Spitfire GB

Loving this group

Im in the very early stages of a 1/32 scale Tamiya build of Johnnie Johnson's Mark 9 Spit. 

No pictures yet, hopefully soon.

Just up to the first pre build of the canopy, I need better eye sight I feel as its so detailed.

Using these as the three base colours (on the left), and Sky for the prop (far right)

Here is my contrubution to the GB.

It is by far not nearly the top quality builds I have been looking at on this thread, but still fun to do straight out the box.It is an Airfix new tooling 1/72 Mk9.

The fit really surprized me it is so good, the cockpit has basically no detail other than the seat.Itried to do a collomb, but I think with the canopy closed (no option to open it) it will be pretty dark in there anyway. Besides my green ,witch I "eyeballed" from paint mixes is to dark.

I will either do the green/grey JE-J or the RAF Polish med colours, not sure yet.I might try a bit of shading and staining to dirty her up a bit.

Theuns

Theuns

It is by far not nearly the top quality builds I have been looking at on this thread, but still fun to do straight out the box.It is an Airfix new tooling 1/72 Mk9.

Don't worry about comparing to other builds.  As you said it's fun to do and that's what it's all about.  I also build straight from the box, learn something with each build and learn even more from watching other builds on here.

Looks like you are off to a good start there.

Mike

Thanx Mike

Here t is after some light sanding.I will do a coat of primer and sand again to tone down the deep lines a tad.Hopefully I can shoot some paint on it this weekend :-)

Theuns

Jester

Loving this group

Im in the very early stages of a 1/32 scale Tamiya build of Johnnie Johnson's Mark 9 Spit. 

No pictures yet, hopefully soon.

Just up to the first pre build of the canopy, I need better eye sight I feel as its so detailed.

 

 Totally stoked to see you join the group and share your big Spit with us.

                                                           Joe

Theuns - Despite the spartan detail it appears to me you are doing a rather fine job there.

                                                                                  Joe

JOE RIX

Theuns - Despite the spartan detail it appears to me you are doing a rather fine job there.

                                                                                  Joe

Honestly I don't know how y'all who work in 72nd do it!

My Spit's stalled out a bit over the past few days. Started with one masking strategy (paper masks, white tack borders) and wasn't happy with how it was going down at all, so I started to freehand, which, not bad, but not great.

So I've picked up some tracing paper. My plan now is to lay it down, draw out the patterns, remove, cut, then tape it down. Would've done it last night, but stressing myself out over some very important job interviews, followed by a happy hour with some old coworkers, basically did me in for the night. 

Hopefully some nice, full-camo pictures later tonight or tomorrow morning!

Doogs,

I use a liquid latex called MisKit by Grumbacher (picture).  Available at Michaels for about $7.  You paint it on (I put it on thick, very thick) and after it turns opaque and tacky, paint away.  After you're paint is dry, peel up the miskit.

It creates a hard edge, and in 72nd the soft edge (MAP spec was 1/2 inch) should look like a hard edge anyway.  In 32nd it may be more noticeable...or not but I've never done that large a scale.

Tim

Greenshirt

Doogs,

I use a liquid latex called MisKit by Grumbacher (picture).  Available at Michaels for about $7.  You paint it on (I put it on thick, very thick) and after it turns opaque and tacky, paint away.  After you're paint is dry, peel up the miskit.

It creates a hard edge, and in 72nd the soft edge (MAP spec was 1/2 inch) should look like a hard edge anyway.  In 32nd it may be more noticeable...or not but I've never done that large a scale.

Tim

Yeah Tim - the "hard hand-sprayed" is kind of the worst of both worlds! Still have to worry about introducing a little bit of feathering, but too tight to freehand (unless you have a MUCH steadier hand than mine!), but not so simple as hard-edge masking. My plan for the tracing paper is to cut it into strips maybe 1/4 - 1/2" wide, then tack those down from the inside, then mask over the gaps with post-it scraps. Figure this way they should be able to flap a very little bit and provide that "hard" soft demarkation I'm going for.

