Olmec Head

Thank you Alistair, I will look to get some before they are gone.

May I just ask what did you use for the RAF mid stone please? It is a colour that is eluding me and your's looks spot on.

Yes, poor TIT (Trade Instructional Techniques).

Thank you again Dave that provides some very interesting detail as to how things worked in reality behind the bits of plastic that we stick together.

Can I also reiterate the excellent work by @Casey who has used scientific analysis to identify standard paint matches as far as possible to RAF WW2 colours; for Dark Green, Casey's results were: Matches in: Humbrol (compared with 182 samples) DE00: 1.56 - Humbrol - AB0253 | No 253 | RLM 83 Dunkelgrun - Matt | GU 0.8 Matches in: Revell (compared with 86 samples) DE00: 2.29 - Revell - 36142 | Yellowish olive | GU 1.8 Matches in: Vallejo (compared with 260 samples) DE00: 1.66 - Vallejo - 71.294 | US Forest Green | US Verde Bosque | FS34079 | ANA631 | GU 3.1 I normally use Tamiya RAF Dark Green (which is not a brilliant match, but not too bad) , but based on the above will now try the Vallejo match and possible the Humbrol. I am hesitating with the Humbrol because I have had a poor experience with their acrylics and I do not like airbrushing enamels. @Casey also gave some good advice and information on 'scale effect', which might be worth looking at, it is not as simple as my usual add a bit of white to tone it down a bit.

Thanks Dave, would the dingy pack be in the diamond recess in the seat with the parachute on top please? It is all very interesting as I have not consider the mechanics of how the dingy and parachute were packed. I am trying to imagine baling out with the parachute and a dingy pack attached from a small Spitfire cockpit all attached to you. I am tempted to build the original mirrored picture with an old kit that I have somewhere.

Thank you all it makes sense to me now, although a door for US pilots on the wrong side is an attractive idea. What i have also realised is that the aircrew are standing where the IIF wires would be, so it either wasn't fitted or had the new underwing pole system ( I thnk the aircraft is very early 1943). @Duncan B, I knew that the seat had the dingy space, but I didn't realise that it was attached to the pilot, or am I mistaken.

Is it me or is there something not quite right about this photo? How have they reversed it from port to starboard. Am I going mad? It is also on the American Air Museum site, so I haven't done anything to it. (interesting padded seat harness as well).

Just to finish off my posts on this, firstly thank you again @Ed Russell for helping me with my questions. I have decided to go with a sand single colour over the original desert scheme and with Azure blue undersides. But I will probably go for blue bordered USAAF markings rather than the red borders shown in the profile and the decals.. It will be a chance to try Eduard peelable decals from another kit, what could go wrong?

Thanks a very useful drawing which I will try to download. The Mark XII is obviously shorter, so I assume that would lose the angled armoured cover and run straight vertically down and shorten the side and lower cowling panels as a result from the XIV nose. Or am I now confused?

Thanks Ed for the useful information, I will probably go with the overall sand (either a US type or Mid Stone) perhaps over the original RAF desert scheme. I also notice that the decals 'stars and bars' have a red outline, which I thought was replaced by the blue outline in later 1943. I think the Xtradecal markings for the same aircraft also has red outlines. Perhaps it is anothe case of decal companies following others. But my knowledge of USAAF markings is not that great. Again thank you for your help.

Classic Airframes - QP-X Scheme I am currently finishing a bodged togerher Spitfire Vc (ICM wings on an Airfix Spitfire with other bits, don't ask why) and I fancied finishing it as this aircaft as discussed in the above posts. Does anyone have a full picture of the aircaft to confirm it was painted in a single 'sand' colour. I ask because the photo above in the 2020 post from @Corsairfoxfouruncle seems to show a distinct camouflage line in the cockpit photo. Also ideally if the air intake was the Vokes type as I think some USAAF Spitfire may had normal air intakes by later 1943/ start of 1944.

Thanks that was the only sheet that the vendor did not have unfortunately! Even more unfortunately I only need two stars for the Cuban Sea Fury, so 7 quid and postage is a bit too much. I think Skytrex (remember Skytrex) do a similar decal sheet a bit cheaper.

