specky Posted September 12, 2015 Share Posted September 12, 2015 (edited) Hi Guys Finally, the kit that I wanted to start this GB with ( new tool Airfix Heinkel 111 ) is on its way !! Although I've been 'beaten to the punch', I'd like to 'stake my claim' with the latest addition to the 'dog fight double' franchise and pair it with a new tool Spitfire First impressions are positive, seems like a decent representation of what it claims to be! - now all I need to do is learn how to paint figures!! Stay tuned - this looks interesting Edited October 30, 2015 by specky 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
specky Posted September 13, 2015 Author Share Posted September 13, 2015 HI Guys, I stayed in all morning yesterday hoping the postie had my Heinkel in his bag - no such luck!, but it wasn't a total waste. Between the domestic stuff (boring!), I was able to spend the odd 10 mins on the Spitfire & before you know it, I have a cockpit ready to assemble & a fuselage ready to close - result! I had forgotten just how much FUN these modern 1/72 kits can be, however, I do have a problem with 'Biggles' I think he is a little too 'Far Eastern' in appearance & I don't want to get on the wrong side of the admin by entering something inappropriate for this GB, so I've had a dig through the spares box & found someone more 'European' looking although I think he may have bailed out of a FW190 recently More to follow Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
specky Posted September 15, 2015 Author Share Posted September 15, 2015 Hi Guys Look, I'm really sorry but this build is almost complete before I noticed ! The fit of the parts is so good that after minimal prep & minimal post assembly clean up, you are straight onto the next step - very impressive Aiming to get some paint underneath on Thursday. Like the look of Humbrol 23 Duck Egg Blue rather than H90 Beige Green AKA Sky but really need to find more info on Spitfires with 'possible' scores on He 111's during BOB to confirm colours, schemes & ID's Before I forget, here's Biggles snr (looks a bit old!) I was a bit heavy on the last wash, but he's 'getting there' More to follow 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevej60 Posted September 17, 2015 Share Posted September 17, 2015 Look,s like a great little build is on the way,like the pilot! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
specky Posted September 20, 2015 Author Share Posted September 20, 2015 Hi Guys, a recent spell of unseasonal storms & wet weather has shot my painting plans to shreds, but it has given me the opportunity to re-visit some areas that I wasn't too happy with. I have re-scribed some re-scribed panel lines, sharpened-up the definition of the gun ports & slapped a coat of Tipp-ex over the airframe, although I feel obliged to point out that other brands of typists' correction fluid are available!. I was never happy with the 'trenches' masquerading as panel lines on the fuselage, especially, although the wings seemed ok but I did those as well for the sake of continuity. In retrospect, if you are not familiar with the kit, a 'before' & 'after' shot would have been of more use ! More to follow 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave_R Posted September 20, 2015 Share Posted September 20, 2015 Hi Specky, Good start on the Spitfire. I built the Airfix Spitfire about 18 months ago as the first build upon returning to the hobby after 30 years. It was so different to the old Airfix Spitfire I bought with my pocket money back in the early seventies I had carry on building the Airfix reincarnations of those old lumps of plastic. However I agree with you about the "trenches", Airfix are getting better, but I think your right to fill them in a bit. I'll be interested to see how you get on the He 111 - in non-competitive way of course . Dave. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
specky Posted September 22, 2015 Author Share Posted September 22, 2015 Hi Guys, computer problems have delayed adding recent updates, so this is something of a catch-up. I found myself with the opportunity to get the airbrush out on Sunday evening - result! - but I was still in a bit of a dilemma, in that I hadn't settled on a specific aircraft yet so I had no idea how old this unidentified machine is - 2 weeks, 2 months or even 2 years and what might its overall appearance be like? As new & highly polished or tired & in need of a repaint?. Right or wrong, historically accurate or not, since, at the end of this GB, its going to sit on a shelf in my lounge where I can see it every day, I'm going to apply the style of finish which appeals to me - a tired, weather-beaten, 'in service' look rather than 'factory fresh', with the emphasis on 'faded & bleached' rather than 'dark & dirty'. I've learnt the