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Mk.24 - The Final Spitfire! ***** FINISHED and in The Gallery *****


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Hi Folks,

 

2nd build in this GB. While I wait for seat belts to arrive for the prototype (I have some here somewhere :undecided:, but damned if I know where!) I'll make a start on this 1/72 Czech Master Resin F Mk 22/24.

 

Dscf2107

 

I'm going to model F Mk 24 VN318 when it was with the Hong Kong Auxiliary Air Force at Kai Tak, as it appeared for the HKAAF's final Spitfire flypast in April 1955;

 

Scan_20200330

 

Alfred Price's 'The Spitfire Story' says that 'the Mark 24, was in its initial form externally no different from the Mark 22... Late production Spitfire 24s were distinguished by the fitting of the shorter-barrel Mk V Hispano cannon. Fifty-four Spitfire 24s were built by Supermarine, and a further 27 were converted from Mark 22s...' As you can see, VN318 had the long-barrel cannons.

 

AFAIK the Mk.24 had a re-positioned access hatch behind the cockpit on the starboard side. The hatch on the CMR kit is further back where the Mk.22's hatch was (according to the Mk.1 profile). So I'm going to have to fill and re-scribe the hatch. No problem unless the the hatch really was back there on VN318, being an early Mk.24? Any Spitfire experts out there who can help? Possibly Graham, Troy, or Peter M? @Troy Smith @Graham Boak @Magpie22. Apologies in advance chaps for asking if this isn't your thing, but I would hate to re-scribe it now and then get told later when its painted that I got it wrong - and apologies to any other Spitfire experts I've overlooked!

 

Anyway, back to the kit...

 

Dscf2110

 

Looks really nice. Lots of fine detail and the decals look really nice. I made a start on this kit many years ago but lost interest when I came up against the bright yellow canopy and the fuselage to wing fit problems. I've now got a Falcon vacform canopy and I'll see if I can fix the fit.

 

Any thoughts, suggestions or tips gratefully received!

 

Cheers,

 

 

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Charlie,

An absolutely gorgeous aircraft and the kit looks very interesting to say the least. I'll look forward to seeing this come together.

Ray

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Thanks Ray.

 

I have to say that I must be mad. I've been modelling for 50+ years and never done a resin kit before, and now I have two on the go. I'll be as interested in the outcome as everyone else.

 

Cheers,

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1 minute ago, Johnson said:

Thanks Ray.

 

I have to say that I must be mad. I've been modelling for 50+ years and never done a resin kit before, and now I have two on the go. I'll be as interested in the outcome as everyone else.

 

Cheers,

Think of it as 50+ years of training to get there. No novice stumbling blindly into the world of resin. A finely tuned machine ready to deliver.😉

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Before I get too involved with the cockpit, this is a good opportunity to do the work needed on the outside of the fuselage.

 

Dscf2156

 

The radio access hatch will get moved closer to the front and I'll add the the engine cowling fasteners. I don't trust myself to scribe the new hatch freehand so I made a plastic template.

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  • 1 month later...

Now I've finished the prototype, and done the Blitzbuild, I can concentrate on the Mk.24

 

Finished the cockpit, not my best effort, but I've added seatbelts, armour and a compass;

 

Dscf2471 combo

 

I can now get the fuselage closed up.

 

Cheers,

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You folks doing lovely Eduard kits don't how much fun there is to be had with resin :blink:...

 

I'm going to join the fuselage in sections starting with the top/front as that's the most critical. I cleaned up the mating surfaces but didn't sand them as the fuselage would then have been too narrow. I'll fill the gaps with cryo/talc mix.

 

And then there's the fuselage/wing join. There's going to be a bit of filling needed here. And its not just a question of spreading the fuselage as that would widen the wing roots too much, I'll have to pack it with thin strips of plasticard and fill it, probably with more cryo/talc for a strong join.

 

Dscf2481

 

The tail / rudder looks a bit off, but it was mostly camera angle. A check on the bench looked OK.

 

Here's something I found interesting, someone at CMR has 'signed' the model;

 

Dscf2480

 

I'm guessing that these are the initials of the person who made the moulds - DF (or FD?) in 1996, which seems a bit early as the kit came out in 2006 AFAIK.  Whoever it was they did a good job. The panel line work is excellent and the fuselage and wings fit the Scale Plans very well.

 

Thanks for looking.

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Slow progress, lots of real life getting in the way. Looking a bit more like a Spitfire now.

 

Dscf2512

 

The top fuselage seam looks grotty, as if it needs filling, but this is the sanded talc/cryo filler, hopefully it will look better tomorrow when its been primed. The holes in the wings for the cannons have been drilled but I'll leave fitting them till later as I'll only knock them off.

 

It's been a bit of a slog up till now and I'm hoping that the fun will start with the painting!

