my first tamiya flying machine: 1/48 spitfire mk vb

rubegoldberg · Post by **rubegoldberg** » Tue Dec 30, 2014 9:53 pm

well, hopefully this is straight forward after some of my latest bench drama. the hasegawa 1/32 p-51d was like a bipolar stripper with a coke habit, so i'm expecting this to be like a stepford wife!

but i did purchase my first pe set from eduard and holy microscopic sheet metal, batman!! that stuff is tiny.

anyhow, off to a simple start with a dusting of vallejo surface primer....

Post by **Twokidsnosleep** » Tue Dec 30, 2014 10:56 pm

Is a bipolar stripper with a coke habit a good or bad thing.....or both
Are you going to this???
http://www.intscalemodeller.com/viewtop ... 38&t=10130

rubegoldberg · Post by **rubegoldberg** » Wed Dec 31, 2014 12:02 am

heh. from experience, i can tell you it starts good, then goes very, very badly.

as for the 1/32 wing gb, i am probably going to, but am as yet uncommitted.

Post by **Twokidsnosleep** » Wed Dec 31, 2014 12:29 am

rubegoldberg wrote:heh. from experience, i can tell you it starts good, then goes very, very badly.

as for the 1/32 wing gb, i am probably going to, but am as yet uncommitted.

It is a year long; for crying out loud, you have to let that primer sit for at least a month anyways
Even a dope like me could get one done in a YEAR

schweinhund227 · Post by **schweinhund227** » Wed Dec 31, 2014 2:33 am

I am not even sure if that Nice Tamiya Spit needs all that after market stuff in it ???

Enjoy thou !!

You deserve it after that Stang of yours...

Keep up the good work !

mincemeat · Post by **mincemeat** » Wed Dec 31, 2014 2:39 am

The Tamiya 1/48 Spitfire Mk 1 I did this summer was a great kit. I hope you enjoy this one and that Tamiya won't let you down like Hasegawa!

rubegoldberg · Post by **rubegoldberg** » Wed Dec 31, 2014 4:59 am

Twokidsnosleep wrote:
rubegoldberg wrote:heh. from experience, i can tell you it starts good, then goes very, very badly.

as for the 1/32 wing gb, i am probably going to, but am as yet uncommitted.
It is a year long; for crying out loud, you have to let that primer sit for at least a month anyways
Even a dope like me could get one done in a YEAR

i know, i know....i need to man up. it's more that i don't know what i want to build. i need to feel the LOVE, bro.

rubegoldberg · Post by **rubegoldberg** » Sat Jan 03, 2015 8:37 pm

a bit of progress on my spit. i've had plenty of time to focus on it as other kits are on temp hold.

sprayed up the guts with vallejo model color sky green. there's lots of debate - as with anything involving spit colors, apparently, but this seems close. i figure after some grime is applied it's all good anyway.

i successfully applied my first photoetch part - separating the headrest from it's plate was far harder - and did the prep work for the instrument panel.

i got this in the mail today and just in time to drill out the holes in the seat back fuselage rib. i can hand drill, but it's painful and slow, so i've been searching for a tool like this. it's fantastic! you have to buy the drill motor and power supply separately and the toatal is about $80usd. it also has a quick adjust chuck, so no changing collets.

there's some question as to the speed range on this thing, and here's why lots of people think it starts at 5000rpm (it also says that in the manual), but the power supply gives you total variability. i'm not sure what the actual lowest rpm is after using it, but it works! no melting. it turns slower and has way less torque than a dremel.

knowing my bad dexterity will make coloring inside the lines a huge headache, i opt to handle that with enamel washing after brushing in the bulk of the seat cushion color.

some satin coating, some white chalk highlighting, and some washing later, and i'm pretty happy with the result.

