Castle Bromwich Aircraft Factory

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May 20, 2023
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May 20, 2023
That's all for the cockpit. Six parts (don't miss the tiny bit on the right, below the knife) and rudimentary details.
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May 20, 2023
Some more simple details on the side walls.
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May 21, 2023
Had a chemical spill and now there is some battle damage.
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May 21, 2023
This is all the painting the instructions call for the interior, Heller/Humbrol 64 or Revell 75. A bit bland..
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May 21, 2023
.. so some creativity is applied with Heller 11, 73 and 85.
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May 24, 2023
Cockpit installed. Looks a bit cramped.
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May 24, 2023
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May 24, 2023
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May 24, 2023
Quick reminder lol.
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May 24, 2023
The wings fit really well together. No overlaps or anything, just a bit lacking in alignment assist. Only the cannons help with positioning.
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May 24, 2023
The fuselage also has a decent fit and does not require too much extra work. Just a bit of sanding to smooth out the seams.
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May 29, 2023
Canopy parts...
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May 29, 2023
... masked for painting.
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May 29, 2023
Wings and fuselage joined.
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May 29, 2023
The fit is not perfect, but not so bad that I feel like putting extra effort into that.
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May 29, 2023
The seam is along panel lines so the imperfection does not bother me.
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May 29, 2023
Ready for painting the underside...
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May 29, 2023
... in Revell 75 Stone Grey.
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May 29, 2023
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May 29, 2023
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May 29, 2023
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May 29, 2023
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June 3, 2023
A rough sketch of the camo scheme...
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June 3, 2023
...for airbrushing free hand.
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June 3, 2023
First time ever I tried that. Could be worse 😄
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June 10, 2023
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June 10, 2023
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June 10, 2023
Ready for a gloss coat...
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June 10, 2023
.. and then it's time for decaling.
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June 13, 2023
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June 13, 2023
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June 13, 2023
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June 13, 2023
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June 13, 2023
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June 13, 2023
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June 13, 2023
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June 13, 2023
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June 25, 2023
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June 25, 2023
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June 25, 2023
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June 25, 2023
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June 25, 2023
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June 25, 2023

Comments

28 20 May 2023, 19:19

Rando Dude
Another Spitfire, this time it's Heller's version. It's an old tooling, from the '70ies, so there is not much to be expected in terms of surface, and other details. But it will be interesting to see how it compares to Eduard's offering, which I did recently, in terms of building fun.

20 May 2023, 19:27

Alex K
Following with interest - I have started the Heller Spit, on an impulse, a while back - and it now seats on the "on hold" limbo - your build might give me the push to return to it. Good luck!

20 May 2023, 19:44

Rando Dude
Thank you Alex. I had an accident already - see 4th picture - so I guess I could need all the luck, haha.

21 May 2023, 15:10

Alex K
Sorry to hear about the spill accident - I'm sure she'll recover.

23 May 2023, 02:51

Jennifer Franklin
Following with curiosity. sorry about the spilling accident. 👀

23 May 2023, 02:57

Rando Dude
Hello Jennifer, thanks for the interest.

I have some idea already what to do with the damaged part, so stay tuned 😄

24 May 2023, 16:40

Moreno Baruffini
Following too, good start and good to know that you have already a solution for the accident 👍

24 May 2023, 16:49

Guy Rump
Following. 👍

24 May 2023, 17:52

Rando Dude
Hello Moreno, hello Guy, welcome to the show! Take a seat and enjoy 😄

26 May 2023, 11:16

Rando Dude
Quick update: finished painting the camo scheme. I tried to do it freehand airbrushing and I think it did turn out not too shabby, lol.
Just needs a gloss coat now and then it's time for decals.

10 June 2023, 18:30

Moreno Baruffini
Wow! Great result in that free hand camo 👌🏻

10 June 2023, 18:50

Rando Dude
Thank you Moreno 🙂
It was less challenging than I expected but still not an easy task.

10 June 2023, 19:34

Jennifer Franklin
Yeah, agreed, the freehand camo is nice.

11 June 2023, 04:40

Rando Dude
Thank you Jennifer 🙂

More build update: I've been spending the past days with applying the decals even though they are just a few. As may be common knowledge by now, Hellers recent decals are a bit of a struggle. Stiff and a bit papery, they don't like to adhere to the surface very well and also don't conform to details as nicely as those of other manufacturers.
I'm using Mr. Mark Setter Neo for additional adhesiveness and Mr. Mark Softer Neo (lots of it) to soften them up and help to sink into the surface details. It takes a long time, usually over night, for the decals to soften up and even after a few more applications of Mr. Mark Softer Neo the results are barely acceptable.
If anyone has a better solution or knows of a product that works better for these kinds of decals, I'm all ears.

13 June 2023, 15:43

Rando Dude
It is done. Also my first attempt at a bit of a diorama. Please excuse the little historical inaccuracy, as I only have Luftwaffe dudes right now. But I guess that wouldn't be the first time that one thing stood in for something completely different, right? *cough*every war movie ever*cough*

25 June 2023, 09:03

Guy Rump
Nice result! 👍

29 June 2023, 20:46

Alex K
As Guy said - 👍 for the little base / dio (and of course the Spit!).

30 June 2023, 02:50

Jennifer Franklin
Love it! The dio and the model are both beautiful.

30 June 2023, 09:21

Rando Dude
Thank you Jennifer, Alex and Guy 🙂

2 July 2023, 07:01