1/32 Tamiya Spitfire Mk IXc, Kenley Wing, Wing Cdr. J.E. "Johnnie" Johnson (Complete)

I would go with the Vallejo Model Air RAF paints on this. they are a better quality and rather than scale altered are chipset effect and so will give the exterior a much better and business like appearance.

I am glad that you are going with masks for the insignia and remember that the blue is actually Oxford Blue, not insignia blue from MRP.

Oxford Blue BS105 MRP-183

Spray the roundel white and then put the masking back in the circle ONCE THE WHITE IS CURED, taking off, painting the colours letting them cure and then replacing the mask before moving on.

It is a complex thing and takes longer than decals, but the result is more realistic.

Don't forget that the squadron codes are Sky. Vallejo is the best for that!

The aircraft camo was hard edged and done with masks in the factory and I recommend Top Notch Masks for that to replicate it.

https://topnotch-success.net/vinyl-masks/camouflage/raf/spitfire-ixc-masks/

Also, use the insignia yellow for the leading edge ID markings but don't put a white background, just airbrush onto the camo paint and it will come out just a slightly bit deeper than the roundel ID yellow on a white background which will help to keep the human eye moving around the model.

Paint it as the originals were painted and the difference from decals etc is very noticable and more realistic.

Greatmaker

Wow your cockpit work is amazing.  Looking foward to the reast of your build!

 

Thanks Greatmaker. I've made some decent progress. Another update soon...

Wow your cockpit work is amazing.  Looking foward to the reast of your build!

I've finished up the main part of the fuselage and wings. I think this is the first time I've not applied an extra fingerprint with glue somewhere. Fingers crossed for the rest of the build. 

The only drama on the fuselage was a noticable gap between the cockpit tub framing and the cockpit door ledge. Fortunately I didn't glue the tub in place when I buttoned up the fuselage. So I removed the tub from underneath and sanded and tweaked the fit until the gap was reasonable.

The fit at the wing root is absolutely sublime. Holy smokes.

I was surprised that Tamiya decided to put 4 ejector pin marks on the exposed portion of the cockpit door. It's a tough location to fix and I wasn't confident I could get it to look right, so I ordered the Quickboost door with the separate crowbar. Unfortunately, when the part arrived today I discovered it was warped. 

That was a surprise. I ordered a replacement and will see how far I can get with the kit part. 

I've been working on the engine and was also a little surprised to find that Tamiya placed the sprue gates for the 12 individual exhaust tips on the outside surface. Not a big deal but a little extra work. On their 1/32 Mustang they have the sprue gates on the attachment points

Overall, it's an amazing kit to build so far.

Time to get back to the engine and cleanup of the fuselage. 

Aggieman

Very nice start on an awesome kit. I did this one at the time the movie Dunkirk came out in the exact same scheme and pilot. I will point out the one area where I had some trouble - the starboard side in attaching the engine mount to the fuselage. I didn't get the framing properly seated, and there is a consequent gap visible when the cowling panels are attached.

 

Thanks Aggieman. It really is a great kit - smooth so far. I'll watch out for the engine mounting issue. Thanks. 

lawdog114

Outstanding Office! Their large Mk. IX Spit is on my short list too. 

 

Thanks LD. It's a fun kit so far. 

Very nice start on an awesome kit. I did this one at the time the movie Dunkirk came out in the exact same scheme and pilot. I will point out the one area where I had some trouble - the starboard side in attaching the engine mount to the fuselage. I didn't get the framing properly seated, and there is a consequent gap visible when the cowling panels are attached.

Outstanding Office! Their large Mk. IX Spit is on my short list too.