mark.au Posted December 11, 2022 Author Share Posted December 11, 2022 Not as much progress over the weekend as I thought there might be, but I did complete the underside. First the post box. On 08/12/2022 at 18:21, Dunny said: …your reason for edit did make me smile. Not just me then... Glad it’s not just me, either! On 08/12/2022 at 18:47, bigbadbadge said: …and enjoy the racing. I did! I moved up a grade and still managed a second place in a sprint finish, though the winner had two or three lengths on me at the line. On 08/12/2022 at 19:31, heloman1 said: Excellent looking paintwork Mark, as usual. I do like the invasion stripes. Colin They really stand out on the PRU blue don’t they? I like it too. On 08/12/2022 at 20:14, Retired Bob said: I replaced the soft detailed Airfix u/c legs with some spares from an Eduard kit, seemed appropriate since I was using Eduard resin wheels. I probably should have done the same but a little laziness overcame the impetus to do so. On 08/12/2022 at 23:15, Biggles87 said: OK, I've caught up now… I’ll send you the test shortly. On 09/12/2022 at 02:28, Winded Penguin said: Then another 30 mins to clean the airbrush 😆 The airbrush is easy to clean with my paints; I wipe the excess with a cotton bud and run some Windex through. Though it does need a thorough disassembly clean every so often too. On 09/12/2022 at 02:28, Winded Penguin said: Had me looking hard at my own work to see how I can replicate one or two - at least - of these effects 👍 It’s all very free form improvisation, just keep throwing paint of different shades and hues of the base colour and it’s easy to replicate. The only conscious thought is in supposing where more or less paint wear/fade/damage might occur. I followed my usual finishing process on the underside, starting with the few stencil decals required. Then I accented some of the access panels with a wash. In scrubbing it off I allowed some grimy residue to stay so that the overall effect was grubbiness without it being dirty (make sense?). Last, I airbrushed a base for the specific airframe and oil staining with a very thin dark goop. Next I applied the first flat coat so that the pastels would have something to bite on. I applied pastels to get some specific streaks and add detail to the base staining I’d done with the airbrush. When I was happy with how far I’d taken it I applied the finish flat coat. Next, I applied the thinnest of semigloss sheen to the PRU Blue, but not the stripes and then a gloss to the oil stains from the engine. Somewhere in all that, I finished and attached the landing gear. Did not proof read this before submitting… Cheers. 19 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Retired Bob Posted December 11, 2022 Share Posted December 11, 2022 11 minutes ago, mark.au said: Then I accented some of the access panels with a wash. In scrubbing it off I allowed some grimy residue to stay so that the overall effect was grubbiness without it being dirty (make sense?). Makes perfect sense to me. That is looking superb, with the slight grubbiness of the panel lines to bring out the blueness of the airframe and the stark effect of the invasion markings. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ngantek Posted December 11, 2022 Share Posted December 11, 2022 That subtle staining and grubbiness is perfect, it just adds a huge amount of depth. I also really like the selective use of varnish to emphasise certain areas and effects. Awesome work Mark. Andy 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigbadbadge Posted December 11, 2022 Share Posted December 11, 2022 Lovely dirt and grubyness Mark, looks fantastic. Glad you had a good time at the racing and congratulations for your 2nd place. Great work all round Chris 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AliGauld Posted December 11, 2022 Share Posted December 11, 2022 Oh that does look so good. Beautiful work. Cheers, Alistair 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry1954 Posted December 11, 2022 Share Posted December 11, 2022 Looks fab Mark! Terry 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fritag Posted December 11, 2022 Share Posted December 11, 2022 Beautiful finishing, Mark; I’m a fan of the way you vary the level of sheen across different areas of the airframe. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heloman1 Posted December 13, 2022 Share Posted December 13, 2022 Now that is looking really sweet... Colin 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark.au Posted December 17, 2022 Author Share Posted December 17, 2022 (edited) On 11/12/2022 at 22:40, Retired Bob said: Makes perfect sense to me. That is looking superb, with the slight grubbiness of the panel lines to bring out the blueness of the airframe and the stark effect of the invasion markings. On 12/12/2022 at 00:39, Ngantek said: That subtle staining and grubbiness is perfect, it just adds a huge amount of depth. I also really like the selective use of varnish to emphasise certain areas and effects. Awesome work Mark. Andy Thanks Andy, I try and get variation across multiple layers. On 12/12/2022 at 01:00, bigbadbadge said: Lovely dirt and grubyness Mark, looks fantastic. Glad you had a good time at the racing and congratulations for your 2nd place. Great work