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1/48 Eduard Spitfire Mk.XVI


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Well, after finishing up the first of the two kits in Eduard's Limited Edition box, I couldn't wait to start the next one! Eduard produced a real gem with their Spitfire kits. Anyways, I thought I would share my second build with you all. I built the fastback version first, so now it's time for the highback version. This will be out of the box with the addition of the Brassin 500 lb bomb set and I am going to use Montex Masks for the first time.

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Work started on the cockpit, most of which will not be seen once the fuselage is closed up. Too bad, because the out of box detail is awesome! The cockpit and sidewalls were assembled, painted black, and overcoated with XF-71 Cockpit Green. Before laying down the paint, I masked off thin strips where the fuselage bulkheads glue to the inside of the fuselage. On my first build, I learned that the tolerances between parts are very tight. Even a small amount of paint in the fuselage channels for the bulkheads can make the two fuselage halves difficult to close up (especially forward of the instrument panel) without applying significant pressure. Details were picked out using Vallejo Model Color. Everything was dry brushed and given a wash of Future mixed with a little XF-1 and XF-64. I still need to spray on some flat clear, but here is where everything stands so far:

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Thanks for looking - expect slow but steady progress!

Steve

Edited by Falconxlvi
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  • 1 year later...

Well I'm resurrecting an old thread, and switching over to IMGUR for images.  I've been slowly working on the Spitfire over the last two years but the project is now picking up steam and is #1 on the bench.   Here is where the build is at now:

 

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I've got her ready for primer after fitting the Ultracast one-piece cowl. 

 

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I cut a little bit too much off of the front of the cowl when I was removing it from the casting block so I used plasticard and super glue to fix it.  

 

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The spinner is also from Ultracast and the rivet detail is geourgoes!

 

Kit wheels were swapped out for a Brassin set, and I added some wire for the brake lines along the gear doors.  I also drilled out the strut supports and up locks (?) on the gear legs.  

 

 

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Next up was the Brassin bomb set- a bit fiddly to remove from the casting block but it's nicely detailed.  

 

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That's all for now!  Time to paint!

 

Steve

 

 

 

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I completed the Brassin 500 pound bomb set for my Spitfire.   Great details and a welcome addition to the kit!  

 

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Additionally, I finished the Ultracast prop and spinner, which features the extra rivet details on the spinner.  Both the bomb and spinner set will be flat coated along with the rest of the model at a later time.

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

The underside painting is 99% finished!  First up, I sprayed and masked off the white area under the aft fuselage for the invasion stripes with Tamiya XF-2.  I eyeballed the dimensions and it came out to a white strip that was 4.5cm long.  Each white/black panel will be 0.9cm wide, but I will mask and paint the black later.  

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Next, it was time for the sky fuselage band (XF-21).  It's not a perfect match to Eduard's interpretation of sky on the decal code letters, but it's close enough for me.   

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Then, the entire bottom of the aircraft was sprayed with Tamiya XF-80 thinned with Mr Color Leveling Thinner.  I decided to try and accentuate the fabric over the ribs in the elevator by spraying a slightly darker mix of the base color over the masked ribs.   The effect may be too subtle- what do you think?

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Ugh, I realized I did a poor job cleaning up the sprue attachment points forward of the tail wheel opening so I will go back and fix that!

 

Anyways, here's where the model stands at the moment.  I DID a little preshading and post shading but it seems to be washed out with the light in the pictures.  It's subtle and I didn't want to over do it.   Time to flip the model over!

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Thanks for stopping by!

 

 Steve

 

 

 

Edited by Falconxlvi
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Another quick update- I finally sprayed the Ocean Gray tonight using Tamiya XF-82 thinned with Mr Color Leveling Thinner.  I will mask the gray with Blu-Tak to get a better camo delineation.   Anyways, the topside camo looks kinda cool with the primer gray in the mix 😏   That's all for now!

 

Steve

 

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On 9/11/2017 at 11:48 PM, Thommo said:

Lookin good!

 

Thanks Thommo!

 

On 9/12/2017 at 1:17 AM, CaptainObvious said:

Fabric effect looks good.

Nice job Steve!

 

Thanks Capt.  We'll see how the rudder turns out.  It's a much harder angle with the elevator in place to get the airbrush spraying where I need it to. 

Edited by Falconxlvi
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A little update on Otto Smik's Spitfire...I managed to get the right wing masked and painted.  I used poster putty for the demarcation and Tamiya XF-81 for the dark green.  This is the second time I have used the putty technique and the results are much better this time around!  It's not a perfect match to the instruction guide, but close enough for me.

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I will have to touch up the ocean gray to the right of the cannon bump since some of the primer is showing through.  Then again, I might leave it and blend it in with some post shading.   

 

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That's all for now- little by little the build is coming along!

 

Steve

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I finished the camouflage today.

 

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All of the demarcation was done with rolled up poster putty, as shown in my previous post.  There were a few touch ups, but overall it came out ok.  I left the camo unfinished underneath the left wing roundel- it was not clear from the marking guide where the two areas of green "meet up" under the roundel so I left it as is.  

 

The invasion stripes were challenging!  I have touched them up a few times but it has been tough to get the lines even.  Based on the length of the white base area, each stripe should've been 0.9mm wide.  However, this was tough to achieve masking over the compound curves of the lower fuselage.  I used the new Tamiya flexible masking tape, and that helped for sure.  But, according to the markings guide, each stripe should be about the width of the sky fuselage band.  I couldn't quite achieve that, but I'm moving on.   Any tips for masking and painting even invasion stripes?

 

I brush painted the exhaust and gun barrels with Tamiya XF-84 Dark Iron- what a great paint!  The color looks very accurate for an exhaust.   

