Radial Fighters of WW2 Group Build

Good evening,

Paul, over at Plastic Warriors has proposed a group build based around his Airfix Zero.

Seeing as my main WW2 Wargaming interest lie in NZ 2 Div's efforts in Italy, I suggested that he broaden the criteria to include any radial engine powered fighter of WW2, mostly 'cause I had this stashed away...


...as a generous gift from Andy. FW-190s are radials, right? Wrong. Well, right and wrong - the A's were...





...but the D model was actually powered by an inverted V-12. From the JU-88, if memory serves.

Still, Paul's keen to see it (seeing as he's just finished one himself) and, as I'm on holiday for the next week...







All on the same day!!

A nice simple kit (main planes and fuselage are both one piece pieces), the only drawback is that they're designed to be modeled wheels down. A simple fix, but still not the tidiest result on the planet.

Oh, and there's no pilot, so I've decided to paint the canopy blue as so many clever chaps (most especially Tim Gow) have done before. I'm hoping I can get it right.

While I was at it, I decided to drag out the unfinished Hurricane...


...that's been waiting all this time just for the canopy frames to be painted (!), and my Thunderbolt...



...that is at least radial engine powered!

So, as Paul would say...model on!

Nick

The Great Hawker Named-After-A-Weather-Event Aircraft Group Build Time's Up +13-2

Yay, it worked. Well, it's sitting pretty, anyway...I wonder if the plane magnet will peel off when I try to separate the two...




The PSC Panzer IV I was working on before I got side tracked by all this aircraft nonsense! :-)


(That last picture is really just a gratuitous shot of my Dragon Trophy!)

Right, now where am I going to store this jolly flight stand?!

Nick

The Great Hawker Named-After-A-Weather-Event Aircraft Group Build Time's Up +13

Good evening,

I have just received some magnets in the post courtesy of a very nice lady via Trade Me. Here's what I have in mind.


A piece of dowel cut to 42cm (the 1/72nd scale equivalent of 100 feet), a...ummm, I think they are 'sposed to go under furniture or sofas or something, both courtesy of Bunning's Warehouse, and a couple of magnets - one for the stick, one for the Typhoon.





Can't seem to find my super glue, so I'll try a hot glue gun from school. Certianly for the dowel 'n magnet. Not how sure that'll work with the model itself...and now is not the time for experimentation! I wonder if PVA'd do it...

Right, next step...get these school portfolios finished - they've gotta go home on Friday. Then we'll see what we will see...

Nick

The Great Hawker Named-After-A-Weather-Event Aircraft Group Build Time's Up +9

Good evening,

Well, I've finally got the decals on. I forgot how fiddly decals can be - this lot took me about three sessions!





And as I was doing it, I discovered that the wing walks were already provided as decals - I didn't need to mask 'n paint them after all!

Interestingly, the canopy doesn't sit right - the pilot's in the way. So it's ever so slightly off centre. Don't tell anyone! There is practically no indication on the canopy itself to even attempt painting the front shield frames, so...I didn't.

Now all I gotta do is some light weathering and get some of that decal stuff from Andy to take the shine off, so to speak.

And to start decalling the Hurricane.

What have I learnt through all this? Lightly undercoat the whole plane first before trying to paint on thin acrylic paint!

Nick

The Great Hawker Named-After-A-Weather-Event Aircraft Group Build Time's Up +3

Good evening,

With the long weekend I've taken time out from what must be done to do that which I would like to do...

I've been pottering along with the Typhoon, adding fuselage invasion stripes (not particularly well, but there you go) and then spending a heap of time patching up the paint where the tape has pulled it away!







Sigh. Got a few more touch ups to do, like straightening up one of those stripes.

I've also been pottering away with the Hurricane.



Still got some touch ups to do with that as well. I discovered that the newsprint from the newspaper I've been painting on is rubbing off on the light coloured undersides of the Hurricane. Hence sitting these on paper towels.

Right, next thing I'm planning will be to varnish the paint first, before the application of the decals removes yet more paint. These aircraft really, really do not like my fingernails!

I've had a quick look for some Klear replacement (specifically Pledge Multi Surface Wax, or some Hold Fast Long Life Shining Floor Polish) with no success. Then I remembered that I picked up some cheap Humbrol acrylic varnish. Might give that a try.

Nick

The Great Hawker Named-After-A-Weather-Event Aircraft Group Build - Time's Up!

Good evening all,

Well...I gone and done it. I've run out of time! It's the end of May, and, well, it's still not done. I did manage to get the wing stripes applied...





...touch ups not withstanding, but, well...I've started on the fuselage Invasion Stripes...




...but, writing reports have got in the way. As they do.

Ah well, I'll keep working on it over the weekend. It will get finished, but not by the end of May. Next May, perhaps, but not this one!

Well done to all those who did manage to get their Hawker named-after-a-weather-event aircraft finished. Good job chaps!

Nick

The Great Hawker Named-After-A-Weather-Event Aircraft Group Build Day 20

Good evening,

Argghh...I've been trying all day to get a smooth, consistent white stripe on these wings.







I've tried the whole multiple coats of thinned paint, but it's just not working. I probably should have done a coat of light grey beforehand.

I'll see how it looks after the black stripes. If all else fails, I'll pretend that it's part of the weathering process, and the camo is starting to show underneath...

Nick

The Great Hawker Named-After-A-Weather-Event Aircraft Group Build Day 19

Good evening,

Well, I've finished the camo. And then sanded it down. And have finished it again.

Let me explain...

Last night I finished the dark green...all the while realising that the sea grey hadn't gone on at all well in places. Far too lumpy...





So...how to fix it, how to fix it...

Let's try some light application of wet wet 'n dry paper. See if that'll work...



And it kinda did. Well, it looks better than it did, if not entirely perfect.




Which is probably why folks in the know use an airbrush! Still, nothing ventured, nothing gained.

Interestingly, the Humbrol grey stood up to the light sanding much better than the Vallejo dark green.

Now to mask and paint the leading edge, apply the decals, paint the invasion stripes and weather it. Hmmm...and write reports. Hmmm. I may well be lucky to get this done by the end of the month! I won't lose my job if I don't get the plane finished, I'd be in a boat load of trouble if the reports don't get written!

Nick