Jump to content

Spitfire Mk I / 1:48 Tamiya 54 Sqn


Recommended Posts

Mk XII is over. Mk I is about to begin... :)

I'm Spitfiremaniac so it's time for the next Spitfire - Tamiya's 1/48 Mk I. From my perspective the one which is very close to perfect model. Good accuracy, perfect fitting, excellent surface and quite good details. No need to write more - Tamiya's Spits are well and widely known.

Model built nearly 10 years ago. When I came back to the hobby building few better or worse models I remembered that I have a one which is close to be finished. So here is it... :)

Early Rotol from Hasegawa's Hurricane Mk I, 3D-kits decals, KLoT of 54 SQN.

8.JPG

4.jpg

DSC_0960.JPG

  • Like 5
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Looks a great kit Gregg,as a spitfire lover but not a 1/48 builder I have never built any of these Tamiya offerings,looking forward to seeing the finished

aircraft.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 5 months later...

Hi,

Lot of the time has been spent on some strange activities and due to some reasons I was forced to change the priorities in my hobby.


Anyway - the time has come and I can start the paintwork.

Last pics before painting.



DSC_1058_1024.jpg


DSC_1064_1024.jpg



The only upgrade is the resin Rotol from Department of Correction which is originally designed to Tamiya's kit.

So has better fitting then Hasegawa's one.



And here are mentioned above some reasons of delay. ;)


DSC_1072_1024.jpg

  • Like 4
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Great build so far!

:goodjob:

Looks a great kit Gregg,as a spitfire lover but not a 1/48 builder I have never built any of these Tamiya offerings,looking forward to seeing the finished

aircraft.

Tamiya is a great modeling company! They pretty much keep things simple. What you can't see doesn't need to be seen. If you get what I'm saying ;)

:rofl: You haven't started painting any of your aircraft? Well, once you finish them, I expect billions of threads on them. :clap2:

EDIT: Grammar er ah

EDIT: Let me name all of them ;) You have a German FW190D version and a FW190 something version. A typhoon of sorts a spitfire a Yak and a mosquito! :D

EDIT: Is that a Spitfire? No, no... I think it is a corsair.

Edited by GruntZone360
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

Thanks for the comments. :)

After some issues finally I've started paintwork.
At the beginning the XF 19 was applied as the base. Preshading done with Tamiya XF 24 on the undersurface and XF 63 on upper.
Some panels, ailerons, flaps, rudder, elevator painted white to build further contrast.
DSC_1109_1024.jpg
DSC_1110_1024.jpg
DSC_1112_1024.jpg
  • Like 5
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Mk XII is over. Mk I is about to begin... :)

I'm Spitfiremaniac so it's time for the next Spitfire - Tamiya's 1/48 Mk I. From my perspective the one which is very close to perfect model. Good accuracy, perfect fitting, excellent surface and quite good details. No need to write more - Tamiya's Spits are well and widely known.

excellent kit engineering, great fit, good surface details, yes.

Good accuracy? No, kit has some quite noticeable faults.

Bit short, makes wing too far back, bit fat and slab sided. wing is a it too broad, wheel wells are oval, not circular.

Details of this and some fixes here.

http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234968337-two-148-mkvb-spitfires-tamiya-and-airfix-new-spitfire-collection-expansion-project-evening-update-170115/page-3

That's just the main fuselage problems, I've not started on the wings, which should be easier. It's not really horrible, but next to a properly shaped model the Tamiya looks like it needs to go on a diet :rolleyes:

I think the new Airfix Mk I will make the Tamiya mk I pretty much obsolete except for ease of build.

Neat work on your build though.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

EDIT: Let me name all of them ;) You have a German FW190D version and a FW190 something version. A typhoon of sorts a spitfire a Yak and a mosquito! :D

Save us...

Fw190d correct

That's a zero

Typhoon or tempest correct

That's a whirlwind

And that's (I believe) a d520

You were right about the spitfire part

I realize you may have been joking, but stuff like this bugs me.

Nice work on the spitfire, I look forward to seeing ut(and all those oter planes) finished.

K

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think the new Airfix Mk I will make the Tamiya mk I pretty much obsolete except for ease of build.

Well... I've never compare Tamiya to any plans and I had no idea that list of shortcomings is so long.

From my perspective;

  • Tamiya Mk I looks like Spitifre and it is impossible to confuse it with any other plane
  • I do not have this strange feeling that something is wrong like in case of Academy model...

But in the other hand Airfix should solve all the issues releasing MK I. ;)

Neat work on your build though.

Thank You.

I look forward to seeing ut(and all those oter planes) finished.

K

Definitely there is a plan to finish all of them this spring

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Save us...

Fw190d correct

That's a zero

Typhoon or tempest correct

That's a whirlwind

And that's (I believe) a d520

You were right about the spitfire part

I realize you may have been joking, but stuff like this bugs me.

