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

[yak face]

Lovely job matey , I love these new tool Airfix kits , as you say they go together lovely , in fact ive got two of these spits , which i got for 50 p each at the car boot last year . The bloke was selling the bigger pots of Humbrol acrylic too 3 for a quid so I got me some of them too , the no. 90 ( sky ) is a really nice paint as you show here , very smooth and good coverage.

 

[Mickc1440]

Nice work Ron, I built this a little while ago, it was another Aldi Christmas buy, it's a great little kit. I'm just finishing another Aldi buy for it to chase

 

[spanner570]

Thanks for all your positive comments boys. Nice to have you along....

I'm glad to read it's not just me who rather likes these excellent kits. I've build the full set of 'Starter Kits' (Sometimes twice) on here including the Airborne Jeep and HMS Victory. I still fondly remember Ian's (papa) Victory G.B.
A big heap of no pressure, no pages of 'Bumph', fun build.

Back to this build....

Using the same method I used to paint my Lancaster Mk.III, I've marked out the pattern in pencil for the brown paint to follow. Not exact, but close enough for me.

Note the letter 'B' This helps me to not stray into the green areas. Obviously 570!




Cheers.
Ron

 

[Jim R]

Coming on nicely Ron. Now remember B stands for brown not blue 'cause if you get it wrong you'll muck it up

 

[spanner570]

Thanks Jim. I thought it mean't B***sed up!

Using pot no.29 (Dark Brown) I've brushed on two coats of paint.

The first to make sure I've painted the right bits! and to obliterate the pencil lines.
The second and final coat to give the colour more depth.

First brushing. Don't worry about streaks and blotches on the first coat, just aim for a smooth surface. Such is the brush 'ands lot!....Come to think of it I'm not too bothered about them on subsequent ones either


More loose dust specks.....



Final coat.




Time to tackle the cutting up of the one piece cockpit moulding.

Cheers.
Ron

 

[Jim R]

Looks good Ron. Your hairy stick technique works well.

 

[adt70hk]

Coming on nicely Ron!

 

[JR]

I wouldn't bother about any brush marks 570 , they don't stand out. Any way from the photos of WW2 planes I've seen after they had been in the air they were pretty dirty.

453, with sopping wet hair from being out side draining the pond as it overflows with this rain !

 

[Graeme C.]

I really like the idea of this build Ron, the paint looks good, using those little pots & a brush has worked well.
Where are you going to cut the fuselage? I've read a book about Douglas Bader, that said the tail broke off just behind the radio mast, but I've not seen the film & that could be different.

 

[spanner570]

Thanks chaps. I'm more than happy with the result so far and I'm chuffed you folks approve too!

453, quite right. I don't worry about light brush marks as they can be part of the weathering process, but at the same time I do like to try and avoid them.

On our pond I've rigged up an overflow system out of plastic overflow pipe. I siliconed it to the stonework at a suitable height and hid it in the ground. The excess water now runs out into the lane.
Could you not make a basic soak-away?


Graeme. Thanks for the question. I've read the book and seen the film. Both very good. I've reasoned that if the collision did actually happen and was not a result of friendly fire, then the impact speed could have been in excess of 400mph. So I reckon the damage would be severe and not as suggested in the film and book just "Sliced off"
Also, on the model, the two oxygen cylinders are in the same area as the antenna, so if the impact was there, I would suspect the cylinders would have exploded.

However, if the collision was a figment of Bader's imagination put about by him to protect his ego, and he was indeed shot down by friendly fire, then the damage would probably have been far less. (Perhaps, maybe).

Either way, I'll try and model the impact somewhere just aft of the antenna, mid way towards the tail section and just hope no one suggests it was further this way or that along the fuselage.......

Cheers
Ron

 

[Tim Marlow]

This is looking good Ron. Interesting idea as well.
Like most, I’ve been brought up on the collision idea, mostly due to the excellent Kenneth More film, but it seems there is quite strong evidence these days that points to him being shot down by his own side, by accident of course……

 

[adt70hk]

This is looking good Ron. Interesting idea as well.
Like most, I’ve been brought up on the collision idea, mostly due to the excellent Kenneth More film, but it seems there is quite strong evidence these days that points to him being shot down by his own side, by accident of course……

Did not know that.....

 

[JR]

Thanks chaps. I'm more than happy with the result so far and I'm chuffed you folks approve too!

453, quite right. I don't worry about light brush marks as they can be part of the weathering process, but at the same time I do like to try and avoid them.

