DreadZombie Posted June 10, 2015 Share Posted June 10, 2015 Hi, Got back into modelling recently and I decided I couldn't help but get Airfix's Spitfire Mk.22. I'll be building it basically out of the box and also plan to make a diorama for it. I hope to make it so that it's landed on an airfield with various people from the WWII RAF Personnel, having the pilot running over. After buying it I was slightly nervous about the canopy, as I want to have the canopy open, but I was relieved to find that the canopy comes separated. I'm going to have to cut the door from the one piece to have it open. Haven't done it before but I think I know how to do it, or at least, how I plan to do it. I'll be getting started on it soon, just waiting for a few things for it that are in the post. Thanks for reading. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rob85 Posted June 10, 2015 Share Posted June 10, 2015 Nice kit and ac, welcome back to the hobby! Which scheme are you doing? Rob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DreadZombie Posted June 10, 2015 Author Share Posted June 10, 2015 (edited) Hi Rob, Thank you! I'm doing the No.603 Squadron, 1951 scheme: Meant to put that in the original post. Edited June 10, 2015 by DreadZombie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CedB Posted June 10, 2015 Share Posted June 10, 2015 I'm in! Purely selfishly as I have one in the stash and want to pick up some tips! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ex-FAAWAFU Posted June 10, 2015 Share Posted June 10, 2015 I wonder whether Airfix have noticed that their instructions tell us that 603 Squadron was part of something called the "Royal Air Air Force" (see above), rather than the Auxiliaries...? Welcome! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beard Posted June 10, 2015 Share Posted June 10, 2015 I'll be following this one. I wonder whether Airfix have noticed that their instructions tell us that 603 Squadron was part of something called the "Royal Air Air Force" (see above), rather than the Auxiliaries...? Welcome! As opposed to the 'Royal Ground Air Force'... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jrlx Posted June 10, 2015 Share Posted June 10, 2015 Welcome back to the hobby! I've also returned a year ago, and my first kit was the Airfix Spitfire Mk I. I have a soft spot for Spitfires and l intend to build one like yours some time in the future. So, I'll be following your wip with interest. Regarding your plans for cutting open the cockpit access hatch, may I suggest that you put the fuselage side over a "bed" of blu-tack and use a new, sharp, x-acto blade? This minimises stress on the part. You can also apply masking tape or labeling tape along the edges of the hatch, to serve as a guide to the blade. You'll have to work slowly and patiently. I've used this approach to cut the Revell Bf 109 G10 canopy and it worked well. Hope this is useful. Cheers Jaime 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DreadZombie Posted June 10, 2015 Author Share Posted June 10, 2015 I was relatively new before I'd left for a bit, just a little warning. Thank you all for the welcome, though. Regarding your plans for cutting open the cockpit access hatch, may I suggest that you put the fuselage side over a "bed" of blu-tack and use a new, sharp, x-acto blade? This minimises stress on the part. You can also apply masking tape or labeling tape along the edges of the hatch, to serve as a guide to the blade. You'll have to work slowly and patiently. I've used this approach to cut the Revell Bf 109 G10 canopy and it worked well. Hope this is useful.CheersJaime Thank you for the suggestion, I hadn't thought of anything like that and I'll definitely do that, now. Think I might make a start on it tomorrow, I'll post the results afterwards. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sean Posted June 10, 2015 Share Posted June 10, 2015 Hi DZ, it's a nice wee kit, and also the first of the new Airfix kits that I built, a couple of years back. I like dioramas a lot, so I'll be interested to see your's coming along, Sean Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Biggles87 Posted June 11, 2015 Share Posted June 11, 2015 Hi, welcome back from me also, I have the 1/48 version of this somewhere. John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdrianMF Posted June 11, 2015 Share Posted June 11, 2015 Hi, looking forward to this. I have one, did some dry fitting and fettling, then put it back in the box. I found that the inside of the wings needed a bit of sanding down to allow everything to fit nice and snugly at the rear of the centre section. I was a bit disappointed that I have to do that with a new mainstream kit, but otherwise it looks very nice. Regards, Adrian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArmouredSprue Posted June 11, 2015 Share Posted June 11, 2015 Nice kit. I'll be following to learn some tips on this building since I have a couple in stash. Good luck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DreadZombie