tucohoward

This depends on what you want to get. HGW recommends spraying a gloss coat on assembled belts, then use washes, then use a final flat coat. Unless you have first glued the belts on the seat parts I consider that process to be very cumbersome! Washes can be directly used on the paper but be cautious as you cannot easily go backwards without the recommended clear coats. Paper will absorb any wash liquid very quickly. Pointed Q-tips can help there if you use them immediately to absorb excessive wash but this is not a panacea. There is also a new AK product than can be used to flat specific areas. It can be used for the buckles. AK pencils are also useful as they can be used dry or wet and their pigments are thin. So my recommendation is use the paper leftover sections and experiment yourself as all belt products do not react exactly in the same way. Hth

The Sunglass Cover, Support Arms and Support assembly is going to be tricky.  These parts have zero mount pins/tabs/joints.
 

Make a jig using Legos.
 

Secure Cover and Support Arms.  Ready for glue.
 
\
Using 2 part 15 minute epoxy I use a syringe with 14 gauge 1.5" industrial tip and draw a bead along entire inside of the join on both sides of the Support Arms and Cover.  The long cure time allows minor adjustments before the glue sets.
 

A nice solid join.
 

All parts washed and ready to glue, prime & paint.
 

After primer applied the outside seams of the Sunglass Cover are wonky.  I break out the 3M Glazing and mix with Mr Leveling Thinner to a creamy paste and spread with a piece of plastic card.
 

The Sunglass Support is painted Tamiya German Grey.  Four mount pins are created with 1/8" plastic rod.  A minimum of 4mm extend for each rod when assembles with the Sunglass holder.  This is an exercise of careful and precise measuring.
 

A dab of epoxy is applied to outside end of each pin to achieve a rounded effect.  After full cure the pins are painted Alclad 102 Duraluminum.
 

The Sunglass Holder is painted a mix of 1 part Gunze 3 Red and 9 parts Gunze 2 Black.  3:9  
 
Using putty to secure the Sunglass Support I carefully apply 15 minute epoxy to corresponding hole on the Sunglass Support with micro tip applicator then insert the pins.
 

The body is painted Gunze 116 RLM 66.  The data plate is Gunze 2 Black.  I drilled out the corresponding mounts screws and will add real screws after I whitewash the letters on the data plate.
 

 

The reflector lens mount is painted Gunze 116 RLM grey then details picked out with Gunze 2 Black.  The top ring will also get some Gunze 2 Black love.
 

The whitewash application on the data plate failed and has been repainted black.  This process is to bring out the engraved letters.  So far it ain't working for me.  The alignment ticks whitewash showed up quite nicely.
 
This is a test fit and I'm really stoked on the look.  This is far from complete.  You can see I hollowed out the body with a 1/4" drill to reduce weight.  I reduced body weight by over 3 ounces.  The Crash Pad will cover the hole.
 
The Sunglass Cover assembly is secured to the Sunglass Fixing Plate with one sheet metal screw on each side.  This will allow final positioning before I glue all components to a "static" position.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

It must have been the Eduard ones I was thinking of but they are 1/4 scale.
 
Jay

thank you for being here!
Gregg's article on facebook pertaining to his construction and related modifications of the Italeri kit is very interesting, let's see if I can link it here... I think I'm doing something welcome by sharing it, if this violates any rules of the forum I apologize in advance and will eventually remove the link:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/848474938507986/permalink/7444466112242136/
 
and as for the details produced by aircraftinpixels... well, take a look by yourself here in the vendors board. 
I was struck by the photos of the air filter, and the images with the match remind me that behind this work there is a big of our small scale world! 
 
well, before delving into the cockpit, I would like to talk briefly about the nose, prompted by Gregg and Bo's considerations regarding the oil cooler: this was an integral part of the engine, and the lower cowling had a hole with a rather tight fit to allow it to be dismantled for routine maintenance. in the kit, quite understandably, the radiator is an integral part of the cowl, which is fine in case of assembly with it positioned in place. However, in the event of showing the engine, this detail must be modified, positioning the radiator under the engine, and making the corresponding hole in the cowling.
 
