Author Topic: The Silver Spitfire - Finished  (Read 7753 times)

Offline Robomog

  • ...had a very bad experience with [an] orange...
  • Would you buy a used kit from this man?
The Silver Spitfire - Finished
« on: June 24, 2018, 01:01:11 AM »
Hi All

Throwing a second hat into the ring.

I recently purchased a stash of spare parts off evilbay and amongst the parts was a box containing mainly Spitfire cast offs which included a part started second generation Airfix mk 9 Spitfire. The wings and tailplanes had already been glued to the fuselage and also the pilot and his seat.

Unfortunately the pilot seat was not of the kit and had been glued in too high so the canopy wouldn't fit, also the wings were horizontal and not at a dihedral as it should be (6 degrees I think).

If I can get the wings off and the pilot out I will try and model "The Silver Spitfire" as described in the excellent book of the same name by Tom Neil.

I'm not going to attempt to correct any of the inaccuracies of the kit but I may substitute some parts from other kits to make it look better.


Here's the starting point, the scratch marks on the wing root are mine as I attempt to part the wing from the fuselage without causing too much damage.............

by Robomog, on Flickr

by Robomog, on Flickr


Thanks for Looking

Mog
>^-.-^<

« Last Edit: July 15, 2018, 08:25:24 AM by Robomog »
Mostly Harmless...............

Offline Jeffry Fontaine

  • Unaffiliated Independent Subversive...and the last person to go for a trip on a Mexicana dH Comet 4
  • Global Moderator
  • His stash is able to be seen from space...
Re: The Silver Spitfire
« Reply #1 on: June 24, 2018, 06:12:28 AM »
Subjecting the kit to extreme cold temperatures might assist in breaking the adhesive down a bit.  Try it by putting the model in the freezer overnight.
"Every day we hear about new studies 'revealing' what should have been obvious to sentient beings for generations; 'Research shows wolverines don't like to be teased" -- Jonah Goldberg

Offline Robomog

  • ...had a very bad experience with [an] orange...
  • Would you buy a used kit from this man?
Re: The Silver Spitfire
« Reply #2 on: June 24, 2018, 07:29:58 AM »
Thanks Jeffry, I will try that tonight.

Mog
>^-.-^<
Mostly Harmless...............

Offline Robomog

  • ...had a very bad experience with [an] orange...
  • Would you buy a used kit from this man?
Re: The Silver Spitfire
« Reply #3 on: June 26, 2018, 10:39:08 PM »
Great advice Jeffry, putting it in the freezer stiffened up the plastic and stopped it bending, a few more knife cuts and a bit of careful persuasion and it all came apart.

Raided the box of bits and I think I've got a complete kit here, so the Silver Spitfire is go!

Here's the parts I'm going to use ..................

20180621_192750 by Robomog, on Flickr

I've treated it to a decent pilot figure and seat, and made a control panel,  I also have a decent pair of wheels but will hold fire on a decision to use them in case they appear overscale. I would have liked to have replaced the prop but did not have a spare in my stash.

Thanks for looking

Mog
>^-.-^<
Mostly Harmless...............

Offline Brian da Basher

  • He has an unnatural attraction to Spats...and a growing fascination with airships!
  • Holding Pattern
  • *
  • Hulk smash, Brian bash
Re: The Silver Spitfire
« Reply #4 on: June 27, 2018, 06:21:41 AM »
That's a great start and some nice prep work, Mog!

I like what you said about not attempting to correct the kit's inaccuracies. Very wise.

Brian da Basher

Offline Jeffry Fontaine

  • Unaffiliated Independent Subversive...and the last person to go for a trip on a Mexicana dH Comet 4
  • Global Moderator
  • His stash is able to be seen from space...
Re: The Silver Spitfire
« Reply #5 on: June 27, 2018, 12:26:22 PM »
@RoboMog,

Great to hear that it worked.  It can be a crapshoot when it comes to the properties of some plastics and temperature extremes.  There is always the chance that the glue bond is stronger than the plastic that it is bonded to but in most cases, it does break before the plastic will. 
"Every day we hear about new studies 'revealing' what should have been obvious to sentient beings for generations; 'Research shows wolverines don't like to be teased" -- Jonah Goldberg

Offline Robomog

  • ...had a very bad experience with [an] orange...
  • Would you buy a used kit from this man?
Re: The Silver Spitfire
« Reply #6 on: July 01, 2018, 05:34:37 AM »
Brian, thanks for the comments, appreciated.

Jeffry, yea thats what I was experiencing, after making some cuts and gently bending the wing you could see the fuselage begin to whiten as the plastic became stressed. After freezing two more scrapes and they both parted. The joints now are very rough and will need a lot of PSR (suprise suprise !)  but at least I can set the wing dihedral properly.

