**** DONE: 1/48 ICM Spitfire Mk IX AE-B Ian Keltie of 402 SQDN RCAF Commonwealth GB

[Crimea_River]

Resin parts arrived!

 

[Airframes]

Nice-looking resin parts Andy. What's your feelings on the moulded harness though? I must admit, I prefer a separate harness for the '3D' effect, although with careful painting, the moulded variety can look very convincing.

 

[Crimea_River]

I also like the separate harness but the resin ones so stand out nicely if, as you say, they can be highlighted with paint techniques. I found the PE Sutton Harness provide by Eduard (used on my Mk I Spit) to be difficult to work with because of the separate shoulder pieces and don't really want to do that again.

This is my first resin seat purchase, driven by the ICM's omission of the indention on the bottom and by the fact that I have another ICM Spit (an Aussi Mk VIII) in my stash. Since the seats were sold in pairs, I went for it.

 

[Vic Balshaw]

They are nice clean resin parts Andy, good purchase mate and I tend to agree with you on the Sutton Harness, had a devil of a problem with my Spit, took a whole afternoon just to get them to stay put.

 

[Airframes]

Yep, I think PE harnesses are a real pain. Only ever used one, and never again! Foil or lead foil for me !

 

[vikingBerserker]

I love the way the PE ones look, but I do find the foil ones easier to work with. I'm looking forward to see what you do with these.

 

[Wayne Little]

I love the way the PE ones look, but I do find the foil ones easier to work with. I'm looking forward to see what you do with these.

Me too!

 

[Night Fighter Nut]

Me too!

Me three..

 

[Crimea_River]

Thanks guys. I have some basic colours on and am slowly getting the pair of seats painted. Pics soon, I hope.

 

[Crimea_River]

Inst panel done. Dials are hand painted this time and a light silver drybrush applied before applying Future to the instrument faces. Didn't bother with the decals I used in my Spit I. And those aren't finger prints; ICM's instrument mold has the weird wavey tecture thing going on.

 

[T Bolt]

Nice Andy! Maybe those are the fingerprints of the guy who made the original mold.

 

[Aaron Brooks Wolters]

Excellent work CR! Can't wait to see it finished sir!

 

[vikingBerserker]

Well done!

 

[Crimea_River]

Thanks guys!

Nice Andy! Maybe those are the fingerprints of the guy who made the original mold.

I actually thought the same thing Glenn!

 

[Airframes]

Good stuff Andy. I'll have to check the panel in my kit now, hope to start work on the weekend.

 

[Crimea_River]

Thanks Terry. I'm sure the mold maker has left his fingerprints everywhere! They're on my MkVIII as well (same molds I'm sure).

Another thing to fix on this kit are sink marks and there are some sizeable ones on the wings. Also, the kit provides for 3 different wing tips and the joint between tip and wing has a step in it that needs to be sanded down. Fortunately the sink marks on the wings along the ailerons aren't deep and a couple of layers of primer sanded smooth appears to do the trick.

 

[T Bolt]

Nice Andy. You leaving the gun bays open?

 

[Crimea_River]

Nope, gunbays are gonna be tighter than a crab's a$$.

I have a Mk VIII and I'll probably have the gunbay opn for that one.

 

[Airframes]

Good work Andy. I noticed the sink marks near the aileron hinge lines on my MkVIII kit, and yes, they are all the same kit, just different decals.

 

[Vic Balshaw]

Nice stuff Andy and if you don't mind me asking, how do you manage to hand paint the dials so accurately, i.e. what size brush do you use or do you just dry brush very gently within the dial.