Complete Newbie Starts Revell Fieseler Storch 1:32

[DaveRob]

Hi all................. So as a complete novice to this scale plastic kit building Im hoping that as I progress this build Ill get much needed advice as to how I should do things and how to avoid mistakes s I build up to my next build, which is a Lysander from Eduard   I found this kit in the garage and I recall receiving it as a Christmas present MANY years ago.  I obviously made a start as the pilot has been partly glued together and one coat of paint applied,  the 2 seats were glued together and then the whole lot put back in the box where over the years the pilots cap seems to have got lost.  So if I leave the pilot out I can at least get through the first kit.

 

The objective at the end of this process is to research and build the Lysander kit before I scratch build a 1:12 free flight power model for competition,  But thats a bit in the future.... on with what I have got to start with... 

 

IMG_1789

 

IMG_1790

 

This is it and I should be able to update as I go,  I actually started to brush paint the seats tonight but found the enamel came out somewhat thin in places and I didn't want to thicken it with heavy coats so I think my next purchase will be an airbrush and a little spray booth build to get me up and running.

 

I guess the first questions are

 

Should I be painting on the sprue or assembling a component, eg the seat, then painting it on a stick to hold it

 

Is it typical to get uneven paint using a brush.. like streaks... do I need more coats or will spraying it resolve the issue

 

Should I be priming everything... if so what with

 

What should I be degreasing the parts with,  just detergent im guessing and do I wash all the parts on the sprue... even the clear parts?

 

Bear in mind the only stupid questions in this build are the ones I don't ask

 

Might be a couple of days before I get the next bit done as Im away with work for a couple days, but that should give me time to sort a paint booth.. or a box with filter and extractor fan 🙂 and an air brush.

 

Thanks in advance for help with the above few questions

 

DaveR

 

 

[dnl42]

Welcome aboard!

 

I don't have that Revell kit, but it looks a lot like diving in the deep end of the pool!

 

1 hour ago, DaveRob said:

my next build, which is a Lysander from Eduard   I found this kit in the garage and I recall receiving it as a Christmas present MANY years ago.

I am building the Eduard 1/48 Lysander, for the D-Day 75th Anniversary GB, so you can see what it's like--and that would be diving in the deep end for a 2nd kit.

 

1 hour ago, DaveRob said:

The objective at the end of this process is to research and build the Lysander kit before I scratch build a 1:12 free flight power model for competition,  But thats a bit in the future.... on with what I have got to start with... 

A 1:12 scale model of the Storch or Lysander? Aeromodeller ran some contemporaneous articles back in 41 and 42 on Lysander models, including a 1:12 rubber-powered plan that is available on the Interwebs. Check https://rclibrary.co.uk/index.asp for more info.

 

53 minutes ago, DaveRob said:

Should I be painting on the sprue or assembling a component, eg the seat, then painting it on a stick to hold it

That's a matter of choice. So do on-sprue, others off. I always do off-sprue so I can trim and dry-fit the part before painting. Dry fitting means to assemble various bits without glue to make sure it really fits well. Never ever assume it will just fit together as-is. Always trim the sprue from the parts. Don't cut too close to the part or you risk damaging it.Get yourself some nail filing sticks to start with, as well as 400 and finer grit abrasive sheets. Some "sprue nippers" are quite useful.

 

I build paintable sub-assemblies. For most aircraft, building and painting the cockpit is first. Followed by assembly of the airframe, which is then painted as a full assembly, with adequate masking of the cockpit and/or canopy/canopies. For the Lysander, I'll paint the fuselage, wings, and horizontal stablizers are separate units because that will work well for me.

 

56 minutes ago, DaveRob said:

Is it typical to get uneven paint using a brush.. like streaks... do I need more coats or will spraying it resolve the issue

Most paints should be thinned before painting with a brush. Some paints, like lacquers, shouldn't be brush painted because the dry too fast. Mix paint and thinner in a little cup and then paint. This is a somewhat lost art form, so others will have to help more.

 

59 minutes ago, DaveRob said:

Should I be priming everything... if so what with

I do! Various primer rattle-cans are available that work quite well. Tamiya is a great choice, but there are others too.

