I was a staff member of several Air Cadet Squadrons, as Training Officer and later Administration Officer.

Whats it like being a base brat? You move around a lot so you don't get to make lasting friends. You get yanked out of school in the middle of the year, move across country and plugged into a new school where you don't know anyone. Then 3 or so years later, you do it all over again.

I first encountered modelling as a Thing in Winnipeg, where my cousins lived. My older 16 year old cousin had his room filled with models and what 8 year old girl doesn't idolise her much older cousin? But I thought 'hey, if he can do that, why can't I? Some of my friends thought I was weird for liking little plastic airplanes, but I've always been slightly off the beaten track anyway.

Hi, Jesse!

Thank You for sharing! I kind of had an inkling that you might not have had such an easy time of it whilst growing up as "an Air Force brat". What with the all of the changes of assignments, localities, schools, friends, etc. All of the things you and your family members would have had to put up with at the behest of "higher authorities", couldn't have been very pleasant at times!

Re: Your career in the RCAF- KUDOS! An OFFICER, no less! My admiration goes out to you for your personal achievements! From a personal standpoint, I had always wanted to become a Pilot- A FIGHTER Pilot in the US Air Force. I had the grades in school, and I was also involved in extracurricular engineering courses while in High School. The Air Force had me "plugged-in" into our ROTC program (Reserve Officer Training Corps) for my college education. Came time for my physical in 1971, it came to pass that I am diabetic. All of a sudden, "Uncle Sam" had no further interest in yours truly, so ALL of my hopes and dreams were dashed.

Re: Your model-building- Fascinating that some of your friends thought you were "weird" because you like(d) to build models. I can perfectly understand what you're saying. I had the same thing happen to me when I was growing up; most boys liked to do all of the "boy-stuff", i.e, baseball, football, basketball, etc. Not me- I was a swimmer, and a pretty darned good one, at that. But models..? No, that was for uncoordinated TERPS who couldn't do ANYTHING ELSE! That was the attitude. Seriously... I had two other buddies that shared my interest in building models. Sadly, LIFE came in between all of us, and only one of these friends has kept somewhat distant contact with me. HE no longer builds models.

What have you got on your workbench right now? It would be interesting to know.

I haven't touched my EDUARD "The Few" Spits yet, aside of inspecting the parts and the instructions. I had decided that I was going to use other RAF YELLOW "surround" Roundel decals made by another decal company. Upon opening the box when I first got the kit(s), I found that that "LEMON YELLOW" in the EDUARD decals just doesn't "cut it" for me. However, I have a color photo in one of my books which shows the same "LEMON YELLOW" for those YELLOW squares which (I THINK) are "Poison Gas Warning" indicators..? Is that what they are? I'm sure you would know, as you've been so helpful in resolving questions in other areas of Rowan's blog of his great Spit Mk.I builds!

Once Again, Thank You for sharing with us!

VR, Dennis

Hi, Rowan!

I meant to ask earlier, but I forgot. Which GUNZE SANGYO paints did you use for your Upper Surfaces..?

THANKS,

VR, Dennis

Well, it's just so not a 'girly' thing to do, is it? But my Baribes were having adventures that my friends' didn't

Sad that your USAF aspirations were shot down by your health.

I saw somewhere (and now I can't remember exactly where) that Eduard deliberately chose that translucent yellow colour on some of the roundel surrounds to show the 'painted out' effect that some aircraft had where the yellow surrounds were painted over yet still vaguely showed through the paint. The earliest Spitfires had yellow surrounds on all the upper surface roundels like this:

These were later painted out but the yellow sometimes still showed through.

On the workbench right now is a Zvezda A350 and its close Revell cousin (both of which I reviewed here on Aeroscale) and a Honey tank I'm doing for a group build elseforum.

Hi, Jessie!

I would have LOVED to have girlfriends who built models of any type when I was growing up. We had some family friends who had three daughters, and we always got along famously! I dated the middle daughter Linda , when I was in my mid-teens. But then, I always got along better with girls and women all my life. I only have two close male friends besides my Nephew and his Dad...

Yes, I have the earlier RAF Roundels with the YELLOW "surrounds" on ALL roundels in several other decal sets; those are the Roundels I spoke of earlier. These and other, later-style Roundels are also included on these decal sheets. I THINK these are made by MINISTRY of SMALL AIRCRAFT PRODUCTION(?) I DO plan on building a really early Spit with those types of Roundels, sometime. PLUS, I have a whole bunch of other WWII RAF decal sets, besides!

My issue is with the SHADE of the EDUARD "YELLOW". IMO, I think that it is too much like "LEMON YELLOW". Like you, I've also read somewhere of EDUARD's deliberately-engineered translucence of the YELLOW for their decals of these Mk.I Spits. I can replicate this "translucence" and a more suitable appearance (to my eyes, at least), in the SHADE of this YELLOW by using one of my airbrushes with a thinned-down mix of RLM 04 GELB, a drop of INSIGNIA RED, a healthy addition of CLEAR GLOSS, and using a stencil for the shape of the roundel, itself. Then, the BLUE/WHITE/RED Roundel decal can be affixed atop the YELLOW Roundel. Sounds complicated, but that doesn't bother me in the least. It's not a "major thing" with me. I'll just use the above-described method, or I'll be "lazy" and just use some of my other Roundel decals, that's all...

I've also seen photos and artists' depictions of Spitfires with the BLACK/WHITE Undersides, where the BLACK WING had the Roundel with the YELLOW "surround". An example of an EDUARD Mk.I in this color scheme will also find itself into my collection! Isn't it GREAT to see and experience models of this caliber, making use of the very latest plastic-engineering?

I think a more "correct" YELLOW for these Roundels would be very similar to the YELLOW which Kit Maker Network uses, such as that which we see on THIS site.

THIS IS NUTS! Going so "APE" over a particular shade of YELLOW!!! We almost sound as bad as the "PANZER BOYS" over on ARMORAMA when they're yapping about "DUNKELGELB"!!!

Thanks for your input, Jessie!

STAY SAFE & HEALTHY!

VR, Dennis

PS- That's a GREAT SHOT of a very early Spitfire Mk.I you posted! That's EXACTLY what I have in mind, plus a slightly newer Mk.I in No.19 Squadron guise, as shown in the EDUARD Instructions. EDUARD DOES INDEED have a Mk.II coming in December...

Hi again

I had a nasty surprise waiting for me this morning when I went to apply a gloss-coat to the early Mk.I. Having withstood all the masking with complaining, one of the photo-etched strengthening strips got had got fed up with things while waiting for the next step and decided to make a bid for freedom!



So, the next job will be reattaching the little so-and-so - and hoping I don't need to do a respray to hide the repair.

All the best

Rowan

Hi again

You know those days where it really seems like you shouldn't be doing any modelling, because you just hit one problem after another? Well, today really seemed to be turning into one of them at one point!

Having glued the etched strip back on, I started applying a coat of Klear and pretty soon saw something rather worrying; a very distinct difference began to show between where I'd masked the camouflage pattern with Tamiya flexible tape and where I'd filled in behind it with Vallejo latex-based masking fluid. One was darker than the other, so you could clearly see where every strip of tape had been!

Checking the areas I hadn't applied the gloss coat to yet showed they were fine - but, as soon as I applied the Klear the same thing happened.

It was too late to turn back, so I carried on and finished applying the gloss coat and left the Spits to dry for an hour or two.

When I came back to take a photo of the problem, I was relieved to find everything had evened out and there was no sign anything had looked weird. So, sorry, I can't post a photo to show the effect. I applied a second coat of Klear rather gingerly and it went on perfectly normally.

I think this is the first time I've used Tamiya tape and Vallejo masking fluid together - and I don't know which of them caused the temporary colour/tone shift - but it was certainly disheartening to see at the time!

All the best

Rowan

Hi, Rowan!

Gawd, don't you just HATE IT?!?

Sorry... I've had stuff like this happen, too. I always make sure that I affix my PE to BARE PLASTIC, and only then do I paint over the PE. Etching the brass with etching fluid helps. If one needs a bit more "grip", some light sanding on the back-side of the PE and on the surface which the PE is to be bonded with also helps... The reactions of the different manufacturers' paints etc, is something I've always warned against. I like to use "like products"; for example, TAMIYA-brand adhesives, primers, paints & thinners ALL on the same project, without adding LIFECOLOR or some other brand into the process. You know, like the old adage, "birds of a feather"...

I see things worked out for you, though...

WHAT A GREAT BLOG!!!

VR, Dennis

Remember when we were young(er) and photo etch was THE ANSWER! Yeah, well...

Keep at it, my friend. These things have a way of sorting themselves out. Still, some days I can't help but wonder if these guys are adding more and smaller details that didn't actually exist on the prototypes just to see if they can get away with it.

Michael

Hi Dennis

I'm not sure why you stressed your advice in caps about attaching photo-etch to bare plastic - because, obviously, I did that (just look at the earlier post where I'd fitted them). As usual, I also roughed up the rear face of the parts a tad to aid adhesion - but that clearly did b*gger-all good in this instance.

Sometimes sh*t just happens on builds, despite all our hard-earned experience and best practice. I guess modelling would be very dull if we could take everything for granted and there were no unexpected bumps in the road.

I have to say, I take absolutely zero notice of matching like for like from manufacturers. I enjoy experimenting - I just use and do what works for me. I've read so much nonsense over the years about "you must do this or that" - which is often contradicted later. I mix products from various sources freely and learn how they work together (or don't!). It's all part of the fun for me.

Is there a Tamiya masking fluid? I've never come across it in the UK. I used Vallejo in this instance, but wouldn't normally even bother with brand-name latex at all - years ago, when ran Blueprint Models, I bought "no-name" industrial stuff by the litre - it works just as well in my experience.

As ever - no one way is right for everyone - and that's all part of the beauty of our hobby.

All the best

Rowan

Rowan, you nailed it right there mate! You could tell a dozen of your mates to build the same kit in the same scheme and they would all be different, and they would all be great.

Keep the updates coming, this thread is awesome.

Cheers, D

Hi Rowan, and Everyone Else.

First of all, let me say that my use of "caps" are intended for emphasis only, as "eye-catchers", if you will. There just might be a few "new modelers" who might have missed your segment where you "prepped" the PE-strip in question. My remarks were certainly NOT meant to be construed as, "You should have done this" or You should have done that", and I CERTAINLY didn't say that, did I..?

As everyone has probably noticed, I like to capitalize the names of manufacturers, paint colors and other specific things. I also like to capitalize my compliments, my admiration, my thanks, and ofttimes, I add an emoji. For example:

"GREAT WORK, Rowan!"

Or,

"THANK YOU, (insert name) !"

Secondly, yes (most emphatically) $#!+ DOES happen. We've all dealt with it. In future, I will refrain from adding my 2-cents worth.

VR, Dennis

The So & So might be making a bid for freedom Rowan, but the image shows us your excellent paint work

Rowan,

Looking at your sprue shots I noticed there are no sink marks on the exhausts. I watched a youtube build of this kit by champion scale modeling and his kit had ugly sink marks on the exhausts he had to fix. Are they just on the other side of the exhausts?

Hi Dave

As I highlighted twice in the review, I did find sink marks on the exhausts in the sample kit - but nothing serious in my case, and a quick fix. It's obviously a bit of a concern if they vary between examples - mine took two ticks to sort out.

I've got to say, though, the Brassin exhausts beat the kit parts on every count.

Back to a quick update on the build... as of tonight, I'm looking at a pair of very glossy Spits! Ridiculously so - but I have to admit they do look pretty! Wow! - the sheer beauty of that elliptical wing is enhanced when it shines!

All being well, I'll start decaling tomorrow...

All the best

Rowan

Hi again

Would you believe it? - the stencils decals have gone walkabout! This is a pretty old house, and strange things happen - things go missing, only to turn up right where we've just been looking for them. Let's hope that happens with the decals...

All the best

Rowan

Hi again

Well, as I could almost have predicted, the decals turned up exactly where I looked for them in the first place - and where I rechecked several times over the course of hours of searching. I've spent so long hunting for the darned things, I've gone off the idea of applying them today!

The main thing is that I've got them. Perhaps I'd better nail them down to be sure they're still there for my next day off on Thursday.

All the best

Rowan

Rowan! I saw about your mishap with the masking fluid - I've had them as well with Maskol. My only choice nowadays for liquid mask is Micro-Scale, it is a different formula from most others I've tried on the market and I have not had any adverse effects on the underlying paint from it (at least not yet...). If they smell like fresh bicycle tires (a rubbery/ammonium smell) like Maskol they will most probably cause problems with the underlying paint. I haven't sniffed Vallejo's but if it smells like Maskol I would advise against using it again!

Apart from that - good work finding your missing decals, even a small milestone is a milestone !



Magnus

Hi Magnus

I bought some Microscale masking fluid years ago and never really got on with it. Maybe I got a dud bottle, but I found it really difficult to use because it was so thin and runny, it just didn't provide a very effective mask.

I've never encountered the issue I found on the Spit before, despite pretty much always using latex-based masking fluid of one type or another (the Vallejo has that unmistakable smell ) for the last 40 years or so (Jeez! I feel old just saying that! ).

I don't know if it's strictly correct to call it a "problem", because the difference in tone didn't show before I applied the first coat of Klear - and it then disappeared very quickly. I also don't know if it was the tape or the masking fluid which caused the effect.

What I'll do is prepare a test sample using the same paints and mask half of it exactly the same way I did on the kit. I'll see if the same thing happens when I apply the gloss coat - and this time I'll have the camera ready to catch the results.

All the best

Rowan

Hi Rowan, et. al.,

I remain super impressed with your builds and your paint work! While I have not yet broken into my 'The Few' kit(s) yet (I did get a second one, so I could feel 'okay' about actually building one, and having a second complete, untouched kit for either a future build or to hold onto for posterity, maybe 20-30 years from now, if I'm still alive and sentient, and the BoB anniversary is a distant memory, though 20 years for now there will, or may, be even bigger doings for the 100th anniversary thereof), I have been working on my Tamiya Spitfire MK. 1. I've gotten to the paint stage, and have completed painting the underside, using the black basing technique, and I used Tamiya XF-21 Sky for the main color, over a base of Sky 'micro doodles', and some light blue and khaki colors mixed in. I must say that the final finish looks pretty impressive, if I do say myself, and the blue and khaki actually made a difference in the final look, subtle though the detail is. I am anxious to get to completing painting the upper surfaces, so I can apply a gloss coat to the entire model. I'm guessing the underside, with the nuanced black base detail, will look even better with the gloss over it. I have to say I'm sold on the black base process, despite the amount of work it takes.

I'm planning to use Mr. Hobby (Gunze) lacquer paint for the upper surfaces, 361 Dark Green and 369 Dark Earth. I hope my prior experience with these paints laying down the most exquisitely thin coats to preserve detail is going to be repeated when I paint the camo scheme.

Regarding your Spitfire progress, Rowan, I'm looking forward to the completion of your 2 very nice airplanes!

👍👍👍

Stay Safe & Healthy, Everyone!

Hi all

I doubt I'll make much (if any) progress for the next week or so. I always forget (and I should know by now after so many years on Aeroscale!) that this is when we have an influx of samples.

With the Covid-19 situation, it's more important than ever for manufacturers to get their products seen online, so I'll focus solely on new reviews for now.

The Spits will remain top of my build-list to finish - my realistic target is to see them both done and dusted by New Year.

All the best

Rowan