WIP - First Build - Revell 1/48 Spitfire Mk II

That's the first kit I built when I returned to the hobby, but in Bader's markings. I must say I was hooked and didn't look back. Welcome.

mrcdrx

Wow, thanks for the great advice!. I'll sure look into it.

This is the newer Mk II kit, with the Ocean Grey and Green camouflage the RAF changed to in August of '41.

 

It's the same kit. You just have different markings lol. 

Watch out for the the fit of the glass and make sure you keep test fitting everything. You'll do well. :)

mrcdrx

 

Well, actually the kit came with 3 cups of (Revell Aqua) base colors, a combined brush (one flatter brush, and a little round one. I guess size 1, but I have to check that) and Revell Contacta with the needle applicator. So I used that one.

I found the trick with the clamps after some reading on internet (boy, I learned a lot already. I painted the canopy by hand, before I found out about masking. But that's for later), and I used the clamps when I glued the wings together. I had to sand only a little bit, and the seams closed very nicely. The fuselage wouldn't fit in the wing opening, so that's where I needed to do the most sanding. 

I'll remember the hint with letting the glue flow in the seam. I read somewhere that the Tamiya Extra Thin Cement is useful for that?

Thank you all for showing so much interest in my build 

No problem.  Yes, it is the Tamiya extra thin.

Another good tip I've learned online about canopies is to paint it by hand (without masking) using acrylic paints.  Then take a spare piece of sprue (the gray plastic) when the canopy dried and use it to scrape away any mistakes.  This works since acrylics are easy to chip off.  Saves a lot of time not masking lol

KosmoCramer

Welcome.  Nice build so far!

Older Revell kits can be a pain to build.

what glue did you use for the fuselage?  I've found by using the thin brush on cement (tamiya or testors) I get a nice fit generally.  I will usually slightly put the pieces together dry or with a little glue then dip the glue brush in the glue and let it flow into the seam of the fuselage.  After that I will let it dry with a wooden clothing clamp holding it tight.  The cement melts the plastic together; so you get a seem that usually will just need sanding or minimal putty.  Hope this helps!

 

Well, actually the kit came with 3 cups of (Revell Aqua) base colors, a combined brush (one flatter brush, and a little round one. I guess size 1, but I have to check that) and Revell Contacta with the needle applicator. So I used that one.

I found the trick with the clamps after some reading on internet (boy, I learned a lot already. I painted the canopy by hand, before I found out about masking. But that's for later), and I used the clamps when I glued the wings together. I had to sand only a little bit, and the seams closed very nicely. The fuselage wouldn't fit in the wing opening, so that's where I needed to do the most sanding. 

I'll remember the hint with letting the glue flow in the seam. I read somewhere that the Tamiya Extra Thin Cement is useful for that?

Thank you all for showing so much interest in my build :)

Welcome.  Nice build so far!

Older Revell kits can be a pain to build.

what glue did you use for the fuselage?  I've found by using the thin brush on cement (tamiya or testors) I get a nice fit generally.  I will usually slightly put the pieces together dry or with a little glue then dip the glue brush in the glue and let it flow into the seam of the fuselage.  After that I will let it dry with a wooden clothing clamp holding it tight.  The cement melts the plastic together; so you get a seem that usually will just need sanding or minimal putty.  Hope this helps!

Hi Shipwreck, The on deck kits I got for my birthday. I was planning to leave U Boot and B17 on the on deck circle for a while :)

Unfortunatly, this is one of the problems with kits. This is not new, it was first moulded in 1978. It has been re-boxed with new parts for different versions or new decals over the years. The original was a Mk II so yours will most probably be from the original mould.

Check the history here.

https://www.scalemates.com/kits/194347-revell-h32-supermarine-spitfire-mk-ii

Wow, thanks for the great advice!. I'll sure look into it.

This is the newer Mk II kit, with the Ocean Grey and Green camouflage the RAF changed to in August of '41.

Old Revell kits can be a bit daunting for new builders due to thier fit issues and other problems the old molds suffer from. It is a great platform to begin to learn techniques to make any kit look great. To help build you confidence you could build a kit from a better company like Tamiya. They are much more modern molds that practically build themselves. Hang in there, you'll get it to work out.

BK

Thanks Shipwreck. But I'm not showing off lol. That was just to clarify which kit he's working with. Which I believe is the one he's working with.

Its not all that easy a kit to build anymore, but it's a great kit to get the skills practice on As it needs some work to get it looking good.

Mostly the kit glass is the trouble area, but it can be fixed if you're clever.

M. Brindos

Mike, I like your hard stand; and your old bird looks good!

You mean this Revell Spitfire Mk II?

You can lay down some masking tape down near the sanding area to save some of the panel lines, but when they are raised you will always end up losing some of them. 

Myrdrex, welcome to modeling and the FSM forum. I hope you can figure out what went wrong with your photo posting. I hope you just did not try posting them directly to the thread. You need a host to do that! Bish and Jay Jay were correct about raised panel lines. I will add that most of the older kits have them and the newer kits generally have recessed panel lines. Recessed panel lines have become the holy grail of modeling! On a real plane there are basically overlapping panels or butt panels The butt panels are the newer design! Butt panels create a small gap between panels; so recessed panel lines, as long as they are not to wide, serve well to represent them. However planes with over lapping panels do not have gaps between them. Raised panel lines are generally the better way of representing them. I am quite sure that your British Spitfire had overlapping panels. The first WW2 aircraft that I am aware of with Butt panels was the Martin B-26 Marauder. But, when the kit is completed it is hard to notice the difference. I would sue like to see photos of your Spitfire!

Glad you have decided to join this wonderful hobby.

Milliput is good stuff but seems to be a bit overkill for filling seams unless there is a large gap. You may want to try Perfect Plastic Putty. It's much easier to work with.

A tip from your Uncle Jay ;as to restoring raised panel lines that have been sanded off, this method works for me. tape along each side of the panel line and fill the tiny gap with MR. Surfacer 1000. Let dry for about 10 min. and CAREFULLY remove the tape. It will leave a nice ridge there where the panel line was.

Afraid i can't see your pics, probably now to me beingh on the work computer, but i will check those tonight.

Those type of panel lines are called raised. Its usually an indication of an older kit, which could also explain the issues with the fuselage. Warped parts arenot common, but they doi occur. It could be down to how the kit was stored over the years or poor moulding. Some kits are reissued over and over again, and sometimes what you think is a nhew kit may acctually just be a new moulding of a could that could be 20, 30 or more years old.

Sanding parts to fit and adding filler in gaps is far more common.

I look forward to seeing those pics tonight.