Hasegawa 1/32 Fw 190D-9 Late "Brown 4"

[Thunnus]

Thanks Jim!  Photos revealed some cleanup work on the wing roots was still required!

 

The primer revealed some ghost seams along the wing root that needed to be addressed with finer grit sandpaper.

 

 

Hairspray was applied only on the front of the blades before they were painted RLM 70 Black Green (Mr Hobby Aqueous).  Some minor chipping was created on the leading edges.  The data stencils were from an EagleCal D-9 sheet.

 

 

The tips of the back of the prop blades are worn to show the wood beneath.  Grain is subtle but it's there.  These blades are going to be even further weathered so they are not finished.

 

 

As I start to approach the paint phase, I've cleaned up the clear parts and gave them a dip in Future for that extra bit of clarity.

 

 

The always excellent Eduard masks were applied to the windscreen  Since I'm planning on leaving the canopy open on this Dora, I'm going to paint the interior of the rear edge of the windscreen so it has been masked off as well.

 

 

The small bottom part between the two wheel wells has been glued into place.

 

 

A good portion of the wiring work is still visible so the effort to spruce up this area is not wasted.

 

[Woody V]

The meticulous craftsmanship and attention to detail on this build is inspiring. 

Following with great interest.

Edited September 3, 2022 by Archer Fine Transfers

[John Stambaugh]

Excellent work sir, am very much looking forward to the color coats.

 

[scvrobeson]

Super clean and precise work John.  Looks like it's almost ready for paint. I'm glad that you're deciding to keep the canopy open on this one. Your work deserves to be shown off.

 

 

Matt 

[JayW]

14 hours ago, Thunnus said:

The tips of the back of the prop blades are worn to show the wood beneath.  Grain is subtle but it's there.

 Oh!  Oh!  I want to do that with the Corsair blades.  How did you do that?  Sanding?  Did you do the hairspray in that area on the back of the blades?  

[Thunnus]

Thanks guys!

 

3 hours ago, JayW said:

 Oh!  Oh!  I want to do that with the Corsair blades.  How did you do that?  Sanding?  Did you do the hairspray in that area on the back of the blades?  

I just left the back tips unpainted... no hairspray and just slight micromeshing to get rid of the overspray.  Ideally, I wanted to have some randomly hard edges to this transition but couldn't quite achieve without fear of rubbing away the wood finish down to the plastic so I left it as is.

 

Work on the prop blades continues.  Next up is salt fading.  This is method that is sometimes used for chipping effects but I like it to get a weathered effect on exposed surfaces.  After the blades have been given a flat coat, a thin coat of water is brushed on and then salt crystals are sprinkled onto the wetted surfaces.

 

 

As this dries, the salt crystals will temporarily fuse onto the model surface creating a random patterned mask.

 

 

I use a very diluted mix of a light color (grey or beige) and spray it over the dried salt.  This is the tricky part.  It's REALLY difficult to tell, upon application, what you've just done so you have to spray and pray and check the results afterwards.  As you can see, I tried to streak the light color across the blades, creating a very noticeable and unrealistic effect.

 

 

Because of the inherent uncertainty, salt fading has become an iterative process for me.  I use Micromesh to tone down any overdone effect and repeat the salt process until I get the desired result.  Here are the prop blades after two rounds of salt.  I think we are pretty close to finish on the fronts.

 

 

The prop hub has been painted as well.  It was given a base coat of Alclad Steel, hairsprayed and covered with RLM 70 Black Green (My Hobby Aqueous).  The RLM 70 was scrubbed away significantly but since the Steel is very dark, the low contrast lessens the effect.  The attachment rings were brush painted in a lighter metallic color and then the hub was given a pastel wash and flat coat.

 

 

Getting closer to the painting stage... after attachment of the central wing bottom part, I check the position of the Eagle Editions resin drop tank, making sure that the fuel lines connect to the openings in the wing bottom.

