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Doubtingmango
Watching

Mr D
Thanks, Appreciate the interest, lm reality new to the hobby about 14 months, finding my way with techniques.
Weathering n panel lines need more learning.
The IAR-80 was decent price from HB and liked the paint scheme...bit different
👍👍

J35J
I'm in!

Mr D
Thanks J35.
Nice to have the interest, HB instructions bit weak!
They said to paint interior charcoal black like on the FW-190.
But l checked n the Romanian lAR interior was grey/blue.
Engine building next 6 parts deal.
Cheers 😃👍

Miguel Vaquero
Looking good mate. Following!!

Mr D
Good to have you along Miguel, engine n wings next,
A small amount of the wing is seen through bottom of cockpit, the HB instructions didn't mention painting it first!!
But the fit of the model be ok so far.
👍👍

Robert Podkoński
Joining the party!

Mr D
Thanks Robert, good to have you on board 👋😀👍

Miguel Vaquero
Love the idea of filling with acrylic, never thought about it. Does it hold well though time?

Mr D
Hi, Yes lve used it alot and holds up really well , l find the fillers a bit messy and more trouble than it's worth on small gaps.
You do need to allow overnight drying with it for best sanding results.
😀👍

Doubtingmango
Brilliant! The putty really can create a mess with finely molded details

NLAWScametovisit
This is extremely clever!!!

Mr D
Yes it has a habit of filling in panel lines n bits not necessary!!
This technique is same as using alot of paint to fill a gap or high build primer ect...just becomes part of the paint layer as it acrylic too.
But it's not for big gaps!! As there is a bit of shrinking overnight.
Be onto marking rivets next step after sanding... Then need to make choices on open or closed canopy???

Kesa Tiho
If anyone dare look away from that then every romanian within a 20 km radius will undo all your progress like a bunch of wolves eating a sheep

Landlubber Mike
Looking really good Mr D!

Mr D
Thanks Mike 👋😀👍.
Ive got the canopy on now, HB do nice clear glass, so I'm having a closed cockpit,
So bit of masking to do there next.
Ive got X2 builds on the go at min.
All the best 👍👍

Miguel Vaquero
I got to get myself a chrome pen. The result on those details look awesome

Mr D
Thanks Miguel, the pen needs a good shake prior to use , if it awkward area you can pump some out n use brush...but work fast.
Best to put a clear over next day as it's bit delicate.

Alexander Perov
Do not forget that the mast of the antenna passes through the windshield and is very clearly visible. This model may come in handy in my albums

Mr D
Ok thanks Alexander, HB didnt make the Mast installation very clear, the show it just glued on the top, will be very weak!! I've seen one build and it's come away!!
I'm going to use steel rod.
👍👍

Guy Rump
Following with interest! 👍

Mr D
Thanks Guy.... good to have you around 😃👍

Miguel Vaquero
Looking amazing. That camo Is on point 👌👌

Mr D
Thanks Miguel 👍 the office-tak used to mask.
Will try panel lines n wash for first time on this one
😁👍👍

gorby
Looking excellent so far!

Mr D
Thanks Gorby 😁👍 Appreciate it.
Got the Flat Clear on now....look at some chipping next.

Mr D
Cheers Garry V👍👍

Trez
Smart kit, like the bubble canopy and cockpit is a little different. Assume they based this craft on the Fw190…

Mr D
Hi Trez 👋
Yes they were heavily influenced by German technology, the Germans wanted them to help support on the eastern front and protect the oilfields there.
It's a nice looking Aircraft, l liked the colour scheme and thought it be nice change n addition to my collection.
Canopy a nice easy mask.
😃👍

Zbynek Honzik
I must say, this project of yours is turning out very nicely, Mr D! I'm enjoying watching it! 👍🙋🏼‍♂️

Mr D
Thanks Zbynek😁👍
Great to have your interests, nearly there now, l can get started on the paint on my Beriev Be-6 soon.
👋👍

Mr D
Cheers Jose👋👍

Miguel Vaquero
It's turning out a beauty!!

Mr D
Hi Miguel 👋, thanks 👍
Just Antenna work n few little bits to finish.
Waiting for some 0.1mm stainless wire.

Alexander Perov
Well, they said, they said, and you did everything wrong, probably you never looked at this model in my albums

Mr D
Hi Alexandra.
I only just found your Album on IAR,
It's very good.... I've only been in the hobby for Months and im learning really, l know the antenna isn't accurate, l wanted it to be strong n durable.

gorby
Only a tiny number of people will either know or care if the antenna isn't accurate Mr D – I didn't know and now that I do, I still don't care. 😄
The antenna looks good and that's all that matters, that fact you've managed to get as good as you have at modelling in such a short space of time is remarkable.
At the end of the day it's only a bloody model and this is only a bloody hobby – not a moral crusade to populate the planet with totally accurate replicas of the real thing. I haven't got a problem if other people want to count every rivet on their own model, but annoys me when they expect it of others.
Just have fun. 🙂

Robert Podkoński
👍

Mr D
Hi Gorby 👋😃.
Good to catch up.
Thanks 👍 lm happy as with it as l see I've improved a bit on previous models.
The Antenna design was begging to break n go wrong the designed way, first antenna...l want to play bit safe.
Everyone has different abilities and l respect them all.
Good luck with your projects 👍

Mr D
Hi Robert 👋😃👍

Robert Podkoński
Trez has asked about the origins of this plane - in fact the whole fuselage was taken (copied) from PZL P.24, of which Romanians have acquired the licence before the II WW.

