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Supermarine's best? [Now with added Seafire 47... & Seafang!]


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Before I sprayed the EDSG (which has now had a second coat, varying the colour slightly), I spent what felt like a week masking the Sky.  However hard you have work at masking, there is always a slight apprehension when it comes to removal time..

 

But this seems to have paid off nicely; the tricky curve under the nose (which didn't follow the panel line on this airframe, for some reason):

37063567193_57ff6852cf_c.jpg

 

Nose on - leading edges of wings and the cannons (which are a complete bugger to mask) looking pretty OK.  [P.S. In this photo you can also see in a couple of places that I have started to erode the airscrew blade leading edges]:

37063566573_e40b619291_c.jpg

 

Blurry, but you get the gist under the port side of the tail:

37063566083_784f798300_c.jpg

 

Other side:

37063565573_7a06e0e307_c.jpg

 

And finally the whole underside.  There are a couple of bleeds around the starboard flaps / ailerons (though nothing too nasty) - but I am especially pleased with the empennage!

37063565153_239be415f5_c.jpg

 

Happy boy!

 

Crisp

 

Edited by Ex-FAAWAFU
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6 minutes ago, Ex-FAAWAFU said:

Happy boy!

Well you should be - neat paint job, and the same goes for the blades weathering :clap:  :clap: 

Paint creeps are always a bit of a PITA, but I'm sure you'll fix these in no time.

 

Ciao

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well, judging by reading over your posts in this thread, your mojo certainly seems to have returned Crisp - congratulations.  - on the return of the mojo, and of the quality of the build.

 

I know what you mean about masking and painting - I have been studiously avoiding my train carriage as I am too scared to pull the trigger on an aerosol, and now I'm finding the same irrational fear creeping into the new Wessi build.  Whodathunkit?   

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Having got to a pristine finish, now it's time to start messing it up!

 

A little weathering around the cockpit entry door, on the wing root and on top of the cowling - all visible in assorted photos, even of these well-maintained machines that didn't go to sea.

37688625126_953007d4db_c.jpg

 

And around the cannon magazines - no photographic evidence of this on this mark of Seafire, but it certainly  happened on other versions.

37066635173_76372fe60d_c.jpg

Edited by Ex-FAAWAFU
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Huh, that's no guarantee of wood disposal

 

My mate down the street ( a dedicated small bore shooter by the way) has one too

 

But his...significant other decreed a huge unwillingness to see my fence in their front garden

 

So I took a ride...

 

How's your mate doing?

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21 minutes ago, perdu said:

Huh, that's no guarantee of wood disposal

 

My mate down the street ( a dedicated small bore shooter by the way) has one too

 

But his...significant other decreed a huge unwillingness to see my fence in their front garden

 

I feel you may be well aware of this already, but most fences have been treated with substances that I wouldn't let anywhere near my chimney, even if I were willing to burn what is probably low density wood. :)

 

 

In the meantime, I'm fighting the temptation to get my copy of this kit out of the stash. It's a real beauty, progressing very quickly now.

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Well, you know, the blades were made of a wood composition, so when they 'pecked' the deck they tended to liberally, or at least unpredictably, throw some kindling about...

 

It's beginning to look like the "to do" list is getting quite small!

 

bob

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12 minutes ago, gingerbob said:

Well, you know, the blades were made of a wood composition,

 

Interesting, I was wondering whether the contra-props were still wooden when Crisp mentioned weathering it. 

 

As others have already said Crisp, your airscrew looks magnificent - and the rest of the Seafire isn't far behind!

 

Keith

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9 hours ago, amblypygid said:

Now, a fence made of airscrew blades, that would be a thing (sorry, Crisp!)

Counter-rotating, too; it’d be like something out of Indiana Jones. 

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A question if I may: the weathering around the wing roots, engine and gun panels, did you simply scratch off the edsg with a toothpick to reveal the underlying metal? Or is there different magic happening here. Apologies for what might be a stupid question but it looks good and I might like to employ said technique some time soon. 

