Spitfire LF Mk.IXc, ML135 - Jerry Billing, No.401 Squadron, RCAF 1944 - Eduard 1/72 - Update 01/08/22

[PlaStix]

I had originally planned on building something else for this GB, but it was going to be another tank, and I haven't built any aircraft so far this year. So I have changed my mind as to what I'm going to build and I'm now intending to make this:

 

I will build it as one of these two:

 

I haven't decided which yet.

 

Jerry Billing, a Canadian pilot, flew the original aircraft in the RCAF during 1944. There's a good article about him below - the link to which was kindly passed to me by @JackG: http://www.clubhyper.com/reference/jerrybillingbs_1.htm

 

I made the 1/48 version of this kit for the D-Day GB way back in 2014:

 

Looking forward to starting the 1/72nd version on the 1st July, or maybe the 2nd, as I'm working on the Saturday....grrrrrr!

 

Kind regards,

 

Stix

[zebra]

A nice choice and a fitting tribute to Jerry Billing. I recommend reading the article Stix has linked to in his first post, Jerry Billing had an interesting and eventful flying career.

[giemme]

Good to see you back building a flying thing,  Stix!   I'll be tagging along, if you don't mind  

 

Ciao 

[PlaStix]

On 24/06/2022 at 16:11, zebra said:

A nice choice and a fitting tribute to Jerry Billing. I recommend reading the article Stix has linked to in his first post, Jerry Billing had an interesting and eventful flying career.

Thank you @zebra. I'm looking forward to the start next weekend!

 

On 24/06/2022 at 17:43, giemme said:

Good to see you back building a flying thing,  Stix!   I'll be tagging along, if you don't mind  

Ciao 

Hi @giemme. I hope you are keeping well. Great to see you here and it's always good to have your input into my builds. I'm sorry I haven't had as much time as I'd like to keep up with your projects. Life and running the M3/M4 STGB seemed to get in the way. The M3/M4 GB officially finishes, with the end of the poll, tomorrow evening. After that, hopefully, I will have a bit more time.

 

Yesterday I got the parts washed in warm soapy water so I got some photos of the contents of the box taken too:

 

Some closer views:

 

Nice surface details for 1/72:

 

How much remains after the paint goes on, we'll have to wait and see!

 

 

Multiple versions appear of various parts:

 

 

 

Nice detail on the lower cockpit side inserts:

 

Good collection of clear parts:

 

Closer view of the PE parts Eduard supply with the kit:

 

Main decal sheet:

 

Lots of stencils!:

Not too sure how many of them my eyesight and patience will cope with!!

 

Sample of the instructions:

You can see on the left hand page, from the areas blocked out in blue, how many extra parts there are in this kit that are not used.

 

Although hardly anything is seen once the kit is complete, I always enjoy making and detailing the cockpits in aircraft builds, even in this scale!! Looks like this one should be fun!:

 

I'm not totally sure yet, but I'm leaning towards doing this version of Jerry's Spitfire as the one on the right hand side here:

.....as I made the 1/48 kit as the left hand version back in 2014 - please see my first post above. I'll wait and see.......

 

Roll on next weekend!

 

Comments and suggestions welcome.

 

Kind regards,

 

Stix

[PlaStix]

Jerry and ML135, June 1944.

[PlaStix]

I do apologise for not updating this thread before, but it's been a bit of a busy time, again, recently.

I have managed to find a bit of time, here and there, and made some progress.

 

As I always do with Spitfire cockpits, as well as cleaning up the parts ready for painting and assembly, I look for places where I can improve the details a little, without too much effort. This often just includes drilling out various holes and adding basic wiring, For example, this was the seat frame(s) being drilled out:

 

I'm working on both of these in case I cannot get the PE headrest armour right,. I have since drilled out and cut the seatbelt strap slot right through in the left hand frame headrest armour. I must also add that the details on the 1/72nd Eduard kit don't really need much of any help with detailing...

 

...for example, the seat is very nicely done. A Five Pence piece is inclued in the photos to show how small the seat is:

 

 

 

After the clean up of seam lnes and bits of flash, of which there were more than I was expecting on and Eduard kit, I had everything for the cockpit area, ready for painting:

The only wires I ended up adding, at this stage, were on the IP bulkhead frame.

 

And then I started getting some basic paints on, all applied with brushes:

I used Humbrol's Cockpit Green, plus Revell's Aluminium and Reddish Brown - all acrylics thinned well with water.

