Torsten's Flying Circus

In the old forum I had a thread called What lately left my assembly line, which ran from 2011 to 2020 with 396 posts and over 206.000 views. First of all I want to thank everybody for their support in all these years. I sure didn’t expect this thread going on for so long. Click on the link and have a look if you like.

I want to continue the thread here in the new forum but before I kick off with my latest build, just let me show you some of my favourite models I’ve build in the past few years. All the kits are in 1/48.

PZL 37 A “Los”, Polish Air Force
Kit: Mirage Hobby

Dornier Do 215 B-5, German Luftwaffe
Kit: Revell (ICM)

Supermarine Spitfire Mk. VIII, RAAF
Kit: Hasegawa

Republic P-47 M “Thunderbolt”; USAAF
Kit: Tamiya

Petljakov Pe-2 “Peshka”; Soviet Air Force VVS
Kit: Zvezda

Messerschmitt Bf 109 G-6, German Luftwaffe
Kit: Eduard

Lockheed Ventura Mk. II, RAAF
Kit: Revell

Kawasaki Ki-61 “Hien”, IJAAF
Kit: Hasegawa

Bristol Beaufighter Mk. VI, USAAF
Kit: Tamiya

Messerschmitt Bf 109 G-6, Finnish Air Force
Kit: Eduard

Bristol Blenheim Mk. I, RAF
Kit: Airfix

Kawasaki Ki-45 “Toryu”, IJAAF
Kit: Hasegawa

Lockheed P-38 J “Lightning”, USAAF
Kit: Academy

Henschel Hs 129 B-2, German Luftwaffe
Kit: Revell (Hasegawa)

Hawker Hurricane Mk. I, RAF
Kit: Airfix

If you like, click the link above and read something about the build and also some history about the plane or the pilot. Some extraordinary pilots among them!
Soon I will start showing here my latest finished builds and I hope you’ll accompany me along the way as you did all the years in the old forum.

Happy modelling and stay safe!
Torsten :beer:

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Hello Torsten,
Glad to see you’ve brought your talent over to the new KitMaker. Along with your beautiful builds, I admire your photography and the extra effort you put into your presentation.

Cheers!:beer:
—mike

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Torsten,
As your #1 fan from the beginning ( I’ve been here for more then 10 years. Boy does time fly), I have my favorites like the P-47M & the Ventura MKII, plus several more. I’m looking forward to following all your builds both prop, jet, and the occasional piece of Armor built to your usual high museum display standards.

Joel

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Thanks for your kind comments, guys! I’ll try to present my finished models here in the same way I did in the old Aeroscale forum.

Mike, I’m glad to hear that you like the way of my presentation. It doesn’t need a lot of extra time to build up my “photo studio”, and there’s nothing magical in my photography. I use a blue photo carton on my kitchen table, a suitable base and my faithful old Canon PowerShot SX100, which is at least 10 years old. Has made already a few 10.000 photos, especially during holidays. And I always like to give my builds a “face”, to show that there were humans sitting in the original machines, no matter what uniform they wore. That sometimes needs some time indeed for research. Some guys make it easy for me like Gerhard Barkhorn or Don Gentile, some don’t, like Masao Itagaki (the pilot of the Ki-61) or Irina Osadze (the pilot of the Pe-2).

Joel, my dear #1 fan :slightly_smiling_face: I really can’t tell which models I like most, but there are a few I’m really proud of. Usually that are the more difficult builds. Building the PZL 37 was not easy because of the fitting (and it’s rare seen) but I made it, so it would be among my Top 10, same counts for the oldie Henschel Hs 123 (not shown here), where nearly no part fitted to the other, but I made it. Difficult paint jobs I had also a few like on that Ki-45 seen here or lately on the greek Leopard 2A4GR tank. I would also set them on the Top 10 list. I also like that FiAF Bf 109 G-6, the Utti Air Racer, where decaling was time consumpting. So I have a few favs …

You may have followed my new bench works thread, so you’ll know what comes next … :wink:

Have a great weekend!
Torsten

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I had planned to build a Cobra for some time and some of you may have followed by “Bella” build blog, already started in the old Aeroscale Forum. Suddenly I realised that on Armorama started a Lend-Lease Campaign. That gave me the chance to get another campaign ribbon. So today I would like to show you my Bell P-39 Q “Airacobra” from Eduard in 1/48 … :slightly_smiling_face:




