32nd scale Revell Spitfire. 1st Feb 2015...A new door

[geedubelyer]

Hello folks,

After the last build I've leapt up in scale to the new Revell Spitfire. I've had the kit a wee while but lacked the motivation to start it after reading of a few issues with it here and there.

However, bouyed by some recent top builds of almost OOTB models my joy has been re-kindled.

I've long wanted a large scale early Spit in the cabinet and waited for Tamiya to release one of their uber kits, sadly to no avail. Instead, Revell came to the rescue with a brand new tooling.

It's a fairly well known fact that opinion is divided on this model. Somehave said that the rivet and surface detail treatment is too heavy handed. Others, the exact opposite. I think we all have to take our own view of the subject and decide whether to proceed or not. Personally, I expect to be doing some work on the details so it bothers me not at this point.

On to the build and it's a slow start. The instructions begin with the cockpit and as we've probably seen elsewhere, the detail is pretty good ootb. I expect to have to add some detail in there for my own personal satisfaction but, being the lazy b****r that I am, I'd like to keep it to a sensible level.

To that end, I've opted to add a pilot. Unfortunately, Revell have chosen not to provide one. No matter, there are some super resin aftermarket pieces available. However, just to complicate things, I'd like to model this airframe as a kind of restored warbird type thing in which case, that whole Irvine flying jacket and Mae West combo is rarely sported. Instead, these warbird jockeys are often to be seen purely in a flying overall.

Since I have never spotted a pilot model in that garb there was only one choice,....scratch build the blighter.

In my hazy memory I seemed to remember that I had some armour kits that a chum had donated years ago. Sure enough, I found some German tank of some description or other with some unbuilt crewmen still on their sprues. Yes, they are 1/35th scale and might look a little, umm,...little but I thought it was worth a go.

To get the clothign to look more like a pilot I sanded off the dude's tunic and used green stuff to add rolled up cuffs and stuff.

I'll add a watch to one of his wrists and finish his flying gloves off with more foil once the green stuff has set overnight. If any of you pilot types spot anything that should be altered or could be improved please pipe up and I'll get on it.

Originally I'd planned to use the head off a Hasegawa Spit pilot but it's quite crude. Luckily, and thanks to the smashing generosity of one of our members I may be able to revise the head issue. More on that in due course of course.

While I had some green stuff on the go I splodged a bit on the backrest of the seat to represent the padding that Revell omitted. It's not brilliant but much of it will be obscured by the parachute pack, belts and harnesses.

Once the pilot's putty is cured I'll dry fit him into the seat and see what can be seen around him. That will allow me to decide just how far to take the internal detailling.

More soon.

Cheers.

Edited February 1, 2015 by geedubelyer

[geedubelyer]

I'm beavering away on the cockpit parts but the primer is drying so I needed a little job to do in the mean time.

One thing that caught my eye when I scanned the kit parts was the exhausts. If the plastic is used it would take quite a bit of work to open out the ends of the pipes satisfactorily. With that in mind I'm trying an experiment.

I've thinned some aluminium tubing and dquashed it to a kidney shape to better represent the full sized versions. This macro view makes them look pretty ropey but they look ok with a Mk.1 eyeball.

It may all end in tears but I'm committed now so wish me luck.

Did manage to get some paint on the seat though.

With this aircraft kind of representing a restored warbird I went for a jazzy green leather cushion.

Now a request. I'm looking for images of suitable parachutes for this type of subject. I'd expect (and I could be way off base here) that a warbird pilot would be usign a reasonably contemporary shute. If that's the case, I'm going to need to recreate it on the little fellah. Any help would be appreciated, thanks.

Until next time,

Cheers.

Edited December 20, 2014 by geedubelyer

[somnas]

Finally, here it is!

Great thinking with the exhausts, it will look good on there. I'll try to hollow out mine as good as possible.

[geedubelyer]

Hi Erik, you found me

I chickened out of hollowing the plastic parts. I had ths tube in my kit so thought it would be an easier option.

Here's what they look like with some MrMetalColor paint on them.

I applied a purple and blue ink wash in places to suggest some heat but it must be quite subtle as it's not easy to spot in these images. To finish these pipes off I'll need to paint the inside of the tubes and add some exhaust staining. That'll be next time, ran out of modelling time today.

BFN

[PlaStix]

Excellent start geedubelyer. This is another build I'm going to take notes during! Like the idea for the exhausts - not sure I'll be able to replicate it though when I get around to getting one of these. Great stuff! Looking forward to seeing more.

[somnas]

Hi Erik, you found me

You thought you would get away with it, didn't you?!

