Killingholme Posted March 10, 2011 Posted March 10, 2011 (edited) Hi all, I'm in this groupbuild with a 1/72 Pavla resin conversion of the the new-tool Airfix spitfire. I hope to build K9791, a P.R. spitfire lost over France in 1940 before surfacing in the 'Victory in the West' , a German display of captured allied machines in Vienna. An interesting discussion of this aircraft is already well under way here http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.p...40&start=40 . The Pavla parts seem very nicely cast, and should fit well. The airfix kit is well known by everyone by now, so I don't think sprue shots are really necessary. I'll be starting the build today. Will Edited April 8, 2011 by Killingholme
Killingholme Posted March 11, 2011 Author Posted March 11, 2011 (edited) OK- this one came together so quick it's caught me by surprise. Much of this is down to the almost 'clip-fit' of the airfix kit. Here's the cockpit sides. Only additions from box-stock are the two camera control boxes- one on the starboard side of the cockpit, the other in the place of the gun sight which I sliced away. This needs a wash before zipping up. It's a real shame the instrument panel was moulded flat- those who wish to use the supplied decal can easily shave it flush! I suppose it would look adequate with the kit-supplied closed canopy. I opened the cockpit door, which I will pose open. The Pavla vacform canopy is in seperate parts, so this seems a great opportunity to show off the interior a bit! Pavla early spitfire resin seat used. The waist strap is moulded on, but shoulder straps need to be added from masking tape. The resin parts for the fuel tank (port wing) and camera shroud (starboard wing) fitted very well. I spent a couple of moments deeping the holes for the camera, which will hopefully take the wood glue 'glazing' better. Will Edited March 11, 2011 by Killingholme
Jasonb13 Posted March 11, 2011 Posted March 11, 2011 Great progress so far, and quickly too, it's looking well. I just love the shape of those Spitfire wings, so distinctive! I haven't build one in over 20 years, but I'm tempted just by that shape! J.
Killingholme Posted March 11, 2011 Author Posted March 11, 2011 Jason= This is indeed my first since I was a child. I agree that it just feels 'right' spending a day off building an airfix spitfire! I decided that as well as the gun ports, the cartidge case ejector shutes would probably have also been doped over in order to smooth the airframe as much as possible. Interestingly, it appears that when this aircraft was displayed in Vienna, the Germans removed the gun port doping to display the armament of the Spitfire. To achieve this effect I used the thoughtfully provided kit decals (gun ports) and some spare decal sheet (ejector shutes) Hidden under paint, this should be quite a subtle effect. cheers Will
Pegfiend Posted March 11, 2011 Posted March 11, 2011 This all looks very intriguing. I'm watching this with interest! Nick
Killingholme Posted March 20, 2011 Author Posted March 20, 2011 Out of curiosity I painted my Spitfire in a shade of blue lighter than the as then shortly to be standardised PRU blue. (I used WEM enamels as the starting point) I'm not sure this looks light enough for K9791 in the above photo, but when I put it next to the squadron codes that are known to be medium sea grey the level of contrast actually seems to be about right. I notice a lot of other photos of aircraft painted PRU blue (after it became an official colour) appear suprisingly light, so maybe the camera/film of the time didn't pick up the shade well for some reason? Either way, whilst every fibre of my being says this is too dark, the logic kind of dictates I might have it about right! phew, no wonder people don't model PRU machines often! Canopy on next. Vacform should fit without much trouble- I checked before painting... honest Will
Severus Posted March 24, 2011 Posted March 24, 2011 Out of curiosity I painted my Spitfire in a shade of blue lighter than the as then shortly to be standardised PRU blue. (I used WEM enamels as the starting point) I'm not sure this looks light enough for K9791 in the above photo, but when I put it next to the squadron codes that are known to be medium sea grey the level of contrast actually seems to be about right. I notice a lot of other photos of aircraft painted PRU blue (after it became an official colour) appear suprisingly light, so maybe the camera/film of the time didn't pick up the shade well for some reason? Either way, whilst every fibre of my being says this is too dark, the logic kind of dictates I might have it about right! phew, no wonder people don't model PRU machines often! Canopy on next. Vacform should fit without much trouble- I checked before painting... honest Will The shade of the paint somehow reminds old Humbrol 124 - Petroleum Blue.
Killingholme Posted April 6, 2011 Author Posted April 6, 2011 Most of the decals on- some light weathering applied. A gloss coat darkened the blue quite a bit (honest!) and I was really not happy with the shade I achieved... And then- the first truly sunny day since I started building the model. I put the photo in direct sunlight and lo! everything made much more sense. Look how the MSG codes blend in to the fuselage just like the photo above. Luck or judgment- you decide! Sorry for posting pictures of her not quite finished, but I thought I'd make hay while the sun shines... Will 1
mideast-mover Posted April 6, 2011 Posted April 6, 2011 Very nice! I'd be tempted to say it was pure skill at getting the colour match....
Killingholme Posted April 8, 2011 Author Posted April 8, 2011 Hi all, does anyon know of a source for 1/72 RAF 8'' serial numbers in Medium Sea Grey? I have plenty of black in the spare box, but I think Grey is correct? Will
Killingholme Posted April 22, 2011 Author Posted April 22, 2011 Finished! Some impressions of the latter stages of the build: I used Ventura decals for the serial number (Medium Sea Grey) I didn't get on well with them- I found the carrier very thick. Even after the usual treatment there is an obvious 'bump' visible when sunlight catches the area. I'm not aware of any other manufacturer of 4'' serials in grey though. The Eduard door is designed for the Tamiya kit and doesn't fit the gap you creat by cutting out the airfix side. Unfortunately the carpet monster claimed the airfix plastic door so this had to do. The pilot would have a bit of a draught if he tried to close it! The Pavla canopy was masked with parafilm, which I will definitely use again. There are a few perks to having a research fellow as a partner! I enjoyed this build very much. Will 1
Seahawk Posted April 22, 2011 Posted April 22, 2011 (edited) Hi all,does anyon know of a source for 1/72 RAF 8'' serial numbers in Medium Sea Grey? I have plenty of black in the spare box, but I think Grey is correct? Will More than you will use in several lifetimes, and all for £2.60: http://www.hannants.co.uk/product/VA7253 The other colours (black, white and dull red) come in handy as well. Edit: oops! I see you've found some. Personally I've only ever used the black ones and have always found them excellent: thin but tough enough to withstand all the moving around involved in getting 5 tiny characters lined up. Edited April 22, 2011 by Seahawk
Killingholme Posted April 22, 2011 Author Posted April 22, 2011 More than you will use in several lifetimes, and all for £2.60:http://www.hannants.co.uk/product/VA7253 The other colours (black, white and dull red) come in handy as well. Edit: oops! I see you've found some. Personally I've only ever used the black ones and have always found them excellent: thin but tough enough to withstand all the moving around involved in getting 5 tiny characters lined up. Interesting to know. Perhaps it's just that I am not familiar with them? To be fair, I agree that they hold together nicely, especially so considering the tiny size of 4'' serials in 1/72! This is only my sixth completed model, so it's a steep learning curve for me! Will
Enzo the Magnificent Posted April 22, 2011 Posted April 22, 2011 (edited) That's excellent! I don't have a PR Spitfire in my collection. Best I put that right soon. Edit: Just realised... it's 1/72. You wouldn't think so, would you? Looks more like 1/48. Edited April 22, 2011 by Enzo Matrix
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