Mr D
Hi Robert 👋.
I will have to look up the PZL P.24 .
There is a YouTube video about the IAR-80 l watched it was quite interesting, the Germans supplied them with some tech, l know the fuselage had to be extended to get CG right.... hence the long fornt-end.
I really liked the look of the model and the colour scheme..... I thought it would make a nice addition to my display.....bit of variation.
The Soviet's ended up with a few after the war .....and used them as fighter trainers....Just green with red star.

Mr D
Hi Zbynek 👋... thanks 👍

Robert Podkoński
This is a very cool looking airplane indeed, Mr D.

Mr D
Thanks for your likes everyone 😁👍
Almost finished.

Spanjaard
strange, I just commented in two albums, and I could see them on top of the newsfeed.
anyway, bugs are to be reported (if I am not mistaken) in "Feature request" instead of "Data suggestions"

Spanjaard
if you still have the issue, I suggest that you provide a link to the album where it happened and some information about browser used etc, I am sure our webmaster will ask just for that 😉

scalemates
just tested, and it works. did you maybe have a filter enabled?

Skyhiker
No, It was happening for about a half an hour. I'm not sure why but I know I didn't have a filter on. It's working now so it must have been a fluke. I'll let you know if it happens again.

scalemates
thx! (will mark it as fixed, but can reopen if needed)

Skyhiker
Nice f-16. Which kit did you use? I wasn't aware that the CJ's are covered in 'have glass' or is that artistic license?

A K
I used the tamiya kit w full loadout, and i may have made a mistake with the variant. it is a c.

Skyhiker
Looks good to me 🙂

M4A1
Does anybody know if there is a webshop in the European Union where separate Asuka sprues can be ordered?

M4A1
Finished assembling the bogies. Always nice to have 6 bogies assembled considering the amount of parts per bogie.

M4A1
Added the bogies and put the both hull parts together. It's dry fit. But it shows that this Firefly is coming together nicely.

M4A1
Working on the base of this project. The Sherman is ready to be painted.

M4A1
The Firefly had it's coat of black primer.

Ben M
Looks great so far!

M4A1
Thanks Ben!

M4A1
The Firefly has got it's base color. It's Tamiya olive green made lighter with Tamiya lemon yellow. When I'm done wheatering the tank will have a darker tone. I've started with chipping before adding washes and drybrushes. This time I've used chipping medium of Vallejo. It's the first time I'm using it. The Sherman got 2 layers of grey, dark and light, and the olive green color. After each grey layer I applied a layer of chipping medium. In the tutorial I've watched it looked pretty easy, in reality I found it quite challenging. On some spots more green paint came off then intended. Clearly I need to find my way with this technique.

M4A1
Started painting the details and adding decals. Always brings a model to life.

M4A1
Started building the Asuka Firefly. No pics from the actual build but Asuka builts very nice and fast. Everything fits very well. Using a detail set from Black Dog with the hessian camouflage. Started to add hessian tape made from masking tape to make the transitions from the hull to the pieces of tape more smooth. Also pictured are the tank crew busts I'm gonna use.

M4A1
Figure busts are from Resicast. I really like the stuff Graham from Resicast makes.

M4A1
I'm gonna add additional stuff on the front part the hull. First I have to finish the lower hull part with the suspension and finish the tracks because the hessian tape pieces cover the upper part of the tracks and hull. Then upper and lower hull parts can be glued together and additional stuff like spare tracks and/or boxes can be adder.

Michael Osadciw
Nice! I'm using the same kit for a French did soon. Good to hear it went together well as its my first Asuka kit.

Michael Osadciw
I'm curious: once you have the figs in the hatches is it obvious at all that this kit has no turret interior or 17pdr breech?

M4A1
Thanks Michael! Currently building 4 Asuka Sherman kits and they all are excellent. When you use the Asuka turret and you put full figures in the turret you won't see that the kit hasn't turret interior because they will fill most of the hatch opening. The turret I'm using here is the turret of the Black Dog detail set. In that toen there's only room for half figures.

M4A1
Gave the Firefly it's first layer of gray paint. Build the MiniArt British tank riders with heads of Hornet I'm gonna use. Also working on the Bronco T62 workable tracks instead of the belt type tracks in the kit. This is not a project I'm working on regularly, but more as a side project while working on others.

M4A1
Finished construction of the Bronco tracks. They fit well. Next step is painting and wheatering. The pictures show the dry fit of the tracks.

Jan Peters
Almost in my hometown... I will follow this one 🙂

M4A1
Thanks Jan. 🙂 Nice to read.

Pepe
Atento!!!

M4A1
Thanks. 🙂

M4A1
After a long time working on this one again. The Firefly has got it's base color.

M4A1
Gave the Sherman a wash to make it darker and started painting the details.

Skyhiker
My next big project is turning this FROG into a Prince. Wish me luck I'm going to need it.

Moreno Baruffini
Good luck! 👍

Robert Podkoński
Ambitious! Keep my fingers crossed!

Nicolas
I'm following. In my opinion the Ta-152H is the most beautiful plane of WW II. I got the kit from Kora in my stash and hope to start the build in spring this year. Good luck and, above all, have fun building it.

Skyhiker
Nicolas, I agree. It's a long, lean, fighting machine as they say. Definitely one of the more elegant designs to come out of the war.

DerMattes
Taking a seat 🙂

Skyhiker
I had to widen the fuselage today, in order to make space, before I scratch build the cockpit.