I stumbled on a piece that I don't dare not to warn you about and that is the lower cowl.

It's a bit long, for me at least. It wasn't much of a problem fixing it but I almost missed it since the part happily clicked in place during dry fitting.

Upon closer inspection it was about 0,5-1mm longer than the other engine panels. Would've looked bad.

I'm sure you'll see it if it's the same on your kit but I thought I'd tell you anyway.

The exhaust sure looks the part with that paint job!

[geedubelyer]

not sure I'll be able to replicate it though when I get around to getting one of these.

Hi Stix, thanks for the kind words. Having seen the quality of your work I'm pretty sure that the exhausts won't pose any problems for you should you decide to try this technique. If you get the correct sized brass tube then you're all set. Why not give it a go? What's the worst that could happen?

I stumbled on a piece that I don't dare not to warn you about and that is the lower cowl.

It's a bit long, for me at least. It wasn't much of a problem fixing it but I almost missed it since the part happily clicked in place during dry fitting.

Upon closer inspection it was about 0,5-1mm longer than the other engine panels. Would've looked bad.

I'm sure you'll see it if it's the same on your kit but I thought I'd tell you anyway.

Hi Erik, glad you like the painted up exhausts and thanks for the encouragement. The colours and finish look better in the flesh. I'm hoping that they'll look ok if I eventually get to take some outdoor shots of the finished bird. I appreciate the heads-up on the lower cowling. I'll keep an eye on that when I get that far.

That all seems a long way in the future. I have started to give the fuselage skin a bit of texture although it's hard to photograph.

I've tried to keep the effect subdued as reference images suggest that the pinching of the actual airframe's aluminium is subtle. A case of less is more perhaps?

I've also done more work in the cockpit with some extra detail added to the sidewalls and IP.

I used some Airscale products for the dials and some data placards plus some scratch built versions made out of wine bottle foil.

It does n't seem alot to show for hours of work but it has been fun.

More when I have time.

BFN

Edited December 29, 2014 by geedubelyer

[geedubelyer]

Hi gang,

The holidays are affording me a little time at the bench so I've forged ahead with the cockpit.

Credit to Revell for getting suggestions of most of the cockpit bits in the kit. All I've done is add some depth.

I've used Airscale detail bits along with a couple of their stencils plus loads of wire.

I'm having fun which I suppose is a main aim and I seem to be getting back to the smaller, fiddly details that I used to enjoy so much.

Depicting a presereved or restored bird does offer greater leeway so one does n't need to be too hung up on absolute accuracy. That in itself is very liberating.

The truth is however that I may have got a tad carried away because with the pilot in situ, much of this extra detail is obscured.

Oh well, as I said, it was fun.

Next up I shall either finish off the fuselage walls or deviate and continue with the pilot figure and all of his incumbent paraphernalia.

Thanks for stopping by to have a look.

All being well, more soon.

Cheers.

Edited January 1, 2015 by geedubelyer

[PlaStix]

Wow! That cockpit detailing looks brilliant! I really like the extras you've added! Very nicely done! Makes me want to get on and make one of these sooner rather than later!

Kind regards,

Stix

Edit: meant to say I've added this WIP to my homepage for future reference - so thank you.

Edited January 1, 2015 by PlaStix

[somnas]

That's a great cockpit taking shape here!

I've also bookmarked this thread for when I build this kit again.

I wonder about some of the controls you've made on the starboard side, these two controls in particular:

You mention something about Airscale products, do these controls come from this set or have you scratch built them? They look superb either way and so does your plumbing!

/Erik

[geedubelyer]

Hi Stix, thanks for the kind words. Glad you like the cockpit thus far. I'd very much like to see what you'd do with a model in this scale. Given the high calibre of work on your current 48th scale offerings I'll be sure to keep an eye out for a build thread when you start yours.

Hi Erik, thanks for the encouragement my friend, much appreciated. I did use a couple of Airscale parts but mainly for the aluminium switches rather than those components that you highlighted above. Instead, I used resin parts for them from True Details: http://www.hannants.co.uk/product/TD48557

You get about six of those racks of connectors in a packet. It was a simple job to choose a few and stick them together. They certainly make light work of hose couplings and connectors. Also, although True Details make a 1/32nd scale version I actually prefer the 1/48th scale version as the larger scale bits appear too overscale to me, even in 32nd. (I'm sure they would have their uses somewhere though).

HTH.

Any progress on your Spit lately?

Cheers for now

Edited January 2, 2015 by geedubelyer

[Fritag]

Inventive and educational and fun - as ever Guy:)

Which reminds me - I've gotta go find your Bae Hawk build for research, hints and tips.......

