2996 Victor Posted January 28, 2021 Share Posted January 28, 2021 Thread update, 21st June 2021 In the same way that my Hurricane thread has diversified, so has this thread. The special edition Sword 1/72 scale Spitfire PR.IV made for the Spitfire AA810 Sandy Gunn Aerospace Careers Programme charity makes its first appearance on Page 4, although it won't be built for a while. I'm sure as time goes on, other manufacturers' kits will crop up, and so some form of thread index for build starts would probably be useful. Ergo: Thread Index Page 1: Airfix 1/72 Spitfire Mk.Vc Original thread start, January 28th 2021 Hello all! Well, I was in two minds about posting a Work in Progress thread for this build, as it's a fairly popular subject right now. And rightly so, as its an eternally popular icon of aviation, this new kit from Airfix is really rather good, and this particular mark wore one of if not the widest variety of camouflage schemes applied to any given aeroplane. Inspired primarily by @tonyot's build thread here, I ordered not one but three examples (unheard of for me, and I've since ordered three more - just don't tell my better half!), and aftermarket decal sets by DK Decals, Xtradecal and Kitsworld all for Malta-based aircaft, and also by AML for the NMF 79 Sqn RAAF example. I've also got plans for one in post-1943 Italian Regia Aeronautica markings, also on the same Xtradecal sheet (although the camouflage scheme is distinctly suspect). This first build is going to be finished as a Maltese Spitfire, although I haven't yet quite decided which. I'll dispense with the usual box shots, as I think they're probably burned into every WW2 aviation modeller's psyche by now, and plough straight on. Here are the sprues: http:// And already with some paint applied: http:// Alongside is one of Airfix's earlier Spitfire Mk.I kits, which is going to be a Mk.II courtesy of 3D-Models conversion set and decals. Having painted its interior at the same time as the Vc, it's now been set aside for the time being. I've also started to take the cockpit parts off their sprues, and do a bit of detail painting. The eagle-eyed among you will have noticed that I've painted the inside of the upper wings in aluminium when only the undercarriage leg recesses should aluminium with the actual wheel bays being finished in undersurface camouflage colour. Also, I've stopped the interior grey green too far back in the cockpit; it should really extend to the front edge of the separate sidewalls: http:// http:// Ah, well, you can't see it when its all buttoned up..... And at that point, I decided that I would deviate a bit from Auntie's instructions and plough my own furrow. I decided to fix the separate side-walls to their respective fuselage halves instead of assembling the tub into a complete unit: http:// If anyone goes down this route, too, just a word of caution. You need to be a bit careful with the alignment of the cockpit sidewalls, otherwise the bulkheads/frames don't go in straight and the fuselage won't close properly, causing the frame behind the seat to compress and distort, which I thankfully spotted in time. How I went about it was to glue the port sidewall to its fuselage half first, then dry fit the frames and dry fit the starboard sidewall. Then I dry fitted the starboard fuselage half, and making sure the fuselage was properly closed, finally glued the starboard sidewall to the starboard fuselage half, being careful to not flood the whole assembly with glue. I hope that makes sense! By doing this, you do end up with a gap between the bottom of the two sidewall halves, so the locating block on the bottom of the "floor" is left floating, but the frames and "floor" still locate positively into their respective sockets in the sidewalls. I also ended up with perfect fuselage to wing joints, which I know some folk have had problems with, and which may be purely coincidental. A couple more views of the cockpit before the fuselage was closed up: http:// http:// The Sutton Harness is the Kitsworld 3D-Printed decal set. I must admit to being a bit sceptical about this, as harness decals look a bit too flat as a rule. These seem to look okay, though, although I had a bit of a job getting them to go where I wanted, and once there to stay put. The printed-on detail seemed to start to lift after a while, so perhaps I should have given the sheet a waft of flat clear before use. They'll certainly be fine under a closed canopy. By the way, the kit's instrument panel decal is quite effective and settled down well, but for future builds I'll be using the Yahu item. Cheers for now! Mark 15 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2996 Victor Posted January 28, 2021 Author Share Posted January 28, 2021 Dear All, for those at all interested, the various black-painted areas in the cockpit and rear fuselage are meant to represent the various electrical switches, boxes and other gubbins in the cockpit. I tried to judge their various sizes and locations from the photos on the Spitfire Site's Anatomy of the Spitfire's Cockpit page. To be fair, I think Auntie could have provided a little more relief detail in the cockpit for the various controls and switches/boxes mentioned. There is rib detail included where the actual ribs would have been hidden by the boxes etc. For future builds, I'm going to include some of this, just basic stuff with rectangles, cubes and discs of styrene. Also, the radio and its batteries in the rear fuselage would be just visible, so I'll make a basic attempt at those as well. Kind regards, Mark 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max Headroom Posted January 28, 2021 Share Posted January 28, 2021 I’ll tag along if I may. Can you see any carry over from the MK.I kit or is everything different? Trevor 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2996 Victor Posted January 28, 2021 Author Share Posted January 28, 2021 2 minutes ago, Max Headroom said: I’ll tag along if I may. Can you see any carry over from the MK.I kit or is everything different? Trevor Hi Trevor, welcome aboard, glad to have you along. Its a nice kit, and you can certainly see the family connections, but I'd say the Mk.Vc is significantly better over the Mk.I. The panel lines for instance are a huge improvement, and the degree of detail in the cockpit is more comprehensive. I'd have to check the break-down points for the wing/fuselage, but it'd interesting see if they could be cross-kitted to make a Mk.Va..... Cheers, Mark 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2996 Victor Posted January 28, 2021 Author Share Posted January 28, 2021 A quick word about the paints I'm using. Since returning to the hobby I've started to use acrylics (Jesse's Paints: This week, I am mostly using Acrylics) rather than the enamels of yore, and 99% of the paints I have are Vallejo Model Air, with a smattering of Mr Hobby and a very few Mission Models. I know some folks have problems with Vallejo, and using them in a warm environment can be tricky as they dry quickly, but so far I get on with them. The ones used so far on the Spitfire Mk.Vc are Model Air 71.126 IDF/IAF Green for the interior grey-green, and Metal Color 77.701 Aluminium, both over Vallejo 73.660 gloss black surface primer. The detail bits and bobs are done with whoever's paint I had in the colour I wanted, the seat being a case in point is a mixture of whatever I had to hand to make the reddish-brown colour of the resin-bonded seats. Externally, the model will be primed with Stynylrez and coloured with Vallejo Model Air colours as appropriate. I try to avoid mixing, as I get a bit OCD about colours and being able to match them.....! Cheers, Mark 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max Headroom Posted January 28, 2021 Share Posted January 28, 2021 I may got shot down by some here, but if building one of the Airfix starter sets, I use their acrylic potlets which do me ok - except their take on Dark Green. I use Hu117 for that. Trevor 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2996 Victor Posted January 28, 2021 Author Share Posted January 28, 2021 2 minutes ago, Max Headroom said: I may got shot down by some here, but if building one of the Airfix starter sets, I use their acrylic potlets which do me ok - except their take on Dark Green. I use Hu117 for that. Trevor Sounds perfectly fine to me - I haven't tried them, to be honest, but I've always set aside for potential use the potlets from the starter sets I've picked up, as I know some folks have nothing but praise for them. I can't remember why I chose Vallejo, I think simply because someone recommended them as worth a try! I understand their RAF Dark Green and Dark Earth shades are a bit iffy, although I haven't used them as yet, and some of their colour names are not what you'd expect. So when someone recommends such-and-such a colour for such-and-such an application I try to keep notes, and I always write on the bottle what its intended use is! Cheers, Mark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2996 Victor Posted January 28, 2021 Author Share Posted January 28, 2021 So, to bring things almost up to date, here are a few more pics of the Airfix Spitfire Mk.Vc. I didn't take any during the main assembly, so we have to jump from the cockpit having been assembled to the port half of the fuselage to a pretty much built airframe: http:// http:// I don't know if you'll be able to see clearly, but the fuselage to upper wing joint is nigh-on perfect. I built the wings as per the instructions, and presto! But I think I may have just been lucky. The joint between the lower wing and the fuselage, in the gull-wing area, had a bit of a gap, approx 0.5mm or so, and there was also a very small step between the trailing edge of the lower wing and the wing fairing moulded as part of the fuselage, all of which were filled with PPP. There were a couple of other areas that needed a smear of filler as well: firstly along the top of the engine cowling, and secondly the joint down the middle of the Vokes air filter. A couple of words of caution here. Firstly, the Vokes air filter seems to be slightly narrower at its rear end than at the intake end, so that the point where its top edge meets the cowling is fine, but there is a very slight inward step adjacent to the wing root. I'll try to get a photograph in due course to show more clearly what I mean. Secondly, I ended up with a very fine gap along the leading edge of the fin: sensible folks would have gently clamped it together after gluing..... After sanding the PPP, the filled areas along with the rear fuselage spine and belly joints and the leading edge of the fin were treated with successive coats of Stynylrez primer brushed on, which you can see in the photos. The primered areas were then carefully sanded with very fine wet-or-dry paper and extremely fine Tamiya sanding sponges. The latter are new to me, and a revelation! I'm sold on them and will definitely be using them regularly in future, as they're versatile and flexible. Some re-coating with Stynylrez was needed, especially around the lower wing to fuselage joint, as shown. This has now been polished back with the sanding sponges, and I'm happy enough for now. Some light re-scribing will be needed here and there and a full primer witness coat will show up any little niggles that need addressing. So to close for now, here are a couple of pics of the cockpit area: http:// http:// Thanks for looking in, and any comments, suggestions or criticisms (not too harsh, please!) are always welcome Mark 12 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyot Posted January 28, 2021 Share Posted January 28, 2021 Very nice indeed Mark,..... the interior looks excellent and you`ve soon jumped ahead to be almost at the painting stages,..... hope you are enjoying it? I have another pair almost finished too! Cheers Tony 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2996 Victor Posted January 28, 2021 Author Share Posted January 28, 2021 30 minutes ago, tonyot said: Very nice indeed Mark,..... the interior looks excellent and you`ve soon jumped ahead to be almost at the painting stages,..... hope you are enjoying it? I have another pair almost finished too! Cheers Tony Hi Tony, Many thanks for your kind words - praise indeed, if I may say so! I've had this one on the go for a couple of weeks, and to be fair it took me far longer to paint the interior than to actually assemble the main airframe! Lots of bits still to do, though. I'm very impressed with the kit overall. The level of detail is excellent, although I think Airfix could still dial back the panel lines a bit. Nothing that a coat of primer and a rub over with the finest sanding sponge won't sort out, though. I particularly like the way the tailplanes fit - an excellent bit of engineering, and the outer cannons are a nice touch, too. My mojo has been a bit lacking since we'll before Christmas, and this little gem has got me modelling again, and also making progress on my other builds that had stagnated. I'm looking forward to finishing this one and starting another! Cheers, Mark 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jackson Duvalier Posted January 28, 2021 Share Posted January 28, 2021 39 minutes ago, 2996 Victor said: I'm looking forward to finishing this one and starting another! Airfix are like that. Whenever I finish one of their newish kits I seem to start on another while the "lessons learnt" are still fresh in my head. Seems they all have a few quirks in assembly that can be capitalised upon, if one remembers them. It helps that they're quite inexpensive and the subjects have loads of marking options. I'm getting really impatient for my order of Mk. Vc's to arrive. I want to see if His Highness finds the slipper tank casting as interesting as Daisy does. 😄 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beard Posted January 28, 2021 Share Posted January 28, 2021 Looking good. Those printed seatbelts look good but seem a little pricey. What scheme are you going to do? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2996 Victor Posted January 28, 2021 Author Share Posted January 28, 2021 1 hour ago, Jackson Duvalier said: Airfix are like that. Whenever I finish one of their newish kits I seem to start on another while the "lessons learnt" are still fresh in my head. Seems they all have a few quirks in assembly that can be capitalised upon, if one remembers them. It helps that they're quite inexpensive and the subjects have loads of marking options. Yes, absolutely, and already I'm thinking how I'd change the build sequence slightly for the next one. I'd still add the sidewalls to the fuselage halves rather than build the tub, but I'd do it before any internal painting. Plus adding a few extra cockpit details as mentioned above. The widespread use of the Mk.Vc and the range of markings available makes it a very attractive proposition which is why I've ordered a few more! 1 hour ago, Jackson Duvalier said: I'm getting really impatient for my order of Mk. Vc's to arrive. I want to see if His Highness finds the slipper tank casting as interesting as Daisy does. Hopefully, your kits will arrive soon, and I'm looking forward to seeing how you get on! And don't forget to get a photo of His Highness inspecting the sprues! KInd regards, Mark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2996 Victor Posted January 28, 2021 Author Share Posted January 28, 2021 1 hour ago, Beard said: Looking good. Those printed seatbelts look good but seem a little pricey. What scheme are you going to do? The belts are quite good, and I'd happily recommend them. But they are quite expensive for what the are. I'm not entirely sure which scheme I'm going with, I keep changing my mind! I want to re-read Paul Lucas' articles in SAM before I finally decide, but it'll have to be soon as I'll need to start painting before long! Plus, I was going through my venerable copies of Aircraft Illustrated Extra, and Issue No.2 (cover price 3/-) is a Mediterranean special. One article is on Malta's contribution, which includes an interesting photo of Spitfire Mk.Vc s/n EP257, which needs a bit more research! So the jury's still out at present! Kind regards, Mark 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
opus999 Posted January 29, 2021 Share Posted January 29, 2021 8 hours ago, Max Headroom said: I may got shot down by some here, but if building one of the Airfix starter sets, I use their acrylic potlets which do me ok - except their take on Dark Green. I use Hu117 for that. Trevor I don't know if you've seen this paint comparison thread, but at one point he uses a potlet of paint and it stood up to the test fairly well! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
opus999 Posted January 29, 2021 Share Posted January 29, 2021 The cockpit looks great! Trouble with Spitfire cockpits is that they're nearly impossible to see if they are all buttoned up. I don't think this kit is available in the US yet (except through auction sites....) so I am anxiously awaiting it's arrival. So, thanks for starting a thread so I can live vicariously through you! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beard Posted January 29, 2021 Share Posted January 29, 2021 8 hours ago, 2996 Victor said: I'm not entirely sure which scheme I'm going with, I keep changing my mind! I want to re-read Paul Lucas' articles in SAM [...] I've read all of Lucas' Malta colour articles in SAM several times and I'm none the wiser. In the end, go with what you think to be correct because there's very few colour photos of Malta Spitfires and B&W photos are often open to interpretation. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2996 Victor Posted January 29, 2021 Author Share Posted January 29, 2021 7 hours ago, opus999 said: I don't know if you've seen this paint comparison thread, but at one point he uses a potlet of paint and it stood up to the test fairly well! Yes, its an interesting thread and the comparisons made are certainly useful to me. As I mentioned above, I'm quite keen on Vallejo acrylics, but their Dark Green and Dark Earth don't compare well to the other paints on trial, including the Starter Set potlet. That the green is too limey wasn't entirely lost on me Colours are always subjective, I know, but for Temperate Land Schemes, I think I might try the Hataka colours as they look "right" to my jaundiced eye. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2996 Victor Posted January 29, 2021 Author Share Posted January 29, 2021 7 hours ago, opus999 said: The cockpit looks great! Trouble with Spitfire cockpits is that they're nearly impossible to see if they are all buttoned up. I don't think this kit is available in the US yet (except through auction sites....) so I am anxiously awaiting it's arrival. So, thanks for starting a thread so I can live vicariously through you! Thanks, @opus999, praise indeed! Its true that there isn't a lot to be seen in the cockpit, certainly at this scale. As I mentioned somewhere above, I am planning to add a few little extra details to the next builds, but it won't be much more than sketching in the details. I don't know if its that visible in the photos, but I added a short length of 10thou plastic rod to the inside of the cockpit door as a representation of the crowbar - not really sure if even that was worth the bother! Hopefully, at the very least I'll be able to show how not to do it! Cheers, Mark 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2996 Victor Posted January 29, 2021 Author Share Posted January 29, 2021 3 hours ago, Beard said: I've read all of Lucas' Malta colour articles in SAM several times and I'm none the wiser. In the end, go with what you think to be correct because there's very few colour photos of Malta Spitfires and B&W photos are often open to interpretation. I know exactly what you mean: my head was swimming after I'd read them. I scribbled some notes while I was reading the first two articles, to try and make sense of the key points, and I need to do the same for the second two articles. But as you rightly say, absolutely rock-hard concrete evidence of Malta Spitfire colours is scarce, so a degree of pragmatism is the order of the day Kind regards, Mark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TEXANTOMCAT Posted January 29, 2021 Share Posted January 29, 2021 Terrific stuff - even with the quirks you can't complain at under a tenner - I've seen them for sale for £8.99 which seems a bit of a bargain! TT Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2996 Victor Posted January 29, 2021 Author Share Posted January 29, 2021 29 minutes ago, TEXANTOMCAT said: Terrific stuff - even with the quirks you can't complain at under a tenner - I've seen them for sale for £8.99 which seems a bit of a bargain! TT Hi TT, thanks for your kind words, greatly appreciated! Yes, there are one or two little quirks, but it really is a great little kit, highly recommended! I've ordered all mine from Model Hobbies (no connection other than as a very satisfied customer) because they've got them for £8.99 a pop and their p&p rates are competitive. In fact, they're fast becoming my go-to online store, and I've just ordered an Airfix 1/72 F4F Wildcat plus a couple of small aftermarket bits from them as well. In retrospect, I should have combined it with my second Spitfire Mk.Vc order and saved on postage I'd definitely say "get one", I'm certain you wouldn't regret it! Cheers, Mark 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
opus999 Posted January 29, 2021 Share Posted January 29, 2021 7 hours ago, 2996 Victor said: Yes, its an interesting thread and the comparisons made are certainly useful to me. As I mentioned above, I'm quite keen on Vallejo acrylics, but their Dark Green and Dark Earth don't compare well to the other paints on trial, including the Starter Set potlet. That the green is too limey wasn't entirely lost on me Colours are always subjective, I know, but for Temperate Land Schemes, I think I might try the Hataka colours as they look "right" to my jaundiced eye. I have the Hataka RAF paint set and have been super pleased with it -- both the colors and performance. Their early Luftwaffe colors are good too. Mid and Late Luftwaffe are not so great. So, I don't think you can go wrong using Hataka for RAF. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2996 Victor Posted January 29, 2021 Author Share Posted January 29, 2021 12 minutes ago, opus999 said: I have the Hataka RAF paint set and have been super pleased with it -- both the colors and performance. Their early Luftwaffe colors are good too. Mid and Late Luftwaffe are not so great. So, I don't think you can go wrong using Hataka for RAF. Brilliant, thank you, that's all the encouragement I need I won't need them immediately, but as well as a couple of planned Spitfire Mk.II, I've got a Curtiss Mohawk IV on order which, inspired by @tonyot's RFI thread, will be finished in SEAC colours, so it won't long before they're in my paint rack! Cheers, Mark 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
opus999 Posted January 29, 2021 Share Posted January 29, 2021 All my recent gray/green and brown/green spitfires and my brown/green P-40N are Hataka if you want a feel for how the paint looks... the usual caveats about monitors, etc. apply. I thin the Hataka paint the same as I do Mr. Color, which is 2:1 thinner to paint. Hataka is thinner than Mr. Color so you might be able to get away with 1:1. I love the plastic dropper bottles and the mixing ball inside. You can tell the paint is mixed by watching the bottom of the bottle and you can see the pigment caked on the bottom slowly disappearing. Alright... I'll get off the topic now. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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