014: FALKE STABILISERS

THE STABILISERS

I have never understood how the pair of stabilisers worked for the Falke. Maybe they are used to slow the Falke down when it’s dive-bombing and also to help with the steering. Anyway, I need to make them look realistic and not as some added-on accessories. When the Falke has put in a lot of flying time and got shot, there would be some extensive damage done to it. (Next model, I might want to try bullet holes). But for this craft, it’s more of a ‘whoops’ moment since this radar equipped Falke never engaged the enemy and is always far away from the Battlefield. So, the Pilot would have collided with something while on a mission. To give it a bent or repaired stalk would be nice but it’s very boring. So, let’s just imagine the Falke hit and scraped an object but not hard enough to damage it beyond repair.

Recreating the stabilisers with its exposed frame and bent metal is beyond me and so, I used a cigarette lighter instead. The plastic is very soft and melts fast so I have to work quickly. Yeah, this is a no return modification and you might want to practice on some soft plastics first.

After weathering and dry-brushing the pair of stabilisers with the Tamiya X-11, it’s time to do some real damage. By bringing the part as close to the flame as I dared, (and sometimes a direct sweep into it), I shaped it by pressing hard on the table or using a metal ruler to ‘carve’ into the stabilizer edge. The masking tape is to denote where the RLM04 Yellow paint will be sprayed. For the right stabiliser, I quickly melt the area and then pushed a metal ruler against it.

Once the stabilizer tips have been sprayed yellow, I dry-brushed the stabilisers even more and followed by more rusts. The rusts in the rings were ABT070 Dark Rust which I thinned and applied it. Later, I stippled it straight with a brush to highlight the hole’s edges.

As for the underside, I just weathered it as much as I can but is very unconvincing. Perhaps a spray of RLM76 Light Blue might do it. Perhaps. But there would be no yellow bands.

This is how the left stabilizer looked when I inserted it onto the Falke. The pilot took great care not to damage this side since this is where the Third-Eye is mounted.

But he did not give a damn for the other side…

With this part done, its back to more work on the engine in the next chapter.

013
Pkf.85 Falke
015
PISCEAN WORKS