The Wooksta! - The Plan, a Spitfire Blog

[The Wooksta!]

A mammoth masking session took place on Wednesday and Thursday to ensure that the weekend was free so I could go to Glasgow with a clear conscience.  The bulk of the spraying took place yesterday as I was too knackered on Saturday to do much other than veg out in front of the telly.

The masking tape is now all off and most need touch ups here and there where it's taken off little chips of paint.  One I managed to respray but all will require use of a brush.  I am most unhappy with this.  However, having said that, there's quite a few that I'm really pleased with and some that I'd be happy to put into a reserve collection.  I'm wanting them done to get them out of the way.

The three late comers are now primed, one is ready to spray proper and the canopy is on.

With the vast bulk of the spraying done, I can see light at the end of the tunnel and no, it isn't a train coming in the opposite direction.  I'm sure that I'm about a week, possibly two, ahead of where I normally am, so it all looks achievable with perhaps time to spare.  However, I can't slow down lest these comments come back to bite me.

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[The Wooksta!]

Decalling has commenced, sort of.  There's 4 decalled fully and a few partials (ie national markings and serials are on, they're just waiting for squsdron codes.  The Met Flight F.21 I'm quietly pleased with and the Seafire F46 converted from the Airfix F22 doesn't look to bad either, although I'm not happy with the surface finish.

To get to this stage, it was out with the hairy sticks and I touched a few up (oo-er missus!) to overpaint the paint chipped off.  On of the worst affected was the Admiral F.24 and I'd abandoned it in disgust last year.  It doesn't look too bad now and I'm hoping that the Korean War stripes (thoughtfully provided in the Xtradecal F22/24 sheet) should divert attention away from the paintowkr.  However, if I add a few red stars as kill markings under the cockpit, I can explain them away as overpainted repair patches.  Need to find that P.39 decal sheet...

I also did quite a few of the yellow leading edge recognition markings, although I still have a few to do, plus all them nasty Sky fuselage bands.  Decals never look right and my hand painting is shonky at the best of times.

Thanks to Captain Canada, I now have all the four spoke hub wheels I need, although I did order an Airfix PR19 from the LHS to ensure that I had a spare set. I'm planning on backdating it to a PR.IV but with a two stage Merlin.  Confused?  So am I but I think it'll work.  If not, the PRXI conversion from Freightdog for the nose should rescue it.  Win-Win either way.  If it fails, I'm thinking of grafting the Freightdog RR conversion onto a mk Ia (old tool and I know that the 19 wing fits it) and going down that route.  You've got to love hybrid airframes.

Jaybee's BBMF Spitfire F22 has kind of pre-empted something I was toying with but have yet to do.  I've a IIb sitting awaiting decals and a chance find of a photo of a mk I with a four blade prop, 3 spoke hub wheels and 6 stub exhausts made me think about finishing the IIb I have as a BBMF example.  However, it's not a model I'm happy with, so it'll be finished as something else, but the idea is still sound and there's a Hobbyboss Vb in the stash allocated to this idea.  Just need some Aeroclub Spitfire u/c legs.

More spraying to do tonight - found two that escaped the airbrush on sunday and there's a few that I couldn't face doing then either.  Plus the ETPS F21 doesn't have as much yellow on it as it should.  There's a little bit of masking too, which I must get done tonight.

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[The Wooksta!]

Got the masking done last night, so more spraying done last night, plus a pair that needed remedial work with Halfords cans got done.  May need to retouch one underneath and as some of the decals are on, it's going to be some tricky masking.  There's not too much spraying left to do, so I really want it done this week so I can concentrate on the decalling.

The Admiral F24 is now decalled and it looks pretty good.  You can't see the areas retouched unless you look closely so I may have got away with it.  I went looking for that P39 decal sheet for the kill markings, only to find a pair of Aeroclub arrestor hooks that I've been wanting.  Result!  Means I can get the last two Attackers sprayed once they're fitted.  The decals I was looking for were in the decal box and pretty close to the surface.

Several more got partially decalled, two being Airfix 22s converted to 24s (all I did was shorten the gun barrels).

Bit more masking tonight, the most important being the F21 with a training school.  Really want that one done, if only to spit in the eye of people who say I stick to aircraft with easy schemes.  Wonder what they'd make of the Isreali PR11?

