Peterpools

Gaz You lucky devil ... I'm still waiting and will be waiting a while longer after carl receives his kit.

Martin Spot on the money and looking so good.

Thanks Carl, will be checking them out. One of the biggest pluses for AK Real Colors is how many venders carry the paints as compared to MRP.

Rob Right with you, AK Real Colors are right up there and shoot so smoothly.

Thanks Phil so much. I bought a set of EagleCal decals: EC#158 which contain the same markings I was planning on using from the kit decals, QV J. About 2/3 of the decals will be from EagleCal and the balance from the kit. Right now, comparing them both, the kit decals look pretty good. Just going to see how it goes.

Rob Thank you for the research and historical information - so very interesting. Everything on a military uniform has a meaning and tradition and finding out what they are is a search all unto itself.

PW Looking so good - can never have enough F4's. And I'm with you in wanting a really good Jaguar in 48th scale.

Rob Thank you for posting the two photographs of your high tech tools for marking the waterline. Always the right tool for the job!🔨

Thanks Gaz Very much appreciated. All goes well, glossing and decaling this week.

Thanks Martin, making progress.

Thanks Carl. much appreciated. It seems pretty easy to become hooked on AK Real Colors as they shoot so well. I never hear of TruColor and will have to look into them. BTW, I replaced the images I originally posted as the colors were a bit off and the new ones are a lot more accurate in color. I was a bit too lazy and didn't use my nrmal lightening and thus the poor color reproduction for the first set.

Chris Now that would be a nightmare for sure.

👍

THE PAINT SHOP Finally, The Spit has rolled into the paint shop for priming and her cammo. Ask masks were used with no issues and what a pleasure after having spent nearly five work session masking the Kingfisher the old fashioned way with a zillion tiny strips of Tamiya tape. After a final wipe down, the Spitfire was primed with MRP Light Gray Primer and a few spots popped up that needed extra attention. I had a set of AK Real Colors in the paint stash for early RAF fighters and knowing how well AK Real Colors air brush, they became the paints of choice. First up was the Dark Brown RC287, which went down smooth as silk and let dry overnight. I still need to go back and do a bit of blending. The underside color was RAF Sky RC290 as included in the set. I know there has been a lot of discussion as to the underside color: Sky, Sky Type S and Duck Egg Blue. There are differences between all and I just went with Sky as it looked the part. The sides and upper surfaces were masked off and then it was time to apply the Sky undersurfaces. While shooting the Sky color on, I also painted the Spinner, back plate and the gear doors. Air brush of choice: Iwata Eclipse HP-PC with 3.5 tip. I’ve been a MRP Fan Boy since they first appeared and since then, my go to paint of choice. Since getting my feet wet with AK Real Colors, I enjoy using them as much as MRP and maybe even a bit more. I find that they shoot beautifully with excellent coverage. Best plus for AK Real Colors, they are available from a greater verity of vendors and all the colors are easy to find while MRP seems to always be waiting for fill in colors and available from a limited number of vendors. Only big difference in use: I shoot MRP straight from the bottle and Real Colors are thinned 50/50 with Self leveling Thinners. The Spitfire is getting close to decaling and then the turn to the finish line.

John Awesome paint work and the cammo looks so good.

Carl Going to be a neat build to follow and enjoy for the entire journey.

Chris Oh I know that sound so well especially after the stress crack on the Kingfisher appeared. Mine was in 30 year old crunchy, hard plastic and needed stop holes and lots of extra thin and then let dry for days. Resin seems different and the CCA hopefully will do the trick Couldn't hurt to drill a small stop hole on each end but don't fill them in or the stop holes will not work. Yup, good call on the horizontal stabilizers - sometimes the best course of action, is no action and finishing is the most important action of all. . .

Carl You have me beat for sure. Major painting is now finished and photographs a bit later this afternoon. I've been using AK Real Colors these days and never thought I would find a paint I like better then MRP but Real Colors are just fantastic and so much easier to find. I'm itching to crack open the Kotare Spitfire as well when she arrives and not sure if I'll wait for a Quinta cockpit set or dive right in. .

Gaz WOW, small details and wonderful progress. The figures look so good and add so much to the build - awesome work for sure.

Right with Gaz and Rob - looking so good

Hubert I'll be on board for your 172 all the way. Other then my Piper Colt and a J3, the Skyhawk is my favorite GA aircraft and I have more hours in them then any other airplane.

Oliver, nice progress and the smaller figure is absolutely usable. Smaller figures should be in the rear (force perspective) and you could make then larger by maybe changing heads and Hubert had suggested or a plug in the legs, since we all come in different heights and waistlines. 🙃.

Thanks Chris And so glad you're on board/ I finally finished the top cammo work yesterday and today the undersides Sky and then an update. I do love the Quinta 3D sets over the other as they include a lot more details other the IP and side consoles plus a nice set of harnesses. I've been waiting and waiting for the Lancaster set to reach our side of the pond, expensive yes but oh so complete.

Hubert, exactly on the money. But those earlier days was nearly 100% fun, no AM at all except decals and zero frustration. As I passed my 75th birthday, I've been looking at some 1/72 scale kits and amazed at the cost and only are considering those canopy masks sets either come with the kit or are available as AM - no way could I mask them by hand - the Kingfisher was way too hard and that was 48th scale.

Phil you are so right. Just looking at all the extra work needed to bring the Revell Spitfire up to the painting stages as compared to the Tamiya Spitfires. Old school for sure but not as far back as the Monogram Kingfisher. When I started building again on and off in the early 70's, kits were so inexpensive and now, OMG, they are a major purchase, if you can even find what you are looking for, I've seen some of the newer 1/72nd kits approaching and one or two over the $100 mark! I used to walk into the Squadron Hobby shop and for less then $10 but a 1/72 kit, paint a,d maybe a Microscale decal sheet. Times surely have changed. What Revell does have going to itself is cost vs quality and for the extra wort and some AM, it is a pretty good buy.