SPA Modeler

Excellent work on the save! I’m sure all the follow on work will remove any remaining difference between the original and the repair work.

Saga's not over! I can't leave well enough alone. The "edge" in both repair spots bugged me so I started sanding, this time with proper sandpaper and not Micromesh. Inevitably the repair spot got bigger and bigger in both areas. The tail has been re-painted and looks a little better but the fuselage band still has some work. I'll try and post an update later tonight!

As promised, here is a late night update on Black 1. I was initially happy with the repairs made to the lifted paint on the tail and on the white fuselage band. Paint chipping via the hairspray method was hard so I stopped a little bit short of what I would've liked.



I moved on to the front of the aircraft where I masked and painted the black panels surrounding the exhausts. Many early Doras had this feature.



I kept looking at the ragged edges of the repaired areas and it irked me. Once I notice something I don't like, it is very hard to leave it alone.


Committed to trying to tone down the edges, I elected to use fine grit sandpaper instead of Micromesh for a little more cutting power.


The new, bigger repair area was primed with neutral gray. The edge was still there but reduced.


Here is the tail after another coat of yellow. I think I can live with this.


Similar steps were employed on the white ID stripe.


I gave the model another quick layer of Alclad Aqua Gloss in preparation for the masked markings.

It's not uncommon to read pilots survive downed aircrafts and destroy them to prevent from falling into enemy hands - German and/or Allied. I often wonder if there are a few Fw-190s of different variations still around in flying condition or in museums. Heck - any Luftwaffe aircraft still in existence on display or flying condition.

Bruce - you need to pick up a copy of "Fly Past" magazine at your local Barnes & Nobles bookstore. Well worth reading. I try to buy an issue every month depending on the feature article/ little known aviation subject articles inside. Fly Past is a British aviation magazine and it's best $10 spent for a magazine. Even better with a B&N membership discount.

speedgraflex wrote:I wonder if John is fishing or painting today...

LULz... I tried fishing in the morning but didn't like the conditions at the beach and came right back. So... LOTS of painting today!

The national markings were next on the agenda. For most of the markings, I am using a Montext Mask set. Ironically, the set is intended for Bruce's Red 1 in 1/32 scale, as well as Red 13. What I was looking for was the size and style of the crosses. Black 1 had the older style of crosses... black with white borders on the wing bottoms and on the fuselage. At least this is what Crandall's Dora book asserts. Most references and builds, including EagleCal's decal sheets for Red 1, Black 1 and Yellow 1, indicate a black-only cross on the bottom of the wings. Red 13 happens to have the same size and style of crosses as Black 1: 800mm Black and White crosses on the fusleage, 910mm White crosses on top of the wing and 900mm Black and White crosses underwing.

Starting with the bottom crosses, I use a digital caliper to make sure I use the right crosses for the right locations.


Montex masks are made of transparent vinyl. They have a bit of thickness to them so they are not the best choice for curved surfaces. I use pieces of Post-It to frame each mask... it makes it much easier to handle and slide the mask into place.




For multi-color masks, you can choose the order of painting by the mask components that you use. Using the central "+" piece is much easier than placing four individual "L" pieces so I chose to paint the black first.


Actually a very dark gray, not black, to represent some fading. Once the dark gray dries, the central "+" piece is put into place. Due to a bit of stretching upon application, the "+" piece may need to be extended, as shown by the bits of yellow tape. I am not being aggressive in pushing down the mask due to my fears of paint lifting. As long as you keep the spray perpendicular to the surface and not let paint pool, this should not be an issue.


The white is sprayed on. Note the spray pattern. I've used a tight and random spray pattern to create some unevenness to the white.


After the white, the masks can be removed. A tiny dot of paint lifted from the starboard underwing cross... easy fix once the paint dries.




The same procedure for the top of the wings, except this is a single step process being a single color.




The transparency of the Montex masks really help in placement. The swastika masks would be impossible to center if the masks were opaque. There is some black overspray on both sides of the tail that need to be corrected.




Finally, the fuselage crosses are painted. Dark gray was used since the crosses are assumed to be older (and more worn/faded) than the fuselage band. Another bit of paint lifting in one of the crosses.



After some minor paint repairs, the whole model was given another coat of Aqua Gloss to seal the national markings and to prepare for decals.

A most enlightening WIP thread...