airscale

those quite literally look like real parts on a hangar floor.. brilliantly convincing! Peter

hello again my friends thanks for all your kind comments Thanks Vincent - makes sense and it gives me more confidence now you have said it Thanks Rick - you should restart it - it's a fascinating bird and I am finding out more and more as I go. I am not conditioned to make assumptions as I really like working from drawings and facts, but with this model I have had to learn to start to relax a bit and just go with what would make sense in the absence of those facts They are hugely helpful Mark - thank you. I do have the D model parts manual but just couldn't find those drawings in the 600 odd pages while scanning through them A little update on the 190… ..added the PE part to the seat pan and made up a buck to vacform the seat back – I tried it in metal but it was not only too thin, but the folds were too straight, that is to say the seat back has quite radiused corners where the metal was folded / pressed to make it.. ..this is before I cut the back down as it was too tall.. ..then made up a little jig to add the mounting lugs.. ..and assembled & painted.. I am using MRP Paints RLM66 and am really struggling with it – it seems to dry and go syrupy in the airbrush paint cup almost immediately and the finish is quite rough – I might redo it and try thinning it.. I am also not sure about the colour – it looks very dark to me… ..next up are the two small bulkheads that are mounted to the seat rails – the left hand one has the round oxygen thing that the pilot whacks with his elbow if the cockpit depressurises and it creates an oxygen mist.. ..I made up the seat rails from brass ‘I’ beams with the sides filed down to the two different widths they are in reality, and added the PE bulkhead laminates… I also made up the oxygen thing.. ..and painted them… ..in readiness for fitting them, I made up the canopy rails from brass square section with a slot cut into it and fitted these to the sidewall parts so I knew where the seat rail bulkheads needed to integrate with.. ..also added the rear cockpit skin with the riveting to the pointed part under the canopy.. ..then the cockpit area was painted as I worried I wouldn’t be able to get in all the nooks and crannies and the bulkheads added.. ..and with the seat dry fitted.. ..still not sure about the colour… Has anyone got any recommendations for an idiotproof RLM66 that is maybe a bit lighter (& bluer?) TTFN Peter

Touche -very kind of you to say Oliver but utter bollocks as you have it the wrong way round It is I who want to model like you... I think of you every time I try to work with plastic and my blade wanders, my edges are out of square and I have rounded corners where I don't want them - what you do as witnessed again above is witchcraft and I think we are lucky we don't live in the 16th century or people might want to set fire to you... I visit to be humbled and it works every time... Peter

You should be happy Craig - they are excellent! really tough to get right but these look bang on for me - love the mods you did after too this build continues to thrill and amaze and i love every minute of it Peter

bloody hell - that all looks so right really nice job Brian - looks a cracking kit too Peter

Evening all Not a huge amount to report as only had limited time at the bench in the last few days, but a few more bits done.. First the rudder pedals – here are the main parts from the PE I designed.. ..these were folded up and can be seen at the top, while all the other components that make up the complex casting and the two layers of heel stop are below.. ..these were assembled so that the main bits were all together.. ..and then assembled with some footstraps from lead.. I need to find some better references for the pistons and brackets that these fit to before going any further.. moving to the radiator – you can see on the front face there are some kind of structure at top and bottom, with the upper one having some kind of thing on it – I thought it was maybe an engine logo, but settled on some sort of filler cap.. I sound vague, because this is all I have to go on.. ..I painted and added the PE radiator fronts and the spoke type things and made up the upper and lower shapes as best I could from tracings from that photo.. ..they look a lighter colour to me so tried to make a sort of anodised / RLM 02 style colour.. ..and what they look like on the model.. ..and that’s it – told you it wasn’t a lot TTFN Peter

Oh wow, this is going to be really something Love the idea of a Danish ship being half Danish myself, and with your track record Kent I can't wait to see what you get up to Peter

