1/72nd Spitfire Mark V

[Yertis]

Because it's cold and wet and I don't fancy going out out and grubbing around under my Quattro I though it would be fun to build a Revell Spit V that my wife bought me for Christmas a few years ago. I fished it out last night and I've come to a few decisions:

1 I've not made a kit since 1980, so I'm going to build it "straight from the box" ie no etched bits or anything like that, and using the decals that came with the kit.

2 Even though I used to be pretty skilled with an airbrush (as Super 63 since you ask) my compressor has packed up and the hose has perished, so I'm going to do it with a brush.

3 My stash of Humbrol paints have, unsurprisingly, gone rock-hard (see 1 above) so I'm going to paint it with these new fangled acrylics Eric recommends.

Which leads to me first question - what are the colours for a 1942/3 Spitfire with clipped wings?

Aircraft interior grey/green I know.
Then there's Dark Green - which one?
Is it Dark Sea Grey or Dark Slate grey - which one?
Then light grey underneath and sky for the spinner and that band at the back.

I can't make out from the Hannants website which ones are applicable.

I'm actually looking forward to the acrylics now, much easier to mix and muck around with I hope. These Spits were well used examples, so weathering/wear will happen.

[dr_gn]

Yertis said:

Because it's cold and wet and I don't fancy going out out and grubbing around under my Quattro I though it would be fun to build a Revell Spit V that my wife bought me for Christmas a few years ago. I fished it out last night and I've come to a few decisions:

1 I've not made a kit since 1980, so I'm going to build it "straight from the box" ie no etched bits or anything like that, and using the decals that came with the kit.

2 Even though I used to be pretty skilled with an airbrush (as Super 63 since you ask) my compressor has packed up and the hose has perished, so I'm going to do it with a brush.

3 My stash of Humbrol paints have, unsurprisingly, gone rock-hard (see 1 above) so I'm going to paint it with these new fangled acrylics Eric recommends.

Which leads to me first question - what are the colours for a 1942/3 Spitfire with clipped wings?

Aircraft interior grey/green I know.
Then there's Dark Green - which one?
Is it Dark Sea Grey or Dark Slate grey - which one?
Then light grey underneath and sky for the spinner and that band at the back.

I can't make out from the Hannants website which ones are applicable.

I'm actually looking forward to the acrylics now, much easier to mix and muck around with I hope. These Spits were well used examples, so weathering/wear will happen.

After much interpretation of incorrect website tables, these are the paints I believe are correct, and are the ones I bought for my Sptifire Mk24 rebuild:

Tamiya Paints:

Upper surfaces: XF-61 (Dark Green)& XF-53 (Neutral Grey)

Lower Surfaces: XF-54 (Dark Sea Grey)

Spinner & Band: XF-21 (Sky)

Thin them with Isopropyl Alcohol (for airbrushing).

I also have a Super '63. FWIW, why not buy a new hose and use a compressed air bottle if you're only building one model?

Here's a bit of discussion from the "Inspired by James May" Thread

http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...

dr_gn said:

Eric Mc said:

IPMS Stockholm are THE guys to go to for cross referencing different manufacturers' paints.

http://www.ipmsstockholm.org/colorcharts/colorchar...

The IPMS Stockhholm charts should allow you to suss out where these colours can be found in the other paint ranges.

Unfortunately, that cross-reference chart is full of errors, as I found out after using it to buy paints for my rebuild. For example, for Tamiya paints for my Spitfire, it lists, for upper surfaces:

XF-6 -Dark Green (correct)
XF-54 Dark Sea Grey (wrong)
lower surfaces:
XF-53 Neutral Grey (wrong).

Dark sea grey in the Tamiya range is actualy *lighter* than Neutral Grey, so should be applied to the undersides. If I followed that chart, my model would look completely wrong.



To the original question: Don't get too hung up on shades, in reality all colours faded and weathered either darker or lighter to some extent. The truth is, unless you get it WAY wrong, nobody would be able to say it's an incorrect scheme.

Edited by dr_gn on Wednesday 2nd December 10:56

[Eric Mc]

The references in the Xtracrylics range are as follows -

Top Surface -
RAF Dark Green - XA1001
RAF Ocean Grey - XA1006

Under Surface -
RAF Medium Sea Grey XA1003

The interior will be Aircraft Grey Green (sometimes referred to as Interior Green) XA1010

Hope that helps.

[Yertis]

Thanks both. I'm just digging around looking at airbrush bits and pieces. Slightly spookily I've found a DV Sprite for sale about 100yards from where I lived when I sold mine, for the same price as a bought mine new (£40) (overpriced IMO). Then the place where I can get spares is about 2 miles from where I grew up and where all my old models still reside.

