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The Battle of Britain in real life and on film.


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I was watching the film (again) a couple of weeks ago when something suddenly occurred to me. 
It was the scene where the Polish squadron spotted the ‘’Einkel” squadron and peeled saying ‘Repeat please!’

6 aircraft were in the scene - the front three definitely being Hurricanes. The back three interlopers were Hispanoshmitts. 
Anybody would think there was a shortage of Hurricanes!

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13 hours ago, Brigbeale said:

I was watching the film (again) a couple of weeks ago when something suddenly occurred to me. 
It was the scene where the Polish squadron spotted the ‘’Einkel” squadron and peeled saying ‘Repeat please!’

6 aircraft were in the scene - the front three definitely being Hurricanes. The back three interlopers were Hispanoshmitts. 
Anybody would think there was a shortage of Hurricanes!

Yes they used twin seater Buchons painted as Spitfires for filming and single seaters for filling in. I guess the Buchon looked more like a Hurricane than a Spitfire?

You can also see the remnants of Spanish markings on some of the Einkels and one still has it's underslung target winch. I've also seen orange life jackets stowed in the nose of one

but not sure if that made it on screen?

Edited by munnst
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  • 4 weeks later...

Trying to work out the actual colours for the film `Einkels` is not easy as there seems to be little actual photographic evidence of the upper surfaces.

Looking at the film doesn't help much either. The models seem to be in a two tone grey colour while the film is more a olive green, dark green colour?

So I decided to make my own colours using film stills which seem good to my eyes.

52204028783_5250cd23a8_b.jpg

Enamel Humbrol and Revell using a random selection of grey, green and yellow. I like it. Others may not. Unless someone can come up with the actual colour mix I'm happy with it.

Edited by munnst
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On 6/16/2022 at 10:41 AM, munnst said:

Yes they used twin seater Buchons painted as Spitfires for filming and single seaters for filling in. I guess the Buchon looked more like a Hurricane than a Spitfire?

You can also see the remnants of Spanish markings on some of the Einkels and one still has it's underslung target winch. I've also seen orange life jackets stowed in the nose of one

but not sure if that made it on screen?

They had two 2-seater Spitfires that were used occasionally as camera ships, the Buchons painted as RAF were just background fillers for aerial Hurricane scenes.

 

That said I think RAF-Buchons appeared in some paella-war films* and as mustangs!

 

*There’s a whole genre of 60s/70s war films made by various European studios, comparable to the “spaghetti-western” style.  Worth looking out for some on channels like Movies-for-Men, though it’s usually a challenge to endure a whole movie!

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  • 1 month later...

Any ideas what's causing this and suggestions on better colours?

 

Two questions. Why is this happening and why are the colours so wrong for a Battle of Britain daylight Heinkel?

 

52336076228_20fbd6db33_o.jpg

 

The kit is Airfix new tool He111P.

Paint is Mission Models RLM 70 and 71.

First off the colours seem wrong. It's almost a night bomber? Shouldn't RLM 70 be green?

Second question why are my Tamiya masks staining the paint?

 

52336076223_8057c7b334_o.jpg

 

The masks are not lifting the paint or leaving any residue. It's as if the glue on the mask is reacting with the paint and staining it where it touches?

 

What make, colours of paint would you use and should I varnish the base colour to act as a barrier?

 

Thanks.

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I've not had it myself, but I've seen other builds where the adhesive on the tape has reacted with the paint under, if the paint was fairly fresh. How long had you left it between spraying the RLM70 and masking over it?

 

James

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20 minutes ago, 81-er said:

I've not had it myself, but I've seen other builds where the adhesive on the tape has reacted with the paint under, if the paint was fairly fresh. How long had you left it between spraying the RLM70 and masking over it?

 

James

At least 48 hours if not longer. I'm a slow model maker.

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Those colours do look a bit off. 70/71 should be well more green. For luftwaffe I’ve gotten good results with hitaka paints for late war schemes and just Tamiya black green and flat green in various mixes on earlier builds.

 

62928-C10-3-CC0-427-A-86-CC-1-F378026218
This would be by bob 109e in 02/71 camo.

Edited by Marklo
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19 minutes ago, munnst said:

At least 48 hours if not longer. I'm a slow model maker.

I would have thought it would have been well and truly safe by then, though I've not used that brand of paint. Maybe try some tests on a scrap model and different paints/tapes?

