Sheppsea's Completed Builds

[sheppsea]

Evening all, after being a member for over a year I thought it was finally time I started sharing my completed builds. I know that I still have a lot to work on but I d feel I am getting better now am happier sharing the work . I am sharing everything I have built so far to show how I got from A to B (and eventually will get to C and beyond)

Any suggestions on how to improve are certainly welcome

So for the sake of completeness - here is where my first build ended up - it was a 1/48 Airfix Bf 109E-1 (no prizes for guessing where the inspiration for the build came from). After I realised one of the colours was wrong I tried stripping the paint back but stripper leaked through the canopy and stripped all of the work in the cockpit too and I just couldn't face the prospect of painting it again, so in the bin it went

[sheppsea]

1/48 Messerschmitt Bf 109E-1 (Airfix A05120A)
Link to kit details

Any suggestions on how I can improve are certainly welcome

I felt like I had unfinished business with the 1/48 Airfix Bf 109E-1 so bought the same again for my second build - this was officially my first completed kit.

The main thing I remember wanting to improve was all related to painting - from masking through to my airbrushing skills. The other big thing I wanted to work on was pigments, as you can see I wanted to use some for the around the guns and the exhausts, but was really unhappy with the result.

I also had a bit of a disaster after I shook a bottle of cellulose thinner which I had an already loosened cap and it got everywhere - my intial priority was that it got in my eye so I had a slight panic that I would loose my sight in that eye or something. Having washed it thoroughly I went back to the bench and found it had got all over the engine cowling and melted the plastic. Airfix couldn’t provide a replacement at the time so I made the best I could of a bad situation, although one saving grace was that the decals from the kit I threw away were still on my bench so I could at least replace those.

[sheppsea]

1/48 Vought F4U-1A Corsair (Tamiya 61070)
Link to kit details

Any suggestions on how I can improve are certainly welcome

This was my second completed build

For some reason the plane more than any of the others has taken much more of a beating since completion with both the antennae and pitot tube being forever lost - for the life of me I can't figure out why as it hasn't been moved or any, perhaps it was simple bad luck

This was the first plane where I used aftermarket - I used some super fabric seat belts and some Radio-altimeter aerials (which I have since discovered wouldn't have been used on this variant). The eagle eyed amongst you will also notice the star on the lower surface was the wrong way round

The vast majority of the build was in line with what I had read about Tamiya - it was simply a joy to build. The only exception were the wings, which I found very fiddly. This was also a build where I realised that mixing paints was simply not worth the hassle and decided to use only standard paints going forward unless absolutely necessary.

It was also the first built where I used black basing, which I found a relatively simple technique and produced a finish I really liked. It was also the first model where I used streaking and oil effects - I must admit most of the inspiration came from Doog's Models who build the 1/32, although I didn't quite reach his standards

[sheppsea]

1/48 Hawker Hurricane Mk I (Airfix A05127)
Link to kit details

Any suggestions on how I can improve are certainly welcome

Number three, and my first RAF build

This was the first time I made proper use of aftermarket items having used the Eduard PE set, wing flaps, attempted to use HGW belts (but it didn't work out with this one unfortunately!) as well as resin wheels and exhausts. It was also the first time I used the Rosie the Reiveter tool to create rivet lines - something that I think really adds interest to the finish model

The was a slight turning point for me, as the plane looked something like what I was hoping at the end and there were also a few things that dawned on me that I had been doing wrong.

The main one is that I was using the wrong varnishes - and that's why some of the weathering products were damaging the varnish and paint underneath. I also realised that I really didn't like the finish of decals - they really stood out so I made the decision on future builds to try painting them on. I also learnt to never to put masking tape directly on decals - you can see the damage on the horizontal stabilisers

I also wasn't happy with the propeller on this one - its looks much cleaner than the rest of the model so that was something I wanted to work on with future builds

As I used aftermarket in this build I decided to keep the canopy and one gun compartment open. I was really happy with the finish in the cockpit - although one irritating ejector pin market is visible. I wasn't as happy with the gun bay, although I did treat it as a learning curve on how to paint these on later builds.

One thing I didn't read afterwards was that RAF planes did not normally have their flaps down and although I can't guarentee this is true, I am certainly treating it as such as they were really fiddly to build and I would prefer to avoid doing so in future

[sheppsea]

1/48 Spitfire Mk Vb Trop (Airfix A05125)
Link to kit details

Any suggestions on how I can improve are certainly welcome

This was my second RAF build and a plane that I think is probably a right of passage for all scale modellers

This was a great little kit, my only complaint is that the wheel struts were awkward to attach, but other than that the build was very easy. Again I used PE interior details, HGW seat belts (much more successfully this time), resin wheels and exhausts and Master brass cannons.

The main thing I realised I need to work on with this kit is the seams - I thought I got rid of them, but them some showed up with the wash , but none-the-less I was still happy with the finish. It was the first kit I where I painted the markings rather than used decals. Creating the masks was a little fiddly but I was very pleased with the result.

I also learnt to take online blue prints with a pinch of salt going forwards as I scribed some new panels lines based on blueprints I fount online, but when I saw the real plane at the RAF museum the ones on the kit were correct.

I think going forward I will also add rivets after priming, just to try to make them show up more

I do feel I am now getting better at this thing, but know I still have plenty of work to do to get to the level I aspire to. I feel I am developing small process to manage the various stages and also feel let daunted when things go wrong now, which I am taking as a good sign - hopefully I will still feel I am improving with my current builds

[sheppsea]

1/48 Junkers Ju87B-1 Stuka (Airfix A07114)
Link to kit details

Any suggestions on how I can improve are certainly welcome

This was built with the Eduard Big Ed set and HGW seatbelts. I also had a resin MG 15 but ended up saving it for another build (although I still think the detail on the kit gun is somewhat lacking). It was also unintentionally the first time I used a vac form canopy after I cracked the front part from the box. All I will say is I have no intention of ever using one again (not least because I don't think it looks any better than the other two parts which were from the box

This was quite an eventful build in the end. I decided early on that I wanted to show the engine, which was my first time doing that. Looking at it now I regret doing it - I think it would have looked better with the cowling. I also showed off the guns in the wings. I must admit I think I will only do this when there is a specific reason in future. I am also not convinced on the stability of the engine on the model - the whole thing has been placed well out of reach of my three year old!!

The kit was pretty good, except there were a lot of ejector pin marks in the cock pit. They were also in quite awkward places so took quite some effort to resolve. There was also a couple of sink marks on one of the fuselage halves, but these were easier to resolve as they didnt appear near any surface detail. Despite the irritating issues I would certainly build it again (and have my eye on the B-2 version )

The first of two major problems I had with the build was the seam line down the fuselage, I really struggled to get rid of it. The second was the chipping. I initially painted the whole airframe using Alcad (I used this for practice) and then put a chipping solution down before the camouflage. Unfortunately when masking all the paint was pulled up because of the chipping solution so I had to strip it all down and start again. I have now offically given up on the technique and in future will just use a sponge, I think it looks just as good anyway and is far less hassle

For the painting I used a combination of marbling on a black base and panel line shading by only marbling within the panels. I know pre-shading panel lines seems to be going out of fashion, but I still think there is a place for it, as long as the plane doesn't end up looking like a patch work quilt. I also painted on the main marking, and only used the decals for the stencils and the pigs on the wheels.

In terms of weathering I first used the oil dot filter, but this didn't really show up (will need more practice that particular technique). I then applied a panel line wash; I initially tried the mud wash on the upper surfaces, but it really didn't look right so reverted back to dark dirt in the end. I then added streaks (the oil streaks going to one side is based on a photo I saw of a Stuka, which I though would make it all more interesting); I used Ammo Mig streaking effect, but will try oils in my next build I think - the Ammo Mig enamel doesn't quite work for me for some reason. I also added so pigments for the exhaust staining.

Overall I am reasonably happy with the finish, but its not quite as good as I think it could have been, but as I ever I do feel I am improving

[Twokidsnosleep]

Nice work.
The modelling has improved, but the photography and background are also awesome
The contrast with the Stuka and the clean white background really makes the model stand out
Overall, that improves the look of your model
Noice

[sheppsea]

Thanks I am intending to take the photo of the other models again as well as I agree it really improves the look (just need to reattach parts of the Spit and my wife knocked them off

[sheppsea]

1/48 De Havilland Mosquito FB Mk.VI (Tamiya 61062)
Link to kit details

Any suggestions on how I can improve are certainly welcome

This was built with the Eduard PE set, HGW seatbelts and Master gun barrels and pitot tube. I also had a resin wheels but I realised during the build that they were not the correct type. It was also the first build where I used lead wire in the cockpit and the wheel bays to represent wires. This was quite easy and did add detail to the cockpit, but I think I may see if I can use styrene rods next time

This was a long build, not least because I was having issues with the seam along the fuselage halves, I think I may finally have cracked that nut now though and hopefully with my future builds that will no longer be an issue. The wheels and bombs on this were much better

The big issue I have with the finished model is the canopy, but that is solely down to me as dust got on the inside . I am reluctant to take it off as there is a bit of filler around there and don't want to ruin that, but it does mean all of the detail in the cockpit can't really be seen.

