Hi,

There was no sign from me recently... The life (as always) is not easy, and I was taming my destructive side. However, I haven't spent much time in the man cave. But I am slowly regaining my creativity after a long, long brake... I am trying to put together my first Spitfire ever! It is the Special Hobby kit, and I am doing No. 352 RAF Sq. (partisan spitfire). The kit is mostly OOB, although I couldn't resist enhancing it with few details here and there... these were mostly scratched from bits and pieces, and the photos will reveal the extent of modifications. I am no Spitfire expert nor aficionado, but I must say it has some charm of its own (and this is from a Luftwaffe fan I will post some images, and will not write extensively, because I am slowly regaining my patience and would like to share a sign of life. Comments, as always, are more than welcome and encouraged!































All the best,
Entoni

Hi Entoni,
Some very nice detail work there No big deal but just so that you are aware, The seat back was a dark brown/black leather, the seat itself was a red brown colour as you have it. The compass was medium sea grey, in all RAF aircraft.

I too had lost my modelling mojo but I am now just coming to the end of my Hobby Boss 1/32 scale Spitfire Mk V Spitfire build (pics soon).

Remember: "You just can't have too many Spitfires".

Mal,

Thanks for the guidance... As I said, I am complete idiot on Spitfires (and other allied aircraft). I must agree about the compass, and will make sure to correct it - originally it was not the part of the kit, so I guess wrong color is not that much of a problem As far as seat is concerned, I was misled by the replica aircraft, but then I've stumbled upon many different views and opinions about the seat color... I am probably too lazy to correct it, and I may proceed with this "fatally flawed" reddish brown, which is probably the truest to my eye Sometimes I need to go against the tide, which is result of poor information and lack of knowledge on particular aircraft. Anyway, the focus of this build is the Balkan Models' decal sheet, which I really want to try out and review.

Nevertheless, I am very much thankful for your advice and guidance! Keep the modeling stamina!

All the best,
Entoni

Hey Entoni.

I really like the scratchwork. They really add to the model. Is this the 1/48 special hobby spit?

Greetz Cliff

Thanks! Yes, it is mentioned in the text, but I assume that it was not clear enough. The kit has its problems, but so far it builds nicely and without major problems.

All the best,
entoni

Hi Entoni,
Actually that replica seat could be spot on, the seat back padding was dark brown leather but often looks like black leather, that seat is new so the back padding has probably been produced for it. The seat was a type of plastic on later Spits and was that reddish brown colour. Earlier aluminium seats were paint the cockpit green colour

Entoni, Don't feel bad about time away, it has a tendency to help clear one's head, and help you refocus. Really like those interior side wall details, as well as the rudder peddles & linkage. Well done.

I to have learned the hard way that restorations can led you down the wrong path.

Looking forward to your next update.

Joel

Mal and Joel,

Thanks for your nice words and interest in my build... it is utmost important for me to regain some modeling confidence. I finished up adding some details last night (or early morning, cannot be sure)... I will correct the compass color following Mal's advice, and will enclose everything. I must say that the test fit revealed possible challenges to join the halves together, and I will be extra careful and work bit by bit. I forgot to mention that the weathering is done with oils, and it dried extra fast because I was using sicatif along with turpentine. Sicatif helps oil colors to dry faster... which is a neat feat in modeling





All the best,
Entoni

That looks really great.

Love the fine detail and painting. Wish my hands were steady enough to do that...

Hi everyone,

Just a quick report about the work done last night. Sorry, no images at the moment, but I will post some during the afternoon. I must say that I struggled with the fuselage and the wings. The fit is fiddly in several places, and you have to plan your work carefully. Overall, plastic is a bit soft in my opinion, or my liquid cement is too strong, and it melts the plastic easily. I had to work bit by bit, but the overall fit was not a surprise… it is something that you expect from a short run kit. As I said earlier, I am no Spitfire expert, and it was a bit more challenging for me to judge the overall geometry of the plane, and especially the right angle of the wings. So far all is properly sealed in place and dries at home… latter in the afternoon I will have to seal minor crevices (wing roots), and carefully clean and sand the joints (because some melted plastic just boiled up). The cockpit sits nicely in place, but I did notice that the gun sight is slightly off the center. Unfortunately, it is something I cannot repair, and will just have to live with the fact.

All the best,
Entoni

Hi everyone,

As I promised in my last post, I bring some photos of the work done so far. I mentioned that the general fit is typical of the short run kits, and it only proved so during the assembly. I noticed several areas that require special attention (engine cowling, wing roots, and particularly the bottom of the rear fuselage). I worked carefully, but still it was very hard to keep the pace and make no mistakes. I did experience some problems with the strength of my liquid cement, which appears too strong for this particular type of plastic. However, I managed somehow to join the fuselage halves and marry it with the wings. I had to recreate some minor detail that was compromised during sanding. This applies to - don't mind my ignorance - the strips at the bottom rear fuselage, I guess it is some kind of brace or fastener. Another issue is totally beyond my modelling radar, and it is related with the wing trailing edges, which appear too thick (especially if compared with the Bf-109's that I am familiar with). Any guess, or help with that? Should I send it down a bit?