 

1 hour ago, DaveRob said:

What should I be degreasing the parts with,  just detergent im guessing and do I wash all the parts on the sprue... even the clear parts?

Dish washing soap does fine here.

 

1 hour ago, DaveRob said:

Bear in mind the only stupid questions in this build are the ones I don't ask

Indeed!!

 

1 hour ago, DaveRob said:

give me time to sort a paint booth.. or a box with filter and extractor fan 🙂 and an air brush

Using an airbrush is yet another art.

[rob Lyttle]

All good advice, DaveR. 

Airbrush style is very popular for sure, but it sometimes becomes a whole other hobby in itself! 

I've never got into it but many use them all the time. 

Thinned enamels and acrylics can be put on with a wider brush, almost in a watercolour style, and you can build layers. What looks like streaks tend to disappear when dry. 

 

The other thing is,no paint on the glued surfaces. So it can be better to assemble first, especially smaller parts. 

It's a judgement that modellers have to make all the time. 

There's a LOT of windows on this - keep them clean and, if you use airbrush they need masking!! 

Good luck. This is quite a project! 

[Corsairfoxfouruncle]

Happy to see you've started a work in progress. I will follow along to offer help if i can. 

 

Dennis

Edited September 10, 2019 by Corsairfoxfouruncle

[dnl42]

FWIW, here's a photo showing sub-assemblies ready to paint. I chose the sub-assemblies based on what made sense to mask and paint for the particular color scheme. Again, some people prefer to paint parts and then assemble. I know of a very prolific builder, who's not retired, and he paints everything before assembly, touching up as needed.

 

Bottom line, you're building it, see what makes sense to you!

[Biggles87]

Hi Dave, welcome to the madness.I see you’re already getting some good advice, I would suggest the following.

If you decide to brush paint,  get a selection of flat  brushes including the round ended ‘ filbert ‘ type which I find very useful for following camouflage demarcation lines. I use Halfords acrylic car primer, which comes in grey or black in a large rattle can for a reasonable price, and can be easily sanded if necessary.

Hope you enjoy the build.

 

John

[CedB]

Hi Dave - good to see you posting on the forum so welcome!

 

Good advice given already so I'll just add a few bits…

You said in your new member post that you've arrived here from control line aeromodeling so I guess you already have some tools to get you started with plastic (I'm a complete 'tool tart' so do ask if you need any suggestions).

 

Plastic obviously needs glueing and most glues work by melting the plastic a bit so be sparing with it and try not to get it on unwanted areas.

The 'tube glues' get applied to the parts before they're pushed together and give you a bit of wiggle room. They also grip a bit to stop things immediately falling off.

Once you're 'committed' to plastic you might want to try one of the 'weld' types that allow you to assemble the parts and then, because these glues are very thin, run some glue down the join allowing capillary action to spread it up the join. Tamiya Extra Thin (abbreviated to 'TET' here) is one of the favourites.

You'll also need a glue that dries clear for attaching the clear parts. If you have PVA that will do as a starter.

 

Most kits designs result in 'seams' where the parts have been glued together so you'll need something to sand these, and other parts if they don't fit too well - it's almost impossible to prepare the join to avoid this as the glue will mess it up so glue THEN sand is the norm. A good start is a set of foam nail brushes and buffers - you'll find that the plastic differs from kit to kit but all will need 'polishing' to a fine surface or you'll see the seam through the paint (annoying).

 

Fillers. Lots of choice here but my suggestion would be Humbrol filler (for larger gaps and some profile shaping) and an acrylic filler for small gaps; Perfect Plastic Putty (PPP) is a favourite here. Get some Humbrol Liquid Poly glue too - it's great for going large flat areas like wings and you can use it to thin their filler too.

The Humbrol filler is a bit 'hot' (i.e. it melts into the plastic a bit) and it starts easy to spread but then can be shaped and cleaned up as it goes off. It then sands just like the plastic.

The PPP is great for smaller gaps like wing root joins, spreads really well and can be cleaned up with water. Most apply sparingly and then immediately shape with a wet finger or cotton bud. Once dry it wet sands well but does shrink a bit sometimes, especially in deeper joins.

 

Priming? Primer provides good coverage over parts of different materials like filler or resin. I'm pretty lazy so if I've got away with no (or little) filler I'll paint enamels straight onto the plastic. It's worth picking up a cheap kit to try things out on - often referred to as a 'paint mule'.

 

Paint - well, where do we start? The two main types in the UK are enamels (which you have I think) and acrylics. You'll probably have seen Humbrol in the shops but there are many other brands available and we all have our favourites. IMHO (see that's underlined? That means the forum has a 'shortcut' for it that you can see if you hover over it with your mouse) most enamels are a bit smelly and take longer to dry. Acrylics are easier, smell less and dry faster. With both types (as Rob said above) you'll get better results with several coats of thinned paint and good brushes help a lot. 

 

Are you an airbrush user already? Let us know.

 

We should help when you get to applying decals (or transfers as us British call them) but that's more than enough for now!

 

HTH

Ced

[Marklo]

Hi Dave,

 

Nice to see someone starting in the Hobby.  In no particular order my answers to some of your questions. The one thing I would state is that there isn't necessarily any one ideal technique, how you model depends on your skill level, patience, tools equipment. Just remember it's a hobby and so long as you're enjoying it it's right.

 

The Storch and the Lysander are great designs but definitely tricky if not difficult.  The wing attachment to the canopy being the tricky bit on both (less so on the Storch because its all one piece afair) 

 

I've built both a couple of times many years ago, The Heller 1/72 Storch(more than once ) and the Matchbox 1/32 Lysander  (probably a couple in 1/72 too) the Storch can be fiddley as the struts and landing gear are quite long an thin, no idea what they'd be like in 1/32. The big Lysander I remember fitting both the undercarriage and the wings as being a nightmare. This  is probably because I would have tried to attach each wing separately with liquid poly and they're fairly big and unbalanced. With the hindsight of an Engineering degree, experience on actual jet engines and a few years modelling experience, for the Lysander I reckon nowadays I'd firstly make up a jig to hold hte fuselage and landing gear/Wings. Probably use CA to fit the Canopy: replace or at least reinforce  the wing center section with brass rod; and I'd likely as not  glue the center section in first then follow up with the wings and struts. 

 

For the Storch I'd still go for the jig but I'd look to replace or reinforce the struts with brass rod. That said I don't remember having too much trouble with it but that was in 1/72.;

 

Cleaning of parts.  'injection molded parts will  have a release agent applied to the molds. Most guides recommend washing the moldings. I almost never do this, but If I do I just use warm water with some washing up liquid and a small nailbrush of vegetable brush. I'm sure there are ultrasonic cleaners or proprietary products to do this too.

 

Priming. I don't prime per se as I brush paint. I will sometimes paint a build in a neutral colour to check surface finish and to find any small blemishes or imperfections. I understand this is much more important if you airbrush as the thiner coating will show up everything that hasn't been smoothed off.  There are many primers on the market I'm only just learning about them myself.

 

Painting: I used to use enamels but nowadays I almost exclusively use Humbrol and Tamiys acrylics. irbrush painted  with the occasional  use of a rattle can (mostly silver). I've tried airbrushing in the past and just haven't got the hang of it. ( I have recently bough an airbrush and a good book on using he same, so I'm going to go again soon ) it is a skill in it's own right.

 

Both the paint you use and the brushes you use will make a big difference. I favor acrylics these days because they can be thinned with water and cleaned with the same. White and light colors can be a bit difficult so I do keep white enamel for emergencies.

 

With all paints make sure they are well mixed, I shake the bottle first and then if needed stir with a cocktail stick. General I find I don't need to thin the paint from the bottle, but with some paints a little thinners does smooth it out a bit. (for airbrushing there's a whole lot to do to get the paint sufficiently fluid)

 

For enamels I used to like sable brushes, a fine point for detail and a wide flat one for large areas. Brushing technique is essential (there are some good videos on youtube) 

For acrylics use a synthetic bristle and again wide even strokes.

