Radub

I believe that dissolving plastic in a solvent was an Eastern European "trick" to make putty when no other putty was available. In the days of dear old communism (good idea, but never tried properly, I was told ;-) ) there were no hobby shops and no supplies, so modellers had to improvise. I did that in the past too until I discovered the other great work-around: "chalk dust mixed with paint". Some people still do such stuff. There is no more need for such improvised materials anymore, there are good putties available at reasonable prices. Radu

Superglue is great for filling panel lines. If you leave it a long time it may become harder so the "secret" is to sand it as soon as it cures. Scribing a good line over plastic and putty and plastic again (or even plastic-to-resin) is always problematic when using a "trenching" tool. For that kind of situations I designed this tool that works in a different way: you need to use it like a "file" by moving it back-and-forth a couple times to get a panel line. Because this "files" away material rather than "digging", it avoids the issue with scribing over dissimilar materials. http://www.radubstore.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=77_110&products_id=734 HTH Radu

Hi, Our latest decal sheet, Henschel Hs 129 B-2 in Romanian Service, is now ready. This is a decal sheet featuring eight aircraft flown by Aeronautica Regală Română on on the Eastern Front and on the Western Front. The decals are available in the following scales: 1/32: http://www.radubstore.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1_65&products_id=767 These decals are suitable for the 1/32 Hs 129 model kit from Zoukei Mura. 1/48: http://www.radubstore.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1_66&products_id=768 1/72: http://www.radubstore.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1_67&products_id=769 Thank you for your support! Radu

All of Europe is blighted with crazy charges and taxes. It has nothing to do with the EU. It is all historic, going back to the old old days when all serfs had to pay dues to their lords. Remember how America started their fight for freedom over taxes? Well, we never got that freedom in the Old World, in many ways our taxation systems are medieval. Radu

The Romanian machines were driven hard in really tough conditions. I would not use them as a "yardstick" for how the German aircraft looked, especially in the desert. It is best to look at the photos of the subject you are working on. Some Henschels in German markings looked quite clean. Radu

Beautiful work, Jan! Radu

The side consoles of the Ta 152 and the side consoles of the FW 190 D have nothing in common other than location. Radu

A lot of stuff that was included in Luftwaffe manuals did not "make" it into the real aircraft. Take for example the outboard covers for the Bf 109 wheel well that were mentioned as early as the F and did not make their appearance until the K. I took out all the books I have on the Ta 152 and I could not find a single photo showing a panel there. Radu

As already mentioned, I designed the separation in the flap of the Hs 129 in such a way as to give the thinnest trailing edge possible. I also mentioned earlier that each model is designed individually. ;-) It seems that Andy dealt with this flap "issue" quite well. It may take a little bit of effort but the result is beautiful and far from "impossible". It looks to me like it was worth the effort. Great work so far, Andy. This was never intended to be a "shake-and-bake" model and your work is outstanding. Radu

I know that it is hard to figure out why there is an opening under the left side console, and I agree that it is not "Luftwaffe-like", but all photos show that there was never a panel there. There are wartime photos taken by Focke Wulf and published in all literature on the subject that show that open space. Photos of the example preserved in the Garber Facility show absolutely no means to attach a panel there - there are no brackets, no posts, nothing at the top and nothing on the floor to secure a side panel in that place. There is no evidence on the floor, not a paint demarcation, not a scrape/scuff mark, nothing to indicate that there was ever side panel there. When I designed the photo-etched set I could have easily included such a panel, but I did not because all evidence indicates that there was no panel in that location. I am not aware of a single photo of a Ta 152 H showing a panel there. Radu

Stellar work on the photo-etched parts. The open side panel on the left console is the same in wartime photos of the cockpit, not only the Smithsonian example. See the photo in the link below. Radu https://images.app.goo.gl/i99svDpdvkRT9FLL6

Yes, I am waiting for them to arrive from the printer. Radu

Looking great, Andy! Looking forward to seeing more. Radu

Great work on the instrument panel. Patience paid off in the end. The set was designed to use the kit Revi sight, that was why none was included. Radu

Beautiful model, Rick! Radu