1:1 Spitfire K9817 Cockpit Build

[Tony Hill]

Cheers Glenn, not long now.



Thanks Terry (insomnia is a **^*),

I don't really think the TAF is "right" for me...but then neither is painting it "pink". She is still a real "bitser" with starter and boost but Landing lights......Radiator Shutter lever..but Rocket Sight addition... Slow running cutout but Mk IX Throttle..except the Boost Cut-Out red lever.......you get my point. So I guess I could paint her PRU Blue, Pink, Brown/Green or Grey / Green and she will be similarly wrong!!

My first love is the early marques, so I think I drift towards the green / brown still but the purist in me does rebel!

Oh, and 220 so far....rivets that is, just in case you were wondering

cheers mate!


D

 

[Spits]

Mate do it up in Foliage green like they were up in Darwin!!

 

[Tony Hill]

Well, a long weekend of work...33 hours in all!

The skinning went reasonably well thanks to an electric staple gun. I wouldn't like to try to make those curves with Alu though...hats off to you restoration / serious cockpit builders!

Yesterday I had the good luck to be able to work with Polyethelene Primer. After three hour's sanding to roughen up all the skin surface, I got to the primer. This is the nicest solvent/paint/chemical I have ever worked with. The smell is devine, the fumes virtually non existent and the effects nil....at least that is how it feels until you pass out!! This is the NASTIEST stuff I have EVER had to use. I noticed my vision fading around the edges, recognised the symptoms and left the garage. By the time I made it to the front lawn I was on my knees!! And that was with a mask on and the garage door up and side door open to create airflow. I reckon any time you use this stuff you should really have a respirator on!

So a couple of hour's break and I went back in, finished it with four "mansized" tissues stuffed in the mask and left it to dry. Well, I say "dry" I actually mean "melt into the plastic". The whole garage stank of burning plastic (a smell we probably all remember from stuffing cotton wool into 1:72 models and "shooting them down in flames"). It DID however, prime the plastic.

Anyway, first coat of paint is on. Tonight, second coat..tomorrow Cabot's Floor Sealer and Wednesday Estapol Matt Varnish. That will all keep the paint solid, clean and importantly, darken it to the right colour inside. The floor sealer particularly is bomb proof!

I'll wait now to post pictures of the work...it makes me almost cry to see it all pulled apart after how close to finished it looked just a week ago...oh well....

Mate do it up in Foliage green like they were up in Darwin!!

There's a thought too! I've worked out that the camoflage pattern will put just a small bit of the second colour at the rear left and right front of the cockpit area, hardly any size at all...so it will probably look silly. The all over green would look good but I think for solid colour I might go PRU Blue. I can make that quite striking I think. If I had followed the original plan to have the rear canopy area done, a camo paint would have looked great

 

[Airframes]

I reckon it'll look the biz in PRU Blue mate, and it's what people generally associate with recce Spits anyway. And much better than that pansy Barby Pink stuff......!!!

 

[Tony Hill]

much better than that pansy Barby Pink stuff......!!!

AFFIRM!!!!!!!!


Now I just have to match the PRU Blue. I think the outside I will just coat with Cabots to leave a semi gloss "highly pollished" finish...I think that is probably how they would have had them, given that a good polish was said to add about 5mph to a Spitty.


Cheers mate.

 

[T Bolt]

PRU Blue will look great Darryl, but get a respirator for second prime coat, it's not worth dieing over. That paint sounds like some really nasty s**t. I will DEFINITELY be using Aluminum for my skin.

 

[Geedee]

given that a good polish was said to add about 5mph to a Spitty.Cheers mate.

To go even faster dont forget to countersink and use flush staples !

Blue does it for me as well. Look great to see a PR paint job.

 

[Tony Hill]

To go even faster dont forget to countersink and use flush staples !

.

Smart4rse!!!


Genn, no plans to check out just yet.......data sheet says for inhilation "remove from area rest unless not breathing..then CPR and medical attention. So whilst it is nasty to breathe, it probably doesn't have any really bad long term effects...hope not anyway

Going in a moment to get the Blue paint. Meanwhile, a nice little email received a while ago...progress on the UC CO2 canister

Still needs painting and the engraving on the handle..I pick it up this Saturday.

And the real thing..

 

[Vic Balshaw]

I've popped in from time to time on this thread Darryl watching your progress and to be honest, I've been somewhat taken aback at the complexity and the cost involved in this build. What you set out to achieve in your own yard is amazing. I take my hat off to you mate, this is one hell of an accomplishment.

 

[Wayne Little]

Have to agree with you there Vic!

Bl**dy good stuff thats for sure...

 

[T Bolt]

Looking good Darryl! You're lucky to have found someone to make some of the metal bits and pieces for you, it looks like first class work. It would have saved me a lot of headaches early on with my 47.

 

[Tony Hill]

Hi Vic,and Wayne, thank you! Comments like that make the long hours all seem worth it..before I even "fly" her. This forum is the most inspirational, informative, supportive and truly wonderful place on the net. I regret that building and work take so much time that my posting and reading is severely limited. I do deeply appreciate the encouragement and the people here seem to enjoy watching progress a little more than the FSX cockpit building crowd..who are great, but in the main, are just waiting for the next 737 pictures....