[somnas]

Also, although True Details make a 1/32nd scale version I actually prefer the 1/48th scale version as the larger scale bits appear too overscale to me, even in 32nd. (I'm sure they would have their uses somewhere though).

HTH.

Any progress on your Spit lately?

Cheers for now

Oh, so you used the 1/48 set? It looks right to me. I forgot to mention anything about your attempts on the stressed skin effect in the previous post, it will be very interesting to see how it looks with some paint on even though I think it's an effect that's really hard to photograph. I saw it for the first time about a month ago or so when I looked on the new 1/24 Typhoon and was really impressed, it adds another dimension I think, especially on 1/32 and bigger. I'm confident you will get some good results out of it!

I'm still at my girlfriends parents house, going back to the town where we study (and build airplanes) tomorrow. I can say my fingers are itching for some plastic!

Have a nice weekend,

Erik

[geedubelyer]

Hi Steve, thanks for the encouragement. I hope the Hawk thread offers some help although I cheated a bit by building it in a nice, large, easy to see scale.

Now that you're nearing the end of the JPs I'm all agog thinking about what you'll do with the Hawks. At least you'll have had some MDC experience when you get that far

Hi Erik, thank you for stopping by and the kind words. I appreciate the support.

The stressed skin is an experiment. In my dreams I'd like to build an airframe from scratch with all of the internal ribbing, formers, bulkheads etc. Then I'd like to skin it in metal foil and apply the rivets individually to get a realistic skin effect. It's unlikely to happen but "never say never", right? For this model I've kept it subtle. She's supposed to be a restored warbird and from photos I've looked at, whilst there is some slight undulation in the surface, it is minimal.

going back to the town where we study (and build airplanes) tomorrow. I can say my fingers are itching for some plastic!

Have a nice weekend,

Erik

Thanks Erik, you too. I'm looking forward to seeing more on your big Spit soon.

A little more on the "cockpit bits" front.

Bottles behind the seat.

Port side:

Thankfully the rough hand written stencilling is mostly obscured as the cylinders sit low down in the fuselage.

Starboard side:

The mounting band is wine bottle foil, the tighteners are wire and discs of the same wine bottle foil.

Next up, some framework behind a bulkhead to fix the strap wires to.

You might be able to make out the base of the aeriel mast.

When it came time to add the doohickey to the rear of the seat bulkhead I thought the kit part was a bit scrawny so I made a slightly bulkier version.

The head rest pad above the seat got some piping.

This is stretched sprue glued in place. The swanky red colour won't be staying. The sprue is from the Revell Hawk

Lastly for this {~yawn~} update, a start on the pilot. Is it only me that lays awake at night thinking about stuff you may or may not be able to achieve on your latest model?

Here's the result of another experiement. Since this model is intended to represent a restored warbird I'm attempting to make the pilot modern. To that end, I've given him a pair of Oakleys......

The cool thing about this stuff is that it changes depending on which angle you view it from.

Once I've finished painting his flying helmet I'll probably add the arms to the shades.

Before I go, here's a question in case anyone can help. I plan on adding a mike to the helmet in front of his mouth but where does the wire from the microphone go? Looking at YouTube vids of Spitfire flights many have wires that go to the rear of the hat but it's hard to see where it goes from there.

Does the mike lead plug into a comms set in the cockpit or are modern head sets wireless?

Any help is appreciated,

Cheers.

Edited January 3, 2015 by geedubelyer

[Col.]

Missed this one until now - consider me hooked. Think it's great to see one finished as a modern warbird - you got a particular example in mind?

[geedubelyer]

Hi Col., good to see you. Glad you found it. Hope you'll enjoy what's going on.

Missed this one until now - consider me hooked. Think it's great to see one finished as a modern warbird - you got a particular example in mind?

Interesting that you should ask that. Up until last night this was destined to be a bit of a WIF. Yesterday however, I noticed a couple of details on AR213 that changed things. A quick search on tinternet turned up alot of images to study. Close inspection turned up something interesting.

The bumps on the engine cowling that I'd thought to be mishapen were, in fact, exactly the same as this bird.

This gives me two options. Either JZ-E, AR 213 or XR-D, P7308. Essentially these are the same airframe just sporting a different scheme.

Cheers.

Edited January 4, 2015 by geedubelyer

[PlaStix]

I really like your attention to detail. And those shades for the pilot.........brilliant! Can I please ask what you made them from? They look just right!

[geedubelyer]

Hi Stix, glad you like the shades.

