Magnus:
It was easier when we were younger, and didn't have all this information. You could just paint it with whatever you had on hand (Testors little square bottles, usually), or mix something up that "looked about right". All gloss, of course.
Good results on your Spitfire pair.
How does the Airfix compare with its mate?

Gregor! I have found that colour perception gets better with practice but I realise that you can't get around colour blindness with that 🙁 ... In the age of the Internet, there is always the possibility to google up all kinds of recipes if you loose faith in the bottles 🙂 !

Bernard! I've still quite a few models from my childhood that were all painted using Humbrol enamels and many of them still look quite OK colour-wise even if the general result often leaves something to be desired... Airfix vs Xtrakit: I am not sure... They might be both wrong in the cockpit area but I think the Xtrakit is affected the worst, it is also rather plump in general. I'll finish them and let you know what I think then!

Gregg! Thanks for following and I hope I am of both help and inspiration! Masking film is called "Oramask 810" and I think it can be found just about everywhere. I got to know about it from a friend in the UK who makes masks professionally and it was just a google away here in Sweden. I got quite a lot of it but it isn't expensive!

The masking film doesn't solve ALL masking issues, I still have to use the sticky yellow stuff now and then, in this case for painting the MSG lower surfaces...

Most major painting done, I even managed to shoot a thin layer of clear to prepare for decalling!

I've turned down some of the knobs in Lightroom by the way, I realise that the colours looked a bit wild in some of my earlier posts! This is quite close to the actual looks, at least with my eye- and screen settings

Regards

Magnus

Gregor! Here it comes 🙂 !

Mal over at Aeroscale asked about the camo pattern: I took the Xtradecals instruction sheet for granted. It most probably is fairly inaccurate (quick comparison to photos shows several discrepancies). I would have expected better from Xtradecal. Anyway, