What's on my desk? Part 146.
Hello and welcome!
Not much to say other than: build models!
Let's start with the Jolie Brise this week. I've reverted to attaching one plank at a time. I've also decided to fully plank one side of the hull first, then do the other side.
The planks connect in an angle at the bow, so now I'm cutting every next one at an angle and am fixing them alternatively top and bottom. Notice how the top plank is most forward (hull is upside down in the picture), then the bottom one comes in. Next plank will again be fitted from the top.
How do I determine the angle and length of the cut? I put a plank on top, one end equal to the sharp end of the gap, then mark with a pencil where the full width of the plank will fit. A metal ruler and a sharp knife are sufficient to cut the excess. I put the cut plank in some water to make sure it bends more easily, then glue it in. Quite a lot of work, and as a result this is slow going...
Another thing that takes a lot of time: masking the Strv103 camouflage. I cut lengths of 2mm tape to mark the outline, then fill it in with pieces of 6mm & 18mm tape.
There are a few areas where my light green coat was not very good, and I thought I'd make a shortcut by not spraying some of the jerrycans that needed to be in a different colour anyway. That was a mistake, as I switched to a clearer (full-colour) camo plan instead of the black-and-white Trumpeter one. However, the pattern is slightly different and my unpainted pieces are wrong. So a slight respray is in order before I can continue...
Next up: the Fairey Battle. I airbrushed the top camouflage with dark green and brown:
Somehow I got some overspray on the bottom:
See that green haze under the fuselage, behind the air intake? Yeah. Another respray. The wavy lines also don't have a sharp enough definition in places, so I'd have to redo this anyway...
Another customer gave me some leftover decals with Belgian roundels, so that's great: I don't have to go looking for these.
The Hurricane has received its primer coat:
I'll spray the underside with Sky Type S first. Then I mustn't forget to attach the pole antenna behind the cockpit before airbrushing the camouflage on top...
Finally, the Actros has been polished. It's not perfect, but it has a nice sheen to it:
See how the strip underneath the front window is mirroring my shop window? I'm pretty happy with it, hopefully the customer will be as well. I still have to gloss coat a small strip and then it's done.
That's it.
See you next week!