Steve 1602 Posted May 29, 2020 Share Posted May 29, 2020 Oh dear.... I’m hooked on this group build! Next cab off the rank is from Airfix: Kit: Airfix 1/48 Spitfire Vb “Specialist Spitfires” Decals: Victory Productions “Aces of the Empire” Extras: Eduard harnesses The subject this time is Spitfire Vb Trop EP706 of 249 Squadron RAF based in Malta in Sept 1942 and flown by George Beurling. The decal sheet asserts that this was not one of the Malta ‘blue’ Spitfires, so I’ll be sticking with the mid stone/ dark earth / azure blue scheme. They also refer to photographs of this aircraft but I have yet to find any on google - if anyone has a photo to help that would be much appreciated! First, the box/ sprue shots and then a look at the profile! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham Boak Posted May 29, 2020 Share Posted May 29, 2020 There is no published photo to my knowledge. The reason for the colour scheme is that this is an aircraft handed over from another unit that was transferred away to the Western Desert. Whether it would have been repainted at some stage is up to some doubt. Italeri actually offered this aircraft still with the previous unit's code. PS I hope I am still talking about the same aircraft as I would not trust the manufacturer to know about the various camouflage schemes on Malta. Sorry but my serial file is not immediately to hand. Certainly the majority of T coded aircraft appeared in a very dark scheme, presumably the Dark Mediterranean Blue known to have been used but ... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve 1602 Posted May 29, 2020 Author Share Posted May 29, 2020 Thanks Graham! I was a bit nervous about selecting a Malta subject (knowing very little but aware of the colour debates!) I plan to do one of the grey/ blue schemes as a Mk Vc at some stage. Steve 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve 1602 Posted May 31, 2020 Author Share Posted May 31, 2020 Underway! Sprues washed and lightening holes drilled out. Hopefully get some cockpit construction done this evening. Disappointingly though, I noticed this ☹️looks like an ejector pin mark that’s gone right through So a disc of plastic card punched With a paper punch and sanded to size to fill the gap; when that’s hardened I’ll fill with putty and sand it all flush. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve 1602 Posted June 1, 2020 Author Share Posted June 1, 2020 As for the Lock Vb build, I started to paint the interior parts and assembled the seat (yay!) on this one. I also labeled the sprues for each kit in an attempt to keep some sort of control and organisation when building two identical kits in parallel! Tonight’s plan is to complete detailed painting and some assembly of the cockpit. I’ll also try and finish the repair to the hole in the wing. Steve 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valkyrie Posted June 1, 2020 Share Posted June 1, 2020 Another pair underway, interesting to see how these build compared to the Eduard double header...I loved that Good luck with these 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve 1602 Posted June 1, 2020 Author Share Posted June 1, 2020 Thanks 🙏 It’s certainly not as refined as the Eduard kit, but I’m looking forwards to getting another pair done - pressure on though with a hard stop on 12July! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve 1602 Posted June 2, 2020 Author Share Posted June 2, 2020 Airfix supply a decal for the instrument panel, but when I applied it, I was a little underwhelmed (not least because my placement wasn’t brilliant). I didn’t have an aftermarket PE Part for the IP to hand and didn’t want to delay the build, so I used the spare decals from my Eduard MkXVI builds. I think it’s turned out pretty well, much better than the airfix decals and much cheaper than ordering a PE replacement! Steve 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matto21 Posted June 2, 2020 Share Posted June 2, 2020 Interesting to note the issue with the hole in the lower wing. I had exactly the same issue with my Vb: Seems its not an isolated issue. Matt 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve 1602 Posted June 2, 2020 Author Share Posted June 2, 2020 1 hour ago, matto21 said: Interesting to note the issue with the hole in the lower wing. I had exactly the same issue with my Vb: Seems its not an isolated issue. Matt It’s not great is it? I thought I’d just got unlucky as the other kit was fine, but obviously this boxing must have had a bit of a quality control issue. Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matto21 Posted June 2, 2020 Share Posted June 2, 2020 14 minutes ago, Steve 1602 said: It’s not great is it? I thought I’d just got unlucky as the other kit was fine, but obviously this boxing must have had a bit of a quality control issue. Steve I also assumed I'd just been unlucky. I contacted Airfix but they advised replacement parts would not be dispatched until after lockdown ends, whenever that may officially be. I could however purchase a replacement kit from their online shop which was available for immediate dispatch though 🤔. Like you, I just repaired it! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve 1602 Posted June 20, 2020 Author Share Posted June 20, 2020 With the other Vb Completed, it’s time to turn attention to this one. Most of the cockpit sub-assemblies are complete and ready for detail painting and assembly. I’m hoping to get the cockpit tub complete tonight. I realised that this Spitfire was built at the point that the headrest was deleted, so a bit of minor surgery ensued....! Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve 1602 Posted June 21, 2020 Author Share Posted June 21, 2020 I managed to complete the detail painting and a wash and now just need to add the seatbelts before I fit the tub together. I quite like the Airfix sidewalls there’s quite a bit of detail in the moulding which looks effective when painted. Steve 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve 1602 Posted June 21, 2020 Author Share Posted June 21, 2020 A productive hour and I’ve finished off the seat and fitted the Eduard seat belts. I added some ‘wires’ for the seat harness from fine gauge fishing line painted silver. I’ve also joined together the cockpit tub and it all seems to sit straight. The seat frame and the rearmost frame are not glued in at this stage as I found there was a need for a little bit of adjustment in the last one before I fixed everything together. I think the key to making these kits is test fit, test fit and test fit again. That (hopefully) minimises Issues later on. Steve 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve 1602 Posted June 21, 2020 Author Share Posted June 21, 2020 Put everything together for a test fit and it’s looking much better around the wing roots than the other Vb did. Once the wing spars are in then I think this will close up without the need for a spreader. The fuel tank cover will need to be thinned down again from the inside, which seems to be one of those things with these kits, but it’s an easy fix. Disappointingly, the sink Mark and misaligned panel line is present on the nose on this one as well. Overall though no major issues and The fit looks to be better than the previous one. My aim this week is to complete the main assembly and have things ready for paint by the weekend (work permitting!) Steve 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Livingston Posted June 21, 2020 Share Posted June 21, 2020 Lots of good work again Steve... how are you so fast?! Your last Airfix Spitfire looked stunning... I am looking forward to the progress on this one too... Are you building T*L ? Thats going to an interesting scheme too... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve 1602 Posted June 21, 2020 Author Share Posted June 21, 2020 Not really that fast Bill - I painted much of it on the sprues when I was building the other Vb, so this has allowed this to be a bit of an assembly job. Technically it’s taken 23 days to get to this point! 😁 Yes T*L for this one, but I’m planning on representing a desert scheme per the Victory Productions sheet, rather than overpainting in grey. I do have a plan to build a Grey/blue Malta Spit (a Vc) at some stage - so I’m taking notes on Ray’s Vc conversion! Steve 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve 1602 Posted June 22, 2020 Author Share Posted June 22, 2020 Closed up and wings on. It’s gone together pretty well, I had a small problem with the fuselage sitting slightly high above the wings, but I found the cause was the underside ID lamp transparency fouling on the cockpit tub. I had covered the lamp in foil and this was stopping it fitting fully through the hole in the cockpit floor. I enlarged the hole slightly and it all went together smoothly. The wing joint looks very visible in this photo, but it’s reasonably good in the flesh and should just need a smear of filler to blend it in. The starboard joint shouldn’t need anything at all - but I’ll wait until the primer is on before counting my chickens! I also fitted the Vokes filter; to avoid difficult filling/ sanding, I fitted it one side at a time as I thought dealing with a central seam would be easier than messing around with the cowling edges. I really like that big chin profile! 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Livingston Posted June 22, 2020 Share Posted June 22, 2020 (edited) 2 hours ago, Steve 1602 said: I really like that big chin profile! Strange, but I have always hated that profile... yet loved the colours of the desert war machines...! I always think of the Spitfire as a glamorous sports car... but this Volkes filter lower cowl takes away all its 'sportiness'. Worse. It always makes me think of Les Dawson pulling that 'Oooh' face when he plays one of the women gossiping over the fence... (there's a reference our cousins over the oceans will struggle with!). Looking really good though, Steve. I need to just get on with stuff. You are putting me to shame with the rate you are getting through these...😊 Edited June 22, 2020 by Bill Livingston Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve 1602 Posted June 22, 2020 Author Share Posted June 22, 2020 12 minutes ago, Bill Livingston said: I always think of the Spitfire as a glamorous sports car... but this Volkes filter lower cowl takes away all its 'sportiness'. Worse. It always makes me think of Les Dawson pulling that 'Oooh' face when he plays one of the women gossiping over the fence... Haha! That’s a blast from the past! I think It’s the agricultural look that appeals - it smacks of an expedient engineering solution; functional but lacking any design elegance! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Livingston Posted June 22, 2020 Share Posted June 22, 2020 1 minute ago, Steve 1602 said: I think It’s the agricultural look that appeals - it smacks of an expedient engineering solution; functional but lacking any design elegance! I get that... and I can see the appeal. I had a designer who was a lot like that... Function over everything. Used to drive me mad when he screwed up some particularly beautiful piece of design engineering to accommodate something we needed to add later in the products life. (His Dad probably designed the Volkes filter cowling...!) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve 1602 Posted June 23, 2020 Author Share Posted June 23, 2020 This evening I managed to complete the main assemblies and also fit and mask the transparencies. I’ll drill out the cannons again Before I fit them - based on the Lock Spit, I think it’s worth the effort. It’s all set now for priming tomorrow and a final check of seams before I start the camouflage colours. Steve 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve 1602 Posted June 24, 2020 Author Share Posted June 24, 2020 Primer is on and I’ve run over it with some very fine sanding pads and polished it with an old t-shirt. I’ve one seam to address at the tip of the nose - curiously only visible from certain angles, but a quick fix. Inspired by the DIY rivets of @Ray_W and @Bill Livingston I added some of my own around the wing roots and went over the kit rivets on the gun panels. As a first attempt, I’m pleased with how it went and with the effect. It’s things like this that highlight how good this group build community is, as there are loads of tips and techniques being shared that can be learned from and applied. Pre-shading next and then it will be ready for some Azure blue. Steve 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve 1602 Posted June 29, 2020 Author Share Posted June 29, 2020 I’ve been slacking! Family life and work has been the focus, so the Spit dropped down the pecking order. I had some time this evening, so I put on a pre-shade on the main panel lines and then an initial coat of Vallejo model air azure blue. I’m going to try to highlight some panels and apply a mottling layer tomorrow and then lay down another coat of azure blue. One thing I’ll have to sort is the wheel wells; I didn’t paint these during assembly but it’s now apparent I should have. I might brush paint these areas Rather than trying to spray into all the nooks and crannies. Steve 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Livingston Posted June 30, 2020 Share Posted June 30, 2020 Thats looking a good base, Steve. That Azure looks good, too. You are making a really good job of this. (Im going to miss this group...). 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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