Jennifer Franklin
Following 👀

Skyhiker
Bit more done today.

Lukas Muller
good job 🙂 Following

Łukasz Gliński
Respect for your patience 👍

Martin Nevo
this is going to be awsome.
I am picking kits that are near perfect so I have fun.
but there are also people who pick not-so-perfect-kits like this Ta152 and they still have loads of fun!
GL 🙂

Skyhiker
Well mostly I pick not-so-perfect-kits because I'm a cheap skate. I'd rather pay 6 euros than 40 for a kit. I do have some moderately priced kits and they are a lot faster and fun to make, but often I just have the need to challenge myself and see where my skill level is at.

Rui
This looks like a real challenge; I'm watching 🙂

Moreno Baruffini
@Skyhiker: I totally like your approach and I think you did a great start!

Martin Nevo
same here @Skyhiker, I really like the 6eur price point. so affordable. probably thats why I started to look into the 1/144 scale 🙂

Skyhiker
A bit more progress on the scratch built cockpit today.

Jennifer Franklin
Excellent work on the exhausts, and the cockpit is coming along nicely.

Skyhiker
I did a bit more today but I can't seem to get any images to upload. Anyone else having these problems?

Treehugger
Looking at photo #17 I want to give a tip:
I would be a little careful keeping the roll of masking tape on the table. I like keeping them in a holder, or placed in a bag, to avoid the side of the roll picking up all kind of dirt.

Skyhiker
Yes, I keep my tapes in a bag but it doesn't seem to help as well as it should. I think I need a better bag. When I photograph things at this scale there is more dust than I realize.

Jennifer Franklin
I can finally upload my images again now, I was having problems too.

Skyhiker
Thanks Jennifer

Skyhiker
Treehugger I cleaned my tape and got a new bag. Thanks for pointing that out. No need for fuzzy tape.

Skyhiker
Cowling remade with a lot of sanding, cutting new flaps and a PE grill.

Moreno Baruffini
Really a great progress!

Skyhiker
Thanks Moreno, I am having fun with this one.

Skyhiker
I have to take a break and will be back in a week. I must say I am in love with this plane. It's really a beautiful design with those long wings. I can't wait to get back to it.

Lukas Muller
I'm agree with you, one of the most beautiful plane for me 👍

Dave Flitton
I like it so far!

Guy Rump
I'm going to build this one from my stash this year, definitely following! 👍

Skyhiker
The canopy was totally uneven and so I decided to do the risky thing and file it from the inside. Hopefully I didn't just ruin it.

Vincent
This is already an impressive build. Good luck!!!

Skyhiker
Worked a bit on the cockpit today.

Oliver
Follow. Want to See the result

Skyhiker
This kit has its flaws but nothing that can't be corrected with a little bit of skill. Are there more accurate kits out there that are easier to build - yes. But the modern trend of wanting perfect kits seems counter to the art of modeling. If you have ever built a model from a block of wood you wouldn't call this kit useless. Challenging or time consuming I can agree with but it is not crap.

Skyhiker
I haven't given up yet. Sometimes life forces me to take breaks but I hope to get back into this one soon. I have to put a lot of tiny details in the cockpit next and I need the right head space for that. Kits like these take time and often I will start easier kits mid process to keep things flowing. I absolutely agree that reboxing old kits without a mold date is deceptive. Thankfully with this site we can look up the history and sometimes see the sprues before buying anything. I've only had one kit that I couldn't do anything with. I bought it for 20 bucks opened up and threw it directly in the trash. That was a Top Gun F/A-18 Hornet snap kit, which really was a piece of shit.

Remco van Haren
Following. Really looking forward to the end result.
Especially since I built this kit myself last year. Although I didn't put so much effort and detail into it as you are doing.

Johne 69
So gar so good 👍

Skyhiker
I added a bit of detail to the scratch built cockpit today.

Skyhiker
Worked on the canopy and tried to figure out how the scratch built cockpit will fit into the body.

Skyhiker
I corrected the seat position today.

Skyhiker
Added some space for the wheels

Skyhiker
Trez your message is pretty cryptic. Are you talking about panel lines or internal wing structures? The last photo is just a dry fit. I haven't started with dealing with any panel lines yet. I've been working on the inside of the wing walls to make something that gives an impression of space for the wheels.

Skyhiker
Trez, thanks for your ideas. I'm using a lot of photos and the instructions from a 1:32 model to help figure out what is going on. This little model is a challenge to correct but I'm having fun pushing my skills and learning as I go.

Moreno Baruffini
I'm really enjoying this build! 👍👍👍

Skyhiker
I worked out most of the cockpit issues today. It's not perfect but I got it in there.

Skyhiker
Moreno, I'm glad you're liking it. This is kinda pushing my skills a bit. We'll see what happens in the end together.

Skyhiker
Getting this kit to accept a cockpit was like pounding a square peg through a round hole. I had to reshape the whole damn fuselage.

Patrick Hagelstein
Whoah!!! Amazing what you did to that old tooling! Very cool to watch! 👍🏼

Skyhiker
Thank you Patrick. I'm trying. We will see if it works.

Bruce Huxtable
Really liking what you're doing, Skyhiker, and learning lots too. Impressed with your skills 🙂

Łukasz Gliński
What is that superglue thingy?

Skyhiker
Łukasz the shape of the hood is really off in the kit. The superglue is just material for me to try and sculpt into a better hood.

