mywifehatesmodels

Thanks for the compliments, everyone. Now, I just have to figure out what my next LSP project will be. Happy Modeling, John

Thanks, guys. I don't know about "amazing", but I had to have at least one shot where the bright sun would work to my advantage.

This kit is probably as old/older than I am, but it's still okay. I had some issues along the way and intended this as a "quick build" from the beginning. So, don't be too harsh on me! The build thread can be found HERE. Thanks for looking, John

Thanks, Matt. I agree. This kit makes a great representation of the early Anton. The build wasn't without it's frustrations (both from the kit and self-induced). But, I think it turned out well. Thanks again, John

I sneaked out to take some pics. There's not a cloud in the sky, so the sunlight was more than I would like, but it is what it is (kind of like this build, as a whole!). First off, before I weathered it, I made my own decals for this aircraft's serial. They may not be a perfect match, but they look the part. The rest of the decals came from various sources. Originally, I was going to use the roundels from the Smithsonian Edition IIc kit. However, they were all wrong and I questioned how well they would settle down, given their age and origin. After rifling through my spares and kit stash, I found a set of decals in the Hobbycraft (Trumpeter) AVG P-40 kit. These fit the bill. The only exception,(which I didn't think about until after they were on) were the decals for the tail flash. This is larger than my reference profile for this particular airframe, but it's not out of place for a Hurricane of BoB vintage. The code letters are from the Carpena RAF code set. The gun tapes were cut from the red portion of the IIc tail flashes (the gun muzzle openings weren't perfectly round, so I decided to cover them). All of the decals reacted well to Micro Set/Sol, spare one upper wing roundel, which developed a tight wrinkle, which eventually cracked. I mixed some dark blue to touch it up, but it's still visible, if you look closely. Weathering was done by chipping the paint with an X-acto knife, then an acrylic black/brown wash, thinned with alcohol. I finished it up with pastels for the smoke/oil/dirt stains. As I explained in my last post, the normal flat lacquer that I usually use was substituted with Micro Flat and it turned out glossy. I was not happy. But, given the other warts that were a result of me and/or the kit, I guess it's par for the course on this one. I think it turned out okay, but I will certainly be adding a better representation of a Hurricane to my collection, at some point. Here's a couple pics. The rest can be viewed at the "Ready For Inspection" forum, HERE. Thanks for following along! John

Thanks, Matt. The paints are Model Master enamels. Adhesion is typically good with this combination. But, I like using the metalizer as an undercoat, as it makes it a little easier to "chip" when I'm weathering (adhesion is good in the sense that it doesn't just rub/flake off, but can be pulled off when you want to). Normally, I would take a bit of masking tape and form it to a point, press it firmly on the paint and then pull it off, to get a paint chip. However, on this one, it didn't seem to work like that, so I ended up using an X-acto blade to scrape the chips off. I hope to have pics up later, today. I'll let the cat out of the bag now, though. I normally use Testors Flat Lacquer on my models. I ran out, though. So, I used Microscale's "Micro Flat" on this one. I figured that the worst that could happen would be that it would not be as "dead flat" as the lacquer. Unfortunately, I was very wrong. Not only is it not as flat, but it's glossy! Even though it's dry, it still looks wet! On top of that, there are a few spots on the finish where it developed a "crackle" effect. Fortunately, most of those spots are on the underside, but that still doesn't change the gloss finish it has. I tried to lightly sand it with 600 grit paper, but it makes the finish turn "milky" looking. So, I'm not sure if I can fix it, or not. I think I'll give it a few weeks to completely cure, then do a test spot with some flat lacquer, when I get some more. Not sure if that will work, or make it worse. I'm hoping to do a photo shoot, today. Unfortunately, when you want the weather to be overcast, it's bright and sunny! Thanks, John

I'm looking forward to watching this one, Rocky. I haven't done armor in several years, now. I've focused most of my attention on LSPs. However, the "LST" idea could persuade me to get back into them. Regards, John

Excellent. That paint work is beyond impressive! John

Excellent work on all. I'm drawn to the P-40, as well. John

Absolutely LOVELY, Graham!

Thanks, Randy. It's actually finished. I just came in from the shop. However, I had a minor catastrophe and I'm just going to have to live with it. I'll try to get some pictures up in the next day or two. Thanks again, John

That's excellent. It looks real to me! John

I did an undercoat on the metal surfaces of Aluminum Plate Metalizer. Forgot to get a pic of that, though. Then, I painted the underside with MM Sky. The Upper surfaces are MM RAF Dark Earth and RAF Dark Green and I used a raised, card mask. The camo pattern isn't perfect, but I think you would have to be a Hurricane expert or do a close comparison with photos to see the differences. It's shaping up, nicely. Happy Modeling, John

Great stuff, Dave! I've never used Mr. Surfacer before. This is a great demonstration of what it can be used for. I never would have thought of that. Can't wait to see more! John

Thanks, Kevin. The pilot is actually from the Hasegawa Spitfire II kit. It's a mix of the Revell fuselage with newer tooled wings. Not sure of the origin of the pilot, but it does look a little better than the old Revell pilots. So, it may actually be Hase. I'm not sure. Thanks again, John

Thanks, Dave. I think I got this one from you! Everything is together and the underside is painted. I just masked for the Dark Earth. I should have a coat on tonight. pics tomorrow. John

