Bf110G-4 at Farnborough, 1945. ++++FINISHED++++

[Zephyr91]

3 hours ago, mark.au said:

You could, I've seen your splinter pattern; if you can operate an airbrush you can do this.

Thanks Mark.  Very kind.  I'll maybe go and have a try on the couple of mules I have.

 

3 hours ago, mark.au said:

Macro is cruel.

Indeed it can be for some of us, not so much you methinks.  I know very well now from my own experiences.   But I am getting better at doing photos with less hurtful results - I just need to choose the angles and light carefully and never get nearer than a few feet ............. 

 

Rob

[81-er]

That's very nice work on those markings again, Mark, and I had to double check for the paint bleed.

 

James

[modelling minion]

Very nice work on the markings Mark, they have turned out really well. Your reasoning for them makes perfect sense to me.

[Thom216]

Real nice work on those markings!

 

 

 

 

Edited March 22 by Thom216

[opus999]

I love that mottle on the fuselage.  It's an interesting technique I wouldn't have thought of... I'll have to give it a try.

[mark.au]

Thank you all for the comments.

 

I just can't leave things alone...  In studying the photos I noticed that the mottle extends further down the fuselage than I had it so IO needed to add some.  And, despite my earlier comments, I decided to take the opportunity to adjust the wing's mottle, too.  I loaded up some RLM75 and went to work being careful to avoid the weathering and markings.

 

 

Next I was equally careful in reverse mottling the 75 with some thinned RLM76 giving this result.

 

 

Here's a before and after on the wings.

 

 

Because I use water soluble artist acrylic paint I was able to remove what little overspray there was with a damp cotton bud.  I'm much happier with these wings because they look better, and match the fuselage now.

 

Decals next.

 

Cheers.

 

 

 

 

 

[81-er]

Another masterclass in painting from you, Mark. Very nicely done

 

James

[Wings unlevel]

Beautiful work 

[modelling minion]

Very neat bit of touching up with the airbrush there Mark, she looks great.

[marvinneko]

Sorry I fell behind on this one. Amazing work -- the detective work on the mottling, trying several techniques, going back to tweak the wings... lovely finish on those mottles. Looks organic, pulled together nicely. I like this kind of integrated mottle. Feels real.

 

Also love those rusty exhausts. Truly! I had imagined doing some nice pipes but I settled for burnt iron and left it at that. I leave my aesthetic work too late to play properly! 

 

I'll bore you with another compliment on the overpainted markings. I love that look and the story it implies.

 

Ingenious fix for the canopy, too. 

 

I just got back from the biggest Canadian model show and a session from an AK paints guy. I'm thinking I need to study some of you paint wizards here on BM and try focusing on that for my next build  

Edited March 24 by marvinneko

[stevehnz]

Wow, your mottle looks so good, a super result on the way here.

Steve.

[mark.au]

On 25/03/2024 at 09:14, marvinneko said:

I'm thinking I need to study some of you paint wizards here on BM and try focusing on that for my next build

 

 

Many of the techniques I use came from just trying suff, making mistakes and adjusting; the mottle on this one is case in point.  I've got lots of failed attempts...  🙂.  The paints I use allow for a lot of adjustment and correction, my results have improved since I started using them because they are so forgiving and flexible in application.  I can't recommend enough just experimenting and trying different things to find what works for you.  And a good airbrush, I do recommend investing in a good airbrush.

 

So this happened...   I attached the wings and despite my confidence that I'd fettled them sufficiently for a seamless fit it wasn't to be.  I needed to fill both upper and lower seams.

 

 

After carefully applying some PPP I wiped it away with a damp cotton bud.  It took applications to achieve a satisfactory result.

 

 

Next I carefully repainted, ensuring to match the mottled variable hue of the surrounding paintwork on the fuselage and wings.  With the paint done, I added a clear coat to use as the canvass for redoing the weathering.

 

 

I reapplied a washed to match the weathering and ended up with this.  I followed the same process on the underside which was more or less the same in terms of where I started and where it ended up. The angle of the last photo exaggerates the starboard side seam a little, it matches the port side.  Neither is perfect but both are acceptable.  

 

 

Next I flipped it on its back to finish the underside.  First the undercarriage.  I expected this to be fiddly and not very strong based on others' experience but I found ti went well quite easily and is strong when set.  The weight is carried through the main gear leg to a solid plinth on the forward bulkhead while the narrow supporting struts - which have zero structural integrity - are attached around the main and look nice while not being required to support any weight.

 

 

Next I worked on attaching the fuel tanks.  But first a note on the Eduard decals.  I don't like them much but their one saving grace - and this is enough to keep me using them - is that they can be weathered beautifully.  I used some tape to remove the top film and then repeated the tape application to wear down the decal to how you see it on the tanks.  Some of it came away, some of it wore away to a shadow, and some remained almost untouched.  I really the realism this imparts.  I weathered the tanks quite significantly compared to the airframe as I figured that's possibly how they looked, having hung down there for a long time without much maintenance.

 

 

The final job on the underside was the ventral antenna which was present on this airframe but not provided in the kit.  I used wire and EZline to make it, having first marked out the posts' location with some tape to make sure I got the spacing right.  In studying photos, these antennas weren't that tidy she I made mine look a little ragged.  To be perfectly accurate I still need to run a line to the fuselage from each side in the centre.  I may or may not actually do that.  I probably will.

 

 

The topsides will require the finish to the canopy, the propellers and antenna lines.  And then, the radar array.  Not looking forward to that very much.

 

I expect the next update will include the finished model.

 

Cheers.

