Biggles87 Posted April 6, 2016 Author Share Posted April 6, 2016 Hi Stix, unfortunately I can't find Revell Aqua locally. I have some good Mr Hobby and Citadel metallic paints, bit if I do expose any of the guns I want to show the difference between painted silver on the airframe and the actual metal of the guns etc. Cheers John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Giorgio N Posted April 6, 2016 Share Posted April 6, 2016 Humbrol aluminum 56 has always been too dark to represent the material bearing the same name. I've always found this paint useful anyway for a load of other things, but not to paint the surfaces of a natural metal or even silver painted aircraft. Today I'm using Vallejo air metallics with very good results, they are great by airbrush but can also be brush painted on smaller surfaces. Citadel metallics are also very good IMHO 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Biggles87 Posted April 7, 2016 Author Share Posted April 7, 2016 Repainted inside wing areas with Citadel Mythril silver today and it's looking a little better. Also finally decided to remove some of the gun access hatches, oh dear, now I have unwanted scratche to remove. Still no instrument panel so I'll delay putting on any more photos until there's something worth showing. Cheers John 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PlaStix Posted April 7, 2016 Share Posted April 7, 2016 Repainted inside wing areas with Citadel Mythril silver today and it's looking a little better. Also finally decided to remove some of the gun access hatches, oh dear, now I have unwanted scratche to remove. Still no instrument panel so I'll delay putting on any more photos until there's something worth showing. Cheers John Good evening John. Hope you are well. Glad you have managed to get the metallic paint sorted but sorry about the scratch - I'm sue you,loll be able to sort it out okay. Hope the IP arrives soon.Kind regards, Stix 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TonyTiger66 Posted April 13, 2016 Share Posted April 13, 2016 Hi John, I'm sorry I'm a little late to this, hope it's ok to watch along? I love Spitfires that are a little unusual, and have never seen one in pink so this is fascinating. The Yahu instrument panels are very nice, hope yours arrives soon. Thanks for sharing this and happy modelling Best regards Tony Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Biggles87 Posted April 14, 2016 Author Share Posted April 14, 2016 Thanks Tony, glad to have you aboard. I hope to have a proper update later today or tomorrow, still been too busy with outdoor stuff including reclaiming a fence from the brambles! Yesterday afternoon the whole of central France turned into one massive thunderstorm so the computer was turned off and our power was knocked out for about four hours from 5.30pm. The Yahu panels still havn't arrived so I've contacted the seller who will send me replacements, so the originals will probably arrive today. A bientot John 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Col. Posted April 14, 2016 Share Posted April 14, 2016 Sounds as if the world is conspiring against you there John! Hope everything calms down and the Yahu panels turn up today. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PlaStix Posted April 14, 2016 Share Posted April 14, 2016 Hi John. Hope you are well. Sounds like it's been fun over there! Hope the panels arrive soon! Kind regards, Stix 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Biggles87 Posted April 15, 2016 Author Share Posted April 15, 2016 (edited) Update 15 April Firstly some slightly better photos of the cockpit insert, minus the control column, which will be fitted after the instrument panel finally arrives, then I can decide which to fit first because the stick will be tilted forward with the grip to the right to match the deflected control surfaces. The decision to include some of the guns and ammunition boxes was one I came to regret because although the guns and their mountings were relatively easy, fitting the ammunition boxes proved to be extremely fiddly and time consuming. The contact points are about 1/2mm on each side, and although I managed to fit them both eventually I soon knocked one off ( and one of the guns ) as can be seen in the photo, I will 'bodge' this and fit it from below when the wing halves are joined. With the benefit of 20/20 hindsight, I think I should have drilled out the depressions for the barrels in the front spar, attached the guns and mounts and then cemented the whole thing in as one unit, never mind, we live and learn. I have finally joined the fuselage halves, but from the tail to the cockpit and rear wing join only, to allow for some 'wiggle' room when fitting the cockpit, talking of which, I had an email yesterday to say that the replacement Yahu panel is enroute, yahoo! The wings are now also joined after replacing the missing gun and cementing the undercarriage stubs into place. I have adopted a variation of the Plastix method for the undercarriage legs, I cemented the tops to both legs, and after giving them 48hrs to set hard I sawed off the tops, and attached the lower legs to the doors and will eventually pin everything together. In case you're wondering, the piece of Plasticard on the rear of the lower wing is a 'stop' to prevent the camera port dropping into the fuselage when I fit it, there is also one in the lower fuselage. I test fitted the wings to the fuselage and there was a very slight gap all around the wing/fillet join without the cockpit insert, but with it in place the join was near perfect so I'm pleased with that. I hoping to get the main components together over the weekend, provided I can get satisfactory fits on the camera ports, but that's about all for now, I finally feel that I'm beginning to make some real progress. Comments and suggestions welcome. cheers John Edited April 15, 2016 by Biggles87 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CedB Posted April 15, 2016 Share Posted April 15, 2016 Very nice John, lovely detailing there Bad luck with the ammunition boxes but score 1, fnaar fnaar Looking forward to the next update and getting a look at the long awaited panel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Biggles87 Posted April 15, 2016 Author Share Posted April 15, 2016 Thanks Ced, me too. Have a good weekend. John 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Foghorn Leghorn Posted April 16, 2016 Share Posted April 16, 2016 Aha! the mojo