Jack's Tamiya 1/48 FW-190 D9 JV44

[Jack L]

Morning all. So I know I don't post many of my own builds on here, but something generally goes wrong (usually due to a lack of patience) to an extent I am not happy with it...but here this goes.

Before I add any pictures (it was a pretty simple build)...I am after some advice. This aircraft has a very unusual paint scheme...hence the attraction to build it:

Now I intend to mask off the white stripes, rather than use decals but, does anyone have any suggestions for pre-shading the panels? At the moment we are primed in light grey, ready for lining the panels in black. Do I then airbrush white, mask, then airbrush red, or will that obscure the black too much?

Or, Black panels, white, mask, black panels again, then red?

I did find a youtube video of someone's build, but the masking step doesn't seem to correspond with the video edit:
1. Black panels lined...no mask


Panels lined over masked stripes


White lines rather than grey?


Any thoughts, suggestions or opinions all very welcome.

Thanks in advance

[Jack L]

The cockpit, loads of PE that won't be seen at all, but good practice!

[Steven000]

Hi, nice project, I like the cockpit :thumb2:

Can't really help you with the shading-question, I would spray a white primer and mix a dark-red for the panel-line-shading. But in the video the black seems to work fine too...

[scottie3158]

Jack,
Nice work on the office.

[Jack L]

Thank you both...there is a slight gap on the left hand side which irritates me, but when enclosed you can't see much more than the seatbelts...but good practice adding the individual levers, handles and dials...again can't even see those in the picture, never mind the finished article.

[AlanG]

Ooooo a wurger D. I'm all over this like a rash. Great start.

[Jack L]

The stage we are at:


Initial grey primer coat on. A seam that needed more attention under the nose, and potentially one along the underside of the tail (not sure if there was one on the real thing?!) and it will get another primer coat.

As I said, it was a pretty simple build, so not really worth a step by step, but the painting should be more interesting. Additions include a brass pitot tube, machine guns and cannons. Although minor, do seem to add a bit extra to the model. No definition at all to the box parts.

Have to say, it was not quite what I have come to expect from Tamiya...took some aligning, needed some filler here and there, and attaching the wings to the fuselage took a bit of effort. Have some MRP RLM23 in the post...so once I have decided how to do the pre-shade, we can get cracking!

[AlanG]

This kit is way old now so the moulds are probably getting a little worn.

[Jack L]

On hold with this, airbrush has broken, just put an order in for a new one with the shop here.

[colin m]

Well AB issues aside, what you've done so far looks very nice.

[Jack L]

Nice bit of progress the last couple of days: New airbrush has arrived courtesy of SMS (thank you!), and my MRP colours as well:

Not the shading I wanted, but getting used to the new AB:

Very light grey, masked off for the stripes and then a much better version of pre-shading for the red.


My depiction is going to be "Red 13," so unlike Tamiya's guides, the stripes are not present along the underside of the fuselage, nor should they be particularly even in spacing or direction. Width shouldn't be uniform either, but I wasn't going to go to the lengths of a mm difference in masking tape." Several thinned layers of MRP RLM23 gave a very nice finish. My first experience using this paint and I am only disappointed I was not aware of it sooner!


And then mask removed. A few areas to touch up, but overall very happy with the outcome. Biggest issues is around the wheels, no 'flight' option with the build, so don't fit quite flush for painting, hence a bit of spray seeping under the mask. I used BarryW 's trick of misting with Mr Levelling Thinner after removing the mask, and it really did seem to add to the quality of the paint.



No weighing up whether to re-purchase all my paints in MRP...

Comments and critique most welcome.
Jack

[Guest]

You've cracked it Jack. Great stuff.

[scottie3158]

Jack,
That has turned out nicely.

[Guest]

Looking good Jack.

I keep hearing so many great things about MRP that I really must give it a try. If John stocked it I'd probably be using it already lol.

If you don't mind a tip - cutting the tape at the edge of the landing gear covers would have allowed it to lay flatter on the wings, meaning less touch up.

[Jack L]

You've cracked it Jack. Great stuff.

Thank you Peter!

Jack,
That has turned out nicely.

Thanks Paul

Looking good Jack.

I keep hearing so many great things about MRP that I really must give it a try. If John stocked it I'd probably be using it already lol.

If you don't mind a tip - cutting the tape at the edge of the landing gear covers would have allowed it to lay flatter on the wings, meaning less touch up.

Thanks Andy, yeah I really would recommend it...as proven idiot proof paint!
I considered masking and painting the covers separately, when they are down you would never know if the stripes line up or not, but the pedantic side of me wanted them aligned. I didn't realise how much the spacing lifted the tape until I lifted it. But lesson learned, thanks!