W.I.P. pics of new projects....

[matrixone]

And even more in-progress pictures, these show the Revell Bf 109G-10 'Erla' being weathered with oil paints.
Also the gear legs have been glued in, it won't be too much longer and I can call it finished.





Matrixone

[matrixone]

More in-progress pictures, besides the Revell Bf 109G-10'Erla' I am also building a Hasegawa Bf 109G-10 along with it.

Below are some pictures of the Hasegawa kit as it looks now.




...and bringing up the rear is the Pro-Modeler Bf 110G-4, work has all but stopped on this model while the Bf 109G-10 Erla is getting the finishing touches done to it.

Matrixone

[DogfighterZen]

No words... I simply  before a master...

[NARSES2]

The tyres/wheels are just 

[matrixone]

Thanks DogfighterZen and NARSES2

I goofed, in my post above I mentioned the Bf110G-4 but forgot to insert the picture...here it is.


Matrixone

[Ifor]

Do you mind me asking how you go about shading on the 262?

[matrixone]

Ifor,
The pre-shading on the Me 262 was done by first spraying on a thin base coat of RLM 76, then with a medium gray color I did some random darkening of panels and panel lines, this was followed by using white paint to add some highlights here and there. I was going for a patchy looking effect and after a coat of RLM 76 to tone down the pre-shading I got the look I was after.
Pre-shading is looked down upon by many but I believe if used with restraint its a good way to add some interest to an otherwise boring paint scheme like the undersurface of the Me 262.

Matrixone

[Ifor]

It's excellent, I think the idea of different shades makes for a very realistic look. Thank you sharing the info.

[NARSES2]

My view on pre-shading is that if it is done well, and your models are the perfect example of that, then it really adds to the look of the model. If done poorly, or overdone then it can make a model look toy like, and I've seen a few of those at shows.

[PR19_Kit]

Pre-shading is looked down upon by many but I believe if used with restraint its a good way to add some interest to an otherwise boring paint scheme like the undersurface of the Me 262.

The word that counts there is 'restraint'.

Unfortunately many modellers, especially magazine reviewers, go WELL over the top with it. A typical example is the Airfix He-111P that's reviewed in the latest Airfix Mag. It looks like the ground crew have gone over the airframe with a black wash after every service!

[matrixone]

I have never understood the need for large amounts of pre-shading and dark washes in all the panel lines on aircraft models, after looking at pictures of models over the years taken at several high level competitions it looks like (to my eyes) the over weathering fad is very slow to die off but the days where you see sprayed on dark panel lines on models is all but over. Ten years ago I remember seeing pictures of a few models entered in competition that had such dark post shading on the panel lines that the models looked like quilts.

In all the thousands of photographs of full size WWII aircraft types that I have looked at I have yet to see one that had black paint painted on the inside of panel line gaps!

When I read discussions on the net about certain kits that need corrections in order to be accurate or they are not worth building I find it amusing, no matter how well the model matches the shape of the full size machine if the model is not properly painted or weathered why get so stressed out if a panel line is wrong or the shape is slightly off?  I can live with the limitations of scale accuracy in most kits but I do try to paint and weather them to where they look realistic since that's the part of model building I have the most control of.


Matrixone

[DogfighterZen]

I've asked myself that question before and i think you're right... Why are so many models so "heavy" with weathering? I guess that at shows it just fills the eyes, but in fact, real aircraft don't look like that... even heavily worn ones... Of course, it always depends on the subject of the representation and one can always say, it's up to the modeler's taste and skill, right? But i believe that if one is looking to achieve a realistic representation, the weathering should follow the motto of "less is more" and, IMHO, that's the hardest part to master.

[matrixone]

What's hard to understand about modelers of RW airplanes is they will complain if a kit is not accurate and will buy aftermarket items to correct the problems and then after spending all the $ and time improving the kit they often go overboard on the weathering and end up cancelling out any improvements they may have made in the kit.

I still say its just as much fun building a kit SFTB and concentrate on the finish and weathering instead of throwing all the aftermarket goodies you can buy at it.


Matrixone

[zenrat]

Add all the PE you want and correct all the perceived inaccuracies and you still won't have scale thickness glass or sheet metal.

I second Kit's comment about restraint.

I suspect that the reason you see heavily weathered models entered in shows is the way the judging works.  If there are points for paint, points for accuracy, points for weathering etc then the modeller may feel that if they don't weather their model then they will lose points.  And if you're thinking like that then more weathering = more points.

...I still say its just as much fun building a kit SFTB and concentrate on the finish and weathering instead of throwing all the aftermarket goodies you can buy at it.

Matrixone

Correct.  Especially if it's a good fit with no PSR required.

[matrixone]

Here is the Hasegawa Bf 109G-10 with the pre-shading toned down by a coat of RLM 76, unlike the Revell Bf 109G-10 I just finished this model will get extreme weathering...but what one person thinks is extreme weathering might be light weathering to another person.



Matrixone