I built a heckuva lot of models
when I was a kid. I remember working on 2-3 models at one time.
I spilled
paint and glue everywhere but it was a lot of fun.
Of all the models I built, I liked my "Snake" Stuka the best.
It
was a Revell 1:32 kit. It turned out cool and was one of the few models
spared the junk pile or a firecracker. I gave it to my Mom to take care of
when I left for college. That was the last time I ever saw it.
Now that I'm modeling again, I've been looking for a Snake Stuka to build.
It's hard to find the big kit on eBay and you'll definitely pay a lot for
it. Last year, I bought a 1:48 Snake Stuka at the 2006 Squadron Open
House.
Even after building more than 100 models, I have done very little
airbrushing. I go to contest after contest and know that I have to invest
in a good airbrush and learn how to use it. So, when I got my Snake Stuka
from the Squadron, I tried the Silly Putty masking method I read about in
FineScale Modeler. As you can see from the pics, it left ugly ridges (due
to blasting too much spraypaint from a can). I coated the model with Dark
Yellow again but wasn't up to sanding the ugly ridges away and losing the
surface detail on the model. I scrapped the kit.
Click on
images below to see larger images
At the 2007 Squadron Open House, I picked up
another Snake Stuka on the discount table. I also bought another cheap Wally (Walmart)
airbrush. I had better luck this time. The Ju87B Stuka with Snake decal is below
along with one shot of her ugly sister, a Ju87G-2 Stuka "Tankbuster."
After finishing the scale model Stuka, I began
building a 3D version on my Mac. I scanned my decals from the scrapped kit.
I
had a blast making this in 3D. A few renderings are below.
Click on
images below to see larger images
I've animated the 3D Stuka dropping bombs at:
http://home1.gte.net/konman/StukaAnimated.html
And, Mom won't be the caretaker for my Stuka this time around :)
Thanks!
Konley
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