1/32 Battle of Britain build part 2- Stuka! Trumpeter's Ju 87 b-2

[Vaughan]

Hi VaughanI'm sorry to hear that your splinter pattern has not come out as you'd hoped. I do think Vallejo's RLM 71 is off, Lifecolor may also be wrong but at least it's green. As I've said in the thread I may revisit the RLM 71 with filters to darken it a touch (this is made possible because I ensured the shade was light - you can't make a dark shade lighter!).

Is the colour the problem? You seemed to be steaming along quite well, and (because it's you) I can't believe that it's a technique problem. I want to say now Vaughan that your builds are always excellent (for instance your truly brilliant He162) and I view you as a very accomplished modeller.

Please post when your ready it will be interesting to see the colour difference. If it's just the colour then it's no big deal.

Cheers

paul

Hi Paul

thanks for the kind words and compliments regarding He162, the splinter pattern went down ok on the Storch it was more the colour of the RLM 71 that I think is not very accurate maybe a tad on the olive side. Your Stuka is looking great and has come to life with the addition of the decals. Looking forward to seeing the masking coming off the canopy.

[flyjoe180]

Lovely work Paul, coming together well and it looks great. Surprising that the Battle OF Britain decals are hard to come by. One thing I would point out is to check the positioning of the schnauzer emblem. I think it should be pointing forward, nose into the airflow? I remembered seeing a pic or two of this emblem on Stukas and a quick search shows them all pointing nose forward.

[Vaughan]

Paul I think Joe is right just found these on the web.I know the first reference is from 1941 so later than the Battle of Britain, but the other emblem chart show the noses pointing forwards.

[ATTACH]79154.IPB[/ATTACH]


[ATTACH]79155.IPB[/ATTACH]

[tr1ckey66]

You're both right of course. I've been trying to speed through this build and in my haste have dropped a proper clanger. I have replacement decals the problem I have is that the ones on the model are under a coat of Klear and now satin varnish! To add to my list of woes I've managed to crack one of the canopy parts.

I've been rushing this build of late and I think it's beginning to tell. I'm not enjoying this as much as I was! Work and other commitments have prompted me to get my skates on and try and finish this before the end of March. Seems more haste less speed is very much the case here.

I could scream!

AaaaaaaAaaaaaaaaaargh!!!!!!!

[Vaughan]

Paul is there any way that you could overlay the replacement decals directly over the top thus eliminating the need to remove the other ones? I hope this works out as your build so far is outstanding!

[tr1ckey66]

Paul is there any way that you could overlay the replacement decals directly over the top thus eliminating the need to remove the other ones?

Hi Vaughan

As Baldrick would say, 'I have a cunning plan...' at least I hope so!

This is happening in real time so I'll let you know!!!!

Cheers

P

[tr1ckey66]

Nope failed. The replacement decals were brittle and disintegrated.

I'm gonna have to step away from this build for while otherwise this Stuka will be dive bombing into the bin!

I'll order some more decals, take a deep breath and come back to this later. Probably late April now.

Damn it!

Paul

[Ian M]

Nope failed. The replacement decals were brittle and disintegrated.I'm gonna have to step away from this build for while otherwise this Stuka will be dive bombing into the bin!

I'll order some more decals, take a deep breath and come back to this later. Probably late April now.

Damn it!

Paul

As Lord Black Adder would of said: "Oh Bollocks Baldric".

Ian M

[stona]

I think you are doing the right thing to step back and have a fresh look in a while. I'm sure we've all been there ourselves. It's looking really good and I'm sure that you will finish it off eventually.

I managed to get the fist crushing a Messerschmitt on the Polish chequer board, featured on the nose of Lanowski's P-47, upside down a few years ago

As far as St.G 2 goes that whole Gruppe was based around Falaise at the beginning of July 1940 for the 'Channel Battles' and the subsequent BoB. The Stab (under Major Oskar Dinort) and I Gruppe (Hauptmann Hubertus Hitschhold) was at St Malo. II Gruppe (Hauptmann Walter Enneccerus) was at Lannion and III Gruppe (Hauptmann Heinrich Brucker) at St Trond.

