TonyW Posted October 28, 2020 Share Posted October 28, 2020 This one kind of came out of nowhere. A happy accident! During a bit of down time on my LeO build, I dug out my unbuilt Heller kits to have a nose at any potential builders. Picking up the box for this one, it seemed a bit heavier than I would have expected. The contents made me smile... As well as an original Heller kit, there was also a SMER re-issue and part of a FROG kit as well! I have no idea how that lot ended up in the same box. The kit itself was one of a few I picked up from the Aviation Bookstores stand at last years Peterborough show. Anyway, it would be rude to put everything back in the box and put it all away, so the SMER kit is getting built here. It's getting built alongside the LeO451 and work is well underway. Cleaned up parts... Basic, bare bones assembly... And as a trial that I assumed would fail badly, I had a go with one of the transfers from the incomplete Novo kit. It worked fine! A bit thick, but it didn't fall apart and it looks OK on the wing of the kit. That's handy as I quite like the look of the yellow tailed option on the NOVO kit and the 29 would have been a problem. It would seem that this build wants to happen. Who am I to argue with good Karma? More later. Tony. 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JOCKNEY Posted October 28, 2020 Share Posted October 28, 2020 Great stuff Tony I do like your yellow tailed choice. However you are not help me resisting the temptation to start another kit ! Cheers Pat 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TonyW Posted October 28, 2020 Author Share Posted October 28, 2020 Scattergun Style, it's the new thing in model building Pat. I highly recommend it. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rabbit Leader Posted October 28, 2020 Share Posted October 28, 2020 43 minutes ago, JOCKNEY said: However you are not help me resisting the temptation to start another kit Funny that.. I kinda ‘accidentally’ started another new Heller build too last night... well I was gonna fill the gun with RLM 02 today, so might as well use up the paint on something else! Good choice on the D.520 Tony, see I knew you’d start two! Cheers.. Dave 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TonyW Posted October 29, 2020 Author Share Posted October 29, 2020 A bit of progress to report. Seatbelts made out of masking tape added. Nothing fancy, just enough to look busy. The sidewalls of the cockpit look a bit bare. They might get some attention depending on what can be seen through the kit canopy. Prop spinner and tail undercoated with Gloy Gelb. Another coat needed. Airframe also undercoated using Humbrol Authentics from the French AF set, loosely following the diagram on the back of the FROG/Novo instruction card. It looks a bit rough at the moment. With luck, a second coat will sort this out. A start has been made on the canopy frame paintwork and the side windows fitted. They were a perfect fit and sit flush. Result! To finish, the tyres got a coat of flat black and that's about it for today. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JOCKNEY Posted October 29, 2020 Share Posted October 29, 2020 Looks great Tony I'm very jealous of your yellow skills, I would still be applying yellow paint with a roller at this stage. Very tempting to do one in this colour scheme Cheers Pat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TonyW Posted October 30, 2020 Author Share Posted October 30, 2020 Thanks Pat. The old tin of Gloy enamel works as well as a can of yellow can. It brushes out nice and smooth and seems to have a lot of pigment in it. There's one thin coat, straight over the bare pale grey plastic shown here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TonyW Posted October 30, 2020 Author Share Posted October 30, 2020 A very productive hour in the shed see's this one moving rather rapidly towards completion! As it wasn't even a contender a couple of days ago, it's doing rather well for itself. Second coat on... I couldn't resist trying out the transfers. The Novo ones are almost transparent so the number 29 will need a bit of help. Hobbyboss came to the rescue for the rest, including the fin flash. I tried the Novo one, it went on fine but the yellow background messed with the white band a bit. There's a bit of paint touch up needed here and there as well, mainly the red areas. And here's how I've just left things, coated with satin varnish. I'm forcing myself to leave it alone to dry properly but the urge to continue is strong. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RidgeRunner Posted October 30, 2020 Share Posted October 30, 2020 Tasty markings, Tony Martin 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toryu Posted October 30, 2020 Share Posted October 30, 2020 Very good! Just a few more hours and you're done. Looking forward to it! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TonyW Posted October 30, 2020 Author Share Posted October 30, 2020 Things are coming together well here today. The satin varnish has darkened the cammo a tad but I like the look so it stays as is. The fin flash has had a touch up here and there and looks nice and crisp now. The see through No 29 has had a start made on painting it over with white. A fiddly job that will take a while, but a start has been made. A very basic instrument panel and gunsight has been made as things inside the cockpit are a bit bare. How much of the panel will be visible remains to be seen. I suspect not much. All together now... " At least I know it's there" The panel is propped up against the milk carton cap in the picture below. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fightersweep Posted October 30, 2020 Share Posted October 30, 2020 That's a very colourful D.520, and nice progress. It's all looking great so far. 10 hours ago, TonyW said: Thanks Pat. The old tin of Gloy enamel works as well as a can of yellow can. It brushes out nice and smooth and seems to have a lot of pigment in it. Blimey! You've got me rushing for my Gloy stash now. That yellow is fantastic. It's funny, but I use a lot of Gloy paints still and get on with them well, but I've never got around to trying the yellow. That may have to change now. Steve 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TonyW Posted November 1, 2020 Author Share Posted November 1, 2020 My first finished model for the GB. At last a Gallery entry! The last bits and pieces went on today and after a bit of paint detailing it was declared finished. I had to make an aerial and pitot tube as I couldn't find the kit parts anywhere. They of course turned up once I had added my scratch parts. Grrr. Another backward step happened when the plane took off during a bit of outdoors photography this afternoon! It gets a bit breezy here and the wind lifted the model off the base I was using and dumped it on the deck. It broke a prop blade but nothing else, thank heavens. The blade is lost to the gravel outside my shed now so I had to substitute the prop and spinner from the Novo parts that came in the kit box. A bit of brass tube made up the size difference between the two and it now spins away at the slightest puff. Photography resumed inside the shed at that point. With Heller prop... With Novo substitute... Gallery shots going up any minute now. Tony. 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JOCKNEY Posted November 1, 2020 Share Posted November 1, 2020 Well done Tony Delighted to see this one finished and in the gallery. It's been a bit breezy up here 80 mph + wind speeds, or as Mrs Jockney would describe it as " a 2 peg day" I'm afraid I've spent the weekend restoring peoples power rather than kit bashing. Cheers Pat 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corsairfoxfouruncle Posted November 2, 2020 Share Posted November 2, 2020 Excellent DeWoitine. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rabbit Leader Posted November 2, 2020 Share Posted November 2, 2020 Tony, a great GB Gallery start to what we expect to be a huge Heller contribution from you. That D.520 looks great and the yellow tail just makes this kit stand out so much more. Cheers and thanks.. Dave 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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