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[The Wooksta!]

Final lot of masking done last night and then more spraying.  With one exception, virtually all of the spraying is now done.  Disaster struck when I was cleaning up one of the Malaya PR19s but I'll repaint the wing when the masking comes off later.  A repainted wing would make sense for an aircraft nearing the end of it's career.  And the ones that Thailand got were *filthy*.  The F21 now has the first coat of Ocean Grey on.  I'll give it another coat tonight when I respray the PRU Blue on the two PR19s and the FRVIII.

Apart from that, all I did last night was paint a few more aircraft with their leading edge yellow stripes and retouched an Attacker.  In the cold light of day, the retouching doesn't look too bad.  Whilst I'm on the subject, I asked a layperson (ie Wor Lass, who isn't a modeller) to see if there was owt wrong with the few aircraft that had either dodgy surfaces or serious retouches with a hairy stick.  She said they looked fine, so I'll live with them.

Apart from the spraying, more decaling tonight.  Hopefully should have another three tidied away.

Heard mention of 4 cannon mk VIIIs, so that's another I'll add into the plan.  Freightdog conversion bits on an Aifix IXc is the route I'll take and I've several Australian marking options I can use.

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[The Wooksta!]

I'd forgotten how much I dislike decalling and also how much time it takes up.  You'd think I could have got loads done over the weekend, but no.  I just couldn't settle and consequently, not much got done.  Some partials but I only finished four.  I couldn't settle last night either - a mate dragging me out to the casino didn't help either (sometimes I think I'm his carer...) -  but at least I managed to get more done.

So far, there's a total of 15 to varnish, which is about 20% of the total currently in build.  Obviously, not all will come to Telford, it's just a handy deadline to try and get more finished and into the boxes.  My plan is to finish as many as I can and then pick out me favourites and they come with me.

More decalling ahead of me tonight.  Current aim is to get as many with their national markings on and then I'll go back and add things like serials and squadron codes later.  Quite a few need their Sky bands painted around the fuselage, which means tedious masking to ensure I get relatively straight lines.  My masking is a lot better than my hand painting.

One thing holding me back is a lack of decals.  I thought I needed some Norwegian roundels but a chance find on ebay pointed me in the direction of a kit I already have which should give me both squadron codes and national markings. I can find serials elsewhere and looking through Spitfire International reveals that the Norwegians left the bulk of their Spitfires with their original RAF serial codes.  Double bubble! I have some Portugese markings - enough for one aircraft, so the F.IXe is sorted - but need some more and hopefully the ones I have on order will arrive by the weekend.  I'm sure I've a sheet of Portugese markings somewhere but I'm not sure where it is, possibly the loft at me Mam's.

Arrestor hooks are now on the Attackes and the F21 has it's first coat of green.  I'll get some more of the decalling out of the way before I do  the masking to spray their last coats.  I'm having a change of plan with regard to one of the Attackers.  I had intended Argentinian but it may go Canadian instead.  Or possibly FAA with Korean stripes or the red/yellow excercise stripes from the Trumpeter Sea Fury.  Or is that a real one anyway?

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[The Wooksta!]

I don't know what it is but I just can't seem to settle with this decalling and I'm just dragging my heels.  Last night I finished a total of two, although I did advance a few others.  Latest disaster seems to be a lack of upperwing roundels in the decals box - the ones in the Airfix IXc aren't the best, frankly, although I have resorted to using the better ones and they seem to look okay.  They may look better under a coat of varnish.

A dig through the loft at me Mam's unearthed the Portugese markings that I *knew* I had, along with some extra Argentinian roundels and flags, but not as many as I thought I had.

More changes of plan, this time with one of the PR21s.  Both already have their colour on - overall PRU blue - but I've never had any clear idea of what I wanted to do with them, although I may have done when I started them May last year.  Thoughts of use as Met Flight or courier aircraft did run through my mind but didn't feel right. I'm sure I'd considered SEAC but as I have at least four 19s in SEAC colours, plus a PR21 in the Far East anyway, I decided against it. 

But then I had an idea about masking some of the PRU Blue off roughly with Maskol and respraying it in silver.  There's photos of Mosquitos and Hornets which had camo being overpainted with Silver Dope and then it being stripped off in tropical storms over Malaya, so there's basis in reality and it's a way round a problem.  Well, one at least.  What do I do with the other one?

