The Shearwater Posted February 11 Share Posted February 11 (edited) Having seen Eduard's incredible Merlin engine, in 1:72 scale, I'd wondered if I could incorporate it into something... probably either a Lanc or a Spitfire, but build/storage space limits suggested the latter. So I bought the engine and the Eduard Mk IX kit to put it into. Reviews seem to suggest that as far as 1:72 Spitfires go, this is one of the best kits you can buy in terms of accuracy and detail. I also have decals to turn it into MH434. The kit to assemble the engine is just incredible - a LOT of parts (two bags of resin items, plus a PE sheet) - here's a shot of two of the largest parts!!! Slightly intimidating at that tiny scale (especially to paint it halfway realistically) but just look at the moulded detail in that resin. Absolutely mouth-watering! Just need to build and paint this before butchering the front off the fuselage and lower wing, to get it all to fit. Oh, and I've never done camouflage paint schemes before, so that'll be an experience... I'm not the quickest builder in the world but will try to post regular updates here - after my last RFI post, and lots of really kind comments from other members, somebody asked for a WIP thread for the next one... here it is, please bear with me! Edited March 22 by The Shearwater Corrected reg to MH434 13 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roland Pulfrew Posted February 11 Share Posted February 11 That is incredible detail for something not much bigger than a 5p 😮 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Winded Penguin Posted February 11 Share Posted February 11 Incredible detail 👍 How you describe the kit, lovely though it sounds, I'd possibly loose half of the parts on my workshop floor before they made it onto my model 😉 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zephyr91 Posted February 11 Share Posted February 11 That engine is amazing. Astonishing detail for something so small. I'll watch with interest. Rob 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Shearwater Posted February 11 Author Share Posted February 11 40 minutes ago, Roland Pulfrew said: That is incredible detail for something not much bigger than a 5p 😮 22 minutes ago, Winded Penguin said: Incredible detail 👍 How you describe the kit, lovely though it sounds, I'd possibly loose half of the parts on my workshop floor before they made it onto my model 😉 8 minutes ago, Zephyr91 said: That engine is amazing. Astonishing detail for something so small. I'll watch with interest. Rob All very true! I’m getting to the age where even those ‘new’ 5p coins are “too flipping small” so I’m fully prepared for this engine to be an emotional build 🤣 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max Headroom Posted February 11 Share Posted February 11 Ooh front row! I have the same kit and it’s a joy to put together. But the thought of whacking a Merlin up front. Oof Trevor 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigbadbadge Posted February 11 Share Posted February 11 Nice, I have just got the engine set for my Eduard MK.IX and will watch with interest. It certainly is a joy to behold, with incredible detail. Good luck with your build. Chris 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Shearwater Posted March 21 Author Share Posted March 21 Time to start then! Engine build underway with the three larger components going together. Think I'll sort that bit, prime it black, then paint the other bits before adding them on. The biggest parts!!! Very, very detailed instruction diagrams although it's a bit hard to see where the resin parts end and the 'holding block' begins when cutting the parts off; hopefully I'm in the right general area! Main block assembled plus one pump, one filter and the propshaft on, ready for paint... still a lot of kit to add onto it! 10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Shearwater Posted March 21 Author Share Posted March 21 One spray of black primer later.... some details picked out in aluminium, then overall dry brushed with magnesium. Have to say it's looking good now, poor quality close-up iPhone photos notwithstanding. You can even see the Rolls Royce placards - unbelievable detail at that scale!!! 12 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Shearwater Posted March 22 Author Share Posted March 22 Here’s a tip though… when cutting off the very delicate pipe sections, take extra care ☹️. Don’t ask me why… 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Shearwater Posted March 24 Author Share Posted March 24 Exhausts, framing and pipework added, apart from a couple of panels underneath (and some touching up) that's the engine about done. Looks better in real life...iPhone camera not great quality. Time to start on the kit, let's begin with the butchery... No going back now! At least the firewall seems to fit properly into the fuselage, and it definitely looks Spitfire-shaped. 19 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keeff Posted March 24 Share Posted March 24 The detail on the engine is incredible! I'm struggling with PE on a 1/35th engine ... I'd have no chance at 1/72! Looking forward to seeing how this shapes up .... Keith 😁 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Shearwater Posted March 24 Author Share Posted March 24 3 hours ago, Keeff said: The detail on the engine is incredible! I'm struggling with PE on a 1/35th engine ... I'd have no chance at 1/72! Looking forward to seeing how this shapes up .... Keith 😁 It’s impressive and almost all moulded resin. In fact the only 4 bits of PE which should be in now, aren’t! I missed a step by which time it was too late to get the tweezers into where the tiny bracing bars(?) should have gone. Hopefully won’t be noticed in the end!!! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigbadbadge Posted March 24 Share Posted March 24 Great progress looking good so far, the detail on the engine is looking fantastic . Chris 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Planebuilder62 Posted March 24 Share Posted March 24 Great build with the engine, will you be able to get the propeller shaft at be perpendicular to the fire wall? regards Toby 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Shearwater Posted March 24 Author Share Posted March 24 15 minutes ago, Planebuilder62 said: Great build with the engine, will you be able to get the propeller shaft at be perpendicular to the fire wall? regards Toby Hopefully! It looks straight in real life (it definitely appears parallel to the top of the cylinder heads) but that front flange/plate looks canted in some of these shots. Going to have to go back and dry fit prop & spinner and see what’s going on there. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Natter Posted March 28 Share Posted March 28 The camera can be a cruel mistress; but that engine looks lovely in the photographs. It must be amazing in real life. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Shearwater Posted March 29 Author Share Posted March 29 Cockpit parts coming together ok; mix of plastic, PE, paint and oil wash 11 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SaminCam Posted April 19 Share Posted April 19 This is awesome! Just about to start the same build myself and this is providing great inspiration. Do you think the resin cowling and covers will fit over the engine, perhaps held on with tiny magnets? Cheers, Sam 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darwinism Posted April 19 Share Posted April 19 Great progress The Shearwater - you’ve got a lot further than I did with Eduard’s 1/48th version of the Merlin which frustrated me so much that it ended in the bin. Keep up the good work. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Shearwater Posted April 22 Author Share Posted April 22 On 19/04/2023 at 09:26, SaminCam said: This is awesome! Just about to start the same build myself and this is providing great inspiration. Do you think the resin cowling and covers will fit over the engine, perhaps held on with tiny magnets? Cheers, Sam Hi and thanks for the message. Not sure about the cowlings… Eduard specifically says they’re not designed to be fitted onto the model, but they are pretty thin items, so maybe they will sit quite flush? Magnets sounds a great idea but probably too fiddly for me… best of luck if you go down that route! I haven’t installed the engine yet - not sure whether to leave it right to the end, to avoid having to mask it all off. As a result I haven’t really looked at the cowlings yet, though my plan would probably to leave them all off. Enjoy your build though, they’re both lovely kits to assemble (so far anyway!) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Shearwater Posted April 22 Author Share Posted April 22 On 19/04/2023 at 09:53, Darwinism said: Great progress The Shearwater - you’ve got a lot further than I did with Eduard’s 1/48th version of the Merlin which frustrated me so much that it ended in the bin. Keep up the good work. Thank you kindly! After a bit of a pause it’s underway again, so I’ll get some more pics up ASAP. Sorry to hear you ended up hurlin’ your Merlin (!). I’ll bet the 1/48 was incredibly detailed / fiddly. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Shearwater Posted April 24 Author Share Posted April 24 Wing top halves - outer cannon fitting removed, as the real MH434 doesn't have these. Wings on - a bit of filling required on the starboard fuselage / wing join. Engine just wedged into place temporarily! Filled and primed! Rattle can primer (Tamiya Fine Grey Primer) which I find gives a superb base - really easy to get a thin, even coat down. As you can see here it hasn't taken out the surface details at all: both raised and recessed panel details still completely visible. Engine bay area is a little rough (due to quite a bit of hacking to get the thing to fit properly) but most of that will be covered over and built in eventually. Underside airbrushed with Vallejo Air Medium Sea Grey from the "RAF Day Colours Fighters" acrylic set - another paint which sprays really nicely for a decent, even coverage. Various undercarriage bits brush painted alongside. That's the easy part done - next comes my first ever attempt at masking off camouflage patterns using the famous 'white-tac' sausage method!!! Watch this space but might be a few days before I can get onto that. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Shearwater Posted May 16 Author Share Posted May 16 White tack applied.... first colour on, before I realised that I'd forgotten to pre-shade the panel lines 🤦♂️. Re-mask, pre-shade applied, grey coat back on. The pre-shading is barely noticeable under the top coat to the naked eye, never mind in photos - shouldn't have bothered, with hindsight. Might post-shade, or simply weather the whole lot when finished. Green coat on - not quite as tidy a border between the green and the grey as I'd like, probably due to my inexperience at using the white tack masking method. Ended up having to use masking tape for a couple of edges, with quite a lot of to-and-fro between colours. A little bit of touching up with a brush, plus the yellow leading edges masked and sprayed up, and the bulk of the painting is complete. Next will be gloss coat then panel lines, weathering etc. 11 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Shearwater Posted May 21 Author Share Posted May 21 Getting there now. Gloss coat on, then decals, another gloss coat ready for oil weathering. Engine / prop just dry fitted (wedged in) in case it doesn't look straight! Have to say I'm loving the Vallejo Model Air range of acrylics - really nice spray straight from the bottle, with no thinning / retardant needed. Good coverage and a strong finish too - no issues with paint peeling off with the masking tape. Excuse the iphone pics again, not great quality / colour rendering (it's an older model, like me). 12 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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