Andy T's 1/48 Tamiya Ilyushin il-2 Sturmovik

[Andy T]

Thank you John, I'll pass that on.

[adt70hk]

Thanks Andrew. If I manage to rescue the decals as well that will be a save worth celebrating!

I'm currently applying microsol like I'm basting a turkey :smiling5:

(joke)

Gor love Tamiya decals.....NOT

[Andy T]

Gor love Tamiya decals.....NOT

lol

These seem thinner than their usual offerings to be fair, but that meant they were a bit delicate for my usual heavy handed approach! One side has settled pretty well, and with a single gloss coat there is nowhere near the usual step, despite being many separate decals, overlapping in places:



The port side was less successful. I did my usual and stuck my fingers to it while working on the opposite ones. It peeled, splintered, folded, you name it. This was the best I could manage, with a few bubbles appearing after the gloss. I'm hoping to get it to lay down a bit better then disguise what's left with chipping & weathering.

It's not like a tank where I could slap a crate or tarp over it :smiling5:

[papa 695]

Fantastic work so far Andy, and condolences to you and your wife.

[adt70hk]

lol

These seem thinner than their usual offerings to be fair, but that meant they were a bit delicate for my usual heavy handed approach! One side has settled pretty well, and with a single gloss coat there is nowhere near the usual step, despite being many separate decals, overlapping in places:

[ATTACH=CONFIG]n1211553[/ATTACH]

The port side was less successful. I did my usual and stuck my fingers to it while working on the opposite ones. It peeled, splintered, folded, you name it. This was the best I could manage, with a few bubbles appearing after the gloss. I'm hoping to get it to lay down a bit better then disguise what's left with chipping & weathering.

It's not like a tank where I could slap a crate or tarp over it :smiling5:

[ATTACH=CONFIG]n1211554[/ATTACH]

You're right... They don't look too bad!!! After all I cannot see the usual step in the photos!!

Interestingly, the Smythe Meister had problems with one of his long decals in his Raiden splintering!

[Tim Marlow]

Looks great Andy. Turning into an excellent build. The bubbly transfer could well improve with another round or two of decal solution. You probably already know this, but I’ve found pricking a couple of holes in the bubbles using a sharp scalpel helps the solution get in and the trapped air get out, so that might be worth a try.

[Andy T]

Fantastic work so far Andy, and condolences to you and your wife.

Thank you Ian, on both counts. Much appreciated.

You're right... They don't look too bad!!! After all I cannot see the usual step in the photos!!

Interestingly, the Smythe Meister had problems with one of his long decals in his Raiden splintering!

Maybe they have cured one problem and created another lol

[Guest]

Well I think it looks pretty good Andy . Paintwork is impressive .

[Andy T]

After snapping one of the cannon barrels off for the umpteenth time I figured I'd beef it up a bit:



The builder I mentioned earlier replaced his with hypodermic needles, but nothing so fancy here! I drilled & pinned it with some copper wire. Should hopefully be more sturdy now:



The kit MG barrels were never going to clean up well since they were about the same size as their gate, so I used wire for those too. The photo makes it look bent but it isn't. Honest guv'nor!



After a bit of detail painting and some chipping the aircraft got a coat of my favourite satin varnish from VMS. You literally hose it on then stand back in horror as it looks aweful :surprised:

However, having used it several times before I kept the faith, rigged up a dust cover and let it dry naturally to allow the product time to do its thing:



After some time we are left with this, ready for weathering:

[Andy T]

Thanks John, our posts crossed I think.

[Mini Me]

That's really taking shape Andy.....even with all the little foibles and mishaps! Keep it coming Pardner. :thumb2:

[adt70hk]

Looking very good indeed Andy!

[Geoffers]

Looks super-duper so far Andy

Geoff.

[Jim R]

Fine job Andy. Glad the decals went ok. They look good. I like VMS stuff in general but I do agree it takes a leap of faith to apply a heavy enough coat of their varnish.

[Andy T]

Rick, Andrew, Geoff & Jim, thanks very much.

Hopefully more progress today if I can get down the wife's list. Every time I cross one thing off she adds two more! :surprised:
:smiling5: