Bengalensis

As the topic came up in another section, here is the 1/24 Speed Spitfire N.17 I built about two years ago. It has been a favourite aircraft subject of mine since I was a kid and saw a blurred picture and colour side drawing in the old Profile Publications, around 1970. I don't remember how many messy attempts I tried building in 1/72 with only those two pictures as reference back then, but quite a few they were. For some years now I thought about a 1/24 version, today when difficult things are much easier to achieve than they were for a young boy in 1970, and now when there is much more information available (but perhaps not all...). One day I happened to come home with Trumpeters MkVb, intended as a base. Actually before that I first got a four blade prop, think from a P51D, of which nothing more remains than a cut down base for plastic strips and filler. I'm certainly no expert on Spitfires (as those of you who have greater knowledge may see somewhere) but I studied all references I could find quite hard to find out everything I needed to backdate to go from a MkVb back to what would have been the base for the N.17, and then all things modified for it. Where I couldn't find definite answers I invented what seemed to work. There was a lot more to modify than I had expected. I know the blue colour would probably be considered too dark, but in my mind she was always a very dark blue machine and when I first loaded the airbrush with a brighter blue I didn't like what came out. And yes I have had some difficulties accepting that the line was probably silver and not gold as in the old Profile drawing I still have. If I would find myself in a position to commission a real Spitfire build today, this is what she would be like... Anyway, I hope you enjoy her. The few build shots that I have.

I don't think I would start messing up the model at this stage to modify that tank, especially as you are not depicting a specific vehicle. Maybe if it would't affect any paint or decaling already done, but probably not. It will make an impressive model anyway. I understand that the yellow stripes on the wheel spokes will be a pain to paint which ever method chosen, but I also think it will be well worth the effort in the end. The stripe paintings on the machines, be they stationary or mobile, from this era is wonderful and really ads to the impression. I also have similar thoughts about the roof as jargonking.

I discovered I actually didn't have any photos of the finished model, just a few pictures during progress, so I took a few yesterday. Will put a thread under the "Ready for inspection" tonight. Here is one for the time being.

This is interesting. One of my favourite aircraft subjects, probably the top one. About two years ago I finally (after many pretty crude attempts in 1/72 as a young kid in the early 70's...) pulled myself together and built the Speed Spitfire in 1/24 scale, using Trumpeter's MkVb as a base. Yes, it took a lot of modifications and studying to pull it through... Anyway, about the wing. When reducing the wing to correct span, I found it impossible to get a shape that looked even remotely correct if I only reworked the tips. I did some sketching with a pen first, but a reasonable curvature was simply not obtainable that way. Then I did some photo comparison similar to gingerbob's above and decided I had to start the reshaping further inward, also slightly affecting the ailerons. That's when it started to look right, probably not 100% though, I should have rounded even a little more inside of the tips. So I too think a larger part of the wing than only the tips was affected.

This will be very interesting, really looking forward to updates. I wonder for how long I can resist one of those even at silly prices...

That is great Gordon, you followed the whole build through and with a very nice result. Well done.

I love the idea and have played around with a similar thougt in my mind. My only problem is that the Routemaste seems a bit narrow between the rear wheel wells inside to get a racecar in from the back of the bus? I haven't measured and haven't looked at the solution on real buses used as race transporters, but it just seems narrow to pass a car in at the bottom floor.

That is absolutely superb! Amazing. I thoguht it was one of yours until I saw your daughter... The finish is wonderful, the seats, and the blower... And on top of that it is built from a kit that is not the easiest... I didn't build nearly as good at her age... Kate; That is very impressive. Very well done!

That really looks amazing! Very well done. Looking forward to more pics

I will happily admit that I had to read it was actually brush painted before I saw it. It's looking good and concidering the apparent limitations of brush painting body panels like this, you have done a very good job. To me this model really shows all the satisfaction this kit is giving to different builders using different techniques, using varying resources and modelling experience as well as having different goals and ambitions. Very nice.

A wonderful finish on a very well built model! So very nice and looking full of real life. The decals also looks very nice. Well done.

Very good job, well done! Nice to see more RM-shortened projects.

