spanner's 1/72 Airfix Starter Kit Spitfire.....'Reach for the Sky' (1956)

[spanner570]

I'm building Douglas Bader's Spitfire, shortly after an alleged 'Collision' with a German Me109 during WW2.

As usual, with the starter sets I've built previously, I'll be using the excellent supplied paints, glues and brushes I've saved from the kits.





Cheers.
Ron

 

[Jim R]

Front and centre please Ron. How you cope with that gloopy tube stuff they call glue is beyond me

 

[spanner570]

Nice to have you aboard Jim. At least before we both have to jump for it!

Don't forget to bring your own chute. You ain't sharing mine!

I've been using that glue ever since I ran out of 'Contacta'. Suits me fine. It must be because years ago 'Gloopy' was all that could be had....And it knows I'm the Boss - Usually.

 

[adt70hk]

Cool!

 

[papa 695]

Just pulled up my chair Ron.

 

[tigersteve]

This freebie with a Sunday paper a few years ago got me back into the game ! Look forward to seeing the result..... Have fun !

 

[Valeron]

I'll be watching.

I got this kit during lockdown and this was my first model since the late 70s. I made a bit of a hash of it and struggled with the glue, but it got me back into modelling.

 

[JR]

I'm in 570 .
Should be an interesting build !
453 .

 

[spanner570]

Nice to have you chaps aboard.

It's raining hard here, so I can 'legally' go into my den!

I love these so called 1/72 starter kits. People knock them, but the kits are well engineered, great detail and go together like a dream. As a bonus I get me the paints, brush and glue. again folks knock these items, but they work well for me - So there!


I have to make it completely before I can break it, so here's this morning's progress.

Inner fuselage painted and cockpit done. As usual, the rudimentary harness is made from the instruction sheet paper. Nice detail for 1/72.

To my eternal damnation and being a founder member of the S.M. ' Cheapskate and if it ain't seen, it don't get done' Society, I haven't been too fussy with the finish.








....and yes, Matron is on her way to clean those disgusting digits and trim the nails.

Cheers.
Ron

 

[spanner570]

Still peeing down. Still in my Den!

I've finished the construction of Bader's Spitfire. Once the glue dries, I can get the paint brush out.

For a bit of variation, I have cranked the rudder over to stbd. Also, and to make life easier later, the tail planes are loose fitted, so once painted I can remove them and cut off, then omit or re-postion the two elevators.
With the arse end of the aircraft smashed off, all the control wires would be broken, causing the control surfaces to 'Do their own thing'


Lovely model to put together. No extra fitting needed. All the bits went together perfectly. Even the wing root join was spot on.




Great detail too.







Here's me man.
Because he had no legs, Bader had no use for flying boots and wore normal issue RAF trousers and shoes. I've scraped the boots off the kit pilot.

When he tried to abandoned his aircraft, his right prosthetic leg jammed behind the controls. When he eventually did bale out, his metal leg stayed in the aircraft. A flapping trouser leg will be fitted in due course.



Cheers.
Ron

 

[Jim R]

What a great little kit. These new Airfix kits show what can be got for not too much money.

 

[spanner570]

Thanks Jim.
I've always been impressed with these Airfix offerings. Folks still take a pop at them. (And what comes with the kit) I don't understand why, but there you go.
To each his own.....

Onwards we go.

Always lightest colour first.
Using a flat headed brush, I've applied little tub no. 90 to the undersurface of the aircraft. One coat directly onto the plastic has sufficed.

Al;ways work from the centre of the wing to the outer edges.




With brush painting, there is no need to mask a model. Here you can see I've let the undersurface colour wander over the demarcation line. To get a baby's bum smoothness, speed of application is paramount, the neatness comes later.


Next it's one of the two darker upper surface colours.

Cheers.
Ron

 

[adt70hk]

Coming on very nicely Ron.

I've only make a couple of these newer Airfix offerings but agree with your assessment wholeheartedly.

Looking forward to the rest of this.

ATB.

Andrew

 

[stillp]

Do you thin the paint in the little pots Ron? In the pot, or do you decant some paint into something else? I think it was on this forum that someone called them "snot-pots"!
Pete

 

[spanner570]

Thanks to Andrew and Pete for your input.

Pete. I add a small amount of tap water directly into the pots. probably about two brushfuls wiped on the pot side..

People can redicule and name call these little pots all they want. I'm more than happy with the result.......But there again, the adverse comments usually come from those that use an airbrush. Wink, wink!

Cheers.
Ron

 

[spanner570]

First upper camouflage colour. I prefer the green to the brown as is shows up the pencil lines a tad better when I mark out the actual in's and out's of the camo. itself.

Here's the green (Pot 30). I've also sharpened up the colour demarcation lines and painted bits and bobs as I've gone along.....

I've brushed on a single coat, which luckily, again will be sufficient.


This is the true colour.




The sunshine hit this and made it a bit brash.....


Next, I'll mark out the camo. pattern.

Cheers,
Ron

 

[langy71]

OOOO some more chopperooney fun, I'm in ..

 

[papa 695]

Cracking work so far Ron.

 

[adt70hk]

Looking good!

 

[JR]

Very nice for an old wood butcher 570

453