Revell 1/32 Bf109G-10 Erla

[Thunnus]

Thank you for the nice comments!  I should also point out that the masking for this step was not marred by paint lifting when removing masking tape.  That was something that I struggled with on my previous D-9 build.  That is one of the reasons why I primed the entire model before painting.  I also took extra care to wipe all surfaces with a clean cloth, moistened with water prior to the primer.  I noticed only one or two tiny spots of lifted paint so the pre-emptive steps taken seemed to have worked.

 

 

Looking really nice John, all of your careful prep work on the replacement nose has really paid off.

 

Regards. Andy

 

Absolutely!  I really wanted to ensure that the AMUR Reaver resin nose blended in with the rest of the model and spent lots of hours fretting over it.  I'm glad that the joins are not noticeable, especially now with the paint going on.

[Gazzas]

Great paint work!  I am seriously gonna reconfigure how I paint a model.

 

Gaz

[Fencer-1]

I like overall shapes! At last Revell Erla G-10 looks like real Bf 109!

[Thunnus]

Thanks guys!  I consider this stage of painting to be the model's "awkward" period... after the base camo but before the mottling and the weathering.  The next steps should help the transition from a factory-fresh bird to a used and worn veteran.

[Out2gtcha]

Thanks guys!  I consider this stage of painting to be the model's "awkward" period... after the base camo but before the mottling and the weathering.  The next steps should help the transition from a factory-fresh bird to a used and worn veteran.

 

 

I consider it the lovely stage!   I always find stages like this interesting.   The mottling and paint work are amazing looking and well worth all the effort you put in. 

[Thunnus]

Thanks for the comment, Brian!

 

Busy week with work and guests staying over the holidays so not much to report.  I did manage to chip the hairspray-prepared wing roots.  Keep in mind that the hairspray chipping will be augmented later using colored pencils.

 

 

 

And then I got to work on the mottling on the fuselage sides.  For the mottle spray, I've been playing around with thinners other than iso alcohol for the Mr Hobby Aqueous acrylics.  I seem to get a cleaner spray using Tamiya Lacquer thinner.

 

 

The archive photos of Hartmann's G-10 was used as a reference for the port mid-fuselage.

 

 

 

The color elements seem a bit disjointed right now but hopefully it will look more unified after the markings and weathering steps.  I'll tackle the nose tulip next.

Edited April 17, 2018 by Thunnus

[Gazzas]

Your mottling looks really good.  I wish I could get that from my airbrush.

 

Gaz

[Thunnus]

Thanks Gazzas!  It's time to paint the black tulip on the nose of this G-10.  I have a set of Montex masks.  It looks like they were designed to be used prior to the camo painting.  And I was unsure as to how they would fit on the AMUR Reaver nose piece.  So... I decided to mask it manually.  They are just straight lines so it should be pretty straightforward.

 

First, I wrapped a piece of flexible white Tamiya tape around the nose to mark where the tulip points would end. This would ensure some consistency in the masking.  Using the kit instructions as a guide, I marked the tulip points on the tape.

 

 

Again, using the kit instructions as a guide, I place thin strips of yellow Tamiya tape.  I can use the panel line closest to the end of the nose as a reference line for the inner points of the tulip.

 

 

The tulip is masked one triangle at a time.  I didn't care if the tulip triangles were identical in shape but I tried to keep everything symmetrical.

 

 

 

After the outer edges of the tulip are masked, you have two choices on how to paint it.  You can either put on the white first and mask the white edges using uniformly thin strips of paint butted up against the first tulip mask.  I thought it'd be easier to do the opposite, which is to paint the black first and then mask off the black areas.  So the black is sprayed first. I tried to keep the spray pattern towards the nose to avoid a black edge to the white trim.

 

 

After the black paint is allowed to dry, I masked off the white trim areas.  This was a bit trickier than first assumed as the black paint made it difficult to see the edges of the mask demarcation.

 

 

The white is sprayed in the opposite direction as the black, towards the tail.  I wanted to "force" the paint into the corners of the mask, again, to avoid a black edge.

 

 

The masking is removed to reveal the lovely tulip markings... plus some nasty paint lifting!

 

 

The starboard side is not so bad.

 

 

I'll let that dry before I attempt to repair the paint lift.  Since the repair areas are so small, I can just use small strips of yellow Tamiya tape.  I de-tack the tape as much as possible to reduce the possibility of further damage.

 

 

Here is the tulip after corrections have been made.  There is a slight remnant of black edging to the white trim but given the propensity of this area to be damaged by masking, I think I'll leave it alone.

 

 

 

 

Edited April 17, 2018 by Thunnus

[Thunnus]

Before I move on to the markings, I want to work on the tail.  I apply a mottle of light blue RLM 76 over the hard spots.

 

 

 

We'll all that work dry before we start with the markings.

 

 

Edited April 17, 2018 by Thunnus

[Gerhard]

Superb build, and I really like that Jig. I think I must make one.

[Gazzas]

I'm amazed at the airbrush control.  Excellent progress!

[r0t0rdr1ver]

Wow, fantastic paint work so far, your 109 is really beginning to come to life!

[AceofClubs]

A master in stencilling! Great work. I love it!

Ciao

Filippo

[Wackyracer]

Brilliant, luv this build. 

[Thunnus]

Thanks guys!  On to the markings.  I'm using the Montex masks for these.  I really like the Montex masks. The vinyl material is flexible enough to conform to the curved wings and fuselage but stiff enough not to distort too much when adjusting the placement.  The vinyl is semi-clear, which really aids in placement.  I like to "frame" the mask with small pieces of paper.  This makes the mask easier to handle.

 

 

 

The single-color crosses are the easiest... simply place the single mask in the correct location, spray the color on and remove the mask.  Multi-color masks and outline masks are a little bit trickier and require VERY careful placement of the interior masks in relation to the outer masks.  Note that I did not use the paper framing technique on the chevron masks.  I had them on initially but they were getting in the way, not letting the mask conform to the fuselage curvature.

 

 

 

 

The masked markings consisted of the fuselage and wing crosses and the chevrons.  There were no masks for the swastika so those will go on as a decal.

 

 

After the markings, the model is given a clear gloss coat to seal all of the painting.

 

 

Edited April 17, 2018 by Thunnus