The dog is a 'Scottish Terrier' and was the emblem of the Gruppen Stab and various Staffeln of I./St.G 2. Hitschhold, I Gruppe Kommandeur, apparently owned one. The background disc would be in the Staffel colour. This one looks white and would be for 1./St.G 2.



His nose is indeed pointing forward.

Cheers

Steve

[tr1ckey66]

Cheers Steve

Yes, the red emblem is 2./St.G2. There is a possibility that the emblem may be wrong anyway in that in early campaigns the dog was the colour on a white field. So 2/.St.G2 would be a red dog on a white circle.

I've ordered the decals now so I'm going to content myself that it had changed by the BoB!

The decal foul up really was a silly, schoolboy error on my part. Like I said, 'too much haste...'

What is bothering me more is the fact that I've managed to crack one of the canopy parts. I've just contacted Pocketbond (the UK Trumpeter distributor) and they say they can't help because I don't have a receipt. I offered to pay for the parts too but still no joy.

I tried to mask the circle and airbrush the dog out - I quickly abandoned this idea. I then tried the other decals which are old Kagero and they just disintegrated. So, i've ordered the new EagleCal set and I'll lay those over the existing ones on the model.

The canopy is another story and one I may have to live with. The crack isn't that noticeable but I'm afraid it may get worse and then break altogether. The crack is just on the top of the pilot's sliding canopy.

Oh well, I'll feel differently in April and hopefully have some renewed enthusiasm for, what has been up till very recently, a very enjoyable build. What's made it less enjoyable is not the breaking of canopies or the wrong placement of decals but rushing the finish to accommodate other events.

Here's a pic of where Rudolph stands at the mo...



...and cracked canopy...



It's not really visible in the photo but is there.

TTFN

Paul

[yak face]

Hope you get the decals sorted Paul . Its looking superb now , the filter youve put on the paintwork gives it just the right look , toning down the rlm 71 perfectly , its a class build , cheers tony

[flyjoe180]

Sorry about the decal issue Paul. Overall I think this is a magnificent build so far. The crack on the canopy as you say is not visible in the photo, it might just be one of those little things you know is there but no one else would notice.

[tr1ckey66]

Cheers guys

In hindsight I think mistakes were inevitable given the speed at which I was working. I've actually cleaned up the bench, airbrushes, packed parts away and feel calmer about the build now.

Tony: I haven't actually applied any filters yet, although a satin varnish has been applied. It's strange though because satin/matte varnishes normally lighten everything. Still, I'm glad you like the paint work

Joe: don't worry, this build will be finished with corrected decals and (probably) a new canopy, even if I have to buy another kit!

Thanks for pointing out the schnauzer emblems (this isn't sarcasm!!!!). If left to my own devices the realisation would finally dawn on me when photographing the final model and then I would be crestfallen (by that I mean absolutely fudging gutted).

It's up to Vaughan now with the splinter pattern!

It feels like a scene from a war movie...

Rudolph the Red Nose Stuka: Leave me Storchy I'm not going to make it...

Storchy: Don't you worry Rudi we'll get through this...

Rudolph: Give me some more morphine.

Storchy: you got it Rudi

Rudolph: Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaah that's better

...it's been a trying week.

Cheers

Paul

[colin m]

This is the first chance I've had to read your thread from start to end. A lot of great work going on here. Very impressed.

Colin m

[tr1ckey66]

Cheers Colin, glad you like the thread!

Decals replaced

(Training these pooches to turn round)

Quick update on the Stuka:

Managed to get the Stg emblems on the right way round and I think, once the satin varnish is on, they will look great.





You may also notice that I've cleaned up the exhausts. I left the exhausts in the fuselage when painting as I didn't want paint inside the tight fitting apertures. Because of this it was necessary to clean all the paint and varnish off of the exhausts and this was done with a bit of cellulose thinners and an old toothbrush. They were then given a good wash in soapy water.

Something else I forgot to mention was the replacement of the kit pitot tube. I replaced the stock plastic part with a piece of micro brass tubing with a piece of cut down hyperdermic needle in the end. This is much stronger than the kit part and has had one or 2 knocks without damage - result!



It will be late April now before tackling the canopy and finishing this aircraft but I just wanted to show that it's still here and not in the bin!

Cheers

Paul