GB-62 1/48 Spitfire Mk.IXC "Beer Delivery" - Spitfires (1 Viewer)

[Ralph Haus]

I must admit the base of the antenna colour was not something I noticed until Geo pointed it out. I could see it being left unpainted from the factory, depending on when the antenna mast was installed, but am of the opinion that aircraft that were repainted may well have had the plates painted over unless there was a technical reason not to paint them. Judging by the photos Wojtek posted, it would appear that overpainting was common.

Ralph, if you can confirm what numbers you need, I can have a look. I have lots of left over s/n decals.

Bad post!!!

 

[Ralph Haus]

I did find one old Spitfire kit's decal set with a '7'. I can splice it into the '452' set by cutting and rearranging the kept 5 and 2 add the 7 and and get my MJ275. A sharp eye can see that the '7' is the correct font but bolder than the set that I will be cannibalizing. Now if I were fixing with the ML316 character set, the font matches well. My second choice is to use the numbers and letters from a 'numbers/letters' decal set that I forgot I had. But the font size and weights are way off!

And to show a little progress, the gloss coat is on ready for the decals. Save for a couple of small bits and the barrel hardware, this will be off the bench; none to soon I might add.

 

[Wurger]

 

[fubar57]

Love them barrels Ralph

 

[Vic Balshaw]

Nice Ralph, have you got the dregs from a beer in them barrels!

 

[Ralph Haus]

Nice Ralph, have you got the dregs from a beer in them barrels!

You betcha. Certainly needed, in some form, when working with this kit!!

 

[Ralph Haus]

Having enjoyed looking at some of the other builds, using various levels of weathering/oil staining, I'm of a notion to do some myself on this build. Certainly would cover a whole lot of 'sins', kit and builder induced.

 

[Crimea_River]

...... Certainly would cover a whole lot of 'sins', kit and builder induced.

Ahh, you're on to me!

 

[Gnomey]

Good work so far!

 

[T Bolt]

Looking real nice Ralph

 

[Ralph Haus]

Decals on. Final satin coat coming and off comes the tape. Still struggling with doing any kind of weathering!!! Panel line (Tamiya) is to aggressive. Tempura darkens the whole surface, but is kind to the finish. Vallejo washes are easy on the finish (Vallejo) but tend to shade the entire surfaces as well; they are washes. So much effort trying to keep the whites, white!!!

The S/N number patching seems to have come out 'acceptable'! Better than 'wrong'!

 

[fubar57]

Well done Ralph

 

[Berny5664]

Since the time of take-off is approaching, I prepare the mug for the beer
...

 

[Wurger]

I agree with Geo. Well done. The serial looks good. I have had to do the same for my Tempest 1/72 scale. The digit "6" was transplanted from the another decal marking and turned out almost well.

 

[Crimea_River]

Looks good Ralph. I agree about the Tamiya panel washes being too aggressive and have stopped using them. I've switched to thinned artist oil paints.

For me, weathering starts at the paint application stage. I avoid making completely uniform colours by varying the thickness of the coats, moving my airbrush in small circular patterns and deliberately leaving some of the base colours to show through. The effect can be modulated but it doesn't take long before you get that uniform colour again. Once a base coat is on,and sometime with the same paint in the cup, I'll add a tiny drop of a similar but lighter colour and spray over the colours that were just laid down in random patterns or confine the new colour to removable panels. I'll then repeat all this with a slightly darkened mix. This is all before a gloss coat and washes are applied.

The key is to go with thin coats for the second and third runs (at least 70% thinner) and to build up the effects slowly.

This all takes practice and your techniques will develop over time.

 

[Ralph Haus]

Looks good Ralph. I agree about the Tamiya panel washes being too aggressive and have stopped using them. I've switched to thinned artist oil paints.

For me, weathering starts at the paint application stage. I avoid making completely uniform colours by varying the thickness of the coats, moving my airbrush in small circular patterns and deliberately leaving some of the base colours to show through. The effect can be modulated but it doesn't take long before you get that uniform colour again. Once a base coat is on,and sometime with the same paint in the cup, I'll add a tiny drop of a similar but lighter colour and spray over the colours that were just laid down in random patterns or confine the new colour to removable panels. I'll then repeat all this with a slightly darkened mix. This is all before a gloss coat and washes are applied.

The key is to go with thin coats for the second and third runs (at least 70% thinner) and to build up the effects slowly.

This all takes practice and your techniques will develop over time.

Andy - I've seen, in postings, where this is done. I really do need to step up my game and try to do that. However, this does not provide the 'definitive' panel line. On many builds sometimes overdone, but many times I have seen just right applications. I suppose the 'bold' panel lines that I am seeing, on some builds, are from some method of 'color fill' not obvious to me? Tempura I get. But again it does leave a film. Pre shading the panel lines (black or whatever) before applying a color coat does allow some shades of weathering, but not panel line definition. Oh well! yet another technique to attempt to master! Perhaps I need to start a post to have members describe their methods for panel line definitions?

 

[fubar57]

Tamiya Panel Liner

 

[le_steph40]

Ralph

 

[Crimea_River]

Ralph Haus I wasn't limiting my description to panel lines and I wasn't talking about pre-shading either. When you said "weathering", I took it to mean replicating on a model the general wear and tear appearance seen on long-serving combat aircraft. Paint fading, scratches, dirt, exhaust stains, finger and footprints are all examples of what I lump into the "weathering" term. Accenting panel lines can be thrown into that mix as well and I agree that it is often overdone. I was simply saying that, for me, weathering starts long before I apply a gloss coat and panel wash.

 

[Vic Balshaw]

Looks good Ralph, as for weathering I use most of the methods mentioned with initial spraying but for the panel lines its thinned oils paints applied to individual lines and hopefully using capillary action.