Me 410 (Commission)

Next up is an Airfix’s 1/72 Messerschmitt Me 410 commission for a collector customer of mine. 

Need to decide whether to build the U2 or U4 version. It’s the U2 which is to be found at the RAF Museum Midlands (Cosford) and which was LIDAR scanned by Airfix for the outline accuracy of this kit. 

Slow but positive progress made this afternoon on the Me410. I’m now at stage 14/77 of the Airfix instructions. This isn’t a quick or simple build, that’s for sure. 

I’ve completed the build of the front cockpit tub and rear crew member’s station. Airfix provide split instrument panel decals but the moulding is so raised that getting these to stick I feel would be close to impossible. Also, the decals are predominantly black, which would never been seen with a few white blobs which would be very easy to add with a brush. The decals were thus discarded. Further research showed that some of the buttons may have even been red and so, for added  interest, I included these too. Before I close the canopy, I will also attempt to add a scratch built harness which it would have made more sense for Airfix to have provided in place of the instrument decals.

I’m now just waiting for the inner bulkhead Graublau paint to cure before fitting the cockpit and fuselage together. The rear crew member’s seat is being left to the very last moment to install as I understand if it’s not positioned correctly it will foul the cockpit decking. 

Harness made and fitted, and cockpit installed within the fuselage. 

Back on the 1/72 scale Airfix Me410 and time to add the rear pod and the wings to the fuselage. 

I read that these fit well which in some ways the do, but I can’t help thinking that a jig wouldn’t go a miss to get everything aligned. In the absence of a jig I’ve resulted to trussing it up with tape. 

I’m just praying that once it hardens off it looks as good as it did when first dry fit. 

The removal of the bracing revealed some remedial realignment of the wings and nothing a bit of filler and sanding won’t cure. 

This afternoon’s activity involved the fitting of the rear seat and engine nacelles. 

This is certainly a very detailed and weighty kit. The odd gap here and there between joining surfaces is a little annoying but it’s all part of the hobby and I’ve seen worse.

Flaps & guns fitted and masking removed from gunners window. 

This Airfix Me 410 is not a quick & easy nor a relaxing build. I’m just hoping the details show through in the end to make all the effort worthwhile.

I hate this Airfix Me410 canopy! 🤦‍♂️

It comes in 4 pieces reminiscent of the old Airfix Storch that some may remember. 

The instructions suggest pre constructing it off the aircraft but again, I found that a jig would have been useful here as it needs some form of support. I’ve seen it recommended that one fixes the sides and then the section including screen and top, which is what I’ve attempted. 

Having done such a detailed job on the interior, I really want this canopy to look great, but Airfix continue to conspire against me with this kit. I even found the sprue attaches too close to the glazing such that even with a clean cut and gentle sanding I still see marks in the canopy. I’m hoping the frame will hide these once painted! 

I so want to love this kit but in truth I’m having more of a love hate relationship with it!

I wasn’t at all happy leaving it as is, so I’ve removed the Airfix Me410’s canopy and re-glued it off the aircraft. 

I’m hoping, once it’s  dried off, that it holds together sufficiently for me to coat it in Klear which, fingers crossed, will both give it strength and clean up the sprue damaged glazing. It didn't - replacement requested from Airfix. 

The replacement canopy sprue for my Messerschmitt Me410 has arrived from Airfix. 

Just check out that sprue though … look at all the tabs to remove! Each one presents the scale modeller with the risk of shattering or scarring the fragile and brittle clear parts. What were you thinking Airfix design team?

04-Mar: Back from the Peterborough Scale Model Show and I could not put off checking in on my Airfix Me410 canopy which Id left glueing to the fuselage before the weekend. 

The fitting to the fuselage looks strong and close which is good, but look closely and you’ll see a gap in one of the top joins 😩

Fear not though, a small brush of clear glue and a bit of tape should see this closed.

My copy of Airfix Model World Magazine has just landed and look what’s the subject of this month’s 'In Focus article'!

There’s no putting it off … time to get back to the Airfix Me410!

The canopy of finally in position and it’s time to mask and prime. 

I don’t usually buy canopy masks but felt it essential for the greenhouse glazing on this Me410.

I really didn’t think this day would ever arrive!

That’s the camouflage added. RLM 76 Lichtblau to the underside, RLM 75 Grauviolett to the lower sides, RLM 74 Graugrun and RLM 70 Schwartzgrun disruptive patter to the wings and mottling on tail and sides. 

Next up I’ll probably start applying the decals and then the fiddly bits as there are 63 of them and having a clear line of sight will be beneficial !

Decals applied and now time to prepare the bits and bobs to complete the build. I did have a few scares in applying the decals: firstly,  the white fuselage band broke up, but that was OK as they are always made of too thin a decal such that the paint beneath is usually all to visible. A quick bit of masking and a spray of white sorted this. Then I ridiculously lost a couple of the red dotted "no walk" lines for the upper wing surface. I'm hoping my random spacing hides this error and it can be assumed the aircraft has had a panel repair where the camouflage has been applied but not the line. Finally, the spiral decal for the propeller  spinners just would not lie flat on the rounded surface ... more on this later!

The first of the bits and bobs are the undercarriage struts and exhausts. These now need to harden before fitting the wheels and more fiddly bits as the struts, for one, are notoriously fragile! I did, however, think I'd have a go at the kill markings on the 50mm canon, an addition my customer had specifically requested. 