Łukasz Gliński
I was just wondering if you have mixed it with something

Skyhiker
No, It's just cheap super glue from a discount store that I poured right from the tube and hardened with accelerator.

Skyhiker
Started reshaping the fuselage today.

Skyhiker
Hood work today.

Nicolas
That looks very messy. But as long as it works, and it looks promising.

Skyhiker
Yes, very messy but it works. Old school style.

Patrick Hagelstein
The effort put into this is just amazing! 👌🏼

Skyhiker
More work on the exhausts today.

Moreno Baruffini
The true essence of modelling!

Skyhiker
I began rescribing the panel lines today. This will take a bit of time.

Tony Cooke
Dedication!!

Skyhiker
Bruce, thanks for your encouragement. It definitely helps.

Dave Flitton
That's a lot of work!

Skyhiker
Well the fine engraving blade I just bought broke within a day of use. Very frustrating.

Skyhiker
Luckily I bought a .02 mm blade in addition to the .01 mm that broke. It will have to do even though I would prefer the lines to be a little bit thinner.

Skyhiker
I finished the panel lines on the underside of the wings today.

Vincent
Impressive work!! Keep it up!

Patrick Hagelstein
Amazing progress! Once you go the route of updating such an old kit, there's no way back, is there?

Skyhiker
Thanks Patrick, your right there is always more to discover and do. I'm having fun with it. Of course I have no idea what it will look like in the end. I'm spending far too many hours allowing myself to be lost in process. But if that's what it takes, why not?

Skyhiker
It's amazing how every kit I look at of a FW Ta 152 H is different. All the photos of the original aircraft are so blurry that details are impossible to pick out, so I'm left with looking at kits and guessing which ones are correct.

Skyhiker
Anyone out there with a book on the TA 152? I'm trying to figure out if the top of the flaps have a vertical line down the center of them or not. From underneath there is a line there but I am getting conflicting images of the top surface. Can anyone post a decent image?

DerMattes
I looked through some of my books and picture collection. But to find even a picture of the Ta152 is rare. 🙁

Skyhiker
Thanks Mattes. There are a few decent books out there but they go for 80 Euros and I can't afford that. I doubt the library would have anything worth while. Maybe the model shop will let me look through one of their books but usually they are sealed in foil. Hopefully someone here has something. Getting panel lines correct is not so easy. Even worse are the rivets.

Skyhiker
I found this image which clearly shows the flaps divide in two sections. Interestingly the sections are not even like the underside.
[img1]

DerMattes
Maybe this would be helpful? flugzeugclassic.de/f..hlands-bester-jaeger
I do not have the magazine, but kind of stumbled over the link 😉

Skyhiker
That's cool Mattes. Thanks for the tip.

Ben M
I admire you trying to make something of this kit.

Skyhiker
Thanks Ben, this kit gets a bad rap. It's not as bad as people make it out to be. Of course I am putting a lot of work into it to make it better. But if its done straight out of the box it's not that bad. The backwards propeller is a stupid engineering mistake but that's an easy fix.

AndreasK
Nice project, Skyhiker. And really stunning what you achieved so far. 👍🏻

Sy Bar
Can't wait to see fruits of your hard work 🍿

Skyhiker
I'm worked on the top side of the wings today.

Skyhiker
Panel lines... panel lines and more panel lines...

Matthew A
Owch

Skyhiker
Yeah, I was a little heavy handed, but it's not a problem. I just glued it back together. I prefer trenching and filling over trying to get the lines the exact depth overall and then accidentally sanding away lines. The only problem with using this method is the deep panel lines can make the model unstable in places if you are not careful. But in the end it should all work out.

Skyhiker
I am slowly moving forward on the panel lines behind the scenes. This is the part I have to force my way through because I don't really enjoy it. But it is coming along and I could have some photos soon.

Patrick Hagelstein
Looking forward to that! 😊

J35J
Good progress, great craftmanship!👍🏻

Skyhiker
Got most of the panel lines down. I still have to do the bottom.

Moreno Baruffini
I personally ate re-scribing, so my admiration for you is huge!

Skyhiker
Thank you Moreno, re-scribing is definitely the part that's the least fun for me too. Some days I have to force myself just to do one line. If you do that once a day eventually it gets done. But yeah, re-scribing sucks.

Skyhiker
Big step made with attaching the wings. It makes me feel like I am moving forward after all.

Patrick Hagelstein
There ya go! 😄

Skyhiker
Wing plates are made.

Pietro De Angelis
An impressive amount of work, your patience and skills are incredible, congrats!

Skyhiker
Thank you Pietro.

Thomas Kolb
Wow, what an insane amount of work you put into this project! I am humbled by your perseverance and attention to detail!

Skyhiker
Thanks Thomas, I enjoy the process of trying to figure out how to do stuff. The model is just an added bonus in the end.

Skyhiker
Today I continued with the landing gear. A few pictures added.

Moreno Baruffini
As I wrote above, it's the true essence of modelling!

Skyhiker
Thanks Moreno. I'm having fun with it, mostly. The panel lines were a drag but I got through that part. Hopefully after the primer I won't have to any major touch ups. But we will see. One step at a time...

Skyhiker
Primer started!

Johne 69
Nice Details 👍

Skyhiker
Yesterday and today I filled the panel lines to the appropriate depth.

Patrick Hagelstein
This keeps on being cool to watch! 👍🏼

Vincent
Watching you making process is indeed great to watch. The plane is starting to look great!

