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New tool Revell Spitfire. 16th Aug, 2015. All done


geedubelyer

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Hi all,

 

I'm beginning this thread to spur me into action in the proper scale again. Although I've got a couple of larger scale projects on the back burner my most recent modelling has been in other scales.

 

I have many of you to thank for this sudden re-kindling of desire. As we all know, there are a multitude of threads here on LSP that make the mouth water and can't help but inspire the viewer. I'm obviously not immune because I've felt compelled to begin a new project only days after completeing my last model.

 

The creative juices are flowing and I've dilligently saved as many threads as I could to my favourites so that I can refer to them for ideas and techniques.

 

My plan for this build is still rather fluid and I'm fluctuating between a war weary bird or a show bird depending on who's thread I've just been looking at. Most recently I've been inspired by Chuck Sawyer and his P-38 show bird so at this point in time I'm swaying towards a restored Spitfire with a smidge of weathering plus a pilot on board. Next time I look at Warbird's Spitfire build I'll probably revert back to building a war horse again. :rolleyes:

 

There are a couple of parameters that I'm set on though. I will definitely be doing some modifications to the Revell kit and it will definitely have a pilot on board. Some of the detail on the Revell model does n't sit well with me personally so I'll be attempting to get the thing to look more the way I want it plus, the addition of a pilot figure is a way of reducing the amount of detail I'll need to add inside the cockpit. :whistle:

 

So, that's where I'm at. A statement of intent so to speak.

 

I'll probably be calling on you guys for alot of help and advice so I hope you'll keep popping in to keep me on the straight and narrow.

 

Bye for now.

Edited by geedubelyer
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Hi Frank, good to see you here. I hope you won't be disappointed.

 

Hi Iain, I have to agree. I've been following as many Spitfire threads as I can to get my mojo to it's max.

The plan for this build is to add some detail where I can but not go "all-out". (Mind you, that's what I said when I started that little Comet....)

 

And,.....we're off! I've made a start. Built the seat. Jeepers! I hope that is n't a taste of thing to come. :blink:  Four parts, none of which particularly locate to one another and don't fit especially well. No-one warned me there'd be days like these :wacko: 

 

Ok, better concentrate I think. First impression is that the plastic is soft and does n't like Revell Contacta adhesive. Hmmm. :hmmm:

Tamiya extra thin works fine so that had better become my weapon of choice.

 

The OOTB cockpit looks pretty complex on first inspection. I need to build it up so that I can test the figure in situ but in turn, I need the figure in situ to see how much detail can be seen and if/what I can or need to add.

 

I think I'd better go and slap some paint on some parts. Pics as soon as I've got anything worth photographing.

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Hey Geedubelyer, that seat is just about the worst fitting part of the whole kit… no it is the worst fitting bit of the kit. Toughest bits over  all down hill from here.  I like your plan.  Which pilot figure did you decide on?  I wonder that you might di two of this little kits as clean and dirty, they are pretty cheap and go together fast.  The two would make a nice display showing the transition from spanky new to war weary.

 

I'm jazzed to see you take on the Spitfire, are you going to use the kit prop and spinner?

 

I can't wait for some pics.

 

Dan

 

Hi Dan, thanks for your interest and good to know that the worst bit's over, cheers. ^_^  I confess it was a bit of a surprise as I don't remember reading of anyone else having issues. Then again, I probably made a bit of a meal of it. :rolleyes:  I hope to get some paint on it later today.

 

For the pilot I'm experimenting. If I go the restored warbird route then most of those guys just seem to wear flying overalls. That means that most of the lovely aftermarket resin offerings are over dressed. No need for Irvine's or Mae Wests on a demo pilot.

To that end I've started cutting up a 1/35th scale German tank driver. His garb should be relatively easy to convert into a flying suit. I'll need to add a parachute to the seat from foil and bits plus I'll try to add the straps over the top of everything else. For his head I'll use one borrowed from an old Hasegawa kit. When I built the Hasegawa Spitfire for the  "a trip to Russville" GB I did n't use the pilot.

I've cut his head off to mount on the 1/35th scale body. The jury's out at the moment. It might be that the proportions are wrong when combining the two scales.

 

That Hasegawa Spit was bought second hand and contained a couple of spare sprues. I think I shall try to adapt one of the Hasegawa prop and spinner sets for the build. For some reason the Revell spinner seems a bit pointed to me plus, it has some raised detail on it that I have n't seen on a full sized spinner. If I can't adapt the Hasegawa part I'll try sanding the Revell spinner to shape but I'm looking for the laziest easiest option. ;)

In addition to that, there are a pair of dished wheels in the old Hasegawa box plus some tailplanes so it's quite possible I'll be pressing them into service too.

 

I've begun assembling the cockpit now and seat aside, it's all going together well. It really looks the part but will probably benefit from some Airscale instrument decals and placards. Hopefully get some pics up later today.

 

Cheers.

Edited by geedubelyer
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I've been spending alot of time poring over everyone elses Spitfire builds today in an attempt to formulate a plan.

I failed!

There is too much excellent work and my head is boggling.

So, I took tentative steps by having a crack at a pilot for this old jallopy.

Revell don't supply one so I'm in the process of trying to adapt a 1/35th scale military figure. This little fellow started out as a German tank driver but I filed off his tunic and added modelling putty to suggest a flying suit with it's cuffs rolled up.

tn-Pilot-006.jpg

I intend to add a watch on one wrist and finish off with a pair of white kid gloves. If all goes well I'll fabricate a parachute pack for the seat and add straps and harnesses to buckle him in.

The reason for starting with the pilot is to reduce the amount of work needed in the cockpit. If this bloke does his job he'll block out much of the sidewalls and remove the need for miles of pipework and wiring detail.

 

One thing that came to light whilst viewign some other threads is the backrest of the seat. I added some leftover putty to represent the back pad.

tn-Pilot-005.jpg

 

Not alot to show so far but motivation is pretty high so watch out for more soon.

 

Cheers for now.

Edited by geedubelyer
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Hi gang,

 

I'm getting some paint on the cockpit so while that was drying I needed a little job to be going on with.

 

One item that caught my eye as  I scanned the kit parts were the exhausts. If used as is, they'd need quite a bit of tweeking to open out the pipes adequately. Instead, I've been experimenting.

tn-Exhausts-005.jpg

I wondered if I could use some aluminium tubing, thin the walls and then bend it into a kidney shape to mimic the full sized article.

This macro shot looks a tad rough around the edges but much better with the Mk.1 eyeball. I opted for brass for the last pipe as it will allow more thinning without becoming too fragile. This may all end in tears but I'm commited now so wish me luck.

tn-Exhausts-006.jpg

 

Oh yes, I got the seat painted too.

tn-Exhausts-007.jpg

 

Hopefully the primer will have dried by tomorrow so I can paint more of the interior.

 

I sent off for some Airscale WWII instrument decals on Friday so I have my fingers crossed that they'll arrive fairly soon. I'm itching to try them on the IP.

 

Until next time,

 

Cheers.

Edited by geedubelyer
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Hi guys, glad you're enjoying the slow start.

 

Hi Don, good to see you here, thanks for the kind words. I hope the build lives up to expectations. What are you working on buddy?

 

Hi Loic, Harv and Dennis, many thanks for the support guys, much appreciated.

 

On 12/21/2014 at 9:05 AM, ScanmanDan said:

 What ya going to use as a head?  Is it much hassle working with that greenstuff?

 

Interesting use of tubing for the exhausts must have been easier than hollowing out the fishtails.  

 

Inspiring stuff!  I'm looking forward to what you unleash next.

 

Dan

 Hi Dan, thanks for the encouragement. It certainly helps keep the motivation high.

For the pilot's head I've begged a very kind bloke for a spare so more of that in due course. I'm still unsure of whether the scale difference will be apparent and if it is I'll have to make a plan B.

The greenstuff takes a bit of getting used to. I've never attempted any kind of sculpting before so my efforts are pretty crude at this stage. It's probably something that comes with practice I guess. The putty remains workable for quite a while once it's mixed but it's best to let a layer cure before trying to add too much detail. (Ask me how I know). Probably the hardest part is handling the piece without putting fingerprints in the two-pack.

I did consider hollowing out the kit plastic but getting a thin, even edge takes alot of skill, not to mention patience and dexterity.

I took what I considered to be the laziest easiest soft option.

 

Here is a set of the exhausts with a lick of paint on them. I used MrMetalColors predominantly but added a wash of purple and blue inks in places to suggest some heat staining (not easy to see in this lighting).

tn-Exhausts-019.jpg

 

tn-Exhausts-020.jpg

 

To finish the job off I'll need to spray on some exhaust staining. Ran out of modelling time today so that will have to be next time.