 

I have a range of brushes, bought from my local art shop and Aldi/Lidl (some very good value sets.  My favorites are some 0000 white synthetic brushes from the art shop, the double ended brushes that come with Revel starter sets and a nice set of synthetic flat brushes from Lidl.

 

Make sure the brushes are free of loose bristles and keep them clean. Generally by giving them a good rinse in thinner and every so often a clean with hot soapy water.

 

Streaking can be down to the paint, your technique or your brushes. Some experimentation/ learning needed. Always remember whatever method you use two thin coats are generally better than one thick coat ( unless you're applying mud to armor   ) 

 

Build then paint, paint then build, it's all up to you. I see modelers on the forum who can build an entire model then paint all the detail in situ.  For aircraft I tend to paint  internal components on the sprue  and then retouch at subassembley level, if I'm scratchbuilding I paint sub assemblies. As I mostly build biplanes these days I will paint and decal and finish sub assemblies, whereas if I'm building something more modern I paint the interior parts, assemble them and the whole plane hten paint and decal. For Armour I paint on the sprue then paint the assembly.

 

Finally a (brief) word on glues. I use many glues for different things. I like Revell contacta and use this and the liquid version for general building . I also use Tamiya thin for plastic sheet of fine work. And plastic weld.  I use cyanoacrolate (CA) for other work I like Loctite and Zap but I also use generic stuff I bought off ebay. Finally I use PVA for things like canopies (wouldn't use it for either of your builds and the canopy attachment is structural)

 

Oh and clamps, have lots of clamps, Aldi/Lidl/Ebay have cheap ones. I just got a pair of barna clamps off ebay which should be really useful for fuselages.

 

So there you go long rambling post hope it helps. Remember the primary goal is to enjoy yourself and the rest will follow.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited September 11, 2019 by Marklo

[clive_t]

Hi Dave, and a warm welcome from me too - nice to see you taking the plunge and doing a thread for your first build.

 

I won't bore the bolts off you by repeating all the same answers as others have given before, all I will add is that as far as the pilot figure's missing headwear is concerned, you could in theory have a go at sculpting your own from Milliput. This is a two-part epoxy putty which when mixed in equal proportions starts off soft, then over the course of a few hours will harden rock solid. So you could mix up a small, maybe pea-sized lump from which you can then add a hat, or maybe a flying helmet or just the top of the head with some hair! (or not, in my case )

 

Anyway, I will follow your thread to see how you get on!

[Mattlow]

This is a nice kit. It is Revell's re-boxing of the Hasegawa kit. Harks from the 1970s but still holds up very well.

 

It'll be a challenging first plastic kit build, mainly with the wing and undercarriage struts to attach and keep aligned. In the Hasegawa kit, the part of the undercarriage that goes into the canopy was made of wire (for strength) is that the case in the Revell boxing?

 

Anyway, take it easy, let stuff dry thoroughly before moving on to next stage and you should be fine. Do a Google search to see if there are any on-line builds that may give you some pointers to construction...

 

Matt

 

[DaveRob]

10 hours ago, Mattlow said:

In the Hasegawa kit, the part of the undercarriage that goes into the canopy was made of wire (for strength) is that the case in the Revell boxing?

 

Matt

 

Thanks Matt. The kit does have the wire for the struts. So much information on the forum and so much help. Am hoping to get a start on the cockpit over the next couple of evenings so more images soon. Thanks everyone for your valuable input to date. Looking forward to the critique 🙂

 

DaveR

[DaveRob]

OK back from a work outing and the painted seats I did before going are now dry and ready to assemble.... or are they?.....  I had expected to start the cockpit assembly tonight but Im just not happy even with the seats.  I bought a pair of these....

 

And when I looked through them I decided enough was enough and Im going down the air brush route.   My eyes aren't good enough and even though I had magnified them when brush painting their is streaks and patches... can't be doing with it.  Airbrush arrives tomorrow ... more learning curves

 

The other thing Im unhappy with is I can see ejector marks in the plastic... 

 

Looks really poor under magnification

 

 

 

 

what filler can I use to fill these... something close to the plastic in terms of sandablity or maybe a bit less dense even? 