Moreno Baruffini
Wow! How do you filled the lines? How was you able to calculate the exact quantity?

Skyhiker
Moreno, I used an engraving tool to cut deep lines and then I rubbed white putty into them. By rubbing the excess off it automatically brings the lines to just below the surface of the model. As the lines dry they also shrink a bit. So, it was not too hard to do. The trick is to use enough water and a brush to apply the putty and to use enough water on a paper towel or cotton bud to remove the excess. Hard to get to areas need to be cleaned up with a wooden tooth pick.

Robert Podkoński
I never would believe that the base kit is a Revell's offering.... Awesome job!

Moreno Baruffini
@Skyhiker: Super! Many thanks for the explanation!

Alec K
Great project and some serious dedication to a challenging tooling 👍

Skyhiker
I worked on some details today. Tomorrow I will give it another coat of primer and hopefully start the riveting.

S M
Wow this is borderline masochistic👍

Skyhiker
I am debating with myself when the best time to do riveting is. If you do it before priming you run the risk of filling the holes. If you do it after priming it makes it harder to correct mistakes. If you do it after the final paint job you run the risk of fucking everything up. Anyone have any experience with riveting?

Matthew A
I think you typed f when you should have typed m

Skyhiker
I stand corrected. Thanks.

Alec K
Regarding riveting: I have done it before priming but I don't see why you could not do it after. You'l have to sand after as the riveter leaves 'rings' around each divot (as it pushes the plastic out). In my experience, a thin coat of primer has negligible impact on the rivet holes (if it had, this would be a problem with any factory-riveted kit).

Skyhiker
Alec, I tend to agree with you. My thoughts on doing the riveting after the primer was that the rivets may remain a bit better defined. But I am not convinced. I think I will have to do some tests for the future. By riveting before and after the primer on some styrene, then spraying a color coat over both should give me a better idea of which I prefer. Right now I feel like I prefer not doing it at all, because riveting is a pain. But that's just me feeling sorry for myself for wanting to do a half way decent job on this kit. I do wish I could find some reliable riveting guides for this plane. It seems like everyone is just guessing at it.

Skyhiker
I got some riveting done today.

Patrick Hagelstein
That riveting looks very impressive! 👌🏼

Skyhiker
Thanks Patrick, I haven't mastered riveting or panel lines yet but I'm learning. I am pretty limited in my tools and the scale is not the easiest. But with practice and study I hope to improve.

Skyhiker
I've realized that one of the benefits of doing the riveting after the primer is that you can make sure that most of the sanding is completed. However inevitably there are areas that get messed up and sanding is required after all. I just haven't found the perfect solution.

Sy Bar
Enjoying your progress a lot, the transformat is amazing.
I must say your plans are so clear and great reference where do you get your plans like these from, I search the tinternet but never find any as useful as your plans, any extra guidance would be appreciated

Skyhiker
I drew my plans on the computer by looking at various images on the internet. Unfortunately I haven't found any place to download great paneling or riveting guides. There is a Russian website that has blueprints that I sometimes use but I'm not sure if it is still available. I didn't use it for this project.

Skyhiker
Sy Bar, which plane will you be doing next? I can look around for blueprints and see if I can find anything useful.

Sy Bar
Cheers Skyhiker v kind offer and thanks for the info. Not sure what will be next and if plans will be required but I'll keep you in mind should the need arise.
Keep up the work I'm loving watching the progress 👍

Skyhiker
Widened the wing roots and I am continuing with the riveting today. Also I did a lot of research on the proper colors to use, which was not as easy as one would think. They certainly are not what the instructions say.

Moreno Baruffini
Great work as usual! I'm curious about the colours: aren't they the late RLMs?

Skyhiker
The colors are late RLM colors but not exactly as the instructions say. To start with they call for the hood to be RLM83 which of course is wrong, since in actuality that was a marine color and blue. Many paint manufacturers have some type of green with that number but it was based on a typing mistake in the original RLM records. I believe the hood should be RLM73 as in the original photos it is a bit darker than 81. The fuselage is RLM81 and RLM82, but there were three variants of 81, two that were brownish and one more green. The green is the correct one for this plane. The under carriage is RLM76, but once again we have three variants to choose from; one that is greyer, one bluer and one more tan colored. The greyer one is correct. There is confusion about whether the nose is red or black. I still have to do more research on this. I believe the propeller blade was RLM70

Moreno Baruffini
Many thanks! Super explanation! 😀

Skyhiker
I hope to be finished with the riveting today. Most of my time was spent trying to figure out which of the conflicting diagrams was closest to the original. I don't know if I got it right since there are no surviving planes left.

Oleksii
Great Work on this old Revell Kit and there is still one surviving aircraft.In National Air and Space museum.
airandspace.si.edu/c..11/nasm_A19600317000

Skyhiker
National Air and Space museum has a different version of this plane. It is very similar but there are a lot of differences.

Oleksii
Ouh okay, thank you

Skyhiker
Worked on a bunch of details today.

Skyhiker
I redid the engine today and laid down a second layer of primer. The rivet lines came out well. There are just a few small touch ups on the engine cover and wing tips to do before I start on the wings.

DerMattes
Fantastic work, looks like a different kit!

Skyhiker
Thanks DerMattes. It's more a scratch build than a kit at this point. It's starting to come together. I still have a while to go though. How is a scratch build defined at the official contests?

