SPA Modeler

I am using white cel animation paint and white Prismacolor pencil free hand. It’s a challenge, but I believe worthwhile.



The little penknife belonged to my grandfather. It’s very useful for gently scraping away paint. I’m not sure if that is of interest to anyone.

Bruce, I think your method here is giving a most realistic look. Especially when compared against photos of surviving un restored original spinners.

And it’s nice to know some backstory on an item that’s worth knowing. If you picked it up at Target, Walmart, Sears, or wherever, it’s mundane. But being passed on from your grandfather, it assumes the family heirloom aura, being passed from one generation to another.

speedgraflex wrote:I am using white cel animation paint and white Prismacolor pencil free hand. It’s a challenge, but I believe worthwhile.



The little penknife belonged to my grandfather. It’s very useful for gently scraping away paint. I’m not sure if that is of interest to anyone.

Details matter Bruce, they do!

- Kari

Looks great Bruce! "The devil is in the details" they say and you are making this look stellar with your extra efforts! Very cool using your grandfathers' knife to work on it. Brings us closer to the ones we miss with objects like that.

I agree, details matter and I'm thrilled to see how well that works in your hobby. Everything is looking magnificent Bruce, you're putting my own work to shame!

Carlos—I look forward to whatever you build next very much. My February joining anniversary for Spam is on my mind these days!

I agree about details, Carlos, Kari, Brent, Duke! I just wonder why perhaps the most unprofessional tool I use is my favorite? My grandfather always looked to the stars (astronomy was his hobby) to find greater meaning for himself. Perhaps this reminds me that I am not at the center of things... and that we humans are not either. Was it Timothy Leary or someone else who knowingly called our planet “Spaceship Earth?” That always resonates. The other reason is truly this little knife can do things well!

I just found out the seat style changed from the G to the K series! The bottom “bucket” is wood! How m’I gonna do that, fellas?

Well, I would paint it with a tan first; then after it dries, I'd paint it with a darker brown color using a very coarse bristled brush to simulate wood grain. Add some hairspray to the seat and paint the interior color. Afterward, use water to remove some of the paint on the seat to simulate the wear from the pilot sitting on it.


Just my humble suggestion; someone else may have a better idea.

Thanks, amigo! I was thinking about carving or assembling pieces of balsa wood then debonder for the Eduard PE to take the seat apart like Humpty Dumpty, but I think a good paint job is far more realistic and practical. I need to also add the triangular trim and two protruding circles to the seat back, I guess with styrene. Any ideas?

Off topic of seat, I would like to include the spinner hub development montage just to keep these images with the thread:

speedgraflex wrote:I just found out the seat style changed from the G to the K series! The bottom “bucket” is wood! How m’I gonna do that, fellas?

Well, the good news is that since it was painted, you really don't have to do anything! That's the easy answer. A base coat of a wood color + hairspray + Dark Grey RLM 66 could get you a worn seat...


But keep in mind that the seat harnesses might get in the way of viewing the worn areas...

That spinner still looks amazing. I think styrene would work for those parts you mentioned. For 1/72 scale; I agree, paint is better. If this was a 1/32 or even 1/48, I'd recommend the balsa wood ideas, but in this scale it's almost overkill. Why make things harder than they need to be? Life is tough enough without us adding to the difficulty I always say.

Looking forward to seeing more.