Ex-FAAWAFU Posted March 13, 2019 Share Posted March 13, 2019 Oh my! I’d missed this (the thread, that is - if I look in the right direction I can probably see the actual model from here). Bonkers. Great. But bonkers. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
109 fan Posted March 14, 2019 Author Share Posted March 14, 2019 Things are moving along, but I wanted to break up the monotony of the RLM 70/71 finish. The model looks too much like a die-cast. Since the plane is fabric covered there are no panel lines to highlight. I could try the red brown/semi-gloss black technique that Chris Wauchop uses so effectively. But again no panel lines. Hmmm, I've heard about the oil paint dot filter technique. Let's give that a go! I went to my local art supply store and picked up a few complimentary colors and went at it straight away. The model now looks like it has Skittles-Pox. IMG_7116 by Barry Numerick, on Flickr IMG_7117 by Barry Numerick, on Flickr Well, that's ugly; let's try blending them in... IMG_7119 by Barry Numerick, on Flickr IMG_7121 by Barry Numerick, on Flickr YUCK! I'm really not sure it's supposed to look like that. Is this the end!? Have I messed it up after six years on the bench??! We'll have to see. Tune in tomorrow to find out. 4 2 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clive_t Posted March 14, 2019 Share Posted March 14, 2019 That's how my P40s looked at first when I tried it, I just kept wiping away at it, front to back, until it started to lose the obvious streaks. I guess others will have done it better, but in the end I was quite pleased with how it turned out. Good luck with it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martian Posted March 14, 2019 Share Posted March 14, 2019 You just need to keep going. However, its oil paint which takes a while to dry so if you should you decide that you don't like the effect, it will clean off the model quite easily. Martian 👽 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bbudde Posted March 15, 2019 Share Posted March 15, 2019 Yep, they need min. 14 days to be really dry and afterwards they are also easy to remove. Maybe a little Tamiya acyilic thinner on a cotton cloth to blend or for remove. Otherwise looking very fine. Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greggles.w Posted March 15, 2019 Share Posted March 15, 2019 Wow - what a whopper! Haven’t heard of this particular prototype before. Fascinating. Looks the the thing swallowed what remained of those engine donor JU-88’s! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdrianMF Posted March 15, 2019 Share Posted March 15, 2019 That oil streaking is a brave move on this monster! I will never ever build one of these, nor am I even tempted to put one in the stash, but your build is inspirational. I'm hoping your streaks turn out nicely... Regards, Adrian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
109 fan Posted March 17, 2019 Author Share Posted March 17, 2019 Well. That was waaay more drama than I intended. Before that last session ended I rubbed most of the oil paint from the surface of the wing and though it was OK. IMG_7122 by Barry Numerick, on Flickr It was not. Looking at it the next day, I noticed a heavy haze over the entire wing, and that's a lot of wing. To compound things I also applied the oil dots over the tail surfaces, with all of the bell cranks, control horns and what not. I decided it had to come off, but it was too late. Despite the glossy surface, the oils clung tenaciously. I tried damp, then wet Q-tips. Then finally an old T-shirt soaked in odorless thinner. Eventually it began to give and I saw some hope. After quite a bit of time most of the oils came off and I was left with pretty much what I had intended. But it still seemed a bit overstated. I decided to put on another coat of Future, knowing that this would be irreversible. If it failed I would have to repaint or consign the whole project to the trash bin. Actually it worked better than I thought it might. But a lesson was learned. The type of color modulation we're looking for in 1/72 scale, even for big projects, doesn't require an aggressive application of dots. I continued with the fuselage weathering using only flesh tone, yellow and burnt umber, streaking the paint lightly using a broad brush. I then wiped it down quickly, leaving only a hint of the oils. This gave virtually the same effect and took less than an hour. Then again the whole thing was sealed with a coat of Future. I remembered some techniques from my old days of using Future, namely (for me at least) it sprays much better when thinned 50% with Tamiya acrylic thinner. Then it was on to applying the final satin coat. Here again, Future came to the rescue. I mixed Tamiya flat base about 1/8 parts with Future, again thinned 50% with Tamiya Thinner. This sprays extremely well and coats evenly. At this stage of construction, nearly every session begins with gluing on pieces knocked off the prior day. Yesterday it was two bell cranks, and the rear landing gear cover. That one was a challenge that required white glue, 5 minute epoxy, putty and repainting. This was the first time I used Vallejo acrylic putty. It was very useful for this purpose; filling in an area that was previously painted. The excess was wiped off with a damp Q-tip, then the area was resprayed. I've tried Perfect Plastic Putty, but prefer the Vallejo product since it dries much more slowly and can be manipulated for quite a while. So here's where things stand. Soon it will be time for unmasking the windows, and attaching the flaps and engines. IMG_7123 by Barry Numerick, on Flickr IMG_7125 by Barry Numerick, on Flickr IMG_7126 by Barry Numerick, on Flickr The tonal variation is not evident in these photos, but does exist. Honest. Thanks to everyone for the advice and encouragement. 