Tamiya FW190 D-9 1/48 It all went wrong!!!

[MattH912]

Here I have my build of the Tamiya FW190 D-9, the kit itself went together flawlessly, almost no filling and sanding was required. Everything was going so well with this kit until the decals where to be applied, oh the suffering they caused me. The decals where extremely thick even for Tamiya's standards and they just wouldn't sit right and ended up ripping and tearing, in hindsight I would not have used the decals for the ID band at the rear of the aircraft, it took maybe 15/20 applications of mark set super strong to have to conform to a acceptable level and even then creases where still visible. I ended up having to paint over the decals where they ripped, I found some images where this happened but I don't believe on the D-9 so this really took away from the realism of the aircraft. Any how I thought I might as well post this build just to show not everything goes as planned. This was also my first use of Ammo pigments which went down great and a little setting solution did the treat. Im also not too happy about the chipping and feel its a little to excessive. 

 

Please give me any critique you guys have as will be much appreciated 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[GREG DESTEC]

Hi Matt,

you have produced a well finished 190 from where I am sitting. Paintwork is very good and you've completed some nice wear and weathering effects. 

 

pity about the decals but it happens to all of us at some point or other. I take it you've no replacement generic markings on the stash that you could use? 

 

Cheers Greg 👍

[Zigomar]

I strongly suggest you use vinyl masks and paint your markings. Tamiya decals are not at the top and there is no secret there.

[Marc the Builder]

Understand that it has been rather a hassle but honestly from where I'm sitting this looks like a good finish. Nice build!

[MattH912]

4 hours ago, GREG DESTEC said:

Hi Matt,

you have produced a well finished 190 from where I am sitting. Paintwork is very good and you've completed some nice wear and weathering effects. 

 

pity about the decals but it happens to all of us at some point or other. I take it you've no replacement generic markings on the stash that you could use? 

 

Cheers Greg 👍

Thank you very much, and unfortunately no at the time I didn't have any spare decals. 

2 hours ago, Zigomar said:

I strongly suggest you use vinyl masks and paint your markings. Tamiya decals are not at the top and there is no secret there.

I would definitely have to look into using them in the future next time I'm building a German aircraft.

[jackroadkill]

Looks fine to me, sir.  +1 on the use of masks to paint the markings.

[Wlad]

Beautiful paint job @MattH912. I always paint bands and stripes because I know the decals will not conform as desired. I haven't attempted painting markings, though I have seen excellent results posted. One note on the propeller, you added chipping on the trailing edge. Chipping would happen on the leading edge and mostly wear on the back of the blade. Also, I recall reading somewhere these propellers were wooden and covered in fabric, so they should not chip. It's always good to check period photos to see how the wear and tear happens.

 

I am sorry to hear about the troubles you had with the decals. I just finished an old Tamiya Spitfire and the decals were thick too, though no ripping. I have the FW 190D-9 in my stash, and now I know I need to get aftermarket decals for it.

 

Cheers,

Wlad

[neil5208]

Excellent result. Painting the band can be fiddly but worth the effort as decal band never look right and if they rip there is plenty of after market one to choose from.

[Walter]

Don't be so hard on yourself, we all feel the pain through shared experience. This is a wonderful build I'd be proud to have in my cabinet. Here's a tip on the decals, ware them in with very fine sanding, then a little oil filters or even an overspray of very diluted sand/buff and its going to make a huge difference. It will knock the edge off the colour on the fuselage but it won't need much to go from a 10 to an 11. 👍

[MattH912]

On 07/01/2022 at 05:55, Wlad said:

Beautiful paint job @MattH912. I always paint bands and stripes because I know the decals will not conform as desired. I haven't attempted painting markings, though I have seen excellent results posted. One note on the propeller, you added chipping on the trailing edge. Chipping would happen on the leading edge and mostly wear on the back of the blade. Also, I recall reading somewhere these propellers were wooden and covered in fabric, so they should not chip. It's always good to check period photos to see how the wear and tear happens.

 

I am sorry to hear about the troubles you had with the decals. I just finished an old Tamiya Spitfire and the decals were thick too, though no ripping. I have the FW 190D-9 in my stash, and now I know I need to get aftermarket decals for it.

