1/72 Ju-88-R with FuG 202

[stevesoutar]

fuselage & wings together, landing flaps down.

 

I am trying out Vallejo's plastic putty - it's really great for filling small joins, but my tube seems to take forever to cure properly  - about 12 hours or more before I can sand it work it at all. Is that normal?

 

More nonsense tomorrow ...  & btw those rivets will be greatly reduces after I have the first coat of paint on it 

 

[stevesoutar]

Engines fitted.

All control surfaces added

Vac formed cockpit canopy fitted (but I just realised I forgot to fit the Mg15 rear gun !!)

 

 

I also used a pin drill to open out the hole at the tip of the spinners, and made up some paper guards to keep the worst of the overspray out of the engine detail

 

 

Some filler needs sanding back around the front of the cockpit - this is my first time trying a Falcon vac-formed canopy, & I am pleased with the result

 

 

 

 

[stevesoutar]

I was worried that I may have installed my engines upside down  - but the blisters from the Ju-188-E match the powerplant on this Ju-88-G1

 

 

The engines on the R2 in Hendon Museum have no blisters, and seem to have 4 exhausts exiting above the wing, with 4 more at 4 o'clock and 8 o'clock - I have no idea where the remaining 2 exhaust stubs exit on those presumably earlier model BMW 801 engines are 

[stevesoutar]

2nd coat of RLM 71 green - much finer spray than I have used before on other kits (coz I am impatient with paint, oddly), a 2mm needle with about 70% Vallejo airbrush thinners

 

Looking for areas that need more filling or rubbing down with 2000grit wet & dry paper

 

 

Needs more work on the nose & where the gondola joined the fuselage

 

[vppelt68]

Looks fine 👍

[stevesoutar]

three more light coats of paint - but the RLM71 is coming out more muddy than the green in the photos of the Hendon Ju-88-R. 

Does anyone know if those colours in the museum are genuine?

 

I think I should be using RLM70/RLM71 - schwarzgrun & dunkelgrun, but I'm going to check that before I go any further - also I want to see this colour in daylight

 

 

Edited January 21, 2023 by stevesoutar
added photos

[Graham Boak]

You should indeed be using 70/71.  For some reason (probably mass production related) Junkers did not paint Ju88s in 72/73 even when intended for the maritime role - with the R wasn't anyway.  71 should be an olive green but certainly not muddy  at least not to the extent shown on my phone and now on my laptop.  You don't say which paint you are using, but even with reliable enamels such as Colourcoats there should be only a slight difference in the colours: 71 is one of those that is dark when fresh (or viewed on a chip set) but fades in service to provide more contrast in b&w photos.  It may get more olive when faded (as does RAF Dark Green, usually) but not that far.

 

Those fans are omitted from many models even up to more recent times.  There used to be a number of routes to obtain after-market fans but I don't know of any current ways.

[stevesoutar]

Thanks @Graham Boak - in sunlight this morning it looked more olive green, but under white LEDs in the evening it didn't look good, and even came out brown in one photo, according to my phones camera.

 

So I am. sticking with 70/71 - thanks for confirming that.  I've just masked up the airframe & I'm putting the first layers of 70 on ...

 

 

 

[PeterB]

Hi Steve,

 

As I mentioned on another thread in this GB, paint manufacturers all seem to just about agree on RLM 70 but for some reason there is considerable variation with their RLM 71 even as long ago as the Humbrol Authentics back in the 1960's/70's when they changed from an initial yellowish green to a duller, darker version. I know that there was a bright early version of RLM 65 and a duller late version but I have not heard of anything similar with 71. These days some manufacturers claim they are giving you "Scale Colour" whilst others may be basing their version on a faded example - anybody who has seen a preserved RAF jet that has been standing outdoors for any length of time will be aware just how much green and grey do fade as Graham said! The same is true of the maritime finish of RLM/72/73. Both schemes were very fairly low contrast, particularly the 72/73 one when fresh but the lighter of the greens faded pretty quickly. I sometimes think that the reason illustrations of maritime finished Do 217E in some (older) books show just one shade of green is due to the very low contrast on new paint though I may be wrong. The Gunze/Mr Hobby 71 I am using on my 88C is one of the lighter/yellowish ones, but it does not have any hint of brown. When building my Do 17Z for the BoB GB a couple of years back I ran out and used Humbrol Acrylic and that was somewhat darker, as is I believe the Xtracrylic version, but they are the only makes of paint I have used for 70/71.

 

Pete

[stevesoutar]

thanks @PeterB - I might buy a bottle of Mr Gunze & compare it ...  I am wondering if I should have applied a grey or dark undercoat instead of the white primer I used.

