SPA Modeler

I had a set of Airscale 1/32 Instrument Panel Bezels so I thought I'd use them to dress up some, not all, of the instruments.


The instrument panel was painted in the cockpit color, which I've chosen to be Dark Green RAF (Mr Hobby Aqueous H-73). The instruments were punched individually from the decal sheet. I'll do a bit of detail painting on the IP before I call it done.


Interestingly, fuselage interiors are dressed up with spars and trusses. You don't see this approach on many kits and yes, it is a bit tedious but you DO get a nice 3-D effect. The instructions aren't clear but I found the best fit when the little tabs on the vertical spar pieces hang right above the corresponding horizontal spar on the fuselage.






Why oh why did Infinity mold the seats in two pieces? Totally unnecessary, IMO.

Some detail painting was added to the instrument panel parts. The panels were then shot with a 50/50 mix of flat and clear to give a satin finish. A drop of Future was placed into each instrument face.


Some of the multi-part assemblies are really small.


A flat spot was added to the tires.

Just enjoying your show here John. Very, very nice!

I’ve had a couple WW2 era aircraft kits with two separate seat parts. Never understood why they do,that.

Stikpusher wrote: ↑Tue Jul 04, 2023 8:17 pm

Just enjoying your show here John. Very, very nice!

That IP came out really well John - very nice work with the simple bits you had, some spares and a decal (and some skilled painting)

Thanks guys!

I've spent the last two days filling the rivets on the starboard wing. It's not as hard as the fuselage because it is such a flat surface but still takes some time since I'm also trying to preserve SOME of the rivet lines.



After the rivets are filled, I freshen up the panel lines and also try to identify any saved rivet lines that need to be deepened. The sanding process inevitably clogs up the recessed details so it's considerable work to bring the panel lines and rivets back to snuff.


After that is done, I give the wing a coat of Mr Primer Surfacer. This reveals some flaws that need to be corrected. These areas are re-sprayed with the primer. This is what the wing now looks like after the rivet removal process.


Compared to how the wing was molded.


Some comparison shots to show the difference.












Whew... lots of hours on one wing half. Three more to go!

Kudo's to you John for such painstaking work. Your removal of the excess riveting sure is paying off. Although I will admit that I like the original look as well. I think that appearance would look great on an older, well used aircraft.

Thanks Carlos! The original rivets would probably look much better under a primer and several coats of paint but I've committed to this route so I'll have to see it through!

Jumping over to the engine, I've painted the components separately.


The main shades were airbrushed and then details were picked out with brush painting. The parts were covered with a clear gloss, given a pastel wash and then sealed with a flat coat.


Before I assemble the engine, I use short strands of lead wire for the ignition wires. These will be painted brown and then oriented to the back of the cylinders. Since the view is blocked, I won't go through the trouble of connecting the terminal ends to the ignition ring in the rear of the engine.


The engine components are glued together. It took a bit of futzing to get the exhaust tubing to attach to the back of the cylinders but the glue joints were soft enough to gently adjust the stems to fit.



I want to check the position of the engine to the fuselage. It looks ok so far but care will be need to taken when gluing the engine in place since orientation is not rock solid. I plan on gluing the engine after the painting stage.



The engine cowling attaches to the bottom of the fuselage so I checked that fit as well. Luckily, the exhaust stubs exit in the correct location.



The cowling opening is very big so there is a nice view into the engine compartment from the front.

Engine looks fantastic