hard way that its much easier to retrospectively darken a finish which may look too light, rather than lighten one that's too dark, so I will be deliberately painting each colour too light, confident (?) that once all 3 are unmasked & exposed, I will be able to darken one or more to achieve a pleasing balance - or that's the plan anyway!! So start with a couple of even coats of Humbrol 23 to cover the bare plastic & Tipp-ex & create a base to work on Then add a tiny amount of Dark Grey to whatever's left in the cup for the 'mid-shade' Then clean-out the 'brush, re-load with 23 + 25% white & a lot of thinner. I have neither the skill nor the balls to try & achieve the finish I want with just one or two passes of the 'brush, my technique is to use multiple coats of very thin, almost translucent paint & 'creep-up' on the finish. So this is the result of 5 or 6 passes with this lightened, 'faded' mix. Then add 25% more white & more thinner & concentrate towards the center of the panels. At this point, I'm quite happy with it but the high contrast, 'patch-work' appearance, which is characteristic of this painting technique, needs to be toned down, for which I use a 'blend coat', H23 + 25% white + 85/ 90% thinner over the whole surface. The theory is that the excess thinner 'softens' the paint that's already on, whilst the tiny amount of pigment blends the shades & softens the contrast. But, at this point, it all went 'pear-shaped' when the top fell off my paint cup & dumped a load of paint over the port wing! No amount of 'dabbing' with a paper towel fixed it, but then that never really works, so wash-off the wrecked area with a brush of clean thinner & try again another day! Stay tuned for the next screw-up, because I'm sure there will be plenty before the end of October! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Procopius Posted September 22, 2015 Share Posted September 22, 2015 Specky, just as a quick note, the kit scheme is not for a Battle of Britain aircraft -- the Sky spinner was introduced in November. Are you using aftermarket decals? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhantomBigStu Posted September 22, 2015 Share Posted September 22, 2015 As per PC, it's not a bob scheme, might be applicable if you paint the underside full sky, spinner black and ignore the band, I haven't checked the code/serials Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
specky Posted September 22, 2015 Author Share Posted September 22, 2015 Hi Guys, thanks for taking the time to post the 'heads-up', but I am already aware that the paint guide & decals are post-BOB. I grabbed this kit at a discount for the plastic & decals will come from the after market. Cheers for now Craig 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
specky Posted September 23, 2015 Author Share Posted September 23, 2015 Hi Guys, as I mentioned in my last post, computer problems, which appear to be solved (thank goodness) have prevented up dates, so this is the catch-up to date. Having resisted the temptation to bin-it following the paint spill disaster, I left it to harden-off for a couple of days then hit it with some worn-out 2000 production paper. I feathered the step at the edge of the paint & removed all the dust & fluff & other junk that had found its way onto the surface during my failed attempt to mop-up the spill then repeated the paint process on the port wing until it matched the rest of the underside. A couple of coats of Humbrol 23 A tiny amount of dark grey for a darker mix as a mid-shade H23 + white in increasing percentages until I reach a match with the existing paint An unexpected bonus from this drama was that having left the paint to dry, I could see that, although I wasn't finished, It was going to be too dark, so I used this opportunity to add increasing amounts of white to the mix & lighten/fade the whole underside After the 'blend coat', this is what I have. I'm my own biggest critic, so I'm disappointed that the blend coat hasn't worked as well as it might, there is still a little too much contrast, but I am happy with the level of lightening/fading & really pleased with the unusually smooth finish which you cannot see! Flatting/de-nibbing the surface 1/2 way through the paint process may well become a permanent addition to my 'method'. I like to leave enamels at least 48hrs between colours, so Thursday should see it masked & the brown on - this is where it gets tricky!! Stay tuned 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
specky Posted September 24, 2015 Author Share Posted September 24, 2015 Hi Guys, real life interrupts the best laid plans - again! No painting, just masking. However, more by luck than judgment, I now have an ID for this aircraft, P8386 QV-K, another 19 squadron aircraft! Finally found one with a confirmed He-111 kill on 11 sept 1940 Out of interest, can anyone tell me the significance, if any, of the letter ahead of the serial number? - year of manufacture? the code for an assembly plant? Not the end of the world, just interested. More to follow Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
