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Modeling, DetailiFlg, Painting, Weath ing

ancl building o· 0 am s.

Verlinden Publications
 - VERLINDEN PUBLICATIONS

our Volume I in this series

A full 48 pages illustrated with 125 color photographs.

covering the following subjects :
· ME·109G2
- P-51 Mustang
- UHU l/fflll Luftwaffe Nightgfighter
- Ditch, a diorama with an Avenger
- FW-190 09, set in a workshop environment
- Pacific Rescue, featuring a PBY·SA Catalina

COPYRIGHT © 1999 By
Verlinden Productions, Inc.
811 Lone Star Drive
O'Fallon. MO 63366
USA

All rights reserved.

No parts of this book may be reproduced in any form,

stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form and
by any means, be it electronic, mechanical, photocopying
or othenwise, wit hout the written consent of the publis her
Verlinden Publications I Verlinden Productions, Inc.

Published and distributed by

Verlinden Productions, Inc.
811 Lone Star Drive
Lone Star Industrial Park
O'Fallon, MO 63366
USA

Project Manager &

Chief Editor : Franc;:ois VERLINDEN
Photography : Franc;:ois VERLINDEN
unless othenwise indicated

Editorial Staff : Franc;:ois VERLINDEN

Gordon STRONACH
Charlie PRITCHETT
Pat COONEY

Printed in the USA.

 Pro Modeler I :48 M:esserschmitt Bf 11OG-4
VP no. 1252 Bf 110-04 Update

A
lthough considered to be obsolete during the day, the Messerschmitt Bf 11 0 proved to be a lethal predator by night. Guided
to its airborne prey by the newly developed FuG 220 SN-2d radar equipment, this nightfighter would sneakup on its target
in the darkness with the aid of flame dampers concealing the hot exhaust spitting from its two powerful 12-cylinder DB 603
inline engines. When in range, the pilot would announce his presence by opening up with his choice of twin 30mm Mk 1 08 can­
nons or 20mm MG151, or he would play a nasty trick by maneuvering underneath his victim and raking its belly with the upward
firing MG-FF 20mm "Schrage Muzik" cannons mounted in the rear of the radar operator's station. The British night bomber crews
who flew missions into Germany were understandably terrified of such attacks, as hundreds of kills were scored against them by the
nightfighters before the end of the war.

With the proper backdrop very ,

effective photographs can be taken

of dioramas. Here, we get the
impression that the scene takes
place on a relatively peaceful spring
afternoon, with no hint of the night­
mare that awaits British aircrews
that coming night.

Our model is the Pro Modeler 1 :48

Messerschmitt Bf 1 lOG-4 Night Fighter,
kit no. 5933, by Revel-Monogram,
detailed with the VP update set # 1 252.
The camouflage and markings were taken
from the Aeromaster decal sheet # 48-
321, and represents a Bf 1 10G-4/R3 of
6/NJG 101 in the spring of 1945. The
paint scheme was airbrushed with Testers
Model Master enamels using an Aztek
A470 airbrush with a fine tip.

Overall view of the Pro Modeler

1/4 8 BF-1 lOG-4 with VP #12 5 2
update parts installed before paint­
i ng .

3
This photo clearly shows the necessary modifications to
the kit wings needed to accept the VP update parts.

Right : Bottom view of the model just prior to painting.

To prevent loss and breakage, all of the smaller, more
delicate airframe detail parts were left off until after
painting and weathering.

Construction began by cutting out the

To ensure that the intricate camouflage scheme is unbroken, canopies and
access panels were tacked on with white glue, which also serves as an effec­
tive way to mask these areas.
a reas of the wings, tail section, engine
necelle, and fuselage that were to accept
the VP resin parts. After cutting, careful
filing and sanding of these areas, with
much test f i tti ng of th e resin parts, was
necessary to ensure a proper fit during
assembly. Inside the wheel wells it was
necessary to remove the molded-in side­
wall strengtheners and fi l l ejector-pin
marks before assembly of the engine
nacelles. (The VP resin strenghtheners
were added after the nacelles are glued to
the wings). Next, the leading edge slats
were cemented to the upper wing halves,
and each assembly was taped together
until the necelles were fitted. The engine
was painted black and drybrushed with
darkened silver printers ink and installed
into the necelle, and the necelles fitted
onto the wing assemblies. The whole
assembly was bonded with thin superglue.
A ball of Milliput pushed into the open
end of each wing adds considerable
strength that is lost after cutting away the
flaps. (Be sure to test fit the wings to the
fuselage while the Milliput is still soft to
avoid any future fit problems). As the
wings were settingup, the tailplane was
assembled fairly quickly. Fine copper wire
was inserted into the resin rudders to serve
as pins to allow them to be positioned
more easily, and to strengthen the joint
between the cemented parts. Next, we
went back to the wings and added the

4
Nose gun bay and port engine parts from VP #1252 Multiple canopy parts shown after careful masking with
enhanced with fine solder wiring for added realism. Bare Metal Foil.

This kit has a beautiful cockpit as it is, so VP only needed to pro­

vide replacements for the seats, guns, and gunsights. Everything
was brush painted with Humbrol matt 6 7 and allowed to cure
-

overnight. Then an oil-paint wash of a mixture of Raw Umber

and Black was applied and allowed to cure overnight After the
.

wash cured the entire thing was drybrushed with successively

lighter shades of the base color until the proper effect was
acheived . After the drybrushed layer hardened, all of the various
details were picked out with a fine-tip paint brush. The final step
of painting was the metalizing, which was done with sil ver print­
ers ink darkened with artists oils. After the painting was com­
pletely finished, the cockpit was assembled and sandwiched
between the two fuselage halves using superglue.

