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Hobby Boss IL-2M3 (*DONE* and more pics added to Pg.7!)


mywifehatesmodels

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I have a couple of other projects I need to finish before I can really dig into this, but figured I should get this thread started, anyway. I know I'll have plenty of questions along the way for those "in the know" on the IL-2 and, judging from some of the great Sturmovik builds I've seen on these forums, I'm sure there will be a few of you who will be able to help and lend your opinions.

 

So, here's what I have to work with:

 

The kit

Eduard's interior/exterior sets

Quickboost exhausts

Montex Masks

AKAN paint set

 

20140909_143935_zps94ddecb3.jpg

 

The plan was to do "Black 1" with the white tail, as seen on the mask set above. There is actually a brief film clip showing this aircraft rolling out for take-off and that can be found on YouTube. When the time comes for further discussion (and it will!), I'll post a link to that vid, as I don't have it handy, at the moment. Also, there are a couple of sets of profiles that have been done of this plane, in addition to what Montex has represented in their mask set. One can be found here: http://www.mig3.sovietwarplanes.com/il-2/il2-camo/il-2m3/il2m3-bp-fl-am-3view-whitetail1.jpg This is actually a revised version of the original, by the same artist, in which he added the red spinner tip and fuselage stripe. There are also some discussions on the web regarding these features. I will say, however, that when I initially planned this build, I had not seen the revised profile and discussions and had planned to go ahead without the red on the spinner and fuselage.

 

Now, I'll come right out and say that I'm just not a fan of the color red.  However, in addition to that, by reading the discussions surrounding this particular plane, as well as viewing the clip countless times, I'm still not sure that the red was actually there. There certainly is a good case for it and I can see where they're coming from, but I'm not fully convinced quite yet. So, I'm still kind of debating which direction to go. This is also a subject (late IL-2 colors in general) that can get heated and bring out a lot of different opinions, many of which do have some merit and evidence in their support. So, I'm stuck between a rock and a hard place as to how I am going to approach this one, as I want it to be as accurate as possible, but I still have to satisfy my gut feelings on what it should look like, as well as my own personal tastes. :hmmm:

 

This brings me to the next subject, which is the AKAN paints. These are supposed to be based on original paint chips and, from what I've seen on the net, they appear to match most of them fairly closely. However, neither always match original aircraft specimens (including crash sites that are still in the wilderness), or photographs of them. My first concern with the AKAN paints is that they seem a little dark, in the bottle. I did a quick test of the paints by brushing some of each color on a scrap part for comparison. I have to say that they do dry a little lighter than I thought they would, but I'm still a little concerned about how they will look once on the model. But, that can also be altered with a little fading/post shading, if needed. Then there is always the theory of "scale color" and what a weathered plane would have looked like in service and we haven't even touched on the possibility of field expedient paint applications and repairs of battle damage. Man....... :blink:

 

So, my goal with this build is to try to find a happy medium with all of this and have a finished model that "looks right to my eye", when it's done and sitting on my shelf. I'm open to any and all discussion on the subject, so long as it stays civil. I would love to hear your thoughts. I would really like to stick with the planned scheme, if it still suits me by the time I start painting, but I'm not entirely opposed to doing something else if it has "the look", if you know what I mean.

 

Thanks for following along!

 

John

Edited by mywifehatesmodels
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Thanks, guys!

 

Mark,

 

I debated on whether to get this one or the straight wing IL-2M. I would still like to do the 2M, as there seems to be more schemes to choose from with that variant. Heck, I may even do a single seater, as well, just to round out the lineup! They all seem to be a decent kit, judging by what I've seen on the net and the builds posted here. Sure, there are some mods needed to really correct them, but nothing too earth shattering and I'm sure you would have no trouble with it, based on your work that I've seen.