Hans-Jürgen Haag
From an old crow to an up to date beauty! Owsom project!👍👍👍

J35J
It's like you are building a vac kit with the amount of work and attention to details you are putting into this build. Impressive and inspiring!👍🏻

Skyhiker
I made a gunsight out of 7 scratch built parts that is only one millimeter in size.

Nicolas
The gunsight looks fantastic.

Alec K
Indeed, looks awesome 👍

Skyhiker
Next I have to try and repair or replace the front windshield. Somehow it cracked when I was sanding it down. Is it me or do the clear parts on Revell kits always have problems?

Skyhiker
Well I painted the propeller today but afterwards I had to clean my Iwata airbrush and change the needle. Unfortunately the needle noozle broke off in my airbrush and there is no way to fix it! Now I have to rely on a cheap Chinese knock off to finish painting until I can save an extra 150 bucks to buy a new airbrush.

Nicolas
That sucks. I'd love to lend you my second airbrush, but unfortunately that's also just an old Chinese product at the moment. Probably wouldn't help much.

Nicolas
What now? Aftermarket or scratchbuild canopy?

Skyhiker
I will try scratch building the canopy if that doesn't work I will have to get a vacuform machine.

Duster_d
I wish I could add another like for your vacuum machine! Man, you're really cool!

Ben M
Never give up.

Skyhiker
And the results are in.

Ben M
Did you follow a tutorial? Very interested in how you did this

Skyhiker
No, I just needed to make a canopy so I first tried replacing the front windshield with a clear plastic piece from a CD cover and glueing the original side windows to it but when I finished it was too thick. So then I made the front windshield out of thin plastic sheet from some packaging I had laying around. That worked but the bubble canopy was now too thick. So I tried making a bubble canopy by heating up some of the plastic sheet over a candle and pressing it down over the original with my fingers but that didn't really work. I only got one that looked right but I burnt it so I realized I needed to use a vacuum and change my heat source. My hair dryer runs so hot it overheats and turns off, so I tried that with the vacuum and it worked. You just need to tape the plastic on a piece of cardboard with a hole cut into it and practice. You can make the vacuum screen out of anything. I just used an old sanding disc that I punched holes into and taped down on my sweeper.

Ben M
I'm not sure I can visualize that yet but I'll see if there's something on YouTube. I have a truck I need to make a windshield for.

Mr D
🤣🤣 love the vacform 😁, l split the canopy on my little mig-23 project, to heavy with the Quetip/ ear cleaner!!
I used toaster n paintbrush end 🤣, it worked...but was just a little 1/144 mig-23, it's my wall.
The homebrew job was clearer than the original 🙄,
Would love a little vacform.
Love the scale detail you go to.
👍👍👍

Skyhiker
Ben here is an example I found on YouTube of vacuforming. youtube.com/shorts/GFSJxs51uoY?feature=shared

Ben M
Thank you!

Jennifer Franklin
I will have to bookmark that reference, love it Skyhiker!

Skyhiker
Just make sure that the plastic you are heating up is polystyrene and not PVC. You don't want to poison yourself with heavy chemicals. Polystyrene is bad enough. And don't use your oven or anything that will be in contact with food.

Skyhiker
I made another canopy. This time as one piece. After painting I will try to separate it.

Mr D
That canopy has come out nice n clear.👌
I think it would be nice model with closed canopy also.
I like closed as keeps the dust out n preservation on cockpit.... Little time capsule too.
Doing a good job, persistence is a good trait in this hobby 🙄😆.
I've spent more time making a missing gun turret.! Than on the rest of the build !!

Skyhiker
Working on the landing gear today.

DerMattes
You mean you build an entirely new landing gear, right? At least this is how it looks 😉 Impressive work and dedication!

George D Munro
Cannot wait to see more. Amazed at the effort expended to correct, such an old kit. Reminds me of a favorite saying of a long lost friend. "that wouldn't stop a good modeler". A good modeler you are. I thought Inwas pretty good, but am in awe of your talent and dedication. Am following

Mr D
An amazing amount of improvement and scratch work to improve the model.
Very impressive..👍👍

Skyhiker
Thanks guys. I'm trying. Learning a lot on this model. It certainly is a challenge, but I'm having fun.

Skyhiker
So, the legs are on now.

Mr D
Can l ask what the 🕯️ candle wax was for?? I was guessing 🤔 maybe to build up higher for super glue. ? I like watching builds as you can learn new skills.
Also if you don't mind, how did you thin down the retract arms ...looked machine down.
Enjoyed watching so far being fascinating,
I built the Revell FW-190 this year ...that wasn't to bad.... Few of the engine fan blades hadn't been moulded in !! So l built them back with super glue gell, back wheel was fragile n came off. But rest ok .
Thanks 👍👍

Skyhiker
Mr D. The candle is used as a receptacle for the super glue. It helps to keep the super glue from setting. By putting it on wax and covering it with foil it will remain in a liquid form for a whole day. The retractable arms were made from styrene rod and stretched sprue. The thick end is the rod. The thin end is sprue and the raised area is very thin sprue wrapped around it.

Mr D
Thanks for the info 👍👍.
Have you tried super glue gel?? It's slow to dry but builds up more.well.

Skyhiker
No, I haven't had a need for that. I just use cheap super glue. 5 tubes for a Euro.

Skyhiker
I gave the wings a boost.

Robert Podkoński
WOW. I admire your perseverance!

Mauricio
Impressive work, I am currently working on a similar kit, I didn't know whether to repanel, but I don't think I have reached that level that you achieve... excellent, I will follow your work closely!!!

