Marshdweller

Brush painted? Great work! How do you get your camouflage patterns looking so good using a brush? Mine come out patchy and with really harsh outlines.

You have probably come across this information already, and you're clearly a better modeller than me so are better able to deal with any issues, but I have found that the separate wing roots were terrible to fit. I glued them to the wings first and then fitted the whole thing to the fuselage, which might not be the best way of doing it.

I really like this, and one of the things I like the most (having read the WIP too) is how simple and straightforward you make it sound, and yet you've produced one of the most impressive models I've seen for a long time. I love the restrained weathering, and despite you mentioning problems with the cowl decal, it looks perfectly realistic to me (I can imagine the shape causing problems for the painters back in WW2!). If I ever produce a model as good as this, I will be very proud of myself.

My only criticism would be the seam line down the middle of the underside of the rear fuselage which I would have filled and/or sanded out. However, I am fully prepared for someone who knows more about 109s than I do to say that it is actually a panel line and should be there. Aside from that, I am very impressed. Your building skills are superior to mine! I'm particularly impressed by your paintwork, which is the area I think I struggle with most.

Is that this kit? RV4554 I've been looking at this on the shelf in my local model shop for weeks, and if it's as good as you say, I may just have to invest in one!

I've just applied decals to my model and one in particular is clouding after I seal it in. I've built the 1/48 Tamiya P-51D 61040 and I'm using the kit decals. I sealed the paint with a Humbrol Gloss rattlecan and put the decals on with Micro Set and Sol. All of the decals have gone down fine. I left a minimum of 24 hours between applying and sealing in the decals. Then I sealed the decals with another coat from the rattlecan and all have been OK except the port wing star-and-bar decal which clouded up. I tried removing it, without success, so applied a spare (I have two of this kit so nicked the decal from the second kit) and it clouded again! Any ideas what is causing this and how to solve it? The milky residue can be scraped off with care using a thumbnail, but it leaves a faint white stain on the decal. Thanks!

Brilliant stuff! I have literally just clipped the first few pieces from the sprues of this very model, so will be following your excellent example very closely.

How did you do the camouflage, particularly since you're brush-painting it? I can't get that nice edge on mine! Do you mask it, or just very careful painting?

Are you planning on doing the white winter camouflage on that? If so, how are you intending to do it? I've got this one lined up soon, and I'm seriously thinking about doing this version and want some advice! Cheers!

Ah! Brilliant, thanks!

How did you paint the 'stripes' on the spinner? I've just had this with another model, and made a bit of a pig's ear of it, and was wondering if there is an accepted technique for doing this. Cheers! (And impressive build by the way!)

I love the Boulton Paul P100 - I would definitely build that if someone produced a kit of it! The Daimler Benz Projekt C&E is also so crazy I would build it.

I must confess my ignorance regarding the difference between various versions of the Spitfire and 109 was what prompted me to make the original mistake. I had hoped/assumed that the majority of the parts from the new 109E and Spitfire XII toolings (unless I'm mistaken about their newness!) would be transferrable to the 109F and Vb kit, without any real evidence to support this guess. I now know better, but was just pointing out that this *might* not have been everything it seemed to be. As I said, I'm only too happy to be corrected (as it seems I have well and truly been!)

I would give a small word of caution with this, as someone who was mildly stung by their recent 1/48 Spitfire/109 Dogfight Double. The Spitfire/109 boxing was NOT the new toolings of the 109 and the Spitfire as I had niavely assumed, but instead a couple of old mouldings (dated 1978 and 1979 on the kits themselves). I assume that Airfix are using these 'new' products to clear out old stock and/or make a few quid out of the old moulds before scrapping them for good. Also, sales of the old kits probably tailed off when the new toolings came out. I would *guess* that the kits in this box might be the old Starter Kit Zero and P-40 rather than the spanking new toolings that have only recently hit the shelves in individual format. I must stress that this is purely guesswork on my part, and I'm happy to be corrected by someone who knows more than me.

I'm going to build one of these next, and the thing that is causing me the most worry is the large invasion stripe decal for the wing. How did you get it on, particularly over the 'bump' (I've forgotten the technical name for it) on the leading edge of the wing, just outside each engine?