dr_gn Posted November 10, 2009 Share Posted November 10, 2009 (edited) Here’s an old model of mine: a Matchbox 1:32 Spitfire built about 25 years ago. It’s seen some action as you can see. I’ve decided to repair it and use it for some much needed airbrush practice: It needed a load of araldite to piece it together (cyano didn’t work for some reason), and a shed load of filler and filler-primer. Once smoothed down, I tried re-scribing panel lines in the filler, but it just crumbled (I tried plastic filler and car body filler, scalpel blades, scribers…all sorts): So I decided to fill all panel lines, and I’m going to draw them on in pencil after painting and decalling, it will be the lesser of two evils. I intend to give it a coat of satin or matt varnish to give some ‘bite’ for the pencil, and use some stainless Hasegawa templates and a S.A.M. steel rule for a guide, followed by satin varnish and weathering. I’m waiting for some spare parts to arrive (cannon, prop blade, decals etc), so in the meantime I drilled out the exhaust stubs, made a new bearing/housing for the spinner, and a stand out of scrap aluminium and Perspex for when it’s finished: That’s progress to date. Any advice on drawing pencil panel lines appreciated! Edited November 10, 2009 by dr_gn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dr_gn Posted December 24, 2009 Author Share Posted December 24, 2009 (edited) Here are a few progress pictures: Scratchbuilt seatbelts (from the Britmodeller Modelling Tips section!) Home made perspex lights tinted with Food colouring/Klear (to replace the solid plastic originals). Next time I will use coloured perspex and save myself a shed load of hassle! And a scratchbuilt gunsight to busy up the cockpit a bit more. I realise most of the above are not strictly accurate, but what the hell: it's all good practice, and the model was a scrapper anyway! Edited December 24, 2009 by dr_gn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dads203 Posted December 24, 2009 Share Posted December 24, 2009 (edited) Nice work Really like the stand !! Edited December 24, 2009 by Dads203 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T-Tango Posted December 24, 2009 Share Posted December 24, 2009 Starting to look good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dr_gn Posted December 24, 2009 Author Share Posted December 24, 2009 Thanks guys, Any critiscism / advice gratefully accepted. I'm not an expert at weathering or scratchbuilding, so I'm still on a learning curve here! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dr_gn Posted December 25, 2009 Author Share Posted December 25, 2009 I don't have the instrument decal (and it's not complete anyway), so I thought I'd try printing a flight sim Spitfire panel out to scale to see what it would look like. Most of it's obscured by the gunsight anyway, so I think with a bit of careful PaintshopPro editing and a bit better cutting out, it will look fine: Anyone any other ideas for making instruments? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dr_gn Posted December 27, 2009 Author Share Posted December 27, 2009 Very slow progress! Propeller is repaired & finished, windscreen fitted & masked (still waiting for PVA to set). Gunsight fixed in place. Instruemnt panel printout edited and EvoStuck to dash panel. Yellow & Sky areas airbrushed ready for masking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hazza Posted December 27, 2009 Share Posted December 27, 2009 Damn, you are brave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deon Posted December 27, 2009 Share Posted December 27, 2009 Instrument panel looks great - neat trick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnonymousDFB1 Posted December 27, 2009 Share Posted December 27, 2009 Wow, great save Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dad 10 Posted December 27, 2009 Share Posted December 27, 2009 "Evostuck"....I like that! Richard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dr_gn Posted December 27, 2009 Author Share Posted December 27, 2009 I know, it's all a bit sad really (it will never look as if I put this amount of time into it), but good practice for a more expensive kit perhaps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dr_gn Posted December 30, 2009 Author Share Posted December 30, 2009 Crazy experimental masking: Blu-Tac/Tamiya masking tape/paper/bog roll. With the Blu-Tac, I'm hoping it will give a very fine feathered edge without it being too obvious. My airbrush is easily capable of a feathered line of the correct thickness, but I am not: I decided to have the yellow wing leading edges, and I've painted and masked the fuselage band so that it will be a perfect colour match for the spinner. The much vaunted IPMS Stockholm Paint guide is absolute crap by the way. I used their recommended Tamiya paints on a test piece, and it's all wrong. I have ended up mixing my own greys to get it anything like. Got a Revell Avro RJ85 for Christmas. That is basically one colour: white, so no problem there hopefully! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deon Posted December 30, 2009 Share Posted December 30, 2009 reckon you'll have this done before 2010? Its looking good masked up and ready, I tried this a few months ago and c@cked it up a treat, but that was me, not the tools or masking's fault! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dr_gn Posted December 30, 2009 Author Share Posted December 30, 2009 reckon you'll have this done before 2010? Its looking good masked up and ready, I tried this a few months ago and c@cked it up a treat, but that was me, not the tools or masking's fault! Doubt it: It'll be the pencil-drawn panel lines that will take it into 2010 I reckon! That's if I get that far...if the paint isn't much good I'll just bin it anyway. At least I'll have learned a few new tricks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dr_gn Posted December 30, 2009 Author Share Posted December 30, 2009 Bandages removed. It looks fine: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnonymousDFB1 Posted December 30, 2009 Share Posted December 30, 2009 Looking good Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dr_gn Posted December 31, 2009 Author Share Posted December 31, 2009 OK, so on my Spitfire rebuild I applied a coat of Klear after painting, followed by the decals (using Microsol). Everything looked great, so I overcoated with more Klear ready for weathering. This morning the dreaded silvering has appeared DAMMIT! What can I do? Does matt varnish help? Any help gratefully accepted! (This help request repeated on Tools and Tips Forum) Cheers, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dr_gn Posted January 1, 2010 Author Share Posted January 1, 2010 OK it wins. Anyone else know what it's like to be a perfectionist even when you know you are one of those people incapable of ever getting anything perfect? I'm leaving it for a few weeks: it's put up a real fight so far, and I don't want to ruin it completely. I Overdid it a bit on the cannon smoke staining, so I tried to correct it. It worked OK, but in the process I messed up the underwing decals, so I have to wait for the replacements to arrive (thought I didn't need them, but good job I ordered a set anyway!). This is progress so far: Still got to draw the panel lines on & recoat with satin, fit the IFF and VHF antennae, the tip lights and the canopy. I've had enough for now though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baldrick Posted January 1, 2010 Share Posted January 1, 2010 You have done a great rebuild. Always been fond of the large Matchbox kits and now Revell are making them for silly money its a bonus. Just brought the Venom and Lysander. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnonymousAA74 Posted January 1, 2010 Share Posted January 1, 2010 You made a great job out of that wreck! I like that a lot. Must get this one for the stash Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Enzo the Magnificent Posted January 1, 2010 Share Posted January 1, 2010 OK it wins. No. It doesn't. What you have done so far is an absolute triumph. Stick with it. Oh... and that stand.... a thing of grace and beaty. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hovis Posted January 1, 2010 Share Posted January 1, 2010 great work!!! proof that BM helps in the fight against that evil global warming by RECYCLING Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spitfire Posted January 2, 2010 Share Posted January 2, 2010 I think that looks great, I also like to re finish my old kits, it is very satisfying, every time I go up into the loft I pass an old Matchbox Spitfire that was the first 1/32 scale kit that I bought and built. Must get round to rebuilding that some time. Keep up the good work. Cheers Den Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdriaN (MLT) Posted January 2, 2010 Share Posted January 2, 2010 Why go through the hassle of rebuilding it again instead of just buying a new one? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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