 

Cheers,

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Primed yesterday morning with Mr Surfacer 1200 which revealed no end of minor flaws. The cryo/talc filler in the wing roots and fuselage joints needed more sanding then re-scribing the panel lines, lots of tiny pin holes in the resin that I'd missed, more filling, sanding and priming. The hatch I'd had to move on the starboard side wasn't brilliant and needed work. It also revealed that the lower rear fuselage joint hadn't bonded with the cryo glue! Opened it up and fed more glue in and sanded down, more Mr Surfacer, sanding...

 

This went on all day. Finally finished when it was too dark to take photos, but the results are OK I think.

 

Dscf2516

 

Dscf2519

 

Dscf2521

 

Getting the best out of a resin model, this being only my second, takes some doing. Because of the nature of the material it's often hard to see what you're doing and spot the flaws. I have often wondered during this build whether it would have been easier just to convert the Airfix Mk.22 to a Mk.24, but I suppose it's one less kit in the stash and now I've got to this stage I'm happy with the results.

 

Next step is to get some paint on. The finish will be aluminium and for this I'm going to try something new. I'm an Alclad 2 fan, but I've got some AK Xtreme Metal Aluminium so will give it a try. As is often said 'what could possible go wrong?'

 

Cheers,

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OK, silver paint's on. :D

 

Dscf2530

 

I'm very, very impressed with AK's Xtreme Metal. Not being a great fan of NMF, I was a bit apprehensive, but it sprayed on very easily, a fine mist which covered the small model quickly and evenly. I can see why its popular - I'm converted!

 

Next up are decals.

 

Thanks for looking.

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Change of plan.

 

I was going to use the kit decals to make Mk.24 VN318/E of the HKAAF.

 

But it I think it would be more appropriate, as I made the very first Spitfire K5054 in this GB, to make the very last Spitfire ever produced by Supermarine, VN496 which came out of the South Marston factory on 24th Feb 1948. It flew with 80 Sqn and was the personal aircraft of Wg Cdr William 'Tiny' Nel, RAF, Kai Tak, 1950.

 

24-VN496-006

 

But first I have to make the decals!

 

See you later.

 

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19 hours ago, Cookenbacher said:

Wow, nice resin work Charlie!

Thanks Cookie. This is the 2nd resin kit and its working out, but I'm looking forward to a more relaxed build, something that goes together easily like a Tamiya.

 

6 hours ago, John Masters said:

Nice work on what others would say were unimportant details.

Cheers John, I can't help myself and get a bit carried away!

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Making the decals.

 

Dscf2541

 

The fuselage and underwing serial numbers were pretty straightforward to produce using MS Word and the RAF post war font that Pete B sent me. The tricky thing is getting the print size right - 2.82mm for the 8" fuselage s/n and 5.64mm for the 16" underwing s/n. The width of the s/n letters/numbers as well as the spacing between them were adjusted in Word using 'format character'. The staggered TN for Wg Cdr Nel's personal code was done in Photoshop as I had to overlay the letters, Arial font seemed best. Trial sheets were printed on ordinary paper to check the size and to place them on the model to also get the location of the TN correct. I've done this on a few models and find it very useful as it allows me to get the location right before placing the real decal. How many times have we placed the decal, got it carefully bedded down only to decide it should be a fraction right/left/up/down! You can see on the profile in the pic above how the artist got the TN in slightly the wrong place, it should be a bit closer to the cockpit door. He also misinterpreted the darker bottom of the letters in shadow as being wider, when it was just a photographic effect making the letters appear wider. I saw another profile of this Spitfire where the artist had painted a red line at the back over the s/n, this was the tie down strap holding down the Spitfire on a windy day at Kai Tak! As Troy Smith says, never trust a profile without a photo.

 

I've printed the decals on Mr Decal paper. Tomorrow they get a light coat of acrylic varnish to seal them and hopefully applied to the model.

 

Thanks for looking,

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Decals

 

Dscf2542

 

This has definitely reached the fun stage. The decals went on fine, it took most of the day but went well. The CMR kit decals were by Tally Ho who I recall do good stuff. I added almost all of the stencils as I reckoned an RAF maintained plane in 1950 would have been well looked after. The home brewed s/n and fuselage code worked OK which was a relief, and the Wg Cdr pennant which looks OK as its on a silver background. The problem with home made decals being the carrier film that has to be trimmed very close to the detail, but I think they'll pass muster. Gloss clear coat tomorrow and start adding the bits and bobs.

 

Cheers,

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Very good home made decals... really impressive work. Do you have an Alps printer? (a few ship modellers have them to do decals with as you can print white onto decal film, but they are VERY hard to get nowadays...).

 

I'm looking forward to your next post... especially the final finish, I have always been scared of painted metal aircraft... especially clean ones, the weathering needs to be very subtle to pull it off properly... 

 

Its a stunning looking aircraft, the Mk24.

 

 

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11 hours ago, Bill Livingston said:

Very good home made decals... really impressive work. Do you have an Alps printer? (a few ship modellers have them to do decals with as you can print white onto decal film, but they are VERY hard to get nowadays...).

Thanks Bill.