some photos to clarify the detail, starting from the nomenclator, part of the manual easily available online:
https://www.cmpr.it/MN%20-%20Macchi%20MC.%20202.htm 

 
here you can see how little clearance there is between the parts, also comparing the distance between the propeller plate and the engine cowl

 

 
and speaking of clearance, I find it interesting to highlight the space that was between the engine cowl and the rest of the fuselage. you can see it quite clearly in period photos.

 
and in the Milan's 205 it can be seen quite well, with the advantages of a better defined photo. I haven't found any explanations for this gap, evidently intentional, I suppose it was linked to the need to provide some ventilation in the engine compartment, but it's just my guess.

 
seen from above and with another angle, we see how the engine cowling was also separated in terms of height, compared to the rear part of the nose.

 
oh well, with that said, let's see the cockpit, starting from the seat.
this was made up of a single armored plate shaped in its characteristic shell shape, adjustable in height via a front crank control (searching in the "nomenclatore" you'll find the detail) to which were added, fixed to the fuselage, two other armored elements to protect the shoulders and head.

 
in this photo of an example recovered from an excavation you can see the entire complex with fragments of the fuselage still connected.
an interesting thing is the color, which can be misleading, as it can seem like a faded green. in reality (or rather, from what I understand) the whole cockpit was painted in light grey, while the anti-corrosion green could be found in other visible internal parts, such as flaps and landing gear wells.

 
furthermore it seems that the seat shell was often in a natural metal colour, probably also considering the fact that the rubbing with the parachute and the survival kit would not have left the paint intact for long time.

 
this shot allows us to observe how the floor was made, from the manual we can see how the parts were broken down.

 
while the manual page gives us the shape of the instrument panel, which unfortunately in museum examples is a relative reference: those from Vigna di Valle are not at all reliable, the one from Milan evidently has a mix of post-war and foreign instruments, therefore I consider the next photo interesting only for the general shape of the two panels and for the little that can be seen around them. I'm sorry for these somewhat "in action" shots but in Milan I didn't have the time or opportunity to ask the staff to help me take decent photos.

 
However, fortunately, the manual provides us with a couple of more detailed images of the instruments in place:

 

 
which gives us the opportunity to compare these images to the well-preserved (reconstructed with original parts, I guess) panel in the Volandia museum, in Milan Malpensa. 
here the photos suffer from the reflection of the showcase where the panel was and the windows of the hangar where it is positioned. a friend with a tarp would have been enough to shield them, but unfortunately that day I was alone (literally, I was the only guest in the museum!) in an afternoon of heavy rain.
in the end I consider myself lucky for these shots, and for being able to swim back safe to my hotel not far away.

 
to try to avoid the reflection, and to do justice to the details of this panel, I took a series of shots of the various areas. maybe it may be boring and useless for modeling purposes, but...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
in all the previous photos there is a major absentee, the S.Giorgio gunsight.
the Vigna di Valle example has a good replica installed, the following photos are the best I have found about it.

 

 

 

 

 
continuing the cockpit tour, we have the starboard side, in the manual image:

 
and in the photos of the 205 in Milan.

 
I find two details interesting in this photo which recall the relationship of the Macchi 202 and 205 with the Bf109, not only in terms of engine: the oxygen system is exactly the same as the 109, and the fuel level control system is very conceptually similar to that of the 109.

 
and the port one.

 
detail of the engine control unit. in Italian aircraft of the time the control was reversed compared to those of other nations: to give full throttle you had to pull the lever towards you, instead of pushing it, so this one is in the idle position now.

 
and stabilizer trim control

 
Unfortunately this is the best I could do about this side, sorry.
yes, that's me   s t r e t c h i n g   over the canopy to achieve this ugly pic.

 
to complete this tour, some images of the exterior. here you can clearly see how the canopy was attached to the fuselage, and how the side windows slid backwards; in the photos from the inside you can also see the relative controls to open.

