As with my previous build, this is my third build of this kit. I had started the Airfix 109 (kit A05122), and found it didn't go together very well, so I decided to build this kit and use the decals from the Airfix kit.

The cockpit was painted with my Tamiya mix for RLM 02. It turned out very well, probably the best cockpit I've done so far. I was so proud of it that I had a friend who is an accomplished photographer (and who has a macrolens) take some photos of it, one of which is at the bottom of this page. Unfortunately, the rest of the kit did not turn out as well.

I can't remember what I primed with - it may have been Model Master Enamel Primer, as I was painting this and the Hasegawa P-51D at the same time. The RLM 04 (yellow) and RLM 65 (light blue) were Model Master Enamel. They went on fine. I had read on Hyperscale that Floquil Pullman Green, which I had a bottle of, was a good match for RLM 71, so I used that. It went on terribly, like sandpaper, and was quite glossy (which I don't like).

The prop also gave me grief. I painted the prop blades with Tamiya XF-27 Black Green, which never seems to stick to plastic. In addition, after masking it and spraying silver to represent the center of the prop, I broke one of the blades trying to remove the masking. I order an Ultracast 48128 Propellor and Spinner from Sprue Brothers to replace it, and a jar of Mr. Color C-18 RLM 70 Black Green to use on it. This turned out much better.

I gloss coated with Future, cut with a homebrew reducer consisting of 91% isopropyl alcohol with a bit of Liquitex flo-aid added. A fellow at a local model club recommended this as a thinner for Tamiya paints. I also used a siphon feed airbrush (Badger Anthem) rather than my usual gravity feed (Iwata Eclipse). It went on pretty well, given the incredibly rough undersurface. As mentioned above, the decals are from an Airfix kit. I wanted a Romanian plane in my collection. They worked okay with Microset. They probably would have worked better with a smoother surface under them!

Lessons for a future build: Future with alcohol/flo-aid mixture from a siphon feed airbrush. Fit the canopy before painting. Attach the antenna mast before attaching the rear canopy section. When attaching the canopy, attach the middle section first, to make sure that the hinges align with the fuselage.

I had a friend who is a great photographer to take this photo of the cockpit, since it is the best one I've done so far. I especially like how the instrument panel came out. Unfortunately, the build went straight downhill from there.

Page last updated June 15, 2023.