Posted June 11, 2015 Author Share Posted June 11, 2015 Hi all, Only a little update tonight, decided to make a start on the diorama first, as I can look for some grass for it online as I make the model. Found a leftover bit of wood last night to act as the base for the diorama, there was a relatively large crack down it but I stuck some wood glue in there which had dried by earlier today. I figured that the wood didn't need to be in that good condition as it will be painted over in the end. Checked on it today and stuck some Milliput in the crack which will be sanded down tomorrow, and after that I'll be using some grey acrylic spray paint to cover it all with. May not have put the filler on as efficiently as I could, but that just means I have a bit more to sand down tomorrow. I'm not too worried about the marks on the edges from where the saw has cut it, as I think the grass should cover it up quite well. Hi, looking forward to this. I have one, did some dry fitting and fettling, then put it back in the box. I found that the inside of the wings needed a bit of sanding down to allow everything to fit nice and snugly at the rear of the centre section. I was a bit disappointed that I have to do that with a new mainstream kit, but otherwise it looks very nice. Regards, Adrian Hi Adrian, I'll make sure to look out for this when I'm putting it together, thanks for pointing it out. Thanks, all. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DreadZombie Posted June 12, 2015 Author Share Posted June 12, 2015 Hi, all. Larger update than I intended today, but I've got a decent bit of the model done. I didn't have the exact colour for the internals of the cockpit, but figured that mixing some Humbrol 78 and 34 would get it close enough and I'm quite happy with it. I found a little tip on a Humbrol video on Youtube; if you thin down the acrylic paint slightly you can get your paint to end up looking pretty similar to as if it had been airbrushed. Or so the guy on the video told me, it's worked quite well for me in the past. Thought this measurement was a nice touch, haven't seen it on instructions in previous Airfix kits I've done. Thought I'd share that. Decided that this was a good point to cut off the door, after adding some more detail to the inner surface of the model (like adding black paint to what seems to be the handle). The lines aren't perfect, but I sanded them down and they look much better, now. I also lightly sanded over the small mark where I slipped with the knife a little and it seems as though it will be hidden once I paint over it. Turned it over and glued it to the outside, I think I'm pretty happy with the result there. I also painted the top edge of the door with some Humbrol 11 to give it a chrome look. The other side of the cockpit. Not sure I painted the blades of the propeller in the right order, did the black first and painted over it with the yellow, rather than the other way around. It doesn't seem to have had any bad effects, though, or darkened the yellow. Other than where a bit of the masking tape had taken away some of the yellow on the one blade on the left, I'm pretty happy with it. Possibly one of the most fiddly steps I've done on a model, where parts A12 and B3 fit to part A11, there wasn't really anything to hold it there, so I had to hold it still until the glue dried which ended up being more difficult than it sounded. Got there in the end, though. I left the pilot out of it, as I want him to be heading over to the plane, rather than already in it. Glued the seat and propeller to the one side of the plane, then checked that the other side fit it well before gluing them together. I stuck a little more paint on the sides of the chair, where I'd missed before. Finally, I glued the wings together after checking that they fitted well. I glued it all together after that. Where the back of the wings meet the rest of the plane, it didn't seem to glue down level (and refused to do so even with more pressure) so I've had to sand it back a bit. I'm not sure how much I'll get done tomorrow, but I should have the base of the diorama spray-painted and then coated in a layer of clear enamel, at least. Thanks for reading. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jrlx Posted June 12, 2015 Share Posted June 12, 2015 Great progress! The model seems to be pretty detailed in the cockpit. Did you have any problematic seams/gaps on the wing roots or along the fuselage halves joints? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeyJ Posted June 13, 2015 Share Posted June 13, 2015 Just found this thread...Brilliant work! I also have a mk22 on the go, and toying with the idea of having the cockpit door open too, I think I may take the plunge and open it too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sean Posted June 13, 2015 Share Posted June 13, 2015 Nice progress, I like what you've done so far Sean Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DreadZombie Posted June 13, 2015 Author Share Posted June 13, 2015 Thanks for the kind words. I'll post my photos from tonight in an update tomorrow, but I may have to delay the build a little. I knocked over my little tub of the Aluminium paint when cutting a bit of the sprue (should teach me not to leave them open) and am currently ordering a replacement on eBay. It should be here by Thursday. Great progress! The model seems to be pretty detailed in the cockpit. Did you have any problematic seams/gaps on the wing roots or along the fuselage halves joints? Thank you! I couldn't get a very good picture of the cockpit internals, as the light was coming from in front of me so my photos might have let the cockpit down a little. I'm not too familiar with the internals of real spitfires, but it is quite detailed. There are a few gaps - On the top of the fuselage, the nose just in front of the cockpit wouldn't stick together properly (I'll get a photo of it for tomorrow). The top halves of the wings seem too long for the underside and so leave a gap between the top and bottom of them where they meet the fuselage, but sanding down the top (as they stick up a bit), adding some filler and re-scribing the panel lines should fix it. There are a few other gaps, but overall I doubt it would take more than half an hour, or even 20 minutes, to fix until they were unnoticeable under paint, excluding the filler's drying time. Just found this thread...Brilliant work! I also have a mk22 on the go, and toying with the idea of having the cockpit door open too, I think I may take the plunge and open it too. Thanks! I think Airfix have taken into consideration the fact that some people may want the cockpit open, because, other than cutting out the door, there weren't really any other changes I can think of that I needed to make. Thanks, again, all. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevej60 Posted June 13, 2015 Share Posted June 13, 2015 Good progress,will be popping in to see how it goes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DreadZombie Posted June 14, 2015 Author Share Posted June 14, 2015 (edited) Hi all, As mentioned yesterday, pictures of some gaps I couldn't quite sort out (before using filler and sanding.) Just after I spilt most of the paint yesterday I'd put the first layer on some of the plane (before running out), just as I stopped I noticed I hadn't put the filler on or sanded down the gaps, so please ignore the paint for now: Just noticed the tires need a little more paint in places, so I'll sort them out soon. Yesterday was mainly finishing the construction section of the build, only had the cannons, wheels, intakes and a few other things underneath the plane to glue on. Got the cannons on as parallel as I could, where they join the wings needed a little sanding as the wings didn't quite align there. It did mean that they were slightly more fiddly to put on and keep in place, but I don't think I've done too badly. I painted Humbrol 33 underneath the intakes and then on the intakes themselves and then glued them to the underside of the wings. The painting looks slightly messy here, but I'll sort it out with the Aluminium paint soon. Painted the covers for the rear wheel, but as I took it off and sanded down where the cover had met the sprue it flicked out of my tweezers and I was unable to find it on the floor. Unless I find it, I'm going to have to go without (or I wait and see if I can buy or find a replacement). Fitted the wheels and landing gears as well. If you're making this kit, I'd recommend checking where the landing gear meets the upper halves of the wings while they're separate to ensure that the join is open enough. I had to sand it down through the opening with a small needle file and definitely regret not checking it earlier. Other than that, though, I'm quite happy with the landing gear, the smaller cover for the wheel was a little fiddly, as it doesn't actually attach to anything and needs to be held in place until the glue dries, but it wasn't too bad. I've also just added the filler to various points on the fuselage and wings and am waiting for it to dry before sanding it down. Thanks, all. Edited June 14, 2015 by DreadZombie 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DreadZombie Posted June 15, 2015 Author Share Posted June 15, 2015 Hi all, Very small update today. Went into a local crafts shop and found myself some Reese's Coarse Texture Gel (it's supposed to produce a sand-like texture, but I'm sure that using the right paint might make it look more grass-like), but, I can't seem to find anywhere that explains how it's used. Have any of you used it, or anything like it? If so, any advice? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DreadZombie Posted June 17, 2015 Author Share Posted June 17, 2015 Hi all, My Humbrol 56 arrived today so I've made some progress on the model, and I bought some "Grass green" acrylic from a local craft shop so I've only got a few changes to make to the diorama base before it's finished. Also, I've got the WW2 RAF Personnel in the post due in tomorrow or Friday. First of all, used a small brick trowel to put the texture gel onto the wooden base and masked off the area that is the edge of the concrete. I also marked down the rough locations of the wheels and two of the RAF personnel I intend to put on, to give me an idea of how much I wanted to make grass and how much to make concrete. It was left to dry overnight. Got the exhausts painted before I painted the Spitfire's fuselage and wings so it's ready to stick in once the body is dry. Thinned down the paint again and I think it's provided a pretty smooth coat, and has hidden some of the brush strokes pretty well. Glued the exhausts in place (needed a little sanding around them but they fit pretty well, so much so that I was almost tempted to not use any poly cement to keep them in place, but decided to use it anyway. After that I stuck on a layer of Humbrol Gloss Cote to help with applying the decals later on. Back to the diorama base: I stuck a screw in the back of it to hang it from (I figured that since that face would be face-down I'd be the only one aware of it) and got my can of primer and stuck a few coats on it. I got my "Grass Green" acrylic and stuck a layer over the rough texture and, despite it saying it would dry to a sand-like texture, I think the green on it works pretty well as grass. A (slightly bad) photo of the diorama so far, I now just have the figures and the decals to do. How should I glue the figures to the base? Would superglue do or is there something else that would be better? I'm also assuming that I take the bases of the figures off of them before gluing them down onto the diorama base. Thanks for reading. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sean Posted June 17, 2015 Share Posted June 17, 2015 I like what you've done so far, it's all coming together nicely. As for your figures, after removing the base, I usally resort to a little bit of Humbrol's Clearfix to stick the figures to the dio, but only if I'm totally happy the dio will remain the same. Other people will stick the figures to a thin clear piece of plastic so they maybe repositioned. Sean Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DreadZombie Posted June 17, 2015 Author Share Posted June 17, 2015 I like what you've done so far, it's all coming together nicely. As for your figures, after removing the base, I usally resort to a little bit of Humbrol's Clearfix to stick the figures to the dio, but only if I'm totally happy the dio will remain the same. Other people will stick the figures to a thin clear piece of plastic so they maybe repositioned. Sean Thank you. And, okay, I hadn't thought about Clearfix. I'll glue them down with that, then. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DreadZombie Posted June 18, 2015 Author Share Posted June 18, 2015 Hi all, My final update on this, as the WW2 RAF Personnel figures I had in the post arrived today. Last night I got my smallest brush and, using Humbrol 24, dotted some yellow onto the grass to look like small flowers. As I'm almost certain that the RAF wouldn't have weeded the grass on the airfields. I've got the decals on and I don't think I've experienced nicer decals to work with. In the past I've had the longer, thinner decals (like the lines marking the walking areas on the wings) tear apart when moving them from the paper to the model but these were pretty tough and easy to move around with Humbrol Decalfix. I don't often make hugely positive comments on decals (as that stage is probably my least favourite) but these were actually pretty nice to work with. The creases in some of the decals have cleared themselves up with the Decalfix, now, these were taken not long after they had been applied. Went through the WW2 Personnel and picked out two that I wanted on the diorama and placed them on, to give me a better idea of how it will look in the end. Got the pilot painted with colours that were as close as I could get to the colours of the pilot on the box art. Used Humbrol 29 for the brown, 34 for the white, 61 for the skin and a combination of 33 and 65 for the blue (I can't remember the ratio, but it was basically about 4-5 small paintbrushes of 65 with the tip of a paintbrush of 33). The officer was painted with the same colours, minus the Humbrol 29. Not as clear in the picture, but if you look kind of closely you'll see the absolutely necessary mustache. Not completely sure why Airfix chose the material they did for these figures, as it seems to almost repel Humbrol's acrylic paint initially (and then it doesn't stick too well afterwards). I cut the bases off of the two figures and have glued them down with Humbrol Clearfix into the positions in the second picture. Thanks for following me on this WIP. I've enjoyed the build and I hope you've enjoyed reading/seeing it. By the time I get my next model, or start my next WIP, I'll hopefully own an airbrush with a compressor so the paint might look a bit better, once I get used to that. Thanks for reading. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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