A few firsts... (Part 2)

[Nocoolname]

Hi Folks!

It’s been a while since I last posted. As I mentioned back then, I was slowly getting back into the hobby after many many years and had jumped into the deep end with a custom build of two Space 1999 Eagles. Since I didn’t want to screw up the final build and painting I opted to practice on a couple of standard kits first. I chose a couple of ‘rescue’ kits I picked up from eBay. A pair of the older model Airfix Spitfires in 1/48 that I chose to build as an early Mk. I and a later Mk. II respectively. The kits would cover a series of firsts for me. My First aircraft kits in nearly 30 years, my first Spitfires in 35 years, my first use of acrylics, Microset and Microsol and my first attempt at the kind of shading and weathering techniques that I’ve seen displayed on this site with such mastery. It was also the first time I have ever tried painting pilot figures.

The kits are painted entirely in Revell Aqua Colours although I am planning on hitting them with a coat of Alclad flat to take some of the sheen out of them. The decals for the early Mk.1 came with the kit while those for the Mk.2 are Rotol and represent one of the 71 “Eagle” Squadron. Although I was planning on shading and weathering both kits, since they were for practice, I wanted the finish on the Mk.1 to be more subtle to represent the lack of wear and tear that might have been the case pre-war, while the Mk.2 would look like it’s been ‘through the fire’. Just a shame I managed to get the camouflage patterns mixed up between the two kits. Doh!

Overall I found the kits quite tricky, especially the fit, which in some areas was awful, but the experience taught me quite a bit, such as the need for a good dry fitting session and the need to plan your sub-assemblies. Things I found especially tricky – pre and post shading with the airbrush. I had only ever used an airbrush for large areas before and this is the first time using one for detail work. Exhaust and gun muzzle stains – never done these before and tried to follow the ‘patiently build up in thin layers’ and ‘less is more’ principles. The pilots! I never used to paint the pilots when I was younger, opting to leave my builds ‘on the tarmac’. These days I like to see them in flight so it necessitated having a go at the pilots. The undercarriage – annoyingly, Airfix provide no option to build the kit with the wheels up so some modifications were needed to get even close to the look I was after. The kits were a good learning experience – the more I tried out, the easier it got – and the lessons learned will be applied to my next builds which I am looking forward to. In the meantime, here are a few pictures of my practice kits, hope they’re not "too" shabby! J

Edited September 20, 2015 by Nocoolname

[tonyot]

Brilliant modelling,........I love the finish and weathering,

Cheers,

Tony

[stevej60]

Love 'em what a superb pair exceptionally painted.

[825]

Not too shabby at all. Really good job, both capturing the look of the Spit brilliantly.

[Bob Henry]

Very nice builds indeed. Bob H.

[Nocoolname]

Cheers for the kind words folks! Really appreciated!