 

Cheers,

Wlad

Yeah I was thinking about after market decals but don't know much about that area, what companies would you recommend that make good aftermarket decals. Kind regards

[Parabat]

That's a nice looking Dora, just be careful with the prop's weathering as they were made of wood, so no aluminum under chipped paint. 

I have also found Tamiya decals exasperating. I'm not yet at the stage of masking and spraying markings, so I use aftermarket decals like Eagle Cals for my builds. Usually Cartograf (ph?) printed decals are excellent, whichever company has designed the markings.

[Wulfman]

The following decals would be useful :-

MICROSCALE SS481162

XTRADECAL.  X48165

EAGLE CAL do a range of multi-choice decals , but would be a more expensive choice.

 

Wulfman

 

PS.Lovely build by the way 

[stevej60]

Cracking build and finish,we're all guilty of weathering an airframe and leaving immaculate markings so the poor decals have worked

in your favour!

[MattH912]

2 hours ago, Parabat said:

That's a nice looking Dora, just be careful with the prop's weathering as they were made of wood, so no aluminum under chipped paint. 

I have also found Tamiya decals exasperating. I'm not yet at the stage of masking and spraying markings, so I use aftermarket decals like Eagle Cals for my builds. Usually Cartograf (ph?) printed decals are excellent, whichever company has designed the markings.

thank you very much and yeah I have only recently learned about the propeller being constructed of wood so definitely will keep this in mind for my next 190 build

1 hour ago, Wulfman said:

The following decals would be useful :-

MICROSCALE SS481162

XTRADECAL.  X48165

EAGLE CAL do a range of multi-choice decals , but would be a more expensive choice.

 

Wulfman

 

PS.Lovely build by the way 

I definitely will keep all this in mind for my next D-9 Tamiya build as there decals are just a nightmare. Thank you very much for the kind words.

1 hour ago, Wulfman said:

The following decals would be useful :-

MICROSCALE SS481162

XTRADECAL.  X48165

EAGLE CAL do a range of multi-choice decals , but would be a more expensive choice.

 

Wulfman

 

PS.Lovely build by the way 

I definitely will keep all this in mind for my next D-9 Tamiya build as there decals are just a nightmare. Thank you very much for the kind words.

[MattH912]

1 hour ago, stevej60 said:

Cracking build and finish,we're all guilty of weathering an airframe and leaving immaculate markings so the poor decals have worked

in your favour!

Thank you very much.

[Luka]

As others have already noted; a truly great looking build, shame about the decals. You're kind of "lucky" in that the most prominent decal mishaps are on flat surfaces, and therefore relatively easy to correct with new decals or masks.

Decal quality is sometimes overlooked when looking at model quality. Tamiya mostly produces great models, but their decals can be quite problematic. Academy is another company with notoriously bad decals. 

[Troy Smith]

On 06/01/2022 at 16:03, MattH912 said:

The decals where extremely thick even for Tamiya's standards and they just wouldn't sit right

 

On 07/01/2022 at 04:55, Wlad said:

I just finished an old Tamiya Spitfire and the decals were thick too,

 

 

9 hours ago, Parabat said:

I have also found Tamiya decals exasperating.

https://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/235008098-dealing-with-thick-decals-ie-tamiya/#elControls_2464801_menu

 

"The best way to get all Japanese decals ( Fujimi, Hasegawa, Tamiya etc)to work as they're supposed to is use hot water and the correct setting solutions. You'll need a bottle each of Gunze Mr Setter and Mr Softer. Micro sol and others won't work as they're formulated differently. Do not use Gunze on Microscale or Cartograf decals as it will chew right through them.

Dip the decal in hot water, it doesn't need to be boiling but it does need to be fairly hot. The temperature of a drinkable tea will do. The glue is heat activated and is what makes up most of the thickness. If you dip it in cold water you'll spend the rest of the day waiting and cursing.

Lay down some Mr Setter, this is in the blue bottle. It acts as an additional glue. Slide the decal onto it and into postion and leave it alone. The decal should wrinkle a little.

Give it 10 mins or so and go over the decal with a brush with a little Mr Softer (green bottle) on it. Use sparingly as it is extremely hot. Too much and it will damage the paint, especially the weaker acrylics. The decal will now wrinkle a lot. Do not touch it as it is almost liquified at this point.

