Roy vd M.

1/32 Boeing 747? It would be 2:38m. long.

Looks very nice, great result! Really something different, a colorful plane ornamenting your shelf!

After a year of darkness, guessing and calculations, without knowing the stuff had survived the war... this week I received 3.100 pages of Heinkel manuals, drawings, sketches, explanatory pictures and everything I'll ever need for my build. I'm overwhelmed and extremely happy. Believe me: if you can get those B17 drawings / photos and you want to know whether what you're doing is kinda okay / right / super-right / real (choose one), take that chance, you'll not regret it.

Vallejo have a comprehensive online FAQ-style manual about the use of all their paints: http://www.acrylicosvallejo.com/en_US/model-paints/faqs/3.

To my untrained eye (don't know anything about B17s) it looks nothing short of spectacular.

Steady pace of high quality build progress! Keep 'em coming...

Oh and about stinking... the Vallejo air paints actually smell very sweet! Really nice and unexpected. Sort of like eucalyptus.

It's advisable not to use water, as it will not mix well with the paint. Vallejo's thinner is made to work with the paint. You can use the Tamiya paint for brush painting, for example. Same reason why I still have all Revell colours. You never know when they will come in (brush-) handy. Use .2 needle&head for the normal air paints, use 1 part thinner and 3 parts paint; use .4 needle&head for the metal air paints. Exact amounts to be tested.

What a monster! No, not the finish; I'm talking about the size Can you maybe post a picture of this build combined with e.g. the Lancaster, to compare scale? Ehm... wait, the B-24? No, the B-29... ok maybe just something else that we can compare the size by? I think this is the first B17 to actually be finished... looks awesome and very inspiring. Glad you were able to solve the decal issue.

Great, another 111 owner! Have you already finished it or do you still have to start? If so, do take a look at the several detailing threads on this forum re. that plane. Sure hope to see your build (again, if not already finished) anytime soon, as I'm feel a bit lonely being the only active 1:32 111 builder / poster on this forum right now. Ontopic: on the Heinkel I'll detail all the way but only the areas that can be seen. Visible: cockpit, bomb room, radio room, landing gear bays. Not visible: tail section interior, engines, petrol tanks etc. etc. If it literally can't be seen I don't have the patience to add any detail.

Gotta love the "Details, Details, Details" aphorism

Sounds good SD, look forward to seeing the next pics.

Another solution for the decal problem is to airbrush it on. That saves the nice rivet detail and emphasizes the panel lines. But then you'd have to take the other one off as well.

After a lot of thought today about how to solve the "severely detailed bomb bay room, little to see" problem. Having a bullet-holed panel removed -> no, because the plane would have to be jigged because of stability issues. Depicting a shell-pretruded bomb bay -> no, because the shell would have exploded and left tens of holes in the fuselage whereas I'd like the shell to cut through the ceiling. Depicting a lost light-shell: wasn't able to find any reference pictures or information. So the solution: one bomb rack is simply removed. In the diorama, the bomb rack is seen standing on a pallet or on the floor of the hangar. The other bomb rack is still in situ. Reason: the P2 is converted into a P3 (trainer version without bomb bays) or perhaps a people transporter. 8 versions of the P3 were made as conversions from existing P1's and P2's. Now I can put all my energy in further (elaborately) detailing the bomb bays which I will detailing I will report on later. The full interior of the bomb bay room shall be visible from the windows and from the underside of the plane.

Absolute astonishing detailing. I have to plan a complete read-through of this thread.

William, I actually had a classic LOL moment when that hilarious logo and I first had eye contact

This DVD, photocopies of the originals and everything else can be ordered here: www.luftfahrt-archiv-hafner.de. Choose your Luftwaffe plane, take a look at the list of available documents, order, wait 2 days (that's how long shipment from Germany to the Netherlands took) and enjoy! For example for your Dornier 335, they have the aircraft manual (205 pages) plus the plane's blueprints in a 29 euro DVD package. One more thing: the Heinkel's "building manual" is also invaluable. Many photographs of details that cannot be found online or in publicly available books.

Today I received a 3.100 page DVD with instruction manuals, handbooks, part replacement lists etc. regarding the Heinkel. This was the best 65 euro I ever spent on any modelling thing, ever! Going through the replacement list and its drawings my eyes went open wider and wider. I immediately contact Mr Hafner, owner of the archive where I purchased this DVD, thanked him and asked permission to copy a couple of pages from the replacement parts list for you guys to take a look at. Really, I've been looking for drawings of the 111s interior for over a year. Never been able to find more than a fes detail drawings. I knew that the replacement parts book was going to be a good source so I was eagerly awaiting for it... but it really outdid all of my expectations. Remarkable. Incredible. Necessary. Are three words that just come to my mind. Everything is in there, all the tiny details, hundreds of drawings... I'm still in awe. The replacement list is 750 pages long and frankly I didn't take a look at the other 2.350 pages of the DVD. So probably that's going to be a surprise also. A few examples (again, with permission from Mr Hafner), starting with the solution to the door issue. This is a lower-quality cutout from a larger page: So, horizontally aligned wheels on the left side... that explains some bits And apparently it's just a sliding door system, without operation from the cockpit. Then, some drawings regarding the cockpit: There are literally hundreds of precise drawings, all detailed... even many of the smaller parts featured in the overview drawings are drawn in detail on another page. The numbers on the pictures refer to descriptions on the next page. The archive doesn't only have a Heinkel He 111 replacement part book, it has replacement books regarding many Luftwaffe planes. Invaluable and unmissable for the ultra-detailer and even for those who are less into interior details. Of course there are just as many (or more) pics of exteriors. Be sure to have a look at www.luftfahrt-archiv-hafner.de. I am in no way commercially or otherwise involved or connected to Mr Hafner's archive, I just feel that the best way of showing my enthusiasm is to make you guys aware of this incredible treasure chest.

