No Man But Ajax May Vanquish Ajax (1/72 Airfix Spitfire Vc)

[Terry1954]

5 hours ago, Procopius said:

(However, she is doing a huge favour for Present Edward by heading off to Michigan with the kids tomorrow for ten magical days.

 

Lucky present Edward, imagine all that modelling time!

 

The Spitfire is looking splendid I must say. Gotta love a Malta Spitfire. And Malta itself holds happy memories for me as I lived there for 3 months as a 6 year old, back in the summer of 1960. That is when I learnt what hot really meant!

 

Terry

[Fritag]

5 hours ago, Procopius said:

However, she is doing a huge favour for Present Edward by heading off to Michigan with the kids tomorrow for ten magical days

 

That’s raised BM expectations of considerable Spitfire progress then PC….

 

5 hours ago, Procopius said:

Refresh my memory: did the Malta Spitfires used the DH spinners or Rotol or was it a mix?

 

I have to say my interest in Spitfires has been considerably reawakened (since mandatory youthful obsession) since I started (slowly) building one.  I find I’m now at least understanding questions such as this.  Not that I know the answer of course - I can’t pretend to actual knowledge you understand.  Not very helpful I know - but just saying 

 

 

[Procopius]

5 hours ago, Graham Boak said:

Sky Blue looks nothing like Mr, Surfacer primer, or the colour in your photo.  Perhaps that is Sky?  Two different colours, and one unlikely to be seen on overseas Spitfires.  Azure Blue is the likeliest colout for the undersides.  Sky Blue is sometimes mentioned but this may be a colloquial term for any light blue rather than the very pale AM colout Sky Blue.

Ah Graham, ever the diplomat. 

 

In person, it matches well with the Sky Blue paint chip in my copy of British Aviation Colours of World War Two, and I would of course expect nothing less from Colourcoats. As for the underside colour, I'm going off Paul Lucas's articles in SAM:

 

On 1/20/2021 at 1:18 AM, Procopius said:

It appears that BR321 was sent to Malta off HMS Eagle during Operation STYLE on 3 June 1942. Lucas seems to suggest that the Special Erection Party (fnarr) at Gibraltar would have painted this aircraft Dark Mediterranean Blue up top and Sky Blue below after assembly and before loading her on to Eagle. I have Colourcoats Sky Blue...but...dammit! No Dark Mediterranean Blue. I gather I can possibly use my Roundel Blue unless someone else has a better suggestion.

 

 

 

As there's been literally half a year for anyone to object, I think it's only natural that the possibility Sky Blue was Azure Blue would come up now, after it's been applied to the model. 

 

Thank you for confirming it's likely that BR321, a Supermarine-built aircraft, would likely have a DH spinner!

 

5 hours ago, Terry1954 said:

 

Lucky present Edward, imagine all that modelling time!

 

4 hours ago, Fritag said:

 

That’s raised BM expectations of considerable Spitfire progress then PC….

 

 

Indeed!

[Graham Boak]

If it is Colourcoats and matches the chart, then hurrah for photography and computer monitors!  But it still looks unlike Mr. Surfacer, at least my examples which have no blue in them at all.  The problem with Sky Blue is that ME Command rejected Sky as being too light, and Sky Blue is even lighter.  But then Malta seems to have enjoyed a certain independence from ME Command.

[Procopius]

I just blue myself.

 

 

 

Colourcoats Roundel Blue thinned beautifully and sprayed on very well. I tried to lay it on a bit thin to create some tonal variation. Only god can judge me. (And Mrs P, and my children, and any random passersby in the street...and you, of course.)

 

 

I need to figure out my mirror situation probably in the nearish future. 

 

 

 

[Terry1954]

Very nice looking blue PC .............. oh and the finish on the Spitfire looks good too!

 

Terry

[Cookenbacher]

So good to have you back on Britmodeller PC, the place just isn't the same without you.

I can't tell you how grateful I am for your kind words in the Folded and Faded thread, and I believe I can wholeheartedly return the compliment on your own faded blue paint job; just beautiful PC. Remember when we shared our mutual desire to become average Britmodellers a few years ago? We're almost there buddy!

