1/48 scale Bf 109's x 2

[matrixone]

Thanks for the comments!

It will be easier (and cheaper) to just go a little heavier with the weathering done with oil paints. My first choice is using the airbrush mainly because the paint from it does not come off as easily as oil paints do, oil paints take much longer to fully dry.

No painting on the K-4 today, the Dinah trainer and Tamiya Panther took up my time painting them and there is some playoff basketball that needs watchin'. B)


Matrixone

 

[Duke Maddog]

No worries. Your quality work is well worth the wait.

 

[matrixone]

Thanks for waiting Mr. Maddog!

The start of the upper surface painting on the K-4, a thin base coat of RLM 75 was followed by some white highlights. Next will be a highly thinned coat of the RLM 75 base color sprayed on to tone down the highlights.
I will do the exact same thing with the white highlights when I spray on the dark green color.

The horizontal stabilizers were not glued in yet, having them off the model will make painting the camouflage on the fin/rudder much easier.

Matrixone

 

[lupanzer]

Very interesting effects,Les...waiting anxiously for the final results

:salute

Luiz

 

[matrixone]

The dark green color was sprayed on a few hours ago...I did add the highlights to the green paint just like I did with the RLM 75 but instead of adding white to the paint to lighten it I used a pale tan to the green paint for the highlights, the tan works better for fading green than white paint.

The green paint on the left wing root was faded the most and later on during this build I will add some weathering in the form of scuffed off paint that will show some bare metal.

Matrixone

 

[lupanzer]

Very good,Les!...taking notes

Luiz

 

[moon puppy]

 

[Skinny_Mike]

 

[phantom II]

Nice as always

Cheers, Christian B)

 

[matrixone]

Thanks!

Here are some pictures of the K-4 after much of the painting is done on it.

Two shots of the rear fuselage, the fin and rudder have different styles of camouflage because I wanted it to look like the rudder was a replacement after the original was damaged from combat. It is not known if the full size 'white 10' had this feature or not since it was photographed in non-flyable condition after the war minus the rudder but it was not unusual for late war 109's to have mismatched painted parts on them.

Two shots of the propeller after assembly and weathering.

Paint chipping and wear was added to the wing root, this was done by using jagged edged masking tape and damp salt and airbrushing metall over it, when the paint had set up for an hour I used my fingertip to rub the salt off the model. This very same technique will be used on the 1/72 scale Dinah trainer I am building.

Matrixone

 

[lupanzer]

Most excelent Les!...the weathering looks great specially in the propeller...very realistic

Luiz

 

[phantom II]

Good progress Les

 

[Jeeves]

Just gorgeous Les!

 

[matrixone]

Thanks!

The K-4 was gloss coated with Future cut with a little Windex glass cleaner. Future sprays just fine through my airbrush un-thinned but I find I get a much smoother gloss finish when I thin Future with 1/4 glass cleaner and have fewer problems with decals silvering.
After the Future dried all the markings were put on, the markings came from an EagleCals sheet. EagleCals are well researched and of high quality but I chose to use the fuselage cross from the kits decal sheet because the EagleCal sheet had their version of RLM 83 green inside the cross and since I had already airbrushed the green for the cross on the fuselage the kits cross with its clear section would allow the green I had painted to show through and be a perfect match.

Matrixone

 

[lupanzer]

Beautiful squeme and markings ...and very well done,as always...

Luiz

 

[ij001]

Caught me by surprise, Les !! - a few posts ago I was sure that it was a JG77 machine with the green/white tail-band. I know now it's from JG27. Love that replacement tail section, looks just about perfect to my eye.

Been eyeing my G-14 again this week... may get to the bench after the Bronco, or not :idonno

Ian.

 

[matrixone]

Thanks!

Ian,
This aircraft, ''white 10'' was one of JG 27 109's that wore the narrow RVD band...it looks odd to me for that reason but the photographs of the full size machine clearly show the narrow band.

Matrixone

 

[Skinny_Mike]

All I can really think when I look at your builds is that I really need to get practicing with my airbrush...

Fantastic as usual Les!

 

[moon puppy]

All I can really think when I look at your builds is that I really need to get practicing with my airbrush...

Fantastic as usual Les!

I think Les would be the first to say, Practice, Practice, Practice... :dance

 

[lupanzer]

Just impressive,Les!...the top camo on the fuse look superb,really very good

Luiz