“Spit and Polish” – Spitfire Mk. Vb, Jan Zumbach, No. 303 (Kościuszko) Squadron, RAF

[Troy Smith]

58 minutes ago, TonyOD said:

I brush paint with enamels, which is the main reason my builds progress at a glacial pace - always waiting for paint to dry.

Thin paint with proper thinners, you found lighter fuel worked, but some naptha type is less volatile.  Brush type may affect it as well, I have been using a small flat brush to brush acrylics effectively,   so may help with enamels.

I add a little paint to a palette, and add water with a syringe, drop by drop, but a pipette would work, 

Carefully thinned paint will also dry faster and be easier to brush.

 

You could also experiment with terebene paint driers

for example

https://www.rustins.ltd/rustins/our-products/decorating-products/paint-driers

"A special blend of chemicals to speed the drying of oil and alkyd based paints and varnishes. Particularly recommended for adding to old paint and varnish that has been kept for a long time, and has become slow drying. Add a capful of driers to 1/2 litre of paint or varnish and stir well. Sizes: 300ml

Speeds up drying of paint & varnish

Suitable for all alkyd and oil based paints

Can be added to old paint or varnish"

 

If you got to a paint suppliers, you ask about alkyd paint thinners

eg

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/125515701271

This seller is based in Calverton, Nottingham, pure chance, I just search 'naphtha paint thinners'

 

I presume it's a less volatile version of lighter fuel, but you could ask them. 

 

Both the above are for real world use, so would last a modeller's tiny usage a long time.

HTH

[TonyOD]

46 minutes ago, Troy Smith said:

This seller is based in Calverton, Nottingham, pure chance, I just search 'naphtha paint thinners'

 

That's interesting, Calverton is just a few miles away from my workplace as it happens.

 

I've tried lighter fuel as a thinner with the limited range of enamels you'd expect to use when doing day fighter scheme. It has worked great with Humbrol 78 (interior) and Revell 68 (dark green), with greys (Humbrols 106 and 165) not so much, the pigments and the liquid appear to separate and the grey bits sort of clump together. I think now I'm doing 1/48 and covering larger areas the initial impression with brush painting is less forgiving. I'll keep experimenting. I could be probably be more discerning of my selection of brush, too.

[Troy Smith]

12 minutes ago, TonyOD said:

I could be probably be more discerning of my selection of brush, too.

I got these cheap, as it had several small flat brushes

https://www.theworks.co.uk/p/acrylic-brushes/crawford-and-black-assorted-paint-brushes-pack-of-12/5052089314283.html

 

For a fiver that's a lot of brushes, my first lot were £3,  but I got another pack later on as acrylic tend to clog brushes.   

And even not much use for you in main paint,  it's handy having brushes you can abuse, for Mr Surfacer, glue application, oil washes, pigments but they seem fine to me. 

There are a couple of The Works in Nottingham as well, one is in the Victoria Centre, the other 14 Long Row.

 

Re paint thinners, not sure what enamels you are using,  but branded thinners can be added to the paint in the tin. They are expensive, but you won't use much.

And for thinning out of the tin, you can mix lighter fuel and white spirit if you need something less volatile, but more volatile than plain white spirit.

 

You can use cellulose thinners with enamels apparently, but they are pretty heady fumes, and too much will attack plastic.

there are also thinners like this

https://www.rustins.ltd/rustins/our-products/decorating-products/xylene-thinners

 

 HTH

[TonyOD]

Following a final thin coat of green I've got the Maskol off and the camouflage is looking ok. Little bit of touching up to do on the underside to get rid of some seepage, and then I'll give it some time to dry before rubbing back the raggedy edges. Then it will be time to get some yellow leading edges on the wings.

 

[Troy Smith]

21 minutes ago, TonyOD said:

and then I'll give it some time to dry before rubbing back the raggedy edges.

Would it not be easier to just freehand the scheme?  You can always just lightly pencil the pattern over the grey.  Masking is good for straight lines, but patterns are easy enough to just freehand when brushing. 

27 minutes ago, TonyOD said:

Then it will be time to get some yellow leading edges on the wings.

I'd have though that they would have been better to do earlier, and then mask off given yellow in not a forgiving paint...

9 hours ago, TonyOD said:

the pigments and the liquid appear to separate and the grey bits sort of clump together.

