A night out with Erika - Gotha G.V 904/16 'Erika'

[FarEast]

Wingnut Wings Gotha G.V 904/16 'Erika'

 

So this is going to be my biggest project to date and I'm actually looking forward to it! As you can see this will be Gotha G.V 904/16 'Erika' build with the aircraft being prepared for a night sortie over London. I have no photos of the actual plane being prepared so some creative license will be used unless something comes to light. 

 

There are several firsts, including the incredible conversion kit by the talented Ron Kootje - I was one of the lucky few able to purchase the limited runs of his conversion kits and its going to be a very large undertaking, especially as I also have all the detailed parts by Taurus models. It will be my biggest kit built yet and I have no idea where I will keep it once completed!

 

There are several other bits a pieces but I'm going to hold off from talking about them for now.

 

 

As you can see absolutely nothing is started yet - a totally clean build from the start!

 

[FarEast]

So unlike most of my models I'm starting with the base! Some of you might have seen this already on my Albatros B.II build I decided to use at as it captured the finish of the aircraft much better than the base she sits on in the display cabinet.

 

 

1. I start off with laying the base - this is Tamiya Ground effect, dark mud - dropping a large amount on the base I then use a spatula to spread it around and texture it. Then using a jig with wheels that were not used on other kits I run tracks over the same lines multiple times, as the mud is wet it pushes out to the sides creating ridges, troughs naturally. That's what we want!
2. Once the base is dry I then go to work on the grass, I start off with a dark tone - basically preshading the grass. This is the same as the lower leaves that you find on grass, along with the low laying vegetation - this is glued to the base using PVA glue and laid with a static wand.
3. Again once the base is dry I then apply light tones blended grasses and tall dry strands, these are laid over the top again with PVA glue and the static wand.

The base is far from finished as other fauna and flora will be added to create more layers to the base, adding to its realism. However you can see how tufts occur on the ridges - also I will start to 'pluck' areas of grass to expose the mud on more well used paths created by the Gotha and other aircraft.

[krow113]

Good man!

Cant wait to see the G V go together.

[Fran]

Well, this is without a doubt a very beig project!! Looking forward to see Rons conversion taking shape,... I almost got one for me, but off budget project.

[krow113]

Can you show a parts shot of the lorry kit contents?

[FarEast]

what exactly do you want to see? just all the parts laid or something in particular????

[Fran]

what exactly do you want to see? just all the parts laid or something in particular????

 

A full review??? I love to see all the contents and your opinion on this one!  

 

I will get myself a Lorry in Telford... i bet that I cant resist it...

 

Fran

[FarEast]

So on with the build - I decided to just go for my usual style and post all my work rather than just squirrel it away - so here we go!

The kit itself is beautiful and I have to admit I was blow away by the level of the quality. The plan was to build it out of the box but that went out of the window as soon as I started the build.



I decided immediately to drill out the front and give the radiator and internals a little more attention.





This is now put aside and the wood detailing is started.



I added some deep oil stains and other weathering effects on the flooring before oils to create the wood grain effect.



While the oils were drying it was time to get some colours on to the dashboard.



So with the oils dried on both the wood and leather I then added a thin coat of Tamiya translucent orange and then locked it in with clear varnish. The leather cushions were given oil washes and a satin varnish.









Thee small details were then added.


 

[FarEast]

So before I could close up the cab I needed to get the driver assembled and painted.

I always start with the head as it gives me a feel for the character I'm painting.







From there its just a case of matching up the uniform detailing.









Once happy with the finish it was time to close the cab up with him inside.

I actually had him placed and then masked the cab shut so I could start working on the exterior colours.






 

[FarEast]

This weekend I got a little more bench time and went to work on the brass.

I'm really liking the Mr. Hobby Metallic polishing paints - they seem to take longer to dry but the colours and effects are great.



Only dry fitted for now.




 

[alangr4]

 

James 

 

A stunning build, as are your others.

 

Now that you are some way in to the resin build how have you found this medium? 

 

Alan

[FarEast]

I'm enjoying it so far, its a very well designed and molded kit so it has gone together with no issues dry fitting shows no obvious issues - I just hate using super glue!

[Fran]

That lorry looks great!!

[FarEast]

The flatbed was the next on the list and I decided to heavily weather the wood.

 

 

From here I only applied oils and left to dry, no translucent orange or varnish just the flat oils. Once it has fully cured I will give it a mat finish.

 

Next up were the wheels - After spraying the rubber tires Nato black and then dry-brushing with a lighter grey I masked them off with Tamiya flexible masking tape. This stuff is great and you can move it around so finely that I was able to leave the rim free.

 

With the tape removed I applied several washes to get the effect I needed and then left to dry. There was very little seepage from the washes and those were easily delt with with a cotton bud.

 

 

Staying with the cab It was time to shape the front wheel fenders - to get the curve I used and empty Tamiya paint pot.



The underside of the Lorry received a very liberal coating of AK Interactive Engine oil.

 

Small parts such as the side lamps and the horn where assembled and painted before being attached to the cab.

 

 

[FarEast]

So between advanced motorcycle classes, taking my son to Japanese Premiership football games and a whole host of other stuff I managed to get some bench time in.

First job of the day was to bend the header and tail pipes in to position - once done I dry fitted everything to make sure I had the positioning right.



After bonding I used Mr. Surfacer 500 to add texture to the muffler and pipes.



After going through several of the archive photos available on the pintrest board Aviattic set up I noticed there were several with a footsteps of different types and shapes. It seems these were a field modification so I went about making one that appeared in one of the photos.



I also used the materials supplied to sculpt the curtains seen on many of the lorries. I added additional leather straps again taken from archive photos.

