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1/48 Airfix Spitfire Mk1 R6800. Finished! And a couple of pictures of my Albion refueller.


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Hi everyone

Well another day and another build. My 1/32 has been put to one side for a little while for no other reason than I received the Airfix Albion 3 point refueller and Bedford MWD plus the WW2 RAF ground crew set.

For a long time I've wanted to create a typical scene that happened on any given day at every RAF fighter station during the opening days of WW2. I wont be using all of the above items but I intend to create a diorama for the Spitfire and another for the Hurricane.

I've also bought decals from Xtradecal (X48086 RAF Battle of Britain 50th anniversary Spitfires and Hurricanes) and the Spitfire will be finished as R6800 for no other reason that I like the Sky Blue undersides and the Roundel red spinner.

I started the Airfix kit about 2 -3 months ago but it stalled because in my example part C51 was in three pieces but after an email the good folks at Airfix sent a replacement.

So here is where I'm at the cockpit is complete and the fuselage has been glued together..

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I hope to crack on with this over the next few weeks as I'm iching to start on the ground equipment, which by the way I have no knowledge on!

Cheers

Iain

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For a long time I've wanted to create a typical scene that happened on any given day at every RAF fighter station during the opening days of WW2. I wont be using all of the above items but I intend to create a diorama for the Spitfire and another for the Hurricane.

I've also bought decals from Xtradecal (X48086 RAF Battle of Britain 50th anniversary Spitfires and Hurricanes) and the Spitfire will be finished as R6800 for no other reason that I like the Sky Blue undersides and the Roundel red spinner.

Hi Iain

a point or two which maybe of use.

Xtradecal like splashing around suggestions for SkyBlue and Sky Grey on their BoB decals, but I'd not trust them too much, in the case of R6800

R6800 Ia 837 EA MIII FF 1-7-40 8MU 8-7-40 66S 'LZ-N' 26-7-40 shot down by Bf109 Crockham Hill Sevenoaks P/O H W Reilly killed dbf 17-10-40 FH19.45

http://www.airhistory.org.uk/spitfire/p010.html

was first flown 1 July, Sky officially came in in early June, while in field repaints allow for variations, if any place would have the specified Sky paint, it would be the factories and that was applied mid-June on the line.

Unusually for a BoB Spitfire, there are several shots of R6800, from both sides, from a press visit.

http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234961064-spitfire-r6800-lz-n-gravesend-1940-black-replacement-port-gun-access-panels/

note my comments on the black ammo doors are wrong, I've seen a close up of the doors since, this one!

large.jpg

also features ground crew and refuller;)

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Please read this thread, as it has correct colour info for the vehicles, the colours Airfix specify are not good matches.

http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234981324-airfix-albion-refueller-a-look-in-the-box/#entry2011725

note also insides of refuller may have been Eau de Nil.

Also, this chap is doing same plane

http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234984779-airfix-spitfire-mk1a-66-squadron-september-1940/

Andy L has posted a link with some film of R6800 in it :)

this is the very famous pic

I also asked about the Hurricane in the background

http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234961063-hurricane-sd-u-501-sq-serial/

seems the serial is R4105, and the SD code is part of the new Airfix Hurricanes markings, if you wanted a side by side diorama.

r6800-2_zpsca1d4734.jpg

Hope of use.

cheers

T

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Troy you're a gem

All the information you've given me is priceless and the icing on the cake is the last photo of R6800 next to the Hurricane brilliant! You must've read my mind when it came to my ideas for a diorama.

Thanks from a very grateful and happy Iain.

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Hi everyone

Well I have a little progress to report on my Mk 1 Spit. First off can I just say that the Airfix example is one of the nicest kits I've built for a while...I know the undercarriage has had a lot of criticism for its rather flimsy construction but on the whole the kit is a gem.

Anyway I've completed the basic camo work..

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The pictures show her literally 5 minutes after I'd taken all the masks off and TBH I'm rather happy with the result.