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11 hours ago, keefr22 said:

 

Interesting, I was wondering whether the contra-props were still wooden when Crisp mentioned weathering it.

I think they have a leading-edge sheath in metal, though I haven't paid careful (enough) attention to the intricacies of Spitfire/Seafire blade construction.

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1 hour ago, abat said:

A question if I may: the weathering around the wing roots, engine and gun panels, did you simply scratch off the edsg with a toothpick to reveal the underlying metal? Or is there different magic happening here. Apologies for what might be a stupid question but it looks good and I might like to employ said technique some time soon. 

I used AK Interactive Worn Effects chipping fluid.  It is essentially the same idea as the "hair-spray" method; you spray a base coat of metal colour  (in this case Vallejo Metal Color Duraluminium), and when it is dry you spray a coat of the chipping fluid on top.  When you are certain it's totally dry, then add the top EDSG coat (2 coats, in this case).  The chirping fluid dissolves in water, so once the paint is dry, take a stiff-ish brush (I have an old paint brush which I have trimmed to the bristles are only about 1mm long), put a layer of water onto the appropriate area, wait for a few minutes to let the water soak a little, then scrub with the brush.  Gradually it removes bits of the paint - you can also encourage it a bit more with a toothpick if it is stubborn.  It works really well and gives a pretty convincing effect - there is one place where a bit too much has come off, but it is easy enough to fix.

 

The beauty of this stuff is that you can be as complex as you like; on ships I sometimes paint a black base layer - chipping fluid & chip - then hull red - chipping fluid & chip - assorted rust layers - chipping fluid & chip, and so on.  This leaves you with a really subtle appearance of staining, chips, rust, flaking paint, right through the bare still, and everything in between.  AFV modellers use it loads.  

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2 minutes ago, Ex-FAAWAFU said:

when it is dry you spray a coat of the chipping fluid on top.

A question or two if I may, Crisp?

 

Is the chipping fluid a thin layer and does it dry completely smooth?  I very much like the effects you get with it - but have wondered if it would be at all noticeable under the top coat on close examination?

 

Do you need to protect an acrylic top coat with a varnish of any sort before appalling the water and scrubbing it?  Its the chipping fluid you want to dissolve after all - and not the top coat isn't it?

 

Ta.....

 

 

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27 minutes ago, Ex-FAAWAFU said:

I used AK Interactive Worn Effects chipping fluid.  It is essentially the same idea as the "hair-spray" method; you spray a base coat of metal colour  (in this case Vallejo Metal Color Duraluminium), and when it is dry you spray a coat of the chipping fluid on top.  When you are certain it's totally dry, then add the top EDSG coat (2 coats, in this case).  The chirping fluid dissolves in water, so once the paint is dry, take a stiff-ish brush (I have an old paint brush which I have trimmed to the bristles are only about 1mm long), put a layer of water onto the appropriate area, wait for a few minutes to let the water soak a little, then scrub with the brush.  Gradually it removes bits of the paint - you can also encourage it a bit more with a toothpick if it is stubborn.  It works really well and gives a pretty convincing effect - there is one place where a bit too much has come off, but it is easy enough to fix.

 

The beauty of this stuff is that you can be as complex as you like; on ships I sometimes paint a black base layer - chipping fluid & chip - then hull red - chipping fluid & chip - assorted rust layers - chipping fluid & chip, and so on.  This leaves you with a really subtle appearance of staining, chips, rust, flaking paint, right through the bare still, and everything in between.  AFV modellers use it loads.  

Thanks very much Crisp. I now “get it” and will get some of the worn effects medium to pop on my next build as we are a hairspray free house. I didn’t realise you built ships as well as magnificent aircraft, so I must search up some examples. Cheers, Andrew

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5 hours ago, Fritag said:

Is the chipping fluid a thin layer and does it dry completely smooth?  I very much like the effects you get with it - but have wondered if it would be at all noticeable under the top coat on close examination?

 

Do you need to protect an acrylic top coat with a varnish of any sort before appalling [Crisp: assume this is an auto-correct for "applying"] the water and scrubbing it?  Its the chipping fluid you want to dissolve after all - and not the top coat isn't it?

