Castle Bromwich Aircraft Factory
That's all for the cockpit. Six parts (don't miss the tiny bit on the right, below the knife) and rudimentary details.
Some more simple details on the side walls.
Had a chemical spill and now there is some battle damage.
This is all the painting the instructions call for the interior, Heller/Humbrol 64 or Revell 75. A bit bland..
.. so some creativity is applied with Heller 11, 73 and 85.
Cockpit installed. Looks a bit cramped.
Quick reminder lol.
The wings fit really well together. No overlaps or anything, just a bit lacking in alignment assist. Only the cannons help with positioning.
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.
Canopy parts...
... masked for painting.
Wings and fuselage joined.
The fit is not perfect, but not so bad that I feel like putting extra effort into that.
The seam is along panel lines so the imperfection does not bother me.
Ready for painting the underside...
... in Revell 75 Stone Grey.
A rough sketch of the camo scheme...
...for airbrushing free hand.
First time ever I tried that. Could be worse 😄
Ready for a gloss coat...
.. and then it's time for decaling.
Comments
28 20 May 2023, 19:19
Rando DudeAnother 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 KFollowing 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 DudeThank 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
Rando DudeHello 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 BaruffiniFollowing too, good start and good to know that you have already a solution for the accident 👍
24 May 2023, 16:49
Rando DudeQuick 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
Rando DudeThank you Moreno 🙂
It was less challenging than I expected but still not an easy task.
10 June 2023, 19:34
Rando DudeThank 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 DudeIt 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
