Fw 190 D-9 'Bodenplatte'

[tr1ckey66]

Hi Steve

The cockpit is looking really good. I agree that the biggest single improvement you can make to the 'office' is by adding a good harness. This one thing transforms the cockpit from kit to replica. You don't need to add extras especially in a cockpit with very restricted viewable area, such as the Dora.

Great work on the harness and cockpit. By-the-way the HGW harnesses are every bit as fiddly as their RB counterparts! The difference is that the HGW belts have printed stitching and labels etc. like I said, the difference is marginal. I have many RB sets with kits in the stash and I won't be swapping them out for the HGW equivalents.

The cockpit looks great and I'm looking forward to the paint finish already!

Cheers

Paul

 

[monica]

outstanding with the seat belt Steve ,lov them well done :D

 

[stona]

Just to show I am actually building this thing.......slowly



That blob of Blu-Tac goes a long way to stopping me breaking of the antenna wire attachment post on top of the fin !

Cheers

Steve

 

[Polux]

As always, you take care with all the details and history.

And you are building it slowly.....so, is the perfect combination for another Steve's master piece

 

[Ian M]

Nice one on the harness, I have tried one and it drove me nutty!

Good tip with the blue tack knock of prevention device!

Ian M

 

[stona]

Moving swiftly along, I have applied the underside colour.

The CEAR, in conjunction with the photos and what we know about this production block from Focke-Wulf Sorau, give us a good idea what this must have been.



That is surely the standard RLM 76, not the very pale, almost white, version seen on some late Messerschmitt's, or the green/yellow version which appeared across production very late in the war. White Ensign's RLM 76, slightly lightened, is what I've done.



Due to my lack of ability with a camera most of my post shading is invisible and you can't see the thinly applied RLM 76, over an aluminium base coat, on the fuselage extension 'plug'. Maybe on the finished model

Notice that the inside of the upper wing is masked for the flaps. The flaps will be deployed on the ground. This is very unusual but there is a good, historical, reason for it in my scenario.

Cheers

Steve

 

[flyjoe180]

I can see the pre-shading quite well on my screen Steve, nice work mate.

 

[stona]

I've now applied the camouflage colours.

The fuselage is easy and well documented. It is a standard combination of RLM 75 and RLM 83, as seen on other Doras of this block assembled at the Sorau plant. Really the only decision to make was whether the mottling on the rear part of the fuselage and fin was RLM 83 (which I've gone for) or RLM 81 as some suggest.

The wings are another matter. The CEAR states that these were 'a rather brighter green' than was usual on German aircraft. This has led many to believe that the report's author was seeing RLM 82 for the first time, and this was a fairly new colour at the time. Of course we have no way of knowing that author's experience or how many aircraft he had looked at! Nonetheless, I have decided to apply an RLM 82/83 camouflage to the wings, in a standard Focke-Wulf Sorau pattern. It makes for an interesting model at the very least

Here's the 'raw' camouflage done.



The RLM 82 certainly is 'a rather brighter green'. It will tone down with weathering and varnishes.

Cheers

Steve

 

[Polux]

Well...I like it this green colour O_o

 

[dubster72]

That's looking very nice Steve. I love how you research your builds to apply maximum accuracy (where possible!)

Me, I just whack on the paint & hope for the best!

 

[stona]

Me, I just whack on the paint & hope for the best!

Nothing wrong with that I try to make mine as accurate (within artistic limitations) as I can, but at the end of the day you've just got to whack on the paint and hope for the best !

Cheers

Steve

 

[flyjoe180]

Super paint job Steve

 

[tr1ckey66]

The paintwork is real quality Steve. The subtle variations in shade, the meticulous attention to authentic colour rendering all superb. the finish will only get batter too as the various finishing stages are applied.

Top stuff

Paul

 

[treyzx10r]

Coming along nicely Steve,as always your research is a valued part of your builds as well.

 

[stona]

So I walked into my model room to see how the decals on the Dora were doing under the Microsol and noticed a nice juxtaposition of the model with a Jerry Crandall profile stuck to the window. 'That'll do for a progress shot" I said to myself, so here it is



The decals are cobbled together from the kit, an aeroscale 'Dora' sheet and the spares box. The Werknummer on the fin is home made. I've never found 1/32 decals for this aircraft which seems a shame.

Cheers

Steve

 

[papa 695]

Cracking work Steve

 

[tr1ckey66]

Looks a pretty good match to me!

Cheers

Paul

 

[Deleted member 3568]

Great build so far love it

 

[stona]

I reckon that Crandall's interpretation of the photographs is spot on and it's a hell of a lot easier to refer to a profile picture than to juggle a couple of books in which the various photographs are spread over several pages

I also don't really want to use books, some of which are quite valuable and difficult to replace, in the same place as I'm painting and spraying. Things tend to get inexplicably contaminated by paints, varnishes and solvents when I start working!

Cheers

Steve

 

[Ian M]

Looking very nice Steve.

Ian M