all round Chris On 12/12/2022 at 06:39, AliGauld said: Oh that does look so good. Beautiful work. Cheers, Alistair On 12/12/2022 at 06:53, Terry1954 said: Looks fab Mark! Terry On 12/12/2022 at 07:15, Fritag said: Beautiful finishing, Mark; I’m a fan of the way you vary the level of sheen across different areas of the airframe. I like that the finish varies; one of the things that screams plastic model to me is a uniform finish across all surfaces. Just my preference of course, we all have our own style. On 14/12/2022 at 01:45, heloman1 said: Now that is looking really sweet... Colin All of these comments are very kind, thank you. I had to belt down to Melbourne for a few days this week and there wasn't much time for anything other than the purpose of the trip. It wasn't a stress-y week, just busy. I'm still catching up with everything I missed, but yesterday and today I did get to the end of my PR Spit build. I began with the decals, of which there weren't many. The most significant were the serial numbers for which I used a Ventura generic sheet. I used a combination of some Eduard the kit stencil decals to finish the decalling. I used contemporary photos as a guide because the indicated locations and decals didn't match the photos. Some of them are no doubt a little on the spurious side, but I tried to match sizer and style with what I could see. Don't pay too much attention to the variation in colours in this collage, the iPhone camera had an interesting take on exposure for these for some reason... I also did a little finishing on the paintwork inasmuch as some wear on the leading edges and having noticed that the radiator flaps are nearly always up when the aircraft is parked but Airfix has positioned them down the invasion stripes wouldn't have typically carried over to the flat' sides, so I painted them PRU Blue. Next, I grubbed up the upper surfaces in the usual manner. Emphasis on the maintenance access panels, etc. As you can see, now the paint is on and finished the not-so-perfect bodywork under the rear canopy is clear to see - good job I have a plan for that. Once the selected panels were grubbed, I applied the first coat of flat Future as a key for the pastels. I didn't take any in-progress shots of this process however so you'll have to start looking at the finished model instead... A little bit of pastel where there might be staining in the air flow, some silver pencil paint chipping here and there but again, in moderation... Some exhaust staining, but not a lot. I attached the propeller with a smidge of blutack... I shined up the newer painter the invasion stripes just a tad and flattened it on the rear control surfaces. And now you can see my cunning plan regarding the not-so-good bodywork under the rear glass. And finally, I remembered the little antenna on the lower fuselage so I fashioned a suitable blip of plastic, painted it and put a little stretched sprue in there for that... Done. I must admit that my enthusiasm waned a little on this one in the closing stages. And, while it's definitely not my best work, it does look nice enough. I like to think that F/L R. Garvey DFC and Bar would recognise this as the Spitfire he climbed out of at 1607 on the 6th October 1944 and reported how he out-manoeuvred a pursuing Fw190, eventually causing it to crash into some trees. Cheers. Edited December 17, 2022 by mark.au 16 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dunny Posted December 17, 2022 Share Posted December 17, 2022 Mark, Beautiful work indeed, and great to see it over the line. I'm sure that Fl Lt Garvey would be suitably impressed, Cheers, Roger 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ModelingEdmontonian Posted December 17, 2022 Share Posted December 17, 2022 Beautiful! 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Biggles87 Posted December 17, 2022 Share Posted December 17, 2022 Lovely job! John 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigbadbadge Posted December 17, 2022 Share Posted December 17, 2022 Great work Mark, looks fantastic fella. Love the variation of colour covering the previously striped areas and leading edge wear on stripes too. What a cracker. Chris 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heloman1 Posted December 17, 2022 Share Posted December 17, 2022 Beautiful result Mark, another masterpiece. Congratulations. Colin 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ngantek Posted December 17, 2022 Share Posted December 17, 2022 5 hours ago, mark.au said: I must admit that my enthusiasm waned a little on this one in the closing stages. And, while it's definitely not my best work, it does look nice enough. Boy do I know that feeling. As to the second point, it looks absolutely flawless to me, a really stunning model in your instantly recognisable 'understated clean but real' style. I really like a lot of the little details, such as the restrained chipping and stripe overpaint effect. Your ability to keep the surface detail as sharp as the underlying plastic is really shown off here with a flawless coat of lovely PRU blue. Just lovely. 