Tamiya's 1/32 SpitfireIX

[spanner570]

Looking really pucker now Steve, I see you have washed / weathered the wheel wells now!

Good stuff,

Ron

[stona]

Final act for today was to apply a filter. I dotted some oils on the upper surfaces (white,burnt sienna and a little blue and yellow) and then scrubbed them over everything with a brush moistened with a suitable solvent,in my case Winsor and Newton's "Sansodor" which as the name suggests doesn't niff too much.

The effect is very hard to photograph as on an aircraft you don't want to overdo it but it tones everything down a bit. The good thing is that if you don't like it or think it is overdone you can just wipe it off with a rag moistened with the solvent. The downside is oils dry very slowly so I can't do much else for a while!

Cheers

Steve

[stona]

I'm on the final run in. I've given it a satin varnish (Vallejo) which is very similar to Xtracrylix matt varnish......weird. I've done it a bit less shiney than I'd do a Luftwaffe machine. I have seen some very shiney Spitfires and I know that the "finishers" used to wax them but in the only piccies I have of EN398 satin looks about right.

Anyway that can dry whilst I go and earn some money to pay for all this. Hopefully I can stick the rest of the bits on this evening and get it finished for tomorrow.

Cheers

Steve

[Guest]

Looks fantastic Steve

Richy

[stona]

Last post on this thread. I will do some "proper" finished piccies in a couple of days,after I've figured out how to do some concrete.

First some explanations.

My reference photo was taken sometime in July 1943. EN398 was officially modified at an AST on 4/4/43,not long after Johnson got it, and then again on 27/7/43. There is no way of knowing what was done but almost certainly a gun camera was fitted in the port wing and I've opened that up. There is a conspicuous patch between the back of the cockpit running into the roundel. The only battle damage this aircraft received was a strike in the port wing root so that's not it. A lot of work was done in this patched area during the upgrading of the IFF system on Spitfires. Tamiya shows the earlier system with the "cheese cutter" antennae running from tailplane(s) to the fuselage in the red of the roundel. I can't see that antenna wire in my photo and most inconsiderately Johnson has stood infront of the more visible (if it's there) insulator in the roundel. I have assumed that EN398 has been fitted with the new IFF MkIII system and have fitted the rod antenna under the wing. This isn't visible in the reference either because the area is in shadow and no silhouette is visible because unfortunately the antenna and starboard radiator line up perfectly!

Anyway here's two photos to compare.

Cheers

Steve

Edit I will fix the rear view mirror!!!!!

[Guest]

All I can say is "5 Stars". I hope I can get to the same level of skill you have. It is superb.

Tony..

[Guest]

Not only a great build, and quick one to for a 1:32 kit, but a great tribute to a man and his machine. You have stepped out of your Axis aircraft comfort zone to build this and it looks flawless. Lovely piece of work Steve.

[spanner570]

Beautiful build of a beautiful aircraft.

Very well done Steve.

Ron

[AlanG]

Excellent build as usual Steve. 5 stars

[stona]

Thanks chaps,I've added a B+W image for a bit of fun.

It is a fantastic kit to build,remember I did this absolutely out of the box.It isn't cheap and it's a judgement call as to whether it's worth it. I think it is,I'm not an expert on Spitfires but any idiot can see that this makes a superb model of that most famous airplane. It is one of,if not the,nicest kit I've ever built.It can be built with no filler,the only bit I used was on a badly removed sprue attachment and on the lower airscoop. Both of these were due to me rather than the kit. It didn't take very long but then,after a three month tour,I find myself "resting" as the nice lady who does my accounts calls it! I've put a few hours in almost every day since I started.

If I had to rate the kit I'd give it 10/10. It's hard to see how it could be done better.

Cheers and thanks again for your nice comments.

Steve

[Ian M]

Great result there Steve.

Re the IFF.

"In early 1943 a new IFF, the Mk III started being fitted to all front-line fighters. On the Spitfire the fuselage to tailplane wires were replaced by a single rod aerial mounted under the starboard wing."

There is a photo of a couple of mk IX's were the antena can just be made out. ( if you what to see more about Spitfire antena have a look at http://spitfiresite.com/2010/04/spitfire-masts-and-aerials.html/2 ).

Five stars from me too!

Ian M

[stona]

Thanks Ian.

Yes, the MkIII was fitted as of 5/3/43 so it would make sense that one of the mods carried out on EN398 a month later around 4/4/43 would have been the fitting of the new system.

Cheers

Steve

[Guest]

First of all, hi you all! It's my first post and just decided to "barge in" to congratulate Steve for his incredible work on the Spitfire. I'm a total novice on modelling (being a child's dream that only now I could fulfill) and my first and only model so far was a 1/72 Spitfire (having made a mess of things, by the way). I love the subject and loved the work you did on your kit! Thank you all masters and pros for the wonderful wealth of information you guys have been providing to us newbies!

[Gern]

Another wonderful build! Absolutely ***** for that.

Gern

PS Those are definitely stars and not kisses.

[stona]

PS Those are definitely stars and not kisses.

And I thought my luck had changed LOL!

Thanks Gern

Steve