CANicoll

Ernie, Will be good to have you back. Missed you too!

Rob, Still, amazing work. I see the bit of damage that you'll touch up, but overall this looks terrific. I didn't realize the headers were white. I did remember how tight the engine compartment was with the 427 shoe-horned in where a small-block had originally been fitted.

Rob and John - that is what I SHOULD have done! Actually, if I had just bothered to clear coat the props after the decals it would not have been an issue, but no biggie. Rob thanks for your comment!

Yep, I think in the early war they were Sky or some other color. But the pictures I have found of the XVI seem to show white lettering. Not that it matters now. The lettering is under two clear coats. Something I should have looked more closely into, but I was relying on the decal manufacturer. Not always the best source.

I thought I'd be wrapping up this build by now, but a series of self-imposed missteps has me behind a bit: Instead of simply hand painting the yellow propeller tips, I dutifully masked, put down a white coat, then yellow - all MRP. In all the handling of the prop, the mask took off two of the prop stencils. For the life of me I could not understand why there were 6 stencils on the decal sheet. Now I know... 👍 Finally got to assembling the wheels/tyres for the Spitfire using the kit parts. Trying to save a bit of money over the usual resin set I frequently use. Well, I assembled and painted the wrong tyres apparently. The ones I assembled and painted have too small a center for the supplied wheel hubs. Oops... But did revisit the oil stains underneath. After sealing with the flat coat, the previous 'oil' stains were, predictably, flat. Using some Vallejo Gloss Black primer and the previously used 7mm make-up brush, drew a few streaks to hopefully show some recent stains. Thoughts? I kinda like the effect of the old and newer stains. Up next, exhaust staining....

Found this picture of an older-model Spitfire but what stands out to me is how weathered the aircraft is, camo and exhaust stains and all, but how clean the roundel is. But also that the letters on this aircraft are a gray and not white. I'll have to look to see if on the Mk XVI did they change to white lettering...

Isn't that kind of frustrating! On the other hand, if you decide to put in the rack and a center mounting point who is to say you are wrong? (Assuming you have the parts). I'm with you, however. I'd want that heavy tire sitting behind my head to be fully secured in the event of an 'event'.

Rob, I'm sure you've done your own web searches, but I did find this site which shows the spare tire tightened down with a nut, not rope. I would think the nut to be the preferred method to secure the spare. Hope this helps! Lots of other good shots which may or may not be helpful to you at this point.

The clipped wings improved low-altitude maneuverability by significantly improving the Roll-Rate. The FW-190, in particular, had a very good roll rate which the Spitfire needed to counter. (Thank you, Gemini, for the answer!)

Did some work on the bottom stains, after removing the previous effort. I used one of those very thin makeup brushes. In this case a 7mm brush, then used a cotton-bud wet with thinner to streak the lines. I should have captured the process - sorry! Here is the effect after the streaking, still on the gloss coat: And then after the flat coat: Topside after the flatcoat, the engine cowling and the canopy are dry fitted. Masks came off the clear parts just fine. And the underside: I like how the decals settled into paint and on most of them the carrier film disappeared into the clear coat, including the stencils.

Forgive me, but on the Karas, those panel lines look HUGE to me? The Duck looks terrific with an interior that would be a shame to close up.

I kept in touch with Harv and his family a bit via his facebook page. So sorry to see him pass. This is from one of their posts announcing his passing.

Rob, Definitely coming together and looks terrific. I have not tried any of the epoxies so can't off any experience there. The rivets look super on that two-piece floor. You are right, all that black makes it hard to pull out the details.

Finally painted the area behind the cockpit and while that dries started working on the oil stains on the underside. This is my first go at it. I have seen pictures of just massively stained undersides of Spitfires, but not really willing to go that far. I used the AK Paneliner, brown and black, and then turned up the airbrush and blew a dot of the stain in the direction of the wind. Not sure how I feel about the look. I think the real effect would have been thinner lines. This is all easily wiped away. Thoughts, please? And some beauty shots...Gloss X-22 to seal the decals and provide a base for the underside oiling.

Hmmm.. That is strange that you have used all of the products before, with no issues. One problem I have had with fogging is that the CA gel I use seems to put off fumes for a long time. I didn't realize it until I started using it in confined areas like wheel wells and cockpits (attaching small parts and resin parts). I was getting the tell-tale white power residue after a day or so.

Hubert, Thanks for this. I soured on KH early after I had to butcher the P-39 once the nose armament would not fit, nor any of the wing panels. The KH folks came to our local model contest shortly thereafter and I asked the owners about the kit telling them about the problems I had run into and the response, in short, was "well, that was one of our first kits". I remember paying something like $85 for the kit and they just shrugged their shoulders at it. I was/am pissed that they kept selling the kit, and not trying to go back and fix the issues. I heard the F-5E and the Kingfisher were much better, but I just can't bring myself to buy another Kitty Hawk kit.

I have not seen too much lately about the demise of Kitty Hawk and the apparent resurrection by Zimi Models. I don't know if Zimi has done anything to improve the quality of some of the problem kits (like the P-39Q) or if they simply bought the molds and inventory. SB has the full range it seems like. BTW, SB is having some sort of sale on 1,500 items.

Ahh, the base. Maybe even just directing a small fan at the car while the CA cures would help? Get some ventilation? Your pictures look terrific! This is such a beautiful car and you are doing it total justice.

Periodically I wonder about the GB's but like you all said, I figure it's another avenue to share a build and see what great work you all are doing.

Rob, been following along and am still amazed at the quality of your work. Even if the fuel cap is (ONLY!) 18 parts, that it is workable is amazing to me. The wheels look fantastic. One suggestion on the fogging: run a fan while the CA cures. Sometimes I put the parts in my spray booth and turn on the fan to extract the CA fumes.

Thanks Mike!

Sorry for the delay on just been busy. The stencils driving me a bit crazy but there are not that many. Most are on the bottom, which means most of them will not be seen. THOUGHT I was done with the decals and missed what are some of the MOST obvious ones - the Unit codes! Working on getting them to settle down into the rivet detail and panel lines. The codes and the nose are Lifecolor decals. I could have trimmed the carrier film a bit closer than I did, but honestly, the carrier seems to have disappeared. I have not used Lifecolor decals much but am impressed with them so far. The cockpit door is just fitted into place for the painting.

That tank filler cap is TWENTY PARTS???? Rob you have the patience of a saint. OMG. Looks terrific. Does it actually flip open?

That really is a mystery. But the dash looks amazing as does the firewall.

Rob, That is amazing that the primer didn't take. ugh. I am feeling your pain, my friend. Regarding the CA fogging - how about using a marker to redo the black parts? No need to mask. Potentially. Good luck!