Anyway, just for fun I'll record the build on here.

[dr_gn]

Yertis said:

Thanks both. I'm just digging around looking at airbrush bits and pieces. Slightly spookily I've found a DV Sprite for sale about 100yards from where I lived when I sold mine, for the same price as a bought mine new (£40) (overpriced IMO). Then the place where I can get spares is about 2 miles from where I grew up and where all my old models still reside.

Anyway, just for fun I'll record the build on here.

Very much looking forward to your build log.

BTW, I was going to order some Hannants paint to try, but apparently they won't send it through the post unless you buy a kit as well. I thought 'sod that', and stuck with Tamiya which are widely available locally.

[dr_gn]

Yertis said:

Thanks both. I'm just digging around looking at airbrush bits and pieces.

I managed to source most spares for my Super '63 from a combination of these two places:

http://www.artcoe.com/aerograph.html (0845 3007750)

http://www.airbrushworkshop.com/ (John Callaghan - 01621 856757/07801 907464)

It's well worth giving them a call before you order parts, becasue DeVilbiss made several design changes over the years.

As you no doubt know, they can take some getting right, but once set-up, they can be a match for any current airbrush.

[Yertis]

dr_gn said:

Yertis said:

Thanks both. I'm just digging around looking at airbrush bits and pieces. Slightly spookily I've found a DV Sprite for sale about 100yards from where I lived when I sold mine, for the same price as a bought mine new (£40) (overpriced IMO). Then the place where I can get spares is about 2 miles from where I grew up and where all my old models still reside.

Anyway, just for fun I'll record the build on here.

Very much looking forward to your build log.

BTW, I was going to order some Hannants paint to try, but apparently they won't send it through the post unless you buy a kit as well. I thought 'sod that', and stuck with Tamiya which are widely available locally.

That was impressively strong of you. I thought, "Really? Oh well, may as well buy a 1/48th Tempest". In me, the addiction was once very bad, and I now doubt I'll ever really be cured.

[Eric Mc]

That thought crossed my mind too.

Hannants claim they are obliged to do this due to Royal Mail restrictions.

[dr_gn]

Yertis said:

dr_gn said:

Yertis said:

Thanks both. I'm just digging around looking at airbrush bits and pieces. Slightly spookily I've found a DV Sprite for sale about 100yards from where I lived when I sold mine, for the same price as a bought mine new (£40) (overpriced IMO). Then the place where I can get spares is about 2 miles from where I grew up and where all my old models still reside.

Anyway, just for fun I'll record the build on here.

Very much looking forward to your build log.

BTW, I was going to order some Hannants paint to try, but apparently they won't send it through the post unless you buy a kit as well. I thought 'sod that', and stuck with Tamiya which are widely available locally.

That was impressively strong of you. I thought, "Really? Oh well, may as well buy a 1/48th Tempest". In me, the addiction was once very bad, and I now doubt I'll ever really be cured.

Same here - I will *always* enjoy building kits, reading about them, looking at other peoples models or even just looking at kit boxes in a shop. I have no idea why. Just always have done since being about 4 years old (or something like that).

Re. Hannants, I ordered some MicroSol or whatever a few years ago, and it arrived with an obscure Czech model aircraft (which I hadn't ordered or paid for) and a note explaining that they could only send liquids with a kit! Strange, sine my Promodeller wash bottles, Johnson's Klear bottles and a load of other stuff in bottles gets delivered no problems at all

[Yertis]

I was going to be asking about MicroSol later. Presumably that's still available? I had four bottles, two of petroleum distillate based clearcoats (matt and gloss) and two used for actually applying the transfers, one of which made the them soft and suck onto the plane, and the other which I think was a wetting agent. They were all MicroSomethings, but again I've forgotten the names.

[Red Firecracker]

Eric Mc said:

Hannants claim they are obliged to do this due to Royal Mail restrictions.

I think the word is 'poppycock'.

I have no troubles buying just paints from Hiroboy (which aren't even acrylics) so I think they're (Hannants) being a bit liberal with the truth. If it's not overseas post, I can't see an issue but I guess they have their reasons.

[dr_gn]

Yertis said:

I was going to be asking about MicroSol later. Presumably that's still available? I had four bottles, two of petroleum distillate based clearcoats (matt and gloss) and two used for actually applying the transfers, one of which made the them soft and suck onto the plane, and the other which I think was a wetting agent. They were all MicroSomethings, but again I've forgotten the names.

I use MicroSol, but I *think* I use it incorrectly. I brush it on the surface, place the decal, then brush it on the decal and leave it about 5 minutes. Then I press the decal straight down into the surface fairly hard with a folded up damp tissue. Seems to work.

