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Airfix 1:48 Spitfire Mk Vb: finished


matto21

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Hi all, 

 

I've been working very slowly on this Airfix Spitfire for the last few weeks and months. I was prepared for some of the fit issues before starting but even so, haven't found it a particularly enjoyable build, hence the time it's taking to finish. 

 

The cockpit is nice, but over engineered and some of the smaller parts have a vague fit. 

 

IMG_20200418_232057

 

I added belts - not entirely correct, but better than nothing. Once painted and weathered, the cockpit does look pretty good though to be fair. 

 

IMG_20200426_200715

 

IMG_20200426_200908

 

IMG_20200426_201014

 

As expected, the joints at the wing roots weren't great and the upper part of the cowling didn't fit well either. I battled through, and I'm now at the painting stage. Undersides were painted with Vallejo blue and upper camo with Mr Hobby Aqueous paints. 

 

IMG_20200506_165110

 

 

IMG_20200611_171416

 

I'm working towards applying the decals now... 

 

Thanks for looking 

 

Matt 

Edited by matto21
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  • 3 weeks later...

Thanks all for the positive comments. Progress has been slow recently - a return to the office after working from home, and various other things have conspired to keep me away from the bench. 

 

35 minutes ago, fastterry said:

That's a nice looking Spit you have there. If you are interested for future builds I have some advice on the colour of the compressed air bottles (the ones on the port side) and the rear fuselage. Keep up the good work.

TRF

 

I would be interested to know what the correct colour is. I don't have the kit instructions in front of me at the moment but I'm sure Airfix suggest silver. I initially followed this, but really wasn't happy with how they looked. As I'd assembled all of the pieces, and didn't want to mess up the rest of the paintwork by masking and spraying, I chose black simply because I had a suitably brushable paint to hand (Vallejo)! 

 

Cheers 

 

Matt 

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Hi Matt,

Like a lot of guys I have built my share of Spitfires and it wasn't until I started lurking at Britmodeller and posts from Edgar Brooks that I learned that all Spits up to at least the Mk VIII were painted with aluminium lacquer in the rear fuselage up to and including the rear of the frame that the pilots seat attaches to. All my early builds have grey/green in this area and I'm not going to change them even if I could. The compressed air bottles are likewise painted with Ali lacquer with I think bras fittings and connecting pipe for some added colour. You do have the oxygen bottle in the right colour however. Like Luftwaffe stuff there has been a whole lot of info about Spitfires uncovered in the last few years for people who want to make more accurate models. (I try my best)

TRF

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This is one of the new tooled CAD kits, is it not?  It's disappointing to hear it does go together very well.

 

Your kit looks great nonetheless.

 

I think the Mk. V Spit is my favorite of them all, especially with N. Africa paint scheme.

 

I still can't believe Tamiya didn't do a Mk. I or Mk. V on their 1/32 Spitfire.  But that's a topic for another thread !

 

Keep up the good work! 
 

 

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Thanks for the comments and interest, it's very much appreciated. 

 

Finally, after an age, I fired up the airbrush yesterday and finished the upper camo off and applied a couple of coats of gloss. Markings are taken from a set by DK Decals and are really nice - which is a relief given they cost more than the kit itself. They conform to surface detail really well. They also don't crumble around raised details, unlike the markings I used on my P-40. 

 

So, although not finished, here's a glimpse of how things are progressing. 

 

IMG_20200809_215018_407

Thanks for looking. 

 

Matt 

 

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An empty house this weekend should have resulted in more progress, but good weather yesterday meant DIY and gardening had to take priority.

I managed to spend a bit of time at the bench last night and the majority of the decals are now applied. Can I just say again how good these DK Decals are...super thin and conform beautifully.

 

IMG_20200816_094438

 

IMG_20200816_094558

 

My only criticism is the cost and the limited number of roundels and tail flashes provided meaning to get proper value from the set, you'd need to buy these separately (or use kit provided ones of course!).

The other markings are those supplied by Airfix in the kit and to be honest, I'm not convinced. They look too heavy to my inexpert eye.

Matt

 

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  • 2 months later...

I've actually had the motivation to do some meaningful modelling tonight, so I thought I'd capitalise on this rare burst of mojo by starting to highlight the panel lines and riveting by applying a wash using Neutral Brown from Ammo. 

 

IMG_20201115_202351

Hopefully I can push on with this now and finally get it finished! 

 

Matt 

 

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Thanks Jennings! 

 

With round one of the panel lines washes done, I also made a start on the exhaust stain... 

 

IMG_20201117_233846_895

I'm also pleased to report that my method of attaching the undercarriage seems to have worked! 

 

Please note that the spinner is still unpainted and the visible grey patch under the access door is intentional to allow me to attach it once I've painted it! 

 

Matt 

 

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