Airfix Spitfire Mk1a

[Blitz23]

Evening guys, I've been waiting on the GB for a while now! For that reason I may actually finish a build for a GB for once.

 

Listed below is the kit I'll be using which I picked up from a Flying Legends a few years back.

 

 

 

I'll be using an Xtradecal set and finishing the build as A/C  QJ-W flown by Flight Leuitenant Denys Gillam.

Having researched his history, I have visited many locations he was posted and served at throughout the UK so his aircraft and career resonates with myself.

 

Anyone interested in F/L Gillam I have linked his history below.

 

http://www.bbm.org.uk/airmen/GillamDE.htm

 

Paint wise, does anyone have any suggestions as to the best paint match for the Pale Blue undersides?

 

Cheers, 

 

Lee

Edited July 12, 2020 by Blitz23
spelling

[Ozzy]

Nice choice Lee.

[Stew Dapple]

1 hour ago, Blitz23 said:

Paint wise, does anyone have any suggestions as to the best paint match for the Pale Blue undersides?

 

Hi Lee,

 

The pale blue underside is probably meant to represent either Sky Blue or Sky Blue (BS101), two of the alleged Sky substitutes used in the lead-in and earlier part of the Battle when the previous black-white divided underside was ordered to be replaced by Sky undersides, but paint manufacturers had not yet had the chance to produce sufficient quantities of the new paint. While there is some evidence that other colours such as one of the Sky Blues, Sky Grey and Eau de Nil may have been used there is a certain amount of what we might euphemistically term "lively discussion" as to how widespread this practice actually was. If you want a perfect match, there is one in the Colourcoats range which contains both the Sky Blues (and indeed Sky Grey and Eau de Nil).

 

As I say you may see a fair number of publications and profiles indicating the use of colours other than Sky in the earlier part of the Battle of Britain but it's really up to you how much weight you ascribe to this as it's difficult to provide conclusive proof of any widespread use or otherwise at this distance in time.

 

Cheers,

 

Stew

[Corsairfoxfouruncle]

My most sincere apologies for intruding @Blitz23 I wanted to ask @Stew Dapple a related question. Im planning on also doing a 92 squadron Spitfire. Its a replacement for one lost in France. So Eau de Nil or Sky Blue, or Sky type S are possible ? I have all three colors and most likely will be building QJ*R though X, Y, or Z are aircraft codes that are possible. All can be attributed to Tuck flying them at some point between July and his transfer to 257 Squadron in September. 

[Stew Dapple]

Hi Dennis, there are actually two Sky Blues and they are quite different shades but yes, theoretically either of the Sky Blues, or Eau de Nil or Sky Grey could all be candidates as Sky replacements - or, of course, and perhaps most likely, it could just be Sky. As I mentioned it is a bit of a contentious subject but with so little concrete evidence it would be hard to be proven wrong, whatever your choice. 

 

Cheers,

 

Stew

[Blitz23]

55 minutes ago, Corsairfoxfouruncle said:

My most sincere apologies for intruding @Blitz23 I wanted to ask @Stew Dapple a related question. Im planning on also doing a 92 squadron Spitfire. Its a replacement for one lost in France. So Eau de Nil or Sky Blue, or Sky type S are possible ? I have all three colors and most likely will be building QJ*R though X, Y, or Z are aircraft codes that are possible. All can be attributed to Tuck flying them at some point between July and his transfer to 257 Squadron in September. 

No worries, the extra information is very helpful for everyone on the forum I'm sure.

 

1 hour ago, Stew Dapple said:

 

Hi Lee,

 

The pale blue underside is probably meant to represent either Sky Blue or Sky Blue (BS101), two of the alleged Sky substitutes used in the lead-in and earlier part of the Battle when the previous black-white divided underside was ordered to be replaced by Sky undersides, but paint manufacturers had not yet had the chance to produce sufficient quantities of the new paint. While there is some evidence that other colours such as one of the Sky Blues, Sky Grey and Eau de Nil may have been used there is a certain amount of what we might euphemistically term "lively discussion" as to how widespread this practice actually was. If you want a perfect match, there is one in the Colourcoats range which contains both the Sky Blues (and indeed Sky Grey and Eau de Nil).