On our pond I've rigged up an overflow system out of plastic overflow pipe. I siliconed it to the stonework at a suitable height and hid it in the ground. The excess water now runs out into the lane.
Could you not make a basic soak-away?


Graeme. Thanks for the question. I've read the book and seen the film. Both very good. I've reasoned that if the collision did actually happen and was not a result of friendly fire, then the impact speed could have been in excess of 400mph. So I reckon the damage would be severe and not as suggested in the film and book just "Sliced off"
Also, on the model, the two oxygen cylinders are in the same area as the antenna, so if the impact was there, I would suspect the cylinders would have exploded.

Either way, I'll try and model the impact somewhere just aft of the antenna, mid way towards the tail section and just hope no one suggests it was further this way or that along the fuselage.......

Cheers
Ron

Thanks chaps. I'm more than happy with the result so far and I'm chuffed you folks approve too!

453, quite right. I don't worry about light brush marks as they can be part of the weathering process, but at the same time I do like to try and avoid them.

On our pond I've rigged up an overflow system out of plastic overflow pipe. I siliconed it to the stonework at a suitable height and hid it in the ground. The excess water now runs out into the lane.
Could you not make a basic soak-away?


Graeme. Thanks for the question. I've read the book and seen the film. Both very good. I've reasoned that if the collision did actually happen and was not a result of friendly fire, then the impact speed could have been in excess of 400mph. So I reckon the damage would be severe and not as suggested in the film and book just "Sliced off"
Also, on the model, the two oxygen cylinders are in the same area as the antenna, so if the impact was there, I would suspect the cylinders would have exploded.

Either way, I'll try and model the impact somewhere just aft of the antenna, mid way towards the tail section and just hope no one suggests it was further this way or that along the fuselage.......

Cheers
Ron

570, the ground is so wet that soak away just couldn't cope.
I normally have along hose connected to the back flow on the filter and have it running along the bottom of the fence .This normally takes the water at least 25 ft away ,but the cold snapped the pipe. Unfortunately left me with15ft , and the water ran back across the slabs into the pond !

453 now dry .

 

[Mini Me]

Just had a read through 570......another "bang up" job in the works! Keep it coming Sir!

 

[Allen Dewire]

Mr. Ketchup here, Ron. Had a read through and loving the idea of the mid-air crash. I also take it there will be the usual chucking-up for the pics at the end of the build. Bet your good lady is happy about that too!!! Funny, I just used your hairy stick tips on my lozenge pattern work earlier. Thanks again for the SBS Sir...

Prost
Allen

 

[Jim R]

Very interesting to think that the collision portrayed in the film may not be the case. The idea of "friendly fire" must be hard to accept but it probably happens often in the confusion of battle.

 

[Jakko]

Like most, I’ve been brought up on the collision idea, mostly due to the excellent Kenneth More film, but it seems there is quite strong evidence these days that points to him being shot down by his own side, by accident of course……

Luckily, this being the movie-and-TV-GB, the movie version is the one that counts here

 

[spanner570]

Thanks for all your most excellent input boys.

A special thank you to Steve (stona) for his patience and help during our exchange of P.M.'s on certain aspects of my build.

....and luckily for me, all I'm modelling is Bader's Spitfire. So be it the collision or friendly fire which actually broke his aircraft in two, matters for nothing.

Incidentally, there is good evidence and I firmly believe, that he was shot down by friendly fire and he invented the collision story to protect his ego whist a p.o.w.


On the operating table. "Nurse, the hacksaw, if you please."

Roughly painted so I could see where to cut.



Operation successful and ready for tidying up and fixing to the aircraft.
Bader would have almost certainly jettisoned the sliding part of the canopy



Cheers.
Ron

 

[JR]

You'll be getting like Neil and Wabble at this rate with all this surgery 570 !
453 .In bed !

 

[spanner570]

In Bed! Now't debilitating I hope matey?

On we go.....

Decals done for now.

Bader's aircraft I.D. letters were D * B (Dog's Body was his call sign).

The kit luckily contained a couple of duhs, but no buhs, just two wuhs. So I altered a duh by cutting a bit out and added a bit of a wuh to what was left of the duh. This left me with an acceptable buh. I've stuck on a duh and a buh, but left off the remaining duh and buh until I have decided just how much damage to do to the airframe. I might even try and hand paint the duh and buh onto any rippled aloominum. Likewise I have left off the two roundels until later.

Both works numbers will probably be obliterated, so their no doubt lack of accuracy is of no importance, so can hopefully be dismissed from any rivet counters agenda.

The cockpit is now in place too.









Ready for some bending......

Cheers.
Ron