Airfix 1/72 Spitfire Mk VIII - Fargo express

[Builder]

Hi all,


My latest build is a Spitfire Fargo Express - I have done quite a lot of work, and should have posted this earlier!


Build Plan


I will take the Airfix 1/72 Mk IX kit and build it into a Mk VIII. I will be using custom decals to accomplish this. The kit will be painted with Humbrol enamels, and the cockpit will most likely be painted using Tamiya enamels, simply because I am waiting on an aitbrush to arrive, and just want to move forward with the build. Weathering will be kept to a minimum as I prefer a clean looking aircraft. The paint scheme will depict a US Spitfire called Fargo Express flown by Capt. Leland "Tommy" Molland of 308th FS / 31st FG (See photo below of the aircraft)


Kit Details (from www.scalemates.com)


Brand:


Airfix


Title:


Supermarine Spitfire MkIXc


Number:


A02065A


Scale:


1:72


Type:


Full kit
Includes: Plastic sprues, Waterslide decals, Clear parts


Released:


2014 | Rebox (Changed decals)


Decal options

1. Supermarine Spitfire Mk.IXc
   
   
      Royal Air Force
   341 Sqn. BS538/NL-B (Sgt. Pierre Clostermann)
   Biggin Hill | June 1943
   
2. Supermarine Spitfire Mk.IXc, , Dijon
   
   
      Forces Aériennes Françaises Libres (Free French Air Force 1940-1945)
   GC 1/7 Provence MA574/A
   Dijon | September 1944
   

Kit History: The kit is arebox of Airfix kit A02065 a 1/72 Spitfire Mk IX c released in 2009. 


Kit Contents











Paint Scheme








These were taken from the book





Build Update


Cockpit interior done up with Tamiya XF 71 Enamel Cockpit green - this was brush painted. Some wiring and epoxy putti was used to create a dial. The dials dont look very accurate, but through a 1/72 canopy they look decent and give the cockpit some detail

I added spare photoetch seat belts to the seat. 

Inside of wheel bays also painted

All assembled and canopy masked - which took me quite a few hours to get right

Glu tec used to mask wheel bays

Filler added - Tamiya white putty was used

I then used Rustoleum white primer 

I let the primer dry for a day


Then used Humbrol 33 enamel Black to preshade a bit. I also painted the propeller

I then painted the underside with Humbrol 157 Azure Blue - The propeller was fully painted first and completely masked off

Finally painted the top half with Humbrol 84 Mid Stone - enamel After loads of masking the underside.

Next up will wait for this to dry and then mask off the camo pattern, and paint it with Humbrol 29 Dark Earth. I will try to get it done in one go, hopefully there is no paint bleed, other wise it will take a while to fix it all up. 


After that I have to paint the yellow stripes on the wings and then gloss coat it all for weathering and decals. 


I hope you all liked the build update. All comments welcome. 

 

[papa 695]

Some great work there Bob and it's looking very good indeed.

 

[flyjoe180]

Looks good so far Bob, nice work

 

[Pikeman]

Looking great so far Bob nice progress already 

 

[Builder]

Looks good so far Bob, nice work

Looking great so far Bob nice progress already 

Thanks Ian, Stuart!


Here is the next update, more work done. 


So masked off the kit for camo painting. Here it is in its cocoon phase!





And from the cocoon comes a butterfly!!.. well not exactly











I then did some more masking and finished off the yellow stripes on the wings, here it is for now. 











So, gloss coat will come next, then weathering and decals, wheels will be attached at the end and so will some detail painting on the landing gear. 


Hope you all liked the update. All comments welcome

 

[Doug Hughes]

Looking good, Bob, and it's an interesting scheme you've chosen. It's always good to see how other people go about their builds. In this case, I've noticed you attach most of the small bits (prop, wheels, aerial, etc.), before some of the major coats of paint/varnish. I normally leave them off and attach them separately at the end. For this reason I hate it when guns, for example, are moulded into the larger parts. The upside of this approach is bits are easier to paint and ham-fisted people like me don't knock them off during painting/masking/decaling. The downside is that I have to superglue bits on right at the end, with my pristine paint job just waiting to be spoiled - can cause the air to turn blue. You takes your money...

 

[Pikeman]

Nice result liking it Bob can't wait for the weathering 

 

[Deleted member 4539]

Coming along well Bob .

