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US issue He111


TonyW

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Another entry from me. A US Airfix boxing of their He111.

The plan is to build it as a whitewashed Russian Front plane. Nothing fancy, an out the box build with minimal added detailing to keep the build doable within the GB timetable. A bit of effort will be put into a snow covered base for the plane.

I've long held a fascination for the efforts and hardships of keeping an airforce flying during a Russian winter. Online pictures of Ju52's and He111's etc. in the most appalling weather conditions look incredibly sad to me, but what a subject for a model!

 

Here's progress so far...

 

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Assembly has gone very smoothly. A fair bit of filler has been needed, especially around the wing roots. The underside needed a whole load of filler to cover the large gaps.

 

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The trench like aileron fit wouldn't do at all. The huge gaps got filled and rubbed down and a bit of re-scribing applied. A coat or two of white primer highlighted any more work needed and then it was on with a bit of green as an undercoat.

 

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I've hit a major snag in the build as the canopy had a bit of bad luck. It's a bit rubbish in the first place, with a very difficult to hide seam around the middle of it. Efforts to line everything up with the fuselage were going well right up until I managed to ping the thing off onto the floor. I really did think it flew off forwards and under my bench. The cracking noise when I stood up and stepped back to find it indicated otherwise. Grrr. I've glued all the bits back together but as it sits, the thing is unusable. I'll have a go at moulding a new one but if that fails the canopy area will be getting a tarpaulin cover to keep that Russian winter off the glazing.

 

More later.

 

Tony.

 


 

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I like your form Tony. Every GB seems to bring out thise mega builders and you’ve taken to that title most wonderfully well - you’ve got a few rivals though, so let’s not forget Heather and Peter (Mr. Airfix) himself! This Heinkel looks like another quick and super Tony build.. another one to watch. 

 

Cheers.. Dave 

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If only I could be this prolific at shed building! Oh well, the sheds will be built at some point. Then I can really get cracking on the models 😁

 

Meanwhile, back at the bench....

 

The plane got masked up, using the pattern shown on the US instruction sheet. Strict accuracy didn't come into this really, I reasoned that most of it was going to dissapear under the intended whitewash finish. Two coats gave an even coverage.

 

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I used Humbrol Authentics German Camouflage Medium Green and Xtracolor RLM70 Schwartzgrun for the greens.

 

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Transfers went on the minute the paint was dry enough, in a nod to sixties impatient building. Then the good bit started. On with the whitewash, using a very pale blue/green Humbrol 23. Scrubbed on with a semi dry brush it looked like dirty, scruffy faded white to me. Result!

 

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That little lot brings things right up to date, and here's how the plane sits at the moment. Dabbing the barely dry paint with various kitchen scourers and cleaning sponges removed a fair bit of the 'white' leaving the plane looking like it's spent a winter in the open on a Soviet field somewhere. At least, thats what I hope it's looking like!

 

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I took a look in a cheapo, pile 'em high, sell 'em cheap shop in Ely this afternoon and came out with a load of bargain picture frames that will be doing a bit of alternative duty as model bases in the near future.

 

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More later.

 

Tony.

 

 

Edited by TonyW
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6 minutes ago, Pete in Lincs said:

Tony,

1/ I've never seen this moulded in silver plastic before.

2/ The box art is erm, interesting.

3/ Let me have a search around at the weekend, I may be able to help with a canopy.

Pete

 

 

'evening Pete.

 

Just about all the early US Airfix kits were moulded in silver plastic. It comes as a bit of a fright to open a Halifax box , for instance, and find a silver plane in there.

 

US Airfix boxart is a whole world of weird. I've got a fair selection of those issues and they are a joy to behold. At some point I'll get a thread together to show some of the more outlandish ones...hang about, that's nearly all of them!

 

A canopy could be the answer to my dreams here. I'm avoiding dealing with that issue until I have no other choice! Thanks for thinking of me here.

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Tony,

PM me an address.

I got home from work today early enough to have a root around in the mancave.

Last year I rescued a couple of boxes of built models from my Mum's attic.

These builds date back almost 50 years (aarrgghh!) and were slightly dusty!

However, two He111's were in there. One Matchbox (judging by the panel lines)

and an Airfix I'd tried to make into a BoB version. Now that must have been after

I went to the cinema several times and watched the film. So around 1970!

I managed to prise off the canopy with a scalpel blade. It has Humbrol enamel on

the frames but should polish up. I also found, in my spare canopies box, a half canopy

I remember getting from Airfix after I sent off a request to Haldane place. Bless them!

So you have three bits in a jiffy bag awaiting your PM. Should be there for the weekend!

Pete

 

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33 minutes ago, TonyW said:

That's fantastic Pete. Thank you very much. PM on its way.

 

PM me your address as well, I have a swap lined up here waiting.

 

Tony.

BM in action - wonderful stuff - well done guys.

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1 hour ago, Pete in Lincs said:

Tony,

PM me an address.

I got home from work today early enough to have a root around in the mancave.

Last year I rescued a couple of boxes of built models from my Mum's attic.

These builds date back almost 50 years (aarrgghh!) and were slightly dusty!

However, two He111's were in there. One Matchbox (judging by the panel lines)

and an Airfix I'd tried to make into a BoB version. Now that must have been after

I went to the cinema several times and watched the film. So around 1970!

