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Owen · Posted: Mon 01 Dec 2008 20:57 pm Post subject: MacTeagle's Mk I Spitfire Build

Progess of MacTeagle's build will be posted here.

So what will you be building for this Mac'?
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MacTeagle · Posted: Mon 01 Dec 2008 21:54 pm Post subject:

Thanks for setting me up in on this build Owen. I'll be building my Spitfire Mk1a that I've been looking at in my shed for the past two years. I've done a little bit this past few evenings and I'll post photos this evening. My wife is watching "America's Next Top Model" on TV so now seems like a good time to relocate to the shed

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MacTeagle · Posted: Mon 01 Dec 2008 23:01 pm Post subject:

Here's the Merlin engine completed:

And from another angle:

I've undercoated the pilot in matt white and painted some internal pieces. I used H75 for the cockpit green instead of H90 as the instructions suggested. I also painted the seat with H62 because I just didn't like how it looked in black:

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TimJ · Posted: Tue 02 Dec 2008 14:24 pm Post subject:

Looking good so far Mac.
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MacTeagle · Posted: Tue 02 Dec 2008 15:04 pm Post subject:

Thanks,

Working on the pilot now. I aspire to the standard Ratch has set with "Bert" but I am only a novice.
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daniel7891 · Posted: Tue 02 Dec 2008 15:18 pm Post subject:

Looking good Mac. I might give the tip of undercoating the pilot in white a try
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MacTeagle · Posted: Tue 02 Dec 2008 15:50 pm Post subject:

Cheers Daniel,

I read about that tip on a website of some guy who was astonishing at painting figures. He said a matt white undercoat not only helps make the surface more paintable but also helps brighten the figure's end colour. I don't know if it is true or not, but certainly the paint is going on easy and it is very easy to pick out the detail - it just seems to stand out better in white.
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MacTeagle · Posted: Thu 04 Dec 2008 22:00 pm Post subject:

Made a bit more progress today. These 1:24 kits really seem to bog you down in detail for a long time! After getting my thumb unstuck

from the seat I have the assembly complete and I'm trying to dry brush the dials on the controls. Photos to follow.
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MacTeagle · Posted: Fri 05 Dec 2008 00:21 am Post subject:

The results of the last few days fiddling...
I have only had little bits of time to put into the spitfire each day. That's been fine actually since a lot of the fiddly painting needs gaps to dry.

My photo skills aren't so good but here is the controls:

I painted the transparency dark grey on the rear and dry brushed the details of the dials. I added a bit of detail with a toothpick on the front and then dry brushed a bit of light grey to highlight the panel edges etc.

The seat went together well, it definitely looks better in H62 than black.

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MacTeagle · Posted: Fri 05 Dec 2008 01:04 am Post subject:

After things had dried a bit i tested the fit of the fuselage.

I needed to modify the engine because i glued parts 12 and 13 the wrong way round and they didn't have enough room in the engine bay

Other than that problem which I have now remedied the fit seems very good. I will need to repair the engine paint work tomorrow but it doesn't look to bad, a bit of H53 will fix it.

The main cockpit parts fit without any problems of fuselage bulging.

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Ratch · Posted: Fri 05 Dec 2008 09:49 am Post subject:

Good progress

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daniel7891 · Posted: Fri 05 Dec 2008 12:50 pm Post subject:

Looking good
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Daniel

TopGun · Posted: Fri 05 Dec 2008 12:56 pm Post subject:

Looks good so far
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TimJ · Posted: Fri 05 Dec 2008 13:08 pm Post subject:

Looking good so far.
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MacTeagle · Posted: Fri 05 Dec 2008 14:53 pm Post subject:

I went to my favourite model shop in Belfast today to buy Humbrol spray cans. The shop didn't have the ones I needed but I came home with a starter airbrush

. I really think this kit needs sprayed on the outer surfaces. I've never tried spraying before, but I'm looking forward to it.

This Spitfire is a great fun kit to build out of the box, and for its age goes together well.
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MacTeagle · Posted: Mon 08 Dec 2008 22:57 pm Post subject:

Progress has been slow. I've been painting away at the pilot patiently and painting more internal items green. There seems to me to be a typo on the paint call-outs for part no. 39. This is the internal structure member that sits at the back of the rear window. The instructions say it should be painted with H23 but that is duck egg blue and it looks weird in that colour, nothing else in that area is that colour. If it wasn't cockpit green (my choice) then the only other sensible choice seems to be H53. Anyway it is painted cockpit green now.

I was wanting to enhance the internal details with some paint techniques, but I'm new to this, so I would welcome tips. Having painted the interior H78 (acrylic) I had thought a dark wash would give some shadowing, especially if I could do it in such a way to have the darkness lie under the horizontal ridges. I had then thought a bit of dry brushing with H90 would lift the surface detail. Is this plan a good idea, and how do I make a wash?

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fittedkitchens · Posted: Tue 09 Dec 2008 12:31 pm Post subject:

Hi MacTeagle,

Reckon a wash if the best bet... thinned Tamiya 'Smoke' can be built up, and washed off if you make a pig's ear of it.

cheers,
fk

MacTeagle · Posted: Wed 10 Dec 2008 21:15 pm Post subject:

Cheers, never mixed up a wash before: lots of water with an acrylic right? I don't have any Tamiya paints in my town and I can't face a trip through Belfast's traffic just to buy some paint. What about humbrol acrylics? I have 27 grey and 33 black or 85 black.
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fittedkitchens · Posted: Fri 12 Dec 2008 10:50 am Post subject:

yep, water is fine.

I've a part-used bottle of 'Smoke' I can throw in the post to you - PM yer address.

MacTeagle · Posted: Sat 13 Dec 2008 21:56 pm Post subject:

Cheers! That's a kind offer.
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