 

Maru,

 

Thank you for your support, as well. This is the reason that certain subjects have sat in my stash for so long, even though I really love them and want to do one (or more). I'm really picky about what I build for myself. It has to have "the look", or the scheme has to be "the one". The P-47, P-39 and Me 262 are perfect examples. All planes that I MUST do, but I'm having the worst time deciding on WHICH one to do, since I'm either indecisive, or decals aren't available for "the one". This has lead me to making my own decals, in some cases, but my skills (and equipment) in that department are still somewhat limited. I also make an effort to avoid certain schemes that have been done by a lot of people (like the Fw 190D-9s of JV44, for example). Put this all together and you can see my frustration. This is also why I'm not allowed to tease my wife when she's trying to pick out a new pair of shoes. :rolleyes:

 

John

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Hey John,

   On the negative side, red is a very powerful color. A little goes a long way so to speak.

  On the plus side, it is the opposite of green on the color wheel and therefore compliments(brings out the best)in the greens that are there.

    And it looks like you'll have enough green on this kite.

  

                  Also, continued thanks for your help!

                     

                                   Art

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I wouldn't stress too much about the correct colours or shades. It was probably built in people's aircraft factory number 47 and I doubt the workers had much time or inclination to check that the paints were the correct shade of whatever.

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Glad to see you start this one and looking forward to following along.  I really like the white tail scheme you have chosen.

 

When it comes to colors (and I know we may as well be talking religion), I too have always gone with what looks right to the eye.  Taking into account scale, accuracy of the picture in front of you, depicting a new or worn aircraft, blah blah blah- I think there's plenty of room to work with.  I think the AKAN colors are a great start.  

 

I also agree with BradG's point- there were so many variations and improvisations, for example, in the case of primer colors or bomb colors Russian WW2 aircraft.  

 

Bottom line, just get in neighborhood and don't sweat it.  :)  

 

I'm not an expert, but am happy to share pics/research- feel free to PM

 

Kai

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Thanks again to everyone for their input and support!

 

I think I will go ahead and just do what I had originally planned, which is to try to copy this plane from the film clip, the way that I'M seeing it. That's not to say that it's correct. Just what I'll end up being most comfortable with.

 

In the meantime, I just fiinished the 1/48 scale He 70 for one friend, here: http://forum.largescaleplanes.com/index.php?showtopic=51484

 

...and I have to get my other friend's 1/32 BF2C knocked out, which I'll be starting on, today. The WIP thread for that one can be found here: http://forum.largescaleplanes.com/index.php?showtopic=51485&hl=

 

Thanks again,

 

John

 

:piliot:

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  • 3 weeks later...

I'm taking a break from the BF2C for a few days and thought I would get something started on this build. Not much of a start, but a start, nonetheless. I have a couple other cool projects that I would like to get finished this winter, so I need to keep moving!

 

I started by cleaning up some of the cockpit parts and i got the IP put together, using the Eduard Zoom set. This is pre-painted and self adhesive, which I've not used before. Almost seems like cheating! I'm usually kind of skeptical about Eduard's painted stuff, but this one looks to be pretty good, in terms of the cockpit color. However, the AKAN paint for the cockpit color is much darker and more gray (actually, all gray with no blue tint). But, I think if I mix the light blue for the undersides with their gray, I can get a match for the Eduard parts and actually have it look pretty good. I'll be getting to that shortly, as I pretty much have to paint the rest of the main pit parts before adding the rest of the PE.

 

20141002_205043_zpse8461efc.jpg

 

 

EDIT: This photo makes the Eduard parts look more gray than they are. Hmmm....

 

Thanks for looking,

 

John

Edited by mywifehatesmodels
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I wouldn't stress too much about the correct colours or shades. It was probably built in people's aircraft factory number 47 and I doubt the workers had much time or inclination to check that the paints were the correct shade of whatever.

 

actually Zavod 47 was in Leningrad and they built UT-2's

 

an Il-2 of that series could have been made at 1 of 3 places:

Zavod 30 in Khodinka (Moskva)

Zavod 1 in Kuibyshev

Zavod 18 also in Kuibyshev.

