Ray_W Posted May 25, 2020 Share Posted May 25, 2020 Really a superb build. Like Steve I particularly like the gun bay. Ray 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dansk Posted May 25, 2020 Share Posted May 25, 2020 More magic from the bill factory! I love your perfectionism also with the door open and the gun bays open this is really gonna be something special bill. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Livingston Posted May 25, 2020 Author Share Posted May 25, 2020 Thanks guys... Its the engine I am most excited about. I just wonder how much of it is broken under all that tape. Next time, if I do an engine on the front of a Spit, I will build it differently. Probably follow the instructions for a start! Dansk... whereabouts in Denmark are you? I work for Dynaudio which is based in Skanderborg in Jutland... although I live in Cambridge (I look after sales in the UK). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Livingston Posted May 26, 2020 Author Share Posted May 26, 2020 (edited) Right, all a bit quiet for the last couple of days as work seemed to take over... so apologies. I will get an hour later to catch up with everyones posts as well. But just to show I have actually been getting on with things in those few moments I could steal, here we go... First, the bit that always scares me... the wash... over a sealing coat of Mr Colour 112... I thought my Tamiya wash looked a little thin, so I stirred it... much better! (I'm an idiot sometimes...I thought it was a really thin wash and so thats how I have been using it). Anyway, this is how brave I got... This is the whole model covered in Tamiya Dark Brown Panel Line Accent... Close up of a wing... because of th e layers of primer, base coat, marble coat, second camouflage colour, another marble coat and then a couple of coats of varnish pre and post decals, my rivets got more filled in than I would have liked. Note to self: Next time, paint fewer layers... Considering the amount of effort this took, I felt pretty brave slathering wash all over the fuselage sides... Anyway, I removed the masking around the engine... and yes, I have a fair bit to repair but its not as bad as it could have been. I erred on the side of its better to keep paint off the engine... and some CA can sort out any breaks (the flat coat over that will stop all the shiny bits of glue showing...). So... I have a fair bit of cleaning up of wash to get on with... I have only just started so there is a fair way to go. I also need to clean up the inside of the radio bay (I had forgotten what thinner does to blu-tac... and so it was a lot messier in there than I expected... most has gone, but I have lost the will to live right now, particularly after a fairly stressful day with work, so I will have a rest this evening and then carry on tomorrow... I also have a lot of bits to stick back on or repair and then I have a final assembly followed by a matt varnish (I will keep to what I usually use now I have come this far experimenting - I dont want o go that one step too far, I have been over-ambitious as it is... so I will be using Winsor and Newton... which has been my 'go to' for a while now... One last picture before I start tidying this all up... The spinner and prop are from Ultracast and the Cannons are from Master... which I haven't mentioned before. Both are absolutely worth buying. Anyway, its coming along... I just need to repair everything, clear up the remaining wash and then assemble the flaps and other bits, plus repair the engine and add the final panel supporting frame which is a very delicate but large and open bit of PE from the Brassin engine. All good fun, but looking back, a bit unwise to try this after only one previous aircraft model within the past twenty odd years. I need to master the painting and get my finishing up to the standard of people like Ray and a few others before jumping in like this again... still, it was fun... I hope to get this finished this week... I just need to get work to settle down a bit... Edited May 26, 2020 by Bill Livingston 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ray_W Posted May 26, 2020 Share Posted May 26, 2020 Bill, It looks brilliant. I am looking forward to a close up on that Merlin. You'll have to post one of your ship models. Must be superb. Also, I find with Tamiya Panel Line Accent Color you have to shake it continually while using it. It settles out very quickly. Similar to the AK washes that I also use. If you do not, when you get to towards the end of the bottle it's sludge, which actually is quite useful in its own right, but means the earlier part of the bottle did not deliver totally on its promise. I'm also in the same boat, so to speak as you, with clear finishes. New colour coats and what to do. I think I'll leave the XIV for a couple of days to harden up a bit before using GX112 as normal. Tomorrow the Vb arrives for the Vc conversion so I have something I carry on with if there's time. Ray Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve 1602 Posted May 26, 2020 Share Posted May 26, 2020 Wow Bill! That is looking fab. The finish is excellent. I love that photo of the Merlin and spinner. Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djktrumpet Posted June 1, 2020 Share Posted June 1, 2020 Really beautiful work, Bill. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Livingston Posted June 5, 2020 Author Share Posted June 5, 2020 (edited) Hi All, First, let me apologise for being away for the last week or so... and mostly for not commenting on some of the builds I had been following by a few of you... Needless to say, I have been keeping up with everything and there have been some fabulous Spitfires completed over the past week or so. I will go back and comment on all of them... but congratulations everyone, some inspiring work on show here. Why was I away? Well, like many of you, work got in the way and it wasn't the easiest of times, with customers who, despite the fact that they themselves have been in lockdown, somehow fail to understand that manufacturing is also affected and our supply chains are now so affected that it will take several months before we are back with the supplies we need to manufacture the backorders, let alone meet forecasts for the rest of the year... Anyway, I have had enough meetings and phone calls to last a lifetime. Onwards... Last time I posted I had just taken the masking off around the engine. As I said at the time, there was some rebuilding to do, but to be honest, I hadn't realised just how much work was involved and still keeping it relatively neat. I ended up removing some of the additional wiring and piping I had added earlier. I may go back and replace it later, I may not... to be honest, I will be glad when this one is done... After a few days work on the engine, getting it close to how it was when I last saw it and then finally fitting some of the remaining parts, I started cleaning a few things up and added the flaps and undercarriage. I still have to fit the radio bay door and the canon in the gun bay... as well as the flap indicators and the associated levers, before doing a final matt varnish and then some weathering. I will make some final comments when this is done, hopefully by the end of the weekend... but if anyone is contemplating a Eduard Spitfire, don't hesitate, it is a stunning kit. As far as extras are concerned, I am not sure the resin cockpit set was worth the extra. It is beautifully made and adds a lot of very nice detail, but the basic kit cockpit is very good too and, once everything is together, not a lot of it is seen... The flap set was really nice although much harder to fit than you would think from the instructions. You have to remove a LOT of the upper wing in order to fit the upper flap interior and, well, the flaps weren't really ever deployed when the aircraft was on the ground, so it isnt particularly accurate if you are building a simple display or diorama. The radio bay is similar to the cockpit. It looks good and it works well and is actually a very simple update if you are careful, but again, like the cockpit, you don't see much of all that work once completed. The gun bay is excellent... really easy to understand how to fit, although you have to work at it. it isnt without its annoyances. Worthwhile though... and it looks great once completed. The engine... Well, the engine is a completely different beast. Its brilliant... and very well designed. The more you research, the more you appreciate the amount of work must have gone into the design and development of it. I got a lot wrong and would build it very differently next time... for example I wouldn't follow the instructions and would fit the firewall in during the start of main construction, build and paint the rest of the kit and then build the engine later. There is a LOT of detail in the engine and a lot of it can be seen, so it is worth taking the trouble to build it neatly and paint it carefully... Of all the Brassin 'extras' you can buy for the Eduard Spits, the engine is one I will certainly use again... along with the gun bay... Both are fabulous additions to the overall model. The cockpit is great anyway, so I wouldn't buy an upgraded one again, the flaps aren't often, if ever, down when the aircraft is stationary and the radio bay is just too small to be a talking point. But that engine and gun bay certainly deserve to be on your 'upgrades list'... although I certainly wouldn't advise you fit all of them on one model, especially if its your first Eduard Spitfire... (and particularly if you are new to aircraft (or have had a long layoff from 'flying things' like I have...). Anyway, some pictures. It appears not a lot has happened since I last posted, but it has... a lot. I didnt take any pictures of me removing bits from the engine, repairing them and then putting them back on... it was soul destroying enough as it was (and what made me certain to build the engine separately after the rest of the model is complete next time... masking a completed engine was NOT a very clever idea..!). As I said, there is still a lot of little stuff to do, but hopefully I am back in the saddle again now work has been sort of dealt with for the moment and I hope to get it done over the next day or so... I have a OOTB 'Grey Nurse' Eduard Spit MkVIII to do as well before the end of the group build... so I had better get on. I'm looking forward to getting this one out of the way... It's been a bit of a challenge. But it is such a great kit that I can't wait to start the next one... But before that, I have to force myself to finish off the bits and pieces I still need to add, that matt coat (which I am looking forward to as everything will lighten up considerably) and then a little bit of weathering with the airbrush (my favourite part!). Right, off to read everyone else's threads... this has been such a great group of people doing this particular group build, I will be sad when it is over... Edited June 5, 2020 by Bill Livingston 10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve 1602 Posted June 5, 2020 Share Posted June 5, 2020 Looking really good Bill; the extra elements really add a ‘wow’ factor! This one is going to be a stunner! Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ray_W Posted June 6, 2020 Share Posted June 6, 2020 Hi Bill, Welcome back. Looking forward to seeing it finished - very close now. That Brassin engine looks sweet and you have done a wonderful job. Great build overall. Ray Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valkyrie Posted June 6, 2020 Share Posted June 6, 2020 This has been such a great follow.....getting to that stage... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnson Posted June 6, 2020 Share Posted June 6, 2020 It's clearly been a bit of a slog (that may be an understatement) Bill, and with reality getting in the way, it can't have been at all easy. But your build is certainly something to be proud of and I've enjoyed reading through your thread and learning from it. In fact between you and @Ray_W I've learned more from this GB than I have in years (though my shopping bill has also increased... ). So much detail and so many aspects to admire. A real pleasure to read and see. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Livingston Posted June 6, 2020 Author Share Posted June 6, 2020 (edited) 2 hours ago, Johnson said: It's clearly been a bit of a slog (that may be an understatement) Bill, and with reality getting in the way, it can't have been at all easy. But your build is certainly something to be proud of and I've enjoyed reading through your thread and learning from it. In fact between you and @Ray_W I've learned more from this GB than I have in years (though my shopping bill has also increased... ). So much detail and so many aspects to admire. A real pleasure to read and see. That is really kind of you to say... but I have been learning a lot from Ray W and he has cost me a fortune too! It has been a bit of a slog... not least because I seem to self destruct along the way and then have to do a lot more work to correct things I have managed to mess up (or lose). The one thing I have in my favour is persistence (and a decent hifi, currently playing The Mamas and the Papas first album as I write this...). And thank you to Valkyrie, Ray W and Steve for your comments... I have learned such a lot from you guys through this group build... OK. Todays work. I managed quite a lot for a change - thanks in part to Anna Calvi earlier in the day and the Mamas and Papas this evening... so lets start with a little update on the final part of engine repairs. I had to replace the two pipes that broke away when I removed all the masking. The first thing to do is drill a small hole in the tank so I could secure the end of the pipe properly. I often use fuse wire, but this time I opted for some brass rod bent to shape, mainly because it would hold position and once superglued in it would be pretty solid. What makes these easy to be neat is nothing plugs into anything else without some sort of fitting and this makes ends of pipes and cables easy to do relatively neatly... Last night I painted a short bit of brass rod a nice orange colour (I know it is likely to have been black or some other dull colour doing wartime, but I saw an orange one at Duxford on an exposed Merlin and it just brightens the engine up on that side and gives a focal point so, although not strictly accurate, I like it...). This morning it was nice and dry, so I started making the fitting that would have allowed it to be screwed into the little oil (?) tank on the firewall. Its easy to do... a thin slice of Tamiya masking tape wound round the end just a little bit in from the end (the end itself is superglued into the hole drilled into the tank). Once it is wound round enough times, it gets cut off, soaked in ultra thin superglue to lock everything in place and then painted with aluminium... this then represents the silver jubilee clip or whatever it used to be on the real thing. Once its matt varnished it dull down enough to look pretty good. I tend to wind more than would be realistic, so its a little bigger than it should be, because at this scale, to the naked eye it still looks really small but can still be seen... (Sorry for the terrible picture!). Anyway, once glued into the pre-drilled hole in the tank and then fitted to the engine it looks like this... Looking at the photograph it looks like it is attached to the distribution leads outer casing... its not, its just the angle of the photo... Anyway, there is a lot of extra piping and wiring I should do, but to be honest, it would take a lifetime and frustrate the hell out of me, so I left it as it is.... the basic Eduard engine is detailed enough for a casual viewer and even those who like to peer a bit closer... This is how the engine ended up. As far as I am concerned its finished... The next little job was to replace the flap indicators which I managed to put through my shredder (yes, you read that right!). This is what they look like in the Eduard Flap set PE... They are just under 6mm long and about 2.5mm wide in 1/48 and I had stuck them on some double sided tape for airbrushing the inside aluminium along with the engine panel interiors. While I was packing away at the end of the evening a couple of weeks ago, I removed all the main components and put the sheet of paper they were all mounted on in the shredder... completely missing the flap indicators... and yes, I opened up the shredder to look for them. Needles to say, I didnt find them... So I had to make some new ones... Strangely, there is a photo of