… designed by the Bell Aircraft Cooperation, the P-39 had an unusual layout. A cockpit with “car doors”, the engine installed in the center fuselage behind the pilot and a driving tractor propeller with a long shaft going though the cockpit. It was also the first fighter fitted with a tricycle landing gear. Allthough its mid-engine placement was innovative the Airacobra design suffered by the absence of an sufficent turbo charger, preventing it from performing high altitude combats. For this reason it was rejected by the RAF for the use over western Europe but was adopted by the USSR, where most air combat took place at medium and lower altitudes. The main users of the P-39 were the USAAF and the VVS, the Soviet Air Force. A total of 9588 Airacobras were built, nearly 5000 of them were the ultimate version Q. About 4900 P-39 of all versions were sent to the SU. The P-39 Q was powered by an Allison V1710 engine with 1200 hp, which gave the aircraft a speed of 630 km/h at 2900 meters. Maximum take off weight was 3800 kg, the range about 850 kilometers with internal fuel. The armament of the P-39 Q consisted of two 12,7 mm Browning machine guns in the fuselage and one 37 mm Oldsmobile T9 cannon, firing through the propeller hub, though the Soviets sometimes changed the weapons against soviet made. In the USSR the Airacobra was often nicknamed “Kobrushka” (“little cobra”). The soviet pilots appreciated the Airacobras sturdy construction and heavy firepower. The most successful pilot on the P-39 was Guards Captain Grigori Rechkalov. He scored a total of 56 (52 + 4) victories in the american made fighter …



… I have built “White 103”, a P-39 Q of the 213. Guards IAP in the final months of the war 1945 in Germany. Sorry, but I couldn’t find anything about the pilot …



… Eduard came out with this limited edition in 2018, though the orginal mould is from the late 1990’s. Of course it’s not so that I have already a few weekend kits and another Profi Pack of the P-39 but these 10 decal versions of VVS Cobras looked just too tasty to resist. The box comes with 2 complete kits, PE parts and masks but without any weight. With something around 30 Euros for a Dual Combo it’s also a fair price. Building this kit is nothing to do on a rainy weekend. It needs a lot of sanding and filling especially at the wing roots. The clear parts don’t fit well and I had to bend the closed door carefully to fit at least a bit better. The weapons look poor (or should I say, they don’t exist at all?), so it was my main goal to enhance these weak points. I drilled the muzzles open and used Evergreen Profiles for the guns and cannon. Some work was also needed for the exhaust stacks to open them. The weight is a lifetime lend from another P-39 Profi Pack … :wink:



… I have chosen this option of the kit because it’s the most “colourful” of all 10 with the Guards Banner on one door and the Alexander Newski Order on the other. In WW2 this oder was awarded only to high ranking officers, so I believe, the pilot must have been one of them. The Olive Drab here was partially overpainted. I have used Revell and Vallejo paints for this build. For the underside I used Revell 77 Dust Grey, which comes close to the desired Neutral Grey, the upperside was painted with Vallejo 71043 Olive Drab and 71283 Russian Tan. For the overpainted US markings I have used 71301 AMT-4 Russian Cam. Green and 71318 AMT-7 Russian Greyish Blue. The cockpit and wheel wells were painted with 71010 US Interior Green. For the white parts I have used Revell 301 White. I don’t know if the propeller on this aircraft was really NMF but I followed the instructions here. My references (Osprey) show mainly black props but some could also be silver/aluminium …


… though this kit needs a bit more attention than a Tamiya kit, with a bit patience it turns out into a nice build which is not often seen on expos, which we hope to have again in the near future. And as I said I have a few more of these kits so you can bet there will leave more Cobras my assembly line in the future.
So I say “Большое спасибо!” again for stepping in and walking around my new build. Hope you’ve enjoyed it.

Happy modelling!
Torsten :wave:

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Good to see you bringing your work over, Torsten! I look forward to more.

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Thanks Gary! Yes, I think it was time to move and as you’ve followed my build blog you know what comes next … :slightly_smiling_face:

Torsten :beer:

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Torsten,
Once again you’ve built a outstanding Museum quality display presentation of the “White 103”, a P-39 Q of the 213. Guards IAP. The soft edged Camo paint scheme has no visible overspray that I can see in the enlarged pictures. The replacement fuselage gun barrels makes a huge difference in the final appearance.

