Friday 17 March 2017

Egg plane dog fight

Introduction

I've been away from model making for around 6 months due to some major home renovations and taking a promotion at work. Both of these prevented any real "down time" to relax at my model desk. Fortunately with the renovations completed and things settling at work I can finally set aside some time to make a few models again. I decided to ease back into things with a light and easy build of one of the two egg planes that were given to me as a present for my last birthday. I opted to make the Focke-Wulf 190 from Hasegawa.




As far as complexity goes this is about as simple as it gets! There is very little in the way of parts but the quality is outstanding so no real complaints to be made here. I started with the intention of just going for a quick build and paint and then moving on to something a little more involved but as I started the clean up of the parts I started to think about other things that I could possibly do with the kit........... More of this later on














Normally I would break down a build for one of my web pages with various sections of the model followed by a completed build section and then paint followed by the diorama. In this case that won't be possible due to the simplicity of the model kits. For the FW-190 the fuselage was constructed as per the instructions and the wings were modified to cover the holes for the drop tanks or bombs with some stretched sprue. I also opted to fill the undercarriage mounting holes as this model would be made in a "wheels-up" display.













































While all the parts and modifications were drying I took a look at what other people have been doing with their egg plane kits. I came across a fantastic little dio made by Hal Elsberry that used both of the same egg plane models that I have. I've included the links to the build here and some final photos of the dio here . After a very short time of looking at the creativity he has displayed along with the many other fun and innovative ways that other model makers have used these fab little plane kits for and I decided that I would have to try and make something fun as well. For this reason I will also build the 2nd of my egg planes as well; the P51 Mustang:-























Painting and finishing

As stated earlier on; I wanted this to be a simplistic build that was fun and no frustration (very difficult in making models!) I decided to keep the simplicity and hand paint everything save for the initial priming of both of the models. I have to say that I had forgotten how challenging hand painting without masking is especially hand painting German Luftwaffe camouflage!!!!











































The Display

As tempting as it is to re-create the dog fight that Hal Elsberry made, I was aware that this is something that has already been done and I asked myself if I really wanted a simple copy of someone else's creativity. Instead I decided to take the dog fight concept and use some good old fashioned comedic stereo typing to compliment the already funny egg planes. My dio would depict the FW-190 being attacked by the P-51 however I would take another idea as inspiration and use a picture frame to create a three dimensional effect wall hanging. This isn't the first wall display model that I have created but where as my Apollo II rocket was a faithful reproduction, the egg planes are purely for fun. I purchased a frame from IKEA that was reduced to clear for £1 and removed and threw everything away save for the frame edge and backing. I then cut some foam board to fit into the frame and edged it with some lightweight wood strips. The whole thing was glued together and painted matt black to match the frame edging.


























To complete the 3D effect I simply typed the word "sky" into Google images and found a nice light image with plenty of clouds. This was then printed on A3 paper. The paper was then cut to fit the internal sides and back of the frame and glued in place. The effect was surprising even to me! I'm really happy with how effective this looks and can't wait for the finished result.







Completing the diorama.

I didn't think that some images of partial decal applications were really necessary for this build but will mention that the quality of the decals are outstanding for these kits. I had previously made mounting holes in these aircraft for ease of painting with the intention of using the same holes for mounting them in the diorama. The mounts were simply some stretched clear plastic sprue from the canopy moldings. Below are some of the finishing of the models and final assembly of the diorama:


























This was a really easy build for me and I must admit I loved every minute of it. I have been away from my model desk for over 6 months due to work and family commitments and this little project has been perfect for getting me back in the swing of things. I hope you like it as much as I do and as always I'd love to hear your comments or see photos of your egg plane builds in the future.

Display Photos.











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