mywifehatesmodels Posted November 6, 2023 Author Share Posted November 6, 2023 Thanks, Mike! For the next step, I wanted to get the fuselage markings at least "indexed" before painting any more camouflage. In order to do that, without actually painting the markings and having to mask over them again, I made some rough outline masks that would get me a little closer to the shape of the markings and allow me to fill in the camo around them. Here's what that looks like.... and with a little more paint added. After I had surrounded the faux markings as close as I dared to with more paint, I had to come up with a fuselage cross mask. Being a Fieseler built aircraft, it had the smaller than usual fuselage cross. While I do have a beautiful set of Eagle Editions decals for this particular aircraft, my intention was to paint as many of the markings as possible. Therefore, I had purchased a set of Montex masks for a particular A-8, which had the same font number "3" for the fuselage side, but also the wing crosses that would be used. However, it does not have this fuselage cross, so I had to make my own on my daughter's Cricut cutting machine. This was my first go at using this machine all on my own, so it was rough, but I was at least able to get something useable to work with. I applied the wing cross masks on the wing tops, as well as this fuselage cross and painted with Gunze's "Off White". The RLM 83 green looks MUCH lighter and brighter under the LED lighting. The plane does have a darker appearance in person. There's still a bit of camo to do and plenty of little things I want to fix, but it's actually starting to look more like the photos of the original. I'll have to fill in that fuselage cross with a dark camo color, but I'm also leaning towards the possibility of RLM 66. Jerry Crandall was of the opinion that it was not black and I think I may agree. Thanks for watching, John Rocat, Isar 30/07, LSP_Kevin and 11 others 14 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Furie Posted November 6, 2023 Share Posted November 6, 2023 Wow! It is simply sumptuous! Absolutely beautiful, John! Is that RLM 75 I see on both ends of the wings? On the first picture, I have the impression that you sanded the RLM 83 wings with micromesh. Is that just an impression or did you? Denis who will "sharpen" his airbrush to get a result that is close to that !!! daHeld and mywifehatesmodels 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mywifehatesmodels Posted November 6, 2023 Author Share Posted November 6, 2023 Denis, You are correct on both counts. The RLM 75 is from MRP. The wings have been given a rub down with those polishing pads I was referring to in your F-8 thread. They're great for adding a bit of wear to the paint, but in a gentle manner. They can also be used to remove light overspray. John daHeld and Furie 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Furie Posted November 6, 2023 Share Posted November 6, 2023 (edited) When you pass the micromesh on the RLM 83 you do it with a little water or dry? Remove light overspray? Yes, I see what you are talking about, it seems to me that I am also concerned! Edited November 6, 2023 by Furie daHeld 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mywifehatesmodels Posted November 7, 2023 Author Share Posted November 7, 2023 I've done it both ways. Wet picks up the dust better, but either way works. Furie and daHeld 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeMaben Posted November 7, 2023 Share Posted November 7, 2023 Looking good, I like your methodology John. mywifehatesmodels 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mywifehatesmodels Posted November 7, 2023 Author Share Posted November 7, 2023 (edited) Another update for today. I was able to get the center of the fuselage crosses painted in, as well as the splotch of paint that covered the aircraft's previous number "17". As luck would have it, I had some other masks left over from an A-8 that I built, which was number 17, so I used that as a template for these outline masks. The color of the fuselage crosses' centers are AK's RLM 81 Version 2. This color was also a mottled camouflage, surrounding most of the crosses, as seen in the original photos. The color of the overpainted "17" was AK's RLM 76 "Late War Variation", which has a more tan appearance, rather than the usual light blue. I also touched up more of the mottled camo here and there and may do even more fixing in a couple of spots. However, that's enough for tonight. My back is killing me. Happy modelling! John Edited November 7, 2023 by mywifehatesmodels Borsos, patricksparks, Shoggz and 9 others 12 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Volksjager Posted November 7, 2023 Share Posted November 7, 2023 Great work. Love the tones coming from the mixture of colour over the aircraft and how they mix throughout the mottle mywifehatesmodels 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LSP_Kevin Posted November 7, 2023 Share Posted November 7, 2023 Fantastic work, John! Kev mywifehatesmodels 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Troy Molitor Posted November 7, 2023 Share Posted November 7, 2023 Some really nice airbrush work going on here. Thanks for sharing your build with us John. I'm really enjoying this one. mywifehatesmodels 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Borsos Posted November 7, 2023 Share Posted November 7, 2023 Very nice Dora all around! mywifehatesmodels 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mywifehatesmodels Posted November 8, 2023 Author Share Posted November 8, 2023 Today I was able to get the number "3" masked, along with the Gruppe bar and swastika on the tail. I know there has been plenty of discussion regarding the color of the number, being black or blue. I decided to go with black, based on the photos. That's my decision and I'm sticking to it. However, I made another decision that I think I'm going to change, even though it's going to be more of a hassle to do so. That is the swastika. I didn't have a mask that was an exact match for the one in the Eagle Editions decal set, so I went with what I did have and thought it would be close enough. Once I peeled the mask away, after painting, I was surprised to see just how far off it is. The one I painted on the tail is smaller, but also much thicker. I thought about leaving it, but I know it will be something that will drive me nuts every time I look at it. So..... it looks like I'll be making another mask on the Cricut. While I'm at it, I'll do a set of crosses for the underside of the wings, as well. This is another item that I don't have a mask to match for. Being that they are simple black shapes with no borders, it shouldn't be that hard. The difficult part will be removing the existing paint from the tail and doing it a second time, before adding a new mask and marking. I still need to make a custom decal for the Werke Nr., also, so why not add to the "To Do" list? There's still more touch-up work needed in spots. The black used was Tamiya's "Rubber Black" (XF-85, I believe) and I will be dusting it up a bit in the weathering process, so it should have a slightly different appearance than straight up flat black, once completed. Here's what I have at the moment. Cheers, John Landrotten Highlander, MikeMaben, Furie and 7 others 9 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeMaben Posted November 8, 2023 Share Posted November 8, 2023 Wow !!! mywifehatesmodels 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaro Posted November 8, 2023 Share Posted November 8, 2023 Nice mottling, keep going! I'm pretty sure the model will turn out great! mywifehatesmodels 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Furie Posted November 8, 2023 Share Posted November 8, 2023 (edited) Hey John, before I read your message I looked at your pictures and I said to myself: Well, the swastika seems a little thick… And I also think like you that the number was black when looking at the photos. This seems to me the most plausible when comparing the contrast of the number with the crosses: the colors seem identical. To have a realistic black, the idea of rubber black is good but I would mix 50/50 with pure black. As I said for my FW 190, the masks bring a lot of realism, but we have no room for error! Edited November 8, 2023 by Furie daHeld and mywifehatesmodels 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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