AZ Spitfire XVI

[Cookenbacher]

Nice work on all the tiny parts on top of the wings Trevor, you'll have this one together in no time.

Ced, only the AZ IX's and XVI's are new tool, everything else (including the VIII) is more short run, but they would present no problem for your Valom conquering self.

[Max Headroom]

Bulges duly rubbed down. Maybe still slightly too big but better than they were. At least they now look part of the wing rather than being tacked on. No photos tonight though.

I think that in my next session I may be able to join the fuselage together and maybe even attach it to the wings.

We shall see. More soon!

Trevor

[Max Headroom]

So then where have I been?

Nowhere really as I still infest this forum, but from a modelling perspective I had to put down the plastic because of a pre planned operation to one of my fingers. This is me pre op......

I do have a post op pic with a heavily bandaged digit, but it's a bit grim

To make matters worse I'm left handed so life became a tad awkward for the last three weeks! It's only in the last couple of days that I have felt able to write and generally use my hand in a 'normal' manner and the Spit kept calling me.

As part of my recouperation I've decided to start whittling again.

Some progress pix for you.

Not too bad

But when I offered up the wing to the fuselage......

This is where the sprue shots can be a tad misleading. There are gaps and there are GAPS!!!!! This is definitely in the latter camp.

So out with the Green Stuff

.

Just got to wait for it to dry thoroughly now and then start sanding.

Hey ho!

Trevor

[CedB]

Welcome back Trevor!

Don't you just love the way Surgeons write on you? A Surgeon friend of mine invited me on a ward round once and wrote all over a patient, including dotted lines and arrows, explaining to the patient all the time what the operation would involve. I said to him afterwards "Interesting explanation Ian, but did you have to use the pen?" He replied "It's for my junior during the op, you can never be too careful". Yikes.

Glad you're back at the bench and ouch, those are GAPS! One reason why I've started leaving the fuselage bottom joint and wing glueing until I've moved the parts about to reduce the sanding. I hope yours goes well.

[Max Headroom]

Thanks for the welcome Ced! The black dot on my nail was to make absolutely sure that they had the correct finger. All done with a local anaesthetic in the style of a dentist, except of course it went to the hand and not the talking bit. I was wheelchaired to and from the operating room. Honestly it was a tad OTT but made me feel important

More whittling soon(ish)

Trevor

[Cookenbacher]

Glad you're recovering well enough to be back at the bench Trevor. Looks like you've got those gaps sorted too.

[Max Headroom]

A bit more progress today.

The acres of Greenstuff filed back to my satisfaction (eventually).

But when I installed the Aero Vee filter it came in two fiddly parts and as a result there is a lot more filler!

I noticed at this point the instruction to fill the two outside gun holes as the 16 didn't have them, the bays were filled with something else.

Then came the tailplanes. This is where the kit betrays its limited run status as they are butt joined to the fuselage. If I had more time then I'd pin them, but for now I'm resigned to *careful* handling.

Just don't sneeze near it

More soon!

Trevor

[CedB]

Looking good Trevor

That intake is a right pain and very fiddly - good job getting it straight.

[Max Headroom]

Thanks Ced. There is no indication whatsoever where to place the filter, so mk.1 eyeball was used.

Trevor

[Giorgio N]

Glad to see that this is progressing... and of course glad that the doctors sorted your finger

[Max Headroom]

Thanks Giorgio. Still can't play the violin (but I couldn't beforehand anyway).

The Aero Vee intake front will still require some fettling

Meanwhile at the blunt end the tailplane continues to receive my attention

It's now looking more like a Spit!

Trevor

[Max Headroom]

So then. Where was I?

 

Oh aye, the Spitfire. For most of last year, my urge to actually do some modelling disappeared. It didn't stop me buying more stuff, it's just that.......well, you know.

 

In the last few days though I have actually done some modelling and even painting (well, a quick pass-over with a rattle can!). Save for adding the cannon barrels and 0.5" gun plug, this is whee I was at.

 

 

Next logical thing to do would be the exhausts. Funny thing though is that the hole in the cowling is just that, a hole. There is no visible means of attachment. I thought that maybe I had left something out by mistake, but no, the yawning gap was meant to be there. How on earth to support the exhausts? I even contemplated filing out a larger hole in the nose and inserting sliver of plastic card into the back so that the exhausts could be stuck on to that.

 

 

In the end though I bluffed it out and copious amounts of Tamiya extra thin and adjustment using the mk.1 eyeball got the job done.

 

In case you are unsure how big a 1/72 Spitfire is, here is a cat to lend scale......

 

 

Final fettling by filling in the outer gun holes in the wing and filling in of the ejector slots as recommended by the instructions, I gave it the attentions of a Humbrol Ocean Grey spray can.

 

 

It may look rather high sped gloss here, but a few minutes later it matted down nicely.

 

I have decided that I'll finish it as the South African bird after all, because (1)it saves having to mess with masking and (2) a grey Spitfire looks unusual - as do the Springbok markings.

 

That's it for now!

 

Trevor

[Procopius]

If you want to mask in the future, I use these free paper pattern masks: http://www.yolo.net/~jeaton/mymodels/spitfire/templates/SpitTemp.html

[Max Headroom]

Thanks for that PC. I might give them a go next time. To be honest I don't want to get bogged down in detail paintings I know I don't like 'grey planes' but a grey Spit is sufficiently different to make it stand out even without the help of the markings.

 

Congratulations on the announcement of mk.II btw!