The beautifully painted and detailed

cockpit components prior to installa­
tion into the fuselage. The VP seats,
guns, and gunsights really make a
difference in this area.

radiators and their covers, and the flaps.

The flaps needed a little sanding in order
to fit properly into their sockets, but once
installed they looked great.

While the wings and tailplane were hard­

ening, we focused attention on the cock­
pit, although the cockpit can be done first
if desired.

Before the camouflage scheme was

airbrushed, the yellow band was air­
brushed and allowed to cure for 2 4
hours before masking.

5
 This view of the bottom clearly
shows the difference between a
weathered section (right) and an
unweathered section.

This view dramatically illustrates the

effectiveness of proper weathering.
Note the contrast between the
weathered wing (right) and the rest
of the model which remains to be
weathered.

Now the wings and tailplane were attached, and the nose-can­
non tray was installed. Next we had to mask the canopy, which
.. was done using Bare Metal Foil, and then tacked it onto the air­
frame using white glue, which was also used for the cannon
cover and engine cover. The landing light was painted silver and

its clear cover cemented with gap-filling superglue and blended

into the wing. This was simply masked-over with a dab of white
glue. The same went for the wing-tip lights. Finally, the super­
charger intakes were modified with the proper diameter alu­
minum tubing cut to length, and installed onto the starboard
engine nacelle and port wing leading edge.

The model before installation of the canopies and radar

antennae. Here, the effective drybrushing is evident on
the engine and nose guns.

6
In this view it is easy to see the angle at which the two
rudders were positioned. Although not visible in this
photo, the tailwheel was positioned to match that of the
rudders.

Before painting , the whole model was lightly rubbed down with
a piece of worn Scotch-brite to help the paint "grab" the plastic.
The first color to be airbrushed was the cockpit color, RLM 66
"Schwarzgrau," which was sprayed onto the canopy section.
Then RLM 04 "Gelb" was applied around the rear fuselage. After
the Yellow cured overnight, it was masked off with low-tack
masking tape where the fuselage band is located, and the entire
model was given a coat of RLM 7 6 "Lichtblau," as were the land­
ing gear doors and drop-tanks. Next, the upper fuselage and rud­
ders were airbrushed with RLM 74 "Graugrun" and RLM 75
"Grauviolet" in a wave mirror pattern. The propellers and spin­
ners were airbrushed with RLM 70 "Schwarzgrun." All of this
was allowed to cure overnight, and after removing the mask from
the fuselage band, the decals were applied. The markings were
from Aeromaster, and the stencilling was from the Pro Modeller
decal sheet. After 24 hours, a clear matt varnish was airbrushed
over everything and allowed to harden for 48 hours.

Here we have a view of the well detailed and painted

cockpit before installation of the canopies.

7
 The model was weathered using an oil­
wash of various mixtures of Raw Umber,
Black, and Burnt Sienna. After the wash
hardened overnight, the airframe was
metalized by lightly "chipping" the paint
with darkened silver printers ink and a
very fine point brush. Then the wheel
wells and landing gear were carefully
brushed with RLM 02 "Grau" and allowed
to cure before applying a dark wash mix­
ture of Raw Umber and Black. After all
weathering was completed, the masking
was removed from the canopies and
lights, and all of the various airframe
details were painted and attached to the
model, with the radar antennae being the
last, because they are so fragile and prone
to breakage during handling.

Another view from a different angle.

Here, the spiral decals on the spin·
ners are clearly seen.

8
Finished model ready for the diora­
ma. See how the weathering perfect­
ly blends into the paint and decals.

Although there is a large quantity of

equipment lying around, it does not
cause the scene to look too busy.

9
 Some of the diorama accessories. The items are all from
VP, except the Pro Modeler bomb jack and utility cart,
and the scrathbuilt ladder, which was made from styrene
strip and Grandt Line nuts and bolts.

The diorama base was made from extruded polystyrene

insulation foam. The wooden section is basswood glued
down with rubber cement, and the Porion goundwork Below : This photo helps show the effectiveness of the
was blended in and painted with acrylics. VP parts for the dropped flaps and slats.

10
 One clever trick when making the
groundwork is to press accessories
into the soft ground work in numer­
ous places. After the base is fin­
ished, the modeler has more options
when deciding placement of items,
and can even use other aircraft.
Don't worry about leaving empty
impressions in the ground. It just
looks like something heavy has been
moved from that spot. Just lay a few
bricks out in your back yard for a
few days and then remove them to
get the idea.

Here we can get an idea of the story

surrounding this diorama. The
groundcrew are busy at work
preparing the aircraft for another
night sortie as the officer checks
their progress.

The mechanic on the wing has just

re-armed the rearward-firing MG
81Z and upward-firing MG FF 2 0
M M "Schrage Muzik" cannons.

All that was left to do was to come up with

a suitable diorama base. We settled on
something that we could re-use for future
dioramas, so that we wouldn't need to
make a separate base for every single
Luftwaffe diorama that hits our studio.
Basswood strips were roughly cut and
glued down to the basic polyfoam base
with rubber cement, and Porion was used
as the main groundwork medium. T his
was sprinkled with static grass, and the fig­
ures, barrels, crates, and other equipment
were simply pressed indiscriminately into
the soft groundwork.

When completed, we had the choice of

moving things around to wherever we
wanted, and the empty impressions them­
selves add their own realism to the scene.
After the groundwork hardened for a few
hours, it was painted a dark chocolate
brown using Tamiya acrylics. After the
basic brown cured, successively lighter
earthtones were drybrushed on, followed
by successively lighter shades of green on
the grassy areas.

After everything was dry, the airplane and

equipment were simply placed in any of
several positions until we were satisfied
with the results.