Nice work on the spitfire, I look forward to seeing ut(and all those oter planes) finished.

K

:lol: Yeah, I was joking around, :rofl: but thanks for correcting me!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Good to see some more progress on this project. I'm interested in your idea of lightening some areas with white. I look forward to how this all looks with the first coats of paint on.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Small progress at the end of weekend.

Undersurface is ready - B&W + Aluminium, mix of Gunze and Tamiya paints.

DSC_1110_1024.jpg
DSC_1114_1024.jpg
DSC_1121_1024.jpg

Good to see some more progress on this project. I'm interested in your idea of lightening some areas with white. I look forward to how this all looks with the first coats of paint on.

Well, I'm back in business. :D
Till now the result of lightening the panels is rather poor but in the other hand B/W is not easy to paint.
I think it will work better on upper surfaces, as the base for DG / DE.
  • Like 6
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think that works well - I can see where the lighter areas/panels are - they are quite subtle but thenI think that's a good thing. I will be interested to see the effect on the upper surfaces.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well... I've never compare Tamiya to any plans and I had no idea that list of shortcomings is so long.

From my perspective;

  • Tamiya Mk I looks like Spitifre and it is impossible to confuse it with any other plane
  • I do not have this strange feeling that something is wrong like in case of Academy model...

But in the other hand Airfix should solve all the issues releasing MK I. ;)

Hi, well, I have seen a lot of internet moaning about the problems of the 1/48 Tamiya Spitfires but not much of actually trying to fix it. Comparing to plans only works if you know if the plans are any good!

I knew the new Airfix Spitfire was based on unpublished (so far) plans by a noted draughtsman, and the kit was considered excellent shapewise, so with a combination of trusted plans and the kit as a '3d plan' I had a go at fixing the Tamiya kit.

The Academy really does have problems!

The Airfix XII has a lot of issues as well, I have not got around to doing comparison photos of the various early Griffon Spitfires...

Small progress at the end of weekend.

Undersurface is ready - B&W + Aluminium, mix of Gunze and Tamiya paints.

DSC_1114_1024.jpg
Till now the result of lightening the panels is rather poor but in the other hand B/W is not easy to paint.
I think it will work better on upper surfaces, as the base for DG / DE.

The toning of the panels here is excellent, very subtle, but avoiding a totally flat look.

I saw your Spitfire XII build and the shading looked a bit over done to me, though this maybe due to bright lighting, as the blue and red are very bright in this picture.

9.jpg

for comparison

3518016657_c2faa06740_z.jpg?zz=1

I'd say if you can immediately see the pre/post shading, it's too much, if it makes a model less 'toy like' but is not obvious, that's is the effect working properly.

there are a load of WW2 colour Spitfire photos here

https://www.flickr.com/search/?w=8270787@N07&q=spitfire

but here's a one of a series of colour pics taken early 1941, plane code YT-L, here's a couple, there are more in the link.

4181500566_9761f13ea1_z.jpg?zz=1

3052829500_b3f859ed77_z.jpg?zz=1

Notice the panel lines are barely visible.

.the Spitfire you are modelling is this one

klt.jpg

another from same time period/sq

klo.jpg

note how clean and unweathered these airframes are.

and panel shading should be really subtle. If it's obvious, it's too much.

HTH

T

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think that works well - I can see where the lighter areas/panels are - they are quite subtle but thenI think that's a good thing.

The result is not exactly the one which I wanted to achieve. I'm affraid that effect is so much subtle that will be totally toned down within next stages of works.

Love this.... cracking work! :)

Thank You. :)

(...) note how clean and unweathered these airframes are.

and panel shading should be really subtle.

Thanks for the remarks and pics.
At this stage the result is very raw and I think that final look will be a bit different after gloss / matt and with weathering applied.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Paint work is done.

Camouflage applied with various gunze / tamiya / pactra paints.

Dark Earth - gunze H72 as the base highlighted with hemp H 336, finally sprayed with strongly thinned pactra A 115 DE

DSC_1110%25201024%2520.jpg

Dark Green - tamiya XF 81 highlighted with XF 76, with top coat of pactra A 116 DG

DSC_1112%25201024%2520.jpg

And the final result. :D

DSC_1110%25201024%2520.jpg
DSC_1113%25201024%2520.jpg
DSC_1114%25201024%2520.jpg
  • Like 4
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...
Thanks for all the comments.
The paintwork is still a kind of experiment, I'm trying to find a balance between reality and effects.
Considering the comments I think I'm on good way. ;)
Small progress on Spitfire.
Decals and panel line wash applied, matt varnish sprayed.
Ready for weathering.

DSC_1124%25201024%2520.jpg
DSC_1125%25201024%2520.jpg
DSC_1126%25201024%2520.jpg
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...