Eduard 1/144 Spitfire Mk.IXe

[draken35]

[Domi]

Well..!  As it happens, this red-topped Belgian Mk.IX was not red..!  A couple of Belgian friends were kind enough to send me a (poor quality) period colour picture of OO-ARE and the top of the fuselage is painted in some kind of darkish blue-grey.  They also sent me a couple of black & white documents showing that the aircraft also wore a code on the upper surface of the right wing, and had a black walkway on top of the left wing, just under the cockpit opening. 

So, out came the masking tape and airbrush again and the model now wears a more accurate colour scheme.  The extra code was added on the wing and things are now drying for tomorrow's big jobs, a coat of varnish to seal decals and paint job, and a dark wash as a start to the weathering process.  Pictures of the re-painted Belgian Spit tomorrow morning, promise!

 

[No.1]

This is great find

[Domi]

As promised, here is a picture showing the new colour scheme for the COGEA Spit IX..  Come on, say it, it looked better in red..!  ;-)

Eduard 1/144 Spitfire Mk.IXe

[No.1]

Huge improvement from basic Eduard proposition of layout

[Domi]

So, a thin coat of Klear (Future) was airbrushed early this morning on both models.  After a couple of hours of drying time, I gave both models a dark wash, my usual mix of artist's watercolours, Sepia and Black, with water, vinegar and washing-up liquid.  Another hour drying time, and damp Q-tips are then used to remove the excess watercolour paint all over the models. 

During those pauses required by the painting process, I keep busy cleaning up, priming and painting all the other little parts that will complete the kits: propellers, landing gear,..

My second weatrhering step is done with Artist's Oils, this time Titanium White, drybrushed all over the airframe (and smaller bits).  I like the way this white paint dulls the silver paint and subsequent coat of Klear.  This is a 'light' process, not to be overdone.  An extra 'pass' is however given all over the edges, particularly all around the wings, rudder and tailplanes (including trailing edges!).  This in my eyes makes the model stand out from any background.

Most pictures I've seen of the underside of any Spitfires show a positively filthy aircraft.  Using photographic references, and Artist's Oil Black paint, I created long, short, thin and thick 'dirt' runs between the main landing gear, from the big intake just under the engine to the very end of the fuselage.  More stains run from the back end of the wing radiators and in the case of the Israeli aircraft, more subtle stains strea out from the ammunition chutes.  The staining of the Belgian aircraft is a little less 'obvious': those seem to have been well maintained machines.

Eduard 1/144 Spitfire Mk.IXe

Eduard 1/144 Spitfire Mk.IXe

I'll need this oil paint to dry a while before doing anithing else now...

[draken35]

Excellent, my friend!!!

Ahem... OO-ARE looked better in red...

[Domi]

Totally of your opinion, Draken..!

[Sall]

Very good job my friend!

[Tweety]

Great work with colors ! 

[Domi]

Thanks, Tweety!

[Domi]

All right!  Those little Spits were actually completed a few days ago, but things got in the way, and I was not able to complete this thread until now...  Sorry about this!

The kits were exhibited at a show in England over the past week end, so in the end, lacking the time, I decided to temporarily forget about adding details in the Belgian Spit.  Indeed, I see now I took the 'final' pictures without adding the antenna wire on the Israeli aircraft and the whip antenna on the Belgian one.  Apologies for this.  Oh, I forgot to say that I did not use the masks provided for the painting of the canopy, finding this way too complicated to bother with...

Eduard 1/144 Spitfire Mk.IXe

Eduard 1/144 Spitfire Mk.IXe

So in conclusion, I totally recommend this kit.  Easy build, lots of possible colour schemes, relatively easy to find references, small price, two kits in a box,..  This kit has it all, or almost all.  Yes, it IS a pity Eduard did not include a plastic cockpit in the form of a seat, floor, instrument panel and control column...  The inside of the fuselage halves could have taken a bit of detailling too to complete this cockpit.  As mentionned earlier, I have some reservations about some of the decals, in particular the deep shade of blue of the French markings, but on the plus side, the quality of those decals is really, really good.  The instruction booklet is minimalistic when it comes to the actual assembly (but really, there's not that much to assemble!), but is superb when it comes to the colour schemes, with all 5 choices fully illustrated.  I also think the choice of this particular variant (Mk.IXe) was a bit 'strange' for this first Spitfire kit in 1/144 from Eduard, but then the aircraft was used by the Czechoslovak Air Force.  We've seen strangest choices of kits in the past from many other manufacturers..  Lastly, it is maybe also a bit regretable that Eduard did not offer separate alternative rudders, as many a Mk.IXe had the rounded one.  

Let me remind you that Eduard do offer a pre-painted photo-etched fret to completely furnish the cockpit, and that the Mk.IXc variant is now also available, with a choice of 4 colour schemes.  This Mk.IXc kit is a double kit too, and both fuselages feature the rounded off rudder (the ribbing of which is not totally accurate, if you are a rivet counter..).

Of interest is that the Mk.IXe was first released during e-Day 2012 without a box and with striking markings for a single Czecholsovak aircraft (different from the one featuring in the cardboard box release).  

Finaly, if those markings provided by Eduard do not satisfy you, keep in mind that some manufacturers have released markings for some Mk.IX Spitfires.  KitWorld, in the UK, have a sheet featuring a British Mk.IXc aircraft graced with a beautiful, barely-clad lady...  JBr Decals from the Czech Republic offer two sheets, one for Israelis Mk.IXs and one for British, Dutch, Danish, Belgian, Soviet, Czechoslovak and Turkish Mk.IX c/e (some of them civilian aircraft). More will no doubt be released elsewhere in the coming months.

[No.1]

Thank you for this nice work

[draken35]

[Sall]

Great work!!