 

As I say you may see a fair number of publications and profiles indicating the use of colours other than Sky in the earlier part of the Battle of Britain but it's really up to you how much weight you ascribe to this as it's difficult to provide conclusive proof of any widespread use or otherwise at this distance in time.

 

Cheers,

 

Stew

Thank you Stew for the in depth info, much appreciated!

[Troy Smith]

4 hours ago, Blitz23 said:

I'll be using an Xtradecal set and finishing the build as A/C  QJ-W flown by Flight Leuitenant Denys Gillam.

Having researched his history, our I have visited many locations he was posted and served at throughout the UK so his aircraft and career resonates with myself.

 

Anyone interested in F/L Gillam I have linked his history below.

 

http://www.bbm.org.uk/airmen/GillamDE.htm

 

Paint wise, does anyone have any suggestions as to the best paint match for the Pale Blue undersides?

IIRC the reason is 616 Sq Spitfires have been recorded as using pale blue.  Possibly some remains have been found and 'matched ',  in the link there is mention of SAM Camouflage and Markings Vol.2,  Battle of Britain.  

A quick look shows frequent reference to FS595 'matches' ....    be aware they are visual matches to the closest in a FS595 fan deck, which is not a colour atlas,  but a series of paint colors approved for use by the US Government,   but quickly become 'matched by FS *****'  losing the closest bit...

 

OK, 5 years ago I collated some info on this,  condensing down various previous discussions, plus some cuttings.   It's a subject with pretty fuzzy edges

 

whole thread worth a read.    

 

Also, the kit you have is the 2007 tooling.  It's not great.  Most of the shapes are good, but, it's really clunky, and the trailing edges are really thick.

 

Do you want some hints and tips on this? 

[Blitz23]

37 minutes ago, Troy Smith said:

IIRC the reason is 616 Sq Spitfires have been recorded as using pale blue.  Possibly some remains have been found and 'matched ',  in the link there is mention of SAM Camouflage and Markings Vol.2,  Battle of Britain.  

A quick look shows frequent reference to FS595 'matches' ....    be aware they are visual matches to the closest in a FS595 fan deck, which is not a colour atlas,  but a series of paint colors approved for use by the US Government,   but quickly become 'matched by FS *****'  losing the closest bit...

 

OK, 5 years ago I collated some info on this,  condensing down various previous discussions, plus some cuttings.   It's a subject with pretty fuzzy edges

 

whole thread worth a read.    

 

Also, the kit you have is the 2007 tooling.  It's not great.  Most of the shapes are good, but, it's really clunky, and the trailing edges are really thick.

 

Do you want some hints and tips on this? 

It might be an experimental job then with different mixes tested out first, and hints and tips are always welcome Troy!

[Back in the Saddle]

I’m on the same kit, but using the decals supplied by Airfix. Looking forward to seeing how you get on!

[Blitz23]

Evening all,

 

Here's the work carried out so far, not the most detailed kit and shape wise not sold on the nose, it seems to wide to me but I won't be making any drastic changes it will be an OOB build still.

 

Next up I'll give the cockpit a dark wash, finish detailing and add some seatbelts prior to assembly.

 

Enjoying this GB so far, I may add a 1/72 subject if I continue to make decent progress.

 

Lee

[Back in the Saddle]

I've just started this one and have a huge issue with the fit of the wings... How does yours look?

[Blitz23]

1 hour ago, Back in the Saddle said:

I've just started this one and have a huge issue with the fit of the wings... How does yours look?

It doesn't appear to be great, I'll have a better indiction once the fuselage is together.  Seems theres either gaps either side where the wings join the fuselage or the front part of the wings protudes to far forward so the lower cowling fit is off.  I don't think its anything a bit of sanding, test fitting and filling wont fix.  

[Back in the Saddle]

Sounds familiar! 😂

[lasermonkey]

Even back in 1982 people were talking about No. 616 Sqn's Spitfires having pale blue (and even silver!) undersides early on in the BoB, which I think was down to observation at the time. The pale, MAP Sky Blue is likely to be the colour used, IMO, as none of the other colours that have been recorded could really be described as "pale blue".

 

Cheers,

Mark.