A very good show and I held myself to only two 1/48 Spitfire kits. I was looking for some small to tiny white stars to make a Cuban 1/48 Sea Fury, the main decal 'selling' chap was very helpful and showed me his tiny stars decal selection, of which there was every colour but white! Back to working out how to do 3-5mm white stars. Unless Lincs IPMS (should be IMPS) has a little white star stall in the autumn.

Just to say thanks to everyone for their ideas and further information. It has confirmed that the decals were not particularly accurate and where effectively copied from the Osprey book that I mentioned at the start of this post chain. Instead I went with FY-V of 611 Squadron, at least that had a real photo!

I have a set of old Eagle Strike decals, and I was thinking of using these for an Eduard 1/48 early Spitfire IX. One option is BS393 GW - Z flown by Lt Boudier of 340 Squadron in autumn 1942. But I cannot find any photo or reference to the aircraft markings online and the only other is a profile in an old Osprey Late Mark Spitfire Aces, which is very similar, suspiciously similar and looks like Eagle Strike copied this. Having looked at other 340 Sqn Spitfires, the decal squadron codes are smaller that contemporary photos. So does anyone have any views on the provence of the aircraft please as depicted: Or is it a case of 'never trust a profile'? Also would the IIF be the wires or the pole style. I ask because having looked at prior Britmodeller posts, it was unclear if Spitfire IXs did have wires at all. Hopefully I will not have to resort to the Eduard kit decals which I never get on with.

Thank you again Casey for the detailed explanation it is all very scientific, and makes me realise that a simple solution is not the best. Thank you again Troy, I do use a very thin grey coat to dull done camouflage colours so it may be a possible answer.

Thanks for the advice on the wiring fixing, I hadn't thought of fixing the ends in a hole to anchor them, I will try that. Yes the remote connector box is the black box with red quartered white face. I don't think that aircraft outside of the GB mainland would have had them.

Just say again thanks to @Casey for all the work on the best paints for RAF and FAA schemes. I have already started to use new paints based on your best fit out of the tin results and had the new found confidence to mix Tamiya paints for poorly represented colours (Azure Blue) based on your recommendations. Also, having tried Revell for the first time, I was very suprised how easily and well they airbrushed after watering down. One point of interest would be the perennial (?) issue of scale effect, should I also be lightening paint for 1/48 kits for scale effect or is this a bit of a red herring?

All excellent work, I tried on a Eduard Spitfire build to add on the cockpit wiring, but I cannot get it to stick very well, how do you manage to position and glue the wiring please? Also will you be fitting the remote contactor pipsqueak box in the cockpit and the oxygen tubing on the starboard side. I am never sure if non UK based Spitfires would have had the contactor box. also @Ray_W does an excellent O2 hose if you have not seen his build of the Spitfire VIII. Again I wish that I could do your level of work rather mine!

Hesitating to join a Malta Spitfire thread, I though that I might! One aspect I think not yet covered around possible USN repaints is the wrap around on some Malta Spitfire leading edges, being carried down rather than the standard demarcation. I think that Brian Cauchi considered that it might be indicative of USN practice.

Thank you Troy the idea for adding yellow to the Ocean Grey sounds ideal and I will give it a go; ditto your mixture for the MSG (not the food additive). I have tried using yellow as a lightener for the the Tamiya Dark Green, but that may have perhaps thrown the shade off a bit! One thing I find with Tamiya XF 81 is that is seems to dry darker than when it goes on, which makes doing lighter post shading a bit of guess work. I have tried it several times with the carefully applied lighter shade then drying to become imperceptible to the original shade

Thank you again Casey.

Thank you again for a full explanation. I like other Spitfire modellers have a petchant for putting wear and tear onto the armament panels and the screw down bolts. But the above photos and others sseem to show that that there was not much wear at all, despite the hands-on effort around arming up. Your first photo is interesting with the 'Africa' shaped marking near to the fuselage band. I think there was a Britmodeller post trail some time ago about similar markings on USAAF MTO Spitfires with one explanation being a gas patch?

Just a quick question, I presume that to re-arm a C wing Spitfire that the cannon blister was removed as it was on the B wing. I am looking at a Malta Spitfire model and wondering where the wing surface would have been worn through daily routines. The top ammunition box covers were presumably also removed (or hinged open) as well as the lower wing covers.