Navy Bird Posted May 5, 2013 Share Posted May 5, 2013 (edited) Hi mates, here is my latest project, the Spitfire Mk. I as seen in summer of 1938. This started out as an out-of-the-box build, but of course that didn't last long.Project: Supermarine Spitfire Mk. IKit: Airfix Supermarine Spitfire Mk. I/IIa (kit number A02010)Scale: 1:72 (The One True Scale)Decals: From the kit, representing 19(F) Squadron at Duxford in August of 1938Photoetch: Eduard Interior Set No. SS400 Vacuform: Falcon Spitfire Canopy SetPaint: Gunze H72 Dark Earth, H73 Dark Green, H309 FS34079, H47 Red Brown, H90 Clear Red, H91 Clear Yellow, H93 Clear Blue, H94 Clear Green; Tamiya XF-69 NATO Black; Testors 2062 RAF Interior Green,1149 Flat Black, 1168 Flat White; Alclad 101 Aluminum, 104 Pale Burnt Metal, 115 Stainless Steel, 314 Klear Kote FlatWeathering: Some post shading to simulate paint fading, but generally not much weathering as the aircraft was new during this time period. I applied a burnt umber panel line wash to the camouflaged areas, light gray to the white underside, and black to the night underside. Improvements/Corrections Applied the Eduard PE set to the cockpit. Cut open the kit canopy, and used the windscreen and rear canopy. For the sliding canopy, I used a section of a Falcon vacuform. Camouflage pattern was hand masked (not a template). Shortened the HF mast to represent correct height of 68cm. Added antenna with 0.005" diameter Nitinol wire. Build thread: Link All told, I liked this kit a lot. Only a couple of points of discussion during the build, one of course was the panel lines. I partially filled them with Alclad grey primer, and I think that helped a lot. It's not so much that they're too wide, it's that they're very deep. Which in some respects is good, as you won't lose them during sanding. The panel line wash that I applied made them stand out a bit more, but I think it adds some interest. More discussion in the build thread... The other point was the markings, specifically the wing roundels. I could find no photos that show WZ-T with the roundel placement shown by Airfix. The directive in place at that time specified upper wing roundels on both wings, and most photos (but not all) of 19 Squadron Spitfires at that time show both. I chose to model WZ-T that way, partly to be in compliance with the directive, and partly to appease my sense that Spitfires should have roundels on both wings. Again, more discussion in the build thread... So on with the pictures! EDIT - I really should have used a different seat. This one is about 5 scale inches thick! Enjoy the photos! It's a great little kit and I had a great time building it. It took longer than it should have, but the project was interrupted by my ninth back surgery. It is so much fun getting old! Cheers, Bill Edited January 24, 2018 by Navy Bird Photobucket Eradication 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimbuna Posted May 5, 2013 Share Posted May 5, 2013 A great looking build. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alex Posted May 5, 2013 Share Posted May 5, 2013 very nice! Alex Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cookiemonster Posted May 5, 2013 Share Posted May 5, 2013 Finnaly Bill. Wonderfull Spit. But in my opinion the brown is a bit too light. But that's only my impression. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMChladek Posted May 5, 2013 Share Posted May 5, 2013 Very nicely done and an excellent bit of research. Only tiny bits I can see that might need adding (and this is NOT a criticism as I love this build) would be a flush cover for the fuel port to highlight the fact that these early spits did not have the armor plating on them yet (hence less of a step) and a bead on the nose for the ring and bead gunsight. Other than that, it looks the part rather nicely. I love how the radio mast came out and the lengthened flash suppressors on the gun barrels. It is a nice stroke of luck that your Spit also had the later style pitot port on the wing as opposed to the two port fork shaped one I had to scratchbuild on mine (a chore in 1/48, but literal microsurgery in 1/72). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keith in the uk Posted May 5, 2013 Share Posted May 5, 2013 Very nice indeed , For 1.72nd scale the detail is surpurb . 10/10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steveinns Posted May 5, 2013 Share Posted May 5, 2013 Very attractive & appealing looking Spitfire, a real beauty ! Thanks for posting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crobinsonh Posted May 5, 2013 Share Posted May 5, 2013 Bill, lovely build and a great wrap for the Ready for Inspection forum. Whats next? CMR Sea Venom or Scimitar? Go on you know you want to! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nicE1 Posted May 5, 2013 Share Posted May 5, 2013 That's superb! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Navy Bird Posted May 5, 2013 Author Share Posted May 5, 2013 Very nicely done and an excellent bit of research. Only tiny bits I can see that might need adding (and this is NOT a criticism as I love this build) would be a flush cover for the fuel port to highlight the fact that these early spits did not have the armor plating on them yet (hence less of a step) and a bead on the nose for the ring and bead gunsight. Other than that, it looks the part rather nicely. I love how the radio mast came out and the lengthened flash suppressors on the gun barrels. It is a nice stroke of luck that your Spit also had the later style pitot port on the wing as opposed to the two port fork shaped one I had to scratchbuild on mine (a chore in 1/48, but literal microsurgery in 1/72). Thanks for the nice comments, everyone! Interesting story about the bead for the ring gunsight. I can sum it up in one word - "zing!" Off to the carpet monster. Now, luckily Eduard provides two and the second, well it went "zing!" as well. It wasn't my day for PE I guess! I'll see if there is anything in my magic box of fiddly bits that might work. The flush cover - that is basically a fuel cap for the recessed hole on the top of the forward fuselage? Was it completely flat on top? Yes, I am very fortunate that I did not have to build the forked pitot. No one makes that as aftermarket piece? Cheers, Bill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duncan B Posted May 5, 2013 Share Posted May 5, 2013 Very nice indeed, I think the early Spits looked almost too elegant to be fighting machines. What you need next is a brute of a 109 to scare the pants off the Spitfire Duncan B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevej60 Posted May 5, 2013 Share Posted May 5, 2013 Great build. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Val Posted May 5, 2013 Share Posted May 5, 2013 Brilliant spitfire! You can never have too many spitfires! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spitfire31 Posted May 6, 2013 Share Posted May 6, 2013 Very proper Spitfire indeed! As one poster said, it looks almost too elegant to be flying into harm's way! For my personal taste, the panel lines look too emphasised, especially on the upper aft fuselage. At that time, I think that fighters were kept more or less immaculate, and there were certainly no trenches between aluminium sheets to collect that amount of black goo… ;-) Otherwise, top marks! Kind regards, Joachim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Swindell Posted May 6, 2013 Share Posted May 6, 2013 Lovely job there Bill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sean Posted May 6, 2013 Share Posted May 6, 2013 Top job Bill, the extra work has helped turn a great model into a superb one, Sean Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Navy Bird Posted May 6, 2013 Author Share Posted May 6, 2013 Thanks for all the nice comments. I truly appreciate them! I wish I knew how to take a photo that appeared exactly as the model does to the human eye. In this case, in real life the panel lines on the model are not anywhere near as distinct or prominent as they appear in these photos. I agree that they look unusually prominent, dark, and wide in the photos, but with my eyeballs they're not so bad. Oh well, we won't settle the great panel line debates here and now! Cheers, Bill PS. Oh, I think I found a PE fiddly bit to use for the bead on a stick. Stay tuned! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emilliano Posted May 7, 2013 Share Posted May 7, 2013 Splendid job...so neat with a super finish.. amazing cockpit detail as well. Emilliano Pinto Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TobyC Posted May 7, 2013 Share Posted May 7, 2013 Lovely looking kit. Well done. What happened with the Tigercat? I think it was you building one. I've just got one off eBay so interested to see how yours was progressing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rodders Posted May 7, 2013 Share Posted May 7, 2013 Really really nice build. Love the cockpit detail and the camo demarcation. Well done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Navy Bird Posted May 7, 2013 Author Share Posted May 7, 2013 Lovely looking kit. Well done. What happened with the Tigercat? I think it was you building one. I've just got one off eBay so interested to see how yours was progressing. Yep, that was me! It's on hold right now as I work on an XF10F Jaguar for the Swinging Wing Group Build. I was able to secure resin wheel wells for the Tigercat which helps fill a huge hole (literally) in the Revell-Monogram kit. If you're interested, they're available from Starfighter Decals. Cheers, Bill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rx79guntank Posted May 9, 2013 Share Posted May 9, 2013 Nice clean build and photography- It looks great! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyot Posted May 9, 2013 Share Posted May 9, 2013 Great job Bill, You`ve got a lovely little Spitty on your hands there, a real tidy build and excellent paintwork, Cheers Tony O Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt.Squarehead Posted May 9, 2013 Share Posted May 9, 2013 (edited) That is a truly lovely model of the most beautiful aircaft ever.....There's just something extra special about early Spitfires! Edited May 9, 2013 by Sgt.Squarehead Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdrianMF Posted May 9, 2013 Share Posted May 9, 2013 Excellent and very clean build, and some solid research too! I thought the idea if US style rounders on the wings sounded a bit strange although I have seen photos of Hawker Hart family biplanes in green/brown with all sorts of positions! Nice one, Adrian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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