 
controls that can also be seen from here: on the left to open the hood normally, the one on the right to release it in an emergency. in this photo you can also appreciate the thickness of the armored front glass.

 
while here you can clearly see the two oval openings on windshield's top which I imagine are two air intakes, and the central screw whose use I have no idea.

 
in the Vigna di Valle example the two oval openings can be seen open:

 
well, for today I'd say that's enough!
coming soon: landing gear and the last details left to examine.
I hope I haven't bored you with this long post, cheers, Paolo

Thank you for stopping here to read and to comment!
in this post I would like to delve into the details of the control surfaces, also taking advantage of the fact that I had a couple of free hours in Milan, and I went to visit the MC205 stored there, at National Museum of Science and Technology. this is also not a pure 205, but a 202 with the 205's engine unit, as I understand it.

 
the simplest thing to do, to understand how to reproduce the specific details of the 202 in its early and late variants, and I will never be grateful enough to the author, is to refer to Maurizio di Terlizzi's article on Hyperscale: https://www.hyperscale.com/2023/features/m...sguidemdt_1.htm
 
in the article the differences in the details relating to all the control surfaces in the early and late models are well explained. If you want to make a quick reference handbook, here are the Italeri's instruction pages identifying in red the parts NOT to be put and those to be put in green:

 
That is for the ailerons: yes hinge protection plates at the two ends, no at the two central ones. Ditto for the lower surfaces. looking at the specimens in Vigna di valle is possible to get confused about, but the Milano's one is in good shape. also I suspect the Di Terlizzi's article is based mainly on this one.

 
Below are four detailed photos of the hinges and their plates starting from left to right.

 

 

 

 
on the opposite wing the installation is mirrored:

 
and the pattern is repeated on the lower surfaces.:

 
the flap hinges also have hinge protection plates on each point:

 
as regards the elevators, the matter becomes a bit more complicated as we have to differentiate between early and late, and we have to refer to the Italeri instructions, wich are, well, confusing.

 
That is to say, late tailplanes:
-upper surfaces: no plates to protect the hinges screwed on the fixed part, but plates on the mobile part.
-lower surfaces: visible hinges.
Early tailplans:
-upper surfaces: yes to the plates supplied in the kit
-lower surfaces: as above.
 
here a couple of pics of the late ones. upper surfaces:

 
and lower:

 
and a closer detail of a single plate:

 
unfortunately we don't have examples of the early tailplanes (maybe I should have photographed those of Vigna's MC200) but we have this nice photo:

 
to complete the discussion on mobile surfaces, some pics of the rudder.
it is possible, in addition to verifying the correct number of ribs, to observe some differences between the specimens from Vigna di Valle and that from Milan, in particular the pattern of the reinforcing stitching on the ribs.

 

 

 
I hope I have given you some interesting information, I would stop here for today, and in a future post I would talk about the cockpit.
a little preview:

 
cheers, Paolo

hi all, 
Maybe it's not the right section, but having not yet started the construction of my mc 202 Italeri, and not wanting to invade the discussions already present, I'll try to write here. if it is not relevant I will ask the admins to move/delete it, if necessary.
well, having received my much desired kit, I was perplexed by it in many ways. so I managed to have a trip to the recently revamped MUSAM - Historical Air Force Museum in Vigna di Valle.
the last time I went there immediately before it closed in view of the expansion works for the centenary, now I found everything nice and clean, polished and definitely improved in terms of usability of the vehicles and general lighting. in this trio of aces we have a G55, an MC205 and an MC202.

 
we know that the 202 has several inaccuracies due to the restoration of the time, in particular the left wing is a mirror copy of the right, the only survivor, but of an MC200. therefore the left is the wrong size, and reproduces the features of that of a 200, whose leading edge was however modified to make it more similar to that of the 202. the spinner and engine cowl were also missing, for which those of the 205 were taken as a sample. while the front  upper cowls were actually interchangeable, even if with some characteristic differences between the two models, the spinners have nothing to do with each other. so let's say that what is there for sure (maybe) is the fuselage and the tail planes.
 
