Spitfire GB

Thanks all for those comments - I too am quite satisfied with how the pilot turned out.

Here's a sort of step by step account of how the face was painted:

- airbrushed a desert colour over the whole figure, utilized as both a primer and as a base coat for his face

-once dry I applied a fairly thin wash of raw sienna over the whole of the face, this wash is not as strong as one usually uses, really just want it to bring out details like the lips, brows/eyes, etc.

 -next are applied the highlights, I mix both Andrea's light and dark flesh together on some plastic card(or glass - whatever is handy) as well as a hint of red until i have the desired tone and apply it like one would use the dry brush technique (but with a very small tipped brush), hitting the following areas: forehead, bridge of nose, upper cheeks, small area just below the eyes, chin

-another wash is made of a shade red/brown and is applied only to the cheeks, lower lip and the end of the nose

-for the finer details, I sharpened up some pencil crayons and very carefully drew in eyes and eyebrows with a dk brown, a lighter red brown for a shadow line that extends from the inside corner of eye to cheek and a dk pink shade for his lower lip

-also added some highlights with lighter coloured pencils

-at this point if I feel it needs more contrast, I will repeat any or all of the above steps

regards,
Jack

Outstanding work on the cockpit and pilot, Jack.  You have a knack for the details. 

Painted the camo on tonight.  Slipped with the brush on the left side, but got it touched up afterwards.  Also put on a coat of future and applied a couple of the delicate finish parts.  Hopefully decals and finishing coats soon!

 Jack, that is some really teriffic work. That pilot is extremely weel done. I too wish I had the knack, or motivation, for figure painting.

 I'm still working away at the decals on my Spit. I've had a few mishaps, but overall the Lifelike decals are fairly nice to work with. They initially seem a bit thick but, they're quite sturdy and settle in nicely with solvaset.

                                            Joe

jgeratic that looks real. Great figure, great shading on the panels. Well done. On the face was that a series of washes or what?

Wow, that pilot figure came out great.  Can't wait to see the rest of your build.

Very nice! I wish I could paint figures...

Im still fixing some seams i'll try for pics this weekend.

Interiors and pilot are now painted, just need to put it together.  The crowbar on the door should of been removed as these were associated with the Mark V and onwards.  I left it since it will be hidden with the figure seated in place.

regards,

Jack

I should be putting primer on my spit after work today, spent yesterday fizing some seam work. I will post a pic when its primed.

Very creative adaptation, Jack.  Good for reference, too, since I don't think the 1/72 Airfix models include this detail.

Just a small update...
Cockpit is ready for paint after making two pieces representing the pilot armour.  If my reading was correct this steel plating was of 7mm thickness and in total weighed 73 Ibs.  I calculated this to be about 0.145mm scale thickness but all I had was a sheet of brass 0.1mm thick, which shouldn't be too bad with a layer or two of paint.
Luckily I had an unbuilt Tamiya MK.Vb and used the kit parts as a pattern, sticking the two pieces on masking tape and cutting out with scissors.  Then the tape pattern was placed onto the brass sheet.  This too was cut with scissors.  I did not bother with adding any detail to the brass as the canopy will be fixed shut.

regards,

Jack

Well that Ocean Grey mix up had me wondering if Hasegawa got it wrong, so went and checked as I have one still boxed.  Different kit, but instructions correctly indicate Ocean Grey is topside.  No biggee though, at least the decals haven't been applied.

Regarding the leading edge yellow strip, yea I too would suggest masking and airbrush.  Trying to get narrow decals to sit on an acute angle like that is just asking for it .

regards,

Jack

Jeez now you've got me wondering! lol  I just went by the instructions and the box art, it looked like a light gray on the underbelly and a darker almost blue grey on top with dark green camo.  lol and I wont be able to check until thursday night!  Argh! lol

Joe: don't give in! You can mask it, you really can.

That is a really fine job on your Spit Jailcop. Especially nice work on the cockpit.

 Well, I have met with a self induced set back on my Mk.Vb. I applied the kit supplied yellow wing edge decals which was challenging. One of them tore into three pieces yet I managed to slide them into place satisfactoraly and then got them settled in with some Solvaset. Then while examining my handiwork it became shockingly clear that I had set the decal to far inward on the wing edge. Purely a result of not paying close enough attention to what I was doing. After a deep breath I told myself "Concentrate on a solution not on the problem". So, I quickly dialed up Tamiya customer service to inquire on a replacement sheet of decals. To my dismay they had none in stock, none in a kit they had on hand and none currently on order. They said that they would order some up  but that it would normally take 8-12 weeks to arrive. Well, that weren't good. So, plan B is to use the other kit set of yellow wing marker decals for the clipped wing spit and then paint on the the missing section. Yeah, yeah, yeah I know I should have just painted it on in the first place but my masking attempts were not turning out well and I just made the call to go with the decals. It's all part of the modeling experience to me, Rather than getting my shorts in a bundle take the time to develop a viable or creative solution.

                                                 Joe

Ok guys, I'm off to work for two 16 hour shifts, so I won't be doing any work on the spit for a couple days, here's what I got done this afternoon:

Shows a bit of the PE used...

I know it's tough to see but I also painted the underside in tamiya's ocean grey (RAF)

JailCop

...I did forget to open up 4 holes in the wings prior to installation, I hope this doesn't come back to bite me too hard!  ...