Back when I used enamels, and when I was getting more serious, as in my first brush with AMS age 15/16,   I made a paint stirrer out of coat hangar wire,  basically like a L , with the lower bit long enough to fit into the tin, which was really good for breaking up pigment and getting into the edges of the tin for a really good stir.  

[TonyOD]

On 12/19/2022 at 11:22 PM, Troy Smith said:

Would it not be easier to just freehand the scheme?  You can always just lightly pencil the pattern over the grey.  Masking is good for straight lines, but patterns are easy enough to just freehand when brushing. 

 

I've done that in the past, or rather freehanded to faint pencil lines, but somehow I always ended up looking at pencil lines on the finished model, so I thought I'd try something different. Generally speaking I find it a very satisfactory way to do camo, although on this occasion I've made the mistake of painting over rather than to the edge of the Maskol which has led to some particularly raggedy edges and some tidying/touching up to do.

 

On 12/19/2022 at 11:22 PM, Troy Smith said:

I'd have though that they would have been better to do earlier, and then mask off given yellow in not a forgiving paint...

 

Likewise the way I've done it in the past, just thought I'd try something different this time.

 

I'm fairly happy with how the camo is turning out, though I've been sidetracked a bit by Salty Sea Dog GB host duties and 1/144 Christmas tree Spitfires. I'm hoping to get this Vb and my 71 Sqn. IIa out of the way by the time the SSD kicks off on 7th January.

 

Modelling at two very different scales this evening:

 

 

 

 

 

Edited December 21, 2022 by TonyOD

[Troy Smith]

7 minutes ago, TonyOD said:

 

I've done that in the past, or rather freehanded to faint pencil lines, but somehow I always ended up looking at pencil lines on the finished model

use a green pencil?

 

7 minutes ago, TonyOD said:

just thought I'd try something different this time.

what I was told by someone at Airfix when asked about this specific kit UC leg attachment method....   qualified by "It didn't work very well" 

 

Anyway If it works, great...   the reason for that bit of my sig line. 

 

I recall doing quite a few of those 1/144 Revell kits. 

 I have some Hurricane I did with handpainted markings ,  not great, but I know that I could not do that kind of paint  with modern acrylics... they were done in enamels...  I did used to have a saucer of white spirit then as well, when I got better at cleaning brushes , funny thing was I didn't notice or mind the smell...  One of the better brushes from then ended up getting eaten by moths     

 

I digress,  progressing well.

cheers

T

 

 

 

[TonyOD]

Tamiya’s bendy masking tape helps with masking the curved wing edges.

 

 

In other news, I’ve lost the rudder. Can’t find it anywhere. Even been through the bin. This is infuriating.

[opus999]

Its looking great so far, but wow, what terrible luck with the rudder.  I really hope you find it soon!

[Biggles87]

I have a box full of Spitfire spares so if you don’t have any luck closer to home send me a PM.

Have a good Christmas.

 

John

[ModelingEdmontonian]

On 12/22/2022 at 3:39 AM, TonyOD said:

I’ve lost the rudder

If it lightens the mood, somehow I read "rubber" instead of rudder. Losing a 1/72 rudder is probably easier to deal with than losing a rubber just when you need it? Not to minimize your loss, because I always find this infuriating. Best of luck.

[TonyOD]

Progress has slowed what with Christmas and all that, but I'm getting there. The yellow leading edges turned out well enough (primer, white, three thin applications of yellow), albeit the one on the port wing spread a bit too close to the wingtip so needs touching up a bit. For the first time I've had a go at some wing-root wear, something the prospect of which has always given me the willies, I just stippled/drybrushed some acrylic aluminium using a small stiff brush and it doesn't look bad, I'll probably smooth it with some Micromesh and there will be some further weathering over the top.

 

 

Bit of general touching up and we'll be ready for some decals. In other news, both legs have snapped off, which is a headache.

 

On 12/24/2022 at 8:41 PM, Biggles87 said:

I have a box full of Spitfire spares so if you don’t have any luck closer to home send me a PM.

 

I do have another Airfix Vb which is most likely going to be wheeled out for the Salty Sea Dog GB, I could pinch the rudder from that but them of course there's a knock-on effect; I have a bunch of Eduard Vc's in the stash, maybe there's a useable rudder in there somewhere? Eduard kits always seem to come with two or three of everything.

