the Xtracrylix paint instead. It’s still not quite what I envisaged, but I think I may just leave it at that. 
 

Leaving that aside to harden off, I think my next effort will be to carefully reapply tape to mask of the splinter camo again, and reapply colour there. At this point, I should use the Humbrol for a clearer colour match, but the option it there to just go for it with the Xtracrylix instead. Something for tomorrow.

[CedB]

I like that Heather, a lot.

 

Good job!  

[Terry1954]

On 4/10/2020 at 7:54 AM, CedB said:

Maybe try some retarder medium to slow down the drying?

Can't stress enough how this bit of advice has helped me. Really worth trying it out Heather. 

 

Also agree with Ced that the result above looks the biz.

 

Terry

[AdrianMF]

The mottles look great!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Even if you did cheat and use an airbrush

 

Regards,

Adrian

[Heather Kay]

A couple of steps forward, and one back.

 

I decided to mask just the wings and humpback at first for the RLM71 to be resprayed using Xtracrylix. That worked well, but before I masked the rear fuselage and tail, I squirted some Xtracrylix RLM70 to repair some scratches. Sadly, the Xtracrylix colours are not a close match to the Humbrol ones. That was bothersome. 
 

I scratched the old noodle for a minute of two, and decided to risk spraying more 70 from the Xtracrylix pot over the rest of the airframe, but avoiding as much of the earlier efforts as possible. Fortuitously, for once, I’d carefully removed the tape from earlier, so hopefully I can simply recover the 70 and respray more 71. 

 

Being quite warm today, the paint is drying very quickly - almost as soon as it was laid down. Not sure that’s a good thing, but I made sure to clean the airbrush well before I left the model to harden off.
 

There’s a reason I like brush painting, but I can’t put my finger on it right now. 

[Heather Kay]

 

Pressing on. I just want to get this thing done now. Gloss coat on top, and when that’s dry, flip it over and do underneath. With luck, the main national markings will be done today. I’ll have to think about unit codes, as I don’t have the right lettering here in my stocks. I ordered a sheet weeks ago, and when it turned up it was black with a white outline. 

 

Of course, I don’t have clear transfer sheet here, either, so printing my own is out of the question. So, national markings, stencils, then complete the unit bits when I get some suitable items.

[Heather Kay]

 

I'm very much a transfer magpie. I tend to keep everything that isn’t used, because one day it might come in handy. Despite this, I can’t quite make up the unit codes, but I’m working on it.

 

The other problem with keeping sheets of water slide transfers for some decades is they don’t always survive. They might look fine on the backing sheet, but dissolve into atoms on contact with water. Nevertheless, I’ve managed to cobble together the wing and fuselage crosses. Amazingly, the latter came from the Revell box the donor kit came in, which makes them at least twenty years old! 
 

With nothing more than the profile drawing to go on, I have assumed small wing crosses above and below. The 17Zs seemed to have larger upper crosses, but the idea with the 17P seemed to be some kind of stealth mode. Anyway, main national markings are done. It may be prudent to get a coat of gloss over them when they’ve settled down, before I have a go at bodging together unit codes. I have a cunning plan. 

[Heather Kay]

The cunning plan seems to be working. 

 

 

This sheet of pre-War RAF serials forms a goodly part of the plan. 
 

 

With some minor adjustment with sharp blades, and a bit of creative thinking to turn an H into an N, this is working a treat. I’ll let this set dry, then overcoat with some clear gloss to protect them, before I do the other side.

 

Now, stencils: I’ve got some, but can I be bothered? I’ll get back to you on that. 

[Martian]

Its coming along splendidly Heather. I do think you should spend a little time putting the stencils on, especially after all the effort you have put into the model.  Otherwise you will never look upon the model as truly finished.

 

Martian 👽

[LorenSharp]

2 hours ago, Heather Kay said:

The cunning plan seems to be working. 

 

 

This sheet of pre-War RAF serials forms a goodly part of the plan. 
 

 

With some minor adjustment with sharp blades, and a bit of creative thinking to turn an H into an N, this is working a treat. I’ll let this set dry, then overcoat with some clear gloss to protect them, before I do the other side.

