The Unofficial Airfix Modellers' Forum

..don't get too excited.... no progress or pics yet, but...

I'm now equipped.

I have an original Airfix Spitfire IX, in grey plastic, and a new tool one, both with JE-J decals. If anyone can do me a nice clear, colour balanced picture of some ancient Airfix kit they have in that classic pale blue plastic, it would be very helpful. The original will be completed as though in unpainted plastic, with a green Maple leaf, as issued at the time, the new one will be done as best I can today, and both will be mounted on a dual stand.

I have a bagged issue of the P-47 Thunderbolt, and some Kagero "Penrod and Sam" decals coming to replace the kit ones which are well browned and nicely curly in the bag. I don't trust them. This one will be built as best I can today, as well.

I will also be building a section of a chess board, in a (crowded) endgame, to show off the principle of the chess set my dad and I never quite completed back in the day, with large scale historical figures as the main pieces, and 54mm figures as the pawns. It's basically "the English against the rest". I have most of the figures to hand, but if I can get hold of a Heller issue of "Joan of Arc," it'd be handy, because she's really suffered over the years, and is looking rather like the Black Knight in Monty Python and the Holy Grail...

I've dug out my original "first ever CBK", the "Golden Hind", which will come as she is...

Progress will be reported here once Iron Man is finally finished...

bestest,
M.

You sound as if you're going to be busy, Matt!

I love the ideas you've got, and I look forward to seeing your progress.

regards,

Martin

Matt,



It's my First also ....

I'll try a better photo this week, when I pop the bubble off the card ....

Matt,

I'm being dense .. why don't I send you my pale blue kit but keep the decals (mine, all mine); I have other JE-J's in newer releases that I can build & paint as that is what I am going to do, be a waste of good blue plastic.

In payment all you need to do is figure out which Pactra colors I used in those days and source them for me

John R

Well, that's very kind of you, John... I'm not sure about Pactra, but I can lay my hands on some Humbrol Authentics or Compucolor paints of similar vintage!

I'll PM you my address...

bestest,
M.

OK, I'll have it out this week sometime. Then I'll go looking for another, well, just because it's a CBK ...

Just kidding on the Pactra ... I don't want to paint mine in some modern color formulation, when I probably had a situation like WW2 with "DuPont" color equivalents ....

Package went in the mail today -- I did not pay for priority mail !

You get the best of the deal. I briefly compared the plastic in this kit(1001) to JE-J in 2081 and it is not only slightly different but much better. While 2081 is mostly rivets, 1001 has some raised panels ILO rivets in a few places. The mold is a bit fuzzy on my 2081 kits, nice on 1001.

I am now searching for another copy of 1001, I have time.

Enjoy !

Some of you may find this looks familiar...








No filler... (which mostly shows below the wings). And no fingerprints.

Actually a pretty good replica of the one I flew around the room for the best part of a decade. I'm not going to get in to the merits or otherwise of the kit --- we've all been there. The important thing is that I once again have a pale blue Spitfire IX, JE-J on the shelf...




I'm taking a different approach with the Thunderbolt, which will be painted. No extra detailing, mind, just what you get in the bag... This one needs a bit more filler. I saw a lot of builds online which needed major filling at the wing roots, so I fixed the upper wings to the fuselage halves to get a good seam there, spread the fuselage a bit with a spacer, and dealt with the gaps at the wing leading edges and underneath instead...

...I didn't want anyone to think I'd dropped off the planet -- I've had a busy few weeks, and the shed has really been too hot to spend much time in lately...

bestest,
M.

Always a classic jug, if you get the chance pick up Robert S Johnsons autobiography "Thunderbolt".It makes for some serious good reading. Loving the Spitfire.Keep up the good work

What fun! Very cool, Matt.

Now if only real Spitfires had been that colour the Luftwaffe would have never been able to spot them! Lovely build Matt it has a lot of charm.

The Jug was an early kit for me too, didn't have a lot of paints then and I seem to remember the upper surfaces being a very matt green and the lower gloss grey.

A bit more progress with the Thunderbolt:




Humbrol Metalcote from a rattle can, polished with the Dremel...

bestest,
M.

Boxart III...?

Sorry about the radio silence -- it's been a busy few weeks, and I've been on holiday (Off-road Segway riding is a LOT of fun!)

Anyway, big update now:




The new Spitfire IX goes together very nicely (once again, I attached the wing upper surfaces to the fuselage halves before assembling the whole thing and adding the lower wing). Painted with the excellent new(ish) Tamiya acrylic RAF colours intended for the 1/32 tour de force which is lingering on my "to-do" pile...



Old and new -- the display I have in mind will look rather like this...




...and finally, with a bit of subtle pastel weathering to finish her off. Beauty shots when I can get the studio up and running...

bestest,
M.

No gluey fingerprints on the fuselage, or frosted canopy, or at least one cannon/stub broken off, so not quite there for me Matt. Nice try though.