The basecoat has been added and now it is time to add the primary camouflage scheme. This is a typical A8 scheme of lower surfaces being RLM-76 and the Upper surfaces consisting of RLM 74 and 75. First off, I will lay on a coat of the lighter RLM 75 Gray-violet, and apply it in similar fashion as I applied the underside color, one panel at a time. The darker RLM 74 will not be applied in this way because the darker color pretty much covers any pre-shaded panels and it is a waste of time.
Here are a few pics of the painted upper surface, with first just the RLM75, and then both colors and the filled in area for the fuselage balkenruze (note, I used Tamiya Dark Green mix substituted for RLM-74):
After I let this set overnight, it was time to give the model a nice glossy coat of Future so that the decals will adhere without silvering. I let the Future cure for about 2 hours then started applying the decals. The decalling can take a while depending on how much stenciling is involved, usually about 2 hours or so. I went ahead and added the inner wing cannons which I had previously removed and fabricated the outer cannons using brass tubing. I also temporarily mounted the ETC fuel tank rack and drop tank to make sure everything lines up and fits properly.
As you can see the plane is starting to come together and Part IV will cover adding the final clear coats and detailing of the plane, including cleaning up the paint and adding the mottling on the fuselage.
