SPA Modeler

Thanks guys! Another short session at the workbench today. The rear deck has been painted and glued into place. I've also glued the resin instrument hood.



The canopy fits fairly well. There is a bit of overhang on the top edge of the windscreen but that seems easily correctable, if necessary.



I'm still thinking about positioning the canopy in the open position. The only issue for me is how to realistically portray the slack aerial wire between the open canopy and rudder.


The joints around the instrument hood need some attention so I've started that by filling the gaps with White Milliput. The rest of the time was spent seeing how much of the cockpit was in view after the hood was attached. The gun sight was temporarily placed into the opening in the hood.





The windscreen is put into place to make sure that it fits without hitting the gun sight.

Wow! The level of detailing is incredible!! Very nice work!

speedgraflex wrote:What I have been studying with this last series of progress photos is how you articulate realistic color tones without overdoing their variations. And I am not sure how to articulate this: what I feel is happening with your new work is paintwork of individual surfaces with variations not from weathering or artistic light addition- i.e. dry brushing- but a new method. It's close to Wauchop in a delicate layer by layer approach, but the effect is the shifting tones move from panel to panel quite realistically... and I'm trying to describe the cockpit interior not the unpainted fuselage, but something new is happening.

Right now, I am in favor of adding depth by varying the base color slightly and then picking out fine details with direct brush painting as opposed to dry brushing. This is a technique that I picked up from Daniel Zamarbide's Aircraft Scale Modeling FAQ, which is a great collection of different modeling techniques.


I've picked up quite a few things from this book and have tweaked them to my own preferences and available materials.

Thank you so much, John. I was having trouble articulating your techniques, bear with me, and I am grateful you sent me the stepping off point for this base layer/brush layer variation. I have been studying your ZM SWS 1/48 Ta152H-1 build! So good.


Photo credits: John Kim / Z-M SWS 1/48 Ta-152H-1 Build Log

Thanks guys! Not much to report on the Dora. I've found that I work best when there are no pressing issues on my plate and having to prepare for a meeting at work tonight has been on my mind this week. A new bending tool is enroute so any wing work is going to have to wait until after the flap matter is settled. I spent yesterday thinking ahead and attending to a few small details.

Masking. I bought some Montex masks for this build. The set is intended for two red/white-bellied planes of JV44 but it was chosen because of the national marking crosses.


Dortenmann's Black 1 (W.Nr 21003) and JV44's Red 13 (W.Nr 210240) shared the same size/style crosses, which makes sense with both aircraft being 210xxx series of early Doras produced at the Sorau factory. If the size is right, I can also use the Montex Mask for the "1".

A bonus to this set is a full set of canopy masks. Unlike Eduard, Montex provides masks for the inside frames as well the outside. I usually disregard the inner masks, choosing to instead mask only the outermost frames manually. The black vinyl doesn't work as well as the yellow tape that Eduard uses and I've found that Montex masks have a frustrating tendency to lift on curved surfaces. The flat surfaces of the windscreen should not be a problem so I applied those. Fit was perfect.


I decided to use my older circle cutter to make masks for the wheels.


I like to attach the windscreen to the fuselage prior to painting so that I can ensure a clean joint. While the windscreen is a separate piece, I've used it to trace a mask that can be used when it comes time to paint the fuselage.


The remaining time last evening was spent putting flat spots on the tires to simulate weight effects.

Damn.....

Fantastic work you got going on there.

BlackSheep214 wrote:Damn.....

Fantastic work you got going on there.

I'll say!! Looks like you might've put the weight "bulge" at the bottom or maybe it's just the shadow angle. If so what was your method to obtain it. Lookin' great man!!!

mustang1989 wrote:

BlackSheep214 wrote:Damn.....

Fantastic work you got going on there.

I'll say!! Looks like you might've put the weight "bulge" at the bottom or maybe it's just the shadow angle. If so what was your method to obtain it. Lookin' great man!!!

No bulge was added. I simply sanded a flat spot on the tire. To get it perfectly flat, I use a sheet of sandpaper taped to a small sheet of glass.

speedgraflex wrote:John, beautiful. Question: have you checked the rake of the landing gear yet? Is it safe to assume that the angle is correct if the gear door edge runs parallel to the ground? You may have answered this already somewhere else, but as I am fiddling with Ta 152s (Trimaster, Z-M in 1/48 and Aoshima in 1/72), I am starting to think about gear stance for the first time.

Recollecting my last 1/32 Dora build, yes, the rear edge of the landing gear door should be roughly parallel to the ground.