Well done my friend, very well done as usual.

Joel

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Thanks Joel! Very kind! Correcting the guns was my main goal as I said. It’s not a big deal, just a bit time consumpting and in the end it’s worth the effort. I did the same with the 37 mm cannon in the propeller hub. On the right wing I sprayed complete nonsense with Olive Drab, which was my fault, so I had to re-do Russian Tan here. But I think it’s only visible when you know that I made the correction.

I still have to check what photos to use of Bella White but I will show them here soon … :slightly_smiling_face:

Torsten :vulcan_salute:

While I’m busy working on the ATF Dingo, I nearly forgot to show the other half of my Bella Project here. It’s again a Bell P-39 Q “Airacobra”, but this time with the insignias of the original owner. Again an Eduard kit in 1/48 …




… I’ve built “Devastating Devil”, a machine from the 46th FS, 15th FG on Makin Island in the Gilbert Islands during the summer of 1943. Again, I couldn’t find out anything about the pilot, sorry …



… I’ve built this kit together with “White 103” from above and it’s one of the oldest kits in my stash. This version is from 2001 and I bought it in October 2003. Inside the box was a weight (!) and some old brown masks, which I prefered not to use here. I even found the old sales slip inside, that’s why I know when I bought it …




… during the build I had the same difficulties and gave “Bella White” the same TLC as “Bella Red”. So the guns and cannon were also opened and the exhaust stacks were also “upgraded”. There is no difference in the two builds, except for the underwing 12,7 mm gun pods, which were not used by the Soviets …



… the other difference is the painting of course. Unfortunatly I couldn’t find any informations about this aircraft in my references, not even a profile in Osprey’s “P-39 Aces”. I only found a few builds in the internet. So I relied on the painting instruction of the kit. It was not easy to find the correct paints for this camo. From what I saw in the internet and also on the box art I thought, it must have been a light sand tone and a very light blue. So finally I have chosen Vallejo 71306 Sky Blue (FS35550) for the underside and Vallejo 71327 IAF Sand (FS33531) for the upperside. So I think, I come close to the original. And no, IAF does not stand for Irish Air Force … :smile: All other paints used here are the same as on “Bella Red”. The decals are taken from the kit, though I have taken all stencils from the “Bella” Dual Combo, because they are all in english. Eduard offers 2 more options for this kit, a french and a VVS one.

Finally both Bellas together as I would like to show them on future model shows …



… and together with my first Cobra. This P-400 is the Hasegawa kit (also not flawless) and from some time in 2010 or 2011 …

I say thanks for stepping in and hope you’ve enjoyed walking around my other “Bella”.

Happy modelling and stay safe!
Torsten :wave:

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Looks great, the Eduard is in the future build pile maybe 2022.

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Thanks, Ryan! Yes, I know that problem well, too. So many kits to build, so little time … We should all retire at once … :smile:

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Torsten,
Sorry it’s taken me so long to acknowledge the other half of your P-39 Bella build: “Devasting Devil”.

As usual, another mint perfect museum quality build and finish. I gotta admit that I really like the sand color as it has the slightest touch of a Pink hue, which I kind of remember from my model aircraft days.

Both the halves of your Bella Build compliment each other perfectly. I’m sure that your earlier P-400 build just adds that little something extra to dazzle the viewer’s eye.

Joel

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Thanks Joel! That Vallejo IAF Sand was the closest I could get to the desired tone. I did a lot of test spraying with other “yellowish”, “reddish” and “pinkish” brown tones from all kind of manufacturers until I decided for this one. Sky Blue for the underside was quickly found.

Yes, I’m also satisfied how both builds came out with their upgrades and cannot tell which one I like more. Both have their own character.

Stay safe!
Torsten :beer:

1 Like

Today I want to show you my latest finished model, the Heinkel He 219 A-7 from Tamiya, as usual in 1/48 … :slightly_smiling_face:





… the He 219 was a heavily armed german twin engined night fighter, developed in 1942. The first test flight took place on the 6. November 1942. It was the first aircraft of the Luftwaffe which had ejection seats for the crew and it was also one of the first with a tricycle landing gear. The performance of the He 219 was far better than of the older Bf 110 and so production was ordered and started early in 1943. In the night of the 11./12. June 1943 famous night fighter ace Major Werner Streib with his navigator took off from Venlo/Netherlands with a pre-production model for a first combat flight and within 90 minutes he shot down 5 RAF Lancaster bombers. On return to base he crash landed the aircraft because of a failure of the airbrakes and the plane broke into pieces. The crew escaped unhurt. The sole unit to use the He 219 was the Nachtjagdgeschwader (NJG) 1. A total of less than 300 planes were manufactured, mainly at the Heinkel factory near Rostock but also in Vienna. The He 219 A-7 was powered by two 12 cylinder Daimler-Benz DB 603 G liquid cooled piston engines with 1900 hp each which gave the aircraft a speed of 670 km/h at 7.000 meters. It had a range of over 1500 kilometers and a service ceiling of 12.700 meters. The A-7 variant was usually armed with 2 x 20 mm MG 151/20 guns in the wing roots with 400 rounds each and 2 x 20 mm MG 151/20 in a fairing under the fuselage with 500 rounds each plus 2 x 30 mm MK 108 cannons as so called “Schräge Musik” in the rear upper fuselage with 100 rounds each. The armamant differed from variant to variant and there were many of them. Today there are at least two He 219 still existing. One is unrestored on display in Denmark, it was found about 10 years ago in the Skagerrak off the North Coast. The other fuselage is on display at the Udvar-Hazy-Museum near Washington DC. When I visited the Garber Restauration Facilities in 2002 the plane was still under restauration. It was an amazing sight for me …




… I have build the He 219 A-7 “+ TH” of I./NJG 1, based on the island of Sylt in Northern Germany in April/May 1945. Sorry, but I found no informations about the crew or the fate of the plane …




… the kit is already an oldie from the 1990’s but the fitting of all parts is still perfect. There is no need for putty, sanding is only modestly necessary. Typical Tamiya quality! Because this model has a tricycle landing gear, a lot of weight is needed, not to have a tail sitter. So with the kit comes a large metal part where the cockpit sits in. It has a weight of 55-60 grams. There’s no need for additional weight. The kit is build completely out of box, I only used the brass made FuG 220 Lichtenstein radar antennas from Modellbau Schatton. These parts are a lot finer than the parts from the kit. But the brass parts are only for the front, the rear warning radar parts are from the kit. The He 219 should be build and painted in 3 sections (right wing, fuselage, left wing) and then glued together. That makes everything easier and if you have followed my build blog you know that I did just that …


… for the painting I have used a variety of brands here. The cockpit was painted again with Revell 77 Dust Grey (close to RLM 66), the wheel wells are painted with Revell 45 Light Olive (close to RLM 02), Black is Revell 302, the upper camo is painted with Vallejo 71046 RLM 76 and the grey blotches are painted with Gunze H 69 RLM 75. Final coating was again made with Clear Matt Varnish from Marabu. All decals are taken from the kit, except the swastikas. There are no stencils on the decal sheet for this kit. Tamiya offers 2 versions, this is the more “colourful” one. As usual my model is not weathered at all. With a length of over 35 cm and a wing span of nearly 39 cm it’s quite a big bird and because of the metal cockpit it’s indeed a “heavy” fighter. That all would cause transport problems, so I have decided not to show the model on future expos, only here on Aeroscale and of course in my permanent show at home. So, if you’re in Germany after Covid 19 times, just give me a yell and come around! To give you an impression of the size I have put a 1 Euro coin on the fuselage here. The coin has a diameter of 23 mm if you’re not used to the size of our coins. On the last photo you can see the MK 108 “Schräge Musik” how it was built in the fuselage. No need to paint it, I just opened the muzzles …


So, again I say “Vielen Dank” for stepping in and having a look at the latest addition to my aviation museum. Hope, you’ve enjoyed it!

Happy modelling!
Torsten
:wave:

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Hello Torsten, I really enjoyed following your outstanding work. Thank you for sharing this absolutely beautiful bird and its history! :clap::clap::clap::clap::clap:

Cheers!:beer:
—mike

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Thanks Mike! I’m glad to hear that! It was really an enjoyable build far away from any fiddly PE parts. The only little challenge is the RLM 75 mottling but I’m happy how it came out.

Torsten
:beer:

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Well Torsten I was scrolling through your posts admiring the different planes, they all look great, especially like the P47’s camo, and then I see “Devastating Devil”, yes indeed it’s my favorite hands down no contest! I don’t know exactly why but that light gray upper surface is just killer, it reminds me of some of the F4F’s of the Atlantic coastal defense sqns during WWII or even some F3F paint schemes, both are just awesome! Thanks for sharing your work!

