Sparzanza

Thanks Derek! I will invest in these by CAM when possible!

Looks like I have 2 alternatives. Either just go with the regular droptanks provided in the kit, or remove the things holding them in place and leave the Mustang bare. Are those 108 gallon paper droptanks available as aftermarket in 1/24?

Thank you for this info Derek! Hmmm... are these paper droptanks included in the kit, I wonder? Probably not. Heck. I'll need to decide what to do about this.

Thanks Brian - it will look better in the coming weeks, hopefully! I just need a liiiiiittle more mojo.

Thank you Derek! I will have to respray the droptanks as well. I was wondering if anyone knows whether these should be weathered as well? Like streaks and whatnot. I am not sure how long they lasted; whether they were used for numerous missions or just dropped when empty.

Thank you Derek. I have sanded off most of the roundels underneath. I will sand off the remaining handful of decals, mask off the topside, and spray Humbrol 165. I may also respray the sky band by the tail, as it has yellowed pretty badly also. This kit still has the potential of being the best kit I have ever built, and I will do my utmost to keep it right on track. No half-*ssed efforts.

Thank you so much Dennis! It does go together quite well, and it looks accurate enough... just the absence of detail in the wheel wells and the landing gear not pointing straight down are my main gripes with it. I'm sure there are people more knowledgeable than myself that knows of additional flaws with the kit, but still. If you get the opportunity, do build one!

Thank you for tuning in, Mike. Yes, definitely! The relief is near palpable. It shouldn't have taken this long. I lose my mojo too easily. Thank you, FreightDog. That is a huge compliment that I happily accept at this stage, hah! I also built this kit quite a few times over the years, I think my first one was when I wassssss... 10? 11? Thereabouts. Early 90's. To think this is my best result yet... makes me want to build yet another. Minus all the woes along the journey. Here's hoping I'll have better luck with the Mustang that is also awaiting completion on

Thank you Neo. Seems I have to add ".jpg" manually to each picture then, as imgur does not provide me with the proper links for copying. It's just the picture URL without the .jpg, or html code, bbcodes, or "markdowns" for reddit. Although, right-clicking the image directly in the album seems to give me the proper link. Stop being annoying, imgur.

Build thread here. It took quite a few years, this. Many mishaps. It made me take years worth of breaks. I am not happy with the end result. The pictures will be mediocre. But it stands on the shelf by my other 1/24 Spitfire now. The final coat of varnish still curing. I wish I could have done better by it. It was a very early release of the kit. White plastic, no flash. Some pieces were slightly warped by the californian heat, but I loved it. My friend Holger just gave it to me out of nowhere. Thank you again, Holger. I feel like I owe you and this magnificent kit

I sprayed some exhaust and gun soot today. Tamiya's flat black. I added some white into the cup and shot some light grey over the black soot for the exhausts. Not super visible. Probably overdone too but I don't give a rats butt. It is 99% complete.

One thing I did decide to risk, is to respray the bottom of the plane. The gloss varnish has yellowed so badly that I feel it ruins the overall look of the aircraft. It's supposed to be light grey, not some twisted variant of sky. I do have a spare decal sheet thanks to my brother, so I do not need to bother trying to mask the existing ones off. Sanding them away should work. What I'd like to know is of a good, solid gloss varnish - preferrably enamel - that does not yellow over time. I'd use Tamiya's gloss varnish but I've seen it crackle on a handful of occasions, and I'd rather

Thanks Richard. Myeah I do not think I will risk it. Maybe my next Mustang!

Hmmm perhaps a bit risky at this stage of the build but... I know the landing gear legs are fully extended, which looks a bit strange if the plane is to be depicted parked on the ground. How much of them would I need to cut off? Anyone knows? And... whether it is work the risk. I do have some strong cutters...

Thank you Mike! Life in Sweden is peaceful and a bit boring. Just the way I like it. I hope you are staying safe in Oregon! Also thank you for this tip, however I think the main problem is that the airbrush simply cannot spray thin enough lines. They all become super thick even with the smallest nozzle(?) and thinnest needle. I am trying to work out how to solve this. Maybe it will be fine for the exhaust stains, but the gun soot is another matter entirely! Mark! Good to see you my dude! I hope you're staying healthy too!