Must have been for the bomb racks?? Just leave them off if you're not sure of the placement.

Thanks guys!

Greenshirt:  I tried that bright light thing, but didn't see anything!  

Excellent looking cockpit.  Looks like you're coming along fine.  Good work.

Jailcop - nice progress with all of that cockpit work.

Got started on my Hasegawa kit, here's my progress so far!

I started on the Aires cockpit, mixing in PE parts from the included sheet and also a true details PE set.  Painted with MM acrylic RAF interior green, and finished with a light coat of Flory's dark dirt wash.

Got the wings assembled and together with the fuselage.  I did forget to open up 4 holes in the wings prior to installation, I hope this doesn't come back to bite me too hard!  Due to poor fit with the Aires cockpit, I was forced to use a lot of CA and clamps to get the two parts to join.  Also had to fill a couple lines with white putty.

Hoping to make some more progress today!

"It's a slippery slope getting Spitfire books..."

Thanks for the warning, Tim, but it's too late.  Amazon had a "like-new" used copy, and the order is in.  How far is it to the bottom of the slope?  And thanks for confirming my guesses.

Jack:

Legalities will not be a problem when I have aforementioned book in my hands.  Thanks for the reference, though.  I can see what I'm getting.

Great photo comparison of the Rotol and de Havilland props (airscrews!) and spinners on the Spitfire site.  Very handy for I.d.-ing them.

I appreciate very much your input.  You both are the Obi-wans of the Spitfire.

Yes, those pilot figures are 1/48, plans are for the build to be in flight with wheels in the up position.  Was contemplating the propblur product, but it is a flat piece of photo etch and would not look good at every angle.
There is an online copy of that Osprey book here:
http://www.scribd.com/doc/51133722/Aircraft-of-the-Aces-Legendary-Spitfire-MkI-II
The copy is kind of light to read, nor am I sure how legal it is.

About the propellers, seems the spinner shape also indicates the manufacturer.  De Havilland's is a rounded point, while Rotol is a very blunt round shape.  Could be difficult to tell from just the tips, but I've noticed the Rotol ones are more angular at their base while the other has a more gradual flare.  A wide blade at the base is also most likely indicative of a wooden prop. 
http://spitfiresite.com/2010/06/battle-of-britain-1940-constant-speed-propellers.html

regards,
Jack

CMK02:

It's a slippery slope getting Spitfire books...

Yes.

Yes.

Yes.

I'm going to have to get that Spitfire book.

If I understand correctly then, both Mk I's and Mk II's could have the Rotol?  Somewhere I read that Mk II's were only coming into the squadrons in August, 1940. 

The Rotol spinner appears more blunt at the tip than most kit parts, so this means that kit props are de Havilland?

I'm assuming (and we know how that can go), that the only way to tell whether a specific plane has Rotol or de Havilland is to check photo references.

jgeratic1

As luck would have it, I'm in the middle of reading Osprey's Spitfire Mark I/II Aces.  From what I read here, I'd say the 2-blade prop was long gone by the time of Dunkirk.  Only the first 77 batch of Spitfires were equiped this way, afterwards they would have the de Havelland three-bladed two-pitch metal airscrew.  Just before BoB would begin, another new constant speed propeller was being introduced.  These were also 3-bladed and produced by both Rotol and de Havelland.  Hopefully Tim will drop by with more info.

I cannot add more...ok, 3D-Kits offers Rotol conversion sets in 72nd at a modest price. Can be used for Spitfires and Hurricanes. Web site here: http://www.3d-kits.co.uk/index.html

Tim

Thanks, Jack; that is helpful.  I knew the 2-blade was replaced, but could not find a definite answer to whether it was before or after Dunkirk. 

Is the pilot from Tamiya's 1/72 Spitfire?  Or 1/48?  I have the 1/72 on the shelf, but haven't opened it yet.  I've gotten too fond of Airfix's offerings, I suppose.

As luck would have it, I'm in the middle of reading Osprey's Spitfire Mark I/II Aces.  From what I read here, I'd say the 2-blade prop was long gone by the time of Dunkirk.  Only the first 77 batch of Spitfires were equiped this way, afterwards they would have the de Havelland three-bladed two-pitch metal airscrew.  Just before BoB would begin, another new constant speed propeller was being introduced.  These were also 3-bladed and produced by both Rotol and de Havelland.  Hopefully Tim will drop by with more info.

Found something interesting in a comparison of Tamiya's pilot with that of ARK Models (albeit the latter is a Hurricane kit).  The figures look similar, but the eastern Europe manufacture has better, more crisper detail.  Too bad the same can't be said of their aircraft.

regards,

Jack

Tim:  nice build pictures. 

I came to really appreciate the new-mold Spitifre while building it.  But I like the old-mold too.  In the future, I expect I will continue to build both.  In a world where many kits have serious issues, the Airfix Spits are a pleasure to build.  But then, so are Airfix Hurricanes--both of them (in 1/72).

I have the new-mold Mk I/IIa on the shelf.  I think I'd like to build it as a Spit over Dunkirk.  By that time, had the 2-blade prop been replaced by the 3-blade prop?

Thanks for the information.  I look forward to seeing the photos.