one of the flap indicators of the actual aircraft I am building. It was removed from the aircraft as a souvenir (along with a lot of other parts, the main wheels were used for a wheel barrow for example, then years later, Jerry Billing went back to the farm near were the aircraft crashed and recovered the main wheels... they were used to make a table for his living room - I think I remembered that right). Thats about as good a reference as you could possibly want! Anyway, I made some replacements from thin plastic card (and even riveted them!) The next little job was to rescue the engine panels. I had used them to mask the engine and held them in place with masking tape... which means I needed to strip paint off them and repaint them (yes, I know I am an idiot... this was all completely unnecessary... as I have already said, in the future I will build the engine last and only mount the fire wall, that way I can paint all the engine panels, decal and weather them and have them done along with the rest of the airframe, but as you will have worked out by now, I'm pretty good at giving myself a lot more work than I need to...). Thanks to Ray W, I learned from his thread to minimise the amount of painting layers, so this is how the resin upper panel looks after a coat of Ocean Grey. The Eduard resin is really good... And here is the same thing after a marble coat and pre-shaded (Sorry Ray W, I still cant bring myself to try black basing - but I will, sometime soon!) Anyway, I did a few other bits and pieces as well, such as cleaning up the wash from the interior of the flaps and some other general sorting out. Its nearly done, just the 'bubble' part of the canopy in terms of building (the handle mechanism to pull the hood forward is nicely done on the Eduard kit and is part of the Profipak PE set that comes with it...) and the maybe a final Matt coat. Hopefully tomorrow. It seems I am only a session or two away from finally seeing the back of this thing... I am really looking forward to a much more straightforward build of the MkVII! This is where I am at close of play today... See you all tomorrow... 🙂 Edited June 7, 2020 by Bill Livingston Getting rid of a large empty space at the bottom of the post! 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ray_W Posted June 7, 2020 Share Posted June 7, 2020 7 hours ago, Bill Livingston said: has cost me a fortune too Hi Bill and Charlie @Johnson, I hope not! 7 hours ago, Bill Livingston said: cant bring myself to try black basing There is no need and stay with what you started with on this build. Ray Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Livingston Posted June 8, 2020 Author Share Posted June 8, 2020 (edited) Right, yesterday evening I managed to finish the engine panels and then later, added the stencilling they needed... plus the 'D' on the lower panel, so that completes all the decals. Today I got everything ready for a little airbrush session this evening. Most of it was bending tiny little bits of PE for the small detail parts in the Brassin kits to finish ff the radio compartment and the flap indicators. You will probably think I'm mad, but I actually enjoy building small bits of PE... you cant build 700 scale ship models without huge sheets of tiny PE parts, so, over the years I have got used to it, to the point where I really like doing it! Here is the finished radio... It should look like this... The eduard Radio compartment set gives you a little resin radio and a few bits of PE... I added some cables from lead wire and it ended up like this... That looks close enough... its about 1cm in length, so tiny, but the Eduard kit gives you everything (apart from the wire) that you need to build a really neat little replica. The next bit I needed to finish was the flap indicators in the upper wing... once assembled, it should look like this... Sorry for the tiny picture, but its good enough as a reference for anyone else... and its clear enough... I haven't built mine yet as it will need to be assembled on the model itself so I get all the angles right, but here are the component parts. Lots of folding to get to this, which is a surprise when you see them finished... The actuator rods are three folds, so you end up with a very nice 3D representation with the minimum of folding. You just need to be accurate and be prepared to make sure all the cut edges are filed down smoothly. The bracket they are mounted onto is actually very easy to fold too... just two folds for each one as I decided to cut off the part that pushes the door open and mount them later, it will be easier. The third fold was difficult as you needed to fold it back on itself and feed it round the corner... and its only a touch over 1mm, so even I think they are small! The doors themselves are the ones I made with some thin sheet a couple of days ago. They are airbrushed, glossed and have had a panel was to highlight the rivets I added on the upper surface. I'll give them a thin coat of aluminium after I have cleaned them up a touch more.. some of the wash was drawn under them when I was doing the upper surface. I have test fitted them and they actually fit onto the flap mechanism - so lots of interest in a very small area. I also sorted out the aerials, the main mast aerial, the IFF aerial from the PE set, the hooks for the supplementary tank, the pitot tube and all the other bits that normally add an extra day or so just as you think you have finished. Anyway, I'm going to get something to eat and have a shower and then come down and airbrush everything. I have left notes for myself so I don't forget what goes were... but this is where I am now... All being well, I should finish this tomorrow... 