My first everything - Spitfire

Pretty decent results for a first effort.  You have identified your areas that need work, so you are well on the way to better modeling.  Practice makes perfect, (or at least closer thereto).

Darwin, O.F.   

Waste Land wrote:

davew6003 wrote:  wing_nut wrote: No doubt there are some things that can be seen but overall a good showing for all those firsts. And you have identified the areas yourslef so you know what to work on andthat is the best way toget better.  So keep at it.  1st one if the hardest.   shhhh.... nobodytell him it gets harder          I would have to agree fully with the Nut. Keep it up and you will be surprised how much better the next one will look. Hey Florence, been there many times.   Where ya from?

Was born in Birmingham but I live in Tuscaloosa now.

Thanks again for all the compliments and all the points in the right direction.

I'm currently working on a black 32' Ford Highboy. Which will be my first car done with airbrushing, decaling and future coating.

There is an old saying.......if it looks right-it will fly right.

I think that applies here, you set out to builld a Spitfire and thats what you have done. Considering the ammount of firsts you had here I'd say you did a good job. I am certainly impressed because that is waaaay better than my first Spitfire!

As has been said before, for a 1st AB job, you did great. Use the search facility on FSM and use the wealth of information on offer here to help you improve (I still do). Also some of the contributors on here (Wing nut, JWB, Swanny etc) have there own websites that have some invaluable tips that will be of great use to the new modeller (and Old).

So keep up the good work and dont be afraid to ask questions. Remember, No question is a silly question.

...Guy

Great first build Waste Land! Now you've got the anxiety of the "firsts" over with, you'll be much more comfortable moving forward and improving your skills. I think MArc and some of the others said it best...it seems like you already know where you want to focus on improving, and that's the most important thing.

I'm looking forward to seeing what rolls off your assembly line in the future.

Waste Land wrote:

As for the painting process the first thing I did was mask off the sides and such and spray the bottom.....then took masking tape and just layed it across the bottom gentlyand let it hang.... so I got the edge between the  colors without a edgy line. Sprayed the earth brown, have it a few days to dry then took gobs of silly putty and smooshed them around to create my own camo then sprayed over it and removed within an hour.

...Which is pretty much the same way I do mine.  It's a pretty neat trick, eh? 

davew6003 wrote:

wing_nut wrote: No doubt there are some things that can be seen but overall a good showing for all those firsts. And you have identified the areas yourslef so you know what to work on andthat is the best way toget better.  So keep at it.  1st one if the hardest.   shhhh.... nobodytell him it gets harder          I would have to agree fully with the Nut. Keep it up and you will be surprised how much better the next one will look. Hey Florence, been there many times.

Where ya from? 

wing_nut wrote:

No doubt there are some things that can be seen but overall a good showing for all those firsts. And you have identified the areas yourslef so you know what to work on andthat is the best way toget better.  So keep at it.  1st one if the hardest.   shhhh.... nobodytell him it gets harder

I would have to agree fully with the Nut. Keep it up and you will be surprised how much better the next one will look.

Hey Florence, been there many times.

Thanks guys

 As for the painting process the first thing I did was mask off the sides and such and spray the bottom.....then took masking tape and just layed it across the bottom gentlyand let it hang.... so I got the edge between the  colors without a edgy line. Sprayed the earth brown, have it a few days to dry then took gobs of silly putty and smooshed them around to create my own camo then sprayed over it and removed within an hour.

I am REALLY looking forward to trying free hand camo, I just want to pick up some finer needles to try and also work on my Abing skills as well as my thinning skills.

BTW this was all done with acrylics 

The two (self-admitted, I might add) things I would work on first?

-Decals (the whole clear gloss/decal/clear gloss/clear flat process- not that hard, just tedious.)

-Painted canopy frames.  A bit harder to do, but it's something to work toward.

On the other hand, you paint job is certainly commendable under ANY circumstances, first model or not.  From what I've seen this is the hardest thing that beginners have to get a hold of.  But you don't look to have any problem with it at all.

What does this mean?  Two or more projects (with some new small tweaks and new techniques each time) and I think you'll suprise yourself.

Is it a bit rough?  Yeah.  But it bodes well for the future.  REAL well.

I'm eager to see more.  Good job! 

Not too bad for all your firsts.  Learn from the mistakes & you'll get better in no time.

Regards,  Rick

First, I commend you on your choice of aircraft. Spitfires rule!

Sure there are some things that you'll get better at, but don't be hard on yourself. It looks good! You've recognized areas to improve, you learned some new techniques, and you probably had a lot of fun! That's what it's really all about.

Keep building, keep having fun!

And remember- Spitfires rule! LOL 

Wasteland,

 I can identify with all those first as I currently have one plane, a P-38, under my belt.

 Did you mask to paint the camo or did you freehand?

 First plane huh? Nicely done.

                                            Kent

Could have sealed paint, decals, dulled

The filling in the wings are much horrible....I didnt use masking tape

Model was not cleaned very well before hand

Canaopy had too much glue

canaopy not futured

Feal free to hit me with anymore 

No doubt there are some things that can be seen but overall a good showing for all those firsts. And you have identified the areas yourslef so you know what to work on andthat is the best way toget better.  So keep at it.  1st one if the hardest.

shhhh.... nobodytell him it gets harder