Randy Lutz Posted March 19, 2022 Share Posted March 19, 2022 Hi all I would like to present some images of my Horten Ho 229, built from the Dragon kit. There were many modifications, or changes made based on the info found in the Kagero Monograph on the Horten. I made these changes on the assumption that the Kagero book and plans are correct, so it may or may not be an accurate representation of the Ho 229. To the best of my knowledge from my readings, the Ho 229 V3 was never fully assembled until after the war, while on display at the Douglas Aircraft factory, and this is how I have chosen to display my model. This may prove to be the last aircraft model I will build, as I have been losing interest in the hobby over the past few years and have subsequently sold off all my kits, books, paints, finished models and awards. I considered this model as unfinished business, so that is why I have chosen to finish it and present it at this time. Thanks for looking 47 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Werdna Posted March 19, 2022 Share Posted March 19, 2022 wow, that's excellent - well done Would be a shame to walk away from such a high standard of modelling.. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
opus999 Posted March 19, 2022 Share Posted March 19, 2022 That is gorgeous! I really appreciate seeing it without paint to see how it was constructed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phildagreek Posted March 19, 2022 Share Posted March 19, 2022 That’s beautiful, the metalwork is fantastic! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wellsprop Posted March 19, 2022 Share Posted March 19, 2022 Utterly marvellous Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vultures1 Posted March 19, 2022 Share Posted March 19, 2022 That's superb work. The wood and metal finishes are outstanding - well done Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billn53 Posted March 19, 2022 Share Posted March 19, 2022 As others have said, outstanding work. How did you achieve he wood finish? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete in Lincs Posted March 19, 2022 Share Posted March 19, 2022 Randy, What a fabulous swansong to your modelling history. It's a great shame that we won't see any more of your skills. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiwitrogg Posted March 19, 2022 Share Posted March 19, 2022 Excellent, the wood finish is particularly worth mentioning. Very pleasing to the eye. Hopefully, maybe, we'll see you back again with more good stuff in the future if the bug bites again. All the best Cheers Gaz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randy Lutz Posted March 19, 2022 Author Share Posted March 19, 2022 5 hours ago, Werdna said: wow, that's excellent - well done Would be a shame to walk away from such a high standard of modelling.. Thanks much. I was suffering from a self-imposed stress that took the fun out of the hobby. Every model was built to compete and I found myself re-doing so many aspects of the build, trying to get things just right, that I was dreading each step of the build. Cheers 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randy Lutz Posted March 19, 2022 Author Share Posted March 19, 2022 5 hours ago, opus999 said: That is gorgeous! I really appreciate seeing it without paint to see how it was constructed. Much appreciated. Finishing it in natural wood was something I had wanted to do for many, many years, but other projects kept getting in the way. Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randy Lutz Posted March 19, 2022 Author Share Posted March 19, 2022 4 hours ago, phildagreek said: That’s beautiful, the metalwork is fantastic! Thank you for the compliment. Alclad 2 is great stuff to work with...sprays beautifully and takes a lot of handling. Cheers 3 hours ago, wellsprop said: Utterly marvellous Thanks much. Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randy Lutz Posted March 19, 2022 Author Share Posted March 19, 2022 2 hours ago, billn53 said: As others have said, outstanding work. How did you achieve he wood finish? Thanks. Initially I thought I would use the Uschi decals that I had invested so much money into, but when I made test swatches of paint an applied the decals I found that they were silvering badly. In addition I could see all the individual ink dots/pixilation in the decals and I knew I would not be happy with the look. So I opted to paint the wood grain. To achieve the wood look I first painted each individual panel in different shades of tan and creme. Some of the colours I used were Xtracolor RFC Linen, Radome Tan, Desert Sand, French Creme, Kuwaiti Sand and so on. You get the drift. Then each panel was masked off and I applied Winsor & Newton oil paints straight from the tube. I used Burnt Sienna, Raw Umber, Yellow Ochre and Raw Sienna in varying amount and locations, depending on the look I wanted. The oils were applied using a 1/4" wide brush to establish the basic look and direction of wood grain. Then using a fan brush, the grain