😊 Edited June 8, 2020 by Bill Livingston correct a spelling error where the spellchecker decided I was trying to write an entirely different word...! 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dansk Posted June 8, 2020 Share Posted June 8, 2020 Evey post is amazing bill. Cant wait to see the finished result tomorrrow! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnson Posted June 8, 2020 Share Posted June 8, 2020 Agree with Paul, amazing! I love the radio and the aluminium thing in front (top cover?). And the flap indicators. Superb workmanship Bill, you must have good eyes. We're going to need some close-up photos of this (if possible) when its finished. Cheers, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Livingston Posted June 8, 2020 Author Share Posted June 8, 2020 (edited) Thank you for the comments Paul and Charlie, I don't have great eyes, I have to wear glasses for reading now. I have two Optivisors, one at 3x magnification and one at 5x, I couldn't model without them... I also have very good lighting. A large medical lamp with a daylight temperature round fluorescent. Good lighting and decent vision and anyone can work at these sizes. Especially with the Eduard stuff... it really is well designed and as simple as it can possibly be and still get a decent effect. The only issue is you need to spend some time rehearsing the folding of PE in your head... the instructions aren't clear, but anyone can figure it out. Managed to paint the Aluminium, Medium Sea Grey and the Matt Varnish. I then removed the masking from the canopy and, yes, as is typical of this build, there seems to be some discolouration inside the rear section. It could be varnish that blew around through the radio bay opening, but I doubt ti. It will have to come off and be polished inside. This particular Spitfire is really 'the gift that keeps on giving'. Still, I have overcome spilt paint, lost parts and breakages, I am sure I can sort this out too... but not tonight. Tonight I am going to sulk for a while and then go to sleep. In the meantime, here is what she looks like now ... Matt varnish is now on... I'm just wondering if it is too matt. I use Winsor and Newton Acrylic Matt Varnish, but with a couple of coats or so, it gets very matt. The cockpit looks pretty good. Again, it was simply a matter of building the Brassin as well as I could. A lot of it cant really be seen, like the wiring to the light is covered completely by the seat, so that was a complete waste of time. Not Eduards fault though, that was one of my less bright ideas, but ho hum, we live and learn! I still have to paint the edges of the cockpit canopy to tie the whole thing in, and obviously fit the cockpit door, which is finished, just needs some dry brushing, the crowbar either painted steel or left in interior green, I still haven't decided. then there is the hood. I need to paint the framing and add the cockpit closure mechanism. I still have some other bits to stick on too, and there is some weathering to do, so I doubt I will finish tomorrow, but its possible. I will be glad when this one is finally finished. I'm really looking forward to the Aussie MKVIII and this one has turned into a bit of a chore. Still, I have learned a lot and I have had to force myself to carry on whenever there was a setback, so its one that will probably feel a lot better once a few weeks have passed by... Edited June 9, 2020 by Bill Livingston 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GREG DESTEC Posted June 9, 2020 Share Posted June 9, 2020 Fantastic work Bill 👍 Your Spitfire really looks the business. Cheers Greg 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnson Posted June 9, 2020 Share Posted June 9, 2020 17 hours ago, Bill Livingston said: I then removed the masking from the canopy and, yes, as is typical of this build, there seems to be some discolouration inside the rear section. It could be varnish that blew around through the radio bay opening, but I doubt ti. It will have to come off and be polished inside. I had that on a recent Mustang, most annoying. But I only use PVA to attach canopies these days and came off very easily with no damage to the canopy or the paint. I usually leave the canopy off for painting, but this is easier when doing 1/72. 17 hours ago, Bill Livingston said: I don't have great eyes, I have to wear glasses for reading now. I have two Optivisors, one at 3x magnification and one at 5x, I couldn't model without them... I also have very good lighting. A large medical lamp with a daylight temperature round fluorescent. I use strong reading glasses for modelling, but I may have to consider an Optivisor, and the large medical lamp with a daylight temperature round fluorescent sounds very useful. Good lighting is essential and can make a lot of difference, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Livingston Posted June 9, 2020 Author Share Posted June 9, 2020 (edited) I'm going to call this done... I'm pleased with parts of it, some things I could have done better, but overall, its a learning curve as I get back into aircraft modelling - and the one thing I have learned while I was away building ship models was, don't pack it away, finish it, or call it finished (they never are really finished) and then move on to the next one. So thats what I am going to do. I notice that I had forgotten to fit the tail wheel... and then when I looked for it, I realised