Spitfire 1a R6691 PR-J * Flt Lt F J Howell 609 Sqn * Airfix 1/24 - Weathering at last

[Johnson]

A bit of progress.

 

Painted the new 'Grey Matter Figures' seat using the recipe Jonners  @Jon Kunac-Tabinor suggested way back in 2010. I wonder if he remembers? Red/brown base coat, lightly dry brushed with red, orange and yellow and a top coat of translucent brown to finish. I think it worked well, thanks Jonners! It's not bad in the pic, but better in real life. The Eduard seat belts, which I always thought were far too light, got a brown wash and look much more the part.

 

 

I've also been working on the reflector gunsight and it's mount. 1/24 scale gives me the opportunity to make things that I wouldn't normally bother with at a smaller scale. I wanted to add the adjustment control rings for the gunsight;

 

 

(1) I mounted a small piece of 0.014" plasticard on a 3mm drill shank (the same diameter as the sight body).

(2) In another piece of card I drilled two small holes the right distance out and apart (took a few goes). This was rotated over the first piece of plastic and using the drill bit to accurately locate through the first hole, I could accurately drill another hole through the second hole, and so on...

(3) Using this method, a series of holes was drilled the same distance apart. This was repeated for the 2nd adjustment ring.

(4) I could then cut out the adjustment rings.

                                        I hope this make some sort of sense... 

 

The rest of the sight, the glass and the mount were scratched from scrap plastic. There's a lot more to the mount than that, like the bit that attaches it to the fuselage, the holder for the dimmer glass and the dimmed glass itself.

 

Next up, fitting the new seat, new armour plate, control column and gunsight and mount before I can get on with the canopy.

 

Back soon!

 

 

[bigbadbadge]

Great scratch work Charlie, and the seat looks fantastic. 

Chris

[Biggles87]

As above. 

If you haven’t done so already, a look at the cockpit ‘  walk around ‘ on the Spitfire Site might be worthwhile for the gunsight and mount details, it’s. Mk V but they will be basically the same thing.

 

John

[Johnson]

11 hours ago, bigbadbadge said:

Great scratch work Charlie, and the seat looks fantastic.

Thanks Chris. I find this type of work the most satisfying part of modelling.

 

2 hours ago, Biggles87 said:

If you haven’t done so already, a look at the cockpit ‘  walk around ‘ on the Spitfire Site might be worthwhile for the gunsight and mount details, it’s. Mk V but they will be basically the same thing.

 

Cheers John. I did have a look at the site. There are some really useful pics and I based my gunsight mount on them. But thanks for reminding me as it made me look again and there's a very good shot of the Sutton Harness attachment that I'll be replicating;

 

 

It's got modern fabric and fittings, but the method of attachment and the arrangement of cables looks the same, even the wire up to the overhead bracing strut that prevents the whole thing dropping into the fuselage and out of reach. And you are right about the gunsight mount remaining unchanged, from the early Mk.1s with the ring and bead sight to the Mk.IXs. I haven't researched any of the later marks and those with the gyro sight may be different. It's surprising that even some of the latest and best Spitfire models in 1/48 like the new Eduard Mk.1 don't get the gunsight mount quite right. Mine's still unmade so maybe it doesn't matter or show much on a completed model at that scale.

 

Cheers,

[Johnson]

A quick update from a busy weekend's work. The cockpit is back together, and nothing damaged! 

 

New seat and new armour in.

Control column back in, a bit closer to the seat.

Seatbelts back in. They are Eduard steel ones, very tough and inflexible. I had to cut them into pieces to get the alignment I wanted.

Reflector gunsight and mount in, with the dimmer screen at the front. And it has it's wire - many months ago @Olmec Headasked if I'd add the cable;

 

On 9/26/2020 at 5:12 PM, Olmec Head said:

Will you be putting in the cable from the instrument panel to the gunsight, I only ask because it I haven't seen it any Spitfire build in any scale as yet

 

Here it is;

 

 

 

 

Door next. Back soon!

 

Cheers,

[woody37]

Just caught up with this, absolute corker. Great to see the old kit getting such TLC

[bigbadbadge]

Ob wow, the Gunsight is a cracker, great job Charlie 

Chris 

[Rob Henderson]

Love the work in the cockpit, and hat's off to you for such attention to detail in correcting all those airframe details - superb!

[Johnson]

18 hours ago, woody37 said:

Great to see the old kit getting such TLC

Thanks Woody! Much appreciated. 

 

18 hours ago, bigbadbadge said:

the Gunsight is a cracker

Cheers Chris. It doesn't photograph that well, a bit dark but I was pleased with how it turned out.

 

16 hours ago, Rob Henderson said:

Love the work in the cockpit, and hat's off to you for such attention to detail in correcting all those airframe details

Thanks Rob. It's been a long road and I'm thankful that the end is in sight.

 

Cheers everyone and thanks for your invaluable support!

[Biggles87]

Excellent ‘ re engineering  ‘ of the cockpit. The gunsight mounting looks spot-on to me, probably the best I’ve seen.

