BoB Group Build - Andrew's 1/72 Airfix Spitfire and 109 'Dogfight Doubles'

[adt70hk]

Hi all

As I said at the top this build has virtually finished the paint stage. So what you’ll see below on the Spitfire is as it will be – bar touching up the canopy window frames and a couple of other spots (109 to follow).

All in all whilst it’s far from perfect, I’m generally happy with how they went given I’m still new to this plane business.

The single biggest lesson for me was that planes are far less forgiving than armour when it comes to getting a good coverage – big wide flat areas and no little cooks and crannies you get with armour that can cause ‘shadows’ aka “I missed a spot”…..

Also I think I need to keep my nails trimmed….I had a few instances where I managed to scrape little bits of paint off when working on masking etc. I’m managed to patch them though and fortunately all bar one was on the underside and so won’t be seen much.

Masking generally went ok but more about that later……

The biggest plus of all though was my AB and the how smoothly it went.

By way of background I first got some cheap Chinese ones Spring 2018 with the compressor I bought. They worked ok and certainly gave me good experience of stripping an AB down without risking damaging something more expensive. However, due to my domestic set up they only came out a handful of times until lockdown. As a result I was still running into the odd serious issue, although by that time I had a better one (Tamiya 0.2mm Superfine). But as lockdown has progressed things have got slowly better. And then just before getting these I invested in a Sparmax (0.4mm). For these two kits it just seemed to really click. I had almost no problems at all and even then nothing major, so it really was a joy. :smiling:

All comments welcome as usual.

ATB

Andrew

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Primer
I currently use Vallejo (why is for another time) but their grey is virtually identical to Airfix grey plastic and so I added some black primer so I could see where I was spraying. It was too much though, so it was darker than I wanted. However, whilst this meant it took a few coats to get proper coverage, it has meant the panel lines haven’t completely merged away. It looked even darker in real life

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Exhausts
I tried a technique I’ve been using for tracks and other pieces of bare metal and I think they work ok. The technique goes like this:

• Black Vallejo primer – normally brush painted
• a light wash of Humbrol 53 Gun Metal (enamel)
• then a wash, or two, or three of an off black/very dark brown made from a mix of Revell acrylic Dark Earth and Black
• where a warn/rust effect is required follow with a light wash of some of Life Color’s rust colours (acrylic).

The effect can be varied to an almost infinite degree depending on how heavy the enamel wash is, how many coats of off black you do and what, if any, rust colours you use.

An example of a 'clean' metal finish

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The finished exhausts

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Camo
I was paranoid with the paint lifting as I masked and unmasked but actually I had none of that at all – either I was very good or very lucky. I was very careful though to give the paint plenty of time to dry and I used a suggestion (Barry I think) of de-tacking the tape a bit on fingers too.

I initially tried using blue tac sausages to mask for the green but I really struggled with it for some reason and as you’ll see my initial effort left far too much brown showing and wasn’t very close to the original. So i then scanned the instructions in, blew the picture up to the right size, printed it off, traced an outline on an acetate sheet, lay masking tape over the top, traced over it, cut it our and voila! It sounds a bit of a faff but the blue tac was a real struggle, seemed to take a long time and looked a bit meh….

There a couple of points where you can just see a paint join under an optivisor but from two or three feet aware they’re invisible. Also I de-tacked the tape too much in places so there was a bit of bleeding but again the touch ups are all but invisible unless you get the light just right and certainly not from a normal viewing distance.

As I said I still have a couple touch ups to do, which the camera picked up.

So all in all, not an entirely smooth process and certainly not a perfect finish but for my first effort I’m reasonably happy – the big thing is I know where I went wrong.


Remasking for the second coat of Dark Green gives you an idea of how bad my first attempt was.

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The final paint job

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Just noticed that I still have to touch up the tyres

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[Guest]

Looking very good Andrew :smiling3:.
What makes it for me is that you realised your mistakes and sorted them out.A lot of people would not sort out their mistakes and quit.
Show me a modeller that does not make mistakes and I will show you a liar.
The exhausts a particularly well done.

[adt70hk]

Looking very good Andrew :smiling3:.
What makes it for me is that you realised your mistakes and sorted them out.A lot of people would not sort out their mistakes and quit.
Show me a modeller that does not make mistakes and I will show you a liar.
The exhausts a particularly well done.

Ralph, thanks for stopping by and the feedback. I do appreciate it.

To be honest I don't have enough models in the stash to throw them away and in any case would see that is a bit of a waste in this case as these issues were fairly easy to correct and didn't take too much time.

As for the exhausts, I am really pleased with how they turned out.

I initially - and completely unintentionally - hit upon the technique about 6 years ago when I came back to the hobby and tried to correct a mistake I'd made. I then started to revisit the technique a few years ago and have been developing and refining it ever since. For me and the wargaming my son and I do it really does work very well, and for such a simple technique can get great effects.

Thanks again and all the best.

Andrew

[adt70hk]

Hi all

So as promised below are some pics of the 109.

Another first for me, as this is my first attempt at splinter camo......

Again the process went generally ok other than not thinking ahead or having greater belief in my abilities than is actually the reality.

Since I took these things have moved on a bit and in particular I've redone the canopy as my first effort was $%^&£() &&%%$£". I used Humbrol masking fluid on it. It work fine on the Spitfire but the poor moulding was its undoing on the bird. I tried masking tape the second time around and it went ok - not that I've pulled the tape off yet. The canopy was pretty poor.

I also got a couple of the angles on the splinter camo wrong - especially behind the cockpit - so had to redo them.. I also stupidly thought it was a good idea to leave the yellow to last. Despite absolutely know it was THE wrong thing to do, I know I had a 'good' reason at the time but I'm damned if I can remember what it was.

The next time you see this and the Spitfire, they will have decals on. Amazingly I might get these finished in time - unlike my Stugs (sorry Bob).

ACW as usual.

All the best.

Andrew

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Primer
As before darker than I intended.




Exhausts
As I mentioned previously, one was malformed. My version is ok but could be doing with being a bit smaller. You will also see the malformed MG I previously mentioned in the last shot.









Camo

Generally went ok other than the issues already described above.

I misinterpreted the instructions and took the RLM 71 mottling effecting over the blue to be sprayed on but according to IPMS Stockholm (link HERE):

The type of stippled painting with RLM71 as seen on this aircraft was unique to JG2 and was applied by hand using either short-haired brushes or padded rags, unlike the more usual sprayed-on mottling used by other units. The effect was to give a much finer spotting of paint than the blotches achieved by spraying.

Accepting that the mottling shouldn't actually be sprayed, as my first attempt at it I'm quite pleased. It was a real struggle to work out just how much to do. It's also a bit more obvious in reality


Embarrassing pics now follow....:flushed:

Bad angle on the splinter camo.....:sad:






Wrapped in clingfilm as I did the yellow - I still can't remember what my logic was for leaving it to the end.....:fearful::flushed:





Finished - I think....

The splinter camo angle fixed(ish). Please ignore the canopy.

[Mini Me]

That's a sweet looking "emil"! For a first attempt I would venture to say you "Nailed" it Andy. Looking forward to seeing this one completed. Rick H. :thumb2:

[adt70hk]

That's a sweet looking "emil"! For a first attempt I would venture to say you "Nailed" it Andy. Looking forward to seeing this one completed. Rick H. :thumb2:

Thanks Rick, much appreciated. Although I'd have a word with your optician if I was you

ATB

Andrew

[rtfoe]

Hi Andrew, I just had a look through your build and well done on your first try... AB and all. :thumb2:

Practise on the canopy and approach it the next time like you have done with the camo masking. The peeling you're experiencing is because of the nature of acrylics as they dry like a rubbery skin. To combat that I either immediately remove the masking after spraying or run a sharp blade over the edges of the mask when paint is cured before removing the mask. Don't lift it but fold as you pull like you do with a large carpet. This action avoids lifting the paint from the frames.
The other trick is not to have too heavy a coat of paint on canopies and to avoid the transparent look of the frames is to apply 3 thin coats of paint...black, primer and top coat.
Have you tried dipping the clear canopies in Future before painting? It helps clear scratches or blemishes.

Also I won't worry about the MGs as if I can recall they were fitted staggered because of the breech and magazine mounts.

Good bit of scratchery on the exhaust and as Ralph has said I admire your tenacity to stick with it and correct failures.

Cheers,
Richard

[Tim Marlow]

Nice job on these Andrew. Both are coming out really well, with sharp jobs on the camo. The transfers (my favourite bit of an aircraft build) will bring them to life.

[adt70hk]

Hi Andrew, I just had a look through your build and well done on your first try... AB and all. :thumb2:

Practise on the canopy and approach it the next time like you have done with the camo masking. The peeling you're experiencing is because of the nature of acrylics as they dry like a rubbery skin. To combat that I either immediately remove the masking after spraying or run a sharp blade over the edges of the mask when paint is cured before removing the mask. Don't lift it but fold as you pull like you do with a large carpet. This action avoids lifting the paint from the frames.
The other trick is not to have too heavy a coat of paint on canopies and to avoid the transparent look of the frames is to apply 3 thin coats of paint...black, primer and top coat.
Have you tried dipping the clear canopies in Future before painting? It helps clear scratches or blemishes.