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[The Wooksta!]

I hate decalling.  Almost as much as I hate masking.  It's more of a love/hate relationship - it's a pain looking through the boxes for the ones I want, cutting them out and watching them disintegrate when threatened with water but when they go on and I start to see what I had imagined slowly being revealed.  The HFIXc now has national markings and serials (still need to add the squadron codes) but already I love it.

Another thing that I seem to be doing more and more is naming them - does anyone else do that?  Last year there was a Hobbyboss LF.Vb that I named Queenie after the fuselage code.  The Lancaster AEW was named Dougal.  And now I've named at least three of the ones decalled - an FRVIIIc was nicknamed Romeo, a PRXIX got called Uncle, an FRXIIIe was named Fab 5 Freddie of all things (he's a rapper, DJ and graffitti artist who got name checked in Blondie's Rapture) and something else was named Norman (the backstory will have it flown a Geordie pilot). Edit:  Just remembered it's a mk Ia based on Malta in 1940.

It plods on slowly but I'm starting to be wracked with doubt, not to mention thoughts of saying enough and concentrating on what's already decalled.  One thing I'm fearing with that thought is that, like other models cut out of plans in previous years, I'll abandon them for good. Which would be a shame as there's quite a few that I'm pleased with and want to see them finished, not to mention a few others that I dislike but want finished to get them out of the way for good - the Pegasus Spitfire F22 for one, bearing in mind I've had it for 20 years and have yet to finish it, although it's come close three times.

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[The Wooksta!]

The bulk of the decalling is now done.  There's a few left to start - two of which I still don't quite know what to do with - and one I still need to spray but I can definitely see the end now.  Speaking of the end, four got axed.  I wasn't happy with them anyway - one may even get stripped and there's another which I can't even find in the hard copy of The Plan, although I had a feeling I may have been planning to build it as a real one anyway - so no great loss.  The Pegasus F22 has waited 20 years to be finished, another few months won't hurt.

I'm actually starting to enjoy the decalling now, as the codes and personal markings are going on some of the ones already with their national markings.  And kill markings - I do aircraft that kill people.  Not many aces though.  There's a few that I was somewhat ambivalent about but now the markings are on, they look much better.  Last minute unit changes abound though - an F22 that was slated for export became an RAF one upon the discovery I didn't have enough decals in good enough quality to actually use.  Ditto a PRIV that may end up with the Navy - I ran out of Portugese markings and the aftermarket decal sheet I was using decided to disintegrate when dipped in water.  Which means that the Polish FXVIe gets different markings.

I've been thinking of a Russian unit staffed by RAF pilots with communist leanings - a British Normandy Niemen if you will - led by 'Comrade Ogilvy' and flying Spitfire LFIXe low backs.  Not quite sure what the markings might look like (a C type roundel in the centre of the red star?) so I'll put that one to one side for now, partly because the FXVIe that I may have used has the yellow leading edge strip.  But a Russian test unit for an overall NMF 9 lowback is possible.  Need the decals though.  Think I'll buy a Hobbyboss He 162 and that NMF 16 that got axed may get a reprieve.

I did create a Polish ace flying a Spiteful and that one *will* be at Telford. It'll be getting rockets and drop tank so should look pretty cool.

It's starting to come together.  The last few decals should be going on tonight and then out with the varnish tomorrow.  That's going to be a long night...

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[The Wooksta!]

Got half of the varnishing done last night.  Quite a few need some final tweaks before I can varnish them - missing u/c doors and in two cases the u/c needs to go on - but the bulk will be done tonight.  After which, it's a simple case of paint the u/c doors and glue on props, wheels and exhausts, the vast majority of which are 'something we prepared earlier'.  The NMF ones will need glare panels but little else.  I'm really pleased with the second line RAF F22.  Actually, I'm pleased with the varnish on most of those done last night.  Eggshell finish.  The varnish has also hidden the dodgy paintwork on one of the Attackers.  I can get two of them tidied away tonight and I just need to do the stands for them.

One thing I did notice when varnishing a few is how shoddy they are.  Admittedly, they're older models that I'm trying to finish off but will very likely end up being replaced in short order, using either the new Airfix Ia or Hobbyboss Vb.  At least two more for the reserve collection...

