Bf 109E-3 1/48 Eduard ~ My journey continues

[Hosbabon]

Having recently returned to modelling, and having completed Tamiya's 1/48 Spitfire Mk1 (http://www.intscalemodeller.com/viewtop ... 34&t=13842) I am keen to get started on the next project.
I chose Eduards Bf 109 E3 and picked up the weekend edition and my local model shop. Its a continuation of the Battle of Britain theme and i thought it would be a good model to consolidate my skills with a different style of camouflage. I would probably have opted for the profipack edition to experiment with PE etc. however the shop choice was fairly limited for what i wanted.



The kit seems great value at around £13 although there is only one paint option included.



It looks like its going to be a test of my airbrushing skills, to say the least , as well as masking etc.! This model represents JG51 in the autumn of 1940 and a google search actually brought up a slightly different painting call out by eduard for their 1/32 version.



This version has a two toned scheme across wings and horizontal stabilisers and mottling only along the fuselage. In the interests of learning, and perhaps a lack of confidence at this point, this is the scheme I'm going for.

I've made a start and begun construction of the cockpit ready for priming. Initially the quality seems good and detail excellent on the pieces. Decals are supplied for the instruments, as well as optional smooth panels, but I'm going to hand paint the embossed ones. Ive also cut a hole in the seat for belts. The seat part actually provided a guide to make the cut. My intention is to craft belts with tin foil.


Thats where I'm at tonight.
Any comments, tips or feedback appreciated

[Hosbabon]

Having built the cockpit, landing gear and engine, i set about undercoating them first with a tamiya primer, and then RLM2. I then used a combination of black and greys to paint the cockpit instruments; highlighting with red, green and yellow. Overall i was very pleased.
I then decided to gloss coat and use a vallejo wash over everything. In hindsight this was probably a mistake as it dulled down all the cockpit panel work. Most likely its a practice issue, but with hindsight wish i'd blended the interior using brush and a wet palette. This picture is pre wash.


I then moved on and joined the fuselage halves together. The fit was excellent, requiring no filler, and only the very lightest of sanding, mostly to erase extra thin glue residue. Although the engine is visible and undercoated, i don't intend to have any access panels open. I bought a new compressor and was practicing airbrushing all i could !
[/URL[URL=http://s1353.photobucket.com/user/gnh12 ... v.jpg.html][/URL[URL=http://s1353.photobucket.com/user/gnh12 ... d.jpg.html]

Next up is to continue with the main construction and mask up the canopy parts. So far I'm impressed with Eduard ( this being my first one ) although at times the instructions are not that easy to follow; i.e. over which parts to omit when building the closed engine option.

[Hosbabon]

Famous last words .... moved onto building the engine cowling, which has been pretty hard going comparatively. The model would be great with the exposed engine and guns on show but has been fairly challenging for me to cover them up ! Ive had to do some considerable filing and chopping of parts to make them fit over the engine within. There are actually six pieces which make up the engine cowl, and marrying them up wasn't so easy !

I initially used sprue cutting pliers to remove parts of the engine block. To be fair this is pointed out in the instructions, it was just harder to do once within the airframe. I also managed to knock off ( and lose to the carpet ) the gunsight from within the cockpit.
I got there in the end with a strong clamp and extra thin glue. The result only needed minor external filing once dry fit, and only a very tiny area needs to be filled.


This was masked and i then applied some vallejo plastic putty with a cocktail stick to the area. Never used this filler, but saw it in the model shop and was priced the same as a normal AV paint. Its very similar to revell plasto i also have, just a little easier to access from the tube.

[Hosbabon]

I finished the build, up to the priming phase. No issues with fit, and no filling needed. I also masked off and glued front and rear canopy sections.
Wing flaps and forward edge slats are deployed as the default with this kit, and would probably need some considerable work to fit them clean.

I then primed the aircraft with Tamiya grey primer. I had somewhat of a nightmare here in that the consistency of the paint spray was not that good and it appeared to be "pooling" in places as i applied it. Then as I flipped the aircraft over to prime the underside i dropped it ! As i quickly scooped it up i then put two large finger prints on the rear fuselage !!
I had to allow it to dry, carefully sand back and then re-prime.
This afternoon I've pre shaded black lines onto the aircraft. This, as an airbrush novice, i found difficult. Manipulating the dual action trigger, to deploy the right consistency of paint whilst trying to follow panel lines was hard. Its all about practice, I'm sure, and we all need to start somewhere.