Well, because I'm impatient, I've decided on a plane to model. It will be RF-R, Serial R4175, 303 Sqn RAF (Polish), Sgt Josef Frantisek, Northolt, September 1940. I saw this one listed on the Tecmod decals set and I think I can pull it off with what I have. Also, I had started to lean in the direction of 303 Squadron, as I found records of Sept. 6th, 1940 that shows inolvement of 303 Hurricanes near Dover, as well as Otto Bertram of JG 2. However, after some more research, I discovered that the model of the 109E-3 that I have is as it appeared in May. By September, paint schemes and equipment had changed. So, that scraps my in-flight display idea. But, I should still come away with a good looking Hurricane. I started off the build by sanding down a lot of the raised detail on the kit. I didn't want to sand it completely away, just smooth it out a little. I don't plan on rescribing/riveting this, unless it's a seam, etc and I feel the need. Since I had the flight display in mind, I had already robbed a pilot figure from a Spitfire kit and was working on that. Given that I'm not doing any upgrades to the pit, I thought I would still do the pilot. Hopefully, he will draw attention away from the chunks of plastic that are supposed to represent a cockpit! However, if you are familiar with the old Revell/Hasegawa pilot figures, you know that there's not much to differentiate their pose, from that of a cadaver. I had to do something to liven him up a little, so I decided to reposition the head. I did this by cutting through 3/4 of his neck with a razor saw, as seen here: Next, I had to fix this gaping wound. So, I took some putty and sculpted a collar for his flying jacket. The right side is wedged under his harness (that's my story and I'm sticking to it). From here, I added the arms and control column. I had to modify both legs and the left arm to get a better fit to the column and in the cockpit. I used a lighter to heat them, then bent/cracked them to where I wanted. After that, I filled in the visible cracks with CA and sanded them to match. After everything seemed to fit, I painted him. Now, I'm not the world's greatest figure painter (obviously!), but I think he'll be good enough. Now, I'm almost ready to button up the fuselage and start working on seams. Again, this will be a "quick build" for me. If I had the PCM kit, I would be taking a lot more time to make it better. This one will be good therapy for me, after the 190A I just built. Thanks to everyone for their input and assistance, so far. Regards, John

If you didn't win with this Dora, you must have been up against some pretty stiff competition, because I think it's gorgeous! For "dirty" white, I usually use dark brown/black pastel. It should only show up after many applications, so I put some on the brush, then brush most of it off on a towel/tissue, first. Less is more. Again, excellent job! John

Thanks for the info, Phil. I've been following your build and it looks great. Do you, by any chance, have any references for Brothers' 257 Sqn. Hurricane, coded "DT*L"? The only picture of it that I can find is the Taylor print. Regards, John

Hi, Mike. I have one of Robert Taylor's coffee table books. In it, he describes the research and process he went through, when painting "Hurricane Force". This included being in close contact with Pete Brothers, who was giving him insight into the composition. He states that Brothers was in 32 and 257 Squadrons, as well as one other, IIRC. I know that his 32 Sqn. markings are probably the most documented, though. I'm still not sure which direction to go. I thought about the 32 squadron markings, as well. But, I don't want to be a "copy cat"! John

I couldn't agree more. With every update, it's getting harder to tell the model from the real deal. Cheers, John

Looking great! For the wheel wells on 190s, I usually use paper towel or tissue and just stuff it into place with a toothpick or similar tool. The underside panels overlap the wheel well enough to hold it in place (on most modern kits, anyway). If there's any overspray, it's usually not much and is easy to touch up, as it's normally only the top edges, if any. Your Dora is shaping up nicely. I can't wait to see more! Cheers, John

After doing a little bit of thinking and looking around through my references, I've come up with a few possible ideas. First off, I've always like Robert Taylor's painting, "Hurricane Force", depicting Pete Brothers' Hurricane on the attack. That aircraft would be one option. However, the code letters (257 Sqn., IIRC) are bigger than the decals that I have. I don't think it would be a problem to paint them, however. The main question I would have is, did this aircraft have any sort of squadron emblem on it? The painting is at such an angle that any additional markings around the cockpit would not be visible. I haven't done any further research, yet, for photographs of this plane. I've also thought of doing Townsend's aircraft, as I believe the code decals I have would be of the proper size. My last thought actually comes from another model that I built years ago. It's the Hasegawa Bf-109E-3 (Wk.No. 677), done in the markings of Otto Bertram from 1/JG 2. I thought about the possibility of using this model in an in-flight display with the Hurricane. Doing a little research on Bertram, it would appear that he engaged Hurricanes near Dover on 6th Sept. 1940. I'm sure there were plenty of other instances where he was in close contact with Hurris, but it would be nice to get some more documentation on that, to see which squadrons they were from. Also, if I do this display, I want it to be either "tactically neutral", or depicting the Hurricane with the upper hand, all while keeping it somewhat historically accurate. This may be a tall order, but the point, for me would be to highlight the Hurricane, which will certainly be the better quality model, given the age of the 109 that I have. Here's a pic of the 109E model. So, what do you all think? Any other ideas? Dave, if you have some specific decals that would work for a Rotol nosed Hurricane, let me know! That could be the determining factor, too. Thanks, guys! John

Thank you, Phil. This one probably won't be to the same level as the 190 I just did. I do have an idea in mind, to make it a little different, however. We'll see how things pan out. Thanks! Dave, I've got a couple of possibilities in mind, but I need to check a few details. I'll PM you. Thanks, Buddy! John

Thanks again, gents, for the kind words. Kev, I've had that base for years. I used a thin layer of "spackle" drywall filler on plywood and, before it was dry, I took gravel from my driveway and sifted it through a screen to get the big chunks out. What was left was a fine dirt/sand mix that looks pretty convincing. I pushed it into the spackle and kept repeating the process until it completely covered it. Once the grass was in place, I sprayed the entire thing with firm holding hairspray. I still make bases in a similar fashion, but usually paint them, afterward. This one is all "natural", with no paint. Cheers! John