I *think* you're supposed to just brush it on the decal and leave it for ages. I tried this, but chickened out when the decal wrinkled. Apparently this wrinkling phase is followed by a flattening, but I got the impression that it was never going to happen.

You can get MicroSet as well, but I get confused as to what the different 'Micros' are supposed to do. Microsol does what I need though.

[Eric Mc]

Microset should be brushed onto the model where the decal is going to be placed.

Microsol is painted onto the decal once it has been positioned on the model.

There are other products ouit there which do the same job - although I've not used them myself. Apparently Daco fluids are supposed to be pretty good.

[Yertis]

Ah - it all comes flooding back. IIRC for these products to work correctly the model needs to be gloss painted (using that nasty laquer in my case). Microset onto the position of the decal, to break down surface tension (I think this one even smelled a bit like washing up liquid). Position decal, and if it's a big one (ie MARINE on the tail section of a 1/32 F104) prick it with a needle. Then brush on MicroSol and watch it go all wrinkly. Then when they've flattened down and dried again wash off residues and dry. Then re-laquer in the finish of your choice.

This is what I did instead of a happy childhood.

[Eric Mc]

More or less correct procedure. Microset smells strongly of vinegar - so I presume it is chiefly a mild acetic acid of some sort.

In recent years, Johnsons Klear floor polish has become the gloss varnish of choice for many modellers. Unfortunately, Johnsons chose to discontinue this product earlier this year so there was a mad rush of modellers (including me ) buying up the remaining stock on supermarket shelves.

It seems that Klear will remain available in other markets - where it often is labelled as "Future".

Something like Klear can still be obtained ftrom cleaning supply companies - so that might be the best area to look for a substitute.

Edited by Eric Mc on Wednesday 2nd December 13:58

[dr_gn]

Eric Mc said:

More or less correct procedure. Microset smells strongly of vinegar - so I presume it is chiefly a mild acetic acid of some sort.

In recent years, Johnsons Klear floor polish has become the gloss varnish of choice for many modellers. Unfortunately, Johnsons chose to discontinue this product earlier this year so there was a mad rush of modellers (including me ) buying up the remaining stock on supermarket shelves.

It seems that Klear will remain available in other markets - where it often is labelled as "Future".

Something like Klear can still be obtained ftrom cleaning supply companies - so that might be the best area to look for a substitute.

Edited by Eric Mc on Wednesday 2nd December 13:58

You can still buy Klear:

http://www.choiceful.com/choiceful-id-72-Klear-Flo...

Can't remember where I got my two bottles from, but loads of places online still have it.

[Red Firecracker]

dr_gn said:

I *think* you're supposed to just brush it on the decal and leave it for ages. I tried this, but chickened out when the decal wrinkled. Apparently this wrinkling phase is followed by a flattening, but I got the impression that it was never going to happen.

Yes, that is the 'oh hell' phase! They do flatten out though, it just takes some time occasionally.

Micro Klear is another useful little tool for fixing canopies, lights etc. I also use it as a masking medium for small odd shaped areas.

[Eric Mc]

dr_gn said:

Eric Mc said:

More or less correct procedure. Microset smells strongly of vinegar - so I presume it is chiefly a mild acetic acid of some sort.

In recent years, Johnsons Klear floor polish has become the gloss varnish of choice for many modellers. Unfortunately, Johnsons chose to discontinue this product earlier this year so there was a mad rush of modellers (including me ) buying up the remaining stock on supermarket shelves.

It seems that Klear will remain available in other markets - where it often is labelled as "Future".

Something like Klear can still be obtained ftrom cleaning supply companies - so that might be the best area to look for a substitute.

Edited by Eric Mc on Wednesday 2nd December 13:58

You can still buy Klear:

http://www.choiceful.com/choiceful-id-72-Klear-Flo...

Can't remember where I got my two bottles from, but loads of places online still have it.

While Stocks Last.

It is definitely discontinued in the UK.

[Eric Mc]

Red Firecracker said:

dr_gn said:

I *think* you're supposed to just brush it on the decal and leave it for ages. I tried this, but chickened out when the decal wrinkled. Apparently this wrinkling phase is followed by a flattening, but I got the impression that it was never going to happen.

Yes, that is the 'oh hell' phase! They do flatten out though, it just takes some time occasionally.

Micro Klear is another useful little tool for fixing canopies, lights etc. I also use it as a masking medium for small odd shaped areas.

I have found Pacer Formula 560 White Glue to be the best PVA based glue I've come across yet. I bought mine in a Modelzone so it is fairly easy to get hold of.

[Yertis]

Pah – Hannant's don't seem to have any 1/48th Tempests.