Dave's PM Model 1/72 Supermarine Spitfire Mk.Vb Floatplane

[adt70hk]

Andrew,
I've got a PM model Beech C-45 Expeditor in the stash - that actually looks pretty good - very buildable, mind you, t was one of the more expensive PM models - £7.20!
Dave

Mine was £7.57! Is that the most expensive one??

On a serious note, sorry to hear about the OA flaring up again, hope it's short lived.

ATB.

Andrew

[Geoffers]

That must be incredibly frustrating Dave to have the urge to build but can’t because your hands are too painful.

Hope they settle down soon.

Geoff.

[Jim R]

Hi Dave
First thing is I hope your hand improves. All you can do is rest it.
As for the kit! That is a real challenge. You have a lot more patience and determination than I would have.
Jim

[Dave Ward]

The hand isn't too bad at the moment, but I know if I continue to use it as normal, then it will get worse, and take longer to recover.
On my mental build program, I'm up to May 2023, and that's not counting new additions! Of course it will all change.............
Dave

[Lee Drennen]

Dave I feel your pain I’ve noticed I’m slowing down in the evenings after working and on the weekends working here on the Hobby Farm I used to sit at the bench and work but my hands hurt too much. I had Arthritis in my hands for years too so I know how you feel hope you get better.

[Dave Ward]

Limiting my benchtime to less than an hour for the moment, I've been finding a few more problems - the wing joints - on the right side the wing slot is noticeably lower than the left! A bit of surgery needed.

After a bit more fettling - the filler was needed. PPP dries pretty quickly, so I was able to rub it down within my time limit...................
I'll let this really dry out overnight, then have another look to see if there any glaring gaps. I'll add the floats, radiator & oil cooler, before starting the priming process
Dave

[adt70hk]

Thanks for this Dave. Give me an idea of what to look out for on my PM TA-154.....

[Dave Ward]

A final going over with crocus paper, floats etc added, then an overall spray of grey primer

Next question is, what to spray next? Either the Ocean Grey base coat on the upper surfaces, or the Trainer Yellow on the underside? I'll get the paints out & decide tomorrow morning. One thing I've found out, is that the PM plastic is very soft - you need a minimum of TET, otherwise it dissolves the plastic to quite a degree!
As usual, I see that the primer has highlighted several duff area! - Oh Well................
Dave

[peterairfix]

Well a least it looks something like a spitfire considering how cheap it is but kudos for persisting.

[Tim Marlow]

Funny looking beastie isn’t it. Coming on though, despite issues and rough bits….

[colin m]

I had to look up a bit about float plane versions of the Spitfire. It seems the idea was abandoned, the Spitfire didn't perform too well with two HUGE floats dangling underneath. Well, who knew.
It looks like you have a true 'Modellers model' there Dave. Keep up the good work.

[Dave Ward]

I decided to do the upper side camouflage first - It being easier to mask this, than the other way round

I sprayed Ocean Grey, then hand painted the Dark Green patches. I'll let this dry overnight before masking & spraying what could be troublesome - the Trainer Yellow.............
Dave

[Dave Ward]

Not the most successful masking exercise, it's left quite a few ragged edges, that will need a bit of a clean up
Not sure what has happened, perhaps I should have left a day more before I masked, and sprayed the yellow :sad: . A bit of scraping to remove those ragged bits & retouching is needed - I bet in the end it would have been easier to brush paint the underside.............
Dave

[Dave Ward]

Cleaned up all the edges, and retouched

I'll give it a gloss varnish tomorrow - before decals - The next pictures will appear in the 'finished' section
Dave