 

Basic weathering, including some dry-brushing, and then some deatil painting will be next.

 

Comments and suggestions welcome.

 

Kind regards,

 

Stix

[giemme]

Stix, I'm pretty sure you could paint a Spitfire model with a blindfold on - I find utterly impressive how consistently good is your art!    

 

Ciao

[81-er]

That's looking very nice, Stix. Impressive paintwork for brush painting as well!

 

James

[zebra]

Looking very good. I’m also very impressed with the detail in the kit - better than many 1/48 kits.

[Robin-42]

Great subject! Jerry is one of my hero’s.  I remember going to air show’s and watching the civilian pilots showing off their expensive toy’s wearing more nomex and insignia than a Top Gun wannabe. Not Jerry, black dress shoe’s, brown slacks and a white dress shirt. He would proceed to beat the hell out of the field with grace and control, a true master at work.

[PlaStix]

On 11/07/2022 at 11:25, giemme said:

Stix, I'm pretty sure you could paint a Spitfire model with a blindfold on - I find utterly impressive how consistently good is your art!    

Ciao

Hi Giorgio. Hope you are well. Not sure doing it blindfold would be a good idea! It's hard enough in 1/72 compared to 1/48 anyway, although Eduard's detailing really helps with painting. Thank you as always for your comments and I'm sorry for the slow reply, I'm finding it difficult to find the time to be on Britmodeller as much at the moment.

 

On 11/07/2022 at 13:42, 81-er said:

That's looking very nice, Stix. Impressive paintwork for brush painting as well!

James

Thank you very much for your comments James.

 

On 13/07/2022 at 16:37, zebra said:

Looking very good. I’m also very impressed with the detail in the kit - better than many 1/48 kits.

Thank you Zebra and yes, the detail does seem very good for this scale, just very small at times!!

 

On 13/07/2022 at 20:14, Robin-42 said:

Great subject! Jerry is one of my hero’s.  I remember going to air show’s and watching the civilian pilots showing off their expensive toy’s wearing more nomex and insignia than a Top Gun wannabe. Not Jerry, black dress shoe’s, brown slacks and a white dress shirt. He would proceed to beat the hell out of the field with grace and control, a true master at work.

Thank you Robin. Yes he was a real chasracter and a truly gifted flyer.

 

Apologies (again!) for the lack of updates. I have actually been finding a bit of time, here'n'there, to do bit on this project, but not the time to update this thread. Anyway, first off, I got some detail painting done on the cockpit parts and I did some assembling of those parts I felt I could:

As mentioned above, the detail on this kit is good, which makes it easier to paint, but it feels quite small in places.

 

Some closer views:

 

 

 

 

Then I assembled some of the parts onto the lower, port, cockpit wall:

 

 

Next I added the gunsight part:

 

 

Then glued it all to the port fuselage half and final seatbelt PE part added:

 

 

 

 

Lower, starboard, cockpit part glued in place:

 

 

You will have noticed that there are quite a few photos of the cockpit parts, primarily to remind me that they have been detailed and painted! Because, before too long, this has happened!:

 

 

And then there is only the occasional glimpse of all that work!:

 

Work on the wings is next.

 

Comments and suggestions welcome.

 

Kind regards,

 

Stix

[81-er]

Lovely work there, Stix! 

 

James

[giemme]

Steady as you go, Stix - excellent job on  the interiors!  

 

Ciao 

[PlaStix]

On 25/07/2022 at 13:35, 81-er said:

Lovely work there, Stix! 

James

 

On 25/07/2022 at 13:49, giemme said:

Steady as you go, Stix - excellent job on  the interiors!  

Ciao 

As always, thank you very much for your comments James and Giorgio.

 

Not much to show in the way of progress, but I have added most of the parts I want to add, in terms of getting it to where I want it to be before I start the painting:

 

Most of it has gone together well, although there have been a couple of gaps in places and some odd seam lines to remove - the oddest of the latter, being in a couple of places along the leading edge of the upper wing parts. Some of the slight fit issues may have been my fault - not being used to building in 1/72 for a while, but I was surprised with some of the seam lines.

 

I also took the time to alter the elevators, using a scalpel, to enable them to angle downwards:

 

Plus I have built up the parts for the radiator units:

I will fit these after the main underside paintwork has been applied.

 

Next up I will hopefully be starting the painting.

 

Comments and suggestions welcome.

 

Kind regards,

 

Stix