 

 

 

[81-er]

What can I say, Mark, but exceptional work again. You fixed the paint on the wing seams pefectly, I don't see any hint of a repair there. The tanks are beautifully weathered (I'll remember that for the next one I do), and I like the added antenna. Looking forward to seeing the next update

 

James

[airbus320]

Really enjoying this one, the level of finish and detail is fantastic!
 

Chris

[modelling minion]

Outstanding work Mark, as James says you cannot tell the area of paint you touched up at the wingroots from the rest of the paint work. You did better with PPP than I do as every time I use it and try to wipe excess away it removes almost everything I applied.

The decals on the tanks have turned out really well and have a very realistic worn look about them, an unintended consequence of Eduard's decal design.

[marvinneko]

Thanks for the tips! Knowng myself I think I need to set up some experiments for myself. Makes me think it would be nice to have some premade models as paint mules  

 

The closeups of the mottling really show how well done it is... beautiful cloudy integrated.

 

Those fuel tanks are a work of art. That's clever to use tape to weather the print. You and @Wlad are making fuel tanks interesting!

 

1 hour ago, modelling minion said:

You did better with PPP than I do as every time I use it and try to wipe excess away it removes almost everything I applied.

 

I don't know what Mark does but after trying all kinds of techniques, I found a finger dipped in water then touched to cloth so the finger is just damp seemed to produce the best wipe results. Using a damp cloth or q-tip had the problems you mention, and using a silicone spatula smeared too much. (Same issue when applying caulking doing home renovations when I replaced windows or did moulding along the floors). 

Edited March 28 by marvinneko

[mark.au]

21 hours ago, marvinneko said:

don't know what Mark does but after trying all kinds of techniques, I found a finger dipped in water then touched to cloth so the finger is just damp seemed to produce the best wipe results.

I generally use a damp cotton bud, very lightly.  Sometimes I use my finger, too.

 

With the end in sight, I had three major tasks remaining once I’d taken care of the simple stuff like the pitot tube (.040 stainless tube), the antenna post, and the landing light (for which I used liquid clear built up in layers for that because - surprise - the kit part didn’t fit).  Of those three, the propellers were first.  There’s nothing very special there, a paint, a wash and some light weathering on the blades.  I didn’t apply the decals because there’s no sign of them in the photos.  Then, the second last job was the antenna wire for which I used EZline.  It went amazingly well with everything sticking first go.  I used a little Elmer’s glue for the insulators.

 

 

Then, the radar.  It was fiddly and the instructions were less than clear in terms of attachment points.  I referenced the photos for final positioning but the kit parts stubbornly refused the align as far forward as I wanted to place them.  Consequently, it’s really not as well aligned, square or level as I’d like but I didn’t want to push my luck when I had them close…

 

 

I cobbled the centre array together from some brass tube and a spare 3D printed array from an earlier project.

 

And then I sat back.  It was done.

 

 

 

What a frustrating kit that is, I’m glad to be moving on from it.  So much potential spoiled by some really poor design and execution by Eduard.  If I ever build another 110 I’ll try very hard to find a ProModeller version.  Having said that, this build did produce a new paint technique for me, and I’m actually pretty happy with how it turned out.  
 

Many thanks to everyone in the GB, and especially for all of the encouragement and kind words.   Next up for me is another GB build, this time a P-51D Mustang. 

 

Cheers.

 

 

[Wings unlevel]

Superb

[Jabba]

Very nice indeed Mark. I totally agree with you final comments about the kit, plus the ones about the fron aerial supports (not looking forward to fitting the aerials).

 

I do have a couple of questions (maybe that both are the same). How was the fitment of the rear gun, as it looks to me on paper and looking at the actual part very weak? Similar with the wing fuel tanks?

[Zephyr91]

Superb result there despite some frustrations.      Book marked for future reference, plagiarism or whatever!

 

cheers

 

Rob

 

PS:  I've not done a P-51 since, well several decades ago, but I may mosey over to that GB as well 

 

 

[Roland Pulfrew]

That’s a fantastic job. Really nicely done!

[marvinneko]

Master of the mottle! Tidy work I'm jealous of . 

[modelling minion]

An outstanding result Mark, this has been a fantastic build from start to finish. Your high standards of building and painting are really on show and I really like how you have been honest about the trials and tribulations you have had to deal with during the build.

Very well done.

[81-er]

That's another absolutely superb build from you, Mark, from a horror of a kit. Thank you for joining us to build it, and keeping us entertained with the updates showing off your excellent skills  

 

James

[mark.au]

5 hours ago, 81-er said:

Thank you for joining us to build it

Thank you and @vppelt68 for hosting, and doing such a great job at it too.

 

14 hours ago, Zephyr91 said:

PS:  I've not done a P-51 since, well several decades ago, but I may mosey over to that GB as well 

See you there!

 

14 hours ago, Jabba said:

I do have a couple of questions (maybe that both are the same). How was the fitment of the rear gun, as it looks to me on paper and looking at the actual part very weak? Similar with the wing fuel tanks?

The rear guns were quite easy, though a little tricky to fit with tweezers after the canopy is installed.  
 

The wing fuel tanks were a microcosm of everything wrong with the kit; no positive location engineered into the tanks or brackets.  It requires the modeller to simultaneously line up eight pinpoint and very flimsy attachment points on structurally weak brackets if one is to get the alignment correct ( or close to it).  Having said that, like a lot of the kit’s weak points [pun intended], it looks great when done; but I can’t help thinking that Tamiya achieve the same outcome with much less modeller angst.

 

Thanks again for all of the kind words, much appreciated.

 

 

 

 

Edited March 30 by mark.au