Thanks all

Mog
>^-.-^<
« Last Edit: July 14, 2018, 04:26:43 AM by Robomog »
Mostly Harmless...............

Offline Robomog

  • ...had a very bad experience with [an] orange...
  • Would you buy a used kit from this man?
Re: The Silver Spitfire
« Reply #7 on: July 06, 2018, 04:07:17 AM »
More Progress

Having removed the wings I have now stuck them back on with some dihedral. The joint is, however, appalling and needs some serious filling before the PSR really begins.

Setting the dihedral ...............
by Robomog, on Flickr

I thought I might try a home made filler of sprue dissolved in liquid glue as suggested on various forums and made a hurried mixing. The next night I used it to fill the gaps and waited for it to dry. Results were patchy I filled the gaps level but it shrank quite badly and needed further layers it also dried quite hard and was a bit hard to sand so my conclusion is, its great for gap filling but is back to green or grey Putty for finishing.

A treated joint before it sunk..........
by Robomog, on Flickr


And the finished article after PSR...............
by Robomog, on Flickr


There was also the usual delay for cat fussing duty.........
by Robomog, on Flickr

Claude can be very demanding!

Thanks for looking
Mog
>^-.-^<


Mostly Harmless...............

Offline Robomog

  • ...had a very bad experience with [an] orange...
  • Would you buy a used kit from this man?
Re: The Silver Spitfire
« Reply #8 on: July 10, 2018, 10:05:58 PM »
Hi all

Gave the Spitfire a rattle can coat of white which showed up some sink holes over the wheel wells and a pin hole on the seam on top of the cowling,  I have filled these with green putty and will give it another coat of white.

by Robomog, on Flickr

After my contretemps with painting  Gerti, I decided to use rattle can silver for the Spitfire, however I made the rookie mistake of applying too much spray so although it looked good the paint stayed very soft and was easily scratched and damaged, I have got most of the damage repaired but there are a few blemishes that will be visible.

The Silver Spitfire is now ....er........silver?

by Robomog, on Flickr

by Robomog, on Flickr


More when it happens

Thanks for looking

Mog
>^-.-^<
« Last Edit: July 11, 2018, 03:19:46 PM by Robomog »
Mostly Harmless...............

Offline Brian da Basher

  • He has an unnatural attraction to Spats...and a growing fascination with airships!
  • Holding Pattern
  • *
  • Hulk smash, Brian bash
Re: The Silver Spitfire
« Reply #9 on: July 12, 2018, 04:02:21 AM »
Spitfires always look fast and sleek in silver!

Yours is proceeding quite well!

Brian da Basher

Offline Robomog

  • ...had a very bad experience with [an] orange...
  • Would you buy a used kit from this man?
Re: The Silver Spitfire
« Reply #10 on: July 12, 2018, 06:13:45 AM »
Thanks Brian, given the current progress I will probably finish this one before the Wellington.

Mog
>^-.-^<
Mostly Harmless...............

Offline Robomog

  • ...had a very bad experience with [an] orange...
  • Would you buy a used kit from this man?
Re: The Silver Spitfire
« Reply #11 on: July 14, 2018, 09:08:48 AM »
Just heard that Tom Neil a Battle of Britain survivor and celebrated pilot has died peacefully just short of his 98th birthday. He came over as as really genuine guy, I'm glad he got to fly a Spitfire one last time earlier this year. The Silver Spitfire was one of the aircraft he flew, it's nearly complete and I hope I do it justice. Rest in Peace Tom.

Mog
>^-.-^<
Mostly Harmless...............

Offline Robomog

  • ...had a very bad experience with [an] orange...
  • Would you buy a used kit from this man?
Re: The Silver Spitfire
« Reply #12 on: July 15, 2018, 08:24:15 AM »
Well I hope I've done Tom's aircraft justice, i'll let you decide.

Here's the finished article, as always any comments or criticism gratefully accepted.

by Robomog, on Flickr

[7 by Robomog, on Flickr

by Robomog, on Flickr

by Robomog, on Flickr

by Robomog, on Flickr

by Robomog, on Flickr

Thanks for looking

Mog
>^-.-^<
Mostly Harmless...............

Offline Jeffry Fontaine

  • Unaffiliated Independent Subversive...and the last person to go for a trip on a Mexicana dH Comet 4
  • Global Moderator
  • His stash is able to be seen from space...
Re: The Silver Spitfire - Finished
« Reply #13 on: July 15, 2018, 10:35:26 AM »
Shiny!  :)

Glad that the repair efforts were successful and your Spitfire is once again display worthy.
"Every day we hear about new studies 'revealing' what should have been obvious to sentient beings for generations; 'Research shows wolverines don't like to be teased" -- Jonah Goldberg

Offline elmayerle

  • Its about time there was an Avatar shown here...
  • Über Engineer...at least that is what he tells us.
Re: The Silver Spitfire - Finished
« Reply #14 on: July 15, 2018, 01:41:49 PM »
Beautiful!!  You managed that finish very, very nicely.

