GPM, 8/2003, Heinkel He-111, 1:33

Hallo Freunde,

Guys, thank you for your comments and awesome photos.
Ernst: thank you for those great reference photos
kisboti: You have done a really nice work on lighting. I did some lighting in my models previously, but this one is without a lighting

So after a long break, I am back again. I had busy studies, some traumas, and I was involved in other activities. But at the turtle speed I was progressing. (Also I am willing to go to study for one term in Germany next year, via Socrates student exchange program )

So heres' the update:

I have made the backs of the instruments panels using various junk, like wires, pieces of cord and so on.. And then everything was painted. This was done according to reference photos, given by you.

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Cockpit. I had much embarassment with installation of interior items into the greenhouse. Since I have added many details to them, some things were hidded or just didn't fit. So i had to clip a bit Also I had many headache with attaching last segment of greenhouse. So here I made a plywood former from scratch and sanded it to the angle. I am expecting to get at least average result.. but I've allready failed in doing so, because no He-111 cockpit had such a "fat" frame. But it is for the seam's beauty

Interior:

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Overall view:

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Wings I've started to make their framework. Some parts are from cardboard, and some from aviation plywood (~1mm thick) to add strengh. It seams, that wing's geometry is OK, but it is in a need for some sanding, framework isn't smooth. But I will do sanding at a stretch when I fill it with foam. So.. GPM designed a complex framework, but it seems to work. Also you can see flaps and aileroons.

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Size (Matt is A3)

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Engines... They have consumed so much time! The framework is all cardboard. I suppose, that it will be enough strength. Also I didn't use plywood for these, because your hand gets very tired and blade gets dull quickly when cutting it. After the plywood, the card is being cut as a butter When skinning, I had to sand the framework, because it seemed to be a little too large. Also I had problems matching the skin to the exaust bays, so I had to use some sharp razor. Next step here, is to completely paint all the white areas I got after "razoring".

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Propellors, engine frontal parts.

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The hinge of the rudder... Unpainted.

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Angled rudder:

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Thats all. Good luck and until the next update!
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Hello everybody,

Thank you for your nice comments

Tino: Yes, aileroons, flaps and others will be moveable, and this post is dedicated to frameworks of those movable surfaces They are allready designed by GPM to be movable, so I just have to follow instructions. I suppose, that it would be ugly if I made these fixed, because they are supposed to move.
René Pinos: Currently I am arranging documents for this, so in near future I will report the results. I would also be happy to meet as many german modellers as it is possible

Firstly, I am sorry for the quality of pictures, because my camera died after making three pics and I wanted to show my progress so much, that I didn't wait for batteries to recharge and I used my mobile phone. So those three colourful and contrast pictures are made by camera - others by phone.

The main subject of today's post is frameworks of moveable surfaces (aileroons, flaps..). Next stage is to fill all voids with foam, sand it and then I can easily "skin" the whole wing area.

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Here I am researching the landing gear well. I made two conclusions: 1) I had to laminate the sidewalls of wheel wells, therefore I had to make more space by cutting out some framework. 2) I ommited that card liner, because the wheel well depth becomes inapropriate. I suppose, that these are GPM's mistakes.

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Thickened landing gear wells:

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Bad liner, bad..

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Flaps These are one of the most beautiful places of this model. Here you can see their push-in structure. Hinges are at the bottom in order to make flaps hang, but not to rotate. (In this picture, the whole wing is upside-down).

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Angled flaps:

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Aileroons. They are quite tight, so I made many imprecisions. I hope, that "sanding" will solve everything.

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Aileroon's hinge. Soaked in superglue for extra strength:

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And for the end: Here you see some missmatches. I don't know where they are from, but maybe it is my mistake, when building such a complex framework, or maybe GPM's designing mistake.. Well, I hope to "sand out" everything

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Have a nice day!
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Hello!

Thank you Glueme

Here you see the upper gunner's place. I haven't made many additional imrovements here, only I sticked the iron sights for machinegun. In internet and my reference books I found many variants of those iron aims, but I chose the most simple on (Well... I could have done ones with the metal circle and cross, but... whatever ) Also I'm not sure 'bout this dual magazine, because none of my references proved it. I saw sooo many machinegun variants for He-111, and they had direct feeds, single magazines, and even dual feeds (but this applies only for dual barrel gun - while mine is single). So.. I left as GPM suggests.

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Propellors. I have filled the cones' inside with foam to give some support for blades. A little bit of sanding, and painting awaits... It's a pity I hadn't made perfect seams, because author's pictures in magazine show nicely finished seams.. I'm envy for him

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Oh, and I have a question, without I cannot move further. Please tell me what was the He-111's propellor configuration? Rotating to one side (in such case pilot should add throttle to one side); or counter-rotating?? Also, which direction do they rotate? For example P-38J had counter-rotating props, which rotate outwards from the cockpit.

That is all. Thanks for watching and good luck
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Hallo!

Thank you for your comments, and knowledge, which will help improving this model.
So a little update on this veeery slowly paced topic.

That's a cradle of belly gunner. It wasn't very difficult, but I have smeared the glazing a little. Interior didn't receive such attention, as exterior, so you can compare. Exterior is much cleaner. But, when it is attached, the interior won't be that visible. Perfectionism should be always, but this time I can't tell why.
Interesting, how will it be able to integrate into the main fuselage. Also this cradle lacks the bubble window with MG, because I will make all double curving glazing at one time with my heat moulding machine. There will be 3 or 4 pieces of that.

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Wheels. I have cut many circles of cardboard with my Olfa circle-cutter, glued them together, attached them to electric grinder, and grinded to round shape. Then I immersed them into plastic modeler's Goddess "Future" chemical, expecting to make them hard, and avoid paint soaking inside, when paiting. It was ok, but wheels cracked on seams, when "Future" was drying... I have repaired one wheel with a glue and pressure of tons of heavy books, but when repairing second one, I used paper clips (I was lazy to carry books around), and these left deep marks. I had to use wood cement... I didn't want to cut another full wheel with Olfa, because of my painful blisters on fingers.

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Here, besides these wheels you can see rim parts. Some of these were poorly designed (the white areas were much larger, that attachable parts itself), so I had to paint them at all. Those thin rings were made with special circle ruler and rapidograph.
Also NOTE: The Olfa circle-cutter in the background has a little modification. That's a ~1mm thick polystirene sheet (maybe a wedge made from it), which holds the body of the Olfa firmly. If you don't use it, your Olfa is wobbling, and you cut spirals (when increasing pressure), instead of circles. Then you can throw these parts away..

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The landing gear support was made in a little bit another method. It was assembled without painting edges, and then I have painted them all at once. It is somehow faster, but your paint doesn't always go where it is supposed to go - i.e. it leaves marks on surfaces around closely placed edges. Well.. not the right method for WHOLE model, but for such parts it's OK.

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Completed engines. I like the result, maybe one of them has some inferior seams.

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That's all. Good luck!
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