Wolfman63 47 Report post Posted February 8 Next up is the Tamiya 1/48 Arado AR-196A German seaplane. I will be doing the scheme as one of the aircraft that were used on the Bismarck battleship. The Arado Ar 196 was a shipboard reconnaissance low-wing monoplane aircraft built by the German firm of Arado starting in 1936. To add details I am using the Eduard detail set. The first thing I noticed was aside from a few of the kit parts like the seats and some bulkheads the cockpit is 80% photo etch! There are 3 sheets of photo etch and most are the cockpit. It is taking a lot of time to cut, bend, and place the many parts but it is looking great. You can see all the build photos and follow along in my build log at https://davidsscalemodels.com/build-log/1-48-arado-ar-196a/ Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bradley25mm 4 Report post Posted February 9 The photo etch really kicks it up a notch for sure. Great start. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ghodges 460 Report post Posted February 10 Great looking start, though those pe belts sticking up and out into thin air look odd! GIL Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Wolfman63 47 Report post Posted February 12 On 2/10/2019 at 11:22 AM, ghodges said: Great looking start, though those pe belts sticking up and out into thin air look odd! GIL It is the safety belt for the rear seat. It attaches to the seat which looks like the seat can move forward and backwards on the track. When I first installed it, it took a while to figure what it was for. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mark Deliduka 274 Report post Posted February 12 Wow, you're a braver man than I Gunga Din! That P/E does make this look better though as Gil said. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Wolfman63 47 Report post Posted February 15 More work done on the Tamiya 1/48 AR-196A float plane. I have completed most of the cockpit and installed it in the fuselage. The fit was a little difficult. The top of the cockpit walls fit fine but I had to twist it a bit to align it. If you ever go this route don’t install the cockpit to one side then join the fuselage. Put the fuselage together then install cockpit from bottom. I made a couple of shims to keep the cockpit floor square to the top. I then started on the engine. The part with the pushrod’s had one pushrod that was “short shot” in the mold. I trimmed the nub and scratch built a new one using some stock styrene rods. The photo etch details and wiring were added and painted. After reviewing some photos of the real engine I used 32 gauge wire to make the oil return line. I cleaned up the cowl parts (the seams and a little flash) then installed the engine. The photo etch set also comes with the front cowl mounts. It was tricky getting them mounted the correct height so they would meet the cowl edge correctly. Once I finish cleaning the outside of the cowl and the assembly mounted to the fuselage I will be starting on the wings. You can see all the build photos from the start at https://davidsscalemodels.com/build-log/1-48-arado-ar-196a/ 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Wolfman63 47 Report post Posted February 22 Lots of work completed on the AR-196A. First, assembled wings and found that the fit to the fuselage has an issue. There is a large gap on the port side. The other side and bottom also have small gaps. These were all filled, filed and sanded. Then the floats were assembled and detailed with photo etch parts. The oil cooler was replaced with photo etch parts and added some more photo etch details to the fuselage. The rear machine gun was then detailed, painted, and mounted. The dolly was then assembled and painted. I painted the “wood” to look weathered and aged. Painted a brown base, then dry brushed tan and finally lightly dry brushed light gray. Once the paint was dry I used dark brown and black pastels to add weathered and dirt to the surface. Now working on painting the base coat on the aircraft. The first color of the scheme is done. Letting it dry overnight before I mask and paint the other color. Many more photos can be viewed on my blog at https://davidsscalemodels.com/build-log/1-48-arado-ar-196a/ 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mark Deliduka 274 Report post Posted February 22 Impressive work! Your camouflage pattern is superb! Your woodwork on the dolly is sensational and realistic. Way to go man! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ghodges 460 Report post Posted February 23 Great looking progress! GIL Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Wolfman63 47 Report post Posted February 24 The 1/48 Tamiya/Italeri AR-196A German float plane is now complete. I added the rigging for the floats and the antenna using EZ-Line. I added the sight glass by using a small piece of acetate. The decals are for the aircraft used on the Bismarck Battleship. The decals were really nice. Thin but not too thin. Slid right into place and laid down nicely. The canopy sections were polished, detailed with photo etch and painted. Aside from a few gaps this went together well and came out looking good. You can see all the photos from start to finish in the build log https://davidsscalemodels.com/build-log/1-48-arado-ar-196a/ Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ghodges 460 Report post Posted February 24 That came out super David! If I may ask, exactly how and what did you use to polish that canopy? Looks very sharp! GIL Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Wolfman63 47 Report post Posted February 25 4 hours ago, ghodges said: That came out super David! If I may ask, exactly how and what did you use to polish that canopy? Looks very sharp! GIL I use Meguires PlastX, Q-tips and a microfiber cloth. See my tip here: https://davidsscalemodels.com/tips-and-tricks/how-to-repair-clean-and-polish-clear-parts/ Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ghodges 460 Report post Posted February 25 Nicely written tip! Thanks for the link! GIL 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
