Smythe Meister's Mk. IX. ICM 1/48

[adt70hk]

Definitely looks like a Spitfire,!!!!

[Dave Ward]

Andy,
that's looking really good, cockpit looks really nice. Joining bits of plastic can be tricky, whether it makes up into a railway train, tank, aircraft or mecha. Skills can all be applied cross all genres, - it must be a mental thing that modellers say they can't make planes, tanks etc , just something outside of their normal genre!
Dave

[Tim Marlow]

That’s looking rather good Andy. Not sure why you are talking yourself down here?I’m with Dave on the modellers mental block thing. I really don’t know why we tend to scare ourselves off of certain subjects.

Building a cockpit isn’t that different to building the interior of a tank, or the cab interior of a lorry or car, for example. All of them are just crew areas enclosed in a structure, be it aircraft or tank shaped. If you can build one, you can build the other.

Sure, there is a little more filling and sanding on an aircraft, because a smooth and gap free airframe is a pre requisite for painting. However, you won’t start to paint a car if there are gaps all over the bodywork will you?

Aircraft don’t need you to make up individual track links or have lots of wheels where you need to accurately paint the tyres, but equally tedious jobs such as rigging, or painting modern underwing stores, exist in aircraft modelling…..….

To me, the only significant changes in technique occur during painting and finishing. Aircraft always seem to need loads of masking, more than any other genre, ending up looking like a ball of tape…..

Even then though similarities occur across genres. A bare metal type finish, with loads of decals, on an aircraft requires the same preparative care and planning as a rally car, for example. Streaking, fading, and paint wear most often displayed on an AFV is also found on camouflaged aircraft or ships, for another.

Modelling anything just takes a little forethought about what techniques and tricks you need to use to get the effect you are after. The fun comes in building different types of model so allowing you to develop those skills.

[Jim R]

Hi Andy
That is all looking great. Filling and sanding and repeating the process three or four times in order to get a gap free, smooth join is boring but necessary. Onwards and upwards.
Jim

[adt70hk]

That’s looking rather good Andy. Not sure why you are talking yourself down here?I’m with Dave on the modellers mental block thing. I really don’t know why we tend to scare ourselves off of certain subjects.

Building a cockpit isn’t that different to building the interior of a tank, or the cab interior of a lorry or car, for example. All of them are just crew areas enclosed in a structure, be it aircraft or tank shaped. If you can build one, you can build the other.

Sure, there is a little more filling and sanding on an aircraft, because a smooth and gap free airframe is a pre requisite for painting. However, you won’t start to paint a car if there are gaps all over the bodywork will you?

Aircraft don’t need you to make up individual track links or have lots of wheels where you need to accurately paint the tyres, but equally tedious jobs such as rigging, or painting modern underwing stores, exist in aircraft modelling…..….

To me, the only significant changes in technique occur during painting and finishing. Aircraft always seem to need loads of masking, more than any other genre, ending up looking like a ball of tape…..

Even then though similarities occur across genres. A bare metal type finish, with loads of decals, on an aircraft requires the same preparative care and planning as a rally car, for example. Streaking, fading, and paint wear most often displayed on an AFV is also found on camouflaged aircraft or ships, for another.

Modelling anything just takes a little forethought about what techniques and tricks you need to use to get the effect you are after. The fun comes in building different types of model so allowing you to develop those skills.

Well said that man!!! Couldn't have put it better!

As for the ball of tape, I thought it was just me being overzealous..... But clearly not!!!

[Tim Marlow]

Well said that man!!! Couldn't have put it better!

As for the ball of tape, I thought it was just me being overzealous..... But clearly not!!!

Nope, I sometimes think Tamiya invented aircraft models simply to sell more masking tape…..