The photos make her look rather dark (I used Vallejo Dark earth 71.029 and dark green 71.012 for the uppers and Gunze Duck egg blue H74 for the underneath)

I'm going to let her dry for a couple of hours, carry out any touch ups (which by the looks of it are minimal) and then give her a gloss coat. I have Tuesday and Wednesday off so I'll concentrate firstly on the decals then I'll start to weather her. I don't intend to go mad with the weathering as she was rather young when she was shot down therefore there wouldn't have been any real chipping to speak of except maybe on the fasteners around the cowling and on the gun hatches. I will however grime her up as period photos show her in less than pristine condition.

Cheers

Iain

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Hi everyone

Well what a productive day! First thing this morning I masked up and sprayed the gun ports red and then I managed to get some decals onto the old girl...

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Now I'm going to leave her over night and then apply a flat coat to seal her before I start the weathering process.

In the mean time I've made a start on the Albion refueller, I don't know weather to start a thread in the military vehicle section or just stick with this one?

Iain

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Looking good Iain

A couple of small points, and I don't know how pedantic you want to be, but note in the photos the red round the gun ports is quite ragged, and that the underwing roundel has a non standard oversize centre...

large.jpg

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Perhaps a larger red centre could be added still if you wished a correction, but it the underside after all!

Give the aircraft history it was built without underwing roundels, these were only used pre August 1940 if an aircraft was flying over France, and then reintroduced for all of Fighter Command in early August 1940, resulting in many variations at unit level, as in the oversize centres here.

please say if you would like the images edited out to reduce clutter.

HTH

T

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Looking good Iain

A couple of small points, and I don't know how pedantic you want to be, but note in the photos the red round the gun ports is quite ragged, and that the underwing roundel has a non standard oversize centre...

large.jpg

P1030062_zpsbjncs9vk.jpg

Perhaps a larger red centre could be added still if you wished a correction, but it the underside after all!

Give the aircraft history it was built without underwing roundels, these were only used pre August 1940 if an aircraft was flying over France, and then reintroduced for all of Fighter Command in early August 1940, resulting in many variations at unit level, as in the oversize centres here.

please say if you would like the images edited out to reduce clutter.

HTH

T

Hi Troy

Thanks for the input mate.Great spot on the oversized red center on the underwing roundel, I've made the appropriate correction and as to the gun port I'm going to 'rough' them up using an old, worn sanding stick just to take the clean edges off (well that's the plan anyway!)

Iain

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Morning everyone

I've given the Spit its first bout of weathering Flory dirt over a flat coat.....

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I still need to do a little clean up, then its another flat coat and some oils followed by another flat coat.

I've also made a start on the Albion 3 point refueller..

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Well that's that!

Iain

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  • 3 weeks later...

Hi everyone

I think my Spitfire is finally finished. Its not a perfect replication of R6800 by any means, I managed to break the antenna in two so I've used the other available with the kit and the rear view mirror is wrong for R6800 - any how I'm not going to loose any sleep over it I'm just glad its finished. Tomorrow I'm going to try and finish my Albion and decide on how I'm going to tackle the diorama.

Any way here are some pictures, I'll take some better ones tomorrow in natural light and post them in the RFI.....

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Until tomorrow

Iain

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Beautiful! The decals look painted on, are they Airfix decals?

Hi Scooby

Thanks mate - The decals are by Xtradecal (48086) are they take very well to the Micro Set/Sol system, however I'm sure the Airfix decals would be just as good as they are printed by Cartograf and we all know how good they are!

Iain.

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Hi Iain. That looks superb. I think you have got the weathering well balanced. Excellent finish. Really looking forward to seeing what you do with the diorama.

Kind regards,

Stix

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Hi everyone

Thanks for all the kind words, they're all appreciated. The new tool Airfix Spit is a great build and really looks the part when finished (especially next to the Albion ) , ok the under carriage fitment is rubbish but everything else goes together to make a great looking airplane.

Next on the cards for me is the 1/48 Hurricane followed by the Bedford MWD then it's diorama time.

See you all later

Iain.

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Me too, on both counts. I think I might have to invest in the ground equipment set one day.

John

Hi John

Thanks mate, the new Airfix ground equipments are ace and I can whole heartedly recommend them.

Cheers

Iain

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