Tamiya's 1/32 SpitfireIX

[Ian M]

I'm going to stick my neck out here and say go with the int.green.

My last has alu on the inside, but thats only because I forgot to paint the darn things before glueing things together and in place. Being a mk I, I am going for the excuse that says didnt think they needed painting.

Most of the restored spits have int. green on the inside of the UC doors. (of the four! replicas of JE*J three have green one alu!!! so looks like green is the flavour of the day)!

That Merlin looks fantastic by the way!

Ian M

 

[stona]

Thanks Ian, I reckon it's too light to be the interior green. Recently unearthed,documents call for all interior surfaces to be given a coat of grey primer followed by a coat of alumimium coloured cellulose laquer. The problem is the wheel wells are nowhere specified as being interior or exterior!

Many people go with the underside colour as aircraft that had been resprayed (as this one certainly had been, by Johnson's own account) often don't appear to have had the area of the undercarriage masked meaning that wells,gear doors and undercarriage struts all got a coat of the under surface colour. This is supported by a lot of photographic evidence. When the single black port wing was introduced a lot of aircraft got a black gear door and wheel well. When it was revoked the same areas reverted to Sky. There's a famous photo of a line up of RCAF Spitfires in North Africa(which I can't find!) and they've all got azure blue undercarriages and wells.

I have to say I'm leaning towards medium sea grey. I may mist it over a coat of aluminium to hedge my bets lol.

Cheers

Steve

 

[Fenlander]

Well, after sampling a small section and doing a global contrast change, I would say it is exactly the same tone as the wheel hub. Both are in the same light and both are virtually burned out to the same degree. Neither are totally burned out, you can see there is some grey tone in there. If they had both been totally burned out (bleached) to white then one could have been white and one black and you would not be able to tell the difference.

So, I would say given the average amounts of greys and whites being very similar, they are the same colour or the same shade of colour. If it had been aluminium, it would have totally burned out. My guess is that if the underside is the skye blue then you are looking at either the same colour or a grey of similar tone. Having said that, he interior colour, although green, could in fact have a similar tonal range which I suspect it would have looked slightly darker in the grey areas than the wheel hub, which it does slightly.

But then again, I cannot tell the difference between grass and concrete lol

 

[Ian M]

This is a great example as to how modelers of modern Aircraft, or armour for that matter have i easy. Full colour documentation of the real thing. The builders of anything prior to real colour film (of a dependabe sort) Have to rely on museums, which can also get it very wrong. Anoraks that know it all beacause the book they read said so. Then there is us lot. Sitting stairing at B/W photos having to guess the right colour.

Our next best source are restored craft. They too are about as trustworthy of the metoffice.

Interior green. Just ses how many shades of that you can see on different Spits that have been restored. The BSmatched paints that you can but are IMHO to dark: If you go by what you see on a museum or restored 'plane.

If you can find these spits you will see that there is no common factor. And this is just regarding the UC doors!!

AB 910 green

BM597 Grey or alu

MH434 green

PL344 alu

SM845 green

TD248 green

Oddly enough all the wheels appear to be nat allu.

There are so many variation our job is not an easy one is it?!

My mantra is if it looks good/right to you then its good. If some one says thats not right, the only logical thing to reply is; Prove it.

Your plan of a dusting of undersurface colour over allu sounds to be a very good solution to the problem.

right then enough of my waffle, I'm off to order some Interior green.

Ian M

 

[Ian M]

Steve, Just found this. You ,and others might find it some use. Spitfires. Loads of 'em. Many of which it is just so easy to see the inside of the UC doors.

Gallery

Ian M

 

[stona]

Nice link Ian,thanks. You are quite correct about restored aircraft. The restorers face exactly the same problems that we do. They are making,in effect,a 1/1 model!

The gear leg is another conundrum. They were removed and seviced frequently. I can't remember the "hours" but it wasn't a lot. This apparently involved soaking them in parafin which removed most of the paint. You could easily have an inner door one colour and the leg in aluminium. Not on JE*J as we know it was repainted shortly before Johnson acquired it......Phew!

Graham your conclusion that the wheel hub cover and inner gear door match the underside colour actually supports the idea that the whole kit and caboodle are in medium sea grey. knowing that the aircraft was definitely resprayed just before Johnson got it and given the time frame it would be virtually impossible for it to be in anything other than the day fighter scheme (dark green/ocean grey over medium sea grey).

I'll be spraying tomorrow,SWMBO permitting, so at least I can sleep on it lol.

Cheers

Steve

 

[Ian M]

glad you figured it out!

Some things are still hard to find out. Even on a site dedicated to Spitfires. I am seriously considering buying one of those Hayens manuals. You probably know anyway but they (Hayens) also do one for the Me 109!!!

Just got a mail from my pusher that the Mk VII is in the shop! Bugger! Now I got two I want to buy!

Hope that Mrs Stona is in the happier side of life tomorrow so you can spray.

Ian M

 

[stona]

Quick update. I've fitted all the gubbins (wheel wells etc) into the lower wing and have attached the upper wing. The fit is,as usual,superb but I think it's safe to say that the trailing edge needs holding in place whilst the glue dries.

Photo evidence!

Cheers

Steve

 

[stona]

I never meant to get this far today but I had the fuselage done and the wings nearly done so I stuck them together!

A familiar shape emerges.

Still a long way to go.

Cheers

Steve

 

[stona]

Looks like.......a Spitfire!