It's all coming together. The weekend is going to be interesting.

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[The Wooksta!]

The bulk of the varnishing is now done.  There's a few which need a bit more tweaking before I can varnish them but I tweak a few last night and they'll get a varnish coat tonight.  I did affix quite a few exhausts last night and some u/c doors got painted.  Glare shields are all done too.

Two of the Attackers were finished last night.  All they needed was the canopies painting black and the exhausts done.  They both look fab and the varnish has hidden the dodgy paintwork.  That old Frog kit doesn't look too bad really.

So, that's two done  out of the 70+.  Not good. The sheer enormity of it all is beginning to set in and panic may not be far behind.  Already the axe has fallen on a night intruder Vb - the weak resin u/c collapsed again and I'm not happy with it anyway. Another reserve collection perhaps, certainly one to replace.  I'm minded to also axe the two Attackers that still need paint, along with the Flying School F21 on time grounds.  There's also some low back IXs that were going to get Czech/RAF markings but may also get the bullet.

As I said earlier, the weekend is going to be interesting but most of saturday is already booked with other things.  I've a feeling sunday is going to be a long day.

I have some days off next week but ideally want everything finished by Wednesday afternoon so I can box them that night.  I do not want to be chasing my tail at 3am Friday morning when I get picked up at 10am for the journey to Telford.  In any case, I have other plans for Thursday involving fast cars, curries and casinos.

What was that tale about Sysyphus again?

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[The Wooksta!]

Well, Telford has been and gone. 

The final run up was similar to previous years and my large lead helped but slipped as deadline loomed.  In the end, I just abandonded stuff, safe in the knowledge that I had more than enough.  In total, I completed 60 models, although some till had the canopy masking to come out.  This could well be my most productive year yet, although IIRC I finished 90+ back in '99.  The final tally is still to be totalled, as I'm trying to finish the few that didn't make it - last night saw a pair of Spitefuls finished, although the 2TAF one still needs tailwheel doors and aerials.

Why abandon things?  I'm not running myself ragged again.  Besides which, the opportunity of a spin in an Aston Martin Rapide was too good to pass up and that was on the Thursday before Telford.  The 6 litre V12 engine was the sweetest engine I've ever heard, apart from the RR Merlin of a Spitfire (Mosquitoes sound similar but the harmonics are different due to there being two Merlins).  And a free Indian buffet?  Turn one of them down for some plastic models?  Are you mad?  I was still coming down on Friday morning.

The display looked good, especially the four finished Attackers in flying mode - the other two got sprayed but I ran out of time on them, although they will be finished by Sunday.  Quite a few people commented how effective they looked, being at the back and above the main display.  The bulk of it was comprised of stuff finished this year or 2011, although there were one or two older models - the Supermarine 224 and the Spitfire Prototype being essential, despite their age.  The latter will need redoing at some stage as I was never happy with the canopy.

Several people picked my brains with regard to Spitfire whifs they're planning, one of which is similar to something I've got in the pipeline. Another I quite like the sound of, so I'm nicking it and doing something similar, although I'll use some redundant Ventura bits (as I know they'll cross kit) rather than what they're planning.

Haulwise, it was my best year yet.  Three Airkit and two Legato resin kits had me jumping for joy (ensuring I was there when Collectakit opened helped, big style) and then being early in the Kit Swap to nab a large number of CMK kits for a tenner apiece.  Lady Luck was certainly smiling.  Especially when there was a Seafire 47 of the tooling I'm always on the look out for.

Donations to The Plan are always welcome and this weekend was no exception.  Lenny passed along an unknown resin Seafire FR47 which was sans a wing but that's replacable.  IIRC, there's a resin plug in it for the canopy too.  I have suspicions that I know who cast it and it looks very similar to the Ventura Seafire 47, although the radiators look quite like Airkit F21 bits.  Chris on the Collectakit stand gave me a CMK Seafire FR47 too, but this was one of the old tools.  All three mean I have enough to do quite a few late Spitfires, either F26 or FR26.  The other donations are mentioned in the stash thread.

Next year, will I be there?  Doubtful now.  Bombshell at work - I'm out of a job in March at the latest.  The writing's been on the wall for a while.  At least I went out on a high.