Hey folks thanks so much for your encouragement - means a great deal to me Started working on the cowling having sorted the prop out – it’s unpainted NMF and split into four panels… ..before I could do that I needed to form the fairing that goes from the fuselage in behind the radiator, so this was roughed out in litho in two parts.. ..then once finessed a bit, I marked the locations of the rods that control the cowl flaps.. ..with that done the cowl was temporarily added to mark out the panel lines with cotton and draw them on.. ..then the first panel was laid down starting with the flat part at the rear and working the metal forward over the cowl lip.. ..that ultimately failed as all the folds & kinks formed on the cowl lip and in sanding them to a reasonable finish it started to get too thin & break up.. So take 2 was to start forming at the lip and work backwards, but this too resulted in too many deep folds and a pretty crap finish.. ..the front of the cowl finished up well, so I thought I could maybe do it in two parts, by removing & replacing the rear section where the cowling is flat.. ..to repeat this four times for each panel would be a pain so I finally decided to start again but with one forward part for the whole lip and try and get it to conform as far back as possible.. ..then once this was trimmed, one sheet was wrapped around the rear… ..it was then burnished down to overlap the cowl nose part… ..then sanded away the overlap getting a near invisible join.. ..then the panel lines were marked out again.. ..and the panels scored into it and rivets added – here also the cowl flaps are taped in place.. ..also test fitted the PE parts for the radiator which fitted beautifully.. ..then the nose could be dry fitted for testing looks & fit.. ..it was really difficult to skin the cowling and I am not 100% happy with it, but I can’t face doing it all again.. one thing I am not sure about are the internal colours for things like the inside of the cowl – on the P51 it is interior green or zinc chromate, on a 190 I assume it’s RLM66 in the cockpit, but are internal parts either RLM02 or anodised metal? Any thoughts welcome TTFN Peter

evening ladies got a good session in over the weekend, so a bit more to show.. the prop blade root rings were laminated & assembled... ..not fixed yet, but slid on for size.. ..and what they will look like on the prop.. ..the floor parts were prepared, some are laminates and the one in the middle needed the rectangular pressing adding by first making a template and working some annealed litho.. the far left part is the firewall bulkhead.. ..the base part for the rear canopy had a brass channel added to the back.. ..this was then added and a little bit of P38 filler to just fair it in just right.. .the rough holes in the floor are just that - rough holes in the floor (to allow the proper holes to be see through) ..to make the pressing that is behind the seat and holds the baggage hatch, I made up a buck in thick plastic card so I could form a metal one over it.. ..the first stage in forming - this is after a little hammering and pressing with wooden tools.. ..and after finessing a bit... ..I actually decided to leave the part on the buck and integrate that into the model - here the floors have been fitted, but the seat bulkhead is just restiung in place.. ..it's nice to get going now I have the PE - lots of little projects I can get on with.. TTFN Peter

You are not wrong there Chuck - the costs on this one are already eye watering... 21st Century Toys kit £165 HB kit £100 3D printing £100 PE £90 Books, plans & drawing CDs £120 Paints £30 so I am already over £600... I have to look at it that it is about £1.50 a day for as long as it will take me to build it otherwise I might give up the hobby! Peter

that is all looking REALLY nice the Mossie was the first kit I bought when I got back into modelling in 2010 and I never did finish it - the great job you are doing on it makes me wish I did Peter

woohoo the custom PE is here prop blade root rings and radiator.. two kinds of cockpit stowage hatch & cowl flaps.. cockpit floor parts lower panel & canopy enclosure parts upper panel & bezels, central console & bezels.. rudder pedals and rear upper cockpit under the canopy bulkheads & floor parts radiator & hood winding wheel, armour plate & seat parts - one of the radiator halves didn't come out so PPD will do this again.. all good to get started properly now TTFN Peter

love it! i like the level of planning & execution in every single part - that harness looks exceptional already Peter

Really! you should be the one writing the books Oliver just mouth watering stuff to look at - it's like modelling porn... Peter

hey folks Hi Levier - that is what I thought, so that is what I have done for now Thanks Alain - yes, I saw the radiator is different and have started making up those shapes, once the PE arrives I can sort it out So while I wait for the PE, a few little things done.. ..the big under fuselage airscoop needed a resin nose so I could hollow it out so this was thrown in a mould.. ..then cast and starting to drill out the waste.. ..and it's good enough to skin when the time comes.. ..also the cowl was reshaped as the front opening was a bit too wide.. also added fake cowl flaps so I can get the positioning of the radiator and the rounding of the fuselage under them.. and here my nice 3D fuselage front has been reworked, the centre spigot made bigger and the exhaust port openings made up.. ..the 3D radiator was split in two and a spacer added to get the right width.. ..that was then skinned in brass until the PE turns up.. ..so now the spacing internally in the cowl is correct.. ..the spinner was next, a backplate detail was made with rivet detail.. ..this was then painted RLM 66 (hope thats right..) ..then rivets added and an alclad basecoat.. and I decided for now to shoot the spinner black and wire wool it to see some of the rivet detail.. ..for the blades, I scaled a good profile picture and looked at whether I could repurpose either the Hobbyboss or the 21st Century Toys blade to suit.. ..decided on the Fw190D blade and stuck the profile to the blade and dremelled away the difference.. ..and after finishing a master, I cast 3 more.. ..and the prop is nearly finished - I still need to add all the PE parts at the base of each blade (pitch controls?) they are notched discs present on most blades.. ..just waiting for the PE now before I can really get started.. TTFN Peter