Saturday 12 September 2009

Every little boy needs a Spitfire

That's my story and I'm sticking with it, so I made this one for the little boy inside me.


See above my Airfix Spitfire Mk1a. Actually made sometime earlier this year (January/Frebruary), but recently (when I was making the Brewster Buffalo) I repainted its underside (from the horrible varying shades of Games Workshop medium and light blues, "ack" I know but I was experimenting with shading) to the recommended Tamiya Sky (XF-21), or Matt Beige Green according to the Humbrol painting scheme. Of course this is totally hidden in the photographs above and below!


It was a pure joy to make and a glorious trip down memory lane to boot, as I believe this (or rather the equivalent Spitfire Mk1a Airfix kit then) was the first model I ever made some thirty five years ago. Botched together, glue everywhere, radio mast soon detached and even if painted a hideous bright bronze green gloss all over, it was simply brilliant. I was even worried about decals then and needed some help from my dad and big brothers to finish it off properly. The tail planes were definitely wonky and the propeller blades too were gone before the day was out, but it stayed in the toy box for a long, long time!

Hence what follows will be referred to as the Airfix single engine "Battle of Britain" Airfix fighter project!

PS: If I remember rightly, using the cushion seat of an armchair as a "making and painting" surface (including cutting things with a model knife), despite yesterday's newspaper being used a padding underneath, did not go down too well with the woman of the house (and still doesn't).

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