Supermario

De nada Buddy !!! PS. Mr. " " Nobrain sent you a PM...

Sorry Jerry, I'm quite overwhelmed by work … and had no time to come back... This is what I had can be found at "LIFE's" archives : Now it's an A4 if I'm right...? 'still have to check if I find something about the later legs...

Hi D, I know Vintage Eagle has them also in red on his dry tranfer sheet : http://www.vintageeagle.com/products/decals/ve001d-captured-eagles-vol-i-decals ;-)

Nice steps forward Kev !!! It's also nice to see tests before going to the model! A perfect illustration of how usefull it sometimes is !!! Plain blue, like red and yellow, are is not easy colours as you might have notice In my experience, having a white ground for these does not make them easier... (nerver tried black). I had the best results with a pale to medium grey underlayer (it mainly depended on the specific final colour, brand and strenght of it's pigments I assume) Keep on going!!!

Thank's guys !!! This happen to me before too by using different brand bezels and instrument decals and I can truely understand some mismatch, as I would by using AM stuff on kit parts. But here, of the same brand and scale, the decals were even overlaping the entire bezels… Now having to use 1/32 scale decals on 1/24 scale dials … is a bit "curious" to me… (it also makes me wonder what the 1/32 decals could be used for ???) It went well that way but I found the missmatch really annoying as Airscale decals AND their generic PE instruments are top notch stuff ! Thank's Jerry ! You're half right, it's a fuel line yes, but not a tank selector : the on/off winscreen washer! I was also surprised with that, but they cleaned the windows with pressurised fuel taken directly from the fuel pump - through a specific connection…! (it somehow makes sense for getting oil splashes off of the glass… but maybe less efficient for mosquitos…! It also must have look terrific in the sunlight after using it ! )

Stunning work on these legs !!! It always impresses me how the h*** you can work on such tiny little parts! Among the rest, these scissors are… BTW, I finally found some photos of the legs of a replica build and sharp details from the "Life" magazine I saved once on my computer (I'm very messy…). Are you still interested ? You was also asking about the large blue hex connector on the top of the legs. It's an air pressure conector, that's sure; but I id not came across it while going quickly through me maintainance books. I assume it was to balance the oleos to the weight of the AC…

... And how it might go together (of course without the blue sponge ! ) the few tiny levers and throttle are left for later as I know myself too good... Click ! Oh sh**t!!! And carpet monster was just waiting for parts to break off ! Let's go back to RB's seat belts now and then glue this stuff together. TBC ... Parenthesis : Now RE. Instrument decals... They are all from Airscale's 1/32 “Generic Luftwaffe instrument” sheet... fitted in the Airscale' “smaller” 1/24 “Luftwaffe generic dials” (2 sizes per sheet)... There was NO WAY to fit the very same brand 1/24 scale decals, even the smaller sized ones that are on the decal sheet...!! I'm I stupid - what can be a serious option ! ) or is there a problem ? This is the 1/24 scale artificial horizon decal to show what I'm talking about... and all the “small sized” 1/24 decals were 0.5 to 1mm larger than the 1/24 PE dials I used here... Am I the only one having this problem ??? Parenthesis closed.

... (these placards look really cool to me, even if I had to build up some of them myself...) A soft drybrush and painted the few German coloured dials Went for a “harder” drybrush, applied the instrument decals, filled the PE dials with clear gloss vanish, added the cowl flap handle and windscreen washer thingy to the IP and gave a kick to my (too thin) seat. ...

Hi !!! Thank you all again !!! I spent 3 days on the cockpit as Airfix designed it as a part of the engine/firewall assembly - 'still don't know if I will follow this way... (I hope it won't be “too much” if I put pix of the progress...) So we had this First was a fair Alclad aluminium base, then RLM66 (all refs are Gunze paints... of course ) and some shading applied with “tire black” tinted thinner. 'black details and dials “picked out”. 'Started to “damage” the paint with sand paper and “polishing sticks” (actually not a real a success... ) Put down Airscale “generic Luftwaffe placards” (very cool stuff!!! a dream to apply even the smallest decals!!) 'smoothed out a bit the crappy weathering by going back to the “airbrush desk”, a thin layer of Future and gone for an oil wash. ...