 

Until then,

 

Cheers.

Edited by geedubelyer
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Hi everyone, I hope the festivities went well.

 

The holidays have given me an opportunity to sit at the model bench for a while which has been most enjoyable thus far.

One thing that did occur to me as I was fiddling away was the speed at which other modellers manage to complete projects (or even bits of projects). I may well be out of practice as things do feel like they are taking a long while these days.

I don't seem to have achieved a great deal but I suppose any progress is a step in the right direction. After all, it's not a race is it?

 

One thing that has been slowing progress and continues to give me fits is my lack of direction. I have read many threads on this model and have so many ideas that I keep flitting from part to part without any real plan.

For now I've begun working on giving the fuselage some texture.

tn_Fuselage_006.jpg

 

tn_Fuselage_007.jpg

 

I've restrained myself to a degree in an attempt at keeping things subtle. Images on the net of restored birds show some skin deformation but only in some areas. Rather than go along every rivet and panel line I've only used the effect on specific ones. I've also nicked the plastic randomly and buffed it out in the hopes that it will look like slightly warped aluminium. Again, I've kept it subtle which is perhaps why it is difficult to show it in the above images.

Whilst I had the sandpaper in my mits I addressed the slight deformity in the curved wing joint fairings and fuselage as Iain detailled in his build. This took some time and involved sanding the plastic until it's almost translucent in one spot.

 

To give myself a break from the tedium that is sanding and buffing I turned back to the cockpit area again. If you recall, I'd begun assembling a pilot so that I could sit him in his seat and decide how much or how little to add. I was looking for a suitable head for the figure and Iain came to my rescue with a spare resin head.

tn-Pilot-1.jpg

I'd like to publicly thank Iain for his generosity as he would n't accept anything for the part and even paid for the postage! Thanks Iain, may 2015 bring you everything you wish for mate.

 

Getting back to the cockpit and I've had to think about how I want to mount the seat. The instructions would have the builder virtually balance it on the framework. The real deal has a couple of angled, tubular supports running down from the back frame toward the centre of the seat. I suspect I might use micro tubing to make them. The framework looks pretty good straight out of the box though.

tn-Cockpit-001.jpg

The image colour balance has highlighted the wash. It is less noticable in the flesh.

 

I've also begun to work on the actual cockpit components.

The tub is built up by adding sidewalls to the IP and floor components. These then glue to the fuselage sides. This makes adding pipework or wiring that crosses the joint somewhat problematic. For now, I've worked on the more simple stuff while I think about how to deal with the more complex items (if I even bother).

Here is the left hand side lower side wall.

tn-Cockpit-003.jpg

Data placards are a mix of homemade (from wine bottle foil),  Airscale decals and painted stencils.

 

I think Revell made a good job of the IP. It looks good out of the box and matches a few references that I've seen. I chose to add some extra detail more for enjoyment purposes than any real need.

The instrument faces are Airscale again (I have been itching to use them ever since I got them) as is one of the dials. I'll be using another bezel on the compass that you can see I've started. There's still more to do but I've enjoyed things up to now.

One thing I do need to figure out is which of the Airscale decals to use in which of the kit dials. It seems that every one I chose was a size too big. I'll know for next time. One neat touch that I only discovered on opening the packet was that Peter (of Airscale) includes a small sheet of clear actetate to use for the instrument glass. Nice going Peter, thanks. It's actually so thin that I could n't get it to punch out cleanly so went with some from my stash but, that's user error and no reflection on the product.

tn-Cockpit-002.jpg

As i was musing over the speed at which some of you guys build I also thought about just how crisp, clean and sharp your work is. I have the utmost respect for everyone who shows their work in close-up macro style. You are far braver than I.

Here's a look at how the side wall fixes to the IP.

tn-Cockpit-006.jpg

You can see how the wires from the throttle poke into the sidewall bulkhead. There is a component that attaches to the upper fuselage wall which has a wire running vertically down over these wires. I need to think how to fix that at some point. It's a bit more complicated on the other side with pipework running into the footwell from the sidewall. I can see this being a test of patience.

 

Thanks for stopping by and having a looksee. More when I get the chance.

 

Cheers.

Edited by geedubelyer
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