specky Posted September 26, 2015 Author Share Posted September 26, 2015 Hi Guys, second colour, Dark Earth, is on without too much trouble, for a change! Method was the same as the under-side 'Sky', so don't see the need for another photo heavy, step-by-step post & this is how it looks Tried Humbrol 'Maskol' to mask larger areas for the first time - couldn't be ar*ed with trying to get tape to conform with trailing edges, wing tips etc, & it seems to have worked at treat, so I shall forgo my usual 48hr wait & use it to mask-up for the green tomorrow More to follow P.S. Still no sign of a Heinkel!! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
specky Posted September 27, 2015 Author Share Posted September 27, 2015 Hi Guys, as I mentioned in my previous post, I am using Humbrol 'Maskol' as alternative to tape for the third colour, but if you've already been down this road & it ended in tears - shame on you for not following this topic & giving me the 'heads-up' ! At this point, I should mention that I am somewhat colour blind, greens & browns have always been a drama for me, so if this ends up looking absolutely horrific - don't blame me, blame my mother! (Women pass the defective gene onto their sons) Going to leave this for a couple of hours & watch a recording of the F1 - go Lewis - and lay on some paint this evening. Stay tuned for the next exciting instalment...... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
specky Posted September 30, 2015 Author Share Posted September 30, 2015 Hi Guys, Well, the 'Maskol' experiment worked a treat - a bit of a 'phaff' to put it on, but it came off with no damage to the still fresh 'Dark' Earth, which is not always the case with tape. Exactly as the plan, I now have 'lightened' versions of the 3 base colours which I can work with. It looks a bit grim when 'fresh', especially the green..... ....but after some 'filters' of H30, the green looks much better, but remember, I am colour-blind! I will continue to fiddle with this, but since a Heinkel has arrived (see part 2), I will be concentrating on that for a couple of weeks. Cheers for now, Craig 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CedB Posted September 30, 2015 Share Posted September 30, 2015 Looks good to me Craig, very good Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
specky Posted October 20, 2015 Author Share Posted October 20, 2015 Hi Guys, and apologies for the lack of recent posts on this build, but the Heinkel took priority for a few weeks. However, due to circumstances rather out of my control, I've had to concede that there simply isn't time to finish it before the deadline, so this moves to the front of the queue. It has moved forward since the last time I posted images..... .....whilst waiting for glue or paint to dry on the Heinkel, I was able to bang on a couple of coats of gloss, decals & a first round of oil pin washes. Next, is a little touching up of the paint work, the bottom of the rudder, for example, before a semi-matt coat and some post-shading 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
specky Posted October 30, 2015 Author Share Posted October 30, 2015 Hi Guys, with only 26hrs & change before the deadline and no real prospect of dramatic improvements between now and then, time to draw the line and call it done. http://i1378.photobucket.com/albums/ah99/thelocalhero94/007_zpsxypp5oig.jpg This was only ever intended as a 'side show' to the Heinkel 'main even't and since I anticipated that, by virtue of the dramatic pose I had planned, being the focus of attention, this was, I'm somewhat embarrassed to admit, almost literally thrown together. However, its a testament to the fundamental quality of the kit that very little evidence of that quick build is immediately obvious - result! This is not the best Spitfire model you will ever see, nor is it the best I will ever build, but after all the trials, tribulations, delays & disappointments I've endured over the last 8 or 9 weeks, I'm just relieved to have dragged something half decent to the finish. Many thanks to those who took the time to post words of advice and encouragement and to everyone who contributed to the 400+ views - its been a privilege to have been able to entertain you! Until the next time Craig P.S. the weather forecast for tomorrow suggest sunny periods, so I will try & get some photos against a blue sky before adding to the gallery 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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