themongoose Posted March 14, 2020 Share Posted March 14, 2020 It’s finally time to get started on this. I’m really looking forward to it based on all the reviews I’ve read, here on LSP as well as other sites. This is going to be out of the box. I’ve spent too many months on single builds lately. This seems the perfect candidate as there really isn’t too much on the tweak list for the A3 and given it’s mixed media has PE and resin parts to really make it look sharp. Here’s the only Eastern Front option in the kit I did just the IP the other night...then found a build review that said the PE and panel is too wide and needs trimmed. Boy they were right, I spent 30-40 minutes trying to make it fit! Heres the kit for you guys that haven’t seen these Last night and Tonight I got started in earnest. Primed some parts, built the cockpit and added some alignment tabs to the fuselage. The IP has a purple tinge to it but it’s all supposed to be RLM66 which is a deep grey. Since this is OOB I mixed my 66 with PRU blue and got a decent match yet still maintaining the grey base color. I have not build a prop plane, let alone a German fighter in a long time (1 Corsair in the last 20 yrs) so I know nothing about these planes except that there seems to be a really strong following of these German fighters. Please don’t judge me on my ability to replicate these aircraft Ive left the seat out. I’m going to build it toward the end so it’s easier to cover up the cockpit for painting. I also noted the gun sight should be kept off till putting the halves together. I’d have broken it off a half dozen times already if it was on there. Gazzas, Alain Gadbois, BradG and 8 others 11 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlanG Posted March 14, 2020 Share Posted March 14, 2020 Great start. Watching this build. Would love to have a crack at one of these. Martinnfb 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
themongoose Posted March 15, 2020 Author Share Posted March 15, 2020 Moving right along [ap] Today started with alignment of the fuselage halves. After reading a couple build logs I decided to glue in the cockpit before putting the fuselage together. Yes, it would go in afterward but the struggles i had getting it to fit made me wary, plus i figured I'd break something. Lord knows I've done that a couple times already on this build. Here's what I learned. Always work 2 steps ahead on this one. With no alignment pins, by nature of being a multimedia resin kit, there's alot of alignment that impacts other parts. Sometimes it's not what it seems. For instance the glazing putty in the below pic. I was going to close that gap...and some of the cockpit fit work i did was to get it to close as the instructions show...BUT if it's closed the front upper cowling doesn't fit haha what a discovery. I was 2 steps ahead though so nothing lost here. check out that wing root. Very tight i think and it's only taped together in 1 spot. All the build logs said this was a problem. I think it has to do with multiple parts going together too soon if you follow the instructions to the letter. Overall this is a well designed kit! It really looks sharp. Almost no cleanup on the fuselage seams. I just started from the tail and worked forward an inch at a time. Then i put a dark wash on it to check out the seam and fill anything remaining with CA. The more I can clean up before primer the smoother the paint is going to look. Doing some traveling this week so there will probably be an extended absence before more progress can be made [:(] Azgaron, coogrfan, Shawn M and 8 others 11 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alain Gadbois Posted March 17, 2020 Share Posted March 17, 2020 Very nice start. It is very interesting to see the PCM kit built. Alain Martinnfb 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LSP_Ray Posted March 17, 2020 Share Posted March 17, 2020 Looking good! I have one of these started. It is actually a nice kit. I am doing mine as a -1. You are right, you have to stay three steps ahead and dry fit, dry fit, dry fit. Remember, it is a short-run kit. Martinnfb 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
themongoose Posted March 19, 2020 Author Share Posted March 19, 2020 I kinda held off on any updates till this round of dry fitting was thru. This set of shots shows the detail and fine engraved lines in the PCM kit. first off the wing profile seemed to benefit from some support on the back half of the cord. This brought the profile up to match the fuselage and if you grab it by the wings won’t stress the glue joint in the future. This is the wing with no weathering in the wells followed by some weathering. Could it benefit from a dark wash to tie it all together? Under a satin black primer the thin panel lines seem to POP. Before primer it seemed you could hardly see them. Something tells me to really go easy on the coats of paint to keep these strong. Fuselage is an easy assembly Now the engine is nice, unfortunately it is almost completely hidden on this model behind the fan blades and props. For that reason it’s simple dry brushing and some grease stains. So that brings this week’s session to a close. Off for a poker weekend with my buddies. Back again next week! Gazzas, coogrfan, Landrotten Highlander and 6 others 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shawn M Posted March 20, 2020 Share Posted March 20, 2020 nice to see a build of this, I won one in the raffle as well this year Martinnfb and Gazzas 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
themongoose Posted March 20, 2020 Author Share Posted March 20, 2020 4 hours ago, Shawn M said: nice to see a build of this, I won one in the raffle as well this year Oh you’re gonna love the build. So much of it has gone together so easily. Almost now extra work on the fuselage seams. Spend some extra time on the wing fuselage alignment and you get a very minimal seam there. Cowl and nose are nearly perfect out of the box. Can you tell I’m excited about the fit and quality of this kit! Alain Gadbois, Martinnfb and Shawn M 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gazzas Posted March 22, 2020 Share Posted March 22, 2020 Nice work so far. It's amazing how well that motor is hidden. Martinnfb 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
themongoose Posted March 24, 2020 Author Share Posted March 24, 2020 On 3/22/2020 at 1:57 AM, Gazzas said: Nice work so far. It's amazing how well that motor is hidden. Oh yeah, I hope they didn’t make it just for this plane as it would never be seen if you didn’t do a maintenance scene. Nearly all the major assembly done so far. Got somewhat ahead of myself and threw on the primer before I realized I forgot to add the horizontal stabilizers...I’ve come to believe the value of a WIP is to discover what you left off after looking at a picture of your work These are out of the box seems Shawn M, Landrotten Highlander, Martinnfb and 6 others 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shawn M Posted March 24, 2020 Share Posted March 24, 2020 wow, that IS very promising. Martinnfb 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
themongoose Posted March 25, 2020 Author Share Posted March 25, 2020 Ok paint has started! This is a totally new experience for me. I picked up a ton of MM enamels at an estate sale recently for about 10 cents ea. This gave me all except RLM71 for this build and I need to keep the cost down. Already had enamel thinner so one of my club friends is giving me advice on how to paint with them. I’ve thinned this down to the consistency of milk. It sprayed pretty well i think given no details have been lost in the application A little hard to see it given the satin primer but hopefully it’s good enough for you guys to see how it looks. Any advice or tips is highly appreciated... Alain Gadbois, coogrfan, Gazzas and 3 others 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
themongoose Posted March 27, 2020 Author Share Posted March 27, 2020 Let's add some color! I have located some RLM65 & 71 now so this can continue into the weekend. Without a local hobby shop being open that was harder than expected. Gazzas, Azgaron, coogrfan and 6 others 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shawn M Posted March 27, 2020 Share Posted March 27, 2020 that yellow looks great Martinnfb and Out2gtcha 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
themongoose Posted March 28, 2020 Author Share Posted March 28, 2020 Lots more painting happening today. All the major parts are done. The markings are all airbrushed. Just the red 8 and squadron markings will be decals. That Model Master paint must last forever. I truly wonder how old these are they spray nice and that’s what matters. Later tonight I’ll dullcoat the whole thing and get ready for decaling. now lunch and some outdoor projects on this beautiful day in southern Ohio! Martinnfb, coogrfan, Landrotten Highlander and 2 others 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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