FW 190 as a kit

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Re: FW 190 as a kit

Post by tmanthegreat » Mon Dec 11, 2017 10:45 pm

Thanks!

As you said, practice is the operative word... I’ve been practicing spraying mottles on paper, spare plastic, etc. and think I’m arriving at a good paint/thinner mixture for that purpose. And regarding the Testors paints, some further research on various model building forums noted that their RLM shades are generally accurate to the true colors, just that Testors paints can be a pain to use in an airbrush, which I’m finding out first hand, lol!
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Re: FW 190 as a kit

Post by Jnewboy » Tue Dec 12, 2017 8:15 am

tmanthegreat wrote:Thanks!

As you said, practice is the operative word... I’ve been practicing spraying mottles on paper, spare plastic, etc. and think I’m arriving at a good paint/thinner mixture for that purpose. And regarding the Testors paints, some further research on various model building forums noted that their RLM shades are generally accurate to the true colors, just that Testors paints can be a pain to use in an airbrush, which I’m finding out first hand, lol!
I started using AK interactive and never looked back, try it, much less headache for a small price.

https://m.ebay.com/itm/AK-INTERACTIVE-2 ... SwNglZvPDa

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Re: FW 190 as a kit

Post by tmanthegreat » Tue Dec 12, 2017 9:36 am

Thanks for the paint recommendation! AK Interactive is apparently made by Vallejo and my Hobbytown store may carry that... Will have to go this evening. The difficulty with application of the Testors paints has been my biggest beef, but I knew from past experience that they could be problematic. I’ve used Tamiya and Vallejo paints numerous times with the same airbrush without serious issue, so I know it’s not entirely me, lol
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Re: FW 190 as a kit

Post by Jnewboy » Tue Dec 12, 2017 11:57 am

The key is to use paint that is thinned for an airbrush, Testors usually is not. I thin the ak stuff and it's already thinned for airbrush use. Another big issue is lighting, the best lights are daylight bulbs but really unless you are entering it in a show or selling it for a high amount paint under the same light you're going to display it under. Use authentic colors but do it to your own eye as far as Darkness and Light after all you will be the one living with the model. I'm looking forward to seeing it when it's done! Your cockpit area looks great!

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Re: FW 190 as a kit

Post by tmanthegreat » Tue Dec 12, 2017 9:47 pm

Found the Vallejo paints locally at my Hobbytown this afternoon and I like the results thus far... I was able to airbrush for an hour using thinned paint and nary a clog in the airbrush, which is what I’m used to with other brands like Tamiya. I was able to paint with good control at different air pressure settings as well. Even when I had the Testors paint thinned to as much as 50% or more I would still get cloggs eventually as paint dried on the needle. I’m also happy with the Vallejo RLM shades as well. The RLM 76 seems a little more pale and less blue, better matching the color on my prebuilt Merit FW-190 and other models... Onward :D
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Re: FW 190 as a kit

Post by USCGMK2 » Sun Dec 31, 2017 2:56 pm

HobbyBoss shows an A-8 variant on there new releases now.

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Re: FW 190 as a kit

Post by Axis Nightmare » Sun Dec 31, 2017 3:23 pm

USCGMK2 wrote:HobbyBoss shows an A-8 variant on there new releases now.
Not seeing it. Went through every millimeter of their site, their facebook page, Cybermodeler new releases. Saw a new 1/18 AV-8 Harrier on all three but no FW 190A8. Where am I missing it?
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Re: FW 190 as a kit

Post by USCGMK2 » Sun Dec 31, 2017 4:33 pm

Well they have the catalog picture on large scale planes (where I found out about the A5) but I looked on Hobbyboss and Trumpeters website and nothing but the A5 and Harrier, but the catalog picture they have shows an A8 next to the A5 with the Harrier below it. Because those guys are all talking about a 1/32 B-24 from Hobbyboss.

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Re: FW 190 as a kit

Post by tmanthegreat » Mon Jan 01, 2018 12:24 am

I have heard that Hobby Boss is indeed coming out with the 1/18 FW-190A8 and 1/32 B-24 from an acquaintance of mine that has contacts with the vendor. Really wish Merit had released the FW-109A8 in prebuilt fashion! Here’s the link, to a link of the Hobby Boss catalog:
http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/inde ... 2018-2019/

And a photo 8)

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Re: FW 190 as a kit

Post by Axis Nightmare » Mon Jan 01, 2018 6:43 am

Hopefully Squadron or someone else in the U.S. will offer that A-8. I'm guessing the B-24 kits will be in the $300 range. Thanks to USCGMK2 for finding this!

