Brendan 'Paddy' Finucane Spitfire Mk Vb.

[vikingBerserker]

Beautiful work so far.

 

[Airframes]

That's really coming along Gerry. Not sure about the cowling support being grey though, they were normally the interior colour, grey green. As for masking, there are various ways, using damp tissue, cling film, kitchen foil, and, of course, masking tape. It's a case of woeking out which is best for each area, without causing damage.
BTW, if you need further 1/32nd scale figures, the Airfix 'Multi-Pose' sets are available again. There aren't any ground crew sets, but the various 'soldiers' can easily be converted as required, and posed as needed. They normally have separate heads, arms and trunks, with items such as caps and helmets separate also, and the plastic is easy to work if you need to dramatically alter a pose. I've used a few in the past, mainly German Infantry and British Infantry, to convert to pilots and ground crew for dioramas.

 

[Gnomey]

Coming along nicely Gerry!

 

[Wayne Little]

looks real good Gerry, I'm thinking one side open on mine too....

 

[Crimea_River]

Great progress Gerry and I like the look of it. If it were me, I would apply a tony dot of white carpenter glue to the removable panels and install them after making sure the fit is not too tight. The white glue does not stick well to plastic and will easily come off but it should be strong enough to hold the parts in place. This way, you paint the panels and mask the interior at the same time. The only tricky part is to make sure that you can pop them out easily - if you have access from the underside, say through a spent cartridge chute, you can push them out from underneath with a pin.

 

[Gerry]

Thanks for your prompt replies David, Terry, Gnomey, Wayne and Andy. Delighted to see you're still checking it out. Terry, thanks for your suggestions, I didn't realise the Multipose figures were still available. I will investigate further. The photo below will perhaps explain why I painted the outer frame grey. I know it's a restoration but as you can see, the inner part of the frame is cockpit green, only the outer side that touches the cowling skin is grey. I liked this fix, as the grey (the inner parts of my frame are still green) helps camouflage the still slightly out of scale frames on mine and visually makes the engine bay more realistic looking if I'm leaving the cowling panels off.

Andy, thanks for your tips. I suspect the masking will be a matter of experimentation. one question I forgot to ask in my previous post: Some of the decals on the wing and fuselage will be split by open panels. Is it best to accurately pre cut the decals or lay them whole on the closed panel and split them when dry?

Wayne, have you a thread going on your build yet?

Gerry

 

[Crimea_River]

Assuming the panels fit well, I'd apply the decal over the panel per normal, then once completely set, cut it with a new blade or razor. Then go over the cut edges with a decal solution to seat any bits that might be unsupported.

 

[Airframes]

I agree with Andy re the decals.
Note that the cowling panels in the photo you posted are actually grey green - the engine bearers and lower tank frame are painted in an aluminium-grey colour, and would normally also be grey green. But I understand your logic, so no problem!
If you have problems finding the 'Multi Pose' figures, let me know, as I think there is a source for the 'old' kits.

 

[Wayne Little]

Wayne, have you a thread going on your build yet? Gerry

GB 14 with a Mk.VIII...

Assuming the panels fit well, I'd apply the decal over the panel per normal, then once completely set, cut it with a new blade or razor. Then go over the cut edges with a decal solution to seat any bits that might be unsupported.

Thats how I would do it...

 

[woody]

Looking great Gerry.

 

[Vic Balshaw]

Looking good.

 

[brucejscott]

Looking great Gerry.

 

[Wurger]

With all here.

 

[Lucky13]

Agree with the fellas mate, doing great!

 

[Gerry]

Thanks for all your helpful comments and suggestions, Guys. I'm starting on some seam filling and the tricky-ish closing up of the panels prior to masking and painting.

Cheers,

Gerry

 

[Airframes]

Hope it goes well Gerry, looking forward to more.

 

[Wayne Little]

Me too!

 

[Vic Balshaw]

Yep, me to.

 

[Wayne Little]

Time for more.....isn't it?

 

[Gerry]

Thanks again Guys but what's that Whooooosh sound? That's the sound of yet another deadline whizzing by!

I had originally hoped to have this build finished by this weekend, the 70th anniversary of Brendan Finucane's death. But I'm nowhere near finished. Here's where I am to date. Everything has been masked and ready for painting. The open panels have been closed for painting as best I can but because of the modifications I made to some of the panels, they won't close tightly. Anything that looks 'proud' of the surface will be displayed open in the final build and once they keep the paint out of the interiors, I'm happy enough (in some cases there's masking tape under the panels). A first coat of primer has been sprayed to check for any gaps and the wing roots in particular and parts of the fuselage seams need some more work - hence the masking tape to prevent the filler spreading over the wing detail (I HATE filling and sanding as I feel I never get it quite right!!!).

And now the good news - for me at least. I'm taking a three week break as I'll be away on holiday, so normal service should resume mid-August when the final painting should commence.

Gerry