Dennis_C Posted November 2, 2020 Share Posted November 2, 2020 Hi Everyone, My personal Spitfire mini group build has resulted in the first completed model. This is a very well known Tamiya's Mk.I. Much written about the pros and cons of the kit itself. Some say the wing shape is questionable but as I constructed it together with Eduard and Airfix kits - I did not observe any noticeable differences. I really enjoyed construction process. No fit issues, very little putty, ease of assembling, Not much aftermarket is used. In fact nothing apart of Eduard PE fret that mostly came into the cockpit. The main kit's drawback is the canopy that is not very thick but its sliding section is producing strong distortion perhaps due to variable thickness of the plastic. My intent was to make a BoB Spit, so an Xtradecal sheet was obtained. I chose the PRoJ machine (R6691) flown by Flight Lieutenant Frank J Howell of 609th Squadron. My original intent was to use kit's stencils and Xtradecal roundels, code and serials. However I became quite suspicious about the thickness of Tamiya decals and red on the Xtradecal sheet looked too brick to me. So I got a KitsWorld sheet for WWII fighters which also contained full stenciling set. The latter worked superbly. Zero silvering, none of the decals was damaged. Top class! Not much other insights. Top surfaces are Hobby Color H72 and H73, bottom side is Vallejo's Duck Egg Blue. Covered with gloss Tamiya finish pre-decals and then Micro Matt layer. Canopy is Future'd. Panel lines are highlighted with pencils, some dirt from Tamiya powders added as well as some Vallejo wash into larger recesses. More shots to enjoy! Thanks for watching! Kind regards, Dennis 33 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigbadbadge Posted November 2, 2020 Share Posted November 2, 2020 Great work Dennis, you have a lovely Spitfire there. Chris 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SAT69 Posted November 3, 2020 Share Posted November 3, 2020 Looks mighty good to me! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff G Posted November 3, 2020 Share Posted November 3, 2020 So good! Such a clean look. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Natter Posted November 3, 2020 Share Posted November 3, 2020 I do like that a lot; lovely Spit. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Broadway Posted November 3, 2020 Share Posted November 3, 2020 Lovely finist on the Spit. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pedro1 Posted November 3, 2020 Share Posted November 3, 2020 That is one great looking Spit, Dennis! Thanks for sharing. Peter 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swralph Posted November 3, 2020 Share Posted November 3, 2020 Nice one. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IanC Posted November 3, 2020 Share Posted November 3, 2020 Spot on Spit. The Gunze/Vallejo colours look just right too. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dennis_C Posted November 3, 2020 Author Share Posted November 3, 2020 Hi folks, Thanks a lot for appreciation and kind words! 9 hours ago, IanC said: The Gunze/Vallejo colours look just right too Hi, Ian. Just one remark. Vallejo 71.009 was used straight from the bottle. However Gunze paints were both diluted with white at about 20-25% to give them a lighter shade. Otherwise I do agree that these paints are a very good match to wwii-time RAF colours. Dennis 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dennis_C Posted November 5, 2020 Author Share Posted November 5, 2020 Hi again, Had some sunny hours today so made a few shots of my small WWII RAF collection: Always had an idea of having this famous trio in DG/DE colours. Also these guys represent several stages of the first wartime year: Phoney War, Battle of France and Battle of Britain. A top side photo for size comparison. Not much different in size in fact but Spitfire looks smaller on the shelf due to sleeker fuselage and narrower undercarriage A bottom side photo for lower surfaces camo evolution: All the best, Dennis 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keith in the uk Posted November 5, 2020 Share Posted November 5, 2020 i am surprised you found the Extra decal roundel Red too brick , i have always found Extra decals colours to be spot on. To my eyes the Kits World roundel Blue looks to be too dark , almost showing up Black in the pics although this could be a trick of the light ? however this aside what a lovely collection those models are . perhaps a fairey Battle or Blenheim next ? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dennis_C Posted November 5, 2020 Author Share Posted November 5, 2020 5 minutes ago, keith in the uk said: i am surprised you found the Extra decal roundel Red too brick , i have always found Extra decals colours to be spot on. To my eyes the Kits World roundel Blue looks to be too dark , almost showing up Black in the pics although this could be a trick of the light ? however this aside what a lovely collection those models are . perhaps a fairey Battle or Blenheim next ? Hi Keith, Xtradecal's red on Spitfire sheet was indeed brown brick unfortunately. Not at all red brick... Will make a photo at the day light later. BTW I honestly think Xtradecal are very inconsistent in terms of roundel colours. The above Hurricane has Xtradecal roundels too and the red there is the brightest and 'reddest' of all the three aircraft. However I agree the KitsWorld's blue is a bit too dark... Consistency between decal maker colours is something non existent so painting roundels is not the worst idea for the future. As to the next WWII projects I was thinking about moving forward in RAF history and build something from 1942/43 in DG+OG scheme - maybe a Mustang+Typhoon? Dennis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brigbeale Posted November 5, 2020 Share Posted November 5, 2020 Your Spitfire is stunning, the Hurricane and Defiant equally so. Well Done 👏👏👏 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
72modeler Posted November 5, 2020 Share Posted November 5, 2020 @Dennis_C, That's a nice trio! The Spitfire turned out very nicely, but I do love that early Hurricane! Not wishing to re-open the age-old , I tend to agree with your assessment of the Tamiya Mk 1 Spit; I have compared the wing and fuselage parts to the new-tool Airfix, CMR resin kit, and all the 1/72 drawings I have, and other than a slightly short rear fuselage and slightly broad-shouldered upper cowling, it matches right on. (I can hear the bolts being closed on the snipers' rifles!) In a year or two, if they are true to form, Tamiya will release a new Mk 1 based on their 1/48 kit in 1/72 scale, and the argument/s will at last be settled! (Me, I'm sitting on five each of the Mk1 and MkVb kits, and I'm not planning on junking them.) I think your colors are right on the money, and I also agree you need to add a Blenheim to you BOB trio- maybe a Mk 1F? Mike 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dennis_C Posted November 5, 2020 Author Share Posted November 5, 2020 @72modeler Thanks for comments! Agree Tamiya is not off-shaped as it's often perceived. Blenheim is definitely on the cards too. Maybe the one for the Greece campaign? I guess mk.I was there, not sure bomber or fighter incarnation or both. 🤔 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisbob12 Posted November 5, 2020 Share Posted November 5, 2020 That first shot just looked right. Don't know why, but it did. The rest are great too, but that first one... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vinnie Posted November 5, 2020 Share Posted November 5, 2020 Outstanding work, Dennis. Most impressive. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ColinChipmunkfan Posted November 6, 2020 Share Posted November 6, 2020 Hi Dennis, that is a very well built trio. The spitfire decals look particularly good- what's next Gladiator? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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