[stevehnz]

On 7/27/2021 at 2:59 PM, Procopius said:

Tonight as I was reading to him, Grant told me I wasn't his father and that I killed his father, so possibly no more Star Wars for him.)

 

On 7/27/2021 at 2:59 PM, Procopius said:

In any case, the Colourcoats went on well, as it always does, though Sky Blue is hard to distinguish from Mr Surfacer 1000 primer at the best of times. Once it dries, it will be masked and then we'll use Roundel Blue for the upper surfaces.

Steve.

You're doing it again.    

[perdu]

3 hours ago, Cookenbacher said:

So good to have you back on Britmodeller PC, the place just isn't the same without you.

I can't tell you how grateful I am for your kind words in the Folded and Faded thread, and I believe I can wholeheartedly return the compliment on your own faded blue paint job; just beautiful PC. Remember when we shared our mutual desire to become average Britmodellers a few years ago? We're almost there buddy!

Almost?

 

Oh really?

 

 

You two are full blood hard head BMers Cookie and we are all the better for it too.

 

👍

[Terry1954]

16 minutes ago, perdu said:

You two are full blood hard head BMers Cookie and we are all the better for it too.

 

Seconded and Thirded

 

Well, there are two of them!

 

Terry

[rob85]

That is a very fine shade of blue you have there, I will have to remember it as I have far too many Malta aircraft to build.

 

glad you getting an empty house for 10 days, that’s what dreams are made of.

 

Rob

[Cookenbacher]

7 hours ago, perdu said:

Almost?

 

Oh really?

 

 

You two are full blood hard head BMers Cookie and we are all the better for it too.

 

👍

 

6 hours ago, Terry1954 said:

 

Seconded and Thirded

 

Well, there are two of them!

 

Terry

No take backs!

(Hey PC, we're in!)😀

[Procopius]

On 7/28/2021 at 5:32 AM, Cookenbacher said:

So good to have you back on Britmodeller PC, the place just isn't the same without you.

I can't tell you how grateful I am for your kind words in the Folded and Faded thread, and I believe I can wholeheartedly return the compliment on your own faded blue paint job; just beautiful PC. Remember when we shared our mutual desire to become average Britmodellers a few years ago? We're almost there buddy!

I can only dream to aspire to the level of modelling evinced by Senator C. Cooken Cookenbacher (I-NM).

 

On 7/28/2021 at 7:19 AM, stevehnz said:

 

You're doing it again.    

https://memes.yarn.co/yarn-clip/6cefc4fc-d10a-473f-8c1e-13a51c81886f

 

On 7/28/2021 at 8:52 AM, perdu said:

You two are full blood hard head BMers Cookie and we are all the better for it too.

 

You just remember that when I show up at 3AM on your doorstep with a suitcase in hand.

 

Glosscoat is on:

 

 

 

I also sanded, primed, and painted the prop and spinner.

 

 

The DH spinner and prop for the Airfix kit looks...reasonable, I'll go that far, but the Rotol spinner looks like it came from a Spitfire XIV (cue wheezing self-satisfied anorak laugh). I can only assume that in the spirit of mediaeval artisans, Airfix introduces one deliberate error (at least, cf. their 1/72 Hurricane IIc) least they mock god through the arrogance of attempting to construct a perfect replica, least Margate be submerged under torrential rainfall for forty days and nights. 

 

 

[Stew Dapple]

Well done mate, got some comedic gems in there as well as some modelling  

 

10 minutes ago, Procopius said:

least Margate be submerged under torrential rainfall for forty days and nights. 

 

I think this might actually be happening, at least I read of floods in London whilst getting slightly sunburnt in rural Aberdeenshire earlier this week (yes, I was actually there for the full three days of summer! *gloats* - although on my return to Dundee I got off the train to find a thunderstorm in progress)

 

Cheers,

 

Stew

[Jackson Duvalier]

33 minutes ago, Procopius said:

I can only assume that in the spirit of mediaeval artisans, Airfix introduces one deliberate error (at least, cf. their 1/72 Hurricane IIc) least they mock god through the arrogance of attempting to construct a perfect replica, least Margate be submerged under torrential rainfall for forty days and nights. 

