Tamiya 1:32 Scale Supermarine Spitfire Mk.IXc, Part 7

The paint came out pretty well for my primitive methods. I used slightly raised masks to fuzzy the edges. 

The cockpit detail is excellent on this model, but it's hard to see in there.

The Tamiya color for the underside turns out to be the same paint I used for the hull of the Enterprise. 

By the way, oddly (I think) the landing gear can be removed and replaced with a gear-up version. There is a locking screw holding the gear in, no cement, and part of the bay cover is magnetically held in place. I can't see ever making this change. I really should just glue it. But I do tend to build things as-designed so there it is.

The prop looks good.

As I got started with the decals I ran into some serious issues. I looked around online and found others commenting on the same problems. For whatever reason, the decal set included with this specific kit is pretty awful. They never really "stick" and setting solutions have a much stronger reaction that on other decals I have used. The decals turn to goop almost instantly. I ruined a handful of them finding all this out.

This decal was applied, coated with very light micro-sol several times, and sealed with the same gloss clear coat it was set down on. It should have been all done. Setting the plane upside down on foam pads to do the underside pulled up the decal in places. 

This decal spontaneously peeled up all on it's own. Nothing touched it. It was all "done" and clear coated also.

By this time I had obtained a Revell decal set for their Spitfire model.

I patched in a piece of the revell decal and re-sealed it. The colors are not a perfect match but it is very, very close. Fixed? I hope so.

I did this on several Tamiya decals on the model. 

Nearly there...

This is the completed model with some light weathering, one last matte finish, a last few (delicate) parts put on and the antenna wire. I have one last post on this project with final photos. It has a few flaws but nothing significant. It should yield some good pictures.

Find the rest of this project here.