Introduction
Having just recently gotten back into the hobby after a very long
break, I am amazed at the progress that has been made and how
different the hobby is compared to 30 years ago. Photo etched and
resin after market accessories, and a host of other after market
accessories just simply did not exist. Even the advent of the
internet making research and reference materials a few clicks away
are nothing short of incredible.
I wanted to try my hand at a full blown detail PE detail set so I
picked up the Eduard set for the 1/48 Tamiya JV44 kit and the kit at
my LHS. I thought it was a cool subject due to the red underside but
then noticed there were a lot of examples of these aircraft already
beautifully done. I went thumbing through the stack decal sheets and
came across the “Late Doras” Aero Master sheet that has Yellow 6
which caught my eye for being a little off the beaten track. The use
of RLM 84 and the natural metal finish for the underside seemed like
it would make an interesting subject.
Yellow 6 was flown by an unknown pilot of 9./KG(J) 27, Germany, and
was shot down on April 1 1945. References that were found are
speculative on details.
It is said to have been part of a group of at least 3 aircraft
that had the Ta-152 wooden tails added but before engine mods that
lengthened the front of the plane. So along with my first ever PE
detail set I decided to try my first ever conversion and make this a
“big tail”.
Construction / Conversion
Using a horizontal line through the stabilizers on some profiles
as my base line and measuring the angle of the vertical stab leading
edge for the regular and big tails, I calculated the difference in
the slant of the leading edge to be about 7 degrees. I know if
someone took a ruler to my model it may not scale out exactly but,
hey, a lot of the kits out there don’t scale out exactly either and
this is my first crack at this. But I of course did try to be as
accurate as possible.
After tracing the old vertical stabilizer on a piece of sheet
styrene I added the 7 degrees and cut out a spine hat was glued to
the front of the tail. I colored the leading edge with w red
permanent marker to as I added styrene and putty to fill and was
sanding to shape the red coming through would let me know to stop.
After all the filling and sanding were done, some scribing was
needed for the new vertical stabilizer.
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The kit itself goes together very nicely and there
weren’t really any issues beyond what would normally need to be done
as far as filling and sanding. Most parts needed little attention
after a dry fit.
Next I start cutting, trimming and folding the PE part for the
cockpit. This was all straight forward and the Eduard instruction
sheets were clear and the reference drawings plentiful. Some of the
kit detail on the cockpit had to be removed but the cockpit fit was
excellent. The pre-painted details really make the cockpit an
impressive looking assembly. I added some “dimension” to some of the
pieces like levers and knobs with thick CA and accelerator.
I did not like the appearance of the open cowl flaps since the
bottoms looked very thick. I always keep a 1/48 scale pilot figure
sitting on the shelf so if I want to get an idea of what the scale
appearance of something is I will compared to the figure. The cowl
flaps looked like they were almost “2 fingers” thick at the base.
Then I look at my fingers and realize that is not a cowl flap… it is
armor plate. These were cut off and discarded. The disc that is left
was sanded smooth and reduced a little in circumference to allow for
the thickness of the new cowl flaps cut from strip styrene. A simple
metal jig was made to cut all the new flaps to the same length. The
front edge of each flap has to be sanded so it is a little concave
so when it is given the right curve, it will be flush with the
cowling for the open position and not have a gap. Short pieces of 28
gauge craft wire were glued to the inside of each for the flap
actuators.
Landing gear gets PE oleo scissors that are a nice look. Brakes
lines were added as were strut springs made from craft wire wrapped
around a small drill bit shank and painted red. The craft wire comes
in roll available from art and craft stores and usually comes in
silver or gold finish and very shiny. I take short length and roll
it between 2 piece of very fine sandpaper mounted on sanding blocks.
This takes the shine off and a lot of the time does not need to be
painted but when paint is required it gives the surface some “tooth”
to help it stick. Tires are held close to a lit candle t soften and
gently pressed to the table top for the bulge produce by the A/C
weight, then painted with a mix of flat black and rubber.
The rest of the model was built with much else being done. This of
course does not include the extra work that was my fault due to
gluing in the lower wings and realizing the finished cockpit was
still in the table. Ultracast exhausts are used and really add to
the finished product.
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Painting and Markings
All paints are Model Master enamels using RLM 82 & 83 on upper
surfaces. The side and underside are RLM “84” mixed using info on
the decal sheet as a starting point which suggests RLM 76 with a bit
of RLM 02. Nearly all references to the unofficial color RLM “84”
describe it as a blue/green or straw color. It needed yellow for the
shade and white for the hue to get to what I liked. The NMF is Model
Master Metalizer buffing aluminum plate. Bottoms of the ailerons and
the rudder are RLM 76.
3 coats of Future that were allowed to cure before applying decals,
using some of the kit sheet stenciling that is missing from the Aero
Master sheet, followed by a sealing coat of Future. The panel lines
were given a wash of Model Master flat black with some Testor
rubber. After this thin wash dried it was wiped, always toward the
rear, with a paper towel pad barley damp with thinner. I change to a
clean spot as needed but will go back to a dirty spot on the pad if
I need to add a bit more streakiness. Remember to use good
ventilation for this method. After drying, 2 coats of flat lacquer
were applied. Panel lines are further accented with post shading
using pastels in dark grey and black, using a ¼” wide flat brush
with stiff bristles to hole a nice edge.
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Exhaust stains start with dark gray then brown over that. Paint
is given a faded look with some white pastel lightly applied with a
blush brush. Paint chipping is done with a sharp Prismacolor
Metallic Sliver pencil.
Finishing Touches
Navigation lights for the wings tips are stretched clear sprue
held close to a flame so it rounds over to make a bulb shape and
painted with clear colors after gluing into a pre-drilled hole.
Landing gear indicators are sanded 28 gauge craft wire dipped in
flat white and allowed to dry. I shaved a fine point on a red
permanent market, chucked the wire in my Dremel and on a slow speed
just touch with the tip of the marker for the red stripes. Wing
canons are hypodermic needles.
Conclusion
The project was never intended to turn into what it did. Now I
wish I had done something about the oblivious omission of the
visible engine plumbing in the wheel wells. Next time for sure.