 

John

PS pleased you didn’t put the middle strap through the hole.

[Johnson]

3 hours ago, Biggles87 said:

Excellent ‘ re engineering  ‘ of the cockpit. The gunsight mounting looks spot-on to me, probably the best I’ve seen.

Thanks John!

 

Tricky getting the parts back in, it's all so much easier when it's only half a fuselage! I really enjoyed making the gunsight and mount. The mount is actually a very prominent feature in the cockpit and I'm surprised it doesn't get better representation at 1/48.

 

3 hours ago, Biggles87 said:

PS pleased you didn’t put the middle strap through the hole.

I thought about this quite a lot and studied loads of WW2 photos but I couldn't find a picture that actually showed where the Y strap went. I'm still a bit in doubt, if the Y strap went down the back of the seat and was fixed to the frame, wouldn't that prevent the pilot leaning forward when he released the 'brake' on the strap that goes back down the fuselage? But in the end I went with with your and Edgar's recommendation, and I think it looks better that way.

 

In the IWM film (at 7m 45s in part 2 - Flight Rigger), the Aircraftsman checks the Sutton Harness operation and actually pulls the straps forward. It's a really great sequence that I've watched over and over, but exactly where the Y strap goes is just out of shot .

 

 

Currently working on the canopy and windscreen - which is not quite as good a fit as I'd thought, but a bit late to change things now, and the door, another scratch built affair.

 

Cheers,

[Johnson]

The Montex masks for the canopy were rubbish. I used only a couple on the rear glazing and had to cut the rest from Tamiya kabuki tape.

 

 

A coat of black primer. I reckoned it would be needed otherwise you would see the interior green from the outside.

 

 

Next was a new door. I tried adapting the Airfix part but it was just too thick. A completely new door was scratch made and black-based before the interior green paint was airbrushed on:

 

 

And the Techmod stencils added:

 

 

For the (now painted) canopy, an open/close latch was added (the 'red ball' canopy eject mechanism hadn't been introduced yet):

 

 

And the cockpit and canopy are now done! 

 

 

The windscreen was not the best fit. Despite hours (I'm not kidding) trying to get it flush with the fuselage, that was the best I could manage.

 

Still to do;

Exhausts, Nav lights, gun ports, wheels, yellow tips to props, aerial wire... weathering .

 

Back soon!

 

Thanks for looking.

[224 Peter]

Charlie, 

 

I'm an awe... it looks "real"...

The cockpit door is excellent!

 

Weathering....please don't over weather the pannel lines (a personal dislike of mine!)

[bigbadbadge]

Looks fantastic Charlie,  great work on the door and the release handle.

Chris

[Alan P]

The door looks brilliant 👏 👏 👏 Really good scratchbuilt piece.

[Johnson]

46 minutes ago, 224 Peter said:

I'm an awe... it looks "real"...

The cockpit door is excellent!

Thanks Peter, you're very kind!

 

3 hours ago, 224 Peter said:

Weathering....please don't over weather the pannel lines (a personal dislike of mine!)

Don't worry - no panel line weathering for me! it's so overdone. Have you seen the Mk.II in the latest Eduard Info? If you look at photos of BoB Spitfires most had very little weathering at all. The planes were new, it was summer. The undersides were grubby and streaked from the Merlin engine oil leaks and some staining on the wings from the guns but nowhere near what most models get. I'll need to add a bit of wear on the wings where the ground crew and pilot walked, but I'm not a confident weatherer and it's going to be pretty restrained.

 

1 hour ago, bigbadbadge said:

great work on the door and the release handle

Cheers Chris! I'm very happy with the result and the Techmod stencils were great, straight onto the Lifecolour IG with no gloss and they bedded down fantastically, with the help of some Microsol. But I couldn't fit the springs  on the door closure in .

 

22 minutes ago, Alan P said:

The door looks brilliant 👏 👏 👏 Really good scratchbuilt piece.

Thanks Alan. I've enjoyed the scratch building at this scale more than any other aspect of the build.

 

Cheers,

[Biggles87]

Just adding mine to the above comments on the door and latch, very realistic.

 

John

[Johnson]

17 hours ago, Biggles87 said:

Just adding mine to the above comments on the door and latch, very realistic.

 

Thanks John! That was the second attempt.

 

The first on the Airfix door wasn't so good...

A bit cruder and wonky, the handle and release looked very plasticky.

 

But I finished it anyway so that I can display the model with the door closed if needed.

 

 

Next up are the exhausts.

 

Can I make these;

 

 

Look like these?

 

Maybe I should have bought the nice 3D printed 1/24 Model Monkey exhausts  ?

 

 

Have to see. Back soon.

 

Cheers,

[Johnson]

The wet and windy weather has given me a break from gardening duties so I could get on and finish the Spitfire's exhausts and nav lights.