Offline Old Wombat

  • "We'll see when I've finished whether I'm showing off or simply embarrassing myself."
  • "Define 'interesting'?"
Re: The Silver Spitfire - Finished
« Reply #15 on: July 15, 2018, 01:53:32 PM »
What the esteemed Jeffrey & Evan said! :smiley: :smiley: 8)
"This is the Captain. We have a little problem with our engine sequence, so we may experience some slight turbulence and, ah, explode."

Offline kitnut617

  • Measures the actual aircraft before modelling it...we have the photographic evidence.
  • Holding Pattern
  • *
  • I'd rather be dirtbike riding...
Re: The Silver Spitfire - Finished
« Reply #16 on: July 15, 2018, 08:41:51 PM »
You've done that silver finish very well   :smiley: :smiley: :smiley:

Just an observation, did it have a serial number ?

Offline Robomog

  • ...had a very bad experience with [an] orange...
  • Would you buy a used kit from this man?
Re: The Silver Spitfire - Finished
« Reply #17 on: July 15, 2018, 09:48:51 PM »
Thanks guys, much appreciated.

Kitnut617 - according to the book when the spitfire in question landed at Tom Neils airfield with engine trouble the serials were already obscured by the sky tail band, once stripped back to silver they never went back on, although it did get some squadron codes when it was taken over by the c/o of a Polish squadron. This seems to be born out by all the photographs I could find during research.

Hope this helps

Mog
>^-.-^<
« Last Edit: July 18, 2018, 04:10:20 AM by Robomog »
Mostly Harmless...............

Offline Brian da Basher

  • He has an unnatural attraction to Spats...and a growing fascination with airships!
  • Holding Pattern
  • *
  • Hulk smash, Brian bash
Re: The Silver Spitfire - Finished
« Reply #18 on: July 16, 2018, 07:15:23 AM »
Simply magnificent!

Looks fast as quicksilver!

Brian da Basher

Offline Volkodav

  • Counts rivits with his abacus...
  • Much older now...but procrastinating about it
Re: The Silver Spitfire - Finished
« Reply #19 on: July 16, 2018, 04:19:57 PM »
 :smiley:

Offline Robomog

  • ...had a very bad experience with [an] orange...
  • Would you buy a used kit from this man?
Re: The Silver Spitfire - Finished
« Reply #20 on: July 19, 2018, 04:35:50 AM »
Thanks guys,  when I was looking for a suitable finish I found that most of the spitfire colour schemes were quite dowdy so finding out about the Silver Spitfire was fortuitous. Also as Brian rightly points out the beautiful  lines of the spitfire can be truly shown up with a bright finish.

Thanks again

Mog
>^-.-^<
Mostly Harmless...............

Offline GTX_Admin

  • Evil Administrator bent on taking over the Universe!
  • Administrator - Yep, I'm the one to blame for this place.
  • Whiffing Demi-God!
    • Beyond the Sprues
Re: The Silver Spitfire - Finished
« Reply #21 on: July 20, 2018, 11:31:00 AM »
 :smiley:
All hail the God of Frustration!!!

You can't outrun Death forever.
But you can make the Bastard work for it.

Offline Robomog

  • ...had a very bad experience with [an] orange...
  • Would you buy a used kit from this man?
Re: The Silver Spitfire - Finished
« Reply #22 on: July 25, 2018, 04:33:01 AM »
Thanks!

Mog
>^-.-^<
Mostly Harmless...............

Offline The Big Gimper

  • Any model will look better in RCAF, SEAC or FAA markings
  • Global Moderator
  • Cut. Cut. Cut. Measure. Cut. Cut. Crap. Toss.
    • Photobucket Modeling Album
Re: The Silver Spitfire - Finished
« Reply #23 on: July 25, 2018, 07:49:32 AM »
A belated "oooooooooohhhhhh!!!!!" what an awesome job Mr. Mog!
Work in progress ::

I am giving up listing them. They all end up on the shelf of procrastination anyways.

User and abuser of Bothans...

Offline kill me now, put me out of pain

  • Holding Pattern
  • *
  • What, is this place facebook, delete my account
Re: The Silver Spitfire - Finished
« Reply #24 on: July 25, 2018, 08:32:53 AM »
xxxxxxxxxxxx
« Last Edit: September 03, 2019, 12:52:43 AM by mundster »