Spitfire Mk.Ia

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Crimea_River said:
Good feedback Ralph. One thing I would recommend is to remove the paint from the glue surfaces on the lower wing half.
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I did see that and when 'adjusting' the colors, I cleaned those surfaces up a bit. Before I glue I will wipe again with Iso to remove any let over. I did put a coat of Pledge on the fuselage and inner wing panels. This morning I applied the Taymia panel line fluid. The Pledge seems to be doing too go of a job! The panel line fluid wanted to puddle up some. I wiped it around with a Q-tip and the paints took on the brownish color of the fluid. Did not get the deep color lines in the creases of the details but some. The photo does not do the result justice. Just to subtle, except for the white.

 
Wurger said:
Also the fuselage interior behind the oxygen bottles should be of NMF as memo serves.
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I have seen that. George's builds. However I have seen examples where it was the same cockpit green. This is what the instructions indicate as well, but we know about them now! I can spray, or brush, some aluminum behind, but fitting the fuselage to the cockpit will it ever be seen? Maybe, but you would have to be squinting at this scale. I know it's doing things correctly! But was there a variation in the production dates?
 
Looking good Ralph. Don't worry about getting the panel lines to look uniform. I try and do the opposite, removing some if it looks too pretty. There was a date when the rear of the fuselage was to remain aluminum colour but things always take time to change; can't all be done in one day
 
Well one experiment worked! The Valejo clear gloss was sprayed on the Taymia. I left for two days, and then used the Taymia panel line (black). Using lighter fluid to neaten up some areas had no affect on the Valejo coating, leaving the Taymia paint untouched. The tail section, is not apparent, is the Valejo white aluminum.
 
Good to know. I have a bottle of Vallejo Gloss but remember not liking it as much as the Alclad Aqua Gloss I now use. Unfortunately, though, the Alclad seems to react with the Tamiya panel wash.
 
Finally I had some bench time. Rained yesterday and I just felt like it today. I am at the top side camo stage. I picked up some high dollar Tamiya 'masking tape for curves' 3mm and 5mm. For me it was a disappointment. The adhesive just did not have enough 'sticking' power to stay down. I suppose I was attempting curves that were too tight, which were needed on the 1/72 Spitfire. Maybe good for 1/48 and above?

Plan 'B' Taymia plain-ol masking tape. This is one method that I have been wanting to experiment with anyway. This build, as I have said, is my experimental guinea pig. I just sprayed the dark green this morning and will wait for the 24 hour drying before I handle it; removing the massive amounts of tape. I did, as has been used by others, scan the instructions in (in this case the back of the box) and printed at a scale that matched my 1/72 model. Multiple copies, and a sharp knife to cut out the shapes I wanted, and then overlay the cutout on top of the tape stuck to my work board. A little careful peeling and wallah, a stick on stencil!



 
Thank you. Actually the fusalage was the easier part. And I agree, slicing Tamiya tape and 'stretching' bending it is a good way to make curves. Just have to fill in behind. The cost is about 1/5 as well. Even less if you are slicing really thin. This method uses more tape, waste from the cutouts, but is as easy as applying a decal.
 
Not perfect, but for the first trial it is a keeper.

Lesson learned: Don't use retarder, it allows the paint to flow under the tape where the panel lines are. Spraying with a dryer mix would probably also have reduced the tape edge build up.

I'm not sure how to resolve the color miss matching when hairy brushing touch ups? There was (is) a patch on the fuselage nose where the dark green camo leaked. Trying to brush on the fix, although it will not be as flat a texture, but resolved with the gloss coating, it dried a 1/2 shade lighter? My jar mixing was the same. Maybe the difference caused by the amount or thinner/retarder added to the spray and not the hairy brush paint?

Might be a good time to experiment with weathering!!! Nah! The only additions will be the panel line coloring (dark brown or black?) and the decals. Then the final matt Tamiya coat.

As for the 'wing root' masking pattern. I just used what was on the box art. This, after all, did produce the cut out templates. Could have been changed, but I did not do this detailed of a research.




 
I usually don't worry about mismatches too much as I weather with various shades anyway. Adds to the "used" look but, of course, if you want a pristine finish then it's important. That said, where such touch-ups are needed, I've usually masked up to the hard edge and resprayed the area, making sure to feather the edges in case the colours differ slightly. Of course this is much easier in larger scales.
 

Thank you. Advice taken. If this were an 'improtant' build (aka. GB) then I most likely would have done as suggested. But as you also mention 'size does matter'. Being my 'grand experiments' build kit (I have another just like it), it most likely will be the 'bastard' child of the stable. But it will have a place, just further back!!
 
Done. I'm mostly pleased with the build. Some errors that are now 'lessons'. The Vallejo gloss clear held up under the attack of the Taymia panel line applications. Other than losing one of the 'red' warning decals, by the cannons, when applying the final satin finish (too much air pressure or not enough decal adhesive?) the decals went on well over the Vallejo. I have decided that white is not a preferred color for me. Very difficult to 'patch up' without having to respray the entire area. Brushing and white, for me, don't work. Looks like I'll be building more 109s and 190s! And you just have to love those 1:72 scale tiny decals. Even with a good eye loop I could not make out the text!




 
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