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THE MPC 1/24 STUKA
My cousin sent this kit to me a few years ago asking that I put it together for him. I said I would get right on it! Well here it is 3-years later and it is finally finished. Construction The kit was rather easy to put together and the fit was very good. Now I must say that I have not put an aircraft kit together in many…..many….many years. So I did a lot of catching up by reading the “Tips” section on LSP. Pre, post shading, washes, and all these things I did not do when I was modeling. OK on with the construction. Again the kit went together quit well. I used the normal amount of filler putty; I use Nitro Stan’s automotive filler.
This stuff is great. It is gray in color and dries quickly. I like the gray color because it goes with the Tamya gray primer I use now. I never use to prime my kits, now I do. I did have to use a bit more filler to get the tail stabilizer sections to look right. They just would not butt up against the fuselage. So I filled and sanded and they looked fine. I followed the instructions starting with the engine; I’ll get back to the engine later, followed by the cockpit. I built the kit right out of the box except for the addition of seatbelts made from cut toothpaste tube for the belts and staples formed to resemble buckles and latches.
Other than that, right out of the box. Once completed I could not get the engine cowling to completely sit down and close, therefore, leaving rather large gaps, on both sides, between the side and top engine compartment covers. My cousin did not want me to bother with the engine at all but I wanted to build the entire kit. The kit does offer the option to not construct the engine and glue the cowlings together. I opted to display a portion the engine. I liked the detail and now that I have completed the kit I wish I would have added some extra detail here, wire, and tubing but too late, next time. What I did to get the top engine cowling cover to sit down on the side panels was pop off the top of the engine and took off (with the dremel tool) an 1/8 of an inch, or so, off the top of the engine block. I determined the front of the engine was sitting too high not allowing the top cowing cover to set properly. So I grinded, in a wedge shape from front to back, taking more off at the front of the block. After that was completed the cowling set down and butted right against the side panels. I did permanently glue the bottom and right side panel allowing for only the top and left panel to be removed. I found this to be the only way to get the kit to display properly, with panels on (no gaps). I’m sure there are other options. Painting Kit Engine & Cockpit: The cockpit was painted with Tamiya neutral gray, Futured, and oil washed as well. Both were then dry brushed with enamel silver paint to bring out the details.
Appling an oil wash is not difficult, as I have found, but you must be patient. I do like oil washing because it is very forgiving and easy to work with. I would recommend those that have not “washed” before read up on the LSP “Tips” section and search up some articles on the web. Washing really brings the kit to life. If you want a rustier look use more Burnt Sienna. Kit Exterior: This process was duplicated on the upper surface as well with the olive drab. Once the base coat of olive drab was completed I mixed in some Tamiya white with the olive drab and thinned the mixture. This is to fade the paint surface. The mixture needs to thin, I would say close to a 50/50, or more. Again working form the inside of the panel outward, spraying the thinned mixture at low pressure (15 psi). The result is very convincing and life like.
Next I pained the engine cowling, underside wing tips, and rudder with the Tamiya Lemon Yellow using the same technique. Then a couple of coats of Future was sprayed on in preparation of decals. The kits decals were not up to par. This may have been a result of the kits age and/or storage? They just did not want to sit down on the kits surface. Luckily I had the same kit produced by Heller. Now these decals worked flawlessly. I used Testors decal setting solution to apply them to the kit. They really sat down nicely on the rivets and into the panel lines. After all the decals were applied, and dried (say 24-hrs), I applied another coat of Future to seal the decals and prep for my oil wash. The canopy was masked and painted with Tamiya olive drab then a coat of Future brushed on the entire surface (Future is self leveling). This really gives the plastic surfaces a real glass finish. Weathering: Next I faded the kit one more time by applying a thinned, and I mean thinned, coat of Tamiya Buff. You want to spray a few coats before noticing the fading effect. This was applied to give the decals the faded look. However, I did apply to the entire kits upper surfaces starting from the center of the panel working outward.
Next I applied “chipping” with a silver pencil, which I purchased at Hobby Lobby. I do not know who came up with this technique but it is the best and simple. It really adds a realistic touch to the kit. I chipped most around the cockpit and engine areas. These areas receive more foot and maintenance traffic.
Finally I mixed a thinned mixture of Tamiya Black and Tamiya Red/Brown, at 50/50, and applied my post shading, exhaust stains, and machine gun powder residue stains. Post shading was applied to panel lines, elevator/flap areas, wing roots and also in-between panel line in the direction of air flow.
Next the kit was coated with Testors Clear Flat and the canopy glued on with Testor’s “white” glue, this stuff dries clear and will not damage the plastic clear finish like super glue fumes can. Finally, I stretched some spru for the antenna wire applied and WA-LA…..THERE YOU HAVE IT !!! One final note, be careful not to brake off the tail wheel assembly as I did. I glued it into place per instructions (wait until the kit is completely finished) and was test fitting the canopy, one piece kind of clicks into place, so I had to apply some pressure…….snap!! So I cut a portion of a metal screw (small one right scale) and 5-minute epoxied the new assembly into place. Conclusion Great kit, I would recommend to any modeler, experienced or not. If you are building the MPC version aftermarket decals may be a necessity? It makes up into large one so be prepared to make room for it!!! Additional images:
© William Joyce 2007 |
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