 

 

I stumbled onto these foam paint masks that I cut from a previous Dora build and pressed them back into service.  You can tell that these were for a JV44 build.

 

 

I can't say enough good things about Eduard paint masks. They are usually spot-on in terms of fit and the yellow tape material has that perfect ability to hold a straight line and also be coaxed off that line ever so slightly if necessary and still lay down flat.

 

 

A test of the fit of the clear parts.  The windscreen still have a minute overhang above the sliding canopy and I think I've experienced this every time I use the Eagle Editions resin cockpit.  Since I'm planning to pose the canopy open, this is not an issue for me.

 

[Citadelgrad]

Very nice, John.  Your build logs are a fantastic resource.  Thanks for sharing your methods and the way you get these effects.  I have those H Dahne props in my stash thanks to your builds. 

[Thomas Lund]

Impressive work all around...

 

However I seem to remember - and my memory might be off - that the wooden blades were covered with fabric... so I'm not sure if you'll see wood on a chipped blade... Forgive me if I'm remembering it wrong...

[quang]

Those wooden propeller blades were much tougher than we generally think.
They were not mere firewood painted black (or RLM70). Like @Thomas Lund suggested, they were covered with fabric bonded with thick hard glue which make them as resilient as metal.

We modellers have a tendency to think propellers as a stage prop . Yet they are not mere accessories. They’re as essential to the flight of an airplane as the wing.

Having said that, kudos for your precise and impressive workmanship.

[Thunnus]

4 hours ago, Citadelgrad said:

Very nice, John.  Your build logs are a fantastic resource.  Thanks for sharing your methods and the way you get these effects.  I have those H Dahne props in my stash thanks to your builds. 

Thanks Bill! The HD props are real treasures and amazing to work with.  Not sure how he gets his resin so shiny and smooth but he's the only one that I've experienced that finishes his resin products so nicely.

 

 

4 hours ago, Thomas Lund said:

Impressive work all around...

 

However I seem to remember - and my memory might be off - that the wooden blades were covered with fabric... so I'm not sure if you'll see wood on a chipped blade... Forgive me if I'm remembering it wrong...

 

1 hour ago, quang said:

Those wooden propeller blades were much tougher than we generally think.
They were not mere firewood painted black (or RLM70). Like @Thomas Lund suggested, they were covered with fabric bonded with thick hard glue which make them as resilient as metal.

We modellers have a tendency to think propellers as a stage prop . Yet they are not mere accessories. They’re as essential to the flight of an airplane as the wing.

Having said that, kudos for your precise and impressive workmanship.

Thank you!  Thank you! Yes... maybe... probably correct but I've not heard anything definitive.  Had a somewhat similar conversation on my D-13 build with the wooden flaps.  In the end, showing wood beneath the paint wear is a choice that was made by an individual modeler who is not very knowledgeable in the fabrication of wooden propeller blades in wartime Germany 1944-1945.  I know that they were made of wood but not much besides that except this photo...

 

 

I consider it a pretty small detail in the big scheme of things and am ready to move onwards!  But thanks for the comments as always!

 

 

[Jaro]

Fantastic work on the propeller blades!

[Nighthawk Calling 1]

This is turning into a true masterpiece, those propeller blades are mini works of art, keep up the good work,

[MikeMaben]

Luv the blades John  .  I posted this before but you can see wood colored chips.

 

[Troy Molitor]

I would agree with in Thomas 'concern above (fabric covered blades) and looking at an artifact 77 years plus isn't the same.  (general wear and tear over 77 years). Not to say these epic builds are nothing but breathtaking is an understatement.  John, we follow all your brilliant builds with total amazement.   We mortals just suggest!  Carry on.  

We are the true believers.    Carry on your brilliant artist license as always and forevermore.  Please?    Sensational build going on here.  Wow, wow, wow.   

 

Kindest regards from Catalonia SPAIN.  

 

T

[airscale]

just stunning..

 

when I grow up I want to be able to paint like that...

 

those prop blades are hyper realistic

 

Peter