Peterpools

John Nice to learn a new way of preparing and working through the painting phase of a build, with a well thought out game plan. Already have been making more detailed notes on my painting guide for the Spitfire.

HI John Absolutely a stellar build, as the cammo and markings are so unique, home grown, and perfectly done. So glad you decided to pick up the fight and retackle those few issues that originally had the 1090 back in the box. It's so easy to see how much thought and planning went into working out your painting guide. On most of my builds I do something of the same, working out the paints and colors I'm going to use on the kits included painting guide but nothing as detailed as yours. 🏆

John So glad you pulled back down the 109 and finished the build - another gem for sure. 🏆

Rob My dreams of a MFH Cobra are going to be through your build and I can't thank you enough for doing the Cobra as your next project. The incredible number of parts are staggering and the build will be a joy to follow. I'm onboard for the entire journey, my seat is front and center (at a premium price at the box office.

Chris Looking mighty good and just keep chipping away at those mere 60 stencils 😉

Carl Looking mighty good.

Awesome. 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and the Nautilus are wonderful memories of a time gone by - both watching the movie on Walt Disney on TV and in the movies.

Mike, thanks so much, as it is a pleasure to work on a kit that isn't loaded with poorly fitting parts and vague instructions. I used to soak and wash the kit frets and parts in dawn for a good few hours, then go through the rinsing and drying procedure years ago but with 32nd scale everything is so large, it became a lot of work, so I settled into the routine I am still using. I don't think it matters how the kit parts are cleaned, just that somewhere before priming, the mold release agents are removed. I also agree that the quality of the primer is so very important in 'biting' into the plastic, so it can do its job. Once I'm into the various painting stages, I will use my Tamiya anti-static brush to give the model a quick dusting between coats, trying to keep the painted surfaces as clean as I can. Sometimes it works fantastically and sometimes it doesn't, as some dust /sanding particles find their way into the paint. Oh, the joys of painting.

Thanks Rob, very much appreciated. I just find that preparing the model for primer these days has a few much-needed steps to help remove fingerprints, oils and hidden sanding dust. Of course, somehow, some always seems to evade my efforts and then need to be dealt with after priming. Just give it my best and move on.

Count10 Right with you .... the last wipe down and then a thorough brushing with a Tamiya Anti Static brush and it's off to the paint booth.

Chris Can never have enough prep as it saves so much time and aggravation later on.👍

John Perfect air brush work as always. Looking mighty good.

HI Chris Not really. What shows in the photographs is where I cleaned up seams and fit issues, especially on the wings. Prior to priming, I'll wet sand the entire model with either 8000 or 12,000 grit, then wipe the model down with a very lightly damp paper towel with isopropanol to remove any traces of sanding dust. From that point on, I wear cotton gloves when handling the model. One reason I go to this extent is I do not wash the parts to remove mold release agents. It's just my way of working and most likely way over the top. I've been very lucky; as in my way of thinking, it helps prevent the primer and or paint from lifting - which I don't ever remember happening.

The seats and interior look mighty convincing with years and many miles of wear and use.

FUSELAGE AND WINGS WORKING AWAY Steady progress and with the front office completed, the last two remaining parts were added and the fuselage halves were glued together and taped, left to dry for a good 48 hours. When the tape was removed, the seams were cleaned up and panel lines restored. The wings had been started while various parts of the cockpit were being painted, as well as the remaining smaller assemblies were built up and needed time to dry. Two areas that have always caused me a lot of extra work on the previous Tamiya Spitfires I've built and this build was no exception: the MG/canon ammo covers on the top and bottom of the wings and no matter how careful I was in fitting the MG/canon leading edge inserts into the wings, the fit was far from perfect, with the inner dual canons inserts the worst offenders of each group. I’m still in the process of refining the canon inserts fit and removing any stray sanding marks from the wings. The wing tips were built up and glued into place and some cleanup will be needed to blend in the seams. I’m only starting to test the wing/fuselage alignment and fit and so far, so good.

Looking mighty good - reminds me of my model railroading days - I just loved building structures and creating scenery.

Paul Some really nice additions to the stash.

John Agreed ... some mighty nice and steady progress.

Just a big fan of the 727, as it was the first commercial jet I flew on as a passenger - quite an experience back then.

Could also be building 1/144 scale 727's.

Chris Is it possible to use the kit's landing gear (metal & plastic) and graft on the 3D printed/resin details? I've watched a few videos of 3D landing gear being used on the 1/32 scale Italeri Tornado and the gear just fit perfectly. I'm only guessing but the way Tamiya designed the F4 with a lot of screws, was to add the maximum strength to the gear parts, as the Phantom is one big and heavy brute! On my Tamiya Spitfire build, the gear is held in place by screws as well, allowing the gear to be positional rather then fixed in place. While I'm not crazy about all the movable features on the model, which Tamiya did away with on their later kits, it did make for a super strong and positive way of attaching the gear. I'm still not sold on how strong the 3D printed gear on F4 will actually be.

John Fingers crossed the balance of the build will be a non-cuss factor, from here on in.🤞 Will be following all the way.

Paul Nice progress on the Tamiya Mk IV. Tracks look nicely detailed and nice to see they went together without any fuss.

Rob, very much appreciated, as Tamiya kits for me are a joy to build and my vote would be for the Kotare Spitfire. I built the Kotare Spitfire when it was first released, a gem and the equal of Tamiya, less the Merlin, which was a huge plus for me. Between my Tamiya Spitfires, Mustangs and Mossie, I have 6 builds with their Merlin's proudly displayed and , including the current build. I'm eagerly waiting for the new Korae Spitfire Mk Va to be released and it surely will move right to the front of to be build list.

Absolutely a stunning restoration. And of course, you new "cave" is awesome as well. Looking forward to build threads on 'clearing the scale aircraft models SOD !'