I am still seeing an olive brown colour rather than a green yet, but the spray is still several shaed behind the paint colour in the bottle, so I will do some 2nd coats on the lighter colour - which means more bloody masks to make from tape !

 

the darker RLM70 seems to have covered much better

 

[PeterB]

I see what you meant about the brown tinge  Mind you, I have found that when taking pictures the background colour seems to influence the camera. Mie look quite different when on a brown background to what they look like on a green mat like yours, but then again the lighting plays a part as well.

 

Pete

[stevesoutar]

30 minutes ago, PeterB said:

I see what you meant about the brown tinge  Mind you, I have found that when taking pictures the background colour seems to influence the camera. Mie look quite different when on a brown background to what they look like on a green mat like yours, but then again the lighting plays a part as well.

 

Pete

I remasked, covering the fresh rlm70, then did a few more fine coats on the rlm71 panels - so that has brought out the greenish tone - I think the white undercoat was making the brown tones pop out more.  The colour got better with a few more attempts

 

I'll post a couple more pictures tonight - include a minor disaster which I am filing under "lessons learned" 🙂 

[stevesoutar]

I discovered that Mr Hobby masking fluid doesn't just pull off, the same way I can do with Humbrol Maskol.  I managed to scratch or lift a couple of chunks of dunkelgrun on the starboard wing, before I realised the Mr hobby stuff is water soluble (so I washed the rest off the dunkelgrun arewas using a stiff stipple brush soaked in water

 

I had to touch up the damage using a brush with RLM70, but I'm happy now, and will mask up for the rlm76 undersides for tomorrow - if I get some free time

 

Before:

 

After:

 

Hard to see in the photos, but the rlm71 now has more olive green, and no longer looks brown to the naked eye

[vppelt68]

Indeed, she looks very good 🙂

[stevesoutar]

Gondola in place, and undersides painted

 

 

Base coat finished

 

 

I found that one of the Revell undercarriage doors are missing from the kit - so I will probably adapt one of the doors from the He-188, or I may scratch build one (the He-188 front wheel doors have a rounded leading corner, which doesn't match the Ju-88C door bays)

[Walter]

It's a cocktail party in there great work

[stevesoutar]

A little more progress - only a few hours spent at the modelling table last week 

 

Zvezda undercarriage from the spares box (Ju-88G-6 kit), and I will pinch the rear wheel doors from the same source, more nicely details that the Revell parts

 

 

Lower gondola fitted, glassworks masked, and filled, as it wasn't a great fitting part of the kit. 

 

 

 

 

Revell wheels on Zvezda undercarriage legs (the Ju-88G wheels are noticably larger in diameter that the ones in the Ju-88C kit - 16mm vs. 13mm) 

 

 

[stevesoutar]

A wee bit more progress, and a small setback.

 

The inside of my canopy had collected white dust from where I sanded the lip of the gondola, so when I took the tape of the top there was a snowstorm of tiny white particles inside the glass, so I gently eased the canopy away, cleaned up the edges, and I have taken the chance to darken down the edges of the cockpit.

 

I have masked up my vac-form canopy, and given it a couple of light coats of schwarzgrun - more coats due tomorrow.

 

I've knocked of a couple of control surfaces - considering making cuts to insert plasticard hinge plates if I can some fine enough to do the job 

 

Zvezda undercarriage legs have the main locking leg and wishbones fitted. Rear wheel fitted (from the same Ju-88G6 kit  - not sure if it's the right one for an R, but it looks nice & chunky, so I'm happy)

 

 

The pilots jacket looks very vividly blue - will I remember to tone it down with a little grey before I get excited & pop the canopy back on? who knows?

 

I will also cut a couple of strips of 1 mm plasticard to fill in those nose panels, as I have finally decided for certain that I going to scratch build four straight  mounting poles from either 1mm and 0.5mm brass rod (arrived in the post last week from https://www.scalemodelshop.co.uk/0-5mm-brass-rod-8pcs-bb-0-5-dspiae/ ) 

 

 

 

 

Some of the heavy rivets (more like bolt heads!) are still showing on the gondola ... might get a light rub down with 2000 grit wet & dry later

 

Edited February 6, 2023 by stevesoutar

[stevesoutar]

I have several sets of antenna kits - I managed to find a discontinued Owl set but the box had been squashed at some point and a couple of the delicate plastic 'trees' have been snapped, so I would need to make replacements anyway, and I'm going to try soldering up some brass ones - with the option of superglue if I can't get my new soldering iron to play ball on such fine work.

 

I also found that set from Metallic Details (2nd hand) which  I think I will reserve for a DO217 sometime in the future)

 

For this Ju-88R2 I am going to use the aerials from the Eduard kit, hopefully silver soldered onto homemade cruciform poles    ... we'll see.  The Ediard set has a small square plate which will (fingers crossed) fold into a small template for keeping everything square as I assemble it 

 

 

Not tonight though ... that will be a long evening just building the antenna set

[stevesoutar]

some progress - canopy masked, sprayed, unmasked ....   and I have cut out the pilots side window.