The latex certainly sounds interesting, though. How does it do with reacting with paint underneath? Lifting? 

Doogs,

No reaction whatsoever.  It's latex, so it's safe with both acrylics and enamels.  I did find if I did NOT put it down thick enough, trying to peel it up scratched the paint, but that was because I didn't have enough of the miskit latex to grab with my pointy tweezers.  After I grab it, I then twist the tweezers and roll the latex onto the tweezers, kind of rubbing the paint as I go.  Of course, I let the paint fully cure for a couple of days before I try to peel the mask off.

Here's how my Spitfire looked after masking and before spraying the Dark Green: 

Tim

Hi Guys.

I have also used the latex mask stuff, but here in SA is is called "Humbrol Maskall" It is a light purple colour, but when cured it turns daker.

I have found that you need to regularly clean the brush as the latex that starts to cure on the brush tends to stick and lift the latex on the model!

As Doogs said, I wait for the paint to cure and then simply just "roll" it off with my fingers.

Attached is a pix of my 1/72 Academy Tempest that I used this stuff on. There was not "tack worms" on the edge and so the edge is a bit hard, on the spit I will put some worms on just to bleand the edges a bit better.

Pitty that I gaot the green wrong :-( Humbrol 30 is to green, I will go with the HU116 next time.

Sorry for the "off topic " pic, but atleast is is British  LOL!

Theuns

Hey, I'm in with a 1:72 Spitfire IXc

Hey Doogs, Best of luck to you on your interviews. Maintain faith in yourself and TALLY HO!

                                                              Joe

Thanks Joe! They were actually Thursday...now just that awesome period of waiting...nothing I can do to change a thing at this point....hopefully I'll be hearing something on Monday!

In the meantime...stayed up until 3:30 last night determined to push through the camoflage so I could rip the masking off the Spit.

Here it is, ready for gloss and decals! Really happy with the way the tracing paper masking came out...almost hard-edged, but not quite.

Now that's looking exceptional, Doogs!

Tim

MilitaryAircraft101

Hey, I'm in with a 1:72 Spitfire IXc

Added, welcome aboard! What manufacturer?

Doogs - That is Outstanding! Do you happen to have any pics of the masks while they were on the model? Just curious as to how it looked.

                                           Joe

Finally got my decals on.  This is the best I can get them.  I'm afraid if I mess with them any more I'll really ruin them.  Just have a little detail painting to do and I hope to get a coat of Future on it tomorrow before some weathering.  I really wish I had painted the fuselage band RAF sky along with the spinner instead of using the decal.  I'll keep that in mind for future builds.  Once I get it done I'll take her outside to get some good pictures.

JOE RIX

Doogs - That is Outstanding! Do you happen to have any pics of the masks while they were on the model? Just curious as to how it looked.

                                           Joe

Thanks! Unfortunately, I told myself "I should get a picture of it all masked up", and that's as far as I got! Pretty easy to visualize, though.

Basically, I started with tracing paper. Office Depot. Translucent, my ***! Next time I may try to track down something lighter than 25-lb paper. But I digress. Laid it over the wings, fuselage, or where necessary, cut a long strip (about the size of a bookmark) and did the wing/fuselage transition. Looking at images of the camo pattern, and what I'd already filled in, traced the camo pattern. Cut it out. Cut these "borders" into approx. 1/4" thick strips. Think of them like silly putty or poster putty worms, just made out of paper. 

I taped these in place on the Middle Stone side with a few pieces of 6mm Tamiya tape, stuck to the palm of my hand many times to remove most of the tack. This degree of "flappabiity" I think is what pulled off the not-quite-hard-edge I was going for.

The roundel discs were literally the decal sheet copied, then cut out with a circle cutter. Taped in place on the Middle Stone ends. Everything else filled in with wider Tamiya tape, again stuck to the palm of my hand, forearm, etc to cut down the tack. When all was said and done, it lifted as easily as a Post-it, and often as not, the tape adhered to itself better than to the Spitfire, so it'd all come off in one big piece.