11
 A close-up of the crated engine and empty boxes from
an earlier maintenance operation. Note the tools scat­
tered on the lid of the large crate.

The radar antennas were prominent features on German

nightfighters. Many were eventually painted with red
and white bands on the bottom to warn busy crews from
banging their heads. Here, a ground crewman narrowly
avoids injuring himself on an unpainted antenna.

When one of these aircraft was serviced, much of the

work was done on the engines and armament, so the
focal point of the work here is at the front of the air­
plane.

12
Coral Sea Turn-Around, May 8, 1942
By Noel Lawson

J
u st build i ng the Matchbox 1:32 SBD-5 Dauntless straight from the box can cause a great deal of frustration and hards h i p for even the most experi­
enced modelers, but Noel Lawson took it several steps further by converting it to the SBD-3. The basic outline of the kit is very good, but all inter­
nal and external detail ing is grossly innaccurate. In order to bring about an accurate conversion, as well as to correct all of the inaccuracies, Noel uti­
lized various aftermarket parts, and of course a great deal of good old fa shioned scratchbuilding. Virtually everyt hing in this kit was e ither discarded or
rebuilt, leaving just the basic empty shell of the a i r frame as a basis for this project All of the raised panel l ines were sanded away and carefully res cribed
. - .

13
Starting with the cockpit, everything was stripped
from the kit, with the exception of the rollover­
bar and the instrument panel. The instruments
were drilled out of the instrument panel and
replaced wit h Waldron insrtuments, followed by a
coat of Future floor wax.

Other Waldron details were used in the cockpit,

including the side panels, radios, and switches.
The padding on the cockpit dash was replicated
with a piece of wire insulation which was split
and forced over the edge of the dash. The flight
deck, complete with foot troughs was built with
,

styrene sheet. The bulkheads and panels between

the front and rear cockpits were also scratchbuilt,
along with the seats.

Three aftermarket brass 1 :35 machine guns

were used, as well as the ammo cans, bullet belts,
and canteens. The kit-supplied canopies were
too thick so they were carefully sanded and pol­
,

ished and coated with Future floor wax before

being adjusted to fit in the opened position. An
external gunsight was made from a piece of alu­
minum tubing inserted into an opening drilled out
of the windscreen.

The basic kit engine was detailed with a solder

ignition harness, while the pointed propeller
blades were scavenged from a 1 :32 Spitfire. The
spinner was taken from a 1 :48 Brewster Buffalo .

The dorsal carburator scoop was built-up with

sheet styrene and green putty. The engine cool­
ing fl aps (a single flap was featured on each side
of the SBD-5) was cut away from the kit and
replaced with three opened flaps made from lam­
inated styrene sheet .

14
The 500-lb. bomb came from True Details, with
the addition of the fuse wire, while the centerline
rack was scratchbuilt from thin aluminum tubing.
The tail-wheel was scra tchbui lt while the hubs
,

came from an aftermarket WWI aircraft propeller

set. The dive brakes came from Foto Cut, and
were very carefully assembled and left off of the
model until the final assembly stage. Colored rail­
road lenses were used to make the ventral "friend
or foe" lights, and the port and starboard fo rma ­

tion lights. The wingtip lights were made from

clear red and green pla stic toothbrush handles.

Much care and exp erimentatio n took place in

order to achieve the desired colors on this model.
For the uppersurfaces, a light coat of Polly-S
blue-green was airbrushed, followed by a light
overcoat of Testors PRU blue. Using post-it notes
as a mask, the trailing edges of the panel-lines
were lightly oversprayed to achieve a faded look.
The rudder was first painted insignia white,
masked, and then painted flat red. After buffing
the entire finish with a T shirt, Future floor wax
wa s applied to the areas that were to receive
decals. The decals came from the Microscale
1:32 Wildcat.
After the final dullcoat was thoroughly dry, the
panel-lines were re-scribed to reveal the dark blue
of the original plastic through the paint. Various
shades of green blue, yellow, and purple pastels
were used to weather the finish, and a silver
Prismacolor pencil was used to pick-out alu­
minum details and panel-wear.

Much, much more was done to this model than

is written here, but maybe here you can just get
a glimpse of the amount of time and patience
that went into this masterpiece.

15
 DOWNED FORTRESS
N
o one who has ever built Monogram's 1 :48 B-17G can forget the insert on building dioramas by reknowned modeler Shep
Paine, included with the Kit. Upon opening the box for this project, we found a fresh copy of that same insert. It was like a
step back in time. The model was first produced back in the early '70s, and it shows. The (yuck) raised panellines, poor fit of
parts; it's not a very sought-after kit these days. But if you want to build a big 1 :48 B-17G, then this is what you have to work with.
The handsome insert will quickly inspire you to take on this old kit once again. When you consider that the insert was originally
p ri nted in 1975, you can only be amazed at the skills and creativity that Shep Paine wielded in those primordial days of modelling
in order to crank-out that beautiful diorama , which can sti ll hold its own even in today's high-qua l ity market.

16
Back to basics! After the pleasureful experience of thumbing through the insert, you get the sickening premonition of cleaning-up
a lot of flash , filling yawning gaps, scouring through reference materials, etc., and for good reason! This model requires more work
than we are accustomed to these days. It is a rough kit to build , but it is a rewarding experience nonetheless. After all, we are mod­
elers , aren't we? Maybe we all need to go back every once in a while and turn an oldie into a goodie.

