Hi everybody! This is a great day for me. I have finished my first model plane in nearly 20 years. This is also the first time I've ever used an airbrush. I'm under no illusions.......I know this plane doesn't come close to being as good as everyone elses but I couldn't be happier with how it's turned out. Everything I have learned from you guys in the past month went into making this plane and I hope I've done you folks proud. Go ahead and pick it apart.......I've still got a lot to learn.
This is Hasegawas 1/48 Spitfire Mk.IXc 'Clostermann'.







Thanks to everyone for the advice and tips! This feels really great.

Wow Hermon it looks great for being your first plane in 20 years. Your effects came out great, how did you achieve the chipping of the paint. The paint job also looks good, especially for being your first time using an airbrush. Over time you’ll be picking up a few tips of your own and sharing with us.

Thanks Joe!
The paint chipping was done with a silver art pencil.
Dirt on the tires and soot from the guns and engine exhaust were donations from the wifes make-up bag .....she doesn't know about that.
It's probably overdone a little but I'm still learning.

Congratulations on a job well done!
Is there such a thing as a 20 year itch? Seems like a lot of people on here are returning to the hobby after a similar length break.Myself included. A bunch of 35-45 year olds all feeling like new kids at school.
What were the cosmetics you "borrowed" for the cordite/exhaust stains?
Heartiest congratulations once more on completion of a fabulous Spit

Have you read Pierre Clostermans book,The Big Show? How about a his Tempest "Le Grand Charles" to keep the Spit company?

Nothing to pick apart!!! Fantastic work!, by your third model, you should be cleaning up at shows.

Frank

Yet being the operative word to that... :-).. Herman, you need to get a picture of her face when you tell her.. Then let us see it.. It would be one of those priceless moments... :-) :-) :-)

All kidding aside, a fantastic job on your plane.. Now, how bout you try some armour

Keep'em coming

dave

nicely done

Excellent work! It's fun to see so many people returning to this hobby after so many years! Welcome back!

Only one small pick - You've got some slight silvering on the decals (seen mainly on the close-up pic). That's rather easy to avoid in the future. Other than that, I think its a great model.

Cheers!

Looks good...

One suggestion though:
NEVER--- EVER let your wife know you used her make up for dirt and soot!!!!! :-)

Hi Hermon:

Congrattulations. Your Spit looks really great. Very clean build and nice paint job. Just a little thing, to avoid silvering in the decals, try to apply a coat of Future before decaling, it´s the ideal solution.

Welcome back to the hobby. I´m 53 and returned back 5 years ago after a long, long stopage.

Thanks for the kind words guys. All together I spent about 60 hours doing this plane. Most of that time was spent fixing mistakes that I made before I'd read through all of the posts on this site.
Lampie: The exhaust and cordite stains I got from rubbing an eyeliner pencil onto a Q-tip and then rubbing it onto the model surface. The dirt is some kind of powered face stuff..... ...dunno what it is really. As for all of us returning after 20 years, well speaking for myself I never really new how much fun this hobby could be till I found this site. I've learned more in the past 30 days here than I could have done in a life time on my own.
As for the decals, I could kick myself for that.
I actually read an artical on this site about using Future before applying decals. I went out and bought a bottle of Future, set it on my workbench.........and then forgot all about it.
I realized my mistake too late. You guys are right though, it does take away alot from the final results. It looks a lot worse in person. I don't know if you guys noticed it or not but there are a few small tears in some of the decals..........rookie mistake. The insignia on the top right wing and both on the bottom wings have small rips in them. Instead of smashing the plane with an 8lbs. hammer I just rubbed a bit of silver pencil on the rips and hoped it looked like chipping. :-)
The antenna wire is made from 6lbs. test fishing line that i painted black with a sharpie. It is out of scale no one in my family or friends will ever know the difference. :-)
Other things that don't show up in the pictures are......FINGER PRINTS......and LITTLE FUZZY THINGS that were floating around in the room when I was airbrushing.
All in all the last time I had this much fun I was 175lbs. lighter, had no credit card debt, hated coffee, and was exempt from paying income tax.

Hi Hermon!

Congratulation for your "first" model! It looks great and full of promises for the future... future... future... future... don't forget the next time! :-)
Looking forward to see your P-40!

Jean-Luc

Looking good! Those exhaust and gun smoke stains look awesome, are they brushpainted or did you use an AB? I have only one thing to nit-pick about them. Those cannon stains. Because of the cannon muzzles being away from the wings, I doubt the stains would form on the wings like that. Not a big deal, though. Your model look great. And the 1st one in 20 years, superb!
That chipped paint effect looks great too.

And what a coincidence, I finished my copy of that same kit this morning! I'll take some photos to show it to you.

For the antenna wire try using streched sprue. With a little of work you can obtain a streched line that scales very well. To avoid the curvature heat a pin until it turns red, then carfully pass it near the streched sprue without touching it (by the down part, between the aircraft and the wire), magically the wire will get straight. It takes a little of work at first but with expirience it´s a simple trick.

I have the biggest grin on my face, alot of the regulars here may know why
Remember, "you just can't have too many Spitfires"

Actually the grin is not caused, completly, by the fact that this is a model of a Spitfire, but mainly by the fact that you chose a Spitfire to get back into the hobby 'cos you will never look back.
You have a very nice model there, the only nit picks are in the details. The main point has been mentioned, the silvering of the decals, but you realised the reason and know the fix. So just a couple of minor things, the yellow tips to the propeller blades are too big, about half size would be about right. A Spitfire Mk IX wouldn't have had an antenna wire, the radio was changed, from about the MkV, and didn't require the wire.
Well done, looking forward to seeing your next
Have you considered the Aircraft Model of the Month?
Mal

Further to Mals post,heres a pic of the ariel on a MK XVI at RAF Cosford.

Emeritus: The stains were "rubbed" on using a Q-tip.
And you're right about the cordite on the cannons. I got carried away with the details.

Csch: I'll have to try that technique. Sounds interresting. Thanks

Holdfast: I held that darn antenna on both ends for 10 minutes waiting on the glue to dry! From here on out I'm gonna do loads more research on my models. I hadn't thought about the yellow tips on the propeller blades. Is there a standard for that on all Spits or does it vary from one model to the next? As for MOM, yes I considered entering my plane............but the more I see the entries for this month the less confident I feel
I'm happy with my Spit so far but in reality it doesn't stand a chance compaired to the awsome planes entered already.
I'll think on it a bit.

Lampie: Where were you with that darn picture 3 days ago? Another lesson learned. :-)

Thanks everbody.

I would have posted the photo sooner,but I only took it yesterday :-) Thats my excuse and Im sticking too it
I took quite a few reference close ups of both the MK XVI and the MKI at Cosford.
If anyones looking for something specific let me know and I might be able to help