 

 

Sounds legit.  I can only presume that's the principle guiding Academy, their goofs are to goofy to be explained by a Korean variant of wabi-sabi.

[AdrianMF]

I was just reflecting while building a sneaky quick 109 in the GB how few schemes there are for mainstream Spitfires, so it’s nice to see something a bit different!

 

Regards,

Adrian

 

 

[perdu]

3 hours ago, Procopius said:

You just remember that when I show up at 3AM on your doorstep with a suitcase in hand.

 

Just don't make too much noise settling down in the coal-shed at 3AM, I am not at my organising best at that ungodly hour...

 

Oh yes, try not to disturb Doris's web over in the darkest corner.

[Quiet Mike]

Wow, arriving very late to the party here and going through this thread, an emotional roller coaster for sure. Glad you're weathering the storm, enjoy the ten days of solitude. Love the colour on this Spitfire!

[Procopius]

I got the decals on today in between spurts of work -- I am very glad that I only return to the office one day a week (assuming the Delta variant doesn't put the kibosh on those plans) come September. Right now the city is hosting a mammoth music festival with lots of out of state visitors, what could go wrong?

 

 

"Edward," some clever boots is about to say, "why haven't you painted the Vokes filter DMB as well, seeing as it was so daubed on Malta Spitfires?"

 

Well, you impertinent swine, it just so happens I have.

 

 

Poof! Take that!

 

But like Icarus, pride goeth before a fall, and the underside of the scoop should be the underside colour, so we'll have to fix that in the fullness of time.

 

 

 

[Graham Boak]

On 7/30/2021 at 4:54 AM, AdrianMF said:

I was just reflecting while building a sneaky quick 109 in the GB how few schemes there are for mainstream Spitfires,

Not on Malta.  Even if you restrict your reading to the latest and best sources.

 

12 hours ago, Procopius said:

 

"Edward," some clever boots is about to say, "why haven't you painted the Vokes filter DMB as well, seeing as it was so daubed on Malta Spitfires?"

Then some smart Alec will pop up and add "not always."  

 

That's what I like about Malta Spitfires - variety!

[Procopius]

2 hours ago, Graham Boak said:

Then some smart Alec will pop up and add "not always."  

 

Indeed! Fortunately, though his specific scheme advice/theories are now somewhat superseded, Brain Cauchi's Malta Spitfire Vs has a number of photographs of contemporaneous GL-coded 185 Squadron Spitfires, and it seems their general practice (as opposed to that of 249) was to paint the Vokes filter sides  and front the uppersurface colour, leaving the underside whatever colour that was. It's unfortunate that I can't seem to find any photos of BR321...wait, hold the phone.

 

 

Here's one I finally managed to turn up. If I were a little smarter, I might have found it sooner. Looks like some fairly heavy chipping along the wing root, and possibly below the "G" of the code, maybe showing the original scheme? Arrgh.

 

[Graham Boak]

BR321 was delivered on Operation Salient June 9th.  So it was sent direct to Gibraltar, and presumably (!) originally in Desert Scheme.  It was quite possibly repainted at Gibraltar.  Which doesn't help a lot.

[Procopius]

So aside from the minor issue unearthed by Graham above (to wit, that I thought I was researching BR312 and thus looked up the colours for Operation STYLE, rather than the correct BR321 and Operation SALIENT), which means my paint scheme is likely totally wrong and requires a level of correction I'm unprepared to do, things are going swimmingly. Today I touched up the paint, and then, carried away in the heat of the moment, broke out some more Roundel Blue and softened the edges of the decals to make it look like there had been some overspray and general wear. Then, getting really fired up, I broke out my 0.18mm airbrush, cranked down the spray regulator, and added some bare metal wear:

 

 

 

 

 

Not sure how convincing it is, but...at least I tried?

 

 

 

[Terry1954]

Looks pretty convincing to me, especially that port wing root. I think you nailed that!

 

Terry

[perdu]

3 hours ago, Procopius said:

how convincing?

Has me impressed PC, I am loving that kicked about blue paint effect.

 

Hate the colour scheme but that is not your fault, Spitfires havent really 'floated the boat' for me for many decades.

 

This looks impressive 👍