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Dornier Do335


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Here is my entry for this year's Blizbuild - the Hobby Boss 1/72 Dornier Do335.

 

Do335-001.JPG

 

It's one of HB's "Easy Build" range, which makes it ideal for a blitzbuild.

 

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The canopy could take up some time so, like others in this GB, I'll be using a set of canopy masks.

 

Do335-004.jpg

 

Only one more sleep and then we get cracking.  :bounce:

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Depends on how much :beer: I drink tonight..  :D 

 

One solution to the need to mask canopies is to build something which doesn't have a canopy.  For the last couple of years I have built AFVs in the Blitzbuild.

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That’s a good way round time consuming canopy..no canopy! Good idea

shall we be seeing food that hurts pics as your strap line suggests during the build?

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Here we go!  Hold on tight, rider! 

 

001.JPG

 

Cockpit built and painted with some Eduard superfabric seatbelts.  The seat should actually be an ejection seat, rather than a traditional bucket seat, but I'm not too worried.

 

I have put some ballast in the nose.

 

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Airframe assembled.  There were some nasty gaps along the joints which have been filled with Squadron white putty.

 

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The undercarriage bays were sprayed aluminium from a rattle can and then masked.

 

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The canopy mask was applied.  Fitted perfectly and took less than ten minutes.

 

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And then promed.  I usually use Alclad2 grey primer, but instead I'm trying out an auto primer from a rattle can which is specifically for plastics.

 

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Give everything an hour or so to settle down and harden then it's on with the painting.

 

 

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Nice work. What is that you use for nose weight? Canopy in ten minutes, brilliant. I’m using my first bought in mask on mine too, hope it is as easy and fast as you made it look.

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The model was sprayed with Lifecolor UA-511 to represent RLM82.  Then I had a snack.  Bacon and halloumi in a pitta, with some food that hurts ready for application.

 

009.JPG

 

Next step, masking the splinter pattern.

 

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Now things could get a little controversial.  Most models and graphics of the Do335 that I have seen show then in an RLM 81/82 scheme, which is brown and medium green.  The one remaining survivor, preserved at the Udvar-Hazy Centre in Washington DC is finished in that manner.  The markings in this kit represent that aircraft, 102/VG+PH, when it was operated by Ekdo 335 in early 1945.  Another aircraft of that unit, 108/VG+PN was shot down by American forces and the wreckage was documented as having a camouflage scheme of two greens.  Why would two aircraft on the same unit, built and delivered at the same time, have two different camouflage schemes?

 

So I have decided to paint my model in two greens.  There are three possibilities, RLM 70/71, a green variation of RLM 81 and RLM 82 or RLM 82/83.   I've chosen RLM 82/83. 

 

This was sprayed using Xtracrylix XA1226.

 

011.JPG

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Masking removed and the undersurfaces sprayed with Xtracrylix XA1208 RLM 76.

 

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A few coats of clear laquer from a rattle can and we were ready for the stickers...

 

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And that's about it for the day.  I'll spray up some of the greeblies over the next hour, ready for installation in the morning.  I suppose I could push on and complete it in the next couple of hours, but I quite fancy a :beer:    :D  

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The final furlong.  All the greeblies have been painted and are ready for assembly.

 

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A couple of coats of matt lacquer, removal of the canopy masks and here we are...

 

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The build looks great.

 

All the Enzo inputs are fine. But doesn’t this kit have a funny front propeller? One of the blades is moulded the wrong way round ISTR. Definitely looks a bit strange in the last pic.

 

Regards,

Adrian

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18 minutes ago, AdrianMF said:

But doesn’t this kit have a funny front propeller? One of the blades is moulded the wrong way round ISTR. Definitely looks a bit strange in the last pic.

It does indeed!  In real life the aircraft would get nowhere as the forward engine would be cancelling out the rear one. 

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