Future plans?  Well, I'll have the time to do the writing, most of the modelling has been done and I have the design skills, even if they are a bit rusty, so a book version of The Alternate Spitfire is likely.  Publication date may be sometime around 2014.

And on that note, I'm closing this thread.  For now...

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[The Wooksta!]

On reflection, closing the thread was daft.  The sky hasn't fallen in, not yet anyway.  I still have the vast bulk of the kits needed to complete The Plan as it stands and if I have to buy any more...  We'll wait and see.

I finished the last two FRXIIIs at the weekend - all they needed was the canopies.  The back section of teh Airfix Ia was sawn off and fitted in place and I used vacform ones for the rest, the windscreen went on easy enough and the sliding section is left open.

There's still a few other unfinished ones kicking about - the two Attackers that need decalling, for example and a XVIe in overall NMF.  Post war XVIe aircraft are hard to whiff, because there were so many of them and they were with every unit as hacks.  I'm toying with a Polish squadron for that one with late Type C roundels, as though it's been delivered and repainted just before they went home.

Looking at The Plan reveals that I don't have many Seafires - I think I have more Spitefuls finished - so I'll be making a start on them soon.  A few in Dutch markings as training machines until they get the Seafang is possible.  I know I had plans for some but some of the Seafire marks are hard to whiff. 

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[The Wooksta!]

The two Attackers were decalled last night and look rather good.  Wor Lass liked them both although I need to give the Canadian one it's serial codes.  This is only the second Canadian what if I've done*, although quite a few of the aircraft done this year either got Canadian Maple leaves under the cockpit or were with Canadian squadrons.  On reflection, I seem to have done quite a few RAF foreign squadrons - call it The Plan's contribution to multiculturalism - especially Poles or Czechs.  Which reminds me, I need to finish that Polish FR16.



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* The other one is in this thread (http://www.whatifmodelers.com/index.php/topic,7019.0.html) and as it got a load of flak from a former member of this site, I vowed then NEVER to do another Canadian whif. 

[The Wooksta!]

Decalling the two Attackers made me think about a few more and consequently I dug out the box of half started ones. There was a half dozen all told, all of which had the intakes blanked of.  Two have had the cockpits and wheel bays opened up but I'll leave them till later, although a lack of actual vac form canopies means that they are low priority.  However, I did get some Pavla Fouga Magister canopies a while back so the likelihood of a pair of trainers is high.  One also had the fin removed but the AZ and CMR Attackers come with two fins so I have a replacement.

Two have been fully assembled - ie the few panel lines I'm keeping have been rescribed and everything else sanded off.    One has had the guns cut down to just stubs and I'm thinking of it with one of the flying schools in the mid/late 50s, which means overall NMF with dayglo strips.  Then again, I may keep that for one of the two seaters and just do it as an RAuxAF machine instead.

While I was rescribing, my mind wandered, thinking about other operators.  I've already mentioned the possibility of Swiss ones but India popped into my head.  Given that Pakistan actually had Attackers, one forced down or landed by a defecting pilot and operated as a hack or evaluation machine isn't too far a stretch.

I've also been tinkering with the Xtrakit Spitfire F22.  Now, I know that I've slated this kit in the past and yes, I'm still not that keen on it but given that I know where the flaws are I think I can get one together easier than I did before.  The key is careful preparation.  The same could be said for the Ventura kits, which have nowhere near the same amount of detail but don't come in for the same level of flak.

This week I'd like to get a few more of the Telford refuseniks done, as there's at least three low backs that only really need the rudders sorting out and they're finished, although I think the Egyptian one also need it's prop and canopy finished too.

I totted up how many models I'd finished off this year and I'm nearly into three figures, although a good half dozen aren't Plan related.  Could well be my most productive year ever.

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[The Wooksta!]

So, I now have two Attackers assembled and, barring a little more sanding, almost ready for priming.  Given that both are intended for an Aluminium finish, I'll prime them in said colour as it usually highlights any flaws.

I went searching for Attacker bits as I *know*I've some more somewhere, but all I could find was one which had the cockpit opened out and the nosecone removed.  IIRC, it was going to have a contraprop and a buried Bristol Centaurus engine but the current Plan has higher priority.

I've also made a start cleaning up another Airfix 22 and I intend this one as a camouflaged machine but with a slight twist.  Not saying much else about this one.

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