  

I have some grades of paper from about 400 to about 12000... yes 12000 I use for oil finishes on gunstocks.  I doubt Ill need that fine but Im more interested in the brand of filler I should be using or some technique to fill the bits I want to then finish it to a decent standard... 

  

This has to be sorted I can't go on producing poor results.  Ill sand all this back and maybe prime after filling and sanding. 

  

  

Is their anything that will remove enamel from the plastic and let me start over with the painting or is it just sand back .... fill.... prime and paint? 

  

Thanks for bearing with me... looks like this is going to be a long haul. 

  

  

On a brighter note my other kits arrived. 

  

The Lysander 

The ME109F  

The ME110 

  

and for research the 4+ book on the Lysander and a copy of pilots notes 

  

but thats for another time.... on with this Storch, 

  

Anyone recommending the right filler to use or should I just dig anything I have out of the tool box  

  

Any way to strip enamel and start over? 

  

This won't defeat me... I MUST start the cockpit at the weekend......... I feel hooked

Edited September 13, 2019 by DaveRob
Get rid of underlining on text

[DaveRob]

Ummm why the last bit is in underlined Im not sure.... must try harder

 

 

Thanks in advance for your input

 

DaveR

[CedB]

3 hours ago, DaveRob said:

I can see ejector marks in the plastic

Dave are you sure they're not frame lightening holes? They look pretty intentional to me in that photo?

 

3 hours ago, DaveRob said:

Ummm why the last bit is in underlined Im not sure.... must try harder

Are you using BBCode to insert the picture? If so I think you've inadvertently deleted one of the ']'s from the link. Been there.

Now you can either cut the text, delete the post from the picture down and re-insert the link and then the text OR (what I do) highlight the underlined text and click on the link icon and remove the link. It's a pain isn't it?

[dnl42]

First off, OF COURSE you got hooked! This is a fabulous hobby!!!

 

The underlining may have been cause by accidentally hitting the underline button in the posting tool bar. There are also bold, italic, strike-out, and other font mangling buttons...

 

Some putties were suggested above. My two favorites are Tamiya Putty and Vallejo Plastic Putty. Both are available in hobby shops or online, including Amazon. I use either depending on the circumstances. Let's talk about Vallejo first. If you look carefully at the link, you'll see that the Vallejo putty has a thin applicator tip. This allows you to get the putty in rather tight spaces. Since it's water soluble, you can use a wet cotton bud or even your wet finger to shape the putty surface. If you're careful, you can shape the putty surface so it doesn't need any further work before you prime and paint it.

 

I'll use Tamiya putty where the to-be-puttied spot is more accessible. Before I attempt to sand the putty, though, I'll shape it using a cotton bud dipped in Mr Thinner. I've had enough practice that I can get the putty surface quite close to final. I'll use Swiss Pattern needle files (4- and 6-cut) to smooth the putty surface on flat or convex surfaces.. Abrasive paper with a sanding block, or abrasive sticks, such as you can find in a drug store's nail care aisle, also do a fine job. BTW, those nail buffing sticks are really useful things to have! I'll use abrasive sponges for concave surfaces.

 

Mr Thinner is my paint remover of choice for lacquer or enamel paints. Apply with cotton makeup pads or cotton buds. It will remove the paint without damaging the plastic. Whatever you do, DO NOT use regular hardware store cellulose (lacquer) thinner--it will melt the plastic!! Isopropyl alcohol will remove some acrylic paints like Vallejo, Gaming Workshop, and others. Use the same way as I described for Mr Thinner. Soaking the part in Coca Cola (yes, that stuff) can remove paint over the course of a few of days. Automotive brake fluid and lye-based oven cleaners also work, but do some research before you try these last two solvents.

 

Here's some info on airbrushing.

 

 

[DaveRob]

4 hours ago, CedB said:

Dave are you sure they're not frame lightening holes? They look pretty intentional to me in that photo?

 

Their are indeed 3 frame lightening holes in the sides,  and another 2 in the back.  They go all the way through the seat base but their are 2 perfectly round indents above them and in the solid of the plastic, they don't go all they way through.... in fact they are maybe 0.1mm deep.  They are difficult to see but as soon as I switched on the magnifiers light they stood out a mile..... along with the mold tool seam line that runs down the centre  back of the seat..... tbh I just feel that I must have rushed into building this all them years ago when I got the kit.... likely on Christmas Day evening with a couple of glasses of wine in me then put it away on Boxing Day, sans pilots cap, till it resurfaced last weekend.  I dread to think what it would have looked like if Id built any more before putting it away.

 

DaveR

Edited September 13, 2019 by DaveRob

[DaveRob]

3 hours ago, dnl42 said:

 

 

Here's some info on airbrushing.

 

 

Great advice in your post thanks.... then I read the attached post on the airbrush and saw the mini jam pots.... inspiring recycling.  SWMBO gets these for our grandchildren when they come to stay... must have chucked out loads of them..... thats not going to happen any more. 

 

DaveR

[CedB]

5 hours ago, DaveRob said:

Their are indeed 3 frame lightening holes in the sides,  and another 2 in the back.  They go all the way through the seat base but their are 2 perfectly round indents above them and in the solid of the plastic, they don't go all they way through.... in fact they are maybe 0.1mm deep.

Ah, I can see them now, sorry. I fixated on the other holes. As others have said, fill 'em in and sand down (and the seam line on the back).

 

4 hours ago, DaveRob said:

mini jam pots.... inspiring recycling.

If you're anything like me you'll start looking at things in a completely different way, turning it around in your hands and thinking 'I wonder if that would be useful'?  

 

Looks like you've fixed the 'underlines' too, good job.

 

While I think of it, do you already have a good scalpel? If not I would suggest, if your budget allows, that you get some Swann Morton handles and blades. The blades can be had in boxes of 100 for about £10, much cheaper than hobby blades. I get mine from Paul at Modelling Tools - he's very helpful and helped me a lot, especially with airbrush purchases. I've got the 'Retractaway' handles (they're scalpels, designed to cut flesh!) and would suggest the #10A blades that come with the handle for general chopping (most people's 'go to' blade) and, if you're going to be doing your own masking, the #15 for 'push cutting' the tape and for finer work. Paul Budzik has some great videos on YouTube and I developed my canopy masking technique from him (thanks Paul). I think it's worth looking at his Scale Model Workshop channel - great advice and an easy listen!

 

HTH

[Marklo]

I find putties/ filler is very personal.  I like squadron green ( not gone on the white seems granier to me) Tamiya putty, citadel liquid green stuff( brush on and brush to shape, very little sanding needed) and milliput ( more for sculpting than filling) I’ve tried Vallejo and I don’t like it at all. I also use zap a gap ca for some seams. 

Edited September 13, 2019 by Marklo

[matti64]

My filer of choice is 3M's Acryl Red putty. It's smoother than squadron green and works out pretty economical in the long run. When I bought our first tube it was about £13-14 and it now goes for arounfd £20, but we've had that tube for about 12 years and will probably get another year out of it. 3M also make  a green version which , from what I can glean from users is a bit more coarse, but dries  slightly faster. I would not be surprised if this is what squadron green stuff actually is.

 

[DaveRob]

So I started a bit this weekend,  time to assemble the cockpit. The first thing I have found is the the instructions are no more than a vague guide....  Its the detail thats lacking, that and the parts sometimes need trimming or adjusting due to moulding tolerances or maybe a degree of wear in the tooling has left a bit extra material that shouldn't be their.  inspecting the components of the magazines for the rear gun their are seam lines and flash in the detail so I removed this and sprayed them with some primer.... well the primer is another issue but first a photo

 

IMG_1822 

 

a sanded one and one straight from the sprue

 

Then the instructions say to assemble the interior tubes to the cockpit base.  Well no indication of how things are lined up so I took the fuselage sides and the canopy and did a dry run... this seems to require extra hands, tape and pegs but I got their in the end.  It means that the front tubes are vertical the mid section tubes are raked back and by doing the dry run you get the perfect angle for the rear section and the support tube positions....

