Supermarine Spitfire VIII
Discussion
After a 2 1/2 month sabbatical from kit building due to work pressure, I've cracked open my first build of 2012. It's going to be the venerable FROG 1/72 Spitfire VIII. It's not the most accurate Spitfire kit ever and has a rather bare interior. But I fancy a quick build and doing one of the famous shark mouthed VIIIs of 457 Squadron RAAF.
All squadron VIIIs carried the "Grey Nurse" titles as it referred to the squadron's nickname, not an individual aircraft.
All squadron VIIIs carried the "Grey Nurse" titles as it referred to the squadron's nickname, not an individual aircraft.
Interesting photo Eric mainly for the door. The shade looks like it could be (and probably is) the standard green\grey "interior green" but what about the crow bar?
I've read numerous posts on modelling sites that the red crow bar was a post war change and the correct WWII colour would be black or dark green and many modellers have been criticised on this point, however the bar in this photograph does not look black or dark green to me.
I've read numerous posts on modelling sites that the red crow bar was a post war change and the correct WWII colour would be black or dark green and many modellers have been criticised on this point, however the bar in this photograph does not look black or dark green to me.
Nice one to build Eric, I have one of they nestling in a box in the spare room.
Re. the crowbar, its colour does look a significantly different to the door interior.
Yet another "Wish my dad was still here" moment
He must have seen those crowbars millions of times as an armourer back then.
Re. the crowbar, its colour does look a significantly different to the door interior.
Yet another "Wish my dad was still here" moment
He must have seen those crowbars millions of times as an armourer back then.
Some progress today. I'm keeping this pretty simple - no added detail to the cockpit, limited modifications etc.
As always with original FROG mouldings, the pieces are crisp and precise - if a little clunky and crude. There are virtually no gaps with only a small amount of filler required around the wing roots and the underside of the fuselage where the wing slots into the body.
I'm looking forward to having an Aussie Spit on my shelves.
As always with original FROG mouldings, the pieces are crisp and precise - if a little clunky and crude. There are virtually no gaps with only a small amount of filler required around the wing roots and the underside of the fuselage where the wing slots into the body.
I'm looking forward to having an Aussie Spit on my shelves.
No pictures but progressing. Undersides painted today as well as the wheels, tyres and undercariage legs. I aim to finish by tomorrow week as my model club are holding their Antipodean Trophy contest next week.
The trophy was donated by a former member of ours who 20 years or so was serving in the RAAF and was attending Bracknell Staff College. After three years in the UK he was posted back to Oz but thought that having an annual Aussie themed contest would be a nice way to commemorate his time in the UK and Farnborough IPMS.
I don't for one moment expect to win anything but it's nice to have a selection of Aussie themed models on display.
The trophy was donated by a former member of ours who 20 years or so was serving in the RAAF and was attending Bracknell Staff College. After three years in the UK he was posted back to Oz but thought that having an annual Aussie themed contest would be a nice way to commemorate his time in the UK and Farnborough IPMS.
I don't for one moment expect to win anything but it's nice to have a selection of Aussie themed models on display.
It's a beautifully shaped Spit Eric and much to my chagrin it isn't this one I have in the big box in the spare room, it's the XIV with a V1. Still nice enough but no ceegar!
As you may have guessed I love Frog kits to build and whilst looking at Spitfires I discovered a Lightning just shouting out loud "BUILD ME!"
So I will
Looking good so far, cheers.
I like the Australian connection with your club, I am sure your Spit will be very well received, great topic.
(you could always build an Australian Wessex tha' knows)
As you may have guessed I love Frog kits to build and whilst looking at Spitfires I discovered a Lightning just shouting out loud "BUILD ME!"
So I will
Looking good so far, cheers.
I like the Australian connection with your club, I am sure your Spit will be very well received, great topic.
(you could always build an Australian Wessex tha' knows)
I haven't got the courage yet to build a chopper.
Our club is twinned with the Melbourne Modellers cLub as well as IPMS Ottowa, so we have a couple of "colonial" links. In fact our themed display at Telford last November was celebrating the Canadian and Australian links.
I found a picture of the actual Spitfire I am modelling, although it's in the background rather than the main subject. Still, it gives you a feel for the location and situation 457 Squadron found itself in during the last six months of the war in the Far East.
Unfortunately, the jpg file is too big to be uploaded to PH.
Our club is twinned with the Melbourne Modellers cLub as well as IPMS Ottowa, so we have a couple of "colonial" links. In fact our themed display at Telford last November was celebrating the Canadian and Australian links.
I found a picture of the actual Spitfire I am modelling, although it's in the background rather than the main subject. Still, it gives you a feel for the location and situation 457 Squadron found itself in during the last six months of the war in the Far East.
Unfortunately, the jpg file is too big to be uploaded to PH.
Eric Mc said:
I haven't got the courage yet to build a chopper.
Our club is twinned with the Melbourne Modellers cLub as well as IPMS Ottowa, so we have a couple of "colonial" links. In fact our themed display at Telford last November was celebrating the Canadian and Australian links.
I found a picture of the actual Spitfire I am modelling, although it's in the background rather than the main subject. Still, it gives you a feel for the location and situation 457 Squadron found itself in during the last six months of the war in the Far East.
Unfortunately, the jpg file is too big to be uploaded to PH.
www.imageshack.usOur club is twinned with the Melbourne Modellers cLub as well as IPMS Ottowa, so we have a couple of "colonial" links. In fact our themed display at Telford last November was celebrating the Canadian and Australian links.
I found a picture of the actual Spitfire I am modelling, although it's in the background rather than the main subject. Still, it gives you a feel for the location and situation 457 Squadron found itself in during the last six months of the war in the Far East.
Unfortunately, the jpg file is too big to be uploaded to PH.
Eric, if you upload the image to your computer then open it in MS Paint, then save it with a new name you may find it strips the megabytes down to a more manageable, postable size.
I'd like to see it.
As most of us have "Paint" in our pooters it could save time and hard drive size to try that first before adding another imaging program to your machine.
I'd like to see it.
As most of us have "Paint" in our pooters it could save time and hard drive size to try that first before adding another imaging program to your machine.
perdu said:
Eric, if you upload the image to your computer then open it in MS Paint, then save it with a new name you may find it strips the megabytes down to a more manageable, postable size.
I'd like to see it.
As most of us have "Paint" in our pooters it could save time and hard drive size to try that first before adding another imaging program to your machine.
To reduce the size of an image, the best way is to either make it smaller and/or to save it in a compressed format, JPG is the most common.I'd like to see it.
As most of us have "Paint" in our pooters it could save time and hard drive size to try that first before adding another imaging program to your machine.
I use GIMP, a free downloadable graphics program to convert images from my DSLR (usually about 2.5Mb) to smaller resolutions (approx 1024x768) and then save them with a little bit of compression as Jpgs. It reduces the file size to around 200Kb.
You can download Gimp here, you want version 2.6.11 for Windows.
http://www.gimp.org/downloads/
To resize go to Image/Scale Image and enter the new width in pixels, the new height should calculate automatically to maintain the proportions. There's a little chain icon that lets you know if the proportions will be kept, it should be joined, if not, click on it to join it.
To save as a Jpg, go to File/Save As and enter a new filename with the extension .jpg, when you click save it will enable you to change the compression via a slide bar. Select the show preview option to enable you to find the balance between compression and quality.
ETA.
I'm looking forward to seeing more of the build, looking good so far. Are you going to weather it by dry brushing some of the raised rivets?
Edited by SlipStream77 on Sunday 5th February 21:24
Slipstream 77 - thanks for the advice. I might have a go at some of that techno stuff when I get the chance.
There were no rivets on this kit, just fine raised panel lines. FROG were not great rivet fanatics, unlike Airfix (fotr a brief period - around 1966 to 1970 or so).
Perdu - I'm using a 2008 vintage Del.
There were no rivets on this kit, just fine raised panel lines. FROG were not great rivet fanatics, unlike Airfix (fotr a brief period - around 1966 to 1970 or so).
Perdu - I'm using a 2008 vintage Del.
Eric Mc said:
Slipstream 77 - thanks for the advice. I might have a go at some of that techno stuff when I get the chance.
There were no rivets on this kit, just fine raised panel lines. FROG were not great rivet fanatics, unlike Airfix (fotr a brief period - around 1966 to 1970 or so).
Perdu - I'm using a 2008 vintage Del.
In that case Eric you may well find Paint in your start menu line up under Accessories, it's one of the freebies you get within the Windows package.There were no rivets on this kit, just fine raised panel lines. FROG were not great rivet fanatics, unlike Airfix (fotr a brief period - around 1966 to 1970 or so).
Perdu - I'm using a 2008 vintage Del.
It is quite easy to use too, I rather like it.
Rivets, there are a couple of line of very small rivets along the fuselage mouldings on the Frog Wessex but as Eric says they are better known for their very decent fine lining instead
Thanks for the tips regarding photos but I decided I would get on with modelling (and work) rather than mess about with software. I hope to have the Spitfire finished by the weekend.
If I do, it will be the quickest model I've built in years.
I had a few scares with the decals last night.
I had planned to use an old (1988) Almark sheet which had a number of Aussie VIIIs. Unfortunately, even though the decals looked fine on the sheet, once slid off they revealed blotches under the carrier film, which made them unuseable. I had to fall back on Plan B, which was to use the original FROG decals. I had assumed they would be well past their use-by date. After all, the model was a 1974 boxing so the decals were 38 years old.
In actual fact, they were surprisingly good. There is just the faintest hint of yellowing and the register etc was fine. Even the underwing "Trestle Here" markings are completely readable.
The only problem I cam across was the sharkmouth - which FROG provided in the form of the white teeth and red outline only. The black infill was left to the modeller to paint. In this instance, I DID use the Almark sheet as it had the proper black infill. By trimming the decal very carefully I was able to ensure there was no exposed blotchy carrier film.
Only the final varnishing and ancilliares to go.
If I do, it will be the quickest model I've built in years.
I had a few scares with the decals last night.
I had planned to use an old (1988) Almark sheet which had a number of Aussie VIIIs. Unfortunately, even though the decals looked fine on the sheet, once slid off they revealed blotches under the carrier film, which made them unuseable. I had to fall back on Plan B, which was to use the original FROG decals. I had assumed they would be well past their use-by date. After all, the model was a 1974 boxing so the decals were 38 years old.
In actual fact, they were surprisingly good. There is just the faintest hint of yellowing and the register etc was fine. Even the underwing "Trestle Here" markings are completely readable.
The only problem I cam across was the sharkmouth - which FROG provided in the form of the white teeth and red outline only. The black infill was left to the modeller to paint. In this instance, I DID use the Almark sheet as it had the proper black infill. By trimming the decal very carefully I was able to ensure there was no exposed blotchy carrier film.
Only the final varnishing and ancilliares to go.
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