After decidi ng to emulate Shep with another crashed B-17 diorama, the first thing to do was to tape the fuselage and wings togeth­
er, and decide how we wanted to crash this baby. Armed with a 30mm Mk108 magic marker, we swooped in and fired a long burst
across the starboard wing and set off an explosion in the No.3 engine. We didn't release the firing button until we had cleared the
forward crew cabin area, shattering glass and equipment in the process. The resulting engine fire would have likely burned off the
fabric from the rear horizontal stabilizer directly behind the engine, so we carefully traced around this area . We wanted to show
some major damage here, so to increase the drama, we decided to tear off the outer main wing assembly and marked it off as well.

This helped to breakdown the mammoth size of the airplane. This was quite a lot of damage for an airplane to sustain, and it was
all in one local area. To bring a little variety into the mix, as well as to balance the battle-damage, we splashed the rudder with a
flakburst. This, we decided, should be enough. After all , we did still plan to have something left to build!

All of the internal subassemblies installed prior to painting. Unfortunately, most of the detailing is invisible after
the model is completed.

The radio compartment received an extra seat from the

The cockpit and bombardier station sidewalls received VP B-l 7G update, and the two doors were cut and
basic details such as the navigation equipment on the opened with styrene sheet and copper wire. Note the
shelf in front and the very prominent oxygen tanks protective shield around the ball-turret position, and the
under the dorsal turret. crew toilet in front of the tailwheel well.

17
After drawing out the rough areas of battle damage, we ground
away the plastic from the inside with a Dremel tool until the plas­
tic was paper thin. It is important to work slowly and carefully,
so as not to melt the plastic, or cut away areas that will be need­
ed. O nce we had it the way we wanted it, a sharp scalpel blade
was carefully used to slice out the holes It is very important to
.

keep in mind the nature of the battle-damage being done. If there

are bullet-holes, push the cutting tool through from the outside
where they penetrate , and from the inside where they exit. This
gives the illusion that bullets actually shot through the plane. If it
is flak-damage the same applies . If you have fire damage,
,

remove the plastic in a grid-like pattern that suggests there is a

heavy skeleton of metal under the burned-away thin skin of the
exterior. For ground-impact damage, the plastic has to be cut and
pushed in a way that reflects that damage Pay attention to panel
.

lines, as they are evidence of structural members under the skin.

Once we were satisfied with the holes, we had to focus on the
guts; anything that would be visible when viewed from out side of
the model . References we re referred to, and styrene was sliced,
sanded, and cemented, until we acheived a rough si milarity to
what we perceived as the real thing It doesn't have to be exact,
.

as long as the general appearance is achieved. For the rear ele­

vator we built a skeleton of styrene, and "skinned" it with Bare
,

Metal foil, and then cut it with a sha rp scalpel to look like burned
and tattered fabric. The rest of the flaps and control surfaces
were then cut away and cleaned up and set aside for later.

Because the bottom of the model will be largely hidden

from view once placed on the diorama, extra detailing
on the underside was kept to a minimum.

The area where the wing was sheared off upon crash­
landing required careful attention to internal structural
details while at the same time remembering the nature
of the damage done to the wing, in this case torn and
twisted metal.

As can be seen here, the detailing that is required is This is the side of the rudder where the flak burst exit­
mainly structural spars and ribs, and this only around ed. This was achieved by pushing the thinned plastic out
the openings of the holes where it will be visible upon from within. This is important to remember when
completion. adding battle damage to aircraft: entry holes, exit holes.

18
Flak burst entry holes seen from inside of the airplane. The model just prior to painting, with all windows and
Minor detailing can be added here just to add a hint of hatches masked over. The removal of the outer-wing
internal structure when viewed from the outside. helped Monogram's big B-17 fit more comfortably onto
the workbench.

If you like working on aircraft interiors, then you will

certainly enjoy building this model.

Nose-section after painting. It is a shame to cover up so

much detail!

19
 After all of t h e major battle damage work was c om pl et ed , atten­
tion was focused on the interior crew cabin areas . The basic kit
was enhanced with parts fro m the VP update no. 7 18, and a lit­
tle custom detailing. All of the kit-provided armament was dis­
carded, and new 50 cal. machine guns were taken from t he VP
set No.1267 U.S., WWII aircraft guns in 1:48. The doors in
each bulkhead were carefully cut away and replaced with styrene
copies detailed with copper wire handles. Each of the three crew
boarding hatches was also carefully removed and replaced with
either photo-etch parts or with styrene copies. Extra oxygen
bottles were used from the VP set and from the Monogram B-
29. They really help to fill in some of the empty spaces.

Above:
Sidewall of the nose section after
painting. The wells created when
thinning the plastic for the bullet­
hole exits are completely invisible
when the model is completed.

Below:
Damaged wing after initial painting.
Extra black was airbrushed in the
wake of the No.3 engine to simulate
soot and burned metal and paint.
Notice that no black was applied to
the damaged outer-wing section,
because this was torn off on the
ground upon crash-landing.

Nose section after painting. It is a shame to cover up so

much detail!

The bomb bay was simply painted without extra detailing,

because after completion it is virtually invisible. The waistgun­
ner's position was detailed with extra ammo boxes, oxygen bot­
tles, and styrene strip. A crew toilet was installed against the tail­
wheel well using the water container from th e VP 1:35 Vietnam
camping ground outfit (No. 374). After everything was installed
into the interior, it was airbrushed an int erior green color and
drybrushed with lighter shades of the same color. All of the vari­
ous instuments and equipment were ca reful ly pain ted in and
allowed to dry thoroughly before applying a light oil-wash over­
all to blend it all together.