I didn't know Trumpeter and HobbyBoss were from the same camp until now. Makes sense though based on the 1/18 releases.
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Re: FW 190 as a kit

Post by tmanthegreat » Sat Jan 27, 2018 1:59 pm

It’s been weeks of trial and errors with painting, touch-us, repainting, and painting some more... And I’ve still yet to seriously attempt the mottling! I found the Vallejo RLM 75 gray was so close in shade to the RLM 74 green that it was almost too hard to see. It took a complete repaint using Testors RLM 75 and the Vallejo RLM 74 to get a better contrast. I found I get better paint control with the Vallejo paints and want to use them as much as possible. Still a bit left to do, but least it’s now starting to look like an FW-190 :D

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And just musing here, but I’ve been studying photos, color profiles, and models of Priller’s FW-190A5 for weeks and there is a ton of variation in how model builders and diecast manufacturers have depicted the paint scheme. I’ve taken a little liberty adding the gray on the upper part of the cowling, though increasingly indications seem to point to it being the RLM 74 green all the way across the top... Whenni get to the mottles, I’m. It sure how I’m going to pattern it... Part of me is starting to think less would be more!
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Re: FW 190 as a kit

Post by Axis Nightmare » Sat Jan 27, 2018 5:04 pm

Looking Good!! :salute:

I'm tempted to start mine but get it to a point where if the A-8 comes out I can use the alternate parts to finish it as the A-8 and then keep the A-5 version for another day. Does that sound possible based on the kit parts?

As far as the variations depicted by different modelers, that is real common. If you look at Hyperscale Gallery (see link) you can see a popular scheme such as Ira Kepford's 29 Corsair done half a dozen different ways.

http://hyperscale.com/gallery.htm
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Re: FW 190 as a kit

Post by tmanthegreat » Sat Jan 27, 2018 7:44 pm

Thanks Axis!

Yeah, different builders always put their own touch on their work... I’m going to try to match the real plane as closely as possible, but then it’s no guarantee as I run into my own level of skill and quality of tools at hand. Then there’s the problem that the best period photo (below) and most of the profiles only show the left side of the plane!

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Regarding the new FW-190A8 kit, I suspect that there will be some commonalities with the A5... The main fuselage, horizontal stabilizers, landing gear, and probably even the engine cowling would all be similar. The wings would be different to accommodate the extra set of 20mm cannon and the cover/door over the guns would be different. I have no idea how far Hobby Boss will go to replicate the finer details between the two variants, but despite some of the minor visual differences, the kits should be very similar...

The A5 kit was extremely simple to build - it probably had fewer than 100 parts and some of those were extras, like the bombs. Nothing really tiny to work with for the most part and even the few photo-etched parts were relatively user friendly. In my case is the painting that’s proven a challenge to overcome... I’ve heard more than one builder exclaim that Luftwaffe molted schemes are among the most difficult to attempt using an airbrush, and that’s what I’m trying to do :wink:
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Re: FW 190 as a kit

Post by pickelhaube » Mon Jan 29, 2018 5:29 am

T-Man

Controling dots with an air brush is one of the hardest things to do.

Controling the paint takes years or practice .

I still have not mastered it yet. :? :? :?

But there are things that can be done to control it.

Look at the dots they are different in size .

Punch holes in a CLEAR pieces of styrene the size that you want.

Cut different sizes ranging from 2 inches to 4 inches .

It is easier if they are round in shape.

On a practice piece of paper or styrene determane how far you need to be off of the surface to get the size pattern you want of softness around the dot.

Glue 3 small pices of shim the thickness off of the surface.

You can go single hole or multipuls.

Just wipe off the clear so you can see what you are doing.

This meathod is slow but you leave nothing to chance .