I still needed to paint the tyre... I very nearly threw it across the room...! I have had a genuine love/hate relationship with this build and its tested my patience a few times, but the basic Eduard kit... and ALL the Eduard Brssin sets are really very good indeed. Virtually faultless. I would certainly recommend the engine and the gun bay and I will certainly use them again in the future. My next build though will be 'out of the box' and I will resist any and all temptation to try a new technique or add any detail. I need a couple of fast and good kits under my belt before I venture off in this direction again. I still have to make a proper base for it (and I need to add the tailwheel and canopy I forgot for these photos). I have a few weeks left before the group build ends, so I may make a simple base for it before then. I may even do a little more weathering, oil spills and so on. Not now, I honestly cant face it. I can also use a proper camera... these have all been taken on my iPhone. In the meantime, here are some final photographs for this build and then I can move on (hooray!!!) And a close up of the flap indicator... And finally, a black and white... simply because I have seen a few people on here do it and it always looks cool😎 OK... I am going to tidy up my modelling room and then make a start on an Aussie 8 Spitfire. I already announced it so I wouldn't run away or change my mind, so that will be my 'live' thread from now on. A huge thanks to everyone who has followed this build thread, it certainly encouraged me to continue and to keep overcoming my failures. I have been amazed at the number of views this thread has had and the amount people contributed in order to help or support me, so thank you. I suppose I couldn't have got a better welcome to Britmodeller than this Build Group. Each and every one of you has inspired me to do better and to keep enjoying it. So thank you all, again... Bill Edited June 9, 2020 by Bill Livingston 4 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve 1602 Posted June 9, 2020 Share Posted June 9, 2020 This is looking great Bill, the level of detail you have achieved is amazing. I’ve really enjoyed the updates - the trials, tribulations, triumphs and tips! It really is a fantastic model and some of the touches - flap indicators for example - take it to another level. Gallery tonight....? Now, switching fire to watch your Aussie 8! Steve 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ray_W Posted June 9, 2020 Share Posted June 9, 2020 Bill, Congratulations on a great build. Actually good going to finish in this time considering the volume of work. Looks wonderful all opened up. Ray 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Livingston Posted June 9, 2020 Author Share Posted June 9, 2020 (edited) Thank you all... I was thinking I would make a start on one of the Aussie 8's this evening, but I'm all out of enthusiasm. I hadn't really thought it was that much work, ships are a lot more involved and take considerably longer. Airplanes, because they are relatively simple, are more demanding though, and that's where I need to improve my skill set. I'm good at the details, as I am used to fine bits of PE and resin parts. I'm much less good at the larger surfaces. The thing that is ringing in my ears more than anything is Ray's advice about spraying the wing roots first. One of the issues with this model was the paint was very good and nicely done on the wing tips and over the fuselage... I was pleased with that. But the wing roots are quite a different texture and I managed much less fine a finish when I came spray the camouflage on the upper surfaces. The paint was drying before it hit the surface, probably because I was anxious about moving the white tac I used to get a soft edge. A quick overspray with neat Levelling Thinners helped, but by then the finesse was gone. I also think I put too much paint on the coat over the marble cost. I need to back off a bit and thin it more. I was so concerned that the marbling would be too obvious, I went the other way. I need the confidence to paint much, much thinner and let the washes and weathering do the job of bringing everything together. Thats something to improve on my next Spitfire. Actually, I did a much better job on the engine panels as a lot of what I had learned, and my new experience, was put into practice there... so I know I can do it I also need to remember not to leave the bits I have less interest in until the end. It meant it became a bit of a chore doing things like the pitot tube and the IFF aerial and wheels and stuff. I really need to do them earlier when I'm spraying other things. I think next time I will build more sub assemblies before I paint. That way I won't need to keep going back and airbrushing the same colours on increasingly smaller and fewer parts. I am pleased I got the detail stuff out of my system, but I know now where my faults are and its not details, its basic airbrushing of larger surfaces and simple discipline and planning. Onwards and upwards... its Das Boot tonight, and then some new building tomorrow Thank you all again, 'see' you tomorrow! Edited June 9, 2020 by Bill Livingston 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max Headroom Posted June 10, 2020 Share Posted June 10, 2020 Wow-stunning. Beautifully built to a standard I can only dream about. That Merlin up front looks as if it could burst into life at any moment! Trevor 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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