20
After all of the interior subassemblies were installed, and the fuselage was put together with gap-filling superglue, all seams were
gently sanded and polished. Then the wings and control surfaces were added and blended, and the windows were all installed and
masked over. The first color to be airbrushed onto the exterior was the red. After this was allowed to dry overnight, it was masked
over and the basic O.D. green was app lied overall, and inside of the battle damage areas. . This was accompanied by a lighter shade
-

on the outboard port wing panel , and the control surfaces. A darker shade of the same basic O.D. green was lightly airbrushed into
the wingroots and the base of the rudder, to forc e some highlighting into th e basic paint job. Dark green was carefully airbrushed in
a "crows feet" pattern along the spine and the leading and trailing edges of the main wing panels. The outer panel of the port wing
was denied this application in order to suggest that it was salvaged from a different airframe. The undersurface was painted an over­
all light-gray and allowed to dry overnight.

Look how effective weathering can be! Chipped and scuffed paint, greasy oily engines, white-hot fire damage, sun­
faded paint. During WWII the priority was to "keep 'em flyin" and, except for some attractive nose-art, not much
care was taken to make them pretty.

21
Right:
A close look at the port wing shows
all of the subtle elements of weath­
ering an aircraft model: evenly air­
brushed shades of paint, followed by
"smoking" the engines with thin
black-brown paint, a carefully
applied oil-based wash, and metaliz­
ing with silver printers' ink toned
down with black.

Left:
The kit machine-guns were discard­
ed and replaced by guns from the VP
set no.1267.

Below:
"Bent and battered," the inboard
prop was feathered when the engine
was shut down, but the outboard
engine helped keep the Flying
Fortress flying. When the starboard
landing gear failed to come down,
the spinning prop chewed into the
earth and bent back before finally
coming to a stop.

The flak-damage seen from the entry side. Notice that

the larger chunks of shrapnel broke the skin, while
smaller bits simply scratched and dented the surface.

22
After the masking was removed from the
red areas, a black-brown "smoke" was
airbrushed back from the engines, espe­
cially the battle-damaged No 3 The decals
. .

came from a mixture of Aeromaster and

the kit-supplied decals. The decals applied
around the battle-damaged areas were
applied with extra care, because the sur­
faces here are uneven and jagged .

Once the decals were down evenly and

sufficiently dry, a coat of matt varnish was
airbrushed overall and allowed to dry for
48 hours. Weathering commenced with a
light wash of raw umber and black, with
light touches of burnt sienna. The engine
areas were focused on for oil-stains ,
because most radial engines are quite
messy with oil. After the wash dried, met­
alizing with a fine-point brush was applied
using silver printers ink darkened with flat
black enamels. Again, attention was
focused on the engine areas where a great
deal of heat, vibration, and prop-wash
cause paint adhesion to fail. The battle­
damaged areas were also given a great
deal of attention at this stage. The jagged
edges of ripped metal were carefully repli­
cated, especially the flak-damage and bul­
let-holes, and the sheared off wing sec­
tion.

A good study of modeling battle damage. The bullet­

holes walk their way across the chipped, worn, sun­
faded, oil-stained wing up to the vital engine area,
where they have ignited fuel lines and set off an explo­
sive inferno, then continue their way into the sensitive
cockpit and bombardier's station, shattering plexiglass
and destroying valuable equipment.

The burned areas of the No.3 engine were lightly drybrushed

with successively lighter shades of gray to achieve a white-hot
ashey look. Light drybrushing in the starboard elevator was also
done to enhance the illusion of the burned fabric.

After all of the weathering, the window masking was removed

and the various airframe details were added , including the crew
access hatches, the gun-barrels, and radio antennae. The props
were cut off, bent over a flame, the blades on the No.3 having
been feathered, and re-attaching with superglue.

When we first embarked on this project it seemed like a lot of

,

work, but it really wasn't. Much time can be saved through care­
ful planning and organization. Working on this model was FUN.
It makes us remember why we started modeling in the first place,
and as can be seen here, this kit can still be made into a very
impressive and dramatic model , without too much time and
effort.

Another focal point for battle-damage enthusiasts. The

fabric has burned away from the aluminum skeleton of
the starboard horizontal stabilizer, evidence of the fiery
tail extending back from the burning engine.

23
The first thing to do when planning
the layout of a diorama is to define
its borders. In this case, it was done
by tracing around the perimeter of
the model and following with a
loose cloud-shape to allow for vari­
ous figures and equipment. It is
important to remember at this stage
to prevent the model from over­
hanging the edges of the perimeter,
while at the same time not making
the perimeter extend too far out
from the edges of the model.

When viewed from above, this diora­

ma literally looks like a chunk of real
estate with a crashed airplane on it.
Note the deep grooves gouged into
the soft earth by the unconventional
landing.

24
These two airmen must be counting
their blessings as they count the bul­
let holes that nearly cut them to
pieces.

This overall view gives a powerful

impression of a dramatic end to a
treacherous mission over enemy ter­
ritory. Judging from the amount of
damage to the airplane, it looks like
it should never have made it home
intact.

As the airplane ground to a halt, the

absence of one of its landing gear
caused it to gradually disintegrate.
Here we can discern parts of the
flap, engine components, and struc­
tural members, all badly twisted and
torn before having been ripped free
of the advancing wreck.

25
Here we get a good look at the extent of the heavy dam­
age sustained by this B-17 during it's final mission, not
to mention the outer wing having been sheared off by
trees upon impact. Note the amount of organic as well
as mechanical debrees trailing the crippled aircraft. The
shock wearing off, these two waistgunners are begin­
ning to shed their cumbersome flight-gear.
26
The flakburst that maimed this side of the aircraft could
easily have severed the tail had it been any closer. Here
it's legacy is being inspected by the relieved aircrew.
Note the number of footprints left in the soft earth, indi­
cating the paths of the dazed crew as they survey the
damage.
STUKAS IN THE SAND
By Gordon STRONACH

H
asegawa's JU 87 Stuka is a good kit and an excellent platform for extra detailing. VP's 1137 JU-87 Stuka update helps add
that extra detail. The Mercedes truck is t h e old Bandai kit, repackaged under Mauve.

