1/72 Airfix Project Spitfire Paint Duel: AK Interactive vs Hataka

[CedB]

Looking very good Steve, nice job  

[ProfSparks]

Hi All

 

Not much to do on these now, they're Matt, wheeled and propped, and truth be told there's not a great deal of difference in the finishes

 

Even the garish Vallejo Green has toned down slightly under a Flory wash (it's more pronounced in these photos)

 

The undersides are similarly similar

 

I'll get their aerials on and seek out some natural light for a better comparison

 

 

Comments and suggestions welcome

 

Cheers

Steve

 

[ProfSparks]

Hi All

 

A little natural light showed the slight differences in colour tone between these AK (left) and Hataka (right) Spits.

 

Trying to quantify them, I would say the AK is slightly more 'grey scale', with the Hataka slightly more 'vibrant' (although not quite as garish as the Vallejo).

 

In general, both sets were broadly accurate to colour photos found online, with abundant examples for each chromatic scheme. You pays your money and takes your choice.

 

 

 

 

However, the AK cockpit green is decidedly green and the Hataka not quite so

 

And the AK Sky being decidedly beige, the Hataka having a decidedly peppermint greenish hue

 

Colour perception is completely subjective, and a preference is entirely a personal choice, so all of these paints (even the Vallejo Lime) being contenders after a Flory wash

 

 

 

Finally, a big shout out to the venerable Humbrol 29 Dark Earth 'starter set' plastic pot. It may have sprayed oddly and dried with the surface finish of a badger's ar$e, but points awarded for not disgracing itself completely.

 

 

Thanks for all the pointers and diversions, with @Troy Smith again introducing doubt and certainty in equal measure

 

 

See you in The Lab for the next one

 

 

Comments and suggestions welcome

 

Cheers

Steve

 

[CedB]

Thanks Steve - a useful, practical comparison… and some great Spits!  

[Olmec Head]

I have just caught up with this Steve and the kits look good with excellent camouflage hard edge demarcation and overall finish.  I haven't used the AK and Hataka ranges mainly due to availability. 

 

Currently, I use:

 

Tamiya RAF Dark Green XF81 (sometimes lightened with a bit of yellow and a bit of white -technical this isn't!).  I did try Vallejo new BS Dark Green, but found it too 'emerald' and vivid.  Also because the Vallejo paints are thin and 'wet' the Vallejo can leak under camouflage masks unless 100% sealed - which I am not really able to do using homemade masks.  The only issue I have found with the Tamiya is it can slightly grainy.

 

Vallejo BS Dark Earth 71.327.  Like yourself, I find this tedious at times to airbrush.  Sometimes it is faultless, some times it clogs and spits.  What I have found is to apply it quickly as it is thin and 'wet', then I use a hairdryer to quickly dry it and then apply further 2-3 quick coats with hairdryer application in between.  This mitigates the thinness of the Vallejo paint and the tedium of waiting for the pain to dry between applications.  I have also used Vallejo original Dark Earth .029 as a base colour which is darker, but provides a  good foundation for the lighter .327.

 

Tamiya Sky XF 21 for the underneath, but lighted with white, the  original colour seems too dark to me.  I have also used the new Vallejo Sky Type S as you trialled and that works well - with my caveats about Vallejo as above.

 

Anyway, Tamiya new 1/48 Spitfire in Tamiya  Dark Green  with Vallejo DE .327 sprayed over Vallejo DE .029 and Tamiya straight Sky:

 

 

Airfix 1/72 Spitfire with Vallejo DE .327 and new BS DG, I think the green is too vivid and the brown is too tan:

 

 

And Finally three Skys:

 

Vallejo to the left, Tamiya above and Xtracylic on the right.  

[opus999]

Thanks for this comparison!  This was very useful information and you've got some terrific looking Spitfires to boot!

[VT Red Sox Fan]

Very useful comparison--based on this I have decided to give AK a go--best, Erwin

[Lewis95]

Very good comparison. And good builds as well. 

 

But, is it just me or did the browns COMPLETELY change tone after the W&N matt? 

[Solar Panel Phil]

Hi, I know I'm resurrecting quite an old post, but curious about the size of the Airfix decals for DW-K - someone on another post opined that they were just a tad overlarge for proper placement on this well-photographed aircraft.  In one of the the examples above, the 'D' extends over the wing root joint. I know the 610 machines had a peculiarly large set of code letters at the time, but has Airfix "over-egged" them a bit?  

[ProfSparks]

Hi Phil

 

I would say that it's probably down to my dodgy placement more than Airfix size...

 

You can see here that the DW tucks right up under, and remains parallel to, the canopy lower edge

On 11/22/2020 at 2:01 PM, Troy Smith said:

 

Whereas I've slapped them on at a jaunty angle

On 1/24/2021 at 11:27 AM, ProfSparks said:

 

They may be slightly oversize, but not by much. If anything, their layout may have to be tweaked to get a slightly smaller roundel and the K separated and into the correct orientation higher up, but as a whole they're not too bad, it's just my application. I'd do that on my next one

 

 

Cheers

Steve

 

[Solar Panel Phil]

Steve, many thanks!