Baldy Posted February 11, 2020 Share Posted February 11, 2020 This build did't get off to a very good start - I had to ask Airfix for a replacement lower wing due to a short shot area. Airfix duly obliged but I must say that I was not overly impressed with the kit. Poor fit around the separate over nose section and at the wing roots caused a headache or two and the moulding of some (curiously not all) of the internal details was at best clumsy. The surface detail is also a bit hit and miss - panel lines disappear into oblivion at odd places and seriously - is there just one line of rivets along each wing? Sorry Airfix but you just don't seem to get any better. Sadly, when one compares with other Spitfires on the market this one just doesn't come up to scratch. Anyway - enough moaning - just means I will not be buying any more. I decided to finish the model using Exito decals - quite fancied a Canadian - Ex Aussie bird with nose art and badges - and the high viz roundels - all of which add splashes of colour. Unfortunately, as I was building, another identical spit was posted and it was too late to change! Like @tonyot I found that the Exito spinner spiral was reversed so I masked and painted it. The only extras I used were some generic belts and a mirror from Eduard and a few odd replacement parts from Eduard spares, like elevators and guns. I also replaced the Loran aerial under the fuselage, which disappeared to another universe under power provided by a pair of tweezers, with a scratchbuilt version. I drilled out the exhausts and used the kit gunsight which is pretty basic and doesn't really look the right type (?). Finished using Tamiya Medium Sea Grey for the underside and Xtracrylix Ocean Grey and Tamiya Dark Green for the upper. Xtracrylix is still the only Ocean Grey I have found that looks right to me and I find it sprays pretty well when thinned with Vallejo airbrush cleaner. The trick with Xtracrylix is not to use a small needle - it don't like that! Weathering was done with oils over Tamiya X22 and final finish was with a mix of AK matte/ultra matte. Might do a little more weathering but I'm generally pleased with the result. This and the XVIII are beautiful birds. I'd love to do a few but not with this kit I, afraid! And finally - a family shot with older and even more beautiful sister: Thank you for looking Cheers Malcolm 53 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
F-32 Posted February 11, 2020 Share Posted February 11, 2020 Wonderful work, beautiful paint and presentation 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cellarfrog Posted February 11, 2020 Share Posted February 11, 2020 great looking pair. Colours and weathering looks perfect! Thanks for sharing. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GREG DESTEC Posted February 11, 2020 Share Posted February 11, 2020 You wouldn't know you had problems with this build as it looks excellent 👍 Very nice paint job and finish. Cheers Greg🍺 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
binbrook87 Posted February 11, 2020 Share Posted February 11, 2020 That's a great looking Spit...despite your problems it's turned out really well. Lovely camo work 👍. I'm just starting to use Tamiya paints more frequently as it's sprays beautifully and unlike some other paints it does like small nozzles, so I can perform detail work without masking! I used XF53 Neutral Grey for the Ocean Grey on my Airfix Hawker Tiffie and that didn't look too bad. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spitfire31 Posted February 11, 2020 Share Posted February 11, 2020 Mmm, that's a tasty Spitfire! Cockpit hatch stands out at an angle: check! Crowbar is natural steel: check! And, elevators droop slightly: check! Three out of three is a sign of the Spit aficionado. Great finish, too. Kind regards, Joachim 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coneheadff Posted February 11, 2020 Share Posted February 11, 2020 Beautiful!!! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
franky boy Posted February 11, 2020 Share Posted February 11, 2020 Nice work Malcolm. Im building one of these at the moment to and agree with your comments on the kit. Shame isn’t it. Personally I will I’ll build more because I love the look of the xiv but not straight away. Thanks for sharing James 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oberleutnant Posted February 12, 2020 Share Posted February 12, 2020 Nice work. Paints are nice and vivid. Your exhaust smoke work is good too. I struggled with that with my Spit. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bryanm Posted February 12, 2020 Share Posted February 12, 2020 Very good - mine is a little behind yours. I'm also very lukewarm about the kit. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djos Posted February 12, 2020 Share Posted February 12, 2020 Excellent model. Very sharp build. Regards Djordje 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMCS Posted February 12, 2020 Share Posted February 12, 2020 Superb 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cngaero Posted February 12, 2020 Share Posted February 12, 2020 There's only one thing better than a beautiful Spitfire and that's two beautiful Spitfires. Your FR Mk XIVe is one of the best ones I've seen..........stunning. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JosephLalor Posted February 12, 2020 Share Posted February 12, 2020 Very nice result despite the struggles. @TCinLA provides an assembly sequence for that kit in his Modeling Madness review. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
russ c Posted February 12, 2020 Share Posted February 12, 2020 Turned out really nice in spite of your troubles, great looking Spitfire 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baldy Posted February 12, 2020 Author Share Posted February 12, 2020 On 2/11/2020 at 7:51 PM, binbrook87 said: That's a great looking Spit...despite your problems it's turned out really well. Lovely camo work 👍. I'm just starting to use Tamiya paints more frequently as it's sprays beautifully and unlike some other paints it does like small nozzles, so I can perform detail work without masking! I used XF53 Neutral Grey for the Ocean Grey on my Airfix Hawker Tiffie and that didn't look too bad. Thanks for you kind comments. Totally agree - Tamiya and Mr Hobby are still my main go-to paints. I have tried a few of the new pretenders but apart from the excellent but expensive MRP, I tend to use what I know and can buy in my local model shop (yes, they do still exist!). Might give XF53 a try but I really don't like XF82 which, in my opinion, just doesn't look right. (Could of course be totally