Right so my next Spitfire on the bench is this one:









And the AM goodies.





First things first was removing the moulded in side wall detail in the fuselage.

Darren,
Nice choice. Will be following right along with your build.
Joel

Thanks Joel.

So I was having having trouble removing the IP from the backing sheet. I've brought the kit version up to date.



And the True Details version.

The trick with resin parts like that is to sand them in a figure 8 pattern, putting light pressure evenly on the entire extent of the part. Sand carefully, stopping often to check in case you go too far. It's best to have the sandpaper taped to a firm, flat board so you have a fixed working surface.

Ah right thanks Jessie. But going with the modified kit part now. And to add a little extra to the cockpit and IP, I have these:

I always sand resin parts on WET wet-and-dry, held down by double-sided tape; this has the double advantage of no dust up my nose, and the slurry can be washed away without trouble.
Edgar

Thanks Edgar for the tip. But I've used the kit version (not much of a modeller eh? ) and added some plumbing from images off the internet. Decals now in the gauges I'll get these glossed now.

Sidewall detailing done.

A bit more done.

And all ready for paint.





And a question. Anyone know what these hooks were for?

They look like the Seafire's catapult hooks, but reversed.

Hi,according to chapter 18 of Morgan and Shacklady's Spitfire bible the hooks were used to flip the belly tank away from the fuselage when jettisoned, because otherwise they tended to bounce along the underside of the aircraft.

Ok thank you John. That explains what the hooks are for then.

There was a small space between the rear of the tank and the hooks. The tank was supposed to slide back, on release, then be flipped away by the hooks; Tom Neil recounts how his XII had a recurring fault, whereby his tank would hang up, flapping, on the hooks, then suddenly release, to the discomfiture of his following Squadron as it whirled between them.
Edgar

Thank you Edgar. Right it now has paint.

Hi Darren

Nice work. Looking at the "over-strokes" in the flaps area, are you brush-painting? I wish I could manage that - especially with metallics!

All the best

Rowan

Hi Rowan. Thank you! I am most certainly brush painting. Of course I'll tidying the flap area up, as I'll be doing it with flaps deployed (I know it's not accurate, but it'll make it look different on the shelf).

Hi again

I doff my cap to you there - I'm hopeless at brush painting anything beyond small details.

All the best

Rowan

So decals on. And you'll notice no fin flash according to the decal instructions this bird didn't have any.

That's how it looked when photographed at Biggin Hill in 1949.

Thank you for that Antoni.

Right here's the progress so far!

Hi Darren

That is looking very sharp indeed!

I'll show my age here! LOL! I remember being in the shop at Hannants when the original shipment of the first release of this kit arrived. As you can imagine, they sold almost the lot before they could reach for the pricing gun!

All the best

Rowan

Very nicely done Darren, I can't imagine many modellers attempting a brush painted silver finish, you are in a league of your own I reckon

Thank you Rowan and Mal.

And she's all done!