This is fusible film "Eastern sky" from CraftyNotions: http://www.craftynotions.com/acatalog/Online_Catalogue_Fusible_Film_26.html

HTH

Thought I'd add an edit to this post rather than start a new one.

I added the parachute and straps to the figure using wine bottle foil. I have some super soft stuff that I keep to one side for just such an occasion.

I'm hoping that they are reasonably accurate. I also got the pilot's head finished by adding a mike to give a more civvie feel to him.

Next up, fixing him in his seat and working out the harness. There will be some jiggling around necessary as I hope to pose him with his arm out of the open door. More on that soon.

BFN

Cheers.

Further edit. More pilot stuff.

He's strapped in to his seat now.

I added a wristwatch, something that I've been wanting to do for a while.

His left arm will be out of the cockpit so some thought will be required.

With his hand resting on the top of the open door I think i'd be better painting the door first and then masking the whole lot.

I hope to get the control column painted and fitted tomorrow which will allow me to add the right arm before I close up the fuselage.

At the risk of here's another update edit:

I got the cockpit tub completed.

To add a bit of visual interest to the void behind the cockpit I put in some shaped and punched bits of foil.

I thinned down the kit canopy part by filing away material on the inside then re-polishing to get the clarity back.

The full sized sliding part is quite thin.

I tinted the bullet proof portion of the windscreen with green tainted future then added some detail to the windscreen frame in the guise of some fasteners and a lip on the back edge. (Not easy to see in this image, sorry)

The gunsight got a bit of work too.

Cheers.

Edited February 1, 2015 by geedubelyer

[geedubelyer]

Hi gang,

After studying reference photos I've come to the conclusion that the entry door on the Revell kit may be a bit undersized. This is backed up by a couple of other build threads where the modellers have modified the kit opening.

I've opted to do the same although I'm not using any drawings for accuracy. Instead I've simply cut the opening back to near the existing kit bulkhead.

This does however necessitate the fabrication of a new door. I used the aluminium from a pie tin for this as it is a bit more rigid than wine bottle foil.

Plastic extrusion made the framing and plasticard plus lead wire was utilised for the locking mechanism.

This sits better now.

Next up I turned my attention to the horizontal tailplanes.

The elevators and rudder are fabric covered on the airframe that I'm trying to depict. The surface detail on the kit parts is very pronounced and regular unlike the actual parts. A guy called Tim, aka wunwinglow, used an intersting technique on his Swordfish build which I've been looking for an excuse to employ. These control surfaces offer the ideal candidates.

What Tim did was gentleman's parts (stupid word filter ) p.rick the plastic surface with a sharp point to suggest stitching and then cover those with thin metal foil to represent the tape. the result looked great to me so I've done something similar.

I replaced the foil with fag paper as it is thinner than any of the foil that I've got plus I can use diluted PVA to hold it in place until I've primed over it.

As I was turning the elevators over in my fingers I noticed a little detail that can be tweeked.

The angled area of the elevator that allows for the movement of the rudder should be a flat profile rather than triangular.

It's simply a matter of sanding away some plastic to get a more accurate look.

Finally for now I've begun to work on the kit dzus cowling fasteners which are too bold for the airframe that I'm building. Drilling out each one and fitting a disc of foil is time consuming not to mention mind numbing but I hope it will improve the look eventually.

Whilst I'm at it, I need to work out a way of creating the armoured panel over the fuel tank. Perhaps the filler primer that Iain used for the overlapped panels on his build?

I'll let you know how I get on.

cheers.

Edited February 1, 2015 by geedubelyer

[PlaStix]

Great to see this project back again! I was beginning to wonder where it was! Anyhow - great attention to detail and I'm very impressed with your ingenuity. Stunning work - I'm making copious notes for when I try one of these!

Kind regards,

Stix

[Tomoshenko]

Lovely detailing in the pit and elsewhere. Not my scale personally, but a good build is a good build irrespective of scale. Oh year the pilot shades and watch - brilliant. Have you managed to reproduce the Breitling logo on the dial?

[Fritag]

Oh year the pilot shades and watch - brilliant. Have you managed to reproduce the Breitling logo on the dial?

Ditto

Breitling Logo did you say?

[philtn]

Mate I love the cockpit and the pilot. Very well done. How did you make the sunglasses tho? Or are they aftermarket...

Cheers,

[SHAR67]

Perhaps he would be better off with this one at least he can be found if he has to bail out

Liking what you've done so far.

Clive

[HAMP man]

Miss always said 'No one likes a show-off' mind you if I got one of those.......