Kiitos! Lots to say about camera angles that hide the screwups.
I hope to bring a lot more FAF birds to life here over time.
As a kid, I built models all the time, but rarely finished one. Part of me was afraid that I’d have the same problem as an adult. But I have to admit that keeping a “build log” here on this forum was a major motivator to finish, not to mention anytime I hit a roadblock or problem, I could search the forum and find a half-dozen solutions.
In any case it’s definitely time to call this one done. There is probably more I could do, but I’m starting to only see errors and can feel discouragement sneaking up on me. I have to move on. On the plus side, I have learned quite a bit and that helps reduce the sting. For example – missing/incorrect details (wrong exhaust placement, missing instrument venturis, missing brass ejection ports on wing undersides, etc), a few historical errors (“white 2” instead of “blue 2”), and a few are just model-making mistakes that I couldn’t easily correct (tail not square with airframe, etc). The biggest imperfection that stands out to me on 1/72 models is canopy glass and framing. I ended up with some clouding on the inside and some of my primer coat leaking underneath the tape, in addition to over-wide frames and generally bad fit.
Also, some decal silvering showed up after the matte clearcoat, and as noted above I think this was caused by a less-than-glossy gloss coat. My chipping (prismacolor pencil) got a little too symmetrical on the wings, and the panel lines of course are kinda sloppy. Initial weathering was with Tamiya Smoke and final weathering was done with pastels. Believe it or not the exhaust stain on the underside is actually a little too light when compared to some period photos. The gun barrel staining on the other hand is mostly absent from period photos but I used it to cover up some clearcoat issue. I did not seal the pastels as most were in non-handling areas and I did not want to chance screwing it all up with another matte clearcoat.
I am very happy with the colors, and with the way that the Tamiya Smoke faded/toned down the decals and overall finish; also happy with the aerial wire – a much easier addition than I was expecting – though it’s missing the mounting post on the vertical stabilizer.
Lots of this stuff looks better in person, I think – hi-res photos really let you see blemishes up close! [:^)]
So… here is FR-98, perhaps on 1 December, 1939, after Sgt. Lauri Nissinen’s first of four Winter War kills, an SB-2 (he damaged two more) over Viipuri.
Thanks for checking in on this – next WIP will be posted soon.