Airfix Model World – July 2018

BASIC BUILD
SPITFIRE F.22

BASIC BUILD

SPITFIRE F.22

http://www.airfi xmodelworld.com 45

colours. The flat cross bar

also had to be trimmed in this

area, but regarding the actual wing

halves, the fit was superb once

more. After remembering to paint

the fuselage floor cockpit green,

the wings were left for several

days, before the seams were

sanded. However, to ensure the

best fit across the wing roots later

on, it was probably best to have

just glued together the edges of

the wings. If the main wheel wells

were also glued and clamped (as

done here) it reduced the amount

of flexibility when ensuring the

best possible wing-to-fuselage

joins. The transparent wing light

inserts were also attached at this

point, but the fit did require subtle

assistance from a needle file. The

radiators also needed attention

before proceeding further, but

bizarrely, I always find this part

of a Spitfire build extremely

tedious...but it still had to be done.

Radiators were painted with Alclad

ALC-101 Aluminium and weathered

with a home-made dark grey oil

wash, while the relevant areas

under the wing and the insides

of the radiator housings were

painted with XF-83 RAF Medium

Sea Gray 2. After securing the

radiators inside their housings,

they were attached to the wings.

The wing/fuselage fit was good,

and after assembling the airframe

completely, Milliput Superfine

White was used where necessary

to neaten and improve join lines. A

minor note, though, concerned the

rudder control rod (which met the

lower rudder) as this did need to

be trimmed to improve the fit.

Greens and greys

After the joins were primed

with XF-82 RAF Ocean

Gray 2, remedial work and

re-priming took place to

ensure neatness, before most

of the primer was removed (to stop

it affecting lighter colours) and

painting could begin.

It was decided to portray the

camouflaged aircraft in this boxing,

a Cooper Air Race participant,

and the associated race band

was sprayed first, with white as

a base coat, before XF-7 Flat Red

sufficed for the main colour. This

was sealed with a light gloss spray

and masked, before Medium Sea

Grey was sprayed across the under

surfaces; it was then mottled with

light and dark tones. This was

sealed with a light touch of gloss,

before the lower demarcation

was masked. As is always the

case with any build article, it can

take a few seconds to read about

something that, essentially, took

much longer in reality!

Upper surfaces were then

BASIC BUILD

SPITFIRE F.22

colours. The flat cross bar

also had to be trimmed in this

area, but regarding the actual wing

halves, the fit was superb once

more. After remembering to paint

on, it was probably best to have

just glued together the edges of

the wings. If the main wheel wells

were also glued and clamped (as

done here) it reduced the amount

assistance from a needle file. The

radiators also needed attention

before proceeding further, but

bizarrely, I always find this part

of a Spitfire build extremely

tedious...but it still had to be done.

Radiators were painted with Alclad

ALC-101 Aluminium and weathered

with a home-made dark grey oil

wash, while the relevant areas

under the wing and the insides

of the radiator housings were

painted with XF-83 RAF Medium

Sea Gray 2. After securing the

radiators inside their housings,

they were attached to the wings.

The wing/fuselage fit was good,

minor note, though, concerned the

rudder control rod (which met the

lower rudder) as this did need to

be trimmed to improve the fit.

Greens and greys

After the joins were primed

with XF-82 RAF Ocean

Gray 2, remedial work and

re-priming took place to

ensure neatness, before most

of the primer was removed (to stop

it affecting lighter colours) and

painting could begin.

It was decided to portray the

camouflaged aircraft in this boxing,

a Cooper Air Race participant,

and the associated race band

was sprayed first, with white as

a base coat, before XF-7 Flat Red

sufficed for the main colour. This

was sealed with a light gloss spray

and masked, before Medium Sea

Grey was sprayed across the under

surfaces; it was then mottled with

light and dark tones. This was

sealed with a light touch of gloss,

before the lower demarcation

was masked. As is always the

Painting of the upper surfaces

commenced with Ocean Grey, and as ever,

it too received weathering mottles for more life.

...while in other areas, Tamiya

Tape for Curves was cut into thin

strips and burnished to provide

suitably ‘wavy’ boundaries.

Two methods were used to mask the

hard-edged upper surface scheme.

Here, a template was sketched so it

could be cut from Tamiya Tape...