Hosbabon Posted November 1, 2016 Share Posted November 1, 2016 (edited) Im joining the group build with Aifix's new tool 1/48th Spitfire Mk. Vb. Its a kit I've had my eye on for a while, primarily because the fuselage codes match my initials (!) , but i love the scheme along with second world war aviation. This variant served with 249 Sqn, Ta Kali, Malta in March 1942. Im intending to build completely out of the box, and aiming to practice my weathering and airbrushing with a well worn look. Here's the box art .... The kit looks great on the inside, with plenty of detail on the parts. I haven't added pilots in any of my previous builds ( mainly tamiya ) with stock pilots looking fairly unanimated. However this airfix offering looks great so I'm thinking, canopy open and a thumbs up pose from PO Robert Wendell "Buck" McNair DFC. As always i welcome any comments, tips and tricks along the way. Edited December 28, 2016 by Hosbabon 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hosbabon Posted November 1, 2016 Author Share Posted November 1, 2016 ..... quick update, I'm out of the blocks ! Started on separating cockpit parts for priming and some delicate 'knife work' has seen the decapitation of my pilot to repose his head. Hopefully get a neck sculpted out of green stuff and sorted tonight. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Troy Smith Posted November 1, 2016 Share Posted November 1, 2016 4 hours ago, Hosbabon said: I As always i welcome any comments, tips and tricks along the way. main thing with these new Airfix kits is that the tolerances are very tight, so much so that a coat of paint or missed sprue nib in early construction can throw fit of major components later, in particular, the cockpit side walls/floor and wing spar, so dry fit these, and double check before gluing, useful build here http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234968337-two-148-mkvb-spitfires-tamiya-and-airfix-new-spitfire-collection-expansion-project-finished-photos-now-in-the-rfi-section-080615/ which may be of use. HTH T PS http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234968337-two-148-mkvb-spitfires-tamiya-and-airfix-new-spitfire-collection-expansion-project-finished-photos-now-in-the-rfi-section-080615/&page=7 details an example of tolerance problems. Also of note is dealing with the weak undercarriage leg join, which ideally needs tackling early on. http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234968337-two-148-mkvb-spitfires-tamiya-and-airfix-new-spitfire-collection-expansion-project-finished-photos-now-in-the-rfi-section-080615/&page=12 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hosbabon Posted November 1, 2016 Author Share Posted November 1, 2016 Troy, thanks for your post ! Really enjoyed the link to Plastix double build and ill certainly be referring back to it. Im a slow builder, and certainly will be test, test and test fitting again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hosbabon Posted November 3, 2016 Author Share Posted November 3, 2016 Moving on slowly with the cockpit. Ive dry built and test fit everything, and whilst you certainly can't fault airfix for the detail, its all a bit technical and 'busy'. This is probably due to the cockpit tub sitting within the fuselage halves. Ive test fit the tub within the fuselage and, as Troy stated above, the tolerances are very tight ! Ive the stripped down, primed in black and sprayed Tamiyas cockpit green ( XF71 ) on the individual assemblies all ready for some detail painting 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Troy Smith Posted November 3, 2016 Share Posted November 3, 2016 neat work. Possibly buried in Plastix thread but note this, apart from the main cockpit, the rest of the interior is aluminium paint, as seen below from http://spitfiresite.com/2010/07/anatomy-of-spitfire-cockpit.html Quote The aircraft serving as our subject is Supermarine Spitfire Mk. Vb BL628 YO-D, recently completed by Avspecs Ltd in Auckland, New Zealand. Due to the fantastic quality of the restoration work which took full 30 years, the cockpit of this Spitfire conforms almost entirely to wartime production standards. For this reason, the following photographs can serve as reliable reference to the cockpit layout of the production Spitfire Mk. V. aluminum paint is also used engine bays, gun bays, interior of flaps, and the inner parts of the wheel well, though the well proper is usually the underside colour. see http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234974004-question-for-wwii-aircraft-manufacturing-experts/ scroll down also of note is Etienne Du Plessis period colour archive, this is the Spitfires https://www.flickr.com/search/?w=8270787@N07&q=spitfire he's a member here and sharp modeller too boot. one final point, one glitch in the Airfix Vb kit is the DeHavilland propeller unit spinner is wrong, being too long, it should look like this Well-worn Spitfire V, 1945. by Etienne du Plessis, on Flickr it's not horibly wrong, but this is one of the options in the Spitfire Mk I kit though, along with two other types, which could be the source of a replacement. cheers T 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hosbabon Posted November 5, 2016 Author Share Posted November 5, 2016 Thanks again Troy, Ill be following your guide with the aluminium. Added in some details to the cockpit. Some poetic license with the application of black, red white and yellow to pick out some features. The main IP although well detailed, has a decal for the instruments, so Im awaiting a gloss coat drying before applying. Should get the aluminium applied tomorrow and probably a dark wash to emphasise some of the cockpit panel lines. My pilot still remains without head or limbs, but once the cockpits together ill be able to pose him appropriately. Im just wondering how to attach his shoulder harness to the aircraft ... I'm thinking some thin plasticard shaped to fit, which should give some integrity when i come to paint him up. Open to suggestions if anyone has done this beforehand Picture so far ... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Troy Smith Posted November 5, 2016 Share Posted November 5, 2016 plenty of colour pics in the restoration link. http://spitfiresite.com/2010/07/anatomy-of-spitfire-cockpit.html note copper tubing etc. one point, red crowbars are post war, wartime they were grey green, bronze green, natural metal or black ... Spitfire Pilot. by Etienne du Plessis, on Flickr see also cheers T Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hosbabon Posted November 6, 2016 Author Share Posted November 6, 2016 Cockpit finished, bar pilot. Have been really happy with the painting process, added a black / umber wash along panel lines in the cockpit to finish it off. As can be seen from the picture, the instrument panel looks a bit worse for wear. Having dry fit the cockpit tub and sat it within the fuselage all was seemingly ok, however prior to gluing i tried a dry fit of the top engine cowl and found it to be a horrible fit; blocked by the top of the IP. Some severe sanding later and all is good except the Ip looks a little worse for wear ! Ill most likely tidy this up before i glue. Theres plenty of detail, however the whole cockpit tub assembly is very fiddly, and as stated by Troy above, despite warnings I've had a narrow escape from major surgery further down the build. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hosbabon Posted November 17, 2016 Author Share Posted November 17, 2016 Update on my progress so far ..... Fairly slow going with work, and a trip to Scale Model World. I've deviated from the plans, and attached the cockpit tubs to the fuselage, as opposed to building it as a tub as instructed. Really fiddly build, and although i wouldn't class myself as an expert or experienced modeller, i thought it was fairly challenging. ( This went the same for main undercarriage wing assembly ! ) As can be seen i ended up with a gap on the underneath of the cockpit tub; but great join along the cockpit walls. The wing assembly was fine and a pretty good fit when attached to the fuselage. I also completed the front of the air intake which i'd made up to check dry fitting. As can be seen, only a minor amount of filling was needed to hide any joins. All coming along nicely, all be it slowly, and ill post progress as it happens 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kahunaminor Posted November 20, 2016 Share Posted November 20, 2016 Mate, Nicely done. I am becoming a firm believer in leaving gaps where they will never be seen to accomplish perfect joins in the visible areas. Keep up up the good work. regards, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hosbabon Posted November 20, 2016 Author Share Posted November 20, 2016 Thanks Kahuna. With this build, since the start I've had a sense of foreboding of potential problems to come with fit issues. Ive now completed the main build, and am almost ready for priming. I had forgot to dip my canopy parts in clear so that got done this morning. I'm letting that thoroughly cure before masking off the front and rear sections. Pictures of the build so far ... There have been minor filler issues around tail and rudder sections, cannons and parts of the underside, but nothing to major at all. The kit actually looks fairly clean and hopefully the primer won't show up too many problems. Ive had a go at the pilot, re-posing him within the cockpit. I have AK's scale model FAQ and the process looked fairly straightforward.... cue hours of work ! I used a modelling knife to remove his hand and lower arm, then reattached with super glue. His neck was filled with 'green stuff' along with the arm joints and his parachute, to make him sit properly. I tried to use a heated pin to resculpt his hand but ended up burning off his thumb. I therefore had to resculpt another. Theres plenty of filing to be done on the harness straps and inner left arm but I'm going to give the filler overnight to fully cure before i attempt that. Here is the pilot seated ... 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hosbabon Posted November 21, 2016 Author Share Posted November 21, 2016 Made some progress painting my pilot tonight ... Primed and then given a black wash to highlight raised areas .... Skin tones on... Life jacket .... ... and finally harnesses. Boots, helmet and metal work tomorrow and possibly some fine details. Colours not great but i only have a limited range to mix with. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hosbabon Posted November 22, 2016 Author Share Posted November 22, 2016 Pilot finished. Been quite a while since i painted a figure, and all in all I'm pretty happy with my efforts. I wasn't sure of insignia, so to add some interest i went with a set of wings on his sleeve, along with some rank insignia. Having just checked, Buck McNair DFC was only a pilot officer ! 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hosbabon Posted November 26, 2016 Author Share Posted November 26, 2016 Canopies all masked, and test fit of the pilot complete. Should get some primer on today and a general idea of how she looks . 