As others have already wisely said; don't be too hard on yourself. And the only bar that's important and really matters is your own bar, that's also how I try to build my own models. You have done great work here, both of them. Especially so if I understand correctly that you consider yourself a bit of a novice. Well, if so, being a novice doesn't really show on the models, especially when going through with the open top conversion. Sure results can improve, and they will the more you build and most importantly the more you enjoy your builds. That's where much of the key is, to enjoy and focus on the positive results. It's not easy to give fair and constructive critique from a few pictures like here. The more you build and gain experience the better the finish and assembly will become, not saying that they are poor here. I think the open top model would benefit from having scratch built seat backs, simple ones from flat plasticard like the ones I did would be more than fine. Overall I'd say you have finished two nice models from a kit that takes some work to come through. Well done.

Thanks everyone for all the praise and kind comments. I hope my build will be an inspiration to all who look at it. It's been a little quiet lately as I have been a bit busy with the 1:1 scale cars and what not else. I also had to sit back and gather a bit of inspiration for the last steps. But now I think I have reached the point where I will call her finished. My aim is to try catching the look of the bus after a day of hard work up and down the route, when the vehicle was say a year old or something like that. This one was put in service late -63, so this may be early summer -64 or -65. Will try to get some better pictures later, but here she is.

Very impressive and ambitious project, and looking like damn good progress so far! Will look forward to every update here.

I have always had good help from Revell over the years and received all parts and decals quite fast (although I have gone through German office) so I think you will get a new windscreen without trouble. Let's hope you have the same experience as I have. Just wish all manufacturers were like that.

And all the adverts are on, at last. The total result came out better than I dared hope. I also put some weight into the tyres. It’s slowly getting there. All remaining windows are next, or maybe I will do some washing before.

I have added the backing plates for the stair case hand rail mountings. I missed them before as they seem to often be over painted during first refurbishment.

Hi Flemming, Thanks. No, it’s many years since I had my own site now. The thought has occurred to me that it would be a lot easier today with a modern blog space, but I have never come round to that.

Yes, I trimmed of the mould lines from all the window edges when I trimmed the sprue attachments. First it makes them look better and also fit better and I think the black marker works better that way too. After this my windows fitted with a small play allowing so they didn't jam even after painting the red body work and black edges. They fall down in their frames easily onto the thin glue bead. If you run a thin enough glue bead it will be virtually invisble and not creep out requiring any clean up.

Nice to see progress Gordon, and good that the seat could be fixed. Looking fine so far, keep going .

Another Routemaster builder from abroad coming to the home country . Hope to see some pics. I do run a black marker around the edges of the windows before installing them. I think it is nessecary to get a good result and it really makes a difference. I then run a thin fine bead of thinned white glue using a pointed brush around the outer edge where the window will sit, then put it in place. It has so far given me clean and nice results. All windows are not in in mine yet, but I expect things to continue going well on this front using this method.

I have been researching and drawing various adverts for what seems like a small eternity now. And when I more or less gave up finding color photos of that Cinzano I wanted a friend of mine sat down searching for hours, finding exactly what was needed. I can never figure out why he finds things I never find by typing the same word in Google as I do, it’s always like that… Then I did simple paper test prints to see how it looked, finding out it didn’t satisfy, or that it was the wrong year after all… Finally we found everything and all the drawing fell in place and it gave me the look and feeling I wanted. Here the final choice is printed and have received a semi-matt clear coat. They may not be perfectly accurate but certainly close enough. Now I just have to apply them without messing things up. Sure I can make new ones, but now I want this part of the build finished. Can't wait to get them on.

Gordon, I have one left hand backrest decal if you want it. It has a small "dent" from the shipping of the kit to me, but it's not penetrated and should probably settle down fine.

Oh it's well worth building it not least for your own pleasure, regardless of where you want to place your bar. And that's the only bar that's really important, that's how I try to build my own models. It's a nice kit that will build a nice model OOTB and provide a good time for the builder doing it. I see many Routemasters being built now, both here and on other places on the web, with very varying goals, ambitions and results, but I'm quite sure that everyone building them have a good time doing it. At least I hope so. Go for it.