BamaCapsfan · Post by **BamaCapsfan** » Sun Jan 04, 2015 3:34 am

The 1/48 Tamiya Spitfire is what is next on my project list so I'm very interested on how your build goes. Following with great interest.

rubegoldberg · Post by **rubegoldberg** » Sun Jan 04, 2015 5:17 am

well, i hope i don't lead you too far astray!

mincemeat · Post by **mincemeat** » Sun Jan 04, 2015 10:28 pm

Great work, it's coming along nicely.

rubegoldberg · Post by **rubegoldberg** » Mon Jan 05, 2015 7:39 pm

thanks, man!

i'm at a bit of a standstill while i wait on the arrival of my Ultimate photo etch pencil, but i did get some assembly and washing done on the spit 'pit.

also plenty of other bits to work on.

clearly i need to look closer at my work. i'm mortified to only now see that i didn't get all the parting lines off that gear leg.

canopies going for a swim in future.

silver, then black (softened with about 20% white), then yellow, then steel wool...

i thought these were anti-sink ribs since they're directly opposite the molded-in detail for the wheel well and tamiya has you remove them, but apparently not so. starting in summer 1942 these were actually added to the spit wing as stiffeners.

as my pink primer shows, i clearly did a terrible job removing them. must look into a small chisel....

my spit (snm) had the iff radio set and so i'm drilling holes in the fuselage to attach the wires. the tape marks the spot where i drilled a shallow hole straight in, then angled the bit back towards the tail at about 45 degrees. this way the wire comes out straight. the holes are about centered on the horizontal stabilizer's leading edge and just behind the radio access panel.

i saw this improvement to the rudder horn on another forum and decided to have a go at it. quite chuffed, as you brits like to say! the linkage is just a piece of 24ga copper wire.

mincemeat · Post by **mincemeat** » Tue Jan 06, 2015 12:37 am

It is looking pretty nice. Maybe next time my instrument panel can look as good as yours. I really like the method you used for the prop, I'll have to remember that one as well!

SyntaxModels · Post by **SyntaxModels** » Tue Jan 06, 2015 4:01 am

I have an extremely old tooling (raised panel lines and all) Airfix Spitfire Vb across the room from me up here at my dads place that I'm going to have to get done sometime these holidays... there isn't enough space to bring all the models 2000kms by plane, the suitcase is full already!

rubegoldberg · Post by **rubegoldberg** » Fri Jan 09, 2015 8:58 pm

well, i got my Ultimate photoetch pencil yesterday and it made it possible to finish out the super tiny bits in the spit 'pit.

i didn't use them all, and to be honest, a few of them just got scattered around in likely looking spots based on photos of the real thing. also tried some first time experiments with 34ga silver wire for a few more bits of detail. not perfect and a little over grimy maybe, but i think the overall effect isn't too bad.

Post by **Twokidsnosleep** » Fri Jan 09, 2015 9:54 pm

Fanfreakintastic cockpit there
I thought you said you had problems with your hands....looks like you are coping very well indeed!

rubegoldberg · Post by **rubegoldberg** » Fri Jan 09, 2015 9:59 pm

heh.

trust me, brother, it's sloooow and painful...but worth the effort.

and thank you for the kind words!

Post by **Twokidsnosleep** » Sat Jan 10, 2015 12:19 am

Sorry if I made light of your condition
From the look of your work, you are doing very well and I am sure some days are better than others
Hang in there Bud!

rubegoldberg · Post by **rubegoldberg** » Sat Jan 10, 2015 5:19 am

it's all good, man. i didn't feel that way at all.

and look, even if you had, it wouldn't touch me. i don't dwell on it. the universe dealt me a bad hand one day, but i'm just going to soldier on.

Paul · Post by **Paul** » Sat Jan 10, 2015 9:32 am

Damn Will, thats some damn fine work buddy. Love the extra detailing and the weathering looks suberb, its a cockpit to be proud of.

heel · Post by **heel** » Sat Jan 10, 2015 12:21 pm

Super job on the 'pit. The extras add a nice touch.

Yevgeny · Post by **Yevgeny** » Sat Jan 10, 2015 12:26 pm

Twokidsnosleep wrote:Fanfreakintastic cockpit there
I thought you said you had problems with your hands....looks like you are coping very well indeed!

Same thoughts

You doing a splendid job, looks awesome

planemaker · Post by **planemaker** » Sat Jan 10, 2015 2:34 pm

Superb cockpit work, Will.