Skyhiker
Welcome Mauricio

Skyhiker
Starting to paint a bit now.

Greg Baker
I've got one of these in the stash and every time I look at it I go "nahhh..." and grab something else to work on. This project has given me hope that something good can be done with that kit. Nice work!

Skyhiker
Thanks Greg. With enough attention it can be pretty decent. I guess it just depends on how much time you want to invest. Certainly there are better and easier kits on the market. But I enjoy reworking old kits every once in a while to push my skills. Just painting perfectly molded kits somehow doesn't seem like modeling to me.

Kesa Tiho
Very nice finish so far, following with interest

Skyhiker
Well I broke both retractable arms from the landing gear today. Tomorrow I will have to come up with a better solution. Luckily I just got a shipment of brass tubing that just might work.

Mr D
@Skyhiker
It can be one step forward n two back sometimes!!
I've had few instances this week...paint to re-do and now bit of glue gone on my tire!
Good luck with brass tube🤞.
Can't be as bad as a snapped canopy 🙄....keep going 🤣

Skyhiker
I think this back and forth that I experience with every model is just the plight of being an intermediate model maker. I hope to one day have enough experience that things go easy but maybe that's just wishful thinking.

Mr D
That brass tube is better job around 👌. nice n strong.
Wouldn't mind some myself?? 🤣
Every day's a school day..🤣 always learning hopefully, you must be doing something right as you have alot of interest in the project.. Enjoying the process is most important part.

Skyhiker
So, today when I woke up I realized that there was a problem with the horizontal stabilizers. So I had to take them off and rebuild them. If course that lead me to seeing more areas that needed sanding. In the process of sanding I knocked off the wing tips and canopy. Glued them back on. Polished things up and tomorrow I will give it another spray of polished aluminum.

Mr D
Hi Skyhiker 😃👍
Chin up...and move on, .... These are the times when we say "l just want to get this built now" 🤣
I nearly messed up my current IAR-80 build from the first step's .... assembled the cockpit floor upside down!! Assuming and not double visual checking! Could have screamed 😲. Anyway....l cut X3 levers n rudder pedals off n glued on right side ... Just about recovered it.
I didn't think the VS's looked to far off ?? The 190 had bit of dihedral... But not the 152.
Do you use PVA on canopy ??
Good luck on next steps..... Getting near finish line now😁👍👍

Skyhiker
I am using Glue n Glaze (a type of PVA) on the canopy because I will need to remove it later and cut it apart to have an open canopy.

Skyhiker
I laid some color down today.

Mr D
The intake looks really good now 👌

Skyhiker
Thanks Mr D. I added a bit of dry brushing and will start with the main color tomorrow.

Skyhiker
It not easy being green.

Mr D
🤣
Doing ok👍 nice when a bit of colour starts going on.
I'm at painting stage on my project.
Does this one have any mottling? Like on the 190 ??

Skyhiker
I got the camo laid down.

Mr D
That answer my question? 🤣
That's come out good, nice balance 👍👍 it's easy to over do it .
Looking good 👌

Dave Flitton
Them paint is looking very nice!

Skyhiker
Thanks Dave, it took me a while because my airbrush was giving me trouble and the paint is finicky. Unfortunately I broke my good airbrush last month. But with enough persistent I think I made something presentable.

Skyhiker
It's getting so close to being a model I can't wait. 🙂

Skyhiker
The painted on the markings today.

Ben M
Outline on the 9 looks good!

Mr D
Hi Skyhiker 👋
Nice.... looking good, the striping set's it off nice and number's ....not easy to cut out numbers.... takes time., Works paying off..👍👍👍

S M
Clever way to make number 9 mask!

Skyhiker
I considered printing my own decals but the white decal paper I have is way too thick. So, I tried a bunch of ways to make the number on a piece of paper but the thin black line was always giving me trouble until I tried painting the green by hand. That worked.

Mauricio
Excellent progress!!! I have mine paralyzed (of course I don't reach the scratch level that you implemented) and I just need to start the painting job.
Seeing your work helps motivate; I hope to do something these days.

Mr D
It's been great the way you have documented the build, l think us modders.... like to see the nuts n bolts of things.
It's encouraged me to scratch up all the missing details to my current Be-6 build.
👍👍👍⚡

Greg Baker
So great! It might not work for this build, but in the past, I've used homemade decals on white backing and laid them down on the undercoat. Then I seal them with a coat of Future (but any clear coat would probably do) and then CAREFULLY mask them and paint over them. If you use small enough bits of tape, it usually come off without tearing the decal and the blending is MUCH less noticeable than applying it on top of the paint. Something to try for next time maybe.

Skyhiker
Greg, the decal sheet I have is too thick for 1:72 scale. I've used it in the past and while I did get it to work the quality wasn't good enough for me to do it again unless there is no other way. I need to find a thinner sheet or a local printer that can make decals.

Jennifer Franklin
It is looking great. I hope you manage to figure out the decal problem.

Skyhiker
I got the decals done today. After sealing again I will try to open the cockpit and install the head plate.

Mr D
Look great buddy👌👍
The extra work in the wheel bays looks good....cross sets it off nice 👍

Skyhiker
I just realized I forgot to put the decals on the tail. Will do that in the morning.

Skyhiker
I got the canopy off today and cut it in two. I'm doing a lot of clean up to get the cockpit ready.

