Eric - any chance  of extending the GB - Armor86

Dogzilla, glad to have you aboard. I will put you on the front.

Armor, yes, I haven't done a thing yet and I feel so ashamed. I've been busy. I was going to start last weekend and my glue dried up.

Wayne, stellar work as always.

I'msorry to have let the GB down.Some motivator I've been.

Eric: Sorry but I have to razz you- it's been so long since you built a model your glue dried up!?! 

LOL

My apologies for being a jerk but I have to laugh.  

Tigerman, we all appreciate your effort. All the best my friend.

Hey Tigerman - its cool, working two jobs doesn't allow me much bench time ... hope to finish up the RAD 8 by the end of the month. See several Pz IV Ds signed up (Tamiya) three at last count - I have the latest Dragon IV D DAK Kit, wondering if I should pick something else from the stash Pz IIs, Pz.Is, or soft skin vehicles. Updated RAD 8 Photos - Armor86

Thanks for the support guys and yes, it's been awhile since I completed the Jagdpanther.

Maybe we should stretch it until September? any thoughts?

Eric -- for myself, I'd be happy to have an extension. I've been working hard lately (teaching, six classes a week) and the Spit has taken a week longer than expected -- it should have been done last weekend but instead it'll be this one coming. I'm soaking the very last decal right now, which puts me into the finishing leg. I'm dying to get back to the Pz. IV D, with the superdetailing phase, and maybe start getting the stowage into colour. If the build was extended I might be able to knock out a fourth project, Alan's SiG-33...

Mike/TB379

Eric - tagging on  few extra months is good idea.  I'm trying to get at least one more GB out of the way before switching gears to this one.  It also allows others to add an additional build to this theme.

regards,

Jack

Sept sound's good to me. I am hoping I can finish before the end of June, but its going to be tight. I want to finish mine as a dio, I already have to many armour builds waiting to have dio's done. And like jack I have one more GB to build for before I start my Pz III, so would definatly ease the pressure there as well.

Eric: All joking aside don't sweat it. I didn't finish either of two subjects for my own Japanese GB II. 

Back from from my business trip to Poland and wow!, some excellent progress has been made.  Kudos to all; especially like the chipping on armor86 8 rad.  Am looking forward to following this more closely now that I'm back in the States.  And agree with the request for extension; gives me more time to build a base for the PzIIIJ.

Don

I just did the final spraying on the Spit -- decals were sealed after a thorough, careful wash, rise and air dry, then I painted the exhausts with a mix of NATO brown and metallic grey (2:1), they look not too bad. Right, lunch while things are hardening off, then onto final assembly and details... Pics tonight.

M/TB379

Pics as promised, here's the Spit thisafternoon:

At that point there were 22 parts left to attach. Now there are only two:

The landing gear seems quite solid, but the prop attachment is poor, I may end up gluing it in place. The Eduard masks did not produce a clean demarcation when removed, perhaps the first time I've encountered this in a dozen projects.

Tomorrow -- add the two parts, touch up as needed, apply dust and carbon stains with pigments, and take a shot at rigging the antenna wires. And then she's done...

M/TB379

Mike, great looking Spit, nice work.

Yes Mike, great looking job there.

Don't think you have to worry about the antenna wires.  By the end of 1940, most Spitfires had the mast to rudder wire replaced with an aerial, housed within the mast.  Photos of Gleed's mount do appear to confirm this. 

regards,

Jack

A86, your 232 is looking great. You really captured the rough desert finish of early DAK!

T379, excellent work on Gleed's Spit. Very clean work so far.

Jack, that is an interesting tidbit about the Spitfire's antenna mast and wiring. Do you know roughly when that change took place?

Hello Stik ...  trials of the 'wireless' antenna began May/June 1940, and the switch over to all front line units began in September.  This info can be found here;

http://spitfiresite.com/2010/04/spitfire-masts-and-aerials.html/2

regards,

Jack

Dan: Awesome looking 232! I love the weathering!

Mike: I really like the finish on your Spit!

Thanks, guys! Jack -- thanks for that info! I was rummaging among my research materials looking for antenna configurations and some of my older stuff seems to be inaccurate, there's a painting of Gleed's plane with the full rigging suite. The link indicates that aircraft of AB502's vintage should have had the internalised radio antenna, but the external IFF wires, certainly the photo of a Spit Vb at Gibralta has that configuration and is en route to North Africa. Now, can I muster the guts to poke attachment holes through the fuselage roundels and hope the elastic line goes on cleanly? :-) If not, all she needs is a few touchups, some dust and dirt, and she's done, and I can always rig the IFF lines at some time in the future...

Cheers, Mike

Mike - no problem.

Your call on the IFF wires.  Going by period photos, I can't detect any sign of them - that's not to say that at some point Gleed's aircraft could of had that configuration.

From what I understand, the IFF system depended on ground radar to read aircraft signals.  No doubt, there must of been a radar station(s) in Gibraltar, as well as on warships,(something that would of been quite useful during the Torch operation).  I've no idea if anything (portable or otherwise) was set up on Tunisian airfields.

regards,

Jack

Good call, Jack, and that's the configuration I've gone with. I figure if evidence comes along that radar was in use in-theatre I can always add the IFF wires at a later date, but for now she's in clean configuration.

I added the last parts, touched up as need be, dusted the running gear, did gun and exhaust carbon (I could go a bit heavier on the carbon, maybe), and some bare metal edges, though they don't really show up in the pics. The red gun excluder patches are unperforated, therefore the plane is hot-loaded ready for the next sortie. In keeping with being on the ground, the underwing rad outlet is in the open position.

Here's the evidence, and I'm calling her done:

My first Spitfire since I was a lot younger, and ironically enough, the last one I was working on then was Airfix's 1:72 Vc -- to be finished in Gleed's markings! I never got it finished. I did the interior painting for a Tamiya Vc many years ago, but never got on with it. So this elegant thoroughbred is my return to Spits.

The canopy let me down, I think maybe I painted too thoroughly over the masks and they pulled up alongside because the struts are so very narrow. I have some half-millimetre masking tape and if I lay out some strips and spray them RAF Middle Stone, I could possibly redo the spoiled areas. But that'll have to wait on me finding the tape...

Thanks for the GB and info, all, it's been a lot of fun, and I look forward to getting back to armour in the months ahead.

Cheers, Mike/TB379

Now I am no Spit fan, but even I have to admit that's a thing of beauty. Great looking build Mike. Goes well with the 109, any chance of a pic with the two side by side.

I'm not a huge fan of the Spit either, but that is one gorgeous looking Spitfire you got there, Mike!

Thanks, guys, and yes, I'll be doing some shots of them together -- I think I'll do a blog post on building to a theme, this one being the air war over the desert. Will post when I've got them. It feels good to have her finished! Now, onto the next! :-)

Cheers, M/TB379

Hey guys, I've been busy. Lots of photos here and lots of text. The list of upgrades is a bit long. Most are complete, Some are partially done, or will be done.

Rather than caption all of them here is a brief rundown: I have decided to model Tigertank #142 of the 1st kompany, sPzAbt. 501. Unique to 142 is  :

Direct sight post on the left side turret roof (installed as a backup)

Spare track links mounted forward of the left and right smoke dischargers

Bucket hooked to the jack handle

88 gun is wrapped in camo netting

left side and rear hull also draped in camo netting

I did lots of scratch building and upgrades to this Tamiya kit (#35227) including :

replaced kit tools with Spares from my parts bin (Dragon)

Replaced the jack, jack block and fire extinguisher with Alliance Modelworks offerings

Scratch built jack mount

PE clamps tool mounts by Lionroar and Alliance

Aftermarket grills from Tamiya (They should be included in the kit)

Scratch built partial track mounts on bottom rear hull (not used by 142)

Sanded off molded on convoy light and replaced with partial scratchbuilt and bulb from Dragon from spares bin

Replaced kit MG with brass one from Alliance

Replaced plastic 88 with one from AFV Club

Replaced track tool box with one from spares bin and scratched the mounting bars underneith

Replaced loaders hatch with a Dragon hatch from the bin

Adding LOTS of bolt and rivet detail throughout using Ming nuts and bolts

Replaced hinges on the Turret tool bin with spare PE from the bin

Direct sight post installed

Reworking weld beads throughout with putty and Archer resin weld beads

Butterfly bolts from Bronco are used where approprate

Replaced kit smoke grenade dischargers with super detailed ones from Voyager

Here are some pictures of some of the details. I still have another month or two of work to get done.

Enjoy 

Sorry for some of the picture quality...time for a better camera.

I will post updates on my build more regularly so there won't be such a long post

Scott

Lots of mistakes in my handling of the post. The pictures didn't post. I will fix it and re post

Scott

Beautiful looking desert Spitfire, Mike!!  Everything looks great: the camo, the markings, the panel washes and weathering....top notch sir!

Thank you for the link and information Jack. I presume that this would apply to Hurricanes as well.

Mike I'm having a difficult time seeing the areas along the canopy you think may be a problem, it looks like the masks fit well? Love the coloring and paint, I agree with the guys this is a very nice Spitfire.

Mike: Despite your issues with the canopy there she looks fantastic! Kudos sir!

Always nice to see a Spit or Hurricane in something other than the Euro scheme too.

Chazzer: Wow, that's a pile of work, looking forward to the photos.