Having done a not too bad a job on this, I thought why not now try paining the white spiral on the spinner? As eluded to earlier, Airfix did provide a decal for this, but despite a bucket of softener it failed to lay flat and became so puckered that I thought I'd bin them and just go with a painted white cap to the spinners as I've also seen evidence of the Me 410 using. I don't, on reflection think this turned out that bad either. 

7 weeks after starting this kit, the longest build I think I've ever done, and the Me410 is complete!

P-47D Thunderbolt 'Razorback'

While I wait for a new canopy for the Me410 commission, I thought I’d make a start on one of the Academy P-47D Thunderbolts, I picked up at the Bovington show last weekend. 

Oh my, how lovely it is to have a kit on my bench which goes together so beautifully. I’ve made a few Academy kits over the years and they’ve never let me down. Interestingly Airfix used Academy for some of their early 1:35 scale AFVs … may be they can also learn something from their 1:72 scale aircraft too!

Did a quick bit of Olive Drab painting today. This is now going to be a 9th Airforce fighter bomber, inspired by an 8th Airforce project I have in plan but now steering towards an 80th D-Day anniversary theme! 

I’m just debating now as to what D-Day striping to do as Academy would have me finished with these having been removed at the end of 1944 but I’d really like some reminder of the event, even if just the later half stripe finish

That’s one side of decals applied. These are so thin it’s a real challenge sliding them into place! 

I’m going to paint the tail fin white stripe as I never find these decals work.

Academy’s 1/72 scale P-47D "Razorback" is a fabulous kit. Everything fits seamlessly with beautiful detail. You can tell, I loved building it! 

I was drawn to the P-47 after reading Donald L Miller’s 2006 book “Masters of the Air” in which B-17 Flying Fortress relied their P-47 “little friends” prior to the arrival of the long range P-51 Mustang. Academy include decals for the 9th Air Force’s 325514:A8-P ‘Anna Lousie’ as flown by Lt. Rainbow of 391 Fighter Squadron, 366 Fighter Group, when based at Laon, France, in late 1944. 

I love the research that accompanies all my builds and this one was no exception. In the first half of 1944 the P-47 units spent much of their time on bomber escort duties, in support of the 8th Air Force. In the run-up to D-Day they turned increasingly to their intended ground attack role, carrying two 1000 lb bombs to destroy the coastal batteries, leaving the Mustang to perform the bomber escort role. On D-Day the P-47s of the 9th Air Force were concentrated along the south coast, from where they flew regular patrols over the Normandy beaches, attacking German defensive positions. With this year being the 80th Anniversary of D-Day, I decided that this would now be the focus of my P-47 build.

The day prior to D-Day invasion stripes were added to the wing and fuselage surfaces. Two to three weeks after D-Day the stripes were removed on all upper surfaces, retaining those on the undersurfaces of the wings and fuselage. As operations continued through 1944 and into 1945 these stripes were gradually eliminated, and many new, replacement aircraft were put into service without them. The stripes did not completely disappear, however, and 366th Fighter Group was one that retained the recognition stripes on the undersurfaces of the fuselage, on almost all of its planes, until the end of the war. Although Academy did not include these in their decals or instructions, I thought I’d at least add them in recognition of the event. This certainly took some careful masking around the national markings and letters!

Curtis Tomahawk IIB

To prevent me racing on in my normal uncontrolled way and to let the glue harden on an Me410 commission I've just kicked off, I thought I’d make a start on a small Airfix Starter Kit, the Curtis Tomahawk, which was picked up a few weeks back by a friend in a Bristol charity shop. I’ve built a few of these and they are great fun. 

Flying Officer Neville Duke of 112 Sqn RAF in November 1941

North African RAF camouflage applied and decals added. 

Don’t know why, but although not an old kit, these decals broke up into so many pieces that I’m going to use this kit for some serious and experimental weathering! 

I said having had a bad crop of decals with this Airfix Curtis Tomahawk IIB Starter Kit that I would have to try out some serious weathering! 

This is AK402 GA-F Tomahawk IIB (P-40C) flown by Flying Officer Neville Duke of 112 Sqn RAF in November 1941. While flying this aircraft, Duke was credited with three kills in nine days (a CR.42, a Me 109F, and a G.50) and became the Allies' highest scoring ace in the Mediterranean theatre.

On 30 November, the aircraft was lost when Duke was shot down by Luftwaffe ace, Otto Schultz of JG27 flying a Messerschmitt Bf 109. Duke belly landed and survived the crash, it was however, the last flight of the aircraft AK402. 

Messerschmitt Bf109E-7

I can resist no longer … back to the Seaton Scale Modellers’ Group Build and Part 2 of my Airfix 1:48 scale Dogfight Doubles, the Messerschmitt Bf109E-7. It’s so refreshing, after wading through that awful MiniArt Staff Car build, to be back working on such a nicely designed kit. 

Here you’ll see me applying my proven technique of spraying yellow over layers of black, silver and white.

It’s times like these that I wish I’d bought canopy masks! Masked and primed the Airfix Messerschmitt Bf109 ready for further masking and the camouflage layer. 

Airfix provides decals and painting instructions for the aircraft flown by fighter ace, Oberleutnant Joachim Müncheberg. 7./JG26 "Schlageter", when in Gela, Sicily, during Spring 1941,

As Müncheberg would have just received delivery of his factory new Bf 109 E-7/N marked as "White 12" shortly after arriving in Gela in February 1941, I’ve finished it to a very pristine condition with minimal weathering. 

As I’ve built this kit to be displayed as part of a group build in my local model shop, Devon Art Supplies, at the end of the month, I’ve kept it very much as an “out of box” build, even down to using the little Humbrol pots of acrylic paint!