Vic Balshaw
Major General
You've got to see it to believe it. Great work Terry and I do love the tube cutting jig, not seen one of those before.
1/32 Spitfire Mk.Vb - Defence of Britain/Atlantic.
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Nice work Dogsbody
Sweet work Terry.
- Thread starter
- #265
Airframes
Benevolens Magister
Thanks chaps - but don't call me Shirley, over Over !
EDIT:- Forgot to add for Vic. The tube-cutting jig is very useful, and simple. Insert the tube to the desired length of cut, using the adjustable scale on the side. Swing the clamp over and hold firmly. Insert saw blade through the slot (there's also a second slot at 45 degrees), and saw away.
Can't remember the cost - I think around £9, bought from Model Hobbies. There are others around, which incorporate a rotary blade, rather like a paper trimmer, but those I'd seen were made with a plastic frame, and didn't look very good. Probably fine for plastic tube or rod, but not metals.
EDIT:- Forgot to add for Vic. The tube-cutting jig is very useful, and simple. Insert the tube to the desired length of cut, using the adjustable scale on the side. Swing the clamp over and hold firmly. Insert saw blade through the slot (there's also a second slot at 45 degrees), and saw away.
Can't remember the cost - I think around £9, bought from Model Hobbies. There are others around, which incorporate a rotary blade, rather like a paper trimmer, but those I'd seen were made with a plastic frame, and didn't look very good. Probably fine for plastic tube or rod, but not metals.
Last edited:
- Thread starter
- #266
Airframes
Benevolens Magister
As the re-touched areas are still ever so slightly tacky, I decided not to spray the first coat of clear matt until tomorrow. Meanwhile, I got on with masking and painting the windscreen and canopy frames, after first adding some detail to the canopy lower frame, and prepared and painted the resin cockpit door.
Not a lot to show, but this little lot has taken 5 hours so far, and there's still more work to do !
Pic 1. The windscreen masked, ready for the first coat of paint, which is the Cockpit Grey Green interior colour, painted on both sides of the frames.
PIC 2. I decided to attempt to add the Martin (Martin Baker) canopy jettison system, which consisted of rods, holding the the runners in their tracks, with wires attached to these, running up the inside of the forward frame, to a rubber ball. Pulling hard on this ball withdrew the pins on the end of the wires, releasing the rods, which fell away, suspended from the wires. A quick 'bang' with the elbows freed the canopy, when, in theory, the slipstream would whisk it away. If it jammed, the crow bar attached to the cockpit door could be used to prise it free.
This photo of the Duxford-based MkV shows the rods, painted red, and the curve of the wire running to the upper sleeve, attached to the rods. I don't think the rods were red on wartime Spits, from what I've seen so far, but I'm still checking.
The red 'rubber' ball, and the canopy latch, will be made and added towards the end of the build, when the canopy is ready for fitting.
PICS 3 to 6. Fitting the rods and wires to the canopy lower frame, which has been 'deepened' slightly by masking. Humbrol 'Clear Fix' was used to attach the rods and wires, made from different thicknesses of stretched sprue.
PICS 7 and 8. The 'Quickboost' resin door, showing the nice detail (the crowbar fits into the clips on the inside of the door). The two moulding 'flanges' on the outside of the door had to be removed very carefully, to avoid damage to the door edge.
PIC 9. The windscreen and canopy frames, and door, have been painted in Cockpit Grey Green, the screen and canopy frames on both sides.
PICS 10 and 11. The windscreen and canopy frames have had a first, thin coat of Xtracolor RAF Dark Green gloss enamel brushed on. The 'lumps' around the front of the canopy lower frame are excess 'Clear Fix', which will be scraped off, and the area re-painted with the second coat.
PIC 12. The interior of the door has been painted. This will receive a gloss coat, and the instructions/warning decal added from the HGW decal sheet, and then a matt clear coat applied, and the crowbar clipped into place.
With luck, I should get the model itself sprayed with the first coat of clear matt tomorrow, and then start on some subtle surface detail and staining, before fitting some of the remaining parts, including the windscreen and exhausts.
Not a lot to show, but this little lot has taken 5 hours so far, and there's still more work to do !
Pic 1. The windscreen masked, ready for the first coat of paint, which is the Cockpit Grey Green interior colour, painted on both sides of the frames.
PIC 2. I decided to attempt to add the Martin (Martin Baker) canopy jettison system, which consisted of rods, holding the the runners in their tracks, with wires attached to these, running up the inside of the forward frame, to a rubber ball. Pulling hard on this ball withdrew the pins on the end of the wires, releasing the rods, which fell away, suspended from the wires. A quick 'bang' with the elbows freed the canopy, when, in theory, the slipstream would whisk it away. If it jammed, the crow bar attached to the cockpit door could be used to prise it free.
This photo of the Duxford-based MkV shows the rods, painted red, and the curve of the wire running to the upper sleeve, attached to the rods. I don't think the rods were red on wartime Spits, from what I've seen so far, but I'm still checking.
The red 'rubber' ball, and the canopy latch, will be made and added towards the end of the build, when the canopy is ready for fitting.
PICS 3 to 6. Fitting the rods and wires to the canopy lower frame, which has been 'deepened' slightly by masking. Humbrol 'Clear Fix' was used to attach the rods and wires, made from different thicknesses of stretched sprue.
PICS 7 and 8. The 'Quickboost' resin door, showing the nice detail (the crowbar fits into the clips on the inside of the door). The two moulding 'flanges' on the outside of the door had to be removed very carefully, to avoid damage to the door edge.
PIC 9. The windscreen and canopy frames, and door, have been painted in Cockpit Grey Green, the screen and canopy frames on both sides.
PICS 10 and 11. The windscreen and canopy frames have had a first, thin coat of Xtracolor RAF Dark Green gloss enamel brushed on. The 'lumps' around the front of the canopy lower frame are excess 'Clear Fix', which will be scraped off, and the area re-painted with the second coat.
PIC 12. The interior of the door has been painted. This will receive a gloss coat, and the instructions/warning decal added from the HGW decal sheet, and then a matt clear coat applied, and the crowbar clipped into place.
With luck, I should get the model itself sprayed with the first coat of clear matt tomorrow, and then start on some subtle surface detail and staining, before fitting some of the remaining parts, including the windscreen and exhausts.
Attachments
Crimea_River
Marshal
Nice details Terry.
fubar57
General
Agreed.
Geo
Geo
T Bolt
Colonel
Looking good Terry
Looks great so far Terry!
Love those little 'Extras'
JKim
Senior Master Sergeant
Nice work on the canopy!
- Thread starter
- #274
Airframes
Benevolens Magister
Thanks chaps !
Just preparing to spray the clear matt - might have pics later tonight.
Just preparing to spray the clear matt - might have pics later tonight.
- Thread starter
- #276
Airframes
Benevolens Magister
Well, I've sprayed two coats of clear matt so far, and I'm not very happy with the results.
As I couldn't get the lid off the jar of clear matt I'd mixed using Humbrol 'Clear' with Tamiya 'Flat Base' added (the darned thing had welded itself to the jar !), I decided to use 'Xtracrylic' Flat Varnish instead. I should have known better, as the only other time I used this, I had the same results - a reasonably good semi matt finish, but a swine to spray, with the airbrush nozzle needing constant, repeated cleaning, and the 'brush itself needing to be fully stripped-down and thoroughly cleaned, three times !
The varnish had really clogged the brush, and had to be picked out of the nozzle using a sharpened cocktail stick, when it came out in lumps !
This also resulted in some spitting, which meant having to use a damp paint brush to smooth out the 'spots' as they dried on the surface.
The finish would look fine on a Luftwaffe subject, but it's not matt enough for a RAF aircraft of the period, so it's off to the LHS tomorrow, to buy some more Tamiya Flat Base.
The pic shows the results after the first two coats, and hopefully it can be improved after spraying the 'new' mix tomorrow.
As I couldn't get the lid off the jar of clear matt I'd mixed using Humbrol 'Clear' with Tamiya 'Flat Base' added (the darned thing had welded itself to the jar !), I decided to use 'Xtracrylic' Flat Varnish instead. I should have known better, as the only other time I used this, I had the same results - a reasonably good semi matt finish, but a swine to spray, with the airbrush nozzle needing constant, repeated cleaning, and the 'brush itself needing to be fully stripped-down and thoroughly cleaned, three times !
The varnish had really clogged the brush, and had to be picked out of the nozzle using a sharpened cocktail stick, when it came out in lumps !
This also resulted in some spitting, which meant having to use a damp paint brush to smooth out the 'spots' as they dried on the surface.
The finish would look fine on a Luftwaffe subject, but it's not matt enough for a RAF aircraft of the period, so it's off to the LHS tomorrow, to buy some more Tamiya Flat Base.
The pic shows the results after the first two coats, and hopefully it can be improved after spraying the 'new' mix tomorrow.
Attachments
Crimea_River
Marshal
Hope the new mix doesn't mess with the coats you have on so far. Fingers crossed.
- Thread starter
- #278
Airframes
Benevolens Magister
Me too !
I'll try it in an inconspicuous area, probably under the tail-planes, first.
I'll try it in an inconspicuous area, probably under the tail-planes, first.
Crimea_River
Marshal
Good plan.
parsifal
Colonel
I hope it goes well
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