86 replies to this topic

[mdeanstrauss]

Hi guys... I can't imagine anyone getting enthused about another Tamiya Spit WIP... I am though... logging the progress of the kit on a WIP is half the fun for me... don't feel that you have to check in because I don't think I'll be doing anything remarkable... Fact is, the bar has been set very high on Spit build by you guys... so I'll do the best I can and look forward to any comments and advice I can get along the way...

This will be another journey kit for me to see if I can further develop my chops... this time, I am going to attempt (without a net) the addition of AM parts and a camo paint job, which I've never done before...

Why the hat trick? Because in the past calendar year, I've knocked out the Tamiya 1/32 Zeke and the Mustang... the Spit closes the loop on Tamiya prop driven super kits. Below are shots of the first two builds...





Well... here we go... I picked out the MkVIII... not sure exactly why that version, but it's the one I bought... I plan to build an Italian based British flown plane... time to try out some Brit roundels for the first time!



For the Zeke and Spit, I was exclusively OOB... I began dabbling with AM stuff with my ZM Skyraider build, but that doesn't really count since the AM stuff was all ZM product... It was more like extending the kit rather than hunting down AM stuff... This time around, I want to see how the other half lives, so I loaded up on AM resin, and PE... Below you can see the selection of Barracuda cast res parts I nabbed for both the cockpit and the engine...

Fact is, I am not convinced for me personally that adding in all this extra stuff will make the process more enjoyable or will enhance for me feelings for the kit when completed... Soooo... this is an experiment for me... a journey...

When I received the shipment of res, I was astonished at how delicate it looked and also how potentially difficult it was to remove the parts from their respective blocks, so I went on an additional shopping mission for a razor saw to deal with the resin... that is also pictured below...

In sum, I scored the following resin sets:

• Pilot seat with leather backpad
  
• Spitfire door with separate crowbar (the crowbar looks like it will be a challenge not to break)
  
• Engine rocker covers with Rolls Royce logo! (probably my favorite grab)
  
• Cockpit upgrade kit #1 (there is a #2 set, but I drew the line... as Mrs. Shiflowitz says, "enough is enough!")

Here's some more AM stuff for the Spit... BarracudaCals for the Mediterranean/Italian Spit, Master Hispano rolled brass cannons, the Eduard basic PE set for the cockpit, and I think engine embellishments...




Micro textile belts, which seem intimidating as hell... My typical MO is to paint up a pilot and stick him in the office, so I never have worried with harnesses before, but the trend now in modeling is to show-off an open pit, so I thought I would try this for the Spit build... also below are Gator masks to help with my first camo job ever...



More later...

Edited by mdeanstrauss, 10 December 2012 - 10:09 PM.

[harvey]

Very cool. Good luck, but judging by your last builds, you won't need it much. Will be fallowing.....Harv

[LSP_Kevin]

Nice project Mitch! After all these Tamiya uber kits though, you're going to be spoiled for most of what the rest of the industry releases.

Kev

[A.Wolf Grant]

Oh, cool ..... I'm going to love this! Great collection of after-market accessories.

Grant

[Peterpools]

Mitch
Great choice of AM products. I used both Barracuda Resin and Placard Decals, as well as Eduard's Big Ed set and found them nearly flawless on my Mustang build. I've also started collecting them for my future Spit build as well.
Looking forward to following the build
Peter

[Daywalker]

Cheers Mitch, can't wait to see more of this one! The Barracuda cockpit door is fantastic, I opted to not use the delicate resin crowbar and instead used a common sewing pin, same diameter and MUCH easier to work with IMHO. Those seatbelts are fantastic, a bit fiddly but so worth the effort.

Can't wait to se how those Gator masks work out. How long did it take from ordering them to receiving them?

[mdeanstrauss]

Very cool. Good luck, but judging by your last builds, you won't need it much. Will be fallowing.....Harv

well you're kind Harv... I will take your luck wishes and plan on using them, as modeling is always a hair trigger away from disaster when I do it!

[mdeanstrauss]

Nice project Mitch! After all these Tamiya uber kits though, you're going to be spoiled for most of what the rest of the industry releases.

Kev

Actually I AM a little concerned about that... I really like the Tamiya super kits... hopefully, they'll introduce something new in the near future... there's always a chance that ZM will put out their Raiden before long... I'd like to tackle that one... Probably time for me to try out a Trumpy kit too... was thinking of taking on a jug sometime... then there's the gigantic 1/24 Mossie I have in the stash... if I could figure out where to put that beast, I would happily tackle it! Thanks for looking in!

[mdeanstrauss]

Oh, cool ..... I'm going to love this! Great collection of after-market accessories.

Grant

Thanks Grant... yeah I piled 'em up... hope I can do justice to them...

[mdeanstrauss]

Mitch
Great choice of AM products. I used both Barracuda Resin and Placard Decals, as well as Eduard's Big Ed set and found them nearly flawless on my Mustang build. I've also started collecting them for my future Spit build as well.
Looking forward to following the build
Peter

Peter, I am delighted you are looking over my shoulder again! M.

[mdeanstrauss]

Cheers Mitch, can't wait to see more of this one! The Barracuda cockpit door is fantastic, I opted to not use the delicate resin crowbar and instead used a common sewing pin, same diameter and MUCH easier to work with IMHO. Those seatbelts are fantastic, a bit fiddly but so worth the effort.

Can't wait to se how those Gator masks work out. How long did it take from ordering them to receiving them?

Frank, thanks for looking in... and for your helpful suggestions... If I blow the resin crow bar, I will go with the pin! Those seatbelts do look fiddly!

Kenny got those masks out to me within days of getting the order... I've gotten Gator Grip Glue from him too recently... he's pretty responsive...

[mdeanstrauss]

Well... it's the next day and I have just completed grading 2 sets of final exams... winter break is just around the corner, when I will tackle the Spit build... (in addition I plan on helping Parker, my 13 year old build a F117 A Nighthawk at 1/48 scale... he likes that stealth look!)

In prep for the Spit build I grabbed the Brett Green "build book" to get some further insight... of course, I have studied the builds on this site too... I have to say that Brett's book is decent, but pales in comparison to the Zoukei-mura Concept Notes that I purchased with my Skyraider. Much more reference detail and build insight supplied by ZM... pricey though...

I am also about to complete my read of Holland's "The Battle of Britain." Great book... I watched the film, "The Battle of Britain" ok... Another more interesting film with Spits as a prominent subject was "The Malta Story" with Alec Guinness, and the best was "The First of the Few," with Leslie Howard, who plays R.J. Mitchell, the designer of the original Spit.

I had little idea before digging into the background of the Spit how central it was in the development of mono-winged aircraft! Further, I appreciate more the importance of the Battle of Britain... i.e. no Britain, no D-Day...

[A.Wolf Grant]

Yup, it's official... you've now watched all the best "Spitfire" films. My father took me to the Battle of Britain the year it came out and now thinking about it, I deeply suspect that that was the main reason why I'm so enamoured by WW2 fighters. Great film for its time, imagine it with the amazing CG available now.

Every one should watch "First of the Few".

Grant.

[mdeanstrauss]

Since I am building a Mediterranean based British aircraft, it will be painted in desert camo colors... Style A... I looked and looked to determine whether to go A or B camo, finally decided A, and there's some chance I am totally wrong... I will go with Vallejo paints on this project, not because they are the best paints ever, or because they grip tenaciously to the styrene... but mostly because they are decent workable paints in my airbrush, and they are water based so that they won't stink up my house and draw the ire of my spouse... I have the great good fortune of owning a very nice paint hood, but due to the vagaries of house design and where I can work near a sink, it is located where I cannot conveniently vent the hood outdoors. No stinky Tamiya paints in the airbrush, much as I like those paints...

I stumbled upon some pre-made Vallejo paint collection kits and jumped on the RAF kit... it has the desert camo colors, a nice interior green, two choices of underside blue, some matt coating, plus a couple of colors I don't think I'll need... not the most economical purchase, but I am now covered for key paints...

[mdeanstrauss]

I do my modeling in a downstairs (basement) rec room/bedroom... nice quiet and private space that no one else really cares to venture to... old barn-board siding makes me feel like a downed pilot hiding out in France...

For this WIP, I'm going to use my new/used big gun, Nikon D700... for several years the D700 ruled as a state of the art full frame FX DSLR, but was recently eclipsed by the D800 about 1/2 a year ago... this is the sweet spot for buying a pre-owned D700... the key is to find a depreciated price, decent condition, and shutter activations well below the 150000 max... I did ok... of course, I made this shot with my iPhone, but the earlier shots were all D700's... they are tack sharp with nice color renditioning despite my make-do lighting down in the hide out...

BTW the camera is mounted on a Gitzo tripod and a Really Right Stuff ball head, which is a work of industrial beauty if there ever was one...

Edited by mdeanstrauss, 11 December 2012 - 12:24 AM.