RCAF Spit Mk. Vb
Extremely busy at work so model time is limited, but as an update, assembly was uncomplicated and not fussy at all (classic Hasegawa). A few tweaks and some shaving here and there for fit but no actual putty needed except on the rear wing to fuselage joint. Pretty much OOB with the exception of a couple of belts. Doodle coat applied over some LP-11 for some minor chipping.
More doodle coat.
Overcoat applied. I have XF-81, which is RAF dark green, but did not have any Ocean Grey, so improvised with some neutral grey with juuuuust a touch of dark sea blue which looks pretty good, if maybe a smidge too blue-ish.
Didn't have medium sea grey either so I took light sea grey and added a tiny bit of flat black. Looks the part, so no complaints.
Topside with some minor chipping. The hairspray led to some all-or-nothing too long scratches, so will probably touch those up.
Gloss coat and decals on. They didn't behave all that well.
Aeromaster decals, so they were thin but would not conform, even with Solvaset. All that did was make them shrink and crack.
Flat coating, needs more. The Aeromaster sheet had you place the code numbers too far aft AND the Hasegawa Spits are 4 scale inches too short from what I hear so it made for a cramped buzz number and tail code. Oops.
My only reference was the Aeromaster instructions, which led to the goof of making the ID band white instead of sky. Too late now! I also did not have sky as a color, so made my own: 5 parts XF-2 and 1 part XF-71 and it's pretty close.
Rotol prop in place and gear ready to go.
Still needs a bit of weathering and a few more oil streaks.
Exhausts, cannons and some various stains should see this one complete.
Overall pretty happy with it, but check your references and don't rely on just the decal sheet! As they say, any landing you can walk away from is a good one, so too any kit you learn from isn't bad I suppose.
Finished, warts and all.
Note: the pin-up nose art girl did not havre any warts as far as I know.
Paint variation came through OK even with a too-heavy blend coat.
Added the missing pitot tube later since it breaks off if you even look at it.
I think a Mk.IX is next, with the full wing tips.
In spite of the goof with the ID band color, it came out pretty well.
Kommentare
47 25 March 2023, 21:58
GiorgosA M A Z I N G!
Your painting sequences broadened my horizons! Many thanks for sharing! Can't wait for photos of the finished model!
26 March 2023, 08:23
JohnThanks for the likes & feedback, gents. Can't claim credit for that one, I saw it on someone's MiG-25 build, but "marble coat" seems too formal, haha.
Giorgos, I did the same technique on my Ki-84 build, covered in a little more detail there. Normally I like black-basing but for any significant chipping LP-11 is a great base, but most other silvers should work too.
The camo was done with a template, linked below. Made the outines with the template, pulled them off to do the doodle coat, then put them back on for the blend/overcoat. Kinda tedious but not terrible. Honestly went a little too far with the blend coat on top since it covered a little too much and lost some of the tonal differences. Lesson learned, stop before you think it's just right and come back later.
Spit camo templates: yolo.net/~jeaton/mym..plates/SpitTemp.html
26 March 2023, 16:46
MariusHi John, quite some dedication on the pre-shading, but as you said, too bad you stopped a tad too late. For this exact reason I prefer post-shading.
I'll try to remember your last sentence (before the link) more often.
But still, the colour variation is not completely lost on the upperside, while the the underside looks spot on!
For the chipping you used a toothpick?
26 March 2023, 18:13
JohnHi Marius, thanks for the feedback. Yes, there's still some variation so it's not a total loss and it looks a little better in reality than in pics, but certainly, you can always add more paint coats, but it's hard to remove them.
I used this for chipping: iwata-airbrush.com/iwata-washing-brush.html
It's a little easier to control than a toothbrush, but the bristles are quite stiff so you have to be careful and use little pressure as it will take paint off very easily.
26 March 2023, 18:58
MariusGreat result,! Good, smooth surface quality, great looking chipped of paint and some pre-shading still there.
Good job!
20 April 2023, 18:46
JohnThanks all for the likes and comments. I learned some things on this build too!
22 April 2023, 14:26
Paul MooreWe're our own worst critics! I looked through the photos and I thought it was a fine Spit! And you are correct. It's nice to try new things, learn from your mistakes and then enjoy the beautiful Spitfire you created. Congratulations.
11 March, 10:07
JohnHi Paul and Anthony, thank you! I appreciate your comments. I certainly learned that roundels are a lot easier to paint than wrestle their decals over irregular surfaces.
11 March, 16:02
Album info
Simple kit, but nice all the same