 

Trevor

[Procopius]

3 minutes ago, Max Headroom said:

Congratulations on the announcement of mk.II btw!

 

 

Thanks! A long way to go before things become certain -- we've been disappointed before -- but Mrs P is happy and more importantly tired, so she usually falls asleep before asking me to do chores in the evening, so I have a bit more spare time for the moment.

[Max Headroom]

A bit more done this afternoon.

 

A bit of masking to hand brush the underside with Xtracrylics Medium Sea Grey

 

 

Then a couple of waves of the brush seemed good enough to view from a medium distance (this is after one coat btw)

 

 

Whilst waiting for that to happen, some detail painting of the three-spoke wheels. Black first for depth in the slots and then dry brush some aluminium afterwards.

 

 

 

Streuth, that was an effort (for me that was a major session)!

 

More soon

 

Trevor

[CedB]

Nice work Trevor, even that single coat seems to have covered well?

Good tip on the wheels too.

[Max Headroom]

Small steps but some transformative results.

 

The radiators were next. The grills at the front and rear were placed onto the underside of the wing, their position being marked by a criss-cross pattern. The rad housing was plonked on top. It's less fiddly than it sounds. Paintwork looks a bit rough in the pictures but in the flesh it's not so bad. Maybe another coat or two and then a bit of 'grottying up' will be in order?

 

 

 

Other quick fixes were the windscreen and prop. The former isn't quite the snug fit in the front. I think some attention with PVA to blend it in will be in order. We'll see.

 

 

That's it for now!

 

Trevor

[Biggles87]

Cracking on now, good to see more progress. A useful reference to know that the cockpit opening in 1/72 is the size of a cat's nose, I wonder if it's the size of a dog's nose in 1/48? 

Interesting thing motivation, I was forced to call a temporary halt to my modelling activities about 4 months ago and like you havn't really had the urge to re-start yet, but still buying new stuff. Perhaps in the spring

 

John

[CedB]

Coming along nicely

I usually forget to paint the prop backplate too Trevor... a 'feature' of the AZ kits!

[Max Headroom]

John! Mojo is a mysterious thing isn't it? I may not have it most of the time, but curiously it doesn't stop me planning how to build a kit. As for the cat, that's Allie and she appears on most of my build threads. Last night she had been in front of the fire all evening, but in my shuttling backwards and forwards to get the 'bits' for this build she was on the table.

 

Ced! Not so much forgot to paint it, as not realising it was on the sprue in the first place!

 

Trevor

[TEMPESTMK5]

Good morning Trevor

Very nice work so far ..

I remember that I had the same problems when I built mine http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234981605-spitfire-mk-xvi-squadron-340-ile-de-france-1945/

 

Patrice

 

Edited January 25, 2017 by TEMPESTMK5

[Max Headroom]

Hi Patrice thanks for dropping in 

 

It's not a bad kit. Certainly not in the Airfix Mk.I fitting together league, but certainly not as challenging as my Revell Hudson (that needs to be revived and kicked into submission). Maybe a 6.5 to 7 out of 10 in buildability?

 

Trevor

 

ps your Spit turned out nicely. How were the kit markings to use?

[Max Headroom]

The Watching Paint Dry Interlude

 

Good evening dear listener. As the title says tonight I have concentrated on the painting side of things. Another coat of Medium Sea Grey underneath, touching up the upper surfaces and painting the exhausts and prop tips. That and using PVA to blend in the canopy in my effort to avoid the 'plonked on look' ( (c) Max Headroom 2017) is about it really.

 

Photos next time when I do something a tad more interesting.

 

My plan 😆 is to have it on its legs and substantially complete over the weekend.

 

Trevor  

[Max Headroom]

Hi tout le monde👍🏻

 

Just having a bit bit of a 'sesh' this afternoon. I just about finished prepping the model and giving it a gloss varnish coat ready for the transfers.

 

 

As you may know, predominantly grey aircraft are to my mind rather boring (cf the F-16 and latter day Jags and Tonkas), so I wanted to experiment with the scheme a little bit. The Ocean Grey was a Humbrol rattle can, so touching up the paintwork afterwards could be a tad tricky as I didn't have a Humbrol pot for the job. The worst areas were the rudder and starboard cowling. I did have a pot of Tamiya Ocean Grey (it brushes as well - bonus!!) and here is the rudder.....

 

 

Is that really the same colour?! I'm not going into the why's and wherefores here, but it does give the impression that the rudder was replaced which is the effect what I wanted.

 

Now my favourite bit.

 

THE TRANSFERS!!!!!!! 

 

So without further ado, here is a 'Tadah!' moment.

 

 

 

 

Legs next. Now then, it appears to me that there are no locating holes in the wing. Am I missing summat here🤔

 

Scrabbling around in my own personal AMARC (aka the garage) I found a nearly complete Airfix Spitfire I that needs just a little fettling to get over the finishing line, so that'll be interloping from now on too. The aerial post had snapped off sometime but never mind there was a surplus one in the XVI kit.

 

 

Now then, an observation. The Airfix one is a gift set version with the paints. I had made a bit of a Horlicks of the Sky band at the top of the fuselage, resulting in the transfer cracking and peeling away at that area. I was going to use a spare Sky band from another kit, but couldn't find it, so ended using up the kit potlet Sky paint. It was as near as darn it a perfect match. I had an Xtracrylics Sky pot too but that is a different hue. So which Sky paint is the more accurate?

 

Thanks for looking

 

Trevor