A J Rimmer

ohhh I do like the all black version - what a stunning Mossie!

Thanks! 🙂 I'm afraid not, this was brush painted. That being said, I find that Humbrol acrylics always need thinning, regardless of the application method - it's part of the reason why I hate their dropper bottles and wish they'd go back to pots. I personally never got on with Humbrol acylics when I first stopped using enamels as I had nothing but coverage issues. I went over to using mainly Hataka blue and red lines. That being said, all of the models I've painted this year have been with Humbrol (a mix of Gen1 and 2) as I wanted to give Gen2 a try (I've moved and have a few LMS's that sell Humbrol). The Gen2 paint is a LOT better than the earlier paints. Yes, you 'll need to thin it in my humble opinion (well if you're painting large areas anyway) but the coverage and the density is much better - if a little grainy still. I can't speak for Humbrols thinner, I suspect it's okay, but I haven't used it or tap water. I normally pull the top of the dropper bottle with pliers and add some Hataka thinners (as that's what I have) and give it a good mix before putting the dropper lid back on. I also generally use a wet palette but that's not essential. If nothing else you could do what I do sometimes and put dollop of paint on a pallet, and then add a drop or two of thinner and mix it in. You should hopefully be okay for your Mossie.

Thanks John. I do have the xtradecal sheet with a lot of options on it, but yeah, I like that - I'll have to take another look at the decals I have and see if anything like that is on there. Cheers!

Now that's a cracking build - very nicely done indeed! The painting is excellent!

Thanks Paul!

What a brilliant build - nicely built and painted and I love the conversion to a ASR aircraft - good work. 🙂 The Lysander is such a great aircraft, I can't believe I've never built one.

The solution is obvious - buy another one 😁 then you can build both. 'Pat' Pattle was a really interesting character, I read a book on his exploits over Greece a few years ago. Stupidly I gave it away - I wish I'd kept it now.

I have to say I detest the Humbrol dropper bottles! Bad design, too thick and just not as good as the old screwtop tubs. The main problem I have though is that it's nearly impossible to mix the paint properly. Humbrol acrylic has always been (in my opinion) far far too thick and has always needed a decent dose of thinner and a good stir to get them to flow nicely, even for brush painting - which is next to impossible in these dropper bottles, without ripping the top out with a pair of pliers and stirring it, getting paint everywhere in the process. Even my vibro shaker doesn't seem to work that well with them. I have to say I'm seriously considering sourcing some small pots and decanting the paint into them. When it's thinned properly, I do think the new gen 2 paint is nice to paint with, and although it won't replace my Hataka and Citadel paints, I would be tempted to use it more - if it wasn't for those bottles!

I dropped into my LMS this morning on whim, and was really REALLY pleased to pick this up - I've wanted one for years, since they first came out, but they keep slipping me by. I'm so glad Airfix decided to re-release it this year. I don't think it'll spend long in the 'To Build' pile.

Nah, I like to get a surprise when I open the kit LOL! It does make me think I should though.

Thanks for the heads up. I probably won't be getting this kit as I have all the kits in the stash already. It is a nice set though.

Well my trouble is, I really want this kit as I love the JP's in red and white, but I already have three of the Red Pelican Aldi specials in the stash... Oh to have Frist world Problems.

Now that's lovely. I do like the early dark blue Seaking scheme. It looked so good in that colour.

Loving this! This is one of those kits that I've wanted to build for years but never got around too. Your painting is superb and it does look like it's gone together well. Nicely done!

Me too! I've already built two and have two more in the stash! 😄 (Not as nice as yours though).

Thanks for the reply Dominic. That's sounds fair enough - I'll keep that in mind. I mostly build Airfix anyway so it's not a huge problem. That's a shame, it looks to be a pretty good forum. I hope it picks up again.

That makes sense - so no 'God! Don't but the Airfix kit, this one is much better...' kind of thing. I wouldn't do that anyway - too much of a fanboy.

Thanks! It's a Coastal kits 'Soviet Shelter' background that I originally got to photograph my Albanian Mig collection, but looks so rough it seems to work for most subjects. I got mine from ebay Cheers!

Awesome - thanks for sharing that. It's defo Xtradecal's fault then (assuming this profile isn't wrong 🙂 ) as I actually checked a moment ago and I have built mine to the call-outs. Thanks Muchly. I do like Humrol's #230 PRU Blue - it's such a nice colour & paint. So any excuse for using it is okay in my book. Personally I think it's a reasonably good match for the Blue-painted Malta Spitfires, if you didn't care too much about accuracy and wanted a quick build. Especially if you weathered over it. I might have to try that. I can't remember off the top of my head what the grey was.

Wow, Thanks MM. I'm not massively into AM stuff but I do like getting after-market decals sets that give some more 'off-the-wall' marking/painting options. Xtradecal are normally quite good for this. Their 'Fighter's of North Africa and the Mediterranean' and 'Yanks with Roundels' sets spring to mind. Other than that, it's just brush painted Humbrol acrylics. 🙂

Thanks Gents. You may well be right in regards to the fin flashes and roundels. To be honest I've no idea. I don't generally let things like that concern me too much - it's just a cool scheme that's a bit out of the normal for a Spitfire mk.Vb. I do know however, the aircraft in North Africa and especially in the Med theatre were a real mish-mash when it comes to heritage and schemes. The roundels and fin flashed being mixed up I can totally believe.

Hi John, That's a cool idea! Print Scale do a 'Iranian Tigers' decal sheet that covers both IIAF F-5A, F-5B and RF-5A and IRIAF RF-5A, F-5E and later versions. So you'll be good to go with the F-5A as all of them seem to be IIAF. It is a hard sheet to find though - it took me ages, although, lucky you, Hannants have 3 sets in stock (I had to order mine from Poland!) https://www.hannants.co.uk/product/PSL72229?result-token=MuiMY Here's the sheet. I warn you though, the decals are very hard work - I've had a lot of trouble with them rolling up and having to spend ages un-folding them (dipping the rolled decal back in the water and then trying to get it back on a bit of backing paper helps). I haven't lost one... yet (touch wood). Here's my current build - PM Models F-5A. I also have an Airfix F-5E, another PM models F-5B and a Italeri F-5A to do. I don't know what to do about the RF-5A. Airfix did a RF-5E kit, but the A doesn't seem to have been kitted. I might just as well build the RF-5E anyway - I'm not that bothered by accuracy lol! I also have an F-14A with decals but that's another story. Why the IIAF/IRIAF as a subject. Not sure really. It's cool to see US jets in Arab markings and I love the tri-colour desert camouflage - goo enough reasons! Cheers!

Lovely looking build that. I do really like the Defiant, seeing your's makes me want to build another.

Thanks Randall!

Hi All, I completed this kit about a month ago - Airfix's little 1/72 Spitfire mkVb, dressed using an Xtradecal 'Fighters over the med' set as an aircraft from number 4 sqn SAAF. Sicily 1943. It as the first kit I've painted using Humbrol acrylics for a number of years, since I went over to other brands. I was quite impressed with the new gen paint, but I HATE those dropper bottles - bring back the screw-top jars! Personally I liked the kit, not quite as good as the mk.I kit, but a nice build none the less. I do have another to build as the USAAF shark mouth boxart version. This is the boxing I used - one down, one to go 😄 Cheers!