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Les Bleus sont arrivés


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I've been suffering builder's block for a couple of weeks now. I've started my first Heller build for that GB but can't find the right paint, and also started my build for the Panther GB, but brush painting a 1/35 tank in a single colour is a bit of a chore so that hasn't got very far. I needed a quick win to get back on track, so D.520 part the second hit the bench.

 

No sprue pics as they're identical to the ones posted on September 20th (I would have referred to the post number, but I can't see them any more). At lunchtime I painted all the dark blue interior bits on the sprue, then tonight I set too.

 

The cockpit interior came together quickly.

 

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I like the engineering on this kit - there's a little tab at each end of the cockpit floor that fits into a slot in a bulkhead so when the two cockpit halves are joined, the cockpit interior is perfectly aligned in all directions. No mess, no fuss, and a real challenge to get wrong. Next step was to join those fuselage halves.

 

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Step three in the instructions is to glue the wings together. Single span lower, with individual top halves as all the finest reviews have it. There was a bit of a gap at first but this is a Hasegawa kit so I knew the problem was me. Two seconds lining things up propery and the gap was gone.

 

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The wing to fuselage joint is still very tight, and still involves a bit of brute force and ignorance to get together but the result is a really good joint with tiny gaps to deal with. The underside:

 

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The upper wing roots:

 

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I also added the tailplanes, and broke with the instruction sequence to add the nose piece. You can use a rubber bush when mounting the prop so it spins, but I'm quite happy just fixing mine in place at the end of the build so there seemed no good reason not to.

 

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The radiator went on too which finished the basic airframe.

 

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I'd got the Hataka paint set for the French Air Force Early WW2 and only used the Gris Bleu Clair on the first build. It was a bit thin first time out but seemed to mix much better this time, so the undersides got a coat, as did the undercarriage parts and a few ancilliaries that are still on the sprue.

 

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Now for a venture into the unknown. Gris Bleu Fonce. It came out of the tube nicely mixed - often the first coat is all carrier and no pigment but this behaved very well. I did all the uppers, then did a bit of tidying as I'd missed the demarcation under the tailplanes when I was doing the lighter grey.

 

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Somewhere back in the mists of time I said this kit would be great for a blitzbuild. To reinforce that point, all the pictures in this post were taken over the course of around 45 minutes. Seriously!! From painted sprues to basic painted airframe in under an hour. 

 

Next job is another, thinned coat to reinforce the colour, then time to play with camo colours. 

 

Andy

 

 

Edited by Foxbat
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Got some camo on this lunchtime. Think these bottles need a lot more shoogling before the second coat - the chocolate is 90% there but the green is rather anaemic and much more pea coloured than I was expecting. Still, it's all good fun :)

 

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Andy

Anywhere, so long as it be forward

Edited by Foxbat
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The green is as green as it's going to get so time to start with the decals. I've done the big ones down one side, plus the top wing roundels. Everything is now doused in Decalfix then it will get a little varnish before I start the next round. There's a couple of little markings that go on top of the rudder stripes plus a numeral for the fin so I need what is there to be very stuck down before I try laying anything on top.

 

The long arrow/roundel up the fuselage comes as a single decal but I cit it between the roundel and the 2AC which made getting it on easier but getting it lined up a pig of a job; the forward half either didn't want to move at all or skidded around the room like a crazy thing. Think I just about got there though :)

 

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Andy

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Deacalling is finished, and currently basking under another heavy coat of Decalfix. Once everything is dry, I'll make good a couple of spots, matt varnish, add a Flory wash (my new favourite thing), then it's add the sticky out bits & bobs and she's done.

 

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Port side, I've straightened the anchor and D.520 title since I took the picture :)

 

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And the completed starboard side with the rudder titles and fin number added since last time.

 

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I've never yet found a rudder marking that is exactly the size of the rudder - there's always a bit of trimming to do. Still, that's the worst thing that's happened in this build so I've got off very lightly really.

 

Andy

Edited by Foxbat
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  • 2 weeks later...

Still needs:

  • Nav lights on fin and wing tips
  • Windscreen frame painting
  • Replacement pitot tube - I didn't knock it off, it evaporated into the ether as I was cutting it from the sprue. Even the carpet monster went hungry
  • Maybe a little exhaust staining given how worn the rest of the airframe is.

Then it will be done and I can take some proper photos of both of them and get them in the gallery :)

 

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Andy

 

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