[FarEast]

After painting up the side panels to the flat bed I'm at a cross roads.

I really like the idea of a covered flatbed but not sure where to go from here as it will be part of a diorama - However I will make and fix the framing for the tarp. This was made using 1mm Albion Alloys strips that were cut and soldered and then slotted into position.



Now the idea I have is that I will make 3 versions - 1; no tarp cover, but folded and tied down in the flatbed. 2; fully covered 3; half covered with tarp folded back and tied down.

So with this in mind it was time to experiment with methods to create the tarp. The one that I really like the idea of is using a normal facial tissue soaked in PVA glue, as you can see it gives the exact finish I'm after!



So with that curing along with some other small bits that nee to go on the lorry it was time to mess around.

[rkranias]

really nice work on the dio base and tarp.  oh, the lorry looks nice too!

 

some interesting WWI dios emerging with the Marienfelde and WNW birds.

[FarEast]

Thank you for all the kind words!

Well it was a 3 day weekend here in Japan, Saturday was written off as I needed to do chores around the house and also the stage 1 exam for advance unlimited capacity motor cycle license - which I passed and will now do lessons that prepare me for the final test. I also found myself in the Ducati showroom on the way home.... god knows how that happened!

Sunday morning was busy, the wife was on post op night shift making sure all her patients were doing ok after surgery so I was home alone with the kids and had to get them all packed and out the house by 6:30am to their different sports clubs. This gave me enough time to have a coffee and breakfast before jumping on the CBR and heading out to my sons soccer tournament.

Really proud to say that they won the tourney without losing a game and only conceded two goals, both in the finals which was a very close game



After returning home I and cooking lunch while the wife slept I then crept up to the man cave and laid down some base ready for the few small parts remaining of this project.

I also started twisting some wire - but more on that later.

So I still had the oil tank, engine crank start, tow bar and one or two other odds and ends - these painted up very quickly - however I had to jump on the bike and visit the local hobby store to buy some more chain that I swear is in my sons Lego box of Doom while I was there I also picked up some accessories and knick knacks for the flatbed.







So back to the twisted metal, I decided that I wanted to create a very active diorama and although Kellerkind and Copper State Models have some truly amazing non-static poses I really wanted to add a natural feel of human nature to the scene.

No I must thank Martin Hille of Kellerkind Miniatures who has basically been my mentor, answering and guiding me through the stages.

54mm wireman in the pose I was looking for.



Time to start fleshing him out, now I have to admit that I have a new found respect for miniature makers - its a very slow process to get here.









So this is how he will look when in positioned in the diorama - the effect I want is someone waiting there turn to carry a heavy object and maybe cracking a joke or teasing another member of the team.





Here he is in situation with some of the other figures I will be using - I can almost hear saying "Come on lad, put your back in to it!"



So this is how he stands now I think I will reduce the muscle definition of the chest a little but actually I'm very happy with him, the next step is to start clothing him and this is where it should get interesting.


 

[FarEast]

Also I started work on the content of the flat bed truck, In the end I decided to keep the tarp off on this one as had a lot going on around it and I wanted to show that off.

So measuring out the correct size of the tarp on another piece of facial tissue I then folded it in the correct manner. The straps were made from masking tape while the buckles were left over from a Wingnut Wings Roland C.II build.





Not shown but once the paint was dried I then gave the bundle a heavy coat of flat varnish that saturated the tissue and caused more wrinkles. (Photo to come)

I also picked up some crates made from wood and some other bits and bobs.

[FarEast]

So I've been away from the build for about 2 weeks due to my son being at Soccer Camp with FC Barcelona and my daughters basketball on a massive winning streak and now through to the Regional Finals.

However I have been grabbing an hour here and then in the crazy heat of the mornings here in Japan.

So with the Marienfeld complete it was time to start on the next part of the Diorama again to add to the era and for this I selected a 1:35 piece that actually can be used without any conflict in scale and the Master Box Ltd. kit is perfect for this.



As you see side by side with the Marienfeld lorry they are totally within scale, the fact horses come in all shapes and sizes as well as carts is very helpful However it will be complemented with 1:32 scale figures.



The cart was a relatively easy job as I just painted it up the same as the lorry.







Next up was the first of two horses. I used a combination of acrylics and oil paints - I'm still not 100% happy with the finish and will look at it some more once the clear has fully cured.






 

[FarEast]

So having started the oil process on the final horse I decided to make a start on the drive - I wanted a youngish solider to drive the limber and decided to do some kit bashing and sculpting to get the pose and uniform I wanted.

I used the legs from the "Bonus" figure supplied in the Master box set that I glued differently from the original position, broke the foot, removed excessive material and sculpted additional creases then finally added a blob in the shape of the torso and then adjusted the position required.





This morning I checked on the torso to make sure it had cured fully and started sculpting the basic detail to the torso. This time stealing a head from one of the Aviattic figures.







and again made sure nothing had shifted during the sculpting process.





Once the putty has cured I will add some of the deeper folds of cloth and also more detail to the hemming of the jacket - add lapels and the arms that again came from the Master Box set. Finally I will add buttons, etc. to the uniform.


 

[krow113]

Mount looks a little uncomfortable!

Good work nonetheless.

[FarEast]

Mount looks a little uncomfortable!

Good work nonetheless.

 

Funny you should say that but having grown up around horses, buggies, Traps and carriages I can tell you that some of them are sadistically uncomfortable.

[FarEast]

So the sculpting is finished. I've already started painting the base tones and completed the face and hands so I should have an update of the finished driver tomorrow.

Also i went to the LBS and picked up some chain and braided line for the harness and jig.

[FarEast]

Sorry for the poor quality, taken with the phone camera.