My next move is to spray yellow on the nose and tail, then onto the camouflage colours.
Really enjoying my build, but like golf its frustrating at times. I know what i want to achieve and how i think it should look, but haven't the skills to get there just yet. Hopefully several models down the line ill look back and see the improvements

[Alex73]

Thumbs up ^_^

[Hosbabon]

Made some progress ..... i airbrushed Tamiya flat yellow onto the nose and rudder, and am impressed with the result of the preshading although its not captured that well on the picture.


This was then masked off and i went with the RLM 71. I was unsure how to attempt the mottling so just tried to apply some controlled dots.


I then masked up and went with the RLM 70, again trying to lay down controlled dots ...



The result once the masks were removed can be seen. The airbrush I'm using is a very old plastic bodied aztec and I've had major issues with getting paint to flow through it. Ive thinned paint right down but still doesn't seem to work consistently. The airbrush comes with interchangeable heads and perhaps a poor cleaning regime over the years, makes airbrushing very difficult.
Im very pleased with the masking this time, no paint bleed at all. To blend the mottling i tried to spray a fine mist over the upper surfaces. Ultimately this worked well but i forgot to remove the rear fuselage mask when i did it, so there is a clear defined line. I also see that i did not cover a wide enough area when a sprayed the initial RLM 71, leaving some lighter areas on the wings.

Ive ordered a new airbrush, Neo for Iwata, not to expensive, but something hopefully to improve and provide consistency for my basic skills.
My next move i may spray a very fine filter to blend further the upper fuselage, then its onto decals before washes.
Im disappointed but everything is correctable next time around, and down to my own doing and inexperience.

[Aliktren]

Looks great! good luck with the neo

[Hosbabon]

I sprayed a very diluted filter over the fuselage using RLM2 to try and cover the masking lines and also blend the contrast between the mottled and non mottled areas, particularly visible at the forward wing roots. The result wasn't too bad ...


From a learning point of view, i mixed the vallejo model air with water, to really use a thin consistency with my troubling airbrush. This wasn't too successful and i was spraying a lot of water and the fuselage became wet and started to run. Searched the forums and would use dedicated thinner next time, and my new airbrush.
I then sealed everything with a coat of pledge multi surface wax.
After a day this was then followed by the decals.

To apply the decals i used both micro sol & set. Worked excellently with zero silvering and the decals have bonded to uneven surfaces, particularly in the underside, aswell as conforming to all rivet lines and panelling.
Im now leaving this for tomorrow where ill move onto a wash ( ill respray and seal the decals first ). I have Ultimate dark dirt, so ill be giving that a try.

[patrickroos]

Just been on Your journey and it was a nice one so far!

[Hosbabon]

Thanks Patrickroos !

I used Ultimate dark wash for the first time, covering the entire model in it ...

..... before wiping the excess off with a moist towel. I also went onto to experiment with some oil based streaking effects on the wings and, to a lesser extent on the fuselage. This was done by applying a dot of oil paint and streaking it , with the direction of airflow, using a clean brush, dipped in white spirits.

I'm not sure wether i should have removed more of the oil paint streaking on the wings, in particular the white that was used, but ill make a final judgement once its finished and the matt varnish is on.
Ive now only to paint and fit exhausts along with spinner and prop. I have some pastel which i may sand into powder to try and simulate exhaust and gun carbon, and i bought a silver oil painting pencil with which i may add some very minor chipping. Otherwise the final stretch is upon me.

[Homerlovesbeer]

You've done a great job on this kit so far. Congrats on overcoming the difficulties you've experienced with the painting and your airbrush.

It looks good

[Diverrob]

Personally, I think it looks excellent. Keep up the good work!

[Hosbabon]

Finally finished !


The build was finished and i used a silver oil pencil to add some marks to the prop and trailing edge wing lines. I then used Vallejo's Matt varnish to seal it off. This was very difficult to airbrush and ended up thinning it considerably with Tamiya X20A, and may even spray again.
All in all I'm happy with it and again learnt plenty for the next time. As a kit, Eduard, has certainly proved value for money and a fairly trouble free build and paint. My big personal lesson this time around has been to ensure i use a super thin consistency of airbrush paint; and the impact of masking when i painted the fuselage.
My kit stash of one (!) means that I'm soon to start Italeri's JU-87 B2, with some PE included, which is a first for me.
Thanks for looking and your comments, criticism always welcome.

[Liamcraven666]

amazing work , i know yellow really hard to paint and you've pulled it off really well

[Avgas]

Great build, mottling looks first class.

[SteveW]

Well done you have turned out a cracker there. Really enjoyed reading through your build thread.