Zoukei Mura Hs129B-2/ RIII, 1/32 scale.

[adt70hk]

Personally Andrew I would not use them on larger surfaces simply because of the need to seal them and, if you do, you lose some of the metallic effect. You cannot beat spraying a good metaliser for larger surfaces that does not need sealing. So my advice would be to use them in places such as the engine boss over a painted surface,. The underlying paint does affect the finish, not just the colour but the sheen also.

For me the best use is for dry brushing over a painted surface as part of the weathering process. It brings out your highlights while giving the impression of painted metal that has suffered wear and tear (as distinct from chipping). On smaller scale subjects you could do this instead of chipping or, on larger scale subjects, alongside chipping. And,, yes, these are good for chipping too, for that I use a cocktail stick dipped in the powder.

Thanks Barry for that. Confirmed what I was thinking. Interesting to hear they can be dry brushed too and also used for chipping.

Keep up the good work.....I get the impression you're spending a lot of time in the new modelling room!!

ATB.
Andrew

[rtfoe]

I see the three faint ejector pin marks on the unpainted assembly including the oval shaped one which is not a design(or could be but references show it flat) but an angled ejector pin mark. As Tim mentioned only two of the pin marks is visible after painting on the slightly blurred image. Won't be seen much with seat belts on and the cockpit is so cramped you can hardly see it from any angle that the cramped space offers. Nothing serious to worry about.

The engine is beautifully painted, Barry.

Cheers,
Richard

[scottie3158]

Barry,
The engines look spot on.

[BarryW]

I have been working, quite slowly, on the cockpit grabbing the odd 10 minutes here and there. Still very tied up getting settled into the flat but I am getting there!

Here are some progress pics of the pit. I am using the Finemold Luftwaffe harness set. These are my ‘second favourite’ seat harnesses behind the 3D printed type. Far more effective than p.e. and less problematical than the fabric type

First two pics of the pit

I used the kit decals for the dials and, combined with some painting and dry brushing are very effective. ZM themselves provide three options for completing the instrument panel.

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I used Micro Crystal Clear for the dials.

I still need to attach the shoulder seat belts but before I do I need to add some wear to the rear of the seat. I had to split this due to the excellent engineering.
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Here are the shoulder seat belts. They are magnified 11 times so any painting faults really show up though they are not visible with the naked eye.
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[BarryW]

I found ten minutes to do some more work on the pit and have the rear seatbelts in position.

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Yesterday I had also prepped some more interior parts. While I will be building the kit largely ‘buttoned up’ I am building, if not painting, the interior detail.

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[Jim R]

Hi Barry
Glad you're settling in. Cockpit looks a real treat. The belts are excellent.
Jim

[Mickc1440]

Great work so far Barry

[adt70hk]

Coming on very nicely Barry.

Andrew

[BarryW]

I have decided to depart from the instructions and not attach the cockpit at this stage as otherwise there could be alignment issues and it could be vulnerable to breakage. I have test fitted and I am happy that it won’t give me issues.

So I have started the rest of the fuselage interior. In cementing the bulkheads into position I am temporarily attaching the opposite fuselage side to make sure they are in the correct position.

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Some would suggest that all the level of internal detail is ‘over engineering’. I don’t agree simply because, as you can see, if so minded there are plenty of fuselage panels that could be left off to display it.

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I am really enjoying how this kit is coming together. Perfect fit so far and the instructions give you all the info you need to correctly position everything. Brilliant.

[adt70hk]

Coming on very nicely Barry. Well done so far!!

[scottie3158]

Looking very nice.

[outrunner]

Looks like a superb kit.

Andy.

[tr1ckey66]

Looking good Barry. The cockpit looks the biz and the kit itself looks excellent quality.
Paul

[BarryW]

I have cemented into place the fuselage sides. Here are a few pics.
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The instructions say to have attached this below to the tail before cementing the sides but it is easier and less vulnerable to do this with the sides together, after the joins have been sanded.

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The tail wheel pieces can be painted and attached as a final fitting.
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[BarryW]

Well the modelling room has finally been measured up for shelves…. I will see what the cost is next week…..

In the meantime, some more progress.

Below I attached the cockpit to the rest of the fuselage. You can see why I held off on this until now because it would otherwise have been vulnerable while sanding seams.
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I also painted the tail wheel assembly ready to weather.
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