[The Smythe Meister]

Very sorry for the late reply and lack of personal responses here at the mo!!:anguished:
... Had my 3 month old Grand daughter around for most of the day,so my progress has been somewhat limited!!....But here`s a few pics....


as you can see there,there`s a decal missing!!... tried to replicate it with a CITIDAL paint,which matched great IMHO .... so with that,and a tiny brush in white.......

not perfect... but it`ll do for me:thumb2:
There`s more to see,but that`ll come later!!
Andy

[adt70hk]

Nicely done, Andy. Great save!

[Jim R]

Well done. Problem sorted.

Had my 3 month old Grand daughter around for most of the day

Just wait a while. We took my 5 year old granddaughter to a Pick Your Own strawberry farm today. She is gorgeous but both the wife and I are totally knackered. She seems to believe that granddad can play chase, kick a football, go on the climbing frame etc. and like a fool I do it but pay dearly later :smiling: :hugging-face:

[Mark1]

Good fix,it doesn't look out of place.

[stillp]

She seems to believe that granddad can play chase, kick a football, go on the climbing frame etc.

All at once of course!
Pete

[Guest]

Thought this was your Mossie build , didn't read the heading, sorry Andy.
Nice save on the prop ( leaning new words every day )

[The Smythe Meister]

Nicely done, Andy. Great save!

Cheers Andrew,it looks a closer match of yellow in real life:thumb2:.

Well done. Problem sorted.

Just wait a while. We took my 5 year old granddaughter to a Pick Your Own strawberry farm today. She is gorgeous but both the wife and I are totally knackered. She seems to believe that granddad can play chase, kick a football, go on the climbing frame etc. and like a fool I do it but pay dearly later :smiling: :hugging-face:

That`s not foolish at all Jim.... it`s barking mad!!:tears-of-joy:

Good fix,it doesn't look out of place.

Cheers Mark,it`ll do for me .

[The Smythe Meister]

Thought this was your Mossie build , didn't read the heading, sorry Andy.
Nice save on the prop ( leaning new words every day )

No problemo John!!:thumb2:
.... "New words"?!!..... Well,being ex R.A.F. i know the words..... it`s actually assembling the kit that`s my handicap!!:tears-of-joy::tears-of-joy::dizzy:

[The Smythe Meister]

OK then.......
I`m loosely calling the following update as "Progress":flushed:
So,masked up the underbelly with Tamiya tape,(I`ve had the same 40mm wide roll for at least 8 years,and i`ve used more of it on this plane alone than in all the previous years put together!!:tears-of-joy,and sprayed with Ocean Grey...



Then ,and here`s another first for me,i got These out.......

They really feel great and are so user friendly to apply,giving an excellent seal,HOWEVER ,i had real trouble with the one covering Portside exhaust,(as in it wouldn`t stick down above it),and a couple had to be trimmed a bit where they over hung the wings.Now this is probably due to my having not used them before,or the fact that it`s an ICM kit,(Not listed in the "Recommended" kits..... or,which is more likely,a combination of both......

Then,time to take the Bull by it`s horns,and chuck some Dark Green at it:astonished:...... Well,when i did a paint match with the stated "Model Master" paint i got Humbrol "Dark Green 03". Had some of that for a future Blenheim kit,so on it went:thumb2:........ Oooops:surprised:......

It IS a lot darker than it looks in that pick,but not as dark as it should be IMHO,(Annoying really,because i have SO MANY Dark Greens for my Armour builds!!),however,i ain`t redoing all that!! So it is what it is,at least i`m learning from these mistakes,so my Mosquito build should be so much more acceptable,hopefully!!
Last pick for now,took the mask off for the Fuselage stripe.....

So there you are... insults and abuse expected welcomed:tears-of-joy:,
This evening then,..... Putting on the opened cockpit side door section,painting the small details,add the Decals,put on the "Prop",(John`s latest word there:tears-of-joy:!!),
........and lastly...... just the small matter of trying to mask the Canopy bits:fearful::confounded:
Cheers for now,and thanks for looking in,
Andy