Robbie's Kit Review - Border Models BF-012

Robbie's Border 1/35 JU-87 D5 Stuka - heavily streaked winter scheme.

The summer camouflage scheme is applied first and in full - RLM 65 underside, RLM 02, RLM 70 and RLM 71 upper surfaces. This mirrors the historical process: winter white was applied over the existing summer camouflage in the field. The summer colours need to be there to show through where the white wears away. All four AK Real Colors are lacquers.

GX100 Super Clear III Gloss applied over the completed summer scheme before decals. This creates a smooth surface for decal placement and - critically - provides a barrier between the lacquer paint and the Mark Setter and Softer solutions, which Robbie found attack AK Real Colors lacquers directly when applied without this protection. After decals are applied and fully dry, a second coat of GX100 is applied to protect them before the white wash step.

AK Washable White airbrushed over the entire model, avoiding the decals as much as possible. The key step: the white is allowed to dry until just tacky - not fully wet, not fully dry - and then streaked aggressively downward using an old blending brush. The tacky state is what allows the streaking to work - if the paint is too wet it smears, if it is fully dry the streaking technique does not work on this product.

The streaking is applied more aggressively around the wing roots where rain, mud and exhaust would cause the most wear on the field-applied white. After the white wash step, another coat of GX100 gloss is applied to protect the effect before the panel line step.

Heavy white streaking - upper surfaces

Streaking contrast on black background

Tamiya enamel Flat Black and Flat Hull Red mixed together and thinned with Tamiya Enamel Thinner to create a custom dark grimey panel line colour. Applied as a standard panel wash across the model. The same mix is then used selectively for additional streaking effects on individual panels, wing flaps and around the guns - applied and then drawn down with Tamiya Enamel Thinner on a brush.

Flat Black enamel airbrushed onto the wing roots, then Flat White enamel softly airbrushed over the top of the dry black. The white sitting over the black produces the grey-white colour of lead staining from exhaust - the effect of burnt fuel residue building up on the aircraft surface over sustained operational use.

The same custom enamel panel line mix used for additional streaking on the underside. AK Dry Ground applied heavily to the wheels and selectively to the underside to read as mud kicked up from the wheels - an aircraft operating from a field airstrip in the mud and snow of the Eastern Front would accumulate exactly this kind of undercarriage contamination.

Underside - dirty wheels

Underside nose - mud splatter

Underside tail - heavy mud

Underside full

All paints and supplies used in this build are in stock at Wheels and Wings Hobbies in Toronto, available online with Canada-wide shipping.