Airfix 1:72 Spitfire Mk 1a

[Ayahuasca]

Did anyone say paints?



Bought some artist’s acrylics. If the model making is crap I can always take up landscape painting.

[Ayahuasca]

Gave the bugger a silk scarf to keep his neck from chaffing. Can’t be a fighter pilot without a silk scarf.

[robemcdonald]

You do know you’re probably going to have to make him Douglas Bader to fit in the cockpit.

[Eric Mc]

tight5 said:

dr_gn said:

tight5 said:

robemcdonald said:

I don’t use Halfords find it’s too easy to go heavy due to it being a larger nozzle. I tend to use Tamiya rattle cans or sometimes the Vallejo polyurethane stuff (although I find it really hard to clean out of the airbrush afterwards)

Why use a rattle can when you have an airbrush ?

Because for priming you don’t often need the control of application that an airbrush gives you. In most cases it’s far quicker, cleaner and easier to use a rattle can of Tamiya fine surface primer when covering an entire airframe (after locally airbrushing the canopy frame interior colour of course).. Sometimes, for very fine work or local corrections I’ll decant some Tamiya aerosol primer into the airbrush through a straw, but it’s very rarely needed.

Ah, OK.

I use Halfords primer grey (because it's easy to obtain and reasonable value). It can be a little thick but with some of the "new era" Airfix kits their panel lines are bit on the deep side and a thicker undercoat will help lessen the trench like appearance of those lines. I usually rub down the primer using sanding cloths which takes the roughness off the coat.

I have used Tamiya primer too and it is an excellent product. If the model is a bit more refined, I would tend to use it - if I have it.

[Andy616]

Ayahuasca said:

That looks great.

I am not happy with the paint on mine - it seems to dry very gritty, not at all smooth. Any ideas for how to prevent that?

Cheers.

I painted mine using an airbrush and that really helps, but I appreciate that is an relatively expensive option. Painting with brushes is never going to get quite the same finish but the quality of the paint used will make a huge difference. Taking time to prepare the surface with some light sanding after a good coat of primer will make a big difference as well.

Regarding paints, I gave up on Humbrol almost straight away as I couldn't get a consistent finish. Tamiya acrylics are miles better and thinned 1:1 with their X-20A thinner will give excellent results even using a brush. Vallejo paints have a great colour range but I have found them more tricky to work with.

[Ayahuasca]

Cheers.

I have discovered that a lot of the paint crappiness was down to the paintbrush supplied with the kit. A decent larger flat brush gets a much better finish.



Like others have realised that the pilot does not fit. Loathe to Baderise him, so have moved the rudder pedals forward instead.

Little spots of black paint on the ends of the exhaust stubs give the illusion - from a distance - of hollow tubes.

Edited by Ayahuasca on Wednesday 23 January 20:37

[Ayahuasca]

Cockpit. Bit of spue to represent the gunsight. Not happy with the pilot’s position - he is too low down in his seat. I noticed this with some of the other builds pictured too. Real Spit pilots sat a lot higher. Still.

[Eric Mc]

Slacker.

[Ayahuasca]

Needs a parachute to sit on.

[Ayahuasca]

Dislike the slumped pilot position so have prised him out and given him a blutac parachute to sit on.

[Eric Mc]

That's better. Don't want him lying down on the job.

[Ayahuasca]

[tight5]

Ayahuasca said:

Dislike the slumped pilot position so have prised him out and given him a blutac parachute to sit on.

in case he gets into a sticky situation ?

[mcdjl]

Ayahuasca said:

Cockpit. Bit of spue to represent the gunsight. Not happy with the pilot’s position - he is too low down in his seat. I noticed this with some of the other builds pictured too. Real Spit pilots sat a lot higher. Still.

I ended up filing a lot of his feet off to get him to sit in the seat...then finished it without him.

[Ayahuasca]

Beginning to look a bit like a Spitfire. A bit of filler and sanding needed on the engine coweling, behind the cockpit and the wing roots. Covered the whole thing in brown then sanded a bit to get worst brush marks out, then on went the green. The prop shaft snapped off so using a long steel shaft - which has the advantage that I don’t need to fit the prop until later, and it will still spin. Never used filler or sandpaper on a model before. Never used varnishes either so will see how that goes.

[dr_gn]

How come you left off the tail planes and rudder? It’s best to fix them and deal with any gaps before painting.

[Ayahuasca]

dr_gn said:

How come you left off the tail planes and rudder? It’s best to fix them and deal with any gaps before painting.

Yep, I suspect you are right. Left them off to faciltate painting the fuselage. Need all the room I can get to sand brush marks off. Actually that is half lie - the rudder actually dropped off during manhandling!

[dr_gn]

Ayahuasca said:

dr_gn said:

How come you left off the tail planes and rudder? It’s best to fix them and deal with any gaps before painting.

Yep, I suspect you are right. Left them off to faciltate painting the fuselage. Need all the room I can get to sand brush marks off. Actually that is half lie - the rudder actually dropped off during manhandling!

Sanding brush marks off? For the sake of a few quid you’re making a whole load of pain for yourself. At the risk of repeating advice, just get some Vallejo paint, Vallejo thinners and a decent brush and be done with it.

[The_Jackal]

Yeah, sanding brush marks off, you are entering a vicious circle.
Next time just add some proper thinners to your paint, that would be the cheapest way to improve the paint a bit.
Then if you want better still go with a better brush and then paints if you like.

If you plan on doing lots more models, these will all be investments and will improve your models over time.
Before long you'll be looking at an airbrush lol

[Ayahuasca]

Quite like the gloss look! Everyone suggesting Vallejo paints and airbrushes etc - yes but I am building this in darkest Central America and the nearest model shop is thousands of miles away. Gotta make do with what I have. Don’t have any decal solution but I read that its principle ingredient is white vinagar so used that. Not sure it worked. Next task: see if masking tape coloured with felt tip will work as the gun covers.