5 hours ago, mark.au said: I like to think that F/L R. Garvey DFC and Bar would recognise this as the Spitfire he climbed out of at 1607 on the 6th October 1944 and reported how he out-manoeuvred a pursuing Fw190, eventually causing it to crash into some trees. I have no doubt he would, a really nice tribute. Cheers, Andy 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AliGauld Posted December 17, 2022 Share Posted December 17, 2022 Well, Mark, You may think it's not your best work but IMHO, that is an absolute stunner. Understated where it needs to be with some beautiful paint effects. It's one that I would be extremely proud of and I think that F/L Garvey would be stunned and overwhelmed at the result. Cheers, Alistair 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Winded Penguin Posted December 17, 2022 Share Posted December 17, 2022 24 minutes ago, AliGauld said: Well, Mark, You may think it's not your best work but IMHO, that is an absolute stunner. Understated where it needs to be with some beautiful paint effects. It's one that I would be extremely proud of and I think that F/L Garvey would be stunned and overwhelmed at the result. Cheers, Alistair What Alistair said. Some people would love this to be their best work. Like me for example 😆 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AliGauld Posted December 17, 2022 Share Posted December 17, 2022 1 minute ago, Winded Penguin said: Some people would love this to be their best work I second that emotion. If I can begin to get close to this sort of finish in the future I will be a happy gnome. Cheers, Alistair 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2996 Victor Posted December 17, 2022 Share Posted December 17, 2022 Absolutely superb modelling and what a stunningly beautiful result. An outstanding model - I would be delighted to be able to say I'd created it! All the best, Mark 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Retired Bob Posted December 17, 2022 Share Posted December 17, 2022 I must join in with the chorus of others and agree that your model does look superb and Flt Lt Garvey would be most impressed and probably humbled that his aircraft and story were still being retold this long after the war. I can only hope that when I find my kit in the stash that I can build it anywhere near your standard of finish. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark.au Posted December 18, 2022 Author Share Posted December 18, 2022 On 17/12/2022 at 16:02, Dunny said: Beautiful work indeed, and great to see it over the line. I'm sure that Fl Lt Garvey would be suitably impressed, On 17/12/2022 at 16:39, ModelingEdmontonian said: Beautiful! 22 hours ago, Biggles87 said: Lovely job! John 19 hours ago, Ngantek said: Boy do I know that feeling. As to the second point, it looks absolutely flawless to me, a really stunning model in your instantly recognisable 'understated clean but real' style. I really like a lot of the little details, such as the restrained chipping and stripe overpaint effect. Your ability to keep the surface detail as sharp as the underlying plastic is really shown off here with a flawless coat of lovely PRU blue. Just lovely. I have no doubt he would, a really nice tribute. Cheers, Andy 19 hours ago, heloman1 said: Beautiful result Mark, another masterpiece. Congratulations. Colin 18 hours ago, Winded Penguin said: What Alistair said. Some people would love this to be their best work. Like me for example 😆 18 hours ago, AliGauld said: I second that emotion. If I can begin to get close to this sort of finish in the future I will be a happy gnome. Cheers, Alistair 15 hours ago, 2996 Victor said: Absolutely superb modelling and what a stunningly beautiful result. An outstanding model - I would be delighted to be able to say I'd created it! All the best, Mark 10 hours ago, Retired Bob said: I must join in with the chorus of others and agree that your model does look superb and Flt Lt Garvey would be most impressed and probably humbled that his aircraft and story were still being retold this long after the war. I can only hope that when I find my kit in the stash that I can build it anywhere near your standard of finish. Thank you all for the kind comments. I wonder how attached the pilots were to their aircraft; I know of one RAAF Mosquito pilot who flew his last sortie, came back to Australia and never looked at an aeroplane again, let alone fly one. I got around to the glamour shots. Here's the RFI... ...and a teaser. I also, finally, got around to taking the glamour shots of the Mk.VIII I finished prior. As I think it's a bit late to resurrect that WIP thread, here's the RFI and a teaser for that one too. Cheers. 13 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dunny Posted December 18, 2022 Share Posted December 18, 2022 Mark, A lovely pair - the Mk.VIII is also superb! Cheers, Roger 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AliGauld Posted December 18, 2022 Share Posted December 18, 2022 A pair of beauties. Off to the RFI's Cheers, Alistair 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigbadbadge Posted December 18, 2022 Share Posted December 18, 2022 They look wonderful Great work Chris 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2996 Victor Posted December 19, 2022 Share Posted December 19, 2022 +1! Two beautiful birds, Mark - they are works of art. Cheers, Mark 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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