Andy the Sheep
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PM sent with my ruminations... 
Chris's 1/72 Planet Models Breda Ba.44
- Thread starter Steve-the-Duck
- Start date
Steve-the-Duck
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And very useful too, as always!PM sent with my ruminations...
Steve-the-Duck
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I've just realised. The GB is build 'A' Biplane. This is the third start for me, with the second soon to be got back to, and the fourth (as yet unshown) already on the go. Hmm. can I do five by the end of April..?
Anyway
Fuselage band and tail cross masked. Cowlings painted yellow. Giallo Chromo is usually a bright yellow, but the Misterkit paint I had of that was very pale. The Misterkit paints all dried out without me even opening the bottles, so a bit of a dead loss there!
Had to re-mask one of the windows as it peeled up enough to let the base coat underneath. But it scraped off nicely. I'm looking forward to unmasking all the windows with mild trepidation, but that's still a way off yet
The photo makes it look a bit patchier than it really is, but it will get a touch-up later. It's always problematic for me finding an acrylic yellow that actually covers properly, even over a light base
Underside done in Grigio Mimetico. Being most likely painted in theatre, it's anybody's guess just what grey was used, so I went with the 'proper' one, or at least this one from the Aeromaster range.
I pick up any Italian colours, from whatever range, I can find, and it's always interesting matching them up to each other
Anyway
Fuselage band and tail cross masked. Cowlings painted yellow. Giallo Chromo is usually a bright yellow, but the Misterkit paint I had of that was very pale. The Misterkit paints all dried out without me even opening the bottles, so a bit of a dead loss there!
Had to re-mask one of the windows as it peeled up enough to let the base coat underneath. But it scraped off nicely. I'm looking forward to unmasking all the windows with mild trepidation, but that's still a way off yet
The photo makes it look a bit patchier than it really is, but it will get a touch-up later. It's always problematic for me finding an acrylic yellow that actually covers properly, even over a light base
Underside done in Grigio Mimetico. Being most likely painted in theatre, it's anybody's guess just what grey was used, so I went with the 'proper' one, or at least this one from the Aeromaster range.
I pick up any Italian colours, from whatever range, I can find, and it's always interesting matching them up to each other
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Steve-the-Duck
SMF Supporter
Now, here's a fun one, the aileron horns. In the monograph plans, and elsewhere, they're shown beneath the wings. But the photos, in the same monograph, show them above the wings. I suppose they could, conceivably be both, but I'm just going with this. Naturally, they are SLIGHTLY oversize, but they do the job
And at this point I shall NOT draw attention to where I had to do a bit of scraping back of paint, which roughed up when I turned it over during undercoating. Oh, wait, I just did. Lack of patience there...
Now, full underside and cowlings masked. I've used, as always, blutack to mask the underside leading edge, which always wraps over on Regia Aeronautica planes. It does give a slightly softer edge, which I am NOT up to free-hand spraying. Lots of Tamiya tape carefully burnished down here
And at this point I shall NOT draw attention to where I had to do a bit of scraping back of paint, which roughed up when I turned it over during undercoating. Oh, wait, I just did. Lack of patience there...
Now, full underside and cowlings masked. I've used, as always, blutack to mask the underside leading edge, which always wraps over on Regia Aeronautica planes. It does give a slightly softer edge, which I am NOT up to free-hand spraying. Lots of Tamiya tape carefully burnished down here
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Steve-the-Duck
SMF Supporter
And finally for today, on with the sandy brown. The Giallo mimetico used by Breda was a pale shade, but my good adviser Andrea and his translations have pointed me in the direction of these 'planes being militarised and camo'ed in theatre, not back to the factory
Fair enough, so I can use more-or-less any sandy colour
I've gone for Humbol sand, which is really too bright a yellow colour, with an immediate overspray of Tamiya Deck Tan. I must try and get some more of the Army Painter 'Crusader Sand' as that's a very good, versatile, pale 'desert' yellow. Is it Magnolia? No, it's Misty buff!
So, next will be lots of little green blotches. And there are a LOT that cover almost the entire surface. Time for the paper masking idea...
Fair enough, so I can use more-or-less any sandy colour
I've gone for Humbol sand, which is really too bright a yellow colour, with an immediate overspray of Tamiya Deck Tan. I must try and get some more of the Army Painter 'Crusader Sand' as that's a very good, versatile, pale 'desert' yellow. Is it Magnolia? No, it's Misty buff!
So, next will be lots of little green blotches. And there are a LOT that cover almost the entire surface. Time for the paper masking idea...
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Always nice to get a bit of paint on. Looking good.