Rui S
Looking great 👍

Moreno Baruffini
Really looking great 👍🏻

Mr D
They look 😃👍 brilliant
The super glue molding techniques....worked out great .
I've been using it on my little ZiL truck side project.
I need to source a sticker for my fw tail l think.
Good luck with canopy 🤞👍👍👍

Skyhiker
I finished this Odyssey today! Pictures will follow soon.

Moreno Baruffini
And finally you obtained a Prince!!!

Mr D
Brilliant...look forward to photos... been great to follow 😃👍

Skyhiker
Well I finally have this epic journey finished. I gave this Frog kit a long hard kiss. You'll have to tell me if it turned into a Prince or not. I certanly I learned a few things in the process. Thanks to everyone for your support and commitments.

Skyhiker
Thanks for the encouragement Alec K, AndreasK, Ben M, Bruce Huxtable, Dave Flitton, DerMattes, Duster_d, Greg Baker, Guy Rump, Hans-Jürgen Haag, Jennifer Franklin, J35J, Johne 69, Kesa Tiho, Lukas Muller, Łukasz Gliński, Martin Nevo, Matthew A, Mauricio, Moreno Baruffini, Mr D, Nicolas, Oleksii, Oliver, Patrick Hagelstein, Pietro De Angelis, Remco van Haren, Robert Podkoński, Rui, Rui S, S M, Sy Bar, Thomas Kolb, Tony Cooke, Treehugger, and Vincent.

Skyhiker
Gee, I just realized I only took a little over 10 months to finish a 2 day build. A new record for me. Lol

Mr D
🤣.
It's takes as long as it takes..... Weekend addition 🤣 l can't finish a little 1:44 in a weekend .
Congratulations... well done... looking good, you put a lot of time n personal touches into build.
👌😁👍

Guy Rump
Well done, looks great! 👍

Skyhiker
What do you guys think, Prince or still a Frog?

Robert Podkoński
Great job, Skyhiker! It'e a prince, no doubt. And I really wish I had so much perseverance...

Duster_d
An excellent completion of a great work! 👍

Vincent
Amazing journey! Great result in the end. This was fun to follow!

Nicolas
The modell looks absolutly phantastic. 👍

Pietro De Angelis
👏👏👏👍

Moreno Baruffini
👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👏🏻

S M
Congrats for compliting this kit! The model looks much better than OOB model. Embodiment of perseverance!

Skyhiker
Thank guys

gorby
I'm pretty sure this has been mentioned before. I can't remember the reason it was rejected, it might be because the quality of a kit is very subjective and the site wanted to just focus on facts.
Originally I thought that rating kits would be a good feature, but now with more modelling experience behind me my opinion has changed.

bughunter
This feature already exists: it's called "Quick looks"
See an example for this detailed matrix here:
Bugatti T 50 (Heller 80706, 1:24)

More here: scalemates.com/kits/quicklooks.php

gorby
I forgot about quick looks.

Snake Plissken
Gorby beat me to it. A star rating system could be good, but it will be a very subjective rating for most users here. For general product ratings on Amazon, the rating usually refers to whether the product works and how well, like rating a microwave oven. On scalemates, what if we rated kits with the same concerns: (I am mostly joking) can it be assembled and will it stay assembled or is it like one of those early Trumpeter armor models with the dark green "styrene" that cannot be assembled with common modeling cement? 😉

To see the quality of a kit, perhaps there needs to be more "Box Contents" photos. If it is an older kit for example, you can usually tell the quality by simplified detail and a low parts count, etc. The box contents section is there, but there's rarely any photos uploaded. Closeup photos of one or more sprues could be very valuable. Box contents and instruction manuals are two of the most frequent items I search for. super-hobby.com/ lists both the manual and photos of the kit sprues for most modern kits and it is a great resource.

Tim Lingle
Thanks guys!

Martin Oostrom
There is a warning somewhere on this site that says to use only self made pictures for parts. Might be because of a copyright.
You can add box content photos yourself. Just add the to the kit page.

bughunter
And some box pictures (examples are photos of the real car integrated into the boxart) are not allowed at all, even it is an official boxart by the kit manufacturer. Sounds crazy, but Scalemates has already been sued for something like this.

Chrisswe
I think a rating system would be very useful even if entirely subjective. Movie taste is probably as subjective as scale model taste but I still get a lot of information from an imdb rating. A movie rated around 9 is much more probable to be enjoyable than one rated around 4.
And if I have a certain affinity for clown zombie pirate movies nothing stops me from watching and enjoying such a movie even if it is rated 3.5.

Treehugger
I have an issue with a star rated scale model kits, and I would prefer sensible comments, as that would at least be meaningful as a point of criticism, as opposed to some stars that may or may not be a result of being sensible and having applied critical thinking skills.

There's this kit the Dora 1:72 from Hobby Boss. This kit I would give 1 star out of five. Others would likely give it 5 stars, because they just like the way the model built up, being blissfully ignorant that the whole model is fantasy, not at all accurate, so wildly wrong it isn't even funny. Likely because there weren't any proprietary drawings around (maybe secret or destroyed in the war) and their tech people at Hobby Boss just gave up at some point and just went with fantasy proportions.

I will admit that a star rating might possibly give the end user a clue, as to whether a scale model kit is good or not, like my experience with IMDB for movies. I never bother with movies that are below 5 on a 1-10 rating. A 5 in my experience can still be a good movie, based on my experience. A 4 however, so often ends up being a B-movie where the director/producer doesn't quite know what they are doing making a movie.

scalemates
As said in this thread, this feature exists and in my view in a better way than just "stars"