- The Airfix Tribute Forum -

davecov

Progress of Hawkertempest5's build will be reported here.

Dave
_________________
DaveCov - Site Founder, The Airfix Tribute Forum

hawkertempest5 · Posted: Sun 20 Apr 2008 17:05 pm Post subject:

ATF2 Group build preview:
For the second ATF group build I’ve decided to go with the same kit that I built for last year’s build, the 1/48 Spitfire F.22/24. Last year I built it as an F.22 so this year I’ll be building the F.24 version. Like last year it will be totally OOB.
This kit is without doubt the best of the Airfix Spitfire kits by some margin. The only issues are the prop blades that you need to fit after the spinner is assembled, the sliding hood does not fit and you need to cut away the bottom of the seat back frame in order to fit the wing. I’m hoping that the spare low back hood from the MkI kit will work better than the kit part or I’ll have to do the same “warm it up and stretch it” job I did last year! Other than that this kit is quite trouble free and builds up quite easily. There are not too many parts and the fit is generally quite good.
The time will be taken up with painting on this kit. I always struggle to get a three colour camouflage plus sky colour scheme done in a two month time frame but I’m going to give it my very best shot.

My Airfix Spitfire production run in full swing with MkI, XVI and 24 all on the go! I gave much consideration to building the MkI but I already have one of there two thirds finished so I decided to go with the 24. This is the latest Hornby boxing of the kit and was purchased especially for this build.

hawkertempest5 · Posted: Tue 22 Apr 2008 10:52 am Post subject:

ATF2 Group build, 1st update:
It has been a slow start because I'm on the afternoon shift so I don't have much build time before I have to go out. However I have painted everything that needs to be H78 with the acrylic paint I got with the club Spitfire and I've cut out the camera lens hole in the lower fuselage. I'd like to get the interior detail painted and the fuselage assembled by the weekend but we will see...

hawkertempest5 · Posted: Wed 23 Apr 2008 11:09 am Post subject:

ATF2 Group build, 2nd update:
All the interior detail painting is now complete and I just need to do a bit of dry brush work and pick out some extra details on the instrument panel before I can think about assembling the fuselage. I’ve also begun painting a few other bits and bobs, such as the undercarriage and propeller.

hawkertempest5 · Posted: Sun 27 Apr 2008 18:47 pm Post subject:

ATF2 Group build, 3rd update:
It’s been a few days since I updated this thread and in that time I’ve done quite a bit of work. All the interior detail painting is done and the fuselage has been assembled and so has the wing. I’ve also assembled the spinner and given it a coat of primer. The undercarriage doors are also now sprayed with primer (seemed like a good idea whilst I had the air brush out) and I’ve got most of the other bits and bobs, such as wheels and undercarriage legs, painted up too.
My next job will be to fit the flaps and then the wing to the body. This is a nice easy kit to build and it should not be too much longer before I can start thinking about painting.

Instrument panel painted and detailed. I was a bit less heavy handed with the dry brush work on this build and I think it looks much better than the panel I did for the Mk XVI.

The fuselage interior is a bit sparse on this kit with all the sidewall detail moulded onto the fuselage halves.

Interior sub-assemblies ready to fit.

Fuselage and wing completed. The fuselage will need a little bit of work on the joint lines and I had a bit of trouble trying to fit the camera lens in the lower rear fuselage. In the end I gave up with this and I will now make a lens using Micro Krysyal Klear when the kit is finished.

Perhaps the biggest real problem on this kit is with the wing to body fit caused by the seat back frame. Thankfully it’s an easy fix and simply involves cutting off the bottom of the frame to allow the wing to fit. There are none of the horror story gaps along the side of the wing to body joint on this kit like those you get on the MkIX!

Heinkel51 · Posted: Sun 27 Apr 2008 21:20 pm Post subject:

Lovely work,

hawkertempest5 · Posted: Sat 03 May 2008 20:48 pm Post subject:

ATF2 Group build, 5th update:
It’s been a slow week but I’ve finished the wing now and fitted the flaps. I’ve also finished off all the filler work on a couple of sinkholes and the joint lines on the fuselage. I’ve done a little more painting too and now just have a few bits of touching up to do on the various sub-assemblies such as the undercarriage. I’m hoping to have the wing fitted to the body in the next day or two.

hawkertempest5 · Posted: Fri 09 May 2008 18:47 pm Post subject:

ATF2 Group build, 6th update:
Once again, it’s been a long time since I updated this thread but I’ve not been idle during that time. 90% of the construction work is now complete and I just have to fit the lower cowling and intake and do any filler work needed before I can begin painting. The wing to body joint was so good on this kit that it need no filler along the upper wing to fuselage joint at all and only a little bit at the leading edge joint and where the rear gull wing meets the fuselage. I did, however, need to do some filler work around the flaps because I ended up with a big gap and step between the inner and outer flaps on both wings once the wing was fitted to the body. If it all goes well I may even get the primer done this weekend.

My other group build Spitfire may still be looking a bit sorry for itself, but the 24 is coming along very nicely now. Primer at the weekend maybe?

hawkertempest5 · Posted: Sat 17 May 2008 16:07 pm Post subject:

ATF2 Group build, 7th update:
I’ve been working mostly on my RAF group build Spitfire XVI this last week, trying to get it ready to paint again. I’m still a little while away from being able to do that however so I made an effort today to get the 24 into primer. I now have a few days off work and the plan is to have the tail band and spinner done tomorrow and be ready to do the camouflage by next weekend.

Primer coat done, first colour on tomorrow, fingers crossed.

hawkertempest5 · Posted: Sun 18 May 2008 16:13 pm Post subject:

ATF2 Group build, 8th update:
The spinner and tail band have now been sprayed with H90. Because I will be masking off the tail band, I will be leaving the paint to harden for a day or so before I mask it off and apply the H165 underside colour. I'd still like to be ready to put the dark green on by the weekend. Whilst the H90 on the tail dries, I'll be cracking on with assembling the prop and getting the canopy frame painted.

Tail band done. Next job will be the masking off process. A simple way of doing this is to use the kit tail band decal as a template for creating a mask out of masking tape. Saves lots of measuring and marking.

hawkertempest5 · Posted: Thu 22 May 2008 22:01 pm Post subject:

ATF2 Group build, 9th update:
I've had a good week on the 24 this week. Since the weekend I've got the primer, H90, H165 and H164 done. Over the weekend I'm going to start creating my camouflage masks and, if I get time over the weekend, get the H163 applied. Once that's done it will just detail painting and wing leading edges, Klear and decals left to do! Oh, and a bit of final assembly work.

Almost done with the painting now. I will need to make some paper masks for the camouflage pattern before I do the H163 dark green. I've kept this OOB and stuck to the painting guide, but that H164 Dark sea grey looks a bit dark to me.

hawkertempest5 · Posted: Tue 03 Jun 2008 10:27 am Post subject:

ATF 2 Group build, 10th update:
Well then, in the week or so since I last updated this thread I’ve done a little bit of work on three other Spitfire kits and built a Sea Fury! I realised then that I need the spraying stick I have my GB Spitfire mounted on for spraying the Sae Fury. So I though I’d better get a shift on with it!
On Saturday I made up the plane paper masks for the camouflage pattern. These were made using a sheet of copier paper and were stuck to the kit using masking tape at the edges and Blu-Tak where the patterns meet. This keeps the edges of the masks just above the surface of the kit and gives a nice soft edge to the camouflage pattern. Looks fiddly but it only takes about an hour or so to do.
With that done, on Sunday I applied the H163 dark green to complete the main paint job. Last night I unmasked the whole kit and it has turned out very well and I’m very pleased with the result. All I need to do now is mask off and hand paint the yellow wing leading edges, finish off the canopy frames and paint in the wing tip navigation lights and downward identification lights and I can start the Klear coat. I’m off work again next week and I’d like to have this and my RAF GB Spitfire done before I start back to work.

All masked off.

Sprayed up.

Job done!

Ratch · Posted: Tue 03 Jun 2008 19:06 pm Post subject:

Looking good

_________________
and was Jerusalem, builded here
The new No. 2
Airfix Club 500287
IPMS 10983

TopGun · Posted: Tue 03 Jun 2008 20:50 pm Post subject:

Coming along nicely
_________________
Airfix Club 500006

hawkertempest5 · Posted: Wed 04 Jun 2008 15:47 pm Post subject:

Cheers chaps!

Today I've done all the remaining painting apart from the wing leading edges and I'm going to start those tomorrow. I should have some finished model pictures by the end of next week.

hawkertempest5 · Posted: Wed 11 Jun 2008 19:17 pm Post subject:

ATF group build, 11th update:
Today I added the decals and what a disappointment!

These were, without doubt, the worst decals I’ve ever tried to use. Almost every single decal refused to sit down and I ended up using Klear to get some of them to sit. The register is also bad and this shows on the red and yellow stencils quite badly. I’ve built this kit at least four times before and I have a couple of spare sets of decals from this kit in the stash. I’ve never had a problem with them like this before and I’m seriously considering over-decaling the whole kit again with another set from the stash. It will not cure the silvering that has occurred though

.
Two disastrous group builds in a row; maybe I should give up on them.

It looks worse in real life! The white is very patchy and almost every decal has silvered. To add insult to injury, I snapped off a cannon barrel whilst taking the photos and the backyard monster promptly ate this up!

I’m too far into the build to bin it now so I’ll get the kit finished over the weekend but I’m not happy at all

.

Owen · Posted: Wed 11 Jun 2008 19:23 pm Post subject:

They look pants, everything else looks great though. Have you thought about sending off for another set and placing them on top to double up the thickness?
_________________
Owen
"Isn't it enough to see that a garden is beautiful without having to believe that there are fairies at the bottom of it too?" - Douglas Adams

Airfix Modelling SIG Member
Beyond the Box SIG Member

hawkertempest5 · Posted: Thu 12 Jun 2008 20:28 pm Post subject:

peebeep · Guest

I'm sure you will cheer up after you get the decals sorted HT. That Spitfire is gonna look real good.

peebeep

hawkertempest5 · Posted: Mon 16 Jun 2008 12:14 pm Post subject:

ATF Group build, final update:
Well I over decaled the roundels and fin flashes at the weekend but the overall effect is not nearly as good as I’d hoped and the silvering looks awful. I really wish I’d dug out my older decals as soon as I realised the kit decals were naff, but because I had used up all the stencils in my spare sets, I carried on with the kit decals. I’ve decided to call it a day at this point. I feel quite bad about quitting another group build, but I can’t see any point in finishing off a kit I’m not happy with. I’m going to break down this kit, saving the interior and all the bits I’ve not yet used like the under carriage, prop and canopy, and I’ll use these on a future build. One thing is for sure; next time I build this kit I’ll be buying an older version off e-bay and defiantly not a new Hornby version.