Just a quick snap as modelling room will be shut up today due to imminent arrival of relatives including small people. A room full of delicate models,sharp tools and noxious substances does not make a very good play area!

Paint next week,well primer at least,with a bit of luck.

Cheers

Steve

 

[T. van Vuuren]

Looking good!

I had a look at the same kit here in SA, but at the equivalent of over 130-00 pound there is no way I will buy it

Besides, I don't have the skill level yet to justify the kit LOL

Theuns

 

[stona]

I've been doing lots of little bits and have primed the main airframe. I won't bore you with another picture of the same model in a different shade of grey!

I've had a go at the standing figure of Johnson as he is standing by his aircraft in my reference photo. I can't do figures so I thought I'd post a piccy of a headless Johnson in progress. My reference piccy was taken in July and Johnson is wearing shoes not boots. Mindful of our glorious english summers I did think of modifying the figures flying boots for wellies. SWMBO thought that was stupid so flying boots they will remain!

Cheers

Steve

 

[stona]

First paint is on! The leading edge yellow stripe,contrary to what you may have read elsewhere,was not 6" wide. Infact it was different for the Spitfire and Hurricane. I have a copy of the order dated 21/8/41 and for the Spitfire.

"(Yellow stripe) to extend from the wing tip to half way along the wing,measured from the wing tip with a width of 4 inches (i.e. 2 inches width on either side of the centre line of the wing edge)."

Since my subject had been recently repainted at an MU I expect this is exactly what it had. I'm not sure what they defined as the wing tip. The wing tip was a seperate structure and started well inside the navigation light.Most photographs seem to show the stripe finishing at the navigation light which may be an agreed compromise.

Anyway 4 inches in 1/32 is 3.175mm so that's the width of mask I shall attempt to cut.

The sky band infront of the tailplane was retained in this order at 18 inches wide,a relatively simple 14.3 mm.

Hoping to get the underside colour on this evening.

Cheers

Steve

 

[Fenlander]

I love how thorough you are being with this labour of love, even though RAF is not your bag. Will you be using the new paints Tamiya made for this model Steve? Supposed to be (according to Tamiya) the most accurate. Tamiya are not really known about accuracy in colours though.

The yellow leading edge is really quite narrow isn't it? On my 1:48 Spitfire MKIX, I have just measured what I thought looked about right. On the top edge, it maxes at 5mm which equates a full band size over and under of 18 inches. A bit more than 4 inches lol

Will I be sanding it off and re painting.... Noooo but I will be more knowledgable for the next one. In 1:48, the yellow would only be a total, under and over of 2.1 mm, not a lot is it?

Learning so much from this Steve, cheers.

 

[JFJ]

That's some beautiful progress there Steve

Keep us posted

 

[stona]

After years of interpreting the Luftwaffe I thought the RAF would be simple! As far as that stripe goes the only certainty is what it was supposed to look like as per the AM order.

Most seem to have ended outboard at the navigation light.

Inboard Tamiya has it ending between the inboard machine gun and the blanked off cannon position as on this machine.

This is all good until you see something like this image. The stripe ends at the inboard machine gun position. On the port wing it ends at the navigation light. On the starboard wing there is a replacement wing tip and the stripe continues out past the navigation light AND it's not the same width as the rest of the wing. Someone has done something wrong!

I think Tamiya's instructions have come up with a good compromise and that's what I'll do.

Cheers

Steve

Edit. How rude,I never answered Graham's paint question! I will be using Xtracrylix for the camouflage coat. They are good matches to available references, I don't have to mix the colours,though I usually lighten them a bit and I'm used to spraying them. Oh! most importantly,I've got all the colours I need in the cupboard.

Steve

 

[stona]

JE*J has a medium sea grey underside....woo hoo! I've also stuck poor old Johnnie's head on. Xtracrylix with a couple of variously lightened coats sprayed in various areas.I did remember to spray all the other MSG bits that are not yet attached,eventually lol.

If this all dries according to plan I'll start the camo tomorrow.

Cheers

Steve

 

[Fenlander]

Very nice and not rude at all Steve, I was not sure if the Tamiya colours that they made for it are all that good. Also, why have they had to make another set of colours for this kit, surely they are admitting that the paint they have sold for year is not right. Just as a matter of interest, what codes of Xtracrylix are you using? I have quit a few now but I bet I don't have the right ones lol.

I am really fancying one of these now, must resist....... no space, not good enough.....

 

[stona]

Graham I'm not familiar with the Tamiya paints but I would say that you have made a logical deduction! I hope the new ones are a good match for the RAF colours.

I'm using the following Xtracrylix colours on the exterior.

XA1003 RAF medium sea grey (underside)

XA1006 RAF ocean grey (upper camo)

XA1001 RAF dark green (upper camo)

XA1007 RAF sky (fuselage band and spinner)

XA1011 RAF trainer yellow (leading edge I.D. stripe and propeller tips)

With the exception of the yellow and the sky I lighten them all a bit. They are very good matches for the original colours as applied to the full sized aircraft but can seem a little dark on a model. This is the mysterious and oft' debated scale effect. I just add a little white,blue,or yellow (depending what I'm lightening) in the paint cup,very unscientific I'm afraid. I go with what I think looks okay and don't worry too much about it. It's only a model!

Cheers

Steve

 

[Ian M]

I promise I will keep it short and to the point.

NICE.

Ian M