Cajun :crocodile:

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Thanks for stepping in, Terry, and your kind words! Yes the P-47 has a striking camo. I have used Insignia Blue and Azure Blue for it. If you’re interested, click the link for the old Assembly Line Thread in the first posting. I think, the Thunderbolt is shown on page 11 or 12. Can’t remember, have to look myself.

The P-39’s upper camo is a “pinkish sand”. I have used IAF Sand from Vallejo for it. Was not easy to find a colour that suits as I had no informations about the plane in my references. Only the box art and some built models in the internet. I think I did quite well.

Torsten :beer:

Some of you guys have followed my latest build blog which I have finished about 2 weeks ago. Meanwhile I have taken better photos and today I want to show you a very enjoyable Eduard DualCombo of the Grumman Hellcat Mk. I and Mk. II of the Fleet Air Arm in 1/48 … :slightly_smiling_face:






… by 1943 it came apparent to the british FAA that their carrier based fighters were incapable of fulfilling all requirements demanded of them. Having had good experience with the F4F Wildcat, known as the “Martlet” in british service, the FAA took notice of its successor, the F6F Hellcat. Though loans and lease programs, there was a total of 1182 of these aircraft handed over to the FAA. The british designation “Gannet” was not carried long. Over the course of 1943, it was decided to readopt the original name, so the F6F-3 became the Hellcat Mk. I (252 aircraft) and the F6F-5 became the Hellcat Mk. II (930 aircraft). Hellcats of the FAA entered combat operations at the end of 1943 from escort carriers off the shores of Scandinavia. Other operational areas in Europe included the Channel, where convoy duties were fulfilled and cover for the Normandy landings. In the MTO FAA Hellcats provided air cover along with american fighters for the invations of southern France. From the end of 1944, Hellcat activity shifted to the Pacific. Combat operations of the British Pacific Fleet were entered in the vicinity of Malysia, eastern India and Sumatra. The career of the Hellcat in british service ended in late 1945, when the majority of 12 squadrons were disbanded or re-equipped with british designed types (text taken in parts from the Eduard instruction sheet) …








… I have built Hellcat Mk I (JV132) from No. 800 Sqn FAA, aboard the escort carrier HMS Emperor in May 1944, flown by Lt. Blythe Ritchie. With this aircraft he took part in the attacks on the german battleship “Tirpitz” in norwegian waters and scored 2 kills in it against Luftwaffe aircraft. The Hellcat Mk II (JZ796) is from No. 808 Sqn FAA, aboard the escort carrier HMS Khedive in June 1945, flown by Sub Lt. Oscar Lorenzo, an argentinian pilot …






… Eduard came out with this limited edition in 2008 and this DualCombo comes with the full program of a ProfiPack for 2 builds, So masks, PE parts and decal options of 6 FAA Hellcats (3 x Mk I and 3 x Mk II) are included. Most PE parts are used to pimp up the cockpits and I tried to use as many of these parts as possible. But I gave up with the ignition wires for the big Pratt & Whitneys. They would be barely visible anyway. The kit itself goes together very easy. There are no big problems, I haven’t used any putty on both Hellcats. It’s a very enjoyable and smooth build. I have decided to use only an external fuel tank on JV132, JZ796 got none but rockets intead …






… I have painted both Hellcats more or less exclusively with Vallejo ModelAir paints. Both cockpits are painted with 71010 Interior Green, the Mk I got 71302 Sky on the underside and 71110 Extra Dark Sea Grey and 71309 Dark Slate Grey on fuselage and wings. The Mk II got 71295 US Navy Sea Blue all over with 71279 Insignia White stripes. Only the propellers and tyres are painted with Revell Aqua paints this time. Final coating was made again with Clear Matt (on JV132) and Satin Varnish (on JZ796) from Marabu, though JZ796 looks pretty matt to me now. The decals are printed by Cartograph and are of high quality. They are thin and behave well in warm water. Had no problems applying them. Though after the final coating I have discovered a bit of silvering here and there. But only on some small stencils, nothing to worry about.

Okay folks, I thank you again for stepping in and walking around my “Royal Hellcats” and hope you have enjoyed it as much as I have enjoyed building these beauties.

Happy modelling and stay healthy!
Torsten
:wave:

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