Really agree with that Peter.

Personally I think a lot of stress goes into 'deadlines', either imposed by yourself or a contest or so. Usually by the builder him- or herself. Why not drop the deadlines? It doesn't matter if you finish the thing in one month, or one year, or ten. Whenever you experience that love-like instigation to sit behind the table and continue your project, do it; else do something else. That's my key to fully enjoying this hobby. To try to defend the ultra-detailers in this thread (which seems to be mostly fed by those who don't like that or have stopped being that...): it's a lot of joy seeing a finished product that was customized by yourself, that is more detailed than the series-produced kit and that is the result of hours and hours of research. The search is better than the catch: the research and build in itself is maybe even more enjoyable than the end result. I can very well imagine myself one day wanting to do a quick build, in which case I'll go buy a kit and do just that, and then go on with the super-detailed work. Whatever makes me feel good at one certain point. And if I don't want to continue the super-detailed work, I'll just shelve it. I don't consider that to be a waste of time or trouble, because after all I had a good time. And if at another point I feel like not modelling anymore for some time, I just clean up my work table and do that other hobby. Walking, or playing the piano. I know that as long as I don't break myself mentally I'll happily return in half a year or in a year, continuing from where I left off. Drop the deadlines ("I need to finish three planes this year") and do stuff in your own tempo, whether it be OOB or super-detailing. I think I can have an equal amount of fun in a 1 year aftermarket-mania P51 build as in a 2 months P51 build with no modifications from box whatsoever. I also think that we need to respect each other's builds as we have to respect each other. Each of us has their own way, each their own joy. A good build resembles and shows the enthusiasm of the modeller who made it. The level of detail is of no meaning in answering the question whether a build is successful or not, or whether it is complete. Whenever someone negatively judges an OOB merely because of the lack of detail, just ignore.

Nice baby 111, really enjoy watching this seemingly smooth running build.

I'm having a lot of fun researching everything I can about the Heinkel 111. I know it will be a 5 year project (or more) but it's just utter joy if I discover something new or something -all of a sudden- makes sense. And after the Heinkel will be finished, I'll probably spend another couple of years on the diorama and all accessories in it. I totally agree with the things said above, modelling should be fun. If there's no fun, why do it? You don't have to prove anything to anyone. Of course, everyone has their own kinds and variations of fun. Mine's detailing all the way, someone else's is building OOB and airbrushing it as neatly as possible. Again another one will choose to do an OOB trying to detail as well as possible without using any other materials except Evergreen card... the more people the more feelings. I enjoy watching all of these builds on this forum

Great, excellent new example of B17 wizardry.

By the way, the above also means that Revell's claim that their P-version is a P-1 is not totally correct, insofar it's fully based on the Gardermoen version, that having been reconverted into a P2.

Hi Ron, the P2 we see on the pictures here is actually another plane than the belly-landed one. The belly-landed plane was a H2 and is now in Germany being under restoration. Because there's a lot of unclarity in this respect (P1/P2? H?) I'll give a short overview. The type 2 (P and onward) planes on display are: ON DISPLAY - P1/P2 (nr. 1526) which is originally a P1 that was later reconverted into P2, currently located in Gardermoen. This is the plane photographed by Guttorm. It was recovered from the Norway mountains in 1976. The result we see on the photos was achieved in a 6 year thorough restoration. - H20 (nr. 701152), also being a reconversion. It started life as a bomber, later became a carrier. This plane is now on display in London at the RAF museum. Only of those two planes are detailed photographs available (and of the E1, but that's a type 1 plane). The other 111s which are available are stored or under construction: NOT ON DISPLAY - H2 (nr. 2320) which was flown by Arthur von Casimir. This was the one that belly-landed and the one recovered from Jonsvannet lake in 2004. It is stored in Berlin and not currently available for public view. - P2 (nr. 5883) which is currently being restored in Austria, using parts of a Casa 2.111B. It was recovered in Norway in 1974, so two years before the Gardermoen P1/P2. Last known plans are to let this one fly again! That having been said, in my Aero Details book I read, regarding the P1/P2: "The restoration team took great pains to return the aircraft to a condition as close to original as they could, using genuine parts from other He111s whenever possible,; and basing reconstructions of destroyed portions on original manufacturer's blueprints. Still, the right engine cowling, main gear bay doors, navigator's seat and much of the cockpit instrumentation remains unrestored for lack of parts. Nevertheless, over 90% of the aircraft has been brilliantly brought back to its original condition, making it a priceless reference source." The manufacturer's blueprints don't exist anymore, according to Udo Hafner of Luftfahrt-Archiv Hafner. Having seen pictures of their vast collection divided over 3 bookcases, only comprising of manuals, blueprints etc. regarding Luftwaffe aircraft, and his explicit mentioning that there are also no museums or other archives that have the blueprints, that everything was lost, I think Aero Details probably means that the replacement part lists (featuring drawings) and blueprints of weaponry / gauges were used. Still, the rest of the quote makes clear that the Gardermoen people have really done their best to restore this plane very thoroughly. That, in combination with my previous post's conclusion that the 66 cockpit + bomb racks -> 02 rest of interior-finish is probably the most realistic, leads me to the final decision to do it like that. So my Heinkel will be 66 cockpit + bomb racks and 02 rest of interior. Thanks again @ scvrobeson / Matt for bringing up this issue and changing my vision. That's what a forum is for!!! ("Roy, are you not tired of yourself or of this highly superfluous and unnecessary search for color variations? Taking hours and hours of research?" -> "No dear family members, finally having a pure and true answer built on proof makes all of this worthwhile :D") Time spent building, planning, drawing: 45H. Studying: 20H.