Erich Hartmann, Ace of Aces, Bf109G-14, Double Chevron

[dodgem37]

Thank you, all for your very nice comments, understandings, and acceptances. I understand, and accept everyones responses and personal 'rights', 'decisions', 'choices', for lack of any better set of terms, to mark as they like. Really, no worries here. I'm not offended. For the most part, I try to represent history accurately as well.

 

Brian, It is a shame the Reich used this historic art symbol as their mark. But that is why they used it. They wanted the Reich to be associated with power, good luck, the sun, strength and life, etc. A great propaganda symbol. By the way, what does IIRC mean? I've seen it used before and haven't been able to figure it out.

 

'Me personally however, I feel it is an integral and historically accurate necessity when I build any WW II German subject that called for them.............but again that is just my IMHO only.' Brian, I don't disagree at all.

 

your Luft birds will always look odd to me (and i emphasize the "to me" bit) because of your choice over the Hakenkreuz, but as you point out, your model, so your rules, and i have no problemo with that Nick, it looks odd to me too.

 

Phil, you're so funny.

 

I promise, no more tooth pick landing gear. Geez!

 

As I'm away from home at the moment and paying for internet use by the second, I'll close here.

Thanks for looking in.

Thank you everyone.

Sincerely,

Mark

[LSP_Kevin]

By the way, what does IIRC mean? I've seen it used before and haven't been able to figure it out.

 

IIRC = If I Remember (Recall/Recollect) Correctly

 

Some others:

 

AFAIK = As Far As I Know;

 

AFAICT = As Far As I Can Tell;

 

FWIW = For What It's Worth;

 

Kev

[dodgem37]

Thank you, Kevin.

 

Now that I'm back from spending Thanksgiving out on 'the Island', more commonly known as Long Island, New York to us yokels, I've been masking away, still.

 

I traced a tulip petal from the decal sheet onto mylar, overlayed the mylar with the transparent mask, cut out a petal, and marked the petal intersections and the petal end. This way I would, hopefully, be consistant in my layout. Here I have filled in, and am filling in, the interstices. Residual white tac that held in the exhaust.

 

The next series on images show the same thing, pretty much. That I have removed the tape. I know the painting of the boss is backward. One should paint dark over light, but when it was time to paint the white, earlier, I couldn't find the boss. But I found it when I was painting black, so I painted it.

 

I traced the spiral on mylar, located the mask, and used a french curve to cut the spiral out. The spiral mask does not match up with the decal. That would have been an improbability at best, for me. I just wanted to be close and consistantly smooth in my linework. I actually cut the spiral mask backward and needed to resort to problem-solving. Instead of cutting the inside line first, which would be on the left line, so I would see the line when cutting the outside line, I mistakenly cut the outer line, or right line, first. The problem was I couldn't see the outer line when I moved the french curve to cut the inner line. I usied a marker to draw on the cut so I could see the location. The marker stained the edge of the cut and made the line easier to see.

 

I ran a line along the hinge to the cowl front and made a tic mark so I would have a centerline from which to work. I think that's it right there. I guess I'm off by a bit. I located the spiral mask on the boss, burnished it, filled the negative space, then removed the spiral.

 

Playing dead.

 

Overall view from the front.

 

View from the rear, sort of. I went ahead and masked everything else in preparation for the mottling phase. The tape on the port wing is a carry over from masking the lower wing Balkancruz, to correct the missing white. The tulip mask is attached to the port wing. I put it there because it was a handly place for easy access. I tape the wing and rudder so when I turn the model over the paint doesn't get worn off.

 

Thanks for looking in.

Sincerely,

Mark

[dodgem37]

Finishing up The Black Devil.

 

Masking the white. .5mm width. Or thereabouts. The tape pulled some paint off of the boss. When that happens I just infill the spot with aluminum, as I've done here.

 

90% Black.

 

From the top.

 

Bottoms Up.

 

Lower Starboard.

 

Upper Starboard.

 

Lower Port.

 

Upper Port.

 

Thanks for looking in.

Sincerely,

Mark

[PhilB]

That's a really great result Mark, especially as you made your own masks.

Terrific as usual.

 

Phil

[LSP_Kevin]

Great work Mark, and a great result too. I really do love that tulip nose on a 109.

 

Kev

[dodgem37]

Thank you, Phil. Thank you, Kevin. I favor the tulip nose as well. But I've got to tell you, I'm glad that's over. With this build, Tamiya Tape stock is going to pay some real dividends.

 

Sincerely,

Mark

[dodgem37]

I've been plugging away to have something to show before this weekend. We're all going to Birmingham, Alabama to visit family friends and for some festive R & R. With that, I won't be modelling for a few days, which is good, as I need recharging.