Alps printer? No, they look useful but I can do most of the homemade decals I need on my inkjet. White would be useful to do the name for my (planned :huh:) Airfix 1/48 Spitfire XIV, but I couldn't justify the expense even if I could find one. I'm surprised there is no online service for such needs. I did look but the only person I found was too busy.

 

11 hours ago, Bill Livingston said:

I'm looking forward to your next post... especially the final finish, I have always been scared of painted metal aircraft... especially clean ones, the weathering needs to be very subtle to pull it off properly... 

I've been pondering the final finish. The plane would have been finished originally in aluminium paint. The only photo (reproduced above) shows it being fairly dull, but that looks as if it was taken in pretty bad weather. I used AK's Xtreme Metal Aluminium which to be honest is probably a bit too shiny, although I do like the result. I'd possibly have been wiser to use AK's 'White Aluminium', which I do have. Oh well, too late now. I was going to use clear gloss but I'm now thinking that satin might be a better choice. As regards weathering, not too much, subtle if I can, but a little should enhance it a bit.

 

10 hours ago, Cookenbacher said:

Wow, that's excellent scratch decal work Charlie.

Thanks Cookie. I'm very happy with the results but I only just got away with them. The ink of TN is actually a bit on the thin side. I give credit for home made decals to Pete B who encouraged me during the FROG GB last year and sent me the right fonts.

 

Cheers,

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  • Johnson changed the title to Mk.24 - The Final Spitfire!

A bit of progress and taking stock of what's left to do.

 

Dscf2553

 

Still to do;

Decals on the props and spinner, matt and satin varnish.

Paint windscreen and fit, try not to forget the mirror.

Finish painting exhausts and wheels.

Paint the black anti-slip step ups on the wing. Tried the decals, too small.

Add the headrest, IFF aerial, pitot, u/c, door, canopy.

Add some weathering

 

Hopefully it will get finished this weekend! ^_^

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Hi Charlie,

 

Looking good mate. I only use gloss varnish as a bed for the decs. Satin is the way to go to my mind but it is your kit! Nice to know that the AK Interactive paint works - I bought some on the recommendation of Dave @Rabbit Leader but have yet to try it. Did you use white spirit to clean your airbrush/brushes?

 

Cheers

 

Pete

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Hi Pete,

 

1 hour ago, PeterB said:

I only use gloss varnish as a bed for the decs. Satin is the way to go to my mind

The decals went straight on to the AK Xtreme Metal Aluminium which comes out very glossy straight from the bottle. Bedded them down with Microsol and next day when everything was dry and settled I gave it a quick wash over with water to get rid of the Microsol then a final coat of Xtracrylic Satin. I really like the AK Xtreme Metal Aluminium but it is delicate, scratches easily and doesn't like fingers! I had to touch it up in a few places.

 

1 hour ago, PeterB said:

Did you use white spirit to clean your airbrush/brushes?

I haven't tried white spirit, I think something a bit more potent is needed. I bought some Xtreme Thinner & Cleaner when I bought the AK paint , but I find that cellulose thinner/cleaner, which I've always used, works just as well, so being stingy I'll keep the AK stuff for thinning and use the cellulose. I have to say that these days I wear a professional 3M solvent spraying mask for all my spraying and cleanup.

 

I'm putting the finishing touches to the Mk.24, trying not to wreck it at the last minute and taking a break having been driven nuts trying to fit the gun sight and windscreen. The problem with building a resin kit - with a vacuformed canopy (designed for another kit) - is that nothing really fits, and everything is compounded by the small scale of 1/72 :wacko:.

 

My next build will be something well engineered - Tamiya - OOB!!!

 

Cheers,

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  • Johnson changed the title to Mk.24 - The Final Spitfire! ***** FINISHED and in The Gallery *****

After a weekend's work the Mk.24 is finished.

 

A little light weathering; light oil staining on the underside and some wear on the props, but the bosses aircraft would have been well looked after in the 1950s RAF.

 

Dscf2557

 

Dscf2559

 

I'm happy with the result despite it being a bit of a challenging build at times.

 

These are my two builds in the GB: The very first Spitfire K5054 and the very last Spitfire VN496. Separated by nearly 12 years and 22,000 Spitfires.

 

Dscf2589

 

Thanks everybody for your comments and encouragement, and to the hosts for such an excellent STGB (role on the next Spitfire STGB!). More pics in The Gallery.

 

Cheers!

 

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A great pair Charlie, the whole history of the Spitfire captured in two aircraft, well not quite. Also thought you were very clever with your background image. Well done. Ray

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Lovely pair of kits Charlie..

 

Depending on which book you read, it went from a tare weight of 5332lb powered by a 990hp Merlin C giving a top speed of 349 mph to a weight of about 7351lb, powered by a Griffon 61 or 65 delivering around 2000hp low down, for a maximum speed of  about 450 mph, and like Robert The Bruce's battle-axe, virtually every part of the airframe was either changed or strengthened, but it was still a Spitfire!

 

Cheers

 

Pete

Edited by PeterB
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