Especially when you drink a lot of coffe like me.
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John Wayne : Mine was taller



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Re: FW 190 as a kit

Post by tmanthegreat » Mon Jan 29, 2018 10:41 am

Thanks for the tips, Pickelhaube! I did consider using a stencil and even did some tests with satisfactory results, but I opted to try the freehand route first... I had been practicing making dots and blotches for weeks, so decided to give that a go.

It wasn’t easy at first... I had to get the right mixture of thinner and paint so I could spray without causing the paint to run. I was at first focused on making defined dots, lines, and streaks, then last night it suddenly donned on me that the above was the wrong approach for this particular paint scheme. The historical photo, the best profiles, and pro-built models all showed Priller’s FW-190A5 with a rather ununiform blotchy, smeary paint job (i.e. not the nice neat dots or patterns). This was likely the result of the Luftwaffe mechanics hastily spraying on RLM 74 green and RLM 75 gray innuneven streaks and blotches of varying consistency as a disruptive camouflage to better-hide the aircraft against increasing allied raids in 1943.

Here are the reference photos I used, in addition to the model’s box art:
Image

Image

My attempt at painting as of this morning:
Image

Image
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Re: FW 190 as a kit

Post by [CAT]CplSlade » Mon Jan 29, 2018 1:02 pm

That's the thing; they weren't nice dots but more like smudgy, random blobs used to break up the blue on the sides of the aircraft. That is the problem with the old artist's profiles; they show them as dots while photos show smudgy, smeary paint that was effectively added to the factory paint by the ground crews and somewhat depended on the local terrain the same way the browns and greens were added to their armored vehicles.

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Re: FW 190 as a kit

Post by Axis Nightmare » Mon Jan 29, 2018 1:41 pm

Even old photos can be deceiving--Film type used, focus, Lighting, shadows, reflections, paint touch-ups, what's paint and what's an oil smudge or mud splatter or a place where paint has flaked off from wear. Photos from that period certainly are far from high-def. A picture in a book can be so different from an original photo. Looking with a magnifying glass at a book picture shows up the distortions like old T.V. pixels.

You've certainly captured the effect. Once you get markings on, prop hung, canopy and all details finished is when you'll really see just how great a job you did. :wink:
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Re: FW 190 as a kit

Post by tmanthegreat » Mon Jan 29, 2018 3:38 pm

That was the conclusion that I arrived at last night, [CAT]CplSlade - that many Luftwaffe fighters mid to late war didn’t always have nice neat mottles, but much more irregular smudged blotches, streaks, and smears. I get that a lot of period photos don’t have the resolution, but simply looking at whatever photos of FW-190s came up on a Google search showed the camouflage to not be the nice little shapes we got on a lot of our 21c Luftwaffe models...

It’s still a work in progress, but I’m feeling more like I’m on track to the type of look I want :wink:
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Re: FW 190 as a kit

Post by [CAT]CplSlade » Mon Jan 29, 2018 4:25 pm

It's a lot easier for a Chinese assembly worker to spray through a template than try to freehand the same pattern on hundreds of vehicles, you know.

And they'd probably have more QC issues as well.

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Re: FW 190 as a kit

Post by Jnewboy » Sun Feb 25, 2018 5:19 pm

Anyone know if or when they will release the A8 version?

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Re: FW 190 as a kit

Post by Axis Nightmare » Sat Mar 24, 2018 4:18 pm

Jnewboy wrote:Anyone know if or when they will release the A8 version?
This is from their 2/28/18 update:

http://www.hobbyboss.com/index.php?g=ho ... d=109&l=en
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Re: FW 190 as a kit

Post by Axis Nightmare » Mon Mar 26, 2018 5:48 pm

Got a reply from Tom at Squadron. He hopes the A-8 will be available in early May from them! :D

Box Art:


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Re: FW 190 as a kit

Post by Axis Nightmare » Fri Jun 08, 2018 5:03 pm

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What makes the P-51 Mustang so special?

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Re: FW 190 as a kit

Post by tmanthegreat » Sat Jun 09, 2018 1:34 pm

Cool! I’m increasingly thinking about getting this kit as well... However, I still have to finish my FW-190A5 kit :wink:
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Re: FW 190 as a kit

Post by Axis Nightmare » Tue Jun 26, 2018 3:01 pm

Just got a Squadron catalog in the mail. The 1/18 HobbyBoss FW 190A-8 is on the cover! :D
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