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hosbabon Posted November 27, 2016 Author Share Posted November 27, 2016 Got everything primed today to begin with. Initially it highlighted some gaps along seem lines so i had to fill, sand and re-prime. I then went on to pre-shade the entire model. I was initially thinking of just doing the underside and experimenting with an attempt at post shading the upper surfaces; but with the airbrush out and loaded i somewhat ran away with it. I preshaded with a very thinned Tamiya XF 82 rubber black. This was then followed by XF21, Sky, to the undersides. I used very thinned light coats to try and build up the colour. The picture doesn't quite do it justice but I'm pleased with the finished effect. Not sure weather to seal the undersides now, prior to masking off, or just leave them. I have used pledge previously but bought an Alclad 2 varnish set at scale model world which ultimately ill try prior to decals and overall finish. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hosbabon Posted November 29, 2016 Author Share Posted November 29, 2016 Quick update ... Pre-shading shown on the upper surfaces. I then went with an all over very thin coat of XF52 flat earth, building up as i went. My plan is now to mask using tac worms and spray the grey blue. Ive decided ill then post shade the grey blue before going back to post shade the brown, once i know where the camo lies. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hosbabon Posted December 4, 2016 Author Share Posted December 4, 2016 Got everything all masked up using blue tack worms and masking tape, and then went with XF18 medium blue. The instructions call for a dark grey colour, which was locally sourced, to overpaint the original mid stone colour. Im also sure that i read somewhere that malta spitfires may have been painted using royal naval colours whilst transported, however I've nothing at all to substantiate that. I thinned the paint and then darkened it with a few drops of black to do some post shading, a first for me. The overall results I'm fairly happy with. My camouflage seems to have suffered with the worms creating some unnatural shapes, particularly visible on the wings. ( more practice needed !! ). On the plus side there hasn't been any bleeding of paint in any area's, including the underside fuselage masking. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thepureness Posted December 4, 2016 Share Posted December 4, 2016 that looks stunning 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeR Posted December 4, 2016 Share Posted December 4, 2016 Coming along nicely! Mike. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maltadefender Posted December 4, 2016 Share Posted December 4, 2016 Make sure you overspray the grey a little bit onto the underside. If you look at the 1:1 aeroplane it was repainted in a hurry and the line between the camo and the underside is a little wobbly. But a lovely job. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hosbabon Posted December 10, 2016 Author Share Posted December 10, 2016 Little bit more progress to report. I coated the model in Alclad aqua gloss prior to decaling, a first for me using alclads having previously used pledge floor wax. It seemed to produce a good finish, although not as glossy as i expected. Results seem good though and I've no real silvering of the decals so far. I also have used micro sol and set. Here's photos of top and underside views ... Tomorrow i can hopefully finish the decals, re apply aqua gloss ready for some weathering and sort the prop out. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hosbabon Posted December 11, 2016 Author Share Posted December 11, 2016 Decals all finished and another coat of aqua gloss sprayed in preparation for some panel lining and weathering ..... I may well give everything a fine misty coat of a light sand to blend the stark contrast of the white decals. Im wanting to try and add some fine chipping too, although I'm conscious this may well spoil the overall effect, however, nothing ventured and all that. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hosbabon Posted December 24, 2016 Author Share Posted December 24, 2016 Hectic with work and christmas but my build has moved on ..... slowly ! Panel line washes apples all over Ive only the prop, undercarriage and exhausts to finish; plush adding some weathering powder and I'm done !!! Unfortunately I'm working tonight, but a with a week off into the new year i should be completed all be it beyond the deadline 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hosbabon Posted December 26, 2016 Author Share Posted December 26, 2016 Added some pastel powders, mainly browns and blacks to create some residue from the exhausts and guns. I'd read somewhere about using tamiya thinner as a base to help it bond and used this method on the exhaust staining. I think it made the powder streaky in places but glad I've tried it. On the wings i just used i light dusting of powder which seems to have gone better. Ive also attempted chipping, and used a silver artists pencil. Again its a first and although i was going to give it a miss, decided to id go with the motto "nothing ventured, nothing gained" and expand my experiences. Again I'm undecided wether i like it or not. Exhausts and wheels done; prop has been painted and waiting to decal prior to weathering. Hopefully all done tomorrow. Pictures of the above work ..... 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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