 

IMG_1824

 

This image shows the the mid section tubes need trimming to fit to get the geometry right and the canopy to fit.  On inspection the hoes in the top section aren't deep enough  and the canopy fit suggests the top bars need to be parallel to the horizontal line of the fuselage 

 

IMG_1823 

 

Ok priming,  I have read so much on this and watched you tube vids... some say yes and some no but I thought Id give it a go.... first mistake was to prime out of the Tamiya rattle can.... NOOOOOOO..... at least it was just one part I did but a real struggle to get the stuff off.  It simply went on to thick with so much overspray so as my airbrush arrived yesterday Ive decanted it into a jar and am waiting for it to degass. In the mean time Ill finish the cockpit floor and do some filling as some parts of the molding aren't brilliant and some of the fits aren't as good as I would like before the primer goes on.  Hopefully Ill get a bit of primer on this afternoon and post up the result.

 

In the mean time, after a bit of research it seems to me that the supplied rear seat is all wrong and rather than looking a slightly smaller version of the pilot seat actually looks like this

 

IMG_1804

 

Yup its a folder.... so Ill not use the supplied and will try to scratch build something more appropriate.

 

If anyone can see anything glaringly obvious that Ive missed please feel free to point it out.... hopefully a primed cockpit photo by this evening.

 

Thanks for all your input

 

DaveR

 

[Mattlow]

Seat makes sense... as the occupant had to be able to turn around to face backwards to operate the rear gun or radios (if fitted)...

 

You've set yourself a steep learning curve, don't set it too steep and become despondent... keep everything within reach and set yourself aims for each build...  If you're a gunsmith (oiling gunstocks..?) then you are used to careful, precise work and that'll set you in really good stead... Much of successful modelling is taking care and being patient... specific skills will come through practise. 

 

Looking ahead, you could 'treat' yourself to a set of Eduard canopy masks for this beastie. You can do it yourself with some decent masking tape (Tamiya is very good - and much the same material that Eduard cut their masks from). 

 

Matt

 

 

[DaveRob]

3 hours ago, Mattlow said:

Seat makes sense... as the occupant had to be able to turn around to face backwards to operate the rear gun or radios (if fitted)...

 

You've set yourself a steep learning curve, don't set it too steep and become despondent... keep everything within reach and set yourself aims for each build...  If you're a gunsmith (oiling gunstocks..?) then you are used to careful, precise work and that'll set you in really good stead... Much of successful modelling is taking care and being patient... specific skills will come through practise. 

 

Looking ahead, you could 'treat' yourself to a set of Eduard canopy masks for this beastie. You can do it yourself with some decent masking tape (Tamiya is very good - and much the same material that Eduard cut their masks from). 

 

Matt

 

 

Thanks for the advice Matt... Im comfortable with the challenge I have set myself, and Im under no illusion that its going to be easy.... I have already made a couple mistakes its the correcting them that gets you learning.

 

Ive got some primer onto the cockpit now and made the base part of the engine.  Ive had an enjoyable few hours at the bench and feel like progress has been made.

 

IMG_1826

 

IMG_1827

 

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For all those that are helping me along my journey a  couple of questions arise after todays building

 

Whats a good material to mask very small areas when I need to join 2 parts that have been painted separately.... or do I just scrape off paint?

 

I seem to have a fair bit of thinners, meths, panned wipe etc after a build session... how do I dispose of it?

 

As always appreciate your help and comments

 

DaveR 

[Mattlow]

As we've got a fire (stove) I tend to put the paper towel etc into it and set it alight (or leave it to vent fumes up the flue). Alternatively put material in a jar, leave outdoors to evaporate.

 

I think it is theoretically possible for some of these to spontaneously combust (like Dutch oiled rags can), though I've not heard of it happening...

 

In terms of paint on mating surfaces... scrape afterwards if they're accessible. If not, small strips of tape (eg Tamiya masking) will do the job.

 

Matt

[CedB]

Nice work Dave - the Storch framing / canopy are always challenging IMHO  

 

Masking? A few of us have picked up the cheaper 'MT Washi' tape that apparently is made by the people who also make the more expensive Tamiya stuff. HTH.