Brendan 'Paddy' Finucane Spitfire Mk Vb.

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Thanks for the info Terry, you're a mine of information as usual. I have to admit that I hadn't come across the concept of hub covers to this point. I'll do a bit more research on this, now I know what I'm looking for.

Igor, I used thinned down enamel colors for the touching up and try to avoid a build-up of paint. So far I haven't had to sand and the sealing coat of Klear tends to blend the paint with the decals quite well.

Gerry
 
Firstly, Terry I reckon that you were spot on with your identification of the hub covers. I have managed to track down some other shots of Spitfires with these 'wheels' and I can't see that they could be anything else. I have also found a 1/32 resin set of of wheels with the wheel hubs on from Grey Matter Figures in the UK which I intend to order but in order to finish the build I will use the kit wheels, which can be replaced later. Terry, I also just found your PM and I will respond to that separately.

I am now going to declare this aircraft build finished. I do intend to build it into a diorama but that still has to be commenced. Since my last post, I attached the undercarriage, exhausts and spinner. I then sealed the decals with a couple of coats of Klear and enhanced the panel lines with an oil wash - diluted burnt umber on the undersides and a darker mix on the top surfaces, left to dry for half an hour then wiped with kitchen towel in the direction of airflow. Having sealed that, I then applied weathering and staining with more diluted oil paints, For the grey undersides, a mix of burnt umber and lamp black and a darker mixture for the camouflaged surfaces. These were then enhanced with ground black and grey pastels for the gun stains and for the exhaust stains also. I then added some paint chipping with a Prismacolor pencil (or similar) and some Citadel Boltgun Metal and Chainmail. Finally, everything got a final coat of varnish - a mix of Satin and Matt, after which the delicate pieces, such as the aerials, mirror and the pitot tube were added. The removable panels have been tacked into place with PVA, as has the starboard exhaust. This would allow me to display them, and the engine cowling closed in future, should I choose to.

Rather than waffle on I will post the final photos and let you decide what you think.















Here are some other more detailed shots:











Finally, I had a go at trying to match the angle of the shot below to the original reference photo. Looks pretty close, I think.





Hope you enjoy and thanks for looking. I will of course post some shots of the final diorama, should it work out.

Cheers, Gerry
 
Very nice indeed Gerry, well done!
Only two points, one of which I doubt you can do anything about. The windscreen doesn't look quite right, but that's the fault of the kit, not you. I may have a spare one stashed away if you want to replace it in future.
The second point is the crow bar, on the cockpit entrance hatch - it looks a touch too short, but should be easy to replace.
Looking at the B&W photo of the actual aircraft, I can confirm my thoughts about the colour of the shield - it certainly looks yellow, judging by the tonal reproduction.
 
Thanks Gnomey and Terry for your kind comments. After 6 months, I hope it was worth the wait. Thanks also to everyone who supported the build, particularly Terry, for posting references and helpful pointers and to all who posted encouraging comments. Believe me, at some stages they were very welcome indeed.

Terry, I take on board your latest observations. in regards to the windscreen I'm wondering if you're referring to the depth of the external armoured glass surround? This has been highlighted also in some reviews of the kit I've seen. I wasn't sure how to fix this, as I am very reluctant to mess with transparancies. Otherwise, I think the shape is as that I've seen in photos. I had a choice of two doors for the cockpit, the kit door and one that came with the Aries Cockpit set. The kit door didn't have as much detail and also had the bar going through the panel divides, rather than sitting on top of them. For that reason, I chose the Aries door. In both cases the bar is moulded, rather than a separate piece which would have made painting and positioning easier. To be honest I hadn't noticed the length of the bar till you brought it to my attention. It's something I'll experiment with fixing now I know.

Cheers,

Gerry
 
No problem Gerry. I can't really 'put my finger' on the problem with the windscreen - whether it's too deep at the front, too high at the rear, and possibley too curved. Whatever it is, it just doesn't look right. BUT, that does not detract from the excellent model.
 
Once again, thanks to Terry, Jan, Andy and Wayne for your very generous comments. I know the standards you guys set yourselves on your own builds and to get your endorsement means a lot. Wayne, I'm really looking forward to see how you finish your Spitfire Mk.VIII.

Cheers,

Gerry
 
Beautiful Gerry..a real labour of love. Well done and well researched. A credit to you mate!!

regards


Darryl


BTW, re the windscreen problem Terry..for mine, the main problem looks to be that the armour glass, and windscreen assembly are much too upright. I think that is what makes the whole thing look a little "round'?
 
I can smell the fumes from the motor its fantastic Really enjoyed browsing the thread too
 
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