SPA Modeler

Considering the 1945 production and painting situation, your color choices are quite plausible John. And that is looking so sharp now.

Floki wrote:That mottling looks great

Thanks Clint! I was saving that for last to build up my time using the Badger SOTAR. There is a fine line between the paint spitting and pooling on the model... hard to get that consistency between those too extremes. But the RLM 83 shot a smoother so it was possible to correct most of the overspray and pooling errors by iterating between the two colors.

Stuart wrote:That is a superb bit of modelling John - it looks spectacular.
Thanks Stuart! It's still got a long way to go and I am aiming to do a complete weathering job on her after the markings are finished. Which will be another test of the airbrush.


So, having enjoyed this trip down to 1/72, are you tempted to do some more in this scale?

I'm not sure. Possibly. But there seem to be some very interesting 1/32 scale subjects in the pipeline like the Italeri MC-202 Folgore, the Infinity Aichi D3A and Nakajima B5N and the Zoukei Mura Ki-100 that I would be pursuing. Personally, I think I enjoy working in a bigger scale but I won't say NEVER.

Medicman71 wrote:Man your painting is incredible!

Thank you! Keeping the mixtures on the thin side really helps the finish.

Stikpusher wrote:Considering the 1945 production and painting situation, your color choices are quite plausible John. And that is looking so sharp now.

Thanks Carlos! Gotta plow through the decaling stage and we can move on to the always-interesting weathering part of the build.

Wow, I finally got caught up with this build. Oh man, I feel so many mixed feeling looking at this: overwhelming awe, anticipation to see more, and a frustration and sadness at how basic my work is and how far I'd have to go to even be considered 'advanced'. It's like I'm flying a Sopwith Camel at 20,000 feet and looking up at an SR-71 flying at the edge of space above me.

I can also see how much more I need to do with my own Sotar to try and achieve a slight resemblance to this outstanding work.My biggest issue with mine is getting it to work well enough to spray properly due to my own inexperience.

John, this is overwhelmingly outstanding work and I'm thrilled to see it come together. I am learning a considerable amount watching this, however; when I use this knowledge remains to be seen. Keep it coming John, and thank you for all your tips and photos.

Thank you sincerely, Duke! I appreciate your comments and understand your frustration. I also see other modelers cranking out stuff that make me feel inadequate, incomplete or otherwise needing improvement. I don't think we ever reach the top of the mountain and I don't think that is the point. We should enjoy the climb, wherever we may be on that hill. I think every modeler has room to improve and learn and I try to keep pushing my model building beyond "good enough" to a place where I'm personally satisfied. And I'm sure there are modelers out there that think I have not taken it far enough.

One thing that I'm conscious of when modeling is the pace. I work best when I take my time. One or maybe two projects going on at any one time and no set schedule on when a project will be completed. Conversely, bad things tend to happen when I do things too quickly. Especially when it comes to letting things completely dry, whether that's paint or glue.

Looking at your work, Duke, it is apparent that you have a high level of modeling skills. But your build count is way higher than mine. Last year, you completed close to 40 models! That's over three per month! FWIW, I could not build the models that I build in those time frames. In 2021, I think I finished TWO. In 2020, I posted maybe SIX completed builds.

Excellent paint work John. I really like the masked panels on the belly - really eye catching. Do like the long slinky Dora

Thank you John!

I've applied the decals and put a pastel wash over the model.

I wasn't expecting all that rivet detail in 1/72

Looks superb John! I do like your pastel washes.