The kit was excellent and any issues were well and truly mine. There were quite a lot of ejector pin marks around though, including some in the wheel bays, which were really hard to reach and ended in me having to restore a lot of the detail with strip styrene.

For the painting I used the same method of marbling onto a black base but leaving panel line black by only marbling within the panels. Tamiya paints were used along with Mr Levelling Thinner. I also tried using a liquid masking pen for the camouflage, which didn't work very well at all - I will not be trying that again!

For weathering I used a dark dirt panel line wash, initially I used it over a gloss coat and them wiped away with a damp clothing but subsequently I needed to repaint some areas so to bring the weathering in those areas in line with the rest of the plane I applied the wash over a satin coat and sanded the wash away. I then added streaks with Abteilung oils and found this much easier than the Mig Enamel products. I also added so pigments for the exhaust staining and guns, I may need more practice with pigment though (maybe adding them to a matt rather than satin coat next time).

Overall I am reasonably happy with the finish, but its not quite as good as I think it could have been and feel like a step back in comparison with the Stuka. I would like to build one of these again (perhaps convert it to a Sea Hurricane). I have also decided that have three builds on the go is too much so have decided to reduce it to one (which is why there have been no updated to my Warhawk and He-111 thread for months!

[barrythornton]

Any suggestions on how I can improve are certainly welcome

It was going to be...more light on the subject for photos, but you`ve done that.
You also seem to have taken a "less is more" approach to the grime in the first 2 subjects, but that may be the photos.
At any rate there is a noticeable progression, so no criticism here

[sheppsea]

Any suggestions on how I can improve are certainly welcome

It was going to be...more light on the subject for photos, but you`ve done that.
You also seem to have taken a "less is more" approach to the grime in the first 2 subjects, but that may be the photos.
At any rate there is a noticeable progression, so no criticism here

Thank you

I plan on going back and redoing the earlier photos with the new setup - its just the Spitfire has suffered a little damage to the landing gear so it needs to be fixed first; I just can't be bothered at the moment as its a part that keeps breaking!

Re. the streaking, I have used that much more in the last couple of builds, I must admit I really like the effect it gives, although may need to scale it back a bit. I am getting better at it, but its a skill I have not yet mastered.

[sheppsea]

1/48 Curtiss P-40B Warhawk (Airfix 05130)
Link to kit details
Build Thread

Any suggestions on how I can improve are certainly welcome

This was built with the Eduard PE set, Eduard Brassin Wheels and exhaust, HGW seatbelts and Master gun barrels and pitot tube. There was also some rods of sprue used in the cockpit to add a little extra detail. This was the first time I complete a build thread. I also used Mr Finishing Surface 1500 with Mr Color Levelling Thinner for the primer - this will certainly be my primer of choice going forward

I also mixed the colours for the camouflage. Although it wasn't particularly problematic I still think I will continue to try to use standard colour going forward, it becomes a bit of nuisance having to continuously mix them

There are two issues I had with the build. The first was the riveting, which I started but then it completely killed the mojo which delayed the build about six months. The other was when I got super glue de-bonder all over the finish model so had to repaint part of one of the wings. I was very please with the cockpit, by far my best one so far, and I was also pleased I managed to blend in the new paint on the wing quite well .

The kit was okay but the various parts for the nose didn't fit very well at all and needed a lot of filling and sanding to get looking right. The landing gears were also not very sharp and could have been better (I'm not sure if there are white metal legs out there, but that may be worth considering). In terms of the aftermarket; most of it added a lot to the finished model, the only thing to consider is that the only really advantage with the exhausts is that I didn't need to drill holes into the plastic one, but other than that there is not much different between the resin and those supplied in the kit

For weathering I used a dark dirt wash on a satin coat, which worked very well as it highlighted the panel line and also got the plane looking used and dirty. I then added streaks with Abteilung oils, although I think next time I will try doing this over a flat coat rather than satin one. I also used oils rather than pigment for the exhaust and gun stains, which I think worked quite well (although those on the exhaust rub off very easily!).

Overall I am happy with the finish

[sheppsea]

The photos from my previous builds have also been updated

[OlaHansson]

Great builds