[Blitz23]

22 hours ago, lasermonkey said:

Even back in 1982 people were talking about No. 616 Sqn's Spitfires having pale blue (and even silver!) undersides early on in the BoB, which I think was down to observation at the time. The pale, MAP Sky Blue is likely to be the colour used, IMO, as none of the other colours that have been recorded could really be described as "pale blue".

 

Cheers,

Mark.

Thanks Mark that's quite helpful.

[Troy Smith]

On 16/07/2020 at 20:13, Blitz23 said:

and shape wise not sold on the nose, it seems to wide to me 

The nose is inherited from the original 1/48  Airfix Vb from 1978. 

the kit has the right shapes in it, just needs a lot of refining, which is a bit of a chore as it's heavily moulded  

 

Years ago @John Aero  had posted photos of the fix,  the thrust line is too high, and the spinner base and nose ring is thus too big.

 

Fix is easy,  but requires a new spinner. 

line new spinner up with lower nose ring, draw round upper edges, sand to fit, and a gentle slope off the upper cowling. 

New spinners are now floating about in profusion as the new tool Airifx Spitfires come with multiples.   He also had a photo of what needed sanding off from the kit.  

Another easy fix is to replace the rudder and tailplanes with leftovers from the ICM or Eduard VIII/IX/XVI kits,  as they have early and late types as options.

 

Ironically the original Vb is overall rather good,  shapes are excellent,  (nose/spinner aside).   I have a few stashed for projects, specifically the prototype and Speed Spitfire, as it''s easier to sand of the fine raised lines then fill engraved ones.

 

if you can be bothered, the cockpit is painted aluminium from behind the seat bulkhead. 

see here

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.

 

HTH

[Blitz23]

11 hours ago, Troy Smith said:

The nose is inherited from the original 1/48  Airfix Vb from 1978. 

the kit has the right shapes in it, just needs a lot of refining, which is a bit of a chore as it's heavily moulded  

 

Years ago @John Aero  had posted photos of the fix,  the thrust line is too high, and the spinner base and nose ring is thus too big.

 

Fix is easy,  but requires a new spinner. 

line new spinner up with lower nose ring, draw round upper edges, sand to fit, and a gentle slope off the upper cowling. 

New spinners are now floating about in profusion as the new tool Airifx Spitfires come with multiples.   He also had a photo of what needed sanding off from the kit.  

Another easy fix is to replace the rudder and tailplanes with leftovers from the ICM or Eduard VIII/IX/XVI kits,  as they have early and late types as options.

 

Ironically the original Vb is overall rather good,  shapes are excellent,  (nose/spinner aside).   I have a few stashed for projects, specifically the prototype and Speed Spitfire, as it''s easier to sand of the fine raised lines then fill engraved ones.

 

if you can be bothered, the cockpit is painted aluminium from behind the seat bulkhead. 

see here

http://spitfiresite.com/2010/07/anatomy-of-spitfire-cockpit.html

 

HTH

I thought this kit felt familiar, having previously experienced the old Mk V mould. I'll see how it looks once the fuselage is together and if it looks ridiculous I'll see if I can amend it.  Agh yes good spot I shall repainted the aluminium before applying the wash.  Thanks for the depth of knowledge Troy 👍🏻

 

Lee

[Blitz23]

Little update on my Spitfire's progress, apologies for the poor picture quality.

 

Still need to add seatbelts, I may order an eduard set, or just make my own, I haven't decided yet. Gaps on the kit aren't as bad as I first feared mainly just on the underside of the fuselage/wing join, nothing a little filler won't fix.

 

 Also I'm enjoying this GB subject so much I'm thinking of using a surplus airfix dogfights stand I have never ended up using and potentially adding something in 1/72 scale, maybe a Bf110 and Hurricane duelling.  Will have to look into some history for a potential clash of Hurricanes and 110s just to get the correct Sqn codes etc.

 

 

 

 

As you can see still some gaps to fill mainly around where the wings meet the rear lower fuselage.

 

Some sanding still needed for the lower cowl to fit correctly.

 

Thanks for looking,

 

Lee

 

 

[Stew Dapple]

She's coming together nicely Lee

 

Cheers,

 

Stew