27
To start with, the plastic kit was cut and chop p ed up to accom­
modate the new parts. Some areas after cutting left a thick over
scaled edge. These edges were carved with a knife to a thinner
scale thickness. Next, the major components were assembled
with many of the resin parts built up into sub-assemblies. These
sub-assemblies helped aid in the painting process.
The basic cockpit color was brush painted with Humbrol matte
31 and allowed to dry overnight. Next, d ryb rush i ng with matte
31 and white was done to highli ght the detail . After that was dry
a wash of raw umber oils and Aeromaster matte black was
applied for the shadows . A little silver printers ink and Raw
uUmber here and there simulated worn and chipped paint.
Finally detail painting of t h e knobs, buttons, wires and stenciling
was done with enamels and a fine pointed b rush .
Next, the engine and other interior parts were assembled and
painted . The engine sta rted as basic matte black with other areas
being shades of gray. The engine mounts, bulkheads and insides
of panels we re brush painted with Humbrol matte # 7 2 with a
touch of Aeromaster med. green . This provides a good base
color for RLM 02. After drying ove r night , they were dryb rushed
Many footprints were added by pressing figure feet into the hardening groundwork to give
Even the impressions of moved fuel drums were added!
28
a dark metallic shade using Raw Umber and silver printers ink.
And the RLM 02 areas were drybrushed with Humbrol matte
#72. Next a wash of Raw Umber and m atte black were added for
depth and shadow. Worn and chipped paint was ap plied with a
mixture of Raw Umber and silver printers ink .
At this point everything was assembled , test fitted , removed,
painted and weathered (additional we atheri ng will be done after
model is complete) and the main body of the JU 87 is prepped
for paint i ng. A worn out piece of scotchbrite rubbed over the
plastic helps smooth out any blemishes and provides a good
foundation for paint. Canopies were m asked with Ba re Metal Foil
and tacked to a holding block.
To start, Testers RLM #79 was sp rayed to the upper fuselage ,
cowl panels and canopy. A blotch pattern of Teste rs Italian g reen
was randomly sprayed with a fine line setting on the airbrush.
After the paint had dried, a light scrubbing wi th a piece of worn
out Scotchbrite made the surface ready for decals. After the
decals were applied , a coat of matte varnish was ap plied to all
painted areas and allowed to dry 48 hours.
a sense of high traffic.
Several VP 1332 1/48 Summertime
Groundcrew figures were used out
of the box and some were converted
simply by heating an arm or a leg
and repositioning. This can be done
with a candle or more carefully with
a lighter or match.

The engine hoist was made from

styrene tubing and sheet plastic with
punch and die rivets. VP 619 Tow
Chain (small) was connected to the
engine with the links glued stiff with
super-thin super glue.

29
 Fleshtones on small figures, particu­
larly 1/4 8 and l /72, can be
achieved simply by using a small
assortment of tube oilpaints: Raw
Umber and Burnt Sienna, Yellow
Ochre, Cadmium Yellow and
Titanium White.

Weathering started as a wash of Raw

Umber and matte black with a touch of
Burnt Sienna over the plane body.
A little drybrushing of Humbrol matte #72
for highlights. Chips and scrapes were
made with Raw Umber and silver printers
ink. Interior parts were detail painted and
attached and weathered with various
shades of Raw Umber and Burnt Sienna.
Canopy mask was removed after being
weathered. With everything assembled
and in place, small details were added:
photo-etch hatch covers, pitot tube and
underwing mass balances. A final run of
washes and weathering touch ups and the
plane is ready for a diorama.

30
VP 1123 1/48 Bombs and Crates
were used in abundance. The work
bench was fabricated by gluing sheet
styrene onto resin crates. Tarps
were made from lead foil, and vari­
ous surplus parts were glued to the
table tops. The whole unit was paint­
ed as one piece, with the details
painted, weathered and metalized .

VP 1 1 23 Crates were used to make

'makeshift work-tables , ' to which spare
parts of all kinds were added . To make
painting them easier, all the little parts
were glued to the table tops and thus
painted instead of individually. Engine
hoist was made of plastic strip punch and
,

dies and tubing. VP 0 6 1 9 Small chain

was pegged, glued and attached to the
hoist. A host of various figures was creat­
ed in different poses all using VP 1 33 2 .
Slight repositioning of arms and legs can
be done simply by holding the part near a
candle flame.

Enamels were used for the uniforms, and

oils were used for the flesh tones. Flesh
tones on the fig u re s can be simply done by
applying Burnt Sienna, Yellow Ochre
directly onto bare resin. Then with a large
soft brush , brush away the oil paint to a
translucent look. The lighter resin will
show through , acting as highlight .

Additional highlight can be added with a

little white oil paint. Accessories came
from primarily the VP range , however, the
bomb trolley came from Revell­
Monogram.

Weathered and painted in the same

method as the Stukas, a Mauve 1/48
scale Mercedes truck adds a nice
touch. Airfield and bomb carts come
from Revell-Monogram. The ground
work was made from Porion (a
household repair mortar) and spread
thinly on a cut piece of foa m .
Particular attention was paid t o
impressing tyre tracks, foot prints
and skid marks.
The groundwork was painted with
Tamiya acrylics (it doesn't attack the
foam base!) first with a yellow/
brown mix and drybrushed succes­
sively with lighter shades to an
almost off-white.

In the end, with a lot of accessories,

surplus detail parts, a variety of fig­
ures and two detailed aircraft, a
busy and hectic maintence scene
forms.

