Je*j 1/48

[Ian M]

Right then. How would of thought that such a well known aircraft, would of been so poorly covered in 1/48!

Well there are a few Spitfire IX out there, only one that has the codes and serials. The one from ICM. The kits not bad, well I like them, but their decals are 110% junk (insert another four letter word for wast material here).

They always fall apart at the sight of water. So I have a couple of questions.

Micro scale do a decal solution. Is it any good for self destructing decals? Could I get away with giving them a couple of coats acrylic varnish!!!

I have had a look at buying the codes, but I am not sure of the size I need!!! From photos I would say that the code letters JEJ are not the normal fighter size. The kits decals scale up to 20 inches. I can't find my list of sizes!!

My last resort is to paint the darn things.

Should any one have a 1/48 scale decal sheet for JEJ's EN398 Mk IX they dont need....

Ian M

[Guest]

Ian, I have not used ICM decals yet, just built the kits.

As for decals falling apart, I have also had that, especially with old decals.

I have used Humbroll enamel clear gloss,Tamiya clear acrylic aswell as future over the decalsheets as a binding agent and all works just fine.

Just one nice wet gloss coat and let it set.

Only hassle is that you have now effectively put one big clear part over the decal and you need to trim the indevidual decals from the sheet as they are no longer seperate.

Sometimes they seem a little hesetant to come off the backing paper (in the water) but a little "prodding" with a stiff bristled brush on the edge og the decal will lift it away.

Hope it helps.

Theuns

[yak face]

Ian , I found the same problem with the decals for the old Novo Miles magister I did a bit back. As soon as I put the roundels in water they just disintegrated , I ended up using some roundels out of the spares box , but as for the code letters ,I cut out and coated the decals with 2 coats of Klear then a few days later put them on and they were ok. A few cracks here and there but in the main they stayed in one piece. As Theuns says sometimes they are a bit reluctant to come off the paper but eventually they will. hope this helps , cheers tony

[Ian M]

I'll give it a go with some Varnish and if it don't work, I'll paint them.

I still think it amusing that such a famous aircraft is so overlooked on the decal market.

Ian M

[stona]

I'll give it a go with some Varnish and if it don't work, I'll paint them.I still think it amusing that such a famous aircraft is so overlooked on the decal market.

Ian M

Famous Ian but not much photographed.

There are a couple of well known shots of the aircraft,as JE*J,showing the starboard side but the only shots of the port side were taken before Johnson acquired it,in a previous incarnation as F/Lt Ian Keltie's AE*B at 402 Sqn RCAF. That in itself was a re-code from AE*I. The aircraft went to the HQ Flight at Kenley via 416 Sqn.RCAF. The aircraft was repainted at some stage between its time with 402 Sqn. and its arrival at Kenley,despite being only a couple of months old.

That and the debates about the colour of the maple leaf,the position of the Wing Commander's pennant and whether kill markings were applied or not has maybe put some off. Whatever a decal manufacturer does,someone will say they've got it wrong.

For what it's worth I went with a red maple leaf,the colour used by all the Canadian squadrons of the Kenley wing. Johnson remembered it as green,but human memory,even Johnson's,can be fallible. I applied the pennant in the generally accepted position,but left off the kill markings because I didn't have any!

Cheers

Steve

[Ian M]

Thanks Steve, I have seen a few photos of her in previous incarnations.

There is also a camp that promote the idea of the port side was kept hidden by JJ as he was embarrassed about a cartoon. He was a Bader "fan" and honored him by painting the same cartoon as he had on his Hurricane. Some how I doubt it.

I did read that JJ in a letter to a friend did confirm that the leaf was green. When the letter was from? Who knows? I like the compromise theory. A Maple leaf, as it was a Canadian Wing, Green 'cause he was English.

As well you know, I'm far from a rivet counter, as long as it looks right I'm happy. As NO ONE really knows what it looked like, for sure, my job is quite easy this time. ;-)

Ian M

[stona]

Thanks Steve, I have seen a few photos of her in previous incarnations. There is also a camp that promote the idea of the port side was kept hidden by JJ as he was embarrassed about a cartoon. He was a Bader "fan" and honored him by painting the same cartoon as he had on his Hurricane. Some how I doubt it.

Ian M

Yeah,I don't buy that either. Keltie had Popeye art on the nose but I'm sure that would have been overpainted before the aircraft went to Kenley. I suspect that the "Bader cartoon",presumably the boot kicking Hitler up the jacksie,might be a confused and muddled reference to that. Johnson would also have been well aware that the cartoon was not specifically Bader's but applied to several (many?) 242 Sqn Hurricanes and on both sides. Why would he adopt another squadron's nose art?

You're right about the maple leaf,noone knows. I made mine red because from what I know of Johnson it seemed unlikely that his would have been a different colour to those of the men he commanded. Just my take on it,with absolutely nothing to back it up

Cheers

Steve

[Ian M]

The KUTA cartoon was 242's unofficial logo If I recall. IF he (JJ) did have it on his, it was said to be in recognition of the man and not 242.. What ever.

Na! clear varnish drying over night. I'll try one of the spares and see how it goes.

Ian M

[flyjoe180]

You might be interested in this site: http://spitfiresite.com/2010/04/johnnie-johnsons-spitfire-revisited.html

[Ian M]

lol. I'm on it all the time Joe. I often point people in their direction as well.

The only problem I am having is the squadron codes and serial.... I made some masks for the JE J from friskit film and as the serial number is only 2mm high in this case, I'll run those off on the printer as a decal....

Ian M

[Ian M]

I can now confirm that spraying ICM's joke decals with Vallejo varnish works. Rather well to.

So I painted the JE J and used the decals for the rest! Yeah.

Thanks for the tip.

Ian M

:laughing: Well it seem that it din't work that well. I came in to put a clear coat over the ICM decals to find that they had to all intents and purpose fallen off. It seems that the water was the only thing holding them in place..... Hmmm. Time to raid the "decal box"......