 

James

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  • 2 weeks later...

Been having a bit of `fun` with the paint colours for the two film `Einkels`.

First attempts at mixing my own colours to match didn't end well.

52360262526_0457b4bd17_b.jpg

This is after sanding back. Looks a bit Condor Legion to me?

Then I tried mission model RLM 70,71. Colours more suited to the Blitz than the BoB?

52336076228_20fbd6db33_o.jpg

The tape also reacted with the paint? Oh well, back with the wet n dry again.

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Mission model paints sort of wash off which is a bit weird? I kind of like the effect though.

52360578504_a3b306ec8a_b.jpg

Now I'm trying Humbrol 116. It's a lot greener in real life.

Onward and upwards....

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  • 1 month later...

Spanish Heinkel painted up as the museum exhibit.

52461618247_3b7a2e70dd_b.jpg

 

Battle of Britian film Einkels. Painted, glossed and with dot oil filters to tone down the camo and give a theatrical feel to them.

First one is weathered. Second one still to do. You can see the effect of the filters.

52462404064_6a2391055f_b.jpg

 

Soon have these finished then onto the B25.

I have never seen a `Wing Leader` actually in the film I represented one for the "Stripes on the wing, that's a wing leader" scene.

"That's three of you who got him. Third of a kill laddy, third"

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  • 8 months later...

Started work on the next Battle of Britain aircraft the B25 camera ship `Psychedelic Monster`.

Major assemblies completed. This is an old Italeri kit so not much detail. I've sanded the raised panels lines down a bit and modified the nose glazing to match as closely as possible the camera ship nose. Apart from a dome at the tip and some windows most of the nose is metal so will be painted over. I've modified the tail for the camera mount which still needs some work and a frame.

53031720736_f2acb7f86c_b.jpg

Plunge moulded a nose dome using a marble. Sanding the late variant engine cowlings for the smoother ones fitted to this aircraft.

53032115170_6d38c74c02_b.jpg

I shall scratch some fittings for the nose and a couple of cameras.

Still need to fill the cannon nose mounts and make another dome for the top turret.

"Easier than shooting rats in a barrel"

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11 minutes ago, munnst said:

Started work on the next Battle of Britain aircraft the B25 camera ship `Psychedelic Monster`.

Major assemblies completed. This is an old Italeri kit so not much detail. I've sanded the raised panels lines down a bit and modified the nose glazing to match as closely as possible the camera ship nose. Apart from a dome at the tip and some windows most of the nose is metal so will be painted over. I've modified the tail for the camera mount which still needs some work and a frame.

53031720736_f2acb7f86c_b.jpg

Plunge moulded a nose dome using a marble. Sanding the late variant engine cowlings for the smoother ones fitted to this aircraft.

53032115170_6d38c74c02_b.jpg

I shall scratch some fittings for the nose and a couple of cameras.

Still need to fill the cannon nose mounts and make another dome for the top turret.

"Easier than shooting rats in a barrel"

I've been pondering doing one of the TallMantz B-25s too...Interesting!

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18 minutes ago, munnst said:

"Easier than shooting rats in a barrel"

"You'll be in a barrel if you don't watch out for the fighters!" ;)

 

Nice progress on this project, something a bit different!

 

Cheers,

Mark

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  • 1 month later...

Lots of activity but not a lot to show for it. Mostly sanding, fettling, prepping ready for painting. Still lots to do.

I managed to plunge mould the mid upper dome using a clay shaping tool. These tools come in a variety of shapes and sizes. I find the round ones particularly useful.

These are my plunge moulding tools.

 

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I mount a clay tool firmly in a vice. I wrap white tape around the middle as best I can. This gives a line I can use to cut out the shape.

 

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I then gently heat some clear packaging plastic. This seems to work better than clear plastic card which goes white when heated (so save all that packaging which is becoming harder to find). I heat until it starts to smell plasticky :-). Then I quickly pull it down over the tool.

 

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Using the white tape as a guide gently score the plastic with a Swan and Morton 10a and the dome will sort of pop off. I then sand the cut gently.

 

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I also made some progress on the tail camera mounting. I broke the original which was fortunate as I was able to make a better one.

This will eventually have side windows.

 

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Made some cameras. These are just approximations as in this scale I don't think it will matter.

 

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Thanks for looking.

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