Written by 2:56 pm On the Bench

WIP : Supermarine Spitfire Mk. Vb Pt. 4

I have found that Future is a lot easier to airbrush when thinned. It was however, slow going as I let the Future cure for a day between layers. In the end though, I got a decent result out of it.

Time for decals! In my decals stash were 3 remaining markings from the Eagle Strike 48059 British Thoroughbreds Spitfires Mk V/VIII/IX. I chose to do Pierre Clostermann’s markings. Clostermann is the highest scoring French Ace in WW2. He did it all while flying for the RAF. The sheet only came with 1 set of stencils (which I’ve used already previously) so I had to mix and match with the kit’s decals.

One good thing about WW2 subjects is the general lack of stenciling compared to modern subjects. However, the Eagle Strike decals proved to be quite thick and resistant to Mark Softer. On the other hand, the Tamiya decals were very fragile with some shattering when detached from the backing. They also both took their time to separate from the backing. Some of the decals are also supposed to be placed on compound surfaces which caused some breakage and will need to be fixed.

I tried cutting pieces out of the remaining decals to patch up the broken ones but it proved to be time consuming and at all effective so I simply touched up by hand painting. I had to mix some of the paint to get as close as I could. The work wasn’t perfect but it’ll have to do. I was hoping subsequent gloss and flat coat will hide some of the imperfections.

And then the 1st disaster struck. To seal the decals I layered on Future and it was so thick it pooled on some of the surfaces. I carefully removed the pool of Future with windex which caused more than the Future to be removed. Yep. The white is the primer coat.

So then I carefully masked (making sure none of the masking tape touched the decals), then carefully sanded the offending area down, then carefully airbrushed the color.

In the end, I also had to respray some of the black walkway line as I got some green on the original decal. At least it came out OK. I then hand brushed on Future to gloss up the fixed areas to prep for panel lining.

For panel lining I decided to try something new: Vallejo’s Model Wash. It’s a water soluble solution that’s supposed to be used straight out of the bottle.

However, I’ve read that it’s better to thin it first before use so I decided to just try it at 1 part wash to 5 parts water. Using it was simple enough. You simply brushed it on and let capillary action help to get to all the nooks and crannies on the kit.

Let it dry a bit, then use a wet cotton bud to do clean up. Not intense enough for you? Just go over again until you’re happy with it.

I have to say it’s easier to clean up than the usual oil paint + turpentine mix as the wash doesn’t streak as easily as the latter mix.

I was finished in no time at all. Next I added the antenna. This will need to be touched up a bit. After this is the final flat coat, removing the masking tape around the canopy and attaching the rear view mirror, exhausts and spinner. And I’m all done!

And then while writing this entry, the 2nd disaster struck. It turns out the markings for Pierre Clostermann is for his Spitfire Mk. IX, and not the Mk. Vb I’m doing. Nice… /facepalm

Build Log
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4

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