Thanks for all the compliments. Chris....great idea, but I'm way too lazy for that though. Perhaps in a bigger scale that would be beneficial. Waldron punches are very expensive too. Speaking of the Instrument panel, I'm actually pretty happy with how it turned out. I drybrushed it with Floquil Old Silver and then picked out some buttons and such with red and yellow paint on a toothpick tip. I gave it a Detailer wash then a dullcoat. I finished off by adding 5 minute epoxy to the lenses to simulate glass.
I did get to the airframe together which more or less built itself. These Tamiya Spits have to be some of the best fitting kits out there and are a joy to build. This literally took about an hour and I'm being generous. A little trick, use a silver Sharpie to check your seams. Any areas that need work will stick out like a sore thumb. No wing root issues either. Theres a slot that joins the two surfaces which prevents this from being a problem.
I then added a panel line preshading before I got to te paint scheme Ever since I switched to using Tamiya Lacquer thinner to thin my Tamiya paint, I've found that primer is really not needed. This stuff just has a great "bite" to it. I do still prime sometimes, especially under a NMF finish.
From the Victory Productions sheet, I decided on a 92nd Squardon MK. Vb flown by Neville Duke in Lybia in '43. This plane sported the "Vokes" air filter (which I hate..talk about killing the lines of a Spitfire) . It also carried the Tropical schem of Midstone and Dark Earth over Azure Blue, which will be a first for me. I started with Tamiya's formula for the Azure Blue, which called for XF-2 Flat White and a little bit of XF-18 Medium Blue then a touch of X-16 Purple. I'm no expert here but I don't think it turned out too shabby. I added condensation streaks then the control surfaces were then lightened.
Next I added a postshade of diluted XF-64 mixed with XF-69 NATO Black (I keep this pre mixed in a glass jar for convenience). This adds another dimension and gives it that war-weary" look I'm always trying to achieve. I'm just not into museum or air show subjects. I like them dirty. This is about right but it may get dirtier later...
I should get to the upper surfaces soon. Stay tuned...
Joe