Also I won't worry about the MGs as if I can recall they were fitted staggered because of the breech and magazine mounts.

Good bit of scratchery on the exhaust and as Ralph has said I admire your tenacity to stick with it and correct failures.

Cheers,
Richard

Richard

Thank you very much for the very kinds words.

The idea of using a knife to cut the paint before lifting the mask occurred to me about 30 seconds after lifting the last piece and going &^%&$£&$! We live and learn. And thanks for the tip of black paint on the canopy as a base layer. I had struggled with the transparency of the plastic, so I'll give that a whirl on the next build.

Thanks for the info on the guns - I'll send a letter of apology now to Airfix for dissing their mould! :smiling5:

I am really pleased with the effect of the exhausts. As I said it's an affect I stumbled across years ago that I've been refining ever since. Sometimes it works better than others and this is definitely one of the better efforts. I might do a short thread on it some time.

As for 'Future' I've heard about it but never tried it, although I see it's now called Pledge Revive It Floor Gloss. How does the process actually work? Hold with tweezers in one corner, dip and out, let the excess run off and then put down somewhere to dry? Or is more involved. The Spit canopy as you will have seen is really very good to my eye but the 109 canopy could definitely have benefitted from it.

Thank you again,

Andrew

[adt70hk]

Nice job on these Andrew. Both are coming out really well, with sharp jobs on the camo. The transfers (my favourite bit of an aircraft build) will bring them to life.

Hi Tim

Thanks Tim. All in all whilst I fully recognise they are far from perfect, I'm pretty pleased with them. I've also started on the next wingy thing. I had the AB out for the varnish yesterday and so primed the innards of that one at the same time.

And yes you're right about the decals, I get the same feeling with AFVs when the decals go on.

Thanks again.

Andrew

[Guest]

Coming along well Andrew :smiling3:.

[rtfoe]

Yes Andrew, regarding the use of Future that's the way I would do it and place the bottom edge on a sheet of tissue to absorb any Future that is running off then let it dry in a dust free area or you could put it in a tupperware or box.

Cheers,
Richard

[adt70hk]

Coming along well Andrew :smiling3:.

Ralph

Thanks. Much appreciated. Decals have now started going on the Spitfire I think I've done 13 so far. Only in about 40 more to go.....

ATB

Andrew

[adt70hk]

Yes Andrew, regarding the use of Future that's the way I would do it and place the bottom edge on a sheet of tissue to absorb any Future that is running off then let it dry in a dust free area or you could put it in a tupperware or box.

Cheers,
Richard

Thanks Richard. Much appreciated, although with one teen and one near teen in the house there is a lot of to and fro so will definitely have to use a box!

Thanks.

Andrew

[adt70hk]

Hi all

So the Spitfire is all decaled up..

This was a big departure from doing the quick-build the tanks my son and I normally build. It went something like this:

• Decals seemed to be of a decent quality (not that I would really know) and generally went down very well, even the long thin ones I was really worried about. In some cases though they almost went down too well, as you'll see.
• The roundels proved a bit tricky because, as you'll also see, there was a raised surface detail in just the wrong place. But with the help of a fine needle and Humbrol Decalfix I managed to get them sit down ok.
• The big combined squadron ID, plane ID and roundel decals gave me a few heart stopping moments as their size meant they had a lot of 'cling'. I did managed to tear one even before getting it off the sheet as I wasn't paying attention but manged to slot it in almost invisibly.
• I really struggled with the red MG gun port covers though and even managed to lose one at point. Any advise on how best to apply these would be welcome (I know some people paint them on).
• As I said the decals went down very well but that unfortunately highlighted the biggest problem - the issues I had in redoing the green camo left small ridgelines in places. I was clearly a bit heavy handed but I'm still learning with an AB and I know where I went wrong. The 109 doesn't appear to have the same issues, so I know I can get it right - at least sometimes.

The big question I do have though is.......are 53 decals really necessary????!!!?? :fearful: and some where smaller than a pinhead.!! :cold-sweat: My quick- build wargaming British tanks have 8 and that includes an Allied star which I don't always use - I know which I prefer!!

As usual please pass comment - positive or otherwise.

Whilst I know it's far from perfect and very average at best, I have nonetheless enjoyed getting it to this point despite all the faults and issues.

ATB

Andrew

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Looks ok(ish) with these......









....but now for the embarrassing shot.....
The re-camo ridgeline. This actually looks worse from another angle and there are a few other spots like this but I can't do anything about it now......