I have drilled out the 3 blunt nipples on the nose cone, and this is ready for brass mg barrels to be glued into place.

 

And I have assembled 1 x FuG202 cruciform - turns out the PE set (Eduard Bf-110) I have only has enough 202 antenenae to make two sets, not the 4 I had anticipated.   Just as well because everything is fiendishly tiny, delicate & fiddle - but by cunning use of white-tac and steady fingers I have assembled a single Fug202 dipole.

 

Gonna let the superglue set overnight before I even breath on it - the fine antenna will need to be gently turned through 45 degrees & lined up with each other, & I will probably give the main cross members a 2nd coat of superglue to add some stiffness

 

So my R2 will likely end up with a single central dipole, instead of an array of 4 - good enough for me 

 

 

canopy, undercracker doors, fit the guns & antenna, then it's just attaching the engine pods properly & final paint - matt varnish, then more decals and I will be all set for weathering , engine staining & fuel streaks before the end of the week

[Walter]

I can understand what you went through the fug 202/212 are very difficult to make up. Keep up the good work

[stevesoutar]

21 hours ago, Walter said:

I can understand what you went through the fug 202/212 are very difficult to make up. Keep up the good work

 

Thanks walter - especially at this scale - i must be mental! 

 

I'm glad I am short sighted, if I take my glasses off & get real close I can see what my fat fingers & trying to achieve. I wish I had the room to store 1/48 scale kits, it would be easier 

[stevesoutar]

A test fit of the engine to remind myself what she will look like with the BMW motors 

 

Cockpit is painted and glued back on, but needs some tidying up. As its a vac-form canopy, I was able to cut away the pilots side window as if it is open.

 

The motors are going back in a pot, so tomorrow I will carve down the platicard inserts, blanking off the space where the FuG220 horns should have gone, sealing my decision about the rader fitted to this one - it's going to have just the one single central FuG202 short wave array

 

 

The cockpit looks cloudy, because I have been handling it. Once I have putty reshaped at the front to fair it onto the nose, at at the seams, I will touch up the matt paint & apply a little more humbrol clear varnish - it comes out really clear, but seems to not set hard enough, as finger pressure still can mark it and make it seem slightly cloudy even days after it has been applied 😞 

 

And ... I remembered to fit the rear gun before fitting the canopy this time - so thats another small success for me !  Yay ! 

 

(gun strapped to one side preparing for a landing - which is what the flaps, nose-up tailplanes & full rudder is all about, correcting the yaw from the engines being a last squirt of power as the pilot is lining up for final approach & flare down - in my mind) 

 

I have added the undercarriage doors, & applied a couple of thin coats of Vajello matt Mecha varnish to seal in the decals before I tackle the last work on the nose cone

 

[stevesoutar]

A little milliput filler to smooth in between body & canopy, and fill on those slots each side of the nose.

 

fantastic realisation today - I can use water to smooth & soften my milliput, and it doesn't stick to my tools so viciously now

 

Nothing like a close up photo to make a smooth job look like it was applied by a baboon with snow shovel !!   🙉

When this have fully hardened tomorrow I will to work with my fine wet&dry paper to blend this in, then touch up the nose in mostly schwarzgrun- the Hendon R2 has two lighter triangles of dunkelgrun on the port side - the exact opposite of the pattern I guessed at when I was masking & spraying 

 

 

[Walter]

On 07/02/2023 at 10:33, stevesoutar said:

some progress - canopy masked, sprayed, unmasked ....   and I have cut out the pilots side window.

I have drilled out the 3 blunt nipples on the nose cone, and this is ready for brass mg barrels to be glued into place.

 

And I have assembled 1 x FuG202 cruciform - turns out the PE set (Eduard Bf-110) I have only has enough 202 antenenae to make two sets, not the 4 I had anticipated.   Just as well because everything is fiendishly tiny, delicate & fiddle - but by cunning use of white-tac and steady fingers I have assembled a single Fug202 dipole.

 

Gonna let the superglue set overnight before I even breath on it - the fine antenna will need to be gently turned through 45 degrees & lined up with each other, & I will probably give the main cross members a 2nd coat of superglue to add some stiffness

 

So my R2 will likely end up with a single central dipole, instead of an array of 4 - good enough for me 

 

 

canopy, undercracker doors, fit the guns & antenna, then it's just attaching the engine pods properly & final paint - matt varnish, then more decals and I will be all set for weathering , engine staining & fuel streaks before the end of the week

Hey Steve you have assembled the dipoles incorrectly they should be in parallel.