The chipping fluid is effectively just a layer of (very watery) paint.  I think you'd probably need to spray it, because it does turn slightly sticky pretty fast after application, so if you were putting in on with a hairy stick I can see that you might run into issues with un-even-ness (though that could easily be because I am rubbish with a hairy stick).  But assuming you put it on in a thin sprayed layer, no it's not visible beneath the top coat.

 

But no, you definitely DON'T put a varnish onto the top coat before you do the water & scrub thing.  Yes, you are trying to dissolve the chipping fluid, but you have to reactivate it with the water through the top coat - it soaks through gradually - and the entire point of it is to take some of the top coat away with it as you scrub (though the word "scrub" makes it sound more vigorous than it really is), thus exposing the sub-coat of metal (or whatever).  You add the protective layer of varnish only once you're happy with the paint finish.  You can then weather the chipped area further with pastels, oils etc., post-varnish.  I haven't tried it, but my guess is that varnish before chipping would probably make the chipping fluid fail to work (because it would seal the water outside and thus never re-activate it).

 

Like all techniques, the best thing to do is to practice on your paint mule of choice - my trusty Fulmar wing is Sir John Fairey's gift that keeps on giving.  I reckon this technique is easier than most; the challenge lies in becoming good at it so it looks really subtle.  I am getting there, but some of the stuff I have seen is mind-blowing, so I know I have a way to go.

 

I have to get on with some work (yet more job applications) - but before I go here is a teaser shot taken at the end of my break for lunch...

23901683428_b84f2fb8f5_c.jpg

 

Usual scary wrinkling on the wing roundel after application of MicroSol - it's always an act of faith to LEAVE IT ALONE!

 

Yum yum.

 

Crisp

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4 hours ago, abat said:

I didn’t realise you built ships as well as magnificent aircraft, so I must search up some examples. Cheers, Andrew

The only ship build on BM is my conversion of the Airfix 1/350 Illustrious into Ark Royal; still a long way from finished, even after over a year of work.  My builds tend to be like that - which is exactly why I set out on this Seafire, as an antidote!

 

I will return to Ark in due course, but thus far only the flight deck is painted.  You'll find it if you dig deep enough on here!

 

Crisp

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25 minutes ago, Ex-FAAWAFU said:

Usual scary wrinkling on the wing roundel after application of MicroSol - it's always an act of faith to LEAVE IT ALONE!

Unless you take the easy way out .... and paint them on using masks (which you proved to be perfectly at ease with, BTW :whistle: )

Never mind, it's just a rant from a decal hater ... :D:D

 

Ciao

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38 minutes ago, giemme said:

Unless you take the easy way out .... and paint them on using masks (which you proved to be perfectly at ease with, BTW :whistle: )

Never mind, it's just a rant from a decal hater ... :D:D

 

Ciao

Georgio - I often do paint markings (indeed I painted the underwing serials on this very model, and the yellow 104 side numbers will be masked shortly), but I am trying to keep this build as simple as possible in order to get it done in a suitably quick and mojo-restoring way (hence no mega-detailing, closed cockpit, only after market being straight swaps like Master turned brass cannon).  These are pretty decent - better than I thought they might be, actually originally I wasn't going to use a decal for the CH Culham mark on the tail, but it has worked well.

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1 hour ago, Ex-FAAWAFU said:

But no, you definitely DON'T put a varnish onto the top coat before you do the water & scrub thing.  Yes, you are trying to dissolve the chipping fluid, but you have to reactivate it with the water through the top coat - it soaks through gradually - and the entire point of it is to take some of the top coat away with it as you scrub (though the word "scrub" makes it sound more vigorous than it really is), thus exposing the sub-coat of metal (or whatever).

 

Ahh.  I see.  Makes sense :doh:  I feel a bit like the kid at the back of the class now - the one that asked the da*ned fool question that caused all of his class mates to turn and stare, mouths open with incredulity at the dunderheadedness of the questioner :blush:.........:)

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