what I mainly wanted to understand, given the doubts I had and have about the surfaces of the newly released kit, was how the skin panels were actually joined. in the kit the joints are rendered with rather large negative lines, more or less like for the Italeri's Tornado and the F104, which is not very realistic on large modern ones, but really annoying, at least for me, on a small-sized fighter like the 202 . to make a long story short, and thanks to the kindness of the museum staff, I was able to take some close-up and hopefully understandable shots.

 
the panels were placed starting from the lower and rear ones, in such a way that the subsequent ones, as you go up and towards the bow, are overlapped and stopped with a double line of rivets flush with the surface.

 
the dark color doesn't help, so I also took several shots of the 205, where perhaps you can understand better, the construction technique is the same. and moreover, if I'm not mistaken, this 205 is nothing more than a 202 re-engined as a 205 for a supply to Egypt which then never materialized.

 
instead, at the attachment of the wings to the central body of the plane, a nice see-trought line is visible, the same one that separates the external section of the flaps from the internal one. the same can be said for all the inspection hatches and the retractable steps to access the pilot's seat.

 
same thing with 205. Here it's much more evident, it seems to me.

 
the wing of the 202 is decidedly smoother and difficult to read, especially regarding the rivets. However, as I said, half of it is a replica and the other half is a recovery/reinterpretation, I would trust more what can be seen on the 205 one.

 
another thing that doesn't really convince me about the kit is the rendering of the many openings in the various segments of the cowling. in this shot you can see quite well both the lines of the overlapping panels (and I think that the choice to make the fuselage with long longitudinal sheets is due to this particular type of assembly, almost like naval plating) and the various crescent-shaped openings.

 
again for the sake of better reading of these details, I took several shots at MC200, same manufacturer, same logic and technique:

 

 
for today I would stop here, the above alone gives food for thought to obtain a satisfactory model. then there are the canvas surfaces, the landing gear... but one thing at a time.
it must also be said that perhaps they are all my own fantasies, it is not certain that trying to improve these things will result in a better model than the one proposed by the manufacturer, but at least understanding it will help in taking decisions about what to do or not to do.
 
cheers, Paolo
 
 

Here is my next build - a conversion of Eduard's Bf-109 E3 with Alley Cat upgrade kit for C version.I added my own 3D models of the tires and rear wheel.I adjusted the length of the landing gear legs according to the dimensions of the Hasegawa Bf-109G legs.
Colors used:Model Master, Tamiya and Vallejo Model Color
Final warnish: Tamiya semigloss Acrylic
Marking and stencils: custom masks/kit...
Enjoy.... 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tamiya Masterpiece kit with scratchbuild cannon and gun bays, Eduard seatbelts, ResKit tires, cables and some details added too. Sadly not many companies are willing to make this level of quality kits.




 
 



 

 
 








 
 

ok, so I went a bit mad with this set - out now
 

 
..and yes, I will try running a 1/32 set
 
TTFN
Peter

first test parts are done - some tweaks needed and more bits to add...
 

 
Peter

Thanks!
 
Not sure, depends on how long it takes to design & test the parts - no more than a month I would say - maybe in a few weeks..
 
the hard part is knowing when to stop
 

A bit more progress on the Bf-109 during the past few weeks. I'm building three kits at once, which is fun but means that each is moving along at a glacial pace. The Bf-109 has moved a bit to include completion of the cockpit and I've no moved on to the fuselage. The Zoukei Mura kit includes a variety of interesting internal details for the aft fuselage, so I decided to go ahead and add these details, with wire harnesses and control system cables. A small percentage of this will be seen through the radio access panel, which will be open. So far, so good!