31
HELLUVA HELLCAT!
A 1 :48 scale Diorama by Gordon Stronach

T
he 1/48 Hasegawa F6F-5 Hellcat (#09 1 35) is another great addition recently offered to the naval aircraft builder. Hasegawa's
Hellcat is a simple and well-designed kit of this popular carrier aircraft. The diorama is a scene of last-minute maintenance and
rearming before takeoff, as most maintenance takes place below deck.

CONSTRUCTION
The F6F-5 kit nearly falls together right out of the box. The VP update (# 1 1 81) enhances the cockpit, port side gun bay, and a por­
tion of the engine cowl. Removal of the cowl section, gun bay covers, and instrument panel shroud were done with a jeweler's saw
and scalpel. The cockpit was built and painted, then sandwiched between fuselage halves, center positioned, and glued from beneath
to one half of the fuselage. The engine compartment was assembled and glued to the fuselage as well. The upper portion of the
engine compartment is part of the exterior and is filled and sanded smooth. The engine facade was assembled next, and trimmed
to fit the nacelle; this was also centered and glued from behind .

32
The cockpit, engine, and gun bay
installed. These areas are masked off
with Bare Metal Foil to protect from
the exterior airbrushing. The entire
aircraft has been scrubbed thoroughly
with worn-out Scotchbrite.

The machine gun bay was assembled and

popped into the port side gun bay . Gun
barrels provided with the kit were nipped
off, and corresponding holes drilled with a
pin vise to accept new machine gun bar­
rels. At this point the remainder of the kit
was assembled except for small details.
The landing gear was even attached due
to the one-color paint scheme. The wind­
screen was glued in place and masked
with Bare Metal Foil. The kit canopy was
attached with white glue to seal the cock­
pit from external painting. The entire
model was then given a good scrubbing
with a wornout piece of Scotchbrite; this
not only cleans any residue off the kit, but
prepares the surface for much better paint
adhesion. Post-It notes cut to size protect­
ed the engine front, engine compartment ,
and gun bay .

The completed model, included

str e tch ed clear sprue aerials and the
kit canopy.

33
Revell-Monogram's Ground Support Equipment painted, The Verlinden Productions I : 48 scale Carrier Deck
weathered, and detailed with VP accessories. Section along with the new Flight Deck Crew.

34
Lead foil was used to create the tarps beneath the tools and
equipment.

PAINTING & WEATHERING

Painting began with an overall coat of Aeromaster 9044, US
Sea Blue Flat, slightly lightened for highlights and fading. After
the basecoat was dry, Aeromaster decals were applied using
Aeromaster Aero Set. After drying , a coat of matte varnish was
applied and the aircraft was left to set for 48 hours. This dark
shade of blue presented a particular problem - a typical wash of
Raw Umber j ust didn't show up , so I chose a light color to give
panel demarcation and a dirty look. I used a wash of Yellow
Ochre, very thin, and applied it in the regular manner the effect
-

was just what I was looking for. The entire plane was given this
wash. A l ig ht drybrushing of lightened 9044 h elped show raised
details. Weathering continued by using Silver printers ink and
Raw Umber oil paint on worn areas, along with chips in traffic
area s . Local washes of Raw Umber with Black darkened deeper

areas and engine fixtures.

Mixtures of Raw Umber and Burnt Sienna washes were

applied to the deck, along with Silver printers ink on
metal areas.

35
Every detail counts - right down to
the photo-etched wrenches (included
with the crew set) .

BASE & FIGURES

A section of 1 /2" plywood was cut in a
square and the edges painted black. VP's
new Carrier Deck Sections (# 1 269) were
cut and attached with contact cement.
The deck was then weathered with oils
and drybrushed to achieve an aged, used
look.

The figures are the new VP 1 :48 Fl ight

Deck Crew (# 1 295). Figure uni forms
were painted with Humbrol enamels and
flesh tones wi th artist oils. Revell·
Monogram's WWII Ground Support
Equipment (#5930) fil l ed out the scene.

CHROMOGRAPHY
COCKPIT:
Base color
Humbrol 1 59 Khaki Matte

Black boxes Flat Black

Switches Flat Red , Yellow, & White
Placard Flat Black & White
Seatbelts Flat White
Headrest Leather

Overall wash
Burnt Umber & B l ack artist oils

Drybrush Flat Yellow

GUN BAY:
Machine guns Flat Bl ack
Drybrush Silver & Raw Umber
Bay compartment Humbrol 1 59
Wash Burnt Um ber & Black art i st o i l s
D rybrus h Ye l low

ENGINE:
Engine Cylinders B la ck & G re y
Gover nor Grey
Wires Copper
Wash Raw Umber
Drybrush Silver & Raw Umber

A close-up view of the maintenance

activity complete with oil stains, fuel
stains, and skid marks on the deck.

36
JETS OF THE LUFTWAFFE

When building a diorama depicting multiple aircraft, much planning is necessary to ensure that the composition is
well balanced without any distracting elements. Positionin g of each item in relation to each other as well as the
size and shape are very important guidelines when laying out a diorama .

37
The radio and gun compartments installed before painting. Note the additional lead shot nose weight added behind
the nosegear bay. This ensures that the model will not be a tailsitter when complete.

Left : The VP Jumo 0048-1 engines for each model

before painting. This photo shows the two optional con­
figurations for this engine: one completely exposed, the
other partially exposed under access panels.

The cockpit of the Me-262A before

painting. The VP parts are a great
improvement over the basic kit
parts .

The basic DML kit is greatly

enhanced by the addition of the VP
parts. The engine is a separate kit in
itself. Of important note is the addi­
tion of corrected engine intakes ,
which are slightly larger in diameter
than on the DML kits. This correc­
tion alone justifies this update set.