Thank you guys ! Actually it's by far not as glossy as it appears on the photos with this, stupid, bright flash...! But I will still try to get my hands on a real good clear flat stuff ! Tamiya sprya can ? Any good ? A short update as working on the MG131. Recovered the eaten up aluminium parts (a pain!), Alclad aluminium base and some very light Gunze “tire black” layers... and the forgotten parts added... Then they were “sanded” with a polishing stick to make the aluminium shine through, and get some “tired” guns. It actually does not look this bad, but the flash light "burns" literally trough the thin black paint... And both done and just dryfit on the fire wall. (This was done through all the process as nothing looks worse to me than misaligned guns with an open cover... Final alignment will be done at glueing stage.. also have to adjust the gun cowls...) The cockpit bulkhead fits better now too, even just throw inside the fuselage. The very top of it does not really matter now as the IP cover will have to go anyway. TBC

I'm a bit late on that one... (very nice pix D.B. BTW! Thank's!!! - I was looking for something for the wheel wells riveting too... really cool !!! ) Just in case of, Jerry, I found a lot of useful things on the public access of “White 1” Foundation site : http://www.white1foundation.org/ here what I had for the scissors : http://www.white1foundation.org/parts/landinggear4.jpg (PS. 'keep a very interested eye on these parts ! )

Hey! … hummm... .... what else can I say than Thank you guys...!!! Even if I'm rather satisfied until now – what is quite unusual – I'm not sure this one deserves it! Anyway... Jerry : yes, bare aluminium boxes but but well... unable to make proper photos of “normal paint”, so bright Alclad... Maru : I just don't take the hobby seriously (!) and if I'm good somewhere, there would be two (invertible) things : 1. hide c*** under paint. 2. make dumb a** things. (the last on the workbench is to ruin pretty (at least I was happy with them) aluminium parts of the canons in a brass oxidation solution... this suc*** eat's up aluminium!!! ) So the firewall is almost done. I decided the ammo boxes should have some remaining of the aluminium manufacturer stamps. They are from the MDC 1/32 scale stamps sheet and sanded before setting for the used look (even off scale, nobody will notice that ) 'had also to extend a bit the bottom engine mount like the other 3 and after lots of fiddling with thin rods, paints, washes, I'm giving up. A final flat coat or filters will be done once it's squeezed the fuselage. Some work was also done on the engine, except the cylinder rows for handling reasons, and got a first semi-gloss clear coat for protection. (I see now... one does not see it, not the back of it ... ) I'm now wondering if I should go for a full flat coat ? What do you think, does it make sense ? I saw some very nice results with the Tamiya rattle can one... Has any one experience with that one ?

Me, me, me !!!! Looking forward to see more !!! (are you sure you want to add the break line ? ... just wondering as how this would come out of the molding process ? But sure it would ease bulder's world ! )

Hi, Thank you Maru & Shep!! You made me feel I had to bring the tread back to the front line ! So a small uptade about the power egg . 'Finished adding details to the firewall (maybe I still forgot someting, but I hope not ! ) by adding the cowl flaps activating device, raised rivets on the ammo boxes and fuseboxes (Archer's resin decals - a bit a pain as the transfer film was too old or too thin = sometimes apply rivets one by one… ), a few electrical connectors, holes (push rods / pipe connectors exits) and the bolts in the wheel wells. The engine mounts recieved his throttle pushrod linkage (a weird 14 parts thingy) and the side cowl flaps linkages. A quick dryfit of the firewall assembly 'Threw it all in the fuselage as it was better for me the linkage levers would fit into it…! and also checked the assembly fits into Jerry's gun cowl... Phewww! Everything is under cover ! Time for a little airbrushing ! Started to paint it all black to give some shading to the final colour, then some Alclad aluminium and started with the interior colour (RLM02) The very upper little vertical portion (cockpit bulkhead with the 2 round covers) is only roughly done as there will be some work to be done for a propper fitting and a few details have to be added but they have to be adjusted with the gun cowl. So it's left for later. It's now time for some tricky masking of the ammo boxes and get closer to the final painting the RLM02 and finally the other details. I hope for a small step forward soon TBC.

Yeah ! Nice fix ! I disagree ! Does not look messy to me, and now it will just need putty (what ever kind you use), sandpaper, primer and a bit more sandpaper (BTW, 'had good experience in the past with simple automotive 2K "surface" putty !) There are no twisted, bent or completely missaligned, unbuiltable parts and/or assemblies !? Anyway, 'looks fine to me !