All the best,
Entoni

Trailing edges should always be fairly sharp, but not necessarily a knife edge.
Those strips were a "make-do" repair introduced on the Mk.I, and wouldn't always appear on airframes. Due to the continual flexing of the wings, the screw holes (underside panels on the Mk.I were held in place by counter-sunk screws, not rivets) tended to elongate, so extra reinforcement strips were used as a temporary repair, until the panels (or complete wing) could be replaced during a major overhaul.
Edgar

Edgar,

Thank you for the valuable information. I have another question, and please bear with my ignorance if I say something wrong. I noticed same strips on the edge of the rear wing fairing (see the last photo in the stream, just above the Aeroscale sign). I assume it is same "make-do" addition to the airframe. Would it be a big mistake to sand it off and/or seal? Concerning the thickness of the trailing edges, it would be really hard to reduce the thickness of the kit part without compromise with the overall wing geometry. It is simply too thick in my opinion, but others may have different and (possibly) more correct understanding of this particular kit.

Thanks for your help,
Entoni

Entoni, The cockpit really looks good once the fuselage halves have been glued together.

Joel

Joel, thanks! If only the photos were sharper, and in reality it looks really busy for the scale. I will soon post another update.

All the best,
Entoni

There is a sort of "capping strip" over the two parts of the rear root fairing, presumably to hold them together, so you should be able to safely leave it alone.
Edgar

Hi everyone,

Unfortunately, I didn't have enough free time for modelling due to work and other problems. However, I made some progress with the Spit, although I had some mishaps along the way. I don't have much time to explain, but the biggest problem was with the entire "F" tree missing from my kit boxing, i.e. wing tips. It's a serious problem, and I had to source it out before I proceed. Luckily enough, I had another "Classic Airframes" boxing, which is essentially the same, and it contains the sprue with the wingtips. Now i have to think about how to get extra tips, but let's leave it for later. Yet another problem was with the port side wing root, which escalated into a serious problem after I used successive and different methods in order to fix the bad fit... I will spare you from curses and bad words, but it eventually worked out. I also decided to rivet the model, because it looked a bit bare. I am not quite satisfied with the result, and I probably made a lot of mistakes. Also, the riveting is not done mathematically precise, and the faults are obvious... yet, it is better than leave it bare. I also reworked the elevators and dropped it for more dynamic look. It was fun, therefore don't be harsh with your criticism but comments are always welcome!











All the best,
Entoni

Hi Entoni,

The build looks very promising. The panel lines and rivet rescribing on the wings is awesome!

Jean-Luc

Entoni,

You're way to modest. The scribing and riveting on the wings look fantastic. Really well done. Dropping the elevators is a nice touch that adds just a little something extra without jumping right at the viewer.

Joel

Looks like you do have a problem as wing tips are not top of the list for after market companies. I remember that Ultracast had a replacement set for the ICM Mk IX and it seems they are still available. Whether they would make a good fit is another matter.

http://www.ultracast.ca/products/48/100/default.htm

Hi everyone,

Thanks for stopping by and having a look! The build is not as complicated as my builds tend to be... Yes, there are few challenges here and there, but nothing really serious. Even the wingtip problem may be resolved (one way of doing it is to rest assured with the clipped wings).

@Jean-Luc: Thanks! Your builds are always very informative and serve as a good pointer. I've seen your magnificent Mk.IX, and I do have a question on Faber-Castell's "shade of gray" pits. I have them, but I didn't have an opportunity to utilize them on the model yet. The Spit looks promising, and I would really appreciate some detailed hints or tips on what's the best approach, or what works best for you?

@Joel: Thanks for the encouragement! I am not trying to be modest, on the contrary! I am way too perfectionist, and I can hardly live with mediocre results... but I've decided to be human instead, and simply rejoice in my hobby!

@Antoni: Thanks for the information! It's really not a big issue, and I am sure it will be solved this way or another. It's not a big deal to scratch the wing tip if everything else fails... you just need a good eye, tools and patience.

All the best,
Entoni

Hi Entoni,




First rule: try the technique on a test model first...
Second rule: the surface of the model must be matt, not satin or glossy.
Third rule: apply a little amount of ink directly on the model's surface (small dots) and build up the effect layer by layer.

I mainly used the walnut brown pen. I didn't have used the grey ones very much yet. I use a fine brush with some water to dilute the ink and let it get mixed with the paint. If you are not happy with the result, you can whip away the ink with a cotton bud even after some time.

Hope this helps,

Jean-Luc

Hi,

@Jean-Luc: Thanks for the tips! I guessed it is something like you've described, and I will surely give it a try... hope it works!

It was a long, long night here after our team qualified for the World Cup. It is not that I am such a big footbal fan, but the energy surrounding our Dragons is simply breathtaking! Now I can focus on my models again!

I will post some images soon, but I was trying out the new primer... I am looking for an alternative to my Vallejo primer, which acted weired and caused a lot of frustration in the past. Therefore I was determined to try something else, and I am more than pleased with the AK-interactive primer... the finish is very smooth, and I really like the properties of this mixture. I will experiment a bit more, but I am near to finding and ideal primer that works for me.

The build is progressing very good so far. The only thing I am not pleased with are the cannon barrels, and it will be one of the two things (exhaust is another one) to be replaced with the aftermarket parts. So far, so good... No major investments in the time of crisis! I am sparing the money for Rio!



All the best,
Entoni

Congrats on making it to Brazil. I*ve seen footage of the *small* party you guys were having there on German morning television..LOL...That*s the first time i ever saw two football journalists singing and jumping with the rest of the squad