Tamiya 1/48th Scale Spitfire Mk Vb

[Tim Marlow]

This is looking good Steve. I’d work the filler a little more though, because it seems you’ll be annoyed with the model if you don’t. With the filler, 1000 wet or dry used wet should get it smooth. If you use a hard backing for the wet or dry it will also give you a better finish.

 

[SteveT]

This is looking good Steve. I’d work the filler a little more though, because it seems you’ll be annoyed with the model if you don’t. With the filler, 1000 wet or dry used wet should get it smooth. If you use a hard backing for the wet or dry it will also give you a better finish.

I did, I gave it a good sanding and then sprayed it grey today, checked it when it had dried and it was still showing on the nose so I sanded it back a little more and resprayed it. Will see how that looks when its dried.

 

[SteveT]

She's now had a 2nd coat of grey and I'm okay with that now. Tomorrow I'll attempt the camo and I have some weird goo here to use instead of tape!

 

[Tim Marlow]

That looks nice and smooth. Sorry about the unnecessary advice.

 

[SteveT]

That looks nice and smooth. Sorry about the unnecessary advice.

No, it wasnt unncesessary, I value all advice, thank you.

 

[Andy the Sheep]

I never used that "weird goo", but a friend of mine, a far better and experienced modeller than me, told me that that "goo" changed his painter life, simplifying the masking a lot even with complex camo schemes like those used by USAF in Vietnam.
Hope it will work for you as well.

 

[Richard48]

Doing a fine job Steve.I will hold my hands up and say i have never built a Spitfire or Hurrican ever.I went and bought a couple of Airfix ones other week in 72nd.I used to live 9 miles from Duxford so i should build them.I remember at school aged 9, 2 of my brothers classmates were playing dogfights with their kits.They let me look at the models and i wanted one!!!.Seem to remember parents getting me the Hurricane mk 1b.I was mad on models then.
Following with interest.
Happy modelling from Richard

 

[SteveT]

Well I put the goo on, ready for spraying the green. tbh I like the way it settles down once you put it on, be interesting to see how this looks.

Was going to spray it now but I can't. The plumbers came to fix something last week and the stopcock was so hard they use a wrench to turn it off and on,
unfortunately they've loosened it or damaged it as it's dripping and our hallway carpet is soaking wet.

Of course, the instant I start spraying, they'll knock on the door. So i'm just sat here waiting. Can't wait to spray this though, will it look nice or ghastly?
it'll be interesting to see and no the camo isn't 'accurate' at all. I did initially start to copy the camo in the instructions but found that so hard, do.. just
doing it randomly this time.

 

[Tim Marlow]

Just a quick hint…..that stuff flows so if you leave it you may find it changes your masking shapes and needs a tidy up again before you spray over it. It also drips if you leave it……great stuff though, it comes off as clean as a whistle.

 

[SteveT]

Just a quick hint…..that stuff flows so if you leave it you may find it changes your masking shapes and needs a tidy up again before you spray over it. It also drips if you leave it……great stuff though, it comes off as clean as a whistle.
View attachment 505731

Wow! that's interesting! Thank you.

 

[Miko]

That masking goo looks like something out of a sci fi horror movie!

Tamiya kits always make a fine addition to the display, this one is a great example of that

Looking forward to seeing it all done

Miko (haven't built a spitfire for a quite a while)

 

[Tim Marlow]

That masking goo looks like something out of a sci fi horror movie!

Tamiya kits always make a fine addition to the display, this one is a great example of that

Looking forward to seeing it all done

Miko (haven't built a spitfire for a quite a while)

Yep, I’m sure Steve McQueen is around there somewhere…..
It’s actually sold as science putty, for about half the price of the repackaged stuff marketed to modellers. It is very weird. It bounces if dropped but will shatter if hit with a hammer….it also stretches if pulled slowly, but snaps if pulled quickly…..
As well as the black science putty, I’ve got some yellow and some red that I was given when I was doing physiotherapy on my hands. The different colours have different consistencies, so red is harder to squeeze together than yellow….they all work as masking putty though.

 

[SteveT]

Update.. I sprayed two coats of green and just now peeled off the masking goo.

Thoughts: When I first started peeling off the goo, I thought "oh this looks good!" but when I'd taken it all off and took a good look at it. yeah.. not good
Looks nothing like Spitfire camo at all, not even 5%. ..sigh..

 

[Allen Dewire]

Please Steve, don't be so hard on yourself. I've been watching from the cheap seats and I'm pretty darn sure that not every Spitfire had a perfect, textbook camo job! I'm no expert, and for your first fray into using the goo, you did a damn fine job, Sir!. I'll bet, that when you get the decals on, muck her up a bit, you'll stand back, take a good look and get that warm and fuzzy feeling of satisfaction!!!...And you've added another learning process to your growing arsenal of modeling tips...

Prost
Allen

 

[SteveT]

I'm going to try and improve it. I think there's way too much grey, so I'm masking it again and going to attempt to add about 30% more green.

 

[minitnkr]

Looks pretty good to me. Breaks up the shape as it should.

 

[Waspie]

Please Steve, don't be so hard on yourself. I've been watching from the cheap seats and I'm pretty darn sure that not every Spitfire had a perfect, textbook camo job! I'm no expert, and for your first fray into using the goo, you did a damn fine job, Sir!. I'll bet, that when you get the decals on, muck her up a bit, you'll stand back, take a good look and get that warm and fuzzy feeling of satisfaction!!!...And you've added another learning process to your growing arsenal of modeling tips...

Prost
Allen

Agree with Allen, you have to stop being so hard on yourself buddy. It looks fine. (Says the chap who gives himself a 'b*ll*cking after every session!!!!)
We are always hard on ourselves. However, the more you do the better we become. You're experimenting with things you've never used and it's come out ok. Be happy. Looking forward to the next phase.

 

[Jakko]

I agree with the others, you’re very hard on yourself and this looks pretty good. Sure, it’s not the official pattern, but you said you consciously abandoned that, so that’s hardly surprising.

As a tip for applying camouflage: lightly draw the pattern on the model with a pencil, copying it from the instructions. This works for hand- and airbrushing the pattern, but also if you’re going to mask it off with stuff like you did here.

 

[SteveT]

Okay.. after a lot of panicking I re-masked it to cover more grey and gave it two coats of green.
Here is the result.

Overall I think it looks better ..however I spotted some bleed over on the wing, close to the cockpit. The green went a little further than it should.
I guess I didn't put the goo down right on that bit. Not sure how to fix, I need to think on it but I'm done for today.

 

[SteveT]

Agree with Allen, you have to stop being so hard on yourself buddy. It looks fine. (Says the chap who gives himself a 'b*ll*cking after every session!!!!)
We are always hard on ourselves. However, the more you do the better we become. You're experimenting with things you've never used and it's come out ok. Be happy. Looking forward to the next phase.

I know but it's a subconcious thing. I was always told I was crap at everything and not to even bother trying, so after many years of that, it's sort of engrained in your brain. ie everything you do is substandard and poor. I just need to try and deal with it.