has returned John 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rob85 Posted April 16, 2016 Share Posted April 16, 2016 Thanks Tony, glad to have you aboard. I hope to have a proper update later today or tomorrow, still been too busy with outdoor stuff including reclaiming a fence from the brambles! Yesterday afternoon the whole of central France turned into one massive thunderstorm so the computer was turned off and our power was knocked out for about four hours from 5.30pm. The Yahu panels still havn't arrived so I've contacted the seller who will send me replacements, so the originals will probably arrive today. A bientot John One thing I loved as a kid and miss as an adult, French thunder storms! Southern to central France is where we would go on holiday (6 of us piled into a 3l v6 Nissan Cedric) and when you got a really hot muggy thunder storm it's was ace, I remember them being so heavy with rain, very warm and massive lightning shows! We very rarely get them that good over here..... However you probably find them rather Annoying if they knock out your power.... The spitfire is looking great! Really nice detailed interior. And I imagine you feel like your making progress as the little bits are becoming less, your progress has been great throughout, just your bits are bigger (snigger) Rob 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Biggles87 Posted April 16, 2016 Author Share Posted April 16, 2016 Thanks Neil, yes it does feel like that. I will ignore the comment about my bits Rob. French thunder storms can be spectacular I agree, most of them pass to the west of us ( following a river ) and I sometimes watch them from the garden, but they are not so welcome overhead because our oldest dog has become really frightened by them after 11 years of not bothering. Cheers John 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PlaStix Posted April 16, 2016 Share Posted April 16, 2016 Hi John. Hope you are well. Good to see more progress. The cockpit is looking excellent and I hope the IP arrives soon. As has been discussed many times; some of the tolerances on this kit are a little on the tight side - and it's good you have a plan for the legs. Hope you have a great weekend and manage to get some more done on your Spitfire. Kind regards, Stix 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Biggles87 Posted April 16, 2016 Author Share Posted April 16, 2016 Thanks Stix, yes, thanks to yours and other builds of this kit I am dry fitting everything twice, making sure that all paint is removed from contact surfaces and using Tamiya Extra Thin cement. cheers John 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Giorgio N Posted April 18, 2016 Share Posted April 18, 2016 The guns detail will add even more interest to the finished model, it may mean extra work for you but I'm selfishly glad to see this added... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Biggles87 Posted April 18, 2016 Author Share Posted April 18, 2016 Small update 17 April. I now have the fuselage cemented all the way to the nose and the tailplanes and control surfaces fitted. I have not joined the wings and fuselage yet because I am having second thoughts about the oblique camera port. I read somewhere that this port was often "domed" to allow the camera to point slightly rearward. I managed to remove the flat part by soaking the PVA away with hot water and I am now working on filing a 1/32 domed missile seeker head to fit. I wish I'd thought of this before I joined the fuselage halves together, it would have been much easier to put it on some Plasticard and mount it from the inside. I couldn't resist however dry fitting the fuselage onto the wings, and look, it's beginning to look like a Spitfire! When the Yahu panel finally arrives, and it and the control column are in place I will tackle the upper nose panel which most people seem to have had trouble with , I can't wait, but that's all for now. Thanks for looking John 10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PlaStix Posted April 18, 2016 Share Posted April 18, 2016 Hi John. Good to see more progress and it certainly seems to be coming together well - definitely looks like a Spitfire now! Kind regards, Stix 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caerbannog Posted April 18, 2016 Share Posted April 18, 2016 Interesting what you wrote about the domed camera port. Such details really add interest in my eyes. René 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Biggles87 Posted April 19, 2016 Author Share Posted April 19, 2016 Thanks everyone, yes I now think it was worth the effort to add the gun detail and the ammunition boxes, it makes it a little bit different. There is a well known photo of a pink PR 1G at St Eval taken from behind and slightly above in Spitfire at War ( and other places ) and I came across a close up of the central fuselage area and the camera port definitely appears domed, although I've also seen others where it is definitely flat. Interestingly, there don't seem to be any wing walk lines on the one at St Eval which is a bonus for me. I'm having a couple of days away from my man cave, so more at the weekend when I hope that the IP will have arrived. Cheers John 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rob85 Posted April 19, 2016 Share Posted April 19, 2016 Looking very much like a spitfire John, very nice work and detail you have added. Rob 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TonyTiger66 Posted April 19, 2016 Share Posted April 19, 2016 Looking very tidy indeed John. That dry fit of the wings reinforces my feeling this is going to be a gorgeous Spit. Best regards Tony 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snapper_city Posted April 19, 2016 Share Posted April 19, 2016 This is really going together well. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Biggles87 Posted April 19, 2016 Author Share Posted April 19, 2016 Thanks guys, I must admit Tony that the wing to fuselage join is not quite as good on the other side, I think I must have glued the cockpit insert in a slightly different position to were it was when I dry fitted it previously. I think I need to shave a little off the insert and the underside of the wing before cementing. At least I remembered to fit the downward ident light, which is something I often forget. Lunch now, then back to grass cutting. Cheers John 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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