Administrators James H Posted February 5, 2017 Administrators Share Posted February 5, 2017 Slovakian Focke-Wulf Fw 189A-1 I've had a serious run of bad luck with forum builds in the last couple of years, with the ones that I try to feature here being more prone to screwing up, such as the awful P-39 Airacobra kit from ShittyKittyhawk. My bin can certainly overfloweth. In an effort to buck the trend, I thought I'd build perhaps my most ambitious project yet....the HpH Fw 189A-1 resin kit. What could possibly go wrong! If you want to take look at the review I wrote for this, check HERE This is a very new project for me, and I'll post a few photos in the next days. Work so far consists of cleaning up the main components, such as the boom halves, stabiliser, wing, wing centre section, engine cowls etc. I have also glued the steel reinforced spar to the centre section and the outboard wing spares. For this, I'm using HpH's own epoxy glue with a 24hrs waiting time. CA will be used for everything else. This kit is supplied with an amazing set of 'Wet Transfer' decals which contain no carrier film. All that is left on the model after application is the ink. All I will use here though are the stencils, as this model will be finished in a scheme over than what is supplied. For this build, I will depict a Slovakian machine. I've always had a hankering for a Slovakian scheme ever since seeing it supplied with the old Matchbox 1/32 Bf 109E-3 kit. Markings on this will be airbrushed, with masks courtesy of Miracle Masks. The Slovaks operated the A-1, as well as the A-2 versions. This is what I aim to achieve. Stay tuned folks!! 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Mikester Posted February 5, 2017 Members Share Posted February 5, 2017 This is so cool! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators Fran Posted February 6, 2017 Administrators Share Posted February 6, 2017 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocRob Posted February 6, 2017 Share Posted February 6, 2017 Great Project, on a there is no way to hide something in the inside Subject. Can't wait to see this one progressing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators James H Posted February 8, 2017 Author Administrators Share Posted February 8, 2017 This one is progressing nicely, and if you take your time in measuring, measuring again, and measuring once more, and then even checking your last measurement, then you should have no problem. Casting block removal take a few evenings, but it's not too bad a chore. There is so much geometry in this model that you need to ensure that a good number of parts align under test fit before committing to any glue. For example, you need to ensure that you make sure the nacelle sides align with the front of the lower centre section. You also much make sure that the leading edges align and that the rear trailing edges of the wing are in line. On top of that, the lower nacelle fuse section must dry fit properly and the recesses for the centre section landing flaps must the same width along the length of it. If you fail, the PE parts won't fit. Test-fitting the upper nacelle deck must also show the width is correct there. Lastly, mocking up the tail booms and stabiliser should prove a perfect fit to the assembled wing, with the stabiliser being horizontal and the wing tips angled equally on each side. It sounds a nightmare, but a few evenings of preparation and care will pay off. Oh, I also get kit No.003!! So this is either production kit #3, or the third to have popped from moulds, including the tests. Either way, this is pretty cool. HpH epoxy is also excellent, and can be mixed in minute quantities. You can also manipulate several hours later, allowing for last minute tweaks. So far.....so good. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Mikester Posted February 8, 2017 Members Share Posted February 8, 2017 Looks like the slow drying epoxy is the way to go, haven't been able to find any over here yet, freakin' Kanji! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rkranias Posted February 9, 2017 Share Posted February 9, 2017 looking good. agree with Mike slow cure epoxy is good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators James H Posted February 16, 2017 Author Administrators Share Posted February 16, 2017 Not much I can update at the moment as I'm waiting for a replacement port-side boom from HpH. The wing is nigh on complete now, except for a little epoxy putty that needs to be shaped under the wing root cannon fairings. Any lost detail from sanding is now complete, such as rivet and panel line detail. Engine cowls are opened up to accommodate the brash bushes for the prop shafts. Those are now epoxied in place. Starboard boom is complete, except for the later PE details and rudder. Panel line and rivet detail is also replaced here. The boom was glued over 2 x 24hrs sessions using the slow cure HpH stuff. Sanding is amazingly easy. A small wooden spacer pushes out the top of the boom joint so that it spans the gap in the wing and leaves no gaps. I couldn't resist a test fit of the boom and front canopy. Really getting a feeling for the size of this thing now! So far, so good... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators JeroenPeters Posted February 16, 2017 Administrators Share Posted February 16, 2017 Very cool. The seam isn't as bad as I've seen on LSP. Nice work... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rkranias Posted February 16, 2017 Share Posted February 16, 2017 nice work on that seam using the wood spreader. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Mikester Posted February 16, 2017 Members Share Posted February 16, 2017 That surface detail is just superb, one of these days I'm going to just a drop a big chunk of change and buy this one, the Ta 154 and the Me 410. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators James H Posted February 16, 2017 Author Administrators Share Posted February 16, 2017 I have the 410. Jeroen has the 154. See, so much love to be had Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazypoet Posted February 17, 2017 Share Posted February 17, 2017 I love the HpH kits... their PBY is right T the top of my bucket list... in the meantime, I'm watching this build with no small amount of envy! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
polsen Posted February 21, 2017 Share Posted February 21, 2017 Hi James, looks like this will be a fantastic project, I'm looking forward to what you do with it. Was it easy enough to get the replacement part ? The reason I ask is because I have this kit in my stash but some of my clear parts are fogged and I would love to have them replaced. I bought the kit about two years ago at the BRNO show in Czech but unfortunately I've lost the receipt. All the best for the build, I'll be following along. Cheers, Peter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators James H Posted February 21, 2017 Author Administrators Share Posted February 21, 2017 Hi Peter, No problem at all in getting replacement parts. I've always found HpH very good to deal with, but please make sure you make your requests in non-complex English, and give them a little time to reply. I've always found them very accommodating. You should try the epoxy too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
polsen Posted February 21, 2017 Share Posted February 21, 2017 Non complex english eh...... mmmm , me can do that Thanks James, I'll send them an email. Pete. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators James H Posted February 26, 2017 Author Administrators Share Posted February 26, 2017 There's not been much to update here because I've been waiting for the replacement boom parts, so in the meantime, I've completed the boom I have and built the camera unit. All gluing is with slow cure epoxy, and when cured, I needed to scribe right down the upper and lower boom joints. This is to insert a full length strip that represents the rivet joint of the real thing. It's also quite a neat way of hiding a joint.....without actually hiding a joint! For scribing, I use the Mr Paint tool, along Dymo tape. For the camera unit, all connections were drilled out and then connected with plastic rod. The result is nice and sturdy. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BevanBrooks Posted February 27, 2017 Share Posted February 27, 2017 Don't see many of these built................... in any scale! Keep up the great work James. Cheers Bevan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators James H Posted March 5, 2017 Author Administrators Share Posted March 5, 2017 The battle continues, and believe me, this has been a battle in places. My replacement boom arrived from HpH and allowed me to continue this bird. Again, the booms seams were sanded flat. A couple of spots where the resin dipped in a little required filling. As this would later be scribed along the joint, I opted to do this with epoxy glue instead of putty, as this would be more stable and less likely to break away under the scriber. Undercarriage bulkheads are now installed within the booms, ready for paint. There is a problem with the curvature of the wing panels and that that is cast onto the boom wing root fairings. On the outboard side, the wing root simply sits a little high and the joint needs sanding down to match the wing panels. However, on the inboard fairing, the wing profile of the inboard panel is almost FLAT!! As the fairing is curved and site far higher than the wing, this had to be significantly reduced to match the wing along the joint. Sounds bad, but only took about 30 mins to fix, prior to re-scribing lost details. This is where I am at the moment. As you can see, she's finally coming together. The upper fuse section is only temporarily sat in position here, and the model is only held together with tape, prior to the gear bays being painted. I'm not going to say the hard work is done, as the canopies need to be fitted, but I do feel like I'm getting somewhere now. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators JeroenPeters Posted March 5, 2017 Administrators Share Posted March 5, 2017 Lovely! And nice safe on the wingroot Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Mikester Posted March 6, 2017 Members Share Posted March 6, 2017 Attention Resin! Resistance is futile! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocRob Posted March 6, 2017 Share Posted March 6, 2017 Back to the big parts, it seems. When we collect the removed resin in that GB we could make some new kits out of the dust and scrap. As much as I like your attention to detail in the camera area, I can't wait to see how the big picture goes together. And now it starts to look like the real thing. Cheers Rob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators James H Posted March 7, 2017 Author Administrators Share Posted March 7, 2017 On 06/03/2017 at 2:47 PM, DocRob said: Back to the big parts, it seems. When we collect the removed resin in that GB we could make some new kits out of the dust and scrap. As much as I like your attention to detail in the camera area, I can't wait to see how the big picture goes together. And now it starts to look like the real thing. Cheers Rob With this kit, there's very little resin to remove as most components are on an extremely thin wafer. I reckon the most resin to remove are the strips along the wing parts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators James H Posted March 26, 2017 Author Administrators Share Posted March 26, 2017 This last week or two has been slow due to the nature of this build. Most work has been done with 24hr epoxy. I have cleaned up a few other parts for future assembly, such as undercarriage and bombs etc. but I but post those yet or things will get confusing. The current state of play here shows the basic airframe complete, and the brass PE straps added to the booms. The forward upper ones hide the boom to wing joint nicely. Also added is the lower rear part for the crew nacelle. A small shim of plasticard was added here to create a solid underside edge into the area where the landing flaps will fit. Control surfaces are now fixed with 0.9mm copper wire and CA. My next post will show the engines installed and cockpit floor sections in situ. Things are now really starting to roll! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Mikester Posted March 29, 2017 Members Share Posted March 29, 2017 Nice, now you get have a little fun! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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