wrong! On 2/11/2020 at 8:27 PM, Spitfire31 said: Mmm, that's a tasty Spitfire! Cockpit hatch stands out at an angle: check! Crowbar is natural steel: check! And, elevators droop slightly: check! Three out of three is a sign of the Spit aficionado. Great finish, too. Kind regards, Joachim Thank you Joachim though I would hardly call myself a Spitfire aficionado by a long way! I do like to try to make things look as realistic as possible though. I forgot to mention the door which has a rather ugly ledge moulded on to the top to aid assembly - I cut it off in order to make the assembly look less bulky - in reality the door is a rather flimsy looking affair. On 2/11/2020 at 9:32 PM, franky boy said: Nice work Malcolm. Im building one of these at the moment to and agree with your comments on the kit. Shame isn’t it. Personally I will I’ll build more because I love the look of the xiv but not straight away. Thanks for sharing James Thank you James and good luck with your build. It is a shame and something which annoys me greatly. Another missed opportunity I'm afraid. I love the shape of the XIV too but, although it hurts to say it having been a 50+ year builder of Airfix kits, I hope that Eduard get around to the later mark Spits - then I will build many! 13 hours ago, Oberleutnant said: Nice work. Paints are nice and vivid. Your exhaust smoke work is good too. I struggled with that with my Spit. Thank you - the exhaust was done very simply really - trying to simulate the dusty deposit which built up on the aft exhaust nozzles and the staining on the fuselage - I heavily thinned Tamiya Buff and simply sprayed it in the direction of flow over the nozzles and fuselage, gradually building up the effect. I did also dust a little pastel (Mig Industrial City Grime) on the fuselage. I did wonder whether to add more but didn't want to overdo it! 3 hours ago, cngaero said: There's only one thing better than a beautiful Spitfire and that's two beautiful Spitfires. Your FR Mk XIVe is one of the best ones I've seen..........stunning. Thanks Chris and wow! I'm humbled and glad you like it but I don't think it's that good! And a general Thank you to all of you who commented. Cheers Malcolm 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
binbrook87 Posted February 12, 2020 Share Posted February 12, 2020 6 minutes ago, Baldy said: Might give XF53 a try but I really don't like XF82 which, in my opinion, just doesn't look right. (Could of course be totally wrong! No you're dead right, I've tried XF82 and it was too light a shade in my opinion. I think i actually used it for the underside of my Hawker Typhoon as it was more like Medium Sea Grey. Never tried Mr Hobby paints yet but must give them a go as the range is better than Tamiya (no mixing required! 👍) Unfortunately I've invested heavily in Vallejo....which are pretty damn good provided you get the mixture right...and don't use a small nozzle size. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baldy Posted February 12, 2020 Author Share Posted February 12, 2020 12 minutes ago, binbrook87 said: No you're dead right, I've tried XF82 and it was too light a shade in my opinion. I think i actually used it for the underside of my Hawker Typhoon as it was more like Medium Sea Grey. Never tried Mr Hobby paints yet but must give them a go as the range is better than Tamiya (no mixing required! 👍) Unfortunately I've invested heavily in Vallejo....which are pretty damn good provided you get the mixture right...and don't use a small nozzle size. Mr Hobby aqueous paints are very good and behave very similarly to Tamiya - perhaps are a little finer I'n pigment?. I love the stuff and as you say, the range is large. They are readily mixable with Tamiya acrylics and I have had equal success with thinning with X-20A and/or Mr Colour Levelling Thinner. Very dependable. The only thing I don't like about them is that most are semi gloss which, I find, makes it more difficult to visualise the finish when shading/fading etc. I have also used Vallejo - now there is an enormous range of colours! I agree too about the airbrush - I'm sure that most people who struggle with airbrushes and in particular with paints like Vallejo and Xtracrylix are using tiny 0.2/0.3 mm nozzles. I spray most work with a 0.5mm nozzle and only go finer for detailing, mottling etc. I can still achieve quite fine lines with a 0.5mm or even 0.7mm nozzle. Cheers Malcolm 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tank152 Posted February 13, 2020 Share Posted February 13, 2020 20 hours ago, Baldy said: I tend to use what I know and can buy in my local model shop (yes, they do still exist!). I take it your one of Mike's customers then? I've almost finished building mine, as "Yvonne" and fully agree with you about the kit and the fit of certain parts. I think yours is definitely one of the best if not the best, posted on any forum i've seen so far. 👍 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robgizlu Posted February 13, 2020 Share Posted February 13, 2020 Great looking Model(s) Rob 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baldy Posted February 13, 2020 Author Share Posted February 13, 2020 2 hours ago, tank152 said: I take it your one of Mike's customers then? I've almost finished building mine, as "Yvonne" and fully agree with you about the kit and the fit of certain parts. I think yours is definitely one of the best if not the best, posted on any forum i've seen so far. 👍 Hello @tank152. Yes I am one of Mike's customers - it's a walk for me and he is a thoroughly nice guy A tiny gold mine of a model shop too! Hope to bump into you there some time. Thank you for your kind comments and good luck with finishing yours. Cheers Malcolm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris148 Posted February 13, 2020 Share Posted February 13, 2020 Can't see much wrong with that.👍 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
72modeler Posted February 14, 2020 Share Posted February 14, 2020 Malcolm, I think the trials and tribulations you posted were worth the final result; I agree with the comment that it is the best 1/48 FR14e presented so far! Beautiful colors and the weathering and scuffing are very restrained and realistic. Obviously not my scale, but I am familiar with this kit and I know outstanding modeling when I see it, and this one sure qualifies! 👍 Mike 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark.au Posted February 14, 2020 Share Posted February 14, 2020 Well, the trouble you had with kit doesn’t show up in the result, very nice spitfire there. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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