 

I've worked on the mottle pattern this week. The chevron back and the cowling forward on each side were done in one pass. But that cockpit area on both sides gave me fits. I was able to LUCK OUT and get good directional movement and continuity in these two areas on the first pass, but needed to rework the cockpit area a second time.

 

Here I'm working on the leading edge wavy pattern. It's a long story, mostly on an exercise of how to do things backwards and the hard way.

 

Other wavy edge. That tulip really pops out.

 

From a conceptual standpoint this mottle pattern isn't as nice as the other side, but it's functional, not terrible, and works without too much stretching. Rudder is slightly askew.

 

BOTTOMS UP!! Which is what I hope to be doing this weekend. Tailwheel matches the rudder attittude. Well, almost.

 

Thanks for looking in.

Sincerely,

Mark

[WrongWay]

Just stunning! Beautiful paint work Mark! Did you shoot the mottle freehand? That's one thing I always seem to have problems with.

 

Cheers,

Don

[dodgem37]

Thank you, Don. It's shaping up beyond my expectations, believe me.

 

This is the first mottling I have done, and believe me it was an exercise of anxiety. 'All of that work only to ruin it because I can't mottle.' It was an anxious week. When I started this phase I had no idea at all what I was doing, which, as we all know, is not a good way to start. I had only painted solid areas up until this point, and with solid areas one doesn't need finite control over the spray. Not so with this exercise.

 

I had read an article that said for best results for mottling one should thin high and spray low. So I experimented. I sprayed a sheet of Evergreen with paint-to-thinner ratios until I found something that I could control for the most part. For me, a ratio of 1.5:1 thinner/paint worked best, for Model Master Enamels. I can't say what my air pressure was as I can't see the regulator or the compressor because of visual obstructions, but I have an Iwata airbrush that has an air flow control valve, and I used that for the most part.

 

The starboard side pattern sizes begin with small patterns at the nose, and moves into larger and larger patterns until one reaches the tail. This progression and direction was a fortuitous piece of luck. The direction moves from front to back because of pattern size and placement. Starting with the Balkencruz, there is that squiggle that is in diagonal alignment with the chevron which also aligns with the mottle below the chevron. There are 3 diagonally aligned patterns in front of the chevron, and 2 sets of 2 in front of that. Actually, 3. In addition, there are 2 sets of 4 diagonal patterns under the canopy that adds directional movement right above the wing.

 

Once I figured out what it was I was looking at and realized what I had done at the nose and fuselage I painted over the canopy area, and worked it in. I still needed to go back over the fuselage with RLM76 to remove overspray, but I had an idea more important to me than random.

 

Gotta run, work beckens.

Thanks for looking in.

Sincerely,

Mark

[dutik]

What a gem!

 

I just missed a few things. What scale is it? 1:32 or 1:24? And why no aftermarket parts where appropriate? The wheel wells come to mind. Your preferred way or just a tribute to Russel? As for the swastikas, I fully understand your position. But why black black squares instead leaving them completly off? To show: there is something on the real deal?

 

With kind regards!

- dutik

 

Btw, there is a strong possibility, that Hartmanns last mount was a K-4. The top brass and decorated heros always got the best stuff available. The K-4 was at hand at Hartmanns unit, so it would have been a logical choice.

[Out2gtcha]

Really great paint work Mark!! Keep those picees comin!

 

Cheers,

Brian

[spacewolf]

My heavens..stunning work ! You obviously have a lot of patience..that much masking would drive me nuts. Hats off to a beautiful job !

 

Cheers

 

Vaughn

[dodgem37]

Thanks for the complement, Dutik. It is a 1/32 Hasegawa Bf109G-14. I don't have any aftermarket parts for this kit, so I didn't use any. Except for the bits that Jerry sent me. I think I have some seat belt buckles that I will be getting to at some time. Yes, I put on the black squares to indicate that there is an image there. But you are perfectly right. I could have left them off. It didn't occur to me.

 

Thank you, Brian. As we know, with painting comes painting corrections. I'll be getting to that next week.

 

Thank you, Vaughn. I have been wondering why I have had that tired feeling. It really is double duty to mask and paint 'decals' instead of applying only decals. Then masking prior to painting the mottle. A lot of masking during this phase. It did indeed try my patience. But I just tried take it slow and not be in a hurry.

 

Thanks for looking in.

Sincerely,

Mark

[dodgem37]

I'm so excited I could have a cow. I thought I would never reach this point. But there is still much to do.

 

Machine gun barrels, turbo intake, exhaust shields are white tacced in place. Windscreen is double sided adhesive filmed in place.

 

The goodie side of the canopy has the yellow release handle. Detail is hardly noticeable. Flaps are white tacced in place.

 

Parts are white tacced in place. I have yet to insert the tail position light.

 

Cockpit close-up.

 

Overall view. That black is a real popper. Hopefully it's from the lighting. Otherwise I hope weathering tones it down.

 

Thanks for looking in.

Sincerely,

Mark