38
Both models prior to masking the landing gear bays. Note the amount of resin added to replace kit parts .

Cockpit and instruments of the Me-2628. Although it is

All Me-262s had automatic leading edge slats, which a very simple cockpit, it is very attractive once fully
were always extended when the aircraft were on the painted.
ground. These, along with the trailing edge flaps, give
the wings of this model much needed animation.

39
 Both models are ready to be painted. The canopies have
been masked with Bare Metal Foil.

Radio-compartment of the Me-2 62B before installation

of cockpit. Much of this detail is barely visible through
the tiny aperture of the access panel.

Some of the landing gear parts after painting and weath­

ering. Simple washing and drybrushing techniques real­
ly help to pull out the details.

The cockpit and gun-bay of the Me-262A after painting .

Before cementing the two fuselage halves together, lead
shot was added to prevent tail-sitting.

40
The Me-2 62A prior to weathering. The intricate camou­
flage is actually the basic two-tone upper surface of
RLM 81 and RLM 8 2 . with the under surface color of
RLM 7 6 carefully squiggled overall.

The plumbing on the engine was highlighted by dry­

brushing with a bright shade of silver. and then small The completed Jumo 0048- 1 jet engine, fully painted
bands of black and white were picked-out with a fine­ and weathered. It looks quite complicated, but it is all in
point brush. the washes and drybrushing.

41
 The finished Me-262A, ready fo r the
diorama. Note how the relatively
small flashes of red combine to
break up the busy camouflage
scheme.

The DML kits are pretty rough by

today's standards , but can be built
into fairly accurate replicas with the
addition of the VP update set.

The completed Me-2 62A. Note that

the tires have all been sanded flat on
the roadsurface to both ensure the
proper sit of the airplane as well as
to impart the weight of the machine
on the tires.

42
The completed Me- 2 6 2 8- l a/U l .
With its beautiful camou flage
scheme, it is a showpiece in itself.

The Me-2628- l a/U l depicted here

represents an aircraft that flew with
1 0-NJG 1 1 in May 1 94 5 . It was
flown by Staffel Kapitan OBLT Kurt
Welter. The swastikas on the vertical
tail surface were airbrushed through
the stencil provided with the photo­
etch sheet in the VP update set.

The all-black undersurface of the

nightfighter. Weathering consisted of
a light wash of Burnt Sienna oils,
and " chipping " paint with darkened
silver printers ink.

43
The foundation of every diorama is
its base, which must complement the
models and blend everything togeth­
er. One effective way to do this is to
run all major parallel and perpendic­
ular lines off of the edges at an
angle. This forces continuity into the
scene, which makes it look more
pleasing to look at.

One of the most important thi n gs to

remember when composing a diora­
ma is that the viewer should be able
to clearly and effortlessly " read " the
story in which you are trying to
depict. Beautiful building and paint­
ing can easily be lost in a poorly
composed diorama.

44
Another view. Dioramas can be viewed from different angles · an important point to remember.

45
The Me-2 6 2 8 - l a/U l nightfighter
appears to be nearing flight readi­
ness as the groundcrew make a few
final adjustments to the Jumo 0048-
1 engine.

A German officer looks on helpless­

ly as the Luftwaffe maintenance
crews struggle to get the jets back
into the war.

46
This Me-2 62A-2a is undergoing
major engine maintenance. Perhaps
it is a newly replaced Jumo 0048-1
engine prepared to be attached to
the wing. Note the various shades of
the different metals on the engine.

Although there is a lot of clutter,

especially in a maintenace scene
such as this, it is all carefully placed
to impart the idea that it is actually
there for a reason. Nothing looks
out of place.

With a suitable backdrop, this looks

as though it was photographed in
the Spring of 1 94 5 , during the final
days of the Luftwaffe. The foliage
really helps to tie this diorama into
the background photo.

47
 Not all Luftwaffe maintenance personnel were qualified
to service the new jets in service, so those who were had
to be assigned to specific airfields that operated the jets.
This forced many different squadrons with separate mis­
sions to serve from the same airfield, as is in this case,
where we see a jet bomber being serviced beside a jet­
nightfighter. This diorama idea came from actual
wartime photographs.

PAINTING GUIDE
(All paints used were Testor's Model Master enamels unless otherwise noted.)

Me-262A-2a of 5/KG5 1
Underside: Overall RLM 76
Topside . : Splinter camouflage of RLM 8 1 and RLM 82, c overed by delicate webs of RLM 76.
Decals: Aeromaster Decal sheet No. 48-337 , A/C no. 3
Clear matte varnish over decals and paint .
Overall oil wash mixtures : Burnt Sienna, Raw Umber, and Humbrol Matte Black enamel.
Chipped paint effect: silver printers ink, darkened with Humbrol Matte Black.

Me-2628- l a/U l of 10 NJG l l

Underside: Overall flat black
Topside: O verall RLM 7 6 , mottled overall with RLM 75
Decals : Aeromaster Decal sheet No. 48-337 , A/C no. 4
Clear matte varnish over decals and paint .
Overall oil wash mixtures: Burnt Sienna, Raw Umber, and Humbrol Matte Black enamel .
Chipped paint effect: silver printers ink, darkened with Humbrol Matte Black enamel .

Interiors:
Radio compartments and wheel wells: Straight chrome silver.
Cockpits and gunbay: Humbrol Matte 66.
Clear Matte Varnish .
Oil wash mixtures of Raw umber, Burnt Sienna, and Humbrol Matte black.
Dry bru s h with darkened silver printers ink.
Chipped paint with darkened silver printers ink.

48