was softened and the various colours were blended. Turning the brush 90 degrees would allow me to create the finer more distinct elements of the grain. It is a long process as it takes about four days for the oils to dry, before the panel can be masked and then the adjacent panel can be painted. I imagine I could have shortened the drying time by soaking up some of the oil from the paint, or by using a drying accelerator, but my experience has shown me that I have more control and working time with the paint if it is not drying quickly. Cheers 7 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randy Lutz Posted March 19, 2022 Author Share Posted March 19, 2022 3 hours ago, Vultures1 said: That's superb work. The wood and metal finishes are outstanding - well done Thanks very much. Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randy Lutz Posted March 20, 2022 Author Share Posted March 20, 2022 2 hours ago, Pete in Lincs said: Randy, What a fabulous swansong to your modelling history. It's a great shame that we won't see any more of your skills. Thanks Pete. I am done with aircraft and I am taking a break from modelling. Perhaps down the road I might give it another try, but it will be a different discipline. I would like to build a model of my car... or even a sci-fi subject. Cheers 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randy Lutz Posted March 20, 2022 Author Share Posted March 20, 2022 2 hours ago, kiwitrogg said: Excellent, the wood finish is particularly worth mentioning. Very pleasing to the eye. Hopefully, maybe, we'll see you back again with more good stuff in the future if the bug bites again. All the best Cheers Gaz Thanks very much Gaz. We never know which direction we will take, so who knows...maybe some day I will close the circle. Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Giampiero Piva Posted March 20, 2022 Share Posted March 20, 2022 Simply wonderful ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jochen Barett Posted March 20, 2022 Share Posted March 20, 2022 17 hours ago, Randy Lutz said: +++ This may prove to be the last aircraft model I will build, as I have been losing interest in the hobby over the past few years and have subsequently sold off all my kits, books, paints, finished models and awards. I considered this model as unfinished business, so that is why I have chosen to finish it and present it at this time. +++ It would be a pity if you walked away, but you would not walk away having failed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Holzhamer Posted March 20, 2022 Share Posted March 20, 2022 (edited) As much as Uschi decals are good, nothing beats wood effects made with oils in my humble opinion. Your work with this medium is excellent. Like all the good folks above, I too think it’s too bad if you quit the hobby, you have such great skills. Perhaps a sabbatical period?? I did one a few years ago and come back to the hobby with renewed interest Edited March 20, 2022 by Holzhamer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maginot Posted March 20, 2022 Share Posted March 20, 2022 Well Randy, a superbly crafted model for your swansong. The painted wood grain is very effective. I've always wondered at the contrast between the flawless, streamlined form of the airframe and the ungainly undercarriage. As this is one of the best models I've seen on the web for a while, such a unique and interesting type, I hereby award you the Golden Kookaburra to send you on your way. Bravo! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rgb40 Posted March 20, 2022 Share Posted March 20, 2022 Sad to hear your leaving the hobby Slim. Wil miss your work. Being an old fart that agonized over builds I can empathise. I have lost a lot of my zeal over the years too. but I just can't pull myself away from the hobby. Every time I think of quitting a kit comes out that interests me. I hope to still see you around. Your old pal, George Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spitfire31 Posted March 20, 2022 Share Posted March 20, 2022 Beautiful, and pedagogic, model. Kind regards, Joachim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rod bettencourt Posted March 20, 2022 Share Posted March 20, 2022 18 hours ago, Randy Lutz said: Thanks much. I was suffering from a self-imposed stress that took the fun out of the hobby. Every model was built to compete and I found myself re-doing so many aspects of the build, trying to get things just right, that I was dreading each step of the build. Cheers Randy, I get that! Horten looks great. Best wishes. Rod Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tokyo Raider Posted March 20, 2022 Share Posted March 20, 2022 Lovely job! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan P Posted March 20, 2022 Share Posted March 20, 2022 Sorry to hear you've had enough but if this is your last model, it's a hell of a way to sign off! Beautiful work, flawless finish 👏👏👏 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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