 

 

 

 

Additional progress made on the engine and cockpit cage. The engine, which has been weathered, will receive more work in the form of adding wire harness details, but this needs to wait until it is linked to the cockpit assembly, which I see is a few steps away. The cockpit is more or less straight out of the box, though I clearly added HGW's excellent seatbelt set.  I also added some photoetch items designed for a different kit, as I like the idea of adding more wire harness details which the Eduard photoetch set features (not terribly visible in the photo, unfortunately)
 
The short version so far is 1) easy and fun assembly and 2) standard colors one might expect for this particular aircraft (RLM 66 and RLM 02). I
  
 

 

 

A bit more progress on the engine, which is such a pleasure to build. The thing is like a bowl of spaghetti and I'm not even done yet, with more pipes and tubes to attach down the road. But so far, everything is moving along nicely. I'm using AK RLM-02 for the primed bits - greener than I imagined, but that's ok. 
 
Pressing on with additional engine details awaits. I will add wire hardnesses and cables once the main assembly is completed. And then, the fun begins: weathering

 

 

 

I made a bit of progress on the engine today. I love building engines and cockpits, and this kit is offering many opportunities for super detailing.  
 
Here we are with the spark plug cables added to the block. I added a screen to the supercharger for interest. Decals are from the kit, a nice touch. Nothing fancy paint-wise: Tamiya flat black overall, Alaclad II Aluminum Plating for the spark plug cable, with part of it painted Testors Aluminum for interest. Other details Testors Chrome Silver and Steel. The spark plug cables are Tamiya Buff (XF-57). Over all of this a coat of X-22 gloss to facilitate the weathering to come.

 
I decided to add 12 fuel injector cables to the bottom of the engine (weird how the engine was configured in the aircraft; I'm used to thinking of the engine in a different orientation). Alas, these won't be visible, but it allowed me to experiment with fine lead wire, which I've not worked with before - great stuff. 

 
 

It must have been the Eduard ones I was thinking of but they are 1/4 scale.
 
Jay

More drilling (opening up/cleaning mount points) today.
 
Reflector Mount needed some love.

Using a 7/32 drill bit I hand twist to open the holes for the bolt (below).
 

Bolt test fit, ok.
 

Reflector assembly not a perfect fit.  Hole alignment or bolt shortening needs to be addressed.
 
Power cord gets some adjustments.

The plug is a solid piece of resin.  Cord opening needs just that...opening.  Hand twist with 1/4" bit works.
 

Body gets its power cord opening adjusted.
 

Test fit is good.
 
 

Sunglass Mount assembly is going to be tricky.
 

Think resin with no mounting pins and very mild attach points.
 
 

So its a return visit to my kids' LEGOS.  I make a jig.  I taped a thin piece of stryene sheet to the right to secure a nice firm fit.
 

The base is secured then the sides are nested in the jig. 
 

I carefully place 3 dots of CA to secure the sides to the main plate.
 

After full CA cure I mix 15 minute epoxy and draw a bead along the seam on the sides and main plate.  Walk away for over night cure.
 

The sides are nice good fit on the main Sunglass Plate.
 

Tail Boom's 1:1 resin Revi-12 gunsight will provide me with an all resin project clearly testing my skill-sets.  I purchased this in 2016.  This was a very limited run and to my knowledge are very hard to find.
 
h
 

  A little over 2 dozen parts. Lots of cleaning pour stubs and flash. 
 

Sunglass support opening up mounting holes with a 1/8" drill.  Provided part to fit is 5mm rod and the opening needs some work.  I do not have 5mm drill so I used 1/8" drill as I also have 1/8" rod.  Hand turned so not to break the part.
 

Lens holder will need opening to allow the lens to fit.
 

Using my Dremel tool I carefully opened up the lens opening.  A dampened towel laid out collects all resin debris and dust
 

Perfect lens fit achieved.
 

Pour stub removal on main body.
 

Pad support locator opening is enhanced with 1/8" opening
 

Pad support locator pin on main body is removed and drilled 1/8" opening.
 

1/8" rod inserted and the pad support is fitted yielding a firm fit.
 

Crash pad dry fitted.  All good.
 

Glass holder, lens and crash pad dry dry fit is encouraging.
 
I am learning this build process takes "test fitting" to new level.  Gets redundant at times, but very necessary.

I totally agree, Alain. It was the quality of WNW more so than the subject. The Luftwaffe subjects are probably the best choice for multiple sales of kits to one person given the range of schemes. At least that's why I build more than one. I will definitely buy several K-4s and would do the same for a G-10. I think a P-38 would also be great for them. Lots of schemes there as well with OD, bare metal, lots of nose art, and there really isn't a good one in our scale.
 
Jay
.

I totally agree, Alain. It was the quality of WNW more so than the subject. The Luftwaffe subjects are probably the best choice for multiple sales of kits to one person given the range of schemes. At least that's why I build more than one. I will definitely buy several K-4s and would do the same for a G-10. I think a P-38 would also be great for them. Lots of schemes there as well with OD, bare metal, lots of nose art, and there really isn't a good one in our scale.
 
Jay
.

If we are talking about completely new kits, I think that a Fw 190 D-9 would be the best seller for Kotare, even before a P-51 B. But having just released a Luftwaffe type, they might go for an American aircraft next. 
As I am writing this, looking at parts of an old Revell P-38, I realize it’s not so big even as a twin. No engines would keep the number of parts down.
So I would not rule out a P-38 as the next Kotare kit.
As WNW before, the quality of the product will create the market, so I believe anything they release will be successful. Typhoons maybe? I would be definitely go for a Ki-43 myself!
 
Alain
 

I'm trying to surmise what has been mentioned in this thread.
 
1. No engine detail
2. Single engine
3. Manageable size
4. Marketability.
5. Research-
ability.
 
Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you the A4 Skyhawk!
 
 My reasoning (in no particular order);
There are a couple within spitting distance that can be measured, scanned, photographed and crawled over.
Engine detail can be sorted out with a compressor fan and whatever the bit at the backs called.
It's much the same size as a Spit, just thinner and longer.
With sensibly thought out moulds, I cant see why any version couldn't be kitted without breaking the bank.
 
My supplementary thought - it was operated by 10 nations, wore some fantastic camo schemes, lived in the era of gorgeous / garish nose and tail art, looks great both clean and laden. I'd buy a few (a few dozen if I won the lottery) - only single seaters though.
 
Now, onto the wishlist that shall remain unsaid -
Waco YMF5 - YES YES YES. a thousand times Yes!
Lysander - see above
CAC CA-15, never going to happen but a boy can dream.
P-51 B - nah, I'm not in that camp, they're ugly, but good luck to those who have no taste
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

I really hope you P-51B fans get what you want very soon as the endless petulance has been driving others insane for years.
I'm sure it would sell by the container load.
Personally, not interested, but please somebody make the P-51B to shut them up!
 
Tony

If I'm thinking about aircraft Kotare should/would do from the World War II era, I think the following would be sure-fire sellers:
 
Hawker Typhoon
Hawker Hurricane
Ki-43 Oscar
Bristol Beaufighter
Me-110G
A6M3
P-40E-N
 
I have to think Kotare will the same as WnW did, and eventually venture into larger, twin-engined aircraft, hence the Beau and Me-110. Additionally, save for the A6M3 which is a very particular beast, each of these have various variants that can be created modularly with little effort to the original molds. More bang for your buck once the main bits are tooled. We saw this with WnW, and it served them very well. I mean, they released what, 5-6 different boxings of the Fokker D.VII, and the only differences were some cowling bits? And all of them sold out before they went **** up.
 
The 109K-4 is an interesting choice, honestly. It didn't contribute much to the war effort (they didn't have any pilots left by that point in the war that could truly handle it), and it's not the most prolific Bf-109 variant when it comes to boffins. It was a hot rod, late war, and pretty niche. Definitely a project someone at Kotare wanted to have done (not necessarily a sure-fire seller), but it most definitely has the cool factor. As many have noted here, and what we also saw with WnW, simply because of the quality reputation of the manufacturer, many will be purchased for that reason alone. I happen to love the 109K, and that, as well as the fact Kotare is making it, means I will absolutely be purchasing one.
 
 
- Dennis S.
   Mount Juliet, TN USA