(these two factories were just down the street from each other)

:D

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I will be watching this one with interest, I built this one a couple years back and yes I agonized over the colors as well, not sure how right they are but I was happy with them in the end. I found the fit to be pretty good overall, worst was the where the bulge at the front of the landing gear well met the wing.I did spend some time adding the armored doors to the belly radiator as Trumpy left these off. I won't defile your blog by posting my stuff here but if you are interested in what I did you can see it here http://www.olddogsplanes.com/il2-3m32.html Scroll down past the review for the build. You will also probably notice I got one gun mounted crooked but I didn't catch it till after I posted the photos.

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Actually, OD, I have looked at your build blog (a lot!). :goodjob:  It is certainly going to help me prep for this build and I may steal some ideas from you, if that's okay. I especially liked the shutters on your radiator and may do something very similar. I need to check and see if these are included in the Eduard exterior set, first. But, in any case, this area will certainly get some treatment, over and above what comes in the box. Don't be afraid to post any pics that you may have, here, along the way. I will take no offense to that and actually encourage it. Anything to help me out is greatly appreciated.

 

 

Thanks,

 

 

John

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Thanks John for the kind words, I often wonder if any of these things get read. I have not yet posted a build log here, I have found them to be bad luck for me, most of my unfinished kits started out as a build logs, I find I get bogged down in the documentation part and lose interest. I only have one 1/32 scale project in the works at the moment and it is nearly done. I currently build in all scales but an trending to larger scales as the eyes and hands degrade with time. Thanks again for looking in on my build and if I think I can add anything that will help yours I will.

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OD,

 

I've actually come across several of your kit reviews and builds when surfing the web. Good stuff and I'm sure that if I'm finding it, others are, as well.

 

I know what you mean about how posting a "WIP" thread can sometimes bring pressure with it and can impede the building process if you let it. That's one reason that I'm thankful for my smart phone (coming from the guy who swore he would never own one!). I can whip it out and snap a few pics while I'm building and just upload it at my leisure. But, I've also found that keeping an in-progress report helps me to keep on track with it, as I feel like people are waiting to see what's next, just like I'm curious to see their next update. But that's just me.

 

I know that you followed my 1/48 He 70K build, so you may already know this, but I build 1/48 scale for other people, but have switched to 1/32 for my own collection, almost exclusively. I can still handle most 48th stuff, but 1/72 is enough to drive me mad! So, I can totally relate. Besides, I like the space and realism that 1/32 provides. Even a great 1/48 model just doesn't seem as real to me as a nice 1/32 build. But again, that's just me.

 

Thanks for following along!

 

John

 

P.S. Speaking of the He 70, I just ordered Trumpeter's new Ju 87A and I may even put this Sturmovik on hold so that I can knock that one out, quick. What will it have in common with the Heinkel? Three color splinter camo, of course! B)

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I determined that, before proceeding with more of the cockpit, I needed to work on the rear fuselage. The cockpit is going to require the addition of some rather fragile parts on the sidewalls that I didn't want to risk breaking or losing when working on the fuselage halves, later. For those who are familiar with this kit, you know that one of the main complaints about it is that the rear fuselage is rendered as metal, with panel lines and rivet detail, where it should actually be wood, devoid of any real details. So, the lines/rivets have to be removed. To do this, I've masked off the metal portions, where they would meet the wood and applied Tamiya white putty to the "wood" areas.

 

20141004_131528_zps9e0ff0c4.jpg

 

20141004_132529_zps4c13be8c.jpg

 

I will probably give this a day or two to completely cure, then sand everything flush. After the interior is completed and the fuselage and wings are together, I'll have to go back and do some work on the wing roots, specifically at the rear portions, as they don't have any panel lines where the metal would have overlapped the wood rear fuselage. I think I'll be masking this off and building up the wing root panels with Mr. Surfacer to get the required effect. In the meantime, I'll be working on some more of the cockpit details and painting of the interior (basically everything that doesn't need to be attached to the sidewalls. I just wanted to get this fuselage detail fix moving along, first.

 

John

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