I managed to prise off the canopy with a scalpel blade. It has Humbrol enamel on

the frames but should polish up. I also found, in my spare canopies box, a half canopy

I remember getting from Airfix after I sent off a request to Haldane place. Bless them!

So you have three bits in a jiffy bag awaiting your PM. Should be there for the weekend!

Pete

 

Pete, those canopies sound precious so would a box with padding inside be better? I had a P40 canopy delivered in a Jiffy bag earlier this year and it arrived flat and in two pieces. Just a thought. Cheers. Mike

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The plane is on hold until delivery of its replacement canopy, courtesy of Pete up in Lincs, meanwhile a bit of base construction got underway.

The board backing from a cheapo picture frame got a smear of tinted polyfilla and a layer of sand and grit tapped into it. Then it got a sprinkling of Precision Ice and Snow. This stuff is supposed to twinkle just like real snow. I can't see any of that at all. It might be my old eyesight letting me down here, or I might have fallen for the advertising. Either way, a bit of talc or unmixed pollyfilla would have given me an identical finish. Live and learn I guess.

 

 

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There's a bit of tone correction needed on the planes finish and maybe a bit of additional scenery needed. The usual oil drums and gas cans would fit the bill here I suppose.

I've got another built He111, finished in the colouring of the Type 2 Airfix box. That one has a snow background on the box. I'll take a look for it and try it out on my new base.

 

More later.

 

Tony.

 

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Tony,

Your swap arrived today while I was at work.

Very many thanks indeed, a packet of nostalgia indeed!

The sight of some of these brought back very happy memories.

 

Guys, in return for the canopies I posted I've now got a packet of FROG decals.

The majority of which appear to be brand new! Now I can use a few of them, but I don't want them to go to waste.

Then I thought about a pending group build, the FROG nostalgia GB.

This has now been rescheduled to become next years BM Classic build, and there

are bound to be a few kits that need new decals. So, in the spirit of Britmodeller, 

I'll be there in the background and will pass on replacements to those that need them.

 

Thanks again, Tony. I hope the canopies arrived okay?

Pete

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  • 2 weeks later...

Well, it looks like the Royal Mail have made a Royal Bodge of things. The He111 canopy Pete kindly sent me has not arrived yet. It will probably show up the day after the GB ends!

I've had a go at moulding one using the re-glued original, packed with milliput and with a brass pushing handle wedged into it. I failed though. I ran out of clear plastic before anything like a decent canopy was produced. The depth of the draw needed defeated me. Ho Hum. I then tried hitting the mould tool with silicone mould release, followed by a few heavy coats of clear car paint. A thin but brittle canopy was what I though I might be able to make here.Total failure was the result when the clear ate straight through the silicone and wrinkled the canopy! 

 

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I've got two options left. First, make a tarpaulin cover for the canopy, I have a picture somewhere of the real thing on the Russian Front so it might work. Another mate thinks he has a canopy buried in his parts box. If so, it's mine. It's getting tight, but I think this one is still possible.

 

The base for the plane got a coat or two of nice, cool blue. I wanted the thing looking cold, it kind of works but looks a bit like a sixties Buick colour to me. I might try giving two of the corners yellow diagonal bands, mimicking the Luftwaffe Eastern Front under surfaces, to see if that works.

The plane itself has had a bit more whitewash applied. It might get more.

 

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More as it happens...

 

Tony.

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I have a vac one that I made for the old Heinkel. I modified it (see here) so it will be a bit too tall and God knows it certainly isn’t perfect but if Pete’s doesn’t turn up it’s yours if you message me your address. I had the kit one in the same box but I cleared it out about a year ago :(

 

Regards,

Adrian

 

 

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I've just read through your build thread Adrian. A first class build! The huge crosses certainly catch the eye.

Over in the Flying Boat Group Build, a version I looked at of the Dornier Floatplane I ended up doing had even bigger crosses. I was sorely tempted to have a go at that one, but stayed with a pre war build in the end.

 

I'll PM you my address, you might well save a build here! Thank you.

Let me know yours back, I have yet more Frog decals here that can go your way as a swap.

 

Tony.

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Well, thanks to Adrians kind offer of a vac formed canopy I'm back in business with the He111. Postie delivered the canopy this morning. Thanks Adrian, you are a star.

This no doubt means Pete's canopy will arrive tomorrow. You can never have too many canopies though.

 

It needs a bit of trimming, but it's going to do the job nicely. Too nicely for that rather bare interior, a bit of detailing is definitely needed given the clarity of the glasswork now.

I don't know if I lost it opening the parcel, or if it was not included, but the very tip of the canopy nose was missing. No problem, I moulded another with my plunge mould tool. It turned out fine at the second attempt and has now been added to Adrians canopy. 

 

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This evening see's a bit of basic detailing for the pilots seat and surrounding area. More later.

 

Tony.

 

 

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Permission to say Hurrah! in a rather loud and irritating voice, Sir?

 

I'm really happy it got sorted. 

Judging by what was on tonights' news, perhaps my canopy got swamped by Walkers crisp packets?

(What is wrong with these people?)

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38 minutes ago, TonyW said:

very tip of the canopy nose was missing

The nose dome was made about 6 months after I did the canopy so I think of them as two completely different things! Looks like your one does the job perfectly though.

 

Regards,

Adrian

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