SteveT
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This looks very interesting, I'll enjoy seeing this develop! Nice work
Steve-the-Duck
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And so we enter the home stretch
More-or-less
My current airbrush is the Aztek with the multiple different nozzles for different paint flow / spread. I usually use medium flow, but really ought to use the high flow more for large areas. I thought using the template cut-out method recently on here (for a desert 109 that I now can't find!), but the spots are really small as opposed to those blotches. I was going to try with my 'fine' nozzle, which I've barely used. But when I tried practicing with it, all I got through was air and no paint
So, I went with dabbing with a small brush
So, that didn't turn out too badly. As you can see, one of the fuel feed pipes came off, but that's an easy fix
The upper wings tho...
I wasn't happy with the pattern match, so I resprayed the base coat, which of course changed coplour slightly, no longer being directly over sand
Closer. The wings now have a gloss coat for the roundels, which is next
More-or-less
My current airbrush is the Aztek with the multiple different nozzles for different paint flow / spread. I usually use medium flow, but really ought to use the high flow more for large areas. I thought using the template cut-out method recently on here (for a desert 109 that I now can't find!), but the spots are really small as opposed to those blotches. I was going to try with my 'fine' nozzle, which I've barely used. But when I tried practicing with it, all I got through was air and no paint
So, I went with dabbing with a small brush
So, that didn't turn out too badly. As you can see, one of the fuel feed pipes came off, but that's an easy fix
The upper wings tho...
I wasn't happy with the pattern match, so I resprayed the base coat, which of course changed coplour slightly, no longer being directly over sand
Closer. The wings now have a gloss coat for the roundels, which is next
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Steve-the-Duck
SMF Supporter
Before putting gloss on the wings underside and tail for the roundels and markings, off came SOME of the masking
Just needs a little touch up on the fuselage band
But for some reason, the tape and blu-tack took off a spot on the starboard wing. But, seeing as I have to paint all the struts grey anyway, what's a little more touch-up
So, roundels and codes, once the gloss is dried, then the rest of the main masking can come off for the varnish overspray
THEN the rigging from cowlings to fuselage, and THEN, before the upper wings go on, we'll see how well the window masking went
And if ANY of the interior is visible!
Just needs a little touch up on the fuselage band
But for some reason, the tape and blu-tack took off a spot on the starboard wing. But, seeing as I have to paint all the struts grey anyway, what's a little more touch-up
So, roundels and codes, once the gloss is dried, then the rest of the main masking can come off for the varnish overspray
THEN the rigging from cowlings to fuselage, and THEN, before the upper wings go on, we'll see how well the window masking went
And if ANY of the interior is visible!
Steve-the-Duck
SMF Supporter
'The bandages came off just this afternoon!'
Well, it was yesterday actually, but I couldn't resist the quote
So then. Like a certain JMW Turner, I have a tendency to do more after I've supposedly finished, just for my own satisfaction. But NOW I'm happy
So far
All masking off, wheels and cowlings on. And my 'Turner' turn is increased blotchiness on the fuselage and squillance on the wings. The photo does show a LOT of the darker, green, so I just added more. Also, the pattern on the wings and fuselage does look different in the few pics of the camo versions
Interplane struts painted, and the House of Savoy crest, cropped from the kit tail crosses, added. Did the top wing roundels first and they took a LONG time to come loose from the paper, and one of them split, so I was left without enough. Straight to the Italeri Ca.313 waiting to be done in RAF markings and here we go with the underwing replacements.
Still needs over-varnishing... The Planet decals, when they do go on, are nice and thin, especially compared to forty-plus year-old Italeri ones!
While you can get transfer sets for particular Italian aircraft, no-one does a sheet of roundels. Probably because they're 'handed'
Also, when I see stencils for the roundels being made, I do think 'You do know that some Italian markings were actually stick-on decals?' That may be just the blue fasces disc, but it's a weird one, nonetheless
Quick detail paint on the fuel pipe and vents. Also, the cowlings have been touched up and a VERY light brown ink shade applied. I've discovered, in all my predominantly acrylic paints, I've no enamel Yellow, which I would hope would get better coverage. So then I found a pot of yellow from an Airfix starter set
Now THAT covered surprisingly well!
Well, it was yesterday actually, but I couldn't resist the quote
So then. Like a certain JMW Turner, I have a tendency to do more after I've supposedly finished, just for my own satisfaction. But NOW I'm happy
So far
All masking off, wheels and cowlings on. And my 'Turner' turn is increased blotchiness on the fuselage and squillance on the wings. The photo does show a LOT of the darker, green, so I just added more. Also, the pattern on the wings and fuselage does look different in the few pics of the camo versions
Interplane struts painted, and the House of Savoy crest, cropped from the kit tail crosses, added. Did the top wing roundels first and they took a LONG time to come loose from the paper, and one of them split, so I was left without enough. Straight to the Italeri Ca.313 waiting to be done in RAF markings and here we go with the underwing replacements.
Still needs over-varnishing... The Planet decals, when they do go on, are nice and thin, especially compared to forty-plus year-old Italeri ones!
While you can get transfer sets for particular Italian aircraft, no-one does a sheet of roundels. Probably because they're 'handed'
Also, when I see stencils for the roundels being made, I do think 'You do know that some Italian markings were actually stick-on decals?' That may be just the blue fasces disc, but it's a weird one, nonetheless
Quick detail paint on the fuel pipe and vents. Also, the cowlings have been touched up and a VERY light brown ink shade applied. I've discovered, in all my predominantly acrylic paints, I've no enamel Yellow, which I would hope would get better coverage. So then I found a pot of yellow from an Airfix starter set
Now THAT covered surprisingly well!
Steve-the-Duck
SMF Supporter
On with the codes. I've used modified Modeldecal RAF pre-war letters. No 'R's and not enough 'O's (cue 'Four Candles' joke...), so 'B' and 'D' sufficed
By the photo reference, the fuselage band is too wide. Only the O and R should be on it, buuut, it does actually 'balance' on both sides!
So, next the overspray, and then the window masking removal!
And RIGGING!
By the photo reference, the fuselage band is too wide. Only the O and R should be on it, buuut, it does actually 'balance' on both sides!
So, next the overspray, and then the window masking removal!
And RIGGING!
Looking good, if somewhat reptilian in shape 
Steve-the-Duck
SMF Supporter
Yeah, and Waspie said it looked like the xenomorph, which I can only NOW unsee that it's painted!Looking good, if somewhat reptilian in shape
Good job it wasn't a float-plane, as that'd be in marine dark blue-grey...
Steve-the-Duck
SMF Supporter
As Jayne Cobb would say 'Gorramit!'
But first
Added the spinners. They still need some clean-up and touch up, but they're small enough to need fixing in place to aid that. And here's another quibble. The props are just two blades stuck together, with no boss or flat piece in the center. So, I'm going to have to cut them apart, then pin them to the spinners. This will be the last thing added, along with the tail wheel. Need to drill out that intake and then add the exhaust pipes, which are huge, and practically invisible in most of the pics
And, as you can see, off is coming the window masking, which has been pretty successful, except for this!
That's a bit of one of the shims I had to make to fit the windscreen piece to the sides, which vanished without trace while I was TRYING to put it together. It couldn't BE in a worse place
I may have to prize the bottom of the screen away and prize it out. I would cut the whole window out and replace it with a new acetate piece, but the damn thing is too thick to make that possible
Gah!
Still
Now the windows are clear, in the right light you can,just see the interior detail!
Getting there...
But first
Added the spinners. They still need some clean-up and touch up, but they're small enough to need fixing in place to aid that. And here's another quibble. The props are just two blades stuck together, with no boss or flat piece in the center. So, I'm going to have to cut them apart, then pin them to the spinners. This will be the last thing added, along with the tail wheel. Need to drill out that intake and then add the exhaust pipes, which are huge, and practically invisible in most of the pics
And, as you can see, off is coming the window masking, which has been pretty successful, except for this!
That's a bit of one of the shims I had to make to fit the windscreen piece to the sides, which vanished without trace while I was TRYING to put it together. It couldn't BE in a worse place
I may have to prize the bottom of the screen away and prize it out. I would cut the whole window out and replace it with a new acetate piece, but the damn thing is too thick to make that possible
Gah!
Still
Now the windows are clear, in the right light you can,just see the interior detail!
Getting there...
Waspie
SMF Supporter
Looks like it's fighting you, but I reckon you're winning!!
Steve-the-Duck
SMF Supporter
Just so long as it's not bleeding acid on me, I'm fine
Ten out of ten for perseverance chris , its looking great now the paint is on . Shame about the bit of plastic in the windscreen , ive had that particular problem many times , its so maddening . If you give it a gentle tap will it not fall into the interior or is it stuck ? Interesting about the airfix starter yellow giving good coverage , always a tricky colour to use . Cheers tony
Just caught up Chris, some cracking work, and looking great in its war paint.
Steve-the-Duck
SMF Supporter
A gentle tap? I wish! It doesn't appear to be stuck to the transparent part tho' as I can't see any glue residue, even with the increased magnification of the photos
Unless the AK Crystal Magic glue I was using is THAT clear. Which is useful to know for future sticking
Neil Merryweather
SMF Supporter
a blast from the airbrush?