But, I assure you, anyone could do what I have done with a bit of stubborness, support from someone like Gwyn, who as Glenn says, I am so lucky to have to make the bits I can't (and whom I constantly have to prod to charge me a fair price because he enjoys Spit bits so much) and a good dose of masocism! I've learned every single skill needed as I went (and I fly a desk in real life as I have four left thumbs and two left pinkies).

Glenn,
thanks mate. Yes, it has allowed me to spend much more time on the bits I can do.

 

[Tony Hill]

OK, still no pictures as the camera battery ran flat on me!'

A frustrating night here. I went and got the PRU blue from my local h/w store..mixed just so, very happy with it.
I also picked up a small electric spray gun that was going to make my life much easier. Never used one before but hey, paint in , paint out, no brush marks.

Now I can see some of you thinking "well, it ain't quite that simple". And I did have some sympathy for that view. But hey, paint in, paint out..no brush marks..a new skill learned "on the fly" and 10 minutes to paint the outside instead of two hours with a brush. You can see where this is going, can't you?

Well, first take cup provided, fill with paint and time how long it takes to drain..refer to chart, thin paint at ratio on chart for time to drain. OK, between 15 and 35 seconds on chart. Three minutes later cup 1/4 full still. Not good. OK, let's wing it. thin paint a smidge, fire gun. No paint.... Mix a bit, well, OK, a LOT more water in. Paint now very runny...paint in, paint out, a LOT of paint. Runs all down side, spatter INSIDE on green...damn, MASKING!!

1/2 hour later masked pretty good. Paint added to thicken mix a bit. Start again. Great globs of paint all over side. All over side of garage that is. All over drop sheet I thoughtfully put down. Rude words. Occurs to me that this could be why professionals use spray booths?

Notice wifes car rear interior trim tray sitting on ground. Thankfully no paint on it! Better move that....pick up move..remember paint all over hands. 1/2 hour later paint cleaned off...I LOVE acrylics.

So 500ml of paint used, some even ON the cockpit, most pooling on plastic and only a three foot square section of overspray actually covering the garage concrete floor. Bonus!

So I moved on to an old spray painting trick I learned years ago...I got a bl**dy brush and painted it with that!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

There endeth my meteoric rise to the top of the Spray Painting Profession.

My state of mind and my blood pressure, along with the nice paint shade did, however, inspire me to name the aircraft..strictly against RAF rules. I have decided to name her for my lovely wife:

Moody Blue

An honour, I hasten to add, that she did not express the requisite level of appreciation for, IMHO.

Anyway, midnight or better here and I now have to get to bed...I bet the dog has already taken the best spot in the garden

 

[T Bolt]

Darryl your last post had me sitting at my desk giggling, making my co-workers think I had lost my senses. I've had many a day like that (Although not with a paint sprayer as I'm in fear of anything larger than my Badger 100).

I completely agree with what you said about this forum being inspirational. Since I came across it a few weeks ago and started the thread about my 47 I have done more work on it than I had in the last few months (Which has my wife slightly annoyed)

Get that battery charged up and take some pictures!!

 

[Airframes]

Now that I've wiped up the spilled coffee, and re-filled the overflowing waste-paper basket kicked over in mirth, that was a great post Darryl! I can just visualise the scene!
Hope to see some pictures of the paint soon - on the Spit that is, not the floor, walls, car and...er...dog!

 

[T Bolt]

Speak for yourself Terry. I want to see pictures of the floor, walls, car, and or dog!!

 

[Tony Hill]

Thanks gents, and yes, pictures tonight hopefully. I wish I could say a good night's sleep has made things seem better...but since i haven't had one, I wouldn't know. Off to the real world for a few hours now to try to pay for all this.

 

[Spits]

Reminds me of the time I cut Frame 11,s datum longeron cutout....on the "inside edge".........
errrr hang on,shouldn,t that be "outside edge" DOH!!!!!!
Mate it is these little indescretions that make thing all worthwhile in the end..

 

[A4K]

OK, still no pictures as the camera battery ran flat on me!'

A frustrating night here...

You must have been spewing, but that is a classic tale!!!

 

[Tony Hill]

Hi guys, and thanks for the support.

Spits, ooops!!! Glad to see other people do that kind of thing. A4K, I am glad some of you got a laugh..it was cathartic writing it!!!

Some days are diamonds, some days are stones. Today was another stone ..the paint (second coat PRU Blue) did not spread as easily on the dried coat as it did on the plastic. So I now have brush marks in the blue. .Not happy but have to live with it. And, of course, I had to "gouge the plastic with highly abraisive sand paper to make it take paint and primer....so before she even gets completed, this old girl's already showing she has been a workhorse.


Then I tipped over the paint tin..$85 worth of paint everywhere. I salvaged as much as I could (2 litres, so I only lost about a litre I'd guess). More rude words.

But then I got to the "Moody Blue" stencil Chris cut e today. Bu663r of a job to put on but got it in the end.
It looked a bit bland, silver on the blue..then I had the idea of "clouds" so I stood back about 2 feet with a little Tamiya spray "aluminium" and misted it around....effect is priceless.

It also had the advantage of hiding a couple of small bleeds to underneath the stencil.

I am pleased as Punch with it.


Now the confession...dead Camera battery so, new one tomorrow and pics DEFINATELY tomorrow night, I promise the wait will be worth it.