 

Next up - some post shading with the base colors and Tamiya smoke, then a gloss coat!

 

Thanks for looking,

 

Steve

 

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Edited by Falconxlvi
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Post shading complete.  I added black to the base colors using a 10:1 ratio.  I over did it a tad and then used the base colors to blend it and try to make it more subtle.  What do you think?  Too much?   Too little?

 

Steve

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I also sprayed the wing leading edges yellow and added the black anti-skid plate along the left inboard trailing edge.  

 

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Edited by Falconxlvi
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I got a little crazy with Tamiya smoke while watching the Rams-49ers game last night.  I added some airflow grime over the ailerons and accentuated the ribs on the tail surfaces.  I'm not sure I like what I did after reflecting on it this morning, but I'm not going to risk a disaster by removing it....so...let's just say it was an old elevator and rudder? 😬  Next time I will use more care to thin the smoke and spray it in a fine line along the taped-over rib.  Live and learn!   

 

Steve

 

Before...

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After...

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Edited by Falconxlvi
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I have finished the topside markings.  I used a bit of Future Floor polish mixed with water to set the decals and some Solvaset on the roundels and tail national markings.  Kit decals and stencils were used throughout.  I love this stage of the build- the model seems to come to life!  Thanks for looking!

 

Steve

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  • 2 weeks later...

Another small update - I sealed the decals with Gunze Super Clear III and then polished the model with micro-mesh (3000 and 4000 grit) to smooth out the decals.  Next, I applied Mig’s Panel Line Wash “Deep Brown” on the topside and “Sky Grey” on the undersides.   

 

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And after wiping everything off...

 

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The Ultracast resin one-piece cowl sure looks good!  No need to fuss over restoring the lost rivet detail from sanding the join using the kit parts.   

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I added a touch of brass on the control linkages for the trim tabs- seems like some of the restored birds have a brass or bronze connector there in the pics I’ve seen online.   I will be adding a clear piece of plastic for the tail position light at the end of the build.  I am using a Tamiya GBU-12 seeker head to do this.  

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The sky grey wash is nice and subtle on the undersides...

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I managed to knock off both ailerons in the process of scrubbing the wash- so they received a healthy does of CA glue and they were re-attached.  Anyways, it’s time to add the “fiddly bits”!

 

Steve

Edited by Falconxlvi
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5 hours ago, Peterpools said:

Steve

WOW! What a knockout build and finish. Just love your air brush and painting techniques -

Keep 'em coming:thumbsup:

Peter

Thanks Peter!  I hope to have one final update before posting the completed model in the display case.   

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On 10/8/2017 at 5:39 AM, CaptainObvious said:

The wash really blends everything together nicely. Details pop and adds weathering at the same time. I love this part of the build.

Yep, me too!  

 

I finished the landing gear today and did a test fit- the Eduard kit has a very positive fit for the gear which is reassuring when making sure the alignment is correct.  The Brassin wheels look awesome- I love the tire logo on the sidewalls too!  Everything was brought together with CA and I almost made a giant mess of the finished product by applying too much on the gear doors.  Thankfully I had a paper towel handy to suck up the excess. CA glue and I don’t have a very good working relationship 😂

 

Anyways, I was going to put the gear on today but the kids woke up from their naps early 😏, so this is it for now!

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Edited by Falconxlvi
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On 10/8/2017 at 4:02 PM, Peterpools said:

Super work on the gear - looking mighty good

Keep 'em coming

Peter

 

On 10/9/2017 at 10:02 AM, Rodney said:

Your Spitfire is looking great.  Looking forward to seeing it finished. 

 

Rodney

Thanks gents, I appreciate the feedback.  

 

I added the gear, bomb racks, and bombs yesterday.   The sway braces are extremely fragile parts and if I had to do it all over again, I would add the sway braces to the underwing pylon prior to attaching the pylons to the wings.  Once again, the tolerances on the Eduard kit are extremely tight and a coat of paint on the sway brace attachment point and the recesses in the pylons made the parts difficult to fit.  A quick scrape with the hobby knife fixed this.   

 

Unfortunately the Brassin centerline pylon has a very slight bend in the resin- something I tried to correct before painting began with a warm water bath and light bending.  Well, the bend translates to the bomb, relative to centerline, as well.  It’s not too bad and I’m afraid of snapping the extremely delicate parts if I try to coax it, so I left it “as is”.  

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Bombs and gear added and secured with CA glue...

 

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All in all, the bird looks tough with her ordnance aboard!

 

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Here’s an overall shot of where the build stands at the moment.

 

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There are four kit parts (canopy, review mirror, open cockpit door, and dorsal antenna) and one scratch item (tail position light) to add before she’s done.  But first, a flat coat and some light weathering using pigments and Ammo of Mig products.  

 

Thanks for looking!

 

Steve

 

 

 

 

 

Edited by Falconxlvi
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OK folks, it’s time for the final in progress update!   First, the position light-

 

I cut the kit position light off, which is just gray styrene, and replaced it with a clear lens made from a GBU-12 seeker head robbed from a Tamiya F-16 kit.  The clear part is almost perfect for the Spitfire tail fairing if you cut the seeker head as depicted below: 

Wwacno0.jpgAnd the result...

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Next up, the canopy-mounted rearview mirror.  I used Bare metal Foil and a 2mm punch to create the mirror surface for the kit fairing.   

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And an overall look at the parts and tools involved- tiny tiny!

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The model is finished- I will be posting final pictures in the Display Case shortly.  Thanks for following along with this build!

 

Steve

Edited by Falconxlvi
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