12 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pheonix Posted March 18, 2019 Share Posted March 18, 2019 Congratulations for persisting and then achieving the effect that you want. Sometimes trying out new ideas does cause problems, but on a project of this size and with so much effort it would have been a disaster to give up now. Great that your idea worked in the end - now we can look forward to seeing the finished model. P Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clive_t Posted March 18, 2019 Share Posted March 18, 2019 Looking great. No doubt about it, though, she is a beast in this scale! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ruskin Air Services Posted March 18, 2019 Share Posted March 18, 2019 I remember a friend of mine built this kit fiddly or what! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martian Posted March 18, 2019 Share Posted March 18, 2019 There you are, she's looking magnificent again. Martian 👽 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
109 fan Posted March 21, 2019 Author Share Posted March 21, 2019 (edited) Thanks everyone for the comments! The Gigant continues to progress. Over the past few days I have unmasked the fuselage windows, giving them their first glimpse of light in about five years, and applied the canopy frames. These were made from painted clear decal strips. First RLM 02 was sprayed to represent the interior frames, then RLM 71 for the exterior camouflage. This was done on a large sheet, then strips were cut using a scalpel and steel ruler. Finally today I attached the engines. IMG_7129 by Barry Numerick, on Flickr IMG_7133 by Barry Numerick, on Flickr IMG_7136 by Barry Numerick, on Flickr Edited March 21, 2019 by 109 fan 14 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neil5208 Posted March 21, 2019 Share Posted March 21, 2019 That impressive and the support barrel looks spot on too Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bbudde Posted March 21, 2019 Share Posted March 21, 2019 Yep, looks great now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
k5054nz Posted March 23, 2019 Share Posted March 23, 2019 That last photo looks like it could've been taken of a 1:1 example at a museum. Wow! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greg Law Posted March 23, 2019 Share Posted March 23, 2019 This is looking excellent. I wish I had room for my one. Still my 1/144 kit turned up today. I had a quick look and was very pleased with it. It won't be as nice as this one , but at least it will fit in the cabinet. This model here will encourage me to get on to my little guy sooner than later. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
109 fan Posted March 27, 2019 Author Share Posted March 27, 2019 Thanks, gents; I appreciate the kind words. Greg, I've also picked up the Pit Road 1/144 Me 323, which appears to be a great model. I only wish the Italeri kit had that level of sophistication. The Gigant continues to inch toward to the finish line. Tonight I added the remaining flaps and ailerons. The main wing struts were a challenge, being fragile and ill-fitting. Eventually I found that white glue worked best.The gaps were filled in with repeated applications of diluted white glue and a bit of Vallejo plastic putty. Finally the joints were airbrushed with RLM 65 to blend in the gaps. Here the props are just pushed in place for some photos. Not much left to do, but there will be touchups. IMG_7142 by Barry Numerick, on Flickr IMG_7141 by Barry Numerick, on Flickr IMG_7139 by Barry Numerick, on Flickr IMG_7137 by Barry Numerick, on Flickr 11 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liam Harrison Posted March 27, 2019 Share Posted March 27, 2019 Holy hell what a monster! Never even knew the Me 323 existed until I opened this thread, what an interesting plane Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andre B Posted March 27, 2019 Share Posted March 27, 2019 (edited) Looking at it makes one wonder if that modell almost would go up in the air by itself. Impressing wingspan! Cheers / André Edited March 29, 2019 by Andre B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
109 fan Posted March 29, 2019 Author Share Posted March 29, 2019 Well, she's done. Or rather, I decided to quit working on her which is the same thing. There are always touch-ups to be done and things to improve or add. But I have to get her boxed up tomorrow and ready for the Three Rivers IPMS show the next day. After buying an extremely large plastic box (too small) and emptying a storage box of kits (also too small), I'll spend tomorrow constructing a transportation box from thick foam core. So...no time for vanity photos now; these will have to suffice. IMG_7152 by Barry Numerick, on Flickr IMG_7153 by Barry Numerick, on Flickr After our show I'll clean up the workbench and take some better photos. In the meantime, thanks for following along during this six year journey. And thanks also for your encouragement and kind words along the way. There are much appreciated. 13 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pheonix Posted March 29, 2019 Share Posted March 29, 2019 That is a huge beast but a splendid conversion. I do like one-offs and you have made a really good job of this one. All you have to do now is set up the garage so that you can move in! P Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevehnz Posted March 29, 2019 Share Posted March 29, 2019 Looking brilliant Barry, I shall look forward to a post show RFI. Steve. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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