You really nailed it. Looking forwards to seeing more of your awesome work.

rubegoldberg · Post by **rubegoldberg** » Sat Jan 10, 2015 6:52 pm

thank you for all the kind words, guys! the respect of good craftsmen is a great reward.

m0rce · Post by **m0rce** » Sun Jan 11, 2015 3:30 pm

Wow, looks great.
I hope someday ill be up to this level at detail work.
Good job Sir!
Regards
Sergio

rubegoldberg · Post by **rubegoldberg** » Thu Jan 15, 2015 12:01 am

after getting the cockpit in and fuselage assembled, it was time for the big move of adding the wing. i'd seen on another forum where the builder cemented the upper halves to the wing root first for a perfect joint. makes perfect sense, but it was unwieldy for me, so i did the opposite. the wing roots came out very nice with only a little filling at the leading edge.

the tips are a little more challenging, especially when you put them on the wrong side! they appeared symmetrical until i had them on, then i saw the bias in the airfoil shape. fortunately the tamiya extra thin was still soft, so i removed them and had a redo, but there was still a gap. a bit of squadron green and my new Ultimate thinny sticks fixed that!

the wheel well had an unsightly gap which i brush filled with perfect plastic putty thinned with Ultimate thinner.

Post by **Twokidsnosleep** » Thu Jan 15, 2015 2:26 am

? Inside wheel wells cockpit green or no

rubegoldberg · Post by **rubegoldberg** » Thu Jan 15, 2015 5:21 am

heh. that's a good question, sir.

photographs will lead you to all sorts of conclusions, and i have no idea which one is right.

i've elected to paint the wheel wells and both sides of the doors the same color as the belly. the spit had a semi-closed gear bay, so this seems plausible. and easy.

Post by **Twokidsnosleep** » Thu Jan 15, 2015 6:09 am

Just trying to keep you honest

Your work is getting just a little too good

rubegoldberg · Post by **rubegoldberg** » Thu Jan 15, 2015 5:33 pm

ha! i'm a LONG way from that, but i do want to be kept honest. that's how we grow.

SyntaxModels · Post by **SyntaxModels** » Sat Jan 17, 2015 4:33 am

I'll agree with Scott, this is amazing!!

rubegoldberg · Post by **rubegoldberg** » Mon Jan 19, 2015 12:20 am

thanks, leo!

here's some more progress as i move into the paint work. first step, mask the canopy bits and lightly brush on the appropriate interior colors before sticking them in place. i have to say, the eduard masks are great, but they make placing photo etch seem like a picnic!

a light coat of perfect pink primer and i can see a few issues, namely how bad the canopy fits. a bit of a disappointment coming from tamiya. but some perfect plastic putty thinned with a bit of Ultimate thinner and brushed on saves the day. the ability to work this stuff with a spit-moistened cotton bud is a thing of magic!

preshaded and prepped for some wear and tear with a bit of vallejo model air aluminum.

the real wear will be around the wing roots, so i've layed down some bare metal foil sections for that. this is 5 pieces.

vallejo model air barley grey on the belly with a subtle shading effect. i also did some post shading with the same paint toned 50% with some white and lots of thinner.

Paul · Post by **Paul** » Mon Jan 19, 2015 12:22 am

Great work again Will

rubegoldberg · Post by **rubegoldberg** » Mon Jan 19, 2015 12:23 am

i learnt it all from you, brother!

SyntaxModels · Post by **SyntaxModels** » Mon Jan 19, 2015 5:00 am

Awesome work will, it's really enjoyable to see small updates on Facebook!!

Post by **Twokidsnosleep** » Mon Jan 19, 2015 5:38 am

Could you show me what that pink primer is si vous plais ???
I get weird beauty products pictures when I google it
I would think that that pink would be a great primer under red and such

rubegoldberg · Post by **rubegoldberg** » Mon Jan 19, 2015 5:42 am

heh.

i was wondering when someone would ask.

i got tired of always adding 25% future to my vallejo surface primer to make it perform better, so i just mixed some into the bottle. while i was at it, i decided to make it easier to see as well. there was that bottle of ferrari red from the monkey that i'll never use again, soooo....

it did go a little different than i saw in my head, though.