Edited December 28, 2022 by TonyOD

[bigbadbadge]

Looks Great Tony with the yellow leading edges and weathering started. Cracking work. Hope you het yhe rudder issue sorted.

Chris

[TonyOD]

On 12/28/2022 at 1:07 PM, bigbadbadge said:

Looks Great Tony with the yellow leading edges and weathering started. Cracking work. Hope you het yhe rudder issue sorted.

Chris

 

Thanks. I've armed myself with small arsenal of oil paints, pastels and weathering powders, so once the Kleer has cured and I've got the decals on I can have at it! What could possibly go wrong?

[TonyOD]

Praise be!

 

[Biggles87]

Glad you found the rudder, I’ll bet it was hiding in plain sight!

I did look in my Spitfire spares box and to my surprise did not have any separate early style rudders, so I wouldn’t have been able to help anyway.

 

John

[AliGauld]

Glad you've found the rudder.

I'm just wondering which particular part of L-Space it slipped into.

 

 

Cheers,

Alistair

[TonyOD]

2 minutes ago, AliGauld said:

Glad you've found the rudder.

I'm just wondering which particular part of L-Space it slipped into.

I have a big wooden box that I throw all my modelling rammel in when we need the dining table for, well, dining. It had slipped through one of the gaps onto the shelf beneath.

[jackroadkill]

9 hours ago, AliGauld said:

L-Space

 

Ook!

 

Tony, I once found the rudder bar for a Tempest in a tin of Quality Street.  True story.

[TonyOD]

Just now, jackroadkill said:

Tony, I once found the rudder bar for a Tempest in a tin of Quality Street.  True story.

 

It surprises me not at all. There are many strange tales around lost parts, I'm sure. I was once missing a small part on an Italeri Wessex - hadn't lost, it just didn't seem to be with the kit. Very odd. Eventually found it in the plughole if the sink in the utility room where I had washed said kit three weeks previously.

[bigbadbadge]

Thank goodness,  that is brilliant news Tony.  

Chris 

[ModelingEdmontonian]

Prodigal rudder returns! I hope no fattened calves were needlessly slaughtered despite your joy at the return of your lost rudder.

[TonyOD]

On 12/31/2022 at 1:25 AM, ModelingEdmontonian said:

I hope no fattened calves were needlessly slaughtered

 

Whatever it takes, mate. Whatever it takes.

 

Well, if all had gone to plan I would be on the summit of Snowdon now waiting to see in the New Year, however the weather forecast of heavy rain/snow and gale force winds suggested this would have been foolhardy, so Snowdon will have to wait 24 hours. Instead I've started decalling this Spit up and I very nearly didn’t do a very good job...

 

• Smushed tiny serial number decal that goes at top of sky ID band on port side.
• Spent 20 mins trying, and failing, to unsmush same.
• What to do? What to do? I know! I have another 303 Sqn Mk V in an Eduard Profipack in the stash! Quick, strip fuselage roundels and squadron codes!
• Rummage in stash., find Eduard boxing. Oh no! It's not a Vb, it's a Vc!
• Spend some time on Hannants scrolling through Vb decal sheets. Not feeling it.
• Surely there can't be a Techmod sheet on that auction site?
• Yes, there's! ...oh, it's 1/72. Cobblers.
• Ye.. 1/32.
• 1/24.
• 1/48! Bingo!

 

So I'm a tenner lighter to keep the integrity of the build, and I kind of feel bad because @stevej60 took the trouble to send me the decals. I'll have to be more caredul with that s/n next time. And I had hoped to get this one out of the way before the start of the Salty Sea Dog GB, but that's scale modelling, innit!

 

Happy New Year!

Edited January 1 by TonyOD

[bigbadbadge]

Happy New Year to you too Tony

It's a mare when the fold up and you can't sorted out no matter what you do.

Good luck with the new ones.

 

Chris

[stevej60]

12 hours ago, TonyOD said:

So I'm a tenner lighter to keep the integrity of the build,

Nowt worse Tony,just had the decals on my YF-16 disintegrate after what was a lovely paint job the kit was only a fiver which cushioned the blow I've had an Esci Fury for over

three years cannot find replacement's for less than twice the price of the kit!