 

[colin m]

Looks nice Bob, flying along - see what I did there................ok.

 

[Builder]

Looking good, Bob, and it's an interesting scheme you've chosen. It's always good to see how other people go about their builds. In this case, I've noticed you attach most of the small bits (prop, wheels, aerial, etc.), before some of the major coats of paint/varnish. I normally leave them off and attach them separately at the end. For this reason I hate it when guns, for example, are moulded into the larger parts. The upside of this approach is bits are easier to paint and ham-fisted people like me don't knock them off during painting/masking/decaling. The downside is that I have to superglue bits on right at the end, with my pristine paint job just waiting to be spoiled - can cause the air to turn blue. You takes your money...

Thanks Doug, in hindsight, I think I should have left the guns off as I have broken both of them during the weathering so maybe next time I will leave them till the end. 

Nice result liking it Bob can't wait for the weathering 

Coming along well Bob .

Looks nice Bob, flying along - see what I did there................ok.

Thanks all!


Flying along indeed!


Here is the latest update


I gloss coated the model with Pledge Floor Care finish.. this apparently is the old Future in new packaging. It certainly has done a great job, and I will be using it on my next build too. 

So the model was gloss coated, and then I commenced with an enamel wash using Tamiya Panel Line wash, after that I started putting the decals on; As can be seen in the photos, one of the guns broke off. 

One of the decals tore off, whilst I was applying it. It is the letter "K", this can be seen above and in later pictures below too, so bummer there. 


I then let the decals settle for a day. After that, I did up the panel lines over the decals using a pencil. 


Once that was done I sealed the model in a Satin coat. I then did up the tyres and also removed the masking from the canopy. 


Here it is in near final condition

As can be seen here the K is broken!

A few lessons learnt during the build

• Leave small parts off till the end
  
• Pairing the canopy whilst its glued to the aircraft doesnt seem to produce the best result. 
  

Now a few final decisions. 

• I like the satin finish, even if it does look a bit glossy in some of the pictures. But I will decide how it looks tomorrow, and if it needs to be a bit more matt. 
  
• Second, do I leave the "K" as it is... the beauty of model building is its imperfection... or should I paint it up.... decisions decisions.
  
• I do not have the decals for the propeller, so this will just have to be left as is. 
  

In any case I hope you all liked the update. All comments welcome. 

 

[colin m]

Looks very nice Bob. I've always liked the desert scheme. Do you have any spare decals, white ones in particular that could be used to repair the 'K' ?

 

[Doug Hughes]

Looking great, Bob. Matt versus satin - that's an interesting one. I'm aware that real WW2 aircraft were very rarely completely matt, but somehow I always finish them like that because it just looks right to me. It might be a 'scale effect' thing. Others on this forum think differently, I know.


I'm glad you got on OK with brushing the Pledge. It certainly produces a good gloss finish with no silvering on the decals. I've never dared use Pledge/Klear in my airbrush - some have reported it's a nightmare to clean - so I stick with Humbrol Clear.


I really like the colour scheme. Like Colin says, a bit of spare decal (even cut to shape) should easily repair the 'K'.

 

[Builder]

Looks very nice Bob. I've always liked the desert scheme. Do you have any spare decals, white ones in particular that could be used to repair the 'K' ?

Looking great, Bob. Matt versus satin - that's an interesting one. I'm aware that real WW2 aircraft were very rarely completely matt, but somehow I always finish them like that because it just looks right to me. It might be a 'scale effect' thing. Others on this forum think differently, I know.


I'm glad you got on OK with brushing the Pledge. It certainly produces a good gloss finish with no silvering on the decals. I've never dared use Pledge/Klear in my airbrush - some have reported it's a nightmare to clean - so I stick with Humbrol Clear.


I really like the colour scheme. Like Colin says, a bit of spare decal (even cut to shape) should easily repair the 'K'.

Thanks Colin and Doug for the advice. I didnt have any white decals, so I decided to paint on the K instead. The result wasnt the best, but I was satisfied. 


Also Doug, I didnt actually brush paint the Pledge Floor Care on, I sprayed it through my airbrush, then cleaned the airbrush out with Windex. 


I decided to stick with the satin finish. I have also done up a base for the kit. 


Here is a sneak peak into the final reveal. There is also a really nice video in the final reveal post. 

More pictures in the Completed Aeroplanes section here: