fishplanebeer

Just checked and this guide by Francois Verlinden is still available on a very well known on-line book site. I highly recommend it as it is so much clearer and easier to follow than many other guides I've bought by Osprey and others. Regards Colin.

A compromise would be to use Satincote or similar satin varnish as it will help avoid any silvering. I note in my old copy of the Verlinden Volume III, 'On Plastic Wings' (the best guide ever published IMHO) he recommends using a satin varnish prior to applying decals and then a matt or semi-gloss (satin) coat to fix the decals and prepare for applying washes and it seemed to work pretty well for him. Once the washes are done the preferred final varnish coat can then be applied. Hope this helps. Regards Colin.

Does anyone have a technique they can share on how to make the exhaust manifolds look realistic please as my efforts always leave them looking like painted plastic. On some of the recent builds I've seen they really do look like the real thing but after trying different methods mine always end up the same and not at all convincing. I'm not after any trade secrets, just a simple/basic technique that makes them look if they are made of metal! Kind Regards Colin.

Just to add that the Spit Va kit, just a re-boxing of the previous I/IIA kit but with new decals, has 3 props to choose from, de havilland 3 blade, Rotol 3 blade and the Watts 2 blade for early 1a's. Both the Va and II/IIa kits are no longer in the current Airfix range but can be picked up at reasonable cost on a well known on-line auction web site with the Va being the cheaper of the two in my experience. However as Airfix recently produced more of the basic 1a Spitfire kit due to it selling out during the current Covid 19 'crisis' I'd be amazed if a spare prop and spinner are not in their spares inventory at the moment, so hopefully you had some joy via this channel. Regards Colin.

Dear All, Problem solved courtesy of Shacklady which has a generic plan of the Merlin Seafire fuselage on page 539 showing the position of most/all the mods made to the Spit V, which inlcude the catapult spools front and rear, strengthened radio compartment, fuselage strengthener and slinging points. Pages 525 and 529 also have some pics which show the front spools in place now that I know where to look and what they look like. In addition page 535 has a very good diagram of the arrester hook fitted to all Merlin Seafires. Happy to scan and upload these images if of interest to others. Kind Regards Colin. PS. Do we know when the new tool Vc is likely to see light of day?

Many thanks for the link, I now know where they go which is major step forward. Just wonder if anyone has a scrap/side view to help with the actual shape and scale please? Kind Regards Colin.

Dear All, I'm looking to convert the current Spit Vb kit into either a Seafire II or III (will be even easier when the new Vc finally arrives) and think I know of all the mods I need to make in terms of prop, spinner, wing fold (III only), strengening plates, arrestor hook etc. However there is one mod that I am struggling with and that is/are the catapult spools which were apparently fitted. The rear ones are quite visible as protruding spigots but apparently there were 2 fitted nearer the nose on the underside of the aircraft. I have no idea what these forward spools actually looked like and where they were fitted as none of the Seafire plans I've found show them, so does anyone have a diagram/pic they could possibly share please which would solve this conundrum? Kind Regards Colin.

Dear All, Thanks, I have no idea if the Airfix kit depicts a bare metal or 'silver' sprayed example (suspect the former) but presumably the effect would be the same in this scale anyway? Have read that Alclad, Floquil, Tamiya and others do metal effect paints but can be tricky to use so not at all sure where to go here, especially when it comes to painting the white/black de-icing 'boots' on the wing and tail edges plus the individual markings. Perhaps I sadly need to invetsigate another project instead given my ignorance as I can see this being another expensive bin filler of which I've had many. Kind Regards Colin.

I'm contemplating building a B29 Superfortress but have never had any success when it comes to using any form of silver paint, especially where the silver meets normal matt/gloss paint, which always ends up as a blurred mess, so not sure about the project. I have an Iwata Eclipse HP-CS airbrush which works great for matt/gloss so are there any basic tips for metallics I can follow in terms of brands, methods please so that I don't end up wasting hours on the internals only to end up with another bin filler? I'm vaguely aware of some of the brands and the need to spray a good/smooth layer of primer, plus using different shades on selected panels for greater effect, but I'm sadly lacking in the basic principles of using metallics as all my previous experiences with them have been dire to say the least. As the original Airfix kit won't be cheap I just need a bit of help before taking the plunge. Kind Regards Colin.

Just bought this kit which in effect is the same as the previous MK1/2a kit but with updated decals. As the kit comes with various bits and pieces it can be built as an early Mk1a or the later Va so it offers quite a few variants if you overlook the canopy changes, which in all honesty in this scale are barely visible. I've decided to go with the 'Observer Corps' MkIIa of EB-Z of 41 squadron, P7666 at Hornchurch in December 1940 but could also go for it when it was transferred to 54 squadron and became KL-Z, so still not decided. Unfortunatley the decal sheet dosent include the 2 swastika emblems that appear on all photos I can find of this particular aircraft, both in 41 and 54 service but not a majhor issue. However the purpose of this post is redarding the 'sky blue' spinner and band and how accurate this is as I'd always assumed that after the BoB the fighter scheme had a 'sky' spinner and fuselage band prior to the introduction of the later green/grey/light gey scheme with 'sky' spinner and fuselage band. I'm no expert when it comes to this so would welcome comments/insight from those more informed. Kind Regards Colin.

Just a quick call out for a modern 72nd scale version of this excellent aircraft that seems to have fallen under the radar of ALL current main stream manufacturers. Quite why is puzzling as this was/is one of the most iconic American fighters of WW2 yet one has to source fairly basic examples on the 2nd hand market just to get an aged, rough and some what imprecise/crude example. Fine if you are happy with raised panel lines etc..., or alternatively making major amends to a short run kit which is currently available fron A N OTHER but beyond my average modelling skills. Surely a gap in the market here one would think? Kind Regards Colin.

Ratch, Many thanks, I think I now know how I will proceed. For others with an interest in this subject apparently the A6M2b, the version used at Pearl Harbour, did indeed have folding wing tips to fit into their carriers. This is akin to the RN Corsairs 2 & 4 in British service which were F4U1-A's or D's built by either Vought or Goodyear but had to be similarly modified, so congrats to Airfix for getting this detail correct. Kind Regards Colin.

Ratch et'al, Apologies but just found my old copy of the Argus Books scale plans, Aircraft Archive Volume 1 from 1988 that includes the Zero and the instrument panel is indeed the same colour as the rest of the interior with only the intruding machine gun breeches and insruments being painted black. That said all the pics/videos I've seen of Zeros taking off to attack Pearl Harbour have shiny metalic prop blades so I'll keep them silver/aluminium with 2 fine red tripes on each near the tip. I know the props were subsequently painted brown but can only conclude that this was part of the later camo change to green upper surfaces. Kind Regards Colin. Ps. another mistake on my part as I've just found another reference in a book by Roy Cross dated 1971 (Military Aircraft 1939-45) which clearly shows the inners of the prop blades to be black so I will defer to the experts here.

Ratch, Thank you for this. Just found the April 2012 edition of Airfix Model World where Alan Price goes through a build of the new kit and offers suggestions for colours but still not convinced by this. I'm pretty sure I've seen a pic where the instrument panel is black and from early pics of the Pearl Harbour period, albeit all in b&w, the prop blades are definitely shiny/silver although I know they did change to a brown colour at a later point (but still seen no evidence of them being black on the reverse mind). Alan suggests Tamiya XF-12 Grey for the kit, albeit the undersides as the review kit is a slightly later version with a green upper surface but I assume the grey would be the same/very similar. I also have a very old bottle of Lifecolor Japanese Metallic Blue which I think is meant to equate to Aotake so I'll probably use this. As you say Japanese colours are a bit of a mine field so I think I'll go with the Tamiya XF-12 grey, silver blades on both sides, Tamiya XF-71 cockpit green (also suggested by Alan), black instrument panel and my trusty bottle of Lifecolor for the exposed metal parts unless any one is able to offer any other alternatives/suggestions. Kind Regards Colin.

Dear All, As this model is currently not avaialble I purchased a Starter Set version off a well known on-line auction site as it has the current moulding plus benefits from having decals/colour scheme for Pearl Harbour, exactly what I'm after. However the colour guide in this set is vague at best and to my limited knowledge even incorrect so hoping someone can put me straight with the most appropriate Humbrol paint references? INTERIOR The instrument panel should be black and the rest an interior green colur of some description? Wheel wells should be that odd metallic blue colour the Japanese used or just aluminium? EXTERIOR An overall light grey colour and black colwing? Prop blades silver/aluminium with coloured stripes near the tips? The instructions say that the reverse of the blades should be painted black but this seems odd to me as I've seen any evidence or previous reference to this before. I hope there is a Zero expert out there who can help. Kind Regards Colin. Ps. the kit also allows for folding wing tips but is this correct for a Pearl Harbour period A6M2?