 

With a bit of adjustment the Airfix exhausts (based on a Mk.V?) were made into something more like those for a Mk.1, with the kidney shaped holes for the front two and round hole at the back. Plasticard was added and then the holes were drilled out and enlarged with a 10A scalpel. I wasn't sure if I should have left some of the lines (or dents) from the 6 individual engine outlets, I couldn't find a pic that showed the exhaust from the top, but I've a sneaking suspicion that they should be there.

Taking note of some of the better looking exhausts I've seen on BM, I tried a multilayer painting recipe. Starting with a Mr Surfacer 1500 black base, I added Humbrol copper (I would have used Alclad, but the cupboard was bare!). Then airbrushed red/brown over the copper which gave the sort of metallic/coppery effect seen on Spitfire exhausts. A light spray with Alclad 'Jet Exhaust' to enhance the metal effect and darken them in places and finally a light dusting on the back with Tamiya pastel to give the grey oxidation from the burnt 100 octane petrol. Did it work? I think so and it was fun.

 

 

Nav lights on the wings and tail were smash molded using clear thermoplastic over the pointy bit of Mrs J's knitting needles. The wing lights were coloured inside. The top nav light behind the aerial mast was the only Airfix part used, cleaned up, polished and coated with Klear.

And when/if I ever make another 1/24 Spitfire (2 in the stash ), I'll install the bottom nav light at an earlier stage when I can get at it from the inside. Absolute nightmare! I must have dropped the light into into the fuselage 6 times and there's still an earlier attempt stuck inside somewhere!

 

 

 

Getting there...

 

Next up, the undercarriage. Back soon!

 

Cheers,

[bigbadbadge]

Those exhausts stacks look fantastic Charlie, along with your smash moulded lights. Great work. The last image shows just how good the rear half of the fuselage looks with the rivets . Looks splendid.

Chris

[Johnson]

1 hour ago, bigbadbadge said:

The last image shows just how good the rear half of the fuselage looks with the rivets

 

Cheers Chris! When I started this I thought that I'd have to try to reduce those rivets. Probably influenced by the negative reviews of the kit that I'd read. But in the time I've been making it (lots of time!) I've come to appreciate them and admire what Airfix did. Possibly a little bit pronounced, but as far as I can tell accurate and a representation that no other model maker has attempted.

[Ray_W]

Great work with the light covers Charlie, superb. 

[Paul J]

I have just been going through this thread to see if I can be inspired to use some of the improvements on the one I am building. But no chance. I really admire the work going into this one but mine will be straight out the box and finished as best I can for my client. After all, he is only going to hang it up in his mancave so any super detailing as yours, will be lost.

One of the really weird things I found is the working undercart just does not work properly. And it has taken a lot of flash being scraped off, especially the mould seam lines.

However I am gobsmacked at the work done so far and this kit really deserves it in order to make it worthwhile.  Look forward to seeing the end result.  Excellent.

 

( BY the way not too worried about the errant colour scheme guide as I will finish it as KL-B. Talking of which, I see that it wasn't used that much by Al Deere being attributed to another pilot according to th blurb on the colour guide sheet)

[phat trev]

Totally in awe of your skills in creating this Spitfire   The details you have added and improved in are a delight. I was interested in your portrayal of the seat, especially when you created a Bakelite one. Many early Spitfires had seats made of unpainted alloy, with leather trim or cushioning but by August 1940 some may have had the Bakelite type so you might be ok.

[Johnson]

34 minutes ago, Paul J said:

I have just been going through this thread to see if I can be inspired to use some of the improvements on the one I am building. But no chance.

 

Hi Paul @Paul J,

 

I completely agree with your approach, if I were taking on the same commission I would do the same. But if there is one mod I would recommend you consider (and I will when I make LO-B 'BOGUS') which is to add the spar reinforcement to the wing;

 

https://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/235077784-spitfire-1a-r6691-pr-j-flt-lt-f-j-howell-609-sqn-airfix-124-exhausts-and-navigation-lights/&do=findComment&comment=3855810

 

Without it the wing may droop and it may make the wing to fuselage join work better. It's a very easy fix. The rest of the detail I added was for my own amusement and I think it would build into a very nice model without it. Thanks for your kind words, it's been quite a journey, mostly enjoyable, certainly educational.

 

Lastly;

44 minutes ago, Paul J said:

BY the way not too worried about the errant colour scheme guide as I will finish it as KL-B. Talking of which, I see that it wasn't used that much by Al Deere being attributed to another pilot according to th blurb on the colour guide sheet

I'm just finishing reading Al Deere's war memoirs 'Nine Lives' (an excellent read) and he writes about flying Kiwi I, Kiwi II, Kiwi III and that the Spitfires were all coded 'B'. I think the point Airfix are making is that there may be doubt about P9390 having the Kiwi badge.Possibly a more reliable guide to Al Deere's Kiwi's was covered by Southern Expo's decals;

 

http://www.southernexpo.co.uk/Decals2010_32ndScale.htm

 

In the end he gave up on the Kiwi badge as the Spitfires that carried it kept getting shot down. A fellow RAF pilot commented, 'a badge of a flightless bird isn't going to bring you much luck'.

 

Best wishes for the build - have fun!