David Jones1707820337 Posted June 30, 2018 Share Posted June 30, 2018 I've spent the past couple of years (a) too busy to model properly and (b) starting but giving up on kits, so decided on something quick to break back into things. I'm very rusty, so lots of flaws, but feeling fairly good so far. Constructive criticism welcome...Apologies in advance if the pictures are messed up - first time putting my own images into these forums so probably need some workHome Bargains had stacks of Spitfire 1a gift sets at £2.99 each, so after getting half a dozen for the local ATC squadron, I got another for myself./media/tinymce_upload/3dc8bbafa86073506a2d9c6803690d34.jpgThis is a new tool, so very nice, crisp moulding with a lot of detail. The decals let it down, IMHO.Build out of box, except for an attempt at foil seatbelts:/media/tinymce_upload/dda420e63e9fe5ea708cfb7af4e18848.jpgIt all came together very well, no filling and not a lot of sanding:/media/tinymce_upload/70b7bf64c0c13f4334afeb91d6fdf8f3.jpgAnd with some paint and the horrible decals:/media/tinymce_upload/cbcc41fdf110b650f118f3794236fd83.jpg/media/tinymce_upload/b29ad621b5a333e42c6134f180d4609b.jpgI thought I had sanded out any seams on the fuselage, but the paint showed me how much I still had to do, at least on the cowling. Camo was airbrushed for the Dark Earth, then brushed on the Dark Green - both Tamiya.Now for some weathering.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ratch Posted July 2, 2018 Share Posted July 2, 2018 What didn't you like about the decals? The ones in my kits were fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heather Kavanagh Posted July 2, 2018 Share Posted July 2, 2018 If they were anything like the ones in my Spitfire build they were very thick and didn’t want to play nicely at all. I ended up using third party sets. Your Spit looks splendid, Ossian, faults and all. A good therapeutic quick build can do wonders for the mojo I find. Spotting errors and issues, even after the thing is finished, is all good. Sometimes you can correct them, other times you just shrug and move on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T2B Posted July 2, 2018 Share Posted July 2, 2018 I am just doing a couple of Spit Mk.1a's for my Spitfire collection and 1 is the DW-K but a mainstream issue not a starter kit so has full stencil decal, but as Ratch said mine also settled down well with the setting solution to conform into the panel lines! And from doing a few of the new tool Spits the only minor fit issues is the front cowling joint as you noted and the cockpit front bulkhead needs a very slight trim for the fuselage to close correctly just in front of the cockpit. But those minor points aside they are lovely kits Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Jones1707820337 Posted July 2, 2018 Author Share Posted July 2, 2018 Thanks for the repliles, folksThere were no quality problems with the decals, but I didn't like the placement of the code letters - on the port side they run at an angle and (according to a faint memory) the letters should have mirrored the starboard side (i.e. DW-K to starboard and K-DW to port) so the two letters were aft on both sides. I probably need to research that particular aircraft more...I've weathered it, but will add photos to my next post as it took 48 hours for the original to be approved. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ratch Posted July 2, 2018 Share Posted July 2, 2018 Here's minehttp://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL1312/4776356/16503152/391463848.jpghttp://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL1312/4776356/16503152/391463850.jpghttp://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL1312/4776356/16503152/391463849.jpghttp://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL1312/4776356/16503152/391463841.jpghttp://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL1312/4776356/16503152/391463840.jpghttp://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL1312/4776356/16503152/391463839.jpgand my review buildhttps://www.tapatalk.com/groups/airfixtributeforum/atf-build-review-1-72-supermarine-spitfire-mkia-a0-t20846.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peebeep Posted July 2, 2018 Share Posted July 2, 2018 - on the port side they run at an angle and (according to a faint memory) the letters should have mirrored the starboard side (i.e. DW-K to starboard and K-DW to port) so the two letters were aft on both sides. The Airfix decals and paint guide are correct, the letters are not mirrored, they read the same both sides and they were sloping relative to the fuselage both sides. There's plenty of photographic references of this aircraft that can be found with a little Googling. 610 squadron painted their Spitfires with codes conforming with the 'book', without realising (seemingly) that the AMO instructions actually gave a lot of licence in respect of code size, roundel size and placement of the codes. It's possible that they were painted before the AMO was formally issued or received by the squadron and they weren't alone, as you can find a lot of anomalies in code size, roundel size and placement of these elements from this period. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Jones1707820337 Posted July 2, 2018 Author Share Posted July 2, 2018 OK, dirtied up with some Flory Washes and dry brushing in black./media/tinymce_upload/39a5e4bda7692be32b9915361b726925.jpgI could probably make her a lot messier, but I have overweathered in the past, and want to limit myself.Also added an antenna from thin fishing line - probably a bit overscale./media/tinymce_upload/c98e3127357e5bee6582ca9316f884e2.jpg Thanks for the info about the letters - I thought I knew more than I did, so will retract any remarks about the decals above.I'm calling this one finished, and have dug out the Blenheim 1F to try something slightly more complex. (I normally attempt 1/48 but, as I originally said, havent been getting far with them recently, hence the try at some 1/72. I've got 2 weeks off, due to lack of work, so hope to make a good dent in at least one pile of the stash! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dominic Thomas Posted July 2, 2018 Share Posted July 2, 2018 Aaah, my favorite subject - squadron markings. There has been a lot of good information given above, but I felt compelled to add a wee bit more. No. 610 Squadron have been the subject of many period photographs so their markings style is well known. The key point, I think, is that this squadron had the biggest code letters for a Spitfire squadron, together with the biggest fuselage roundel. The equivalent for Hurricane squadrons would have been No.32 Squadron. For many modellers of this period, these facts have been enough to model the squadron’s aircraft to show an eye-catching aircraft of the period, bearing in mind that many/most of the other squadrons used much smaller code letters and roundels. And it has to be said, there is so much choice of squadron markings that if you’re not happy with the markings in the kit, the choice is there for the taking..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T2B Posted July 3, 2018 Share Posted July 3, 2018 Your finished build looks just right with subtle weathering though the photos are a little dark? Though I struggle with my images too, trying to get the light right and no blurr due to hand shake lol. But you'll love the Blenheim and there are a couple of threads on the forum if you want to check them out for any issues? I recently did the Mk.1 bomber with a Zero in a 'dogfight' which is near the bottom of this page if you want to look! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Jones1707820337 Posted July 3, 2018 Author Share Posted July 3, 2018 Thanks, Dominic - I clearly need to do more research before mouthing off.... I had assumed standards applied, but clearly not! T2B, yes, I have followed your Blenheim/Zero (as well as Heather's Blenheim) builds and they helped drive me to that particular kit. I might blog it. Photos were with my phone, quick snaps, then resized in MS Paint. They didnt seem dark to me, but it is all "in the eye of the beholder"... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T2B Posted July 3, 2018 Share Posted July 3, 2018 It was just an observation, as I said my photos are sometimes far from perfect! And what's a blog lol? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ratch Posted July 3, 2018 Share Posted July 3, 2018 I always thought it was a B-log as opposed to the A-log Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin M Posted July 11, 2018 Share Posted July 11, 2018 Great spitfire, nice job. As for flaws / errors, we all have them, it makes all our builds unique. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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