Once it is dry it will have smoothed out and will lay down beautifully over just about any raised or recessed detail you care to think of. Used properly it is probably the best conforming decal process in the industry. Used incorrectly and you'll be just another guy complaining about crap Japanese decals."  

 

HTH

[MattH912]

2 hours ago, Troy Smith said:

 

 

 

https://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/235008098-dealing-with-thick-decals-ie-tamiya/#elControls_2464801_menu

 

"The best way to get all Japanese decals ( Fujimi, Hasegawa, Tamiya etc)to work as they're supposed to is use hot water and the correct setting solutions. You'll need a bottle each of Gunze Mr Setter and Mr Softer. Micro sol and others won't work as they're formulated differently. Do not use Gunze on Microscale or Cartograf decals as it will chew right through them.

Dip the decal in hot water, it doesn't need to be boiling but it does need to be fairly hot. The temperature of a drinkable tea will do. The glue is heat activated and is what makes up most of the thickness. If you dip it in cold water you'll spend the rest of the day waiting and cursing.

Lay down some Mr Setter, this is in the blue bottle. It acts as an additional glue. Slide the decal onto it and into postion and leave it alone. The decal should wrinkle a little.

Give it 10 mins or so and go over the decal with a brush with a little Mr Softer (green bottle) on it. Use sparingly as it is extremely hot. Too much and it will damage the paint, especially the weaker acrylics. The decal will now wrinkle a lot. Do not touch it as it is almost liquified at this point.

Once it is dry it will have smoothed out and will lay down beautifully over just about any raised or recessed detail you care to think of. Used properly it is probably the best conforming decal process in the industry. Used incorrectly and you'll be just another guy complaining about crap Japanese decals."  

 

HTH

I shall have to pick up some Mr Setter and Softer Monday as I only have Microsol and Set, and a few Tamiya products. Thanks for the help very much appreciated 

[Wlad]

Thanks for the info @Troy Smith. I have yet to see Mr Setter and Mr Softer here. I'll get some, even if I have to order them by mail. I hate to see decals going to waste.

[Nippon Kaigon]

On 06/01/2022 at 20:42, MattH912 said:

Thank you very much, and unfortunately no at the time I didn't have any spare decals. 

I would definitely have to look into using them in the future next time I'm building a German aircraft.

Boy do I wish I'd read this a few days ago, before struggling with the decals on the Tamiya Beaufighter and having to go mad on weathering to mask the cracks. 

[Retired Bob]

The Tamiya kit has a few inaccuracies, mainly having closed in undercarriage bay but it builds easily and doesn't look bad, The Eduard FW 190D-9 is more difficult to build but is more accurate.  As others have said the propeller was compressed wood with a fabric covering and painted RLM 71 black-green.  I used some AM decals when I built my Tamiya FW 190D and painted the fuselage bands and spinners, the seat belts are from an Eduard 'steel' Luftwaffe set. 

 

[Col Walter E Kurtz]

It turned out very well considering the decal hassles.. I like it very mvery ch. I don't think your Chipping was too excessive at all.. well done! 

[MattH912]

19 minutes ago, Col Walter E Kurtz said:

It turned out very well considering the decal hassles.. I like it very mvery ch. I don't think your Chipping was too excessive at all.. well done! 

Thank you very much.

 

[MattH912]

26 minutes ago, Retired Bob said:

The Tamiya kit has a few inaccuracies, mainly having closed in undercarriage bay but it builds easily and doesn't look bad, The Eduard FW 190D-9 is more difficult to build but is more accurate.  As others have said the propeller was compressed wood with a fabric covering and painted RLM 71 black-green.  I used some AM decals when I built my Tamiya FW 190D and painted the fuselage bands and spinners, the seat belts are from an Eduard 'steel' Luftwaffe set. 

 

Those are some lovely builds indeed. I have to get some Eagle Decals in the future I have heard great things about them.

[Retired Bob]

2 minutes ago, MattH912 said:

Those are some lovely builds indeed. I have to get some Eagle Decals in the future I have heard great things about them.

The Eagle Cal decals are really good, they tend to do sets of markings, that set of JG 26 is over 20 years old but I will make some more Tamiya FW 190D-9 from it.

I have just ordered some Quinta 3D cockpit decals to spice them up plus get the undercarriage bay correct.  There are a lot of choices out there.