Post by **Twokidsnosleep** » Mon Jan 19, 2015 7:11 am

Hmm custom mix, very smart Mr Model Expert
Better yet I will just picture you as Bill Nye the Science Guy

rubegoldberg · Post by **rubegoldberg** » Thu Jan 22, 2015 5:32 am

the masking and paining has begun. now it gets fun!

this was uber annoyoing. i think next time i'll do the top first.

spits often had a characteristic wear pattern at the wing root. i'm going to try a mask to create the shape i want.

after i had the top and bottom done, there was no difference in the greys! i felt that barley grey was too dark when i shot it, and it was confirmed. remasked and sprayed some of it toned 2:1 white:grey. much better.

this exercise confirmed that the pinstripe tape i had was junk. it's called chart tape and i bought it because it came in sizes down to 1/32", but it has no stretch properties. i next-day aired some proper 3m tape and all is right again. BUT, this stuff will peel paint so it has to be removed carefully. i peel straight back and at a 90 degree angle to the tape line. pulling it OUT from the surface is what makes it pull on the paint.

ready for some clear!

Jmart95 · Post by **Jmart95** » Thu Jan 22, 2015 5:55 am

Looks killer! Cant wait to see the wing root chipping!

rubegoldberg · Post by **rubegoldberg** » Thu Jan 22, 2015 6:00 am

i hope it works out. i'm trying to preserve the look of the real aluminum, so the mask stays until the last drop of satin varnish goes down. my big fear is that it's going to try and yank a bunch of paint, so i'll probably drink a lot before i pull it off.

heel · Post by **heel** » Thu Jan 22, 2015 11:11 pm

Good stuff here. Enjoying the build

UKguyInUSA · Post by **UKguyInUSA** » Fri Jan 23, 2015 3:31 am

Hey Will,

I'm just catching up with things on here and went through your complete thread; you've done some amazing work with this Spit, mate! Cockpit looks gorgeous and I like the idea of the foil at the wing roots with the mask you made from Tamiya tape....pretty creative and I can't wait to see how it turns out!

Cheers,

Martin

rubegoldberg · Post by **rubegoldberg** » Fri Jan 23, 2015 5:02 am

thanks, gents! i spent all day today doing decals - the 2-layer tamiya roundels were STUBBORN - and used about a gallon of solvaset. it's all good, doe, because tomorrow is weatherin'!

m0rce · Post by **m0rce** » Fri Jan 23, 2015 6:52 am

Great work mate, she looks great!

mincemeat · Post by **mincemeat** » Sun Jan 25, 2015 1:04 am

Wow, really fantastic work on this! I didn't care much for the decals on the Mk 1 I did either. Really thick, plus there were two to put down. I can't wait to see the next update!

SyntaxModels · Post by **SyntaxModels** » Sun Jan 25, 2015 1:30 am

Amazing work Will, this is inspirational!

rubegoldberg · Post by **rubegoldberg** » Sun Jan 25, 2015 4:42 am

thanks, guys! it's close. yesterday and today were all about weathering and i just stuck the gear on. i think tomorrow is the day!

rubegoldberg · Post by **rubegoldberg** » Mon Jan 26, 2015 12:44 am

aight....it's done! a few more wip photos, then the hero shots.

so tamiya has these 2-part decals with the white on a separate piece. if you don't use them, there are transparent areas in the colored portions that will show the paint underneath. the white backing also brightens up the colors. still a pain, though.

maybe THE most fun part of the whole thing. paul and lee's washes are THE BOMB. note also the bare metal foil section i made to simulate....something...and hide a bad decal crack.

note also the aluminum patches to match the field-expedient bullet hole repairs on the top surface of the wing.

more uberannoya. when i peeled off my oh-so-painfully applied eduard canopy masks, some paint decided to make an escape and hitched a ride. not cool, acrylics, not cool.

my new favorite thing is ez-line 0.010 black elastic string. oh. em. gee. iff wires never would have been so easy or cool. the manufacturer is a place called berkshire junction, but they don't speak paypal so i got it off amazon for $10.

i purchased rexx metal exhausts after quickly falling in hate with the kit parts, and they're amazing. but, they came with this weird pinkish paint on them. what did i do? i set them on fire, of course, then sizzled on some ak rust wash.

rubegoldberg · Post by **rubegoldberg** » Mon Jan 26, 2015 12:59 am

here's a summary:

the kit was about $30
eduard masks and zoom photoetch set were another $40 + shipping
rexx exhausts added about $15

my reference photos: en821 snm wasn't flown by any particular pilot, but was in service in northeastern england and scotland from early 1942 until june 6, 1944 when she and her pilot were lost during the d-day invasion.

the gallery thread: http://www.intscalemodeller.com/viewtop ... 45&t=10988