Doogs, that is coming out fantastic!  Really love that color scheme too.

Hi Spit fans..

Finally finished the cockpit area, funny thing is the hardest thing out of all that was getting the pilot into the seat !!!!  The metal scraping had to be pulled up but when you swung it back down over his shoulders it was never quite sitting right beacuse if the sring-effect argghh.. took ages to get it just right. Never the less, got him in ..  hope he like his ride to be :D

Jester

Jester - great job on the harness & pilot. Something you don't see too often - we a/c modelers are scared of those pilots so often!

VanceCrozier

 

Jester:

 

 

 

Jester - great job on the harness & pilot. Something you don't see too often - we a/c modelers are scared of those pilots so often!

X 2! Or squared!

Now that I've overcome my fear of rigging a bipe, pilots are probably the most intimidating thing for me to tackle...

Count me in as one of those afraid of figures, even pilots.  I wish I could do figures because they add so much to the scale of a kit.

Mike

JOE RIX

Hey Doogs, Best of luck to you on your interviews. Maintain faith in yourself and TALLY HO!

                                                              Joe

Update on this front!

After not hearing anything on Friday, this weekend was awful. When your job is job hunting, NOTHING happens on the weekends. It's all just sit and wait. 

Then, first thing this morning, the phone rings. It's the recruiter. Feedback was extremely positive, and they're bringing me in Thursday for the final step - delivering a presentation (every new hire at this place has to do so). 

I'll be nose-to-grindstone for the next few days, but tonight, I've got some decaling ahead of me!

Good luck Thursday Doog!

Thanks guys (GL also from me Doogs )

Hey as regards to Spitfire engines.. Ive skipped the wing build as this looks pretty much ok (will do later) and headed to building the engine and support up.

~The instructions say paint it semi-gloss black..! Hmmm Im in two minds with this as tha'll  look pretty average and from the pictures Ive seen the Spits engine was hardly ALL black.

Was thinking metallic dark grey with matt black in-lays with a bit of matt aluminum brushed over. Seen a few shots of this and it looks very realistic, what would you guys recommend??

Thanks heaps

Doogs - The very best of luck to you.

Jester - Your Spit is looking really nice. Excellent work, I'm in the uncomfortable painting figures camp also. Besides it takes me a month + just to paint a cockpit let alone toss in a pilot figure. As far as painting the engine I'm not really much help although I would look to Doogs fantastic example. Your rationale seems sound and anyway sometimes do was looks good to You.

Buckeye - your decals are looking good to me.

 I got my primer coat on, Tamiya gray out of a rattle can. I'm in an inner turmoil with myself as to whether to paint and mask the yellow leading wing edge or to use the decal. I'll get some pics up here soon.

Thanks everyone! The crazy prep work begins this morning! So you either won't see me around much the next few days, or way more than usual!

Jester - My rather lazy "research" (Google image search) turned up several examples where the main engine/carb/supercharger assembly were all painted black (with red RR logo on the rocker covers). The problem - they're all restoration jobs. I've never been able to find a really good wartime pic of the Merlin 60 series, so it's hard to say for sure.

I painted mine SGB, then did some weathering with drybrushing, wash, pigments and some oil stains. I'm happy with it, but I had the exact same question about the actual color of a wartime engine. Though I actually lean to at least the core of it being black, just based on the ridiculous number of restos that go that route. 

Hope that helps a bit.

In other news, got about 3/4 of the way through the decals last night. All the various underside stencils took a ton of time, but I've got everything but the upper starboard side done. The Tamiya stencils have been...Tamiya-like. High quality, but OMG thick. The Barracudacals markings are in line with what I've experienced with them before. Thin, surprisingly strong, suck down into surface detail like paint. BUT they suck down so well that they're very hard to adjust! I lost one and fought a half hour battle with another US insignia that I tried to readjust. The bars ended up folding over on themselves. Sigh.

Finishing the rest tonight.