1/48 Tamiya FW-190/ D9

by Chris Kethan

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This is the JV-44 boxing of the Tamiya FW-190/D9, and it was a delight to build!  This was my first attempt at using a resin cockpit set.  I was a little apprehensive at first, but the set went together beautifully and fit into the fuselage with no problems.  The rest of the construction was straight forward and went together without any filler.   I know the red bottomed Dora's are very common, but I have always liked the paint scheme, and it certainly adds alot of color to my Luftwaffe collection.  All paints used were Model Master Enamels, with the exception of Floquil's "Reefer White".   Instead of using the kit decals for the bottom, I painted the entire bottom with "Reefer White", masked off the white ID bands with Tamiya tape, then painted the bottom with RLM23 red.   The hardest part of this build was trying to figure out how to make the elusive RLM84.   I searched the internet, asked some questions here on ARC, and dove in!   I started with a base color of FS34227 (it was leftover from when I painted my Klingon Bird of Prey), added some RLM76 and some white.  I kept mixing until I got the shade as close as I could to the samples I found.  After painting, I clearcoted with future, and applied the kit decals.  I then overspayed the decals with the underlying color to get them to blend in and appear faded.  I clear coated the entire model again, and applied a sludge wash to highlight the panels and recessed details.  I sealed the entire model with MM Acryl Flat, and added pastels to "dirty it up!"   I added all the small, breakable parts like gear, canopy and prop and it was done.   

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I thought that using resin was going to be a pain, but this was a good set for me to start with.  NOW I'm hooked on the resin cockpits!   This was a fun kit to build, and I have 2 more waiting in my stash!   

Chris

Photos and text © by Chris Kethan