German HS-129B3

Back again with a weekly update.  This time its the German HS-129B3 I was able to get done in between commissions.   I love this plane.  It not only looks mean, but it can a mess of enemy armor into squashed tin cans.  It mounts a 75mm autocannon of all things....going against side armor?  YIKES!

This bad boy is perfect for my East Front armies.

Again, these planes are still not easy to paint. The resin they are made of is VERY slick and does not hold paint well.  You HAVE to make sure that you wash the model thoroughly with soapy water and then "rough" it up with super super fine sandpaper (something like 1000 grit or higher).  Then you have to use a TRUE primer (not just an undercoat).  You need to be careful as the detail is very shallow.  Spraycan primers can go on very heavy and if you aren't careful you clog up that detail.

So here is what I did:


830 Field Grey ------ Base top
890 Reflective Green ----- Camo Spotches Top
907 Pale Grey Blue -------Underside
950 Black --- Window Base
964 Field Blue-------- Window reflection squiggles
977 Desert Yellow ---- Base for yellow stripe and nose
Testors Yellow Zinc Chromate --- Yellow Stripe and Nose

Paint Tip:  Painting "Yellow" can be tricky.  If you lay down a brown color (I used 977 Desert Yellow), "Yellow" goes down much easier.  Other wise you will be laying down 4-5 fairly heavy coats of "Yellow" to build it up to the right shade....and each layer fills in detail.

Decals are those supplied in the Battlefront box.  The side decals gave me A LOT of trouble  They are long and kept wanting to curl up on me....One set actually broke apart into 4 pieces on me.  Luckily you have 3 sets of decals on the one transfer sheet....a hold over from when planes came 3 to a box.

As with the Hurricane IIC, I hand brushed the entire model.  Did a gloss coat when finished and did 3 layers of a light pin wash to bring out the panel lines.  Then hit it with a flat matte finish to kill the shine.