 

Now, stencils: I’ve got some, but can I be bothered? I’ll get back to you on that. 

Excellent job Heather. Overcome Improvise and adapt. Us modellers never surrender.

[Heather Kay]

This will be heading for an RFI post later today, I think.

 

 

I'm fairly happy with the paint finish. It’s not my best, but I never seem to quite get to the level of perfection I would like. A measure of silvering on the unit codes, but I’m putting that mostly down to the transfer material. I’ve had the same issue on previous models, and both times the transfers were laid down on a gloss surface with the aid of setting solution. 
 

I was going to do a bunch of stencils from the Revell sheet, but they disintegrated in water. I got the fuel filler spots on, but the rest have been ignored.
 

 

Final bits have been fitted, such as undercarriage doors, main wheels, and the fiddlyest PE loop and "towel rail" antennae you’ve ever seen. I took the decision to brush paint matt varnish over the thing. It may need a further coat here or there. Frankly, I’m too lazy to dig out the airbrush again, and the smooth finish that would give me perhaps wouldn’t be quite right for this model. 
 

I need a machine gun for the upper cupola, to be fitted once the masking is removed, and then I’ll string a radio aerial from the front mast to the starboard fin. Once that’s done, I will declare this lengthy build complete!
 

I suppose I’d better start thinking about finding some space in the cabinet. That might be a trial.

[Heather Kay]

Photos done, and the RFI post is up. 

 

 

This thread was my first WIP thread after joining Britmodeller. I am pleased to have actually finished this model, though it seemed like it wouldn't make it beyond the Shelf of Doom at one point. I might treat myself to the Valom kit for this version of the Do17 family, but there's no rush at present. Thank you to everyone that encouraged me along the way, offered help, advice and more during this rather lengthy build. I'm afraid I really must get some paying work done now, but I am thinking about what stash resident might make its way to the bench next. Be assured you will be the first to know when it does!

 

 

[Martian]

I never realised that this was your first WIP, which makes for an even more impressive effort as it is not always easy to get the photos right or even get what one wants to say across clearly in the text. I still struggle sometimes, you however seem to have taken to it like the proverbial duck to water. I have thoroughly enjoyed following the build.

 

Martian 👽

[Heather Kay]

8 minutes ago, Martian Hale said:

like the proverbial duck to water

In that I’m quackers. 

 

I am a fairly old hand at forums, starting out with some geeky ones back about twenty years ago. I like writing, so the descriptive bit generally comes easily, and the venerable iPad takes quite adequate photos while work. In my "day job" I like to share the build progress on another forum (links in my sig below), so moving to share styrene bashing was easy. It’s fun, and BM is a great community. It’s nice to actually meet the real people in real life as well.

[Brandy]

Lovely work Heather! I'd hadn't realised it was your first WIP either, I suppose that is a good indication of how long it's taken!

@LorenSharp FYI

 

 

Ian

Edited April 14, 2020 by limeypilot

[Marklo]

Lovely build. Again didn’t realize it was your first wip.

[LorenSharp]

Excellent job Heather! and Congratulations on finishing your first WIP here at BM. I cant wait to see what you'll come up for us next but whatever it is it will be Stellar!

[Heather Kay]

I should clarify something. This was my first started WIP on Britmodeller, but it’s not my first completed model!

 

In the almost two years I’ve been a member, I’ve posted and completed probably 20 other builds, and taken part in three group builds. They range from Spitfires and Hurricanes, French Air Force single seaters of 1940, several trainer aircraft, one Belgian plane, and numerous others. The most recent completion was a Bristol Beaufighter - and all the time, this poor old Dornier was patiently awaiting my enthusiasm to finish it.

[Kitsticker]

Hi Heather,

 

To quote from the first line of your first post:

 

'This will be my first Work In Progress thread, and I thought I’d kick off with what I hope might turn into a good one.'

 

Well it did turn out to be a good 'un, not without its difficulties and so sorry about the health issues, nobody needs that

 

I will look forward to the next one!

 

All the best

 

Geoff