Trials of a newbie (Tamiya 1/32 Spitfire mk IX)

[Kelly]

Hello there,

 

I've been lurking away for quite a while now, and thought it was time to take the plunge and upload some WIP shots of my Tamiya 1/32 Spitfire mk IX.

I have posted some pics on Hyperscale, but these are my first here. Sorry if you have seen them before.

 

Nearing completion of my first model which feels like a huge achievement.

I've had several previous attempts which have ended in complete, infuriating, unfinished disaster.

 

Anyway, here it is in it's current state...

 

 

I thought I'd point out some of the newbie errors I've made along the way to help any fellow beginners avoid the same mistakes - perhaps some of you old hands could point me/us in the right direction

 

It is all OOB. I have been using Vallejo air paints sprayed with a Aztek airbrush.

The weathering is a mix of techniques, but primarily very thin washes of watered down Vellejo.

Because I'm not comfortable with my airbrush yet I did not use the pre-shading effect which I think really adds depth. Perhaps on the next one.

I used some Conte pastel chalk for the exhaust as well as washes after an uncontrolled spray from my airbrush nearly ruined it. The chalks work well, but are difficult-ish to work with. I ended up brushing them over various scuffed areas as well which adds a nice dusty look.

 

Also, because I keep making mistakes, I have used a lot of sanding and polishing, which at times creates some interesting (accidental) effects that I might keep exploring. It works well after spraying a filter over the model as it exposes areas of the base coat giving a nice weathered look. I was given some sage advice recommending spraying some unifying "filters" which worked a treat. It really unified the overall look and softened the harshness of the raw paint.

 

First up: Decals. I nearly ruined all of them. I used a setting agent which worked nicely for the most part, but when I varnished them they crazed up. The example below is one of the least affected. The top roundles looked like mozaics but I didn't take any shots (must have forgotten in my rage).

 

 

This next shot is the result of sanding:

 

 

Anyway, lost lots of detail. You live and learn. Most of the rivets went the way of the Dodo which is a real shame. I will try masking the insignias next time, but that looks like a whole new can of worms.

What I have noticed is its also hard to re-touch paint without making really obvious paint strokes and getting a blotchy result.

 

The shot below is just plain old dumbness. Not sure how to avoid this kind of mess. The bulges and protrusions were just too tricky to negotiate:

 

I masked the canopy with the ones provided in the kit and they worked well. Some paint managed to leak through, but apparently you can use a toothpick to gently wipe it away. I hope so anyway. The glass is pretty grubby so I will have to clean it. Detergent?

 

Rubber wheels?! They pick up every bit of dust they touch. I sprayed the heck out of them with matte varnish which seemed to do the trick. It's also tough to remove the seam down the middle. Lots of very fine sanding. It is hard to make a nice smooth flat area as if weighted down by the aircraft. Tricky little suckers.

 

 

Here are various shots of it at different stages:

 

 

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Thanks for wading through my natter.

 

Keep up the good work everyone.

 

Cheers,

 

Kelly.

 

ps. I drove down from Sydney, Australia to the Illawarra model expo yesterday. Amazingly painted kits everywhere. Very different from looking at photos on the net.

Whoever made that German U-Boat is a true master. Magnificent.

[LSP_Kevin]

Welcome aboard Kelly!

 

 

I think your Spitfire looks excellent despite your decal issues (and we've all had them!). Looking forward to seeing the finished article.

 

Kev

[Kyrre]

Great job, really! Like Kevin said, those decal issues happen once in a while, so it's live and learn, live and learn.

[Daywalker]

Kelly-

 

Welcome to LSP, glad to have you here with us!

 

First off, I would say you are doing quite well for being a self-proclaimed newbie! You have obviously spent a lot of time on this one, and I can feel for you with the frustrations you have encountered. Those decals can be a real pain, especially around protrusions as you have found out. Those Tamiya kit decals are some of the most difficult I have yet encountered to use, so just getting them down in one piece is a real testament to you. In that photo showing the left side code letters, I have to be honest- I rather like the effect of the sanded back decal. Makes it look used! Also, what method did you use for the chipped paint effects on the left wing root? I think it looks just right- well done!

 

My hat is to you for showing your progress, including the mistakes. You will learn a lot from this, and I look forward to seeing more of your work here.

Edited May 6, 2013 by Daywalker

[Av8fan]

Welcome, and thanks for posting.

 

The previous coments cover what I think, and all in all, you have achieved a very nice result..especially as you are new to the hobby. What is your next project?

[Kelly]

Welcome aboard Kelly!

 

 

I think your Spitfire looks excellent despite your decal issues (and we've all had them!). Looking forward to seeing the finished article.

 

Kev

 

Thank you. I'm looking forward to it too!

[Kelly]

Kelly-

 

Welcome to LSP, glad to have you here with us!

 

First off, I would say you are doing quite well for being a self-proclaimed newbie! You have obviously spent a lot of time on this one, and I can feel for you with the frustrations you have encountered. Those decals can be a real pain, especially around protrusions as you have found out. Those Tamiya kit decals are some of the most difficult I have yet encountered to use, so just getting them down in one piece is a real testament to you. In that photo showing the left side code letters, I have to be honest- I rather like the effect of the sanded back decal. Makes it look used! Also, what method did you use for the chipped paint effects on the left wing root? I think it looks just right- well done!

 

My hat is to you for showing your progress, including the mistakes. You will learn a lot from this, and I look forward to seeing more of your work here.

I have indeed spent a lot of time on this. I'm taking my time and trying out as many processes as possible. It is time to finish this one and move on now though.

 

As to the chipped paint, I just painted straight Aluminium paint wherever I thought it might wear. I painted the broad shapes first then broke it up with "dots" as tiny as I could manage to keep a scale effect. Then I washed several coats of brown to knock back the shine a bit.

[Kelly]

Welcome, and thanks for posting.

 

The previous coments cover what I think, and all in all, you have achieved a very nice result..especially as you are new to the hobby. What is your next project?

 

I want to make a Trumpeter P-38 lightning, but I'm not game yet as by all accounts the kit is tricky to work with. I think I'll take the easier option and go with a Tamiya Mustang, then take the plunge into twin booms after that

 

... Mind you a big old Thunderbolt would be great as well.

 

Now I understand why everyone has huge stashes of un-made kits.

[TimW]

I think you did a fine job with a difficult kit--I know some of my "newbie" builds were pretty bad back in the day. Yours looks fine and the weathering effects are, IMO, excellent!

 

Keep up the good work. There's always something we can do better next time (as I keep finding out everytime I start a project).

 

Cheers,

 

Tim W.

[JdmJunkYard]

As a fresh noob myself i wanna thank you for posting your build, too me its perfect. I particularly love the wear and tear around the canopy, it looks 1:1 scale real and very convincing. Its good to see that you want 110% out of your builds as well, because we can all afford to push ourselves that much further for the sake of our art.

Your trials and tribulations help others, inc me so thanks again for posting.


Ps: Its great to see another NSW native on the forum

[dodgem37]

Welcome aboard, Brother Bear!

You build looks perfectly fine. Good show.

 

Sincerely,

Mark

[richdlc]

looks very nice! On the contrary, the sanding down of the decals (code letters) gives a nice weathered 'washed out' effect - your wing root chipping is very realistic, and overall the model looks more like an intermediate level build - as for the lump/protrusions, the best way to try and make decals settle over these areas is to use microsol and microset solutions - one softens the decal, the other sets it in place. Perhaps if you feel brave you could use the same sanding effect on the roundels.

As your confidence grows, you might consider using custom made paint masks - I've used them and never looked back - this will of course completely eliminate the need for most decals...

 

anyway it's a great effort for a first build - you've obviously been paying attention to other builds along the way.

[Guest]

Welcome ! As said, decals have there own issues . But your weathering is top notch as the rest of your build. I think it looks great ! Keep it up..........Harv (a P-38 lover)

[radial]

Overall a very good build! As far as your decals splitting; I've had this happen with too heavy a coat of lacquer based clear coats. What kind of "varnish" did you use?

[Guest Peterpools]

Kelly

Welcome aboard and glad you decided to share your work. Your progress on the Spit is excellent and very well done, as well as some wonderful weathering. I just finished my Tamiya Spit build and had a devil of a time with the decals, as the kit decals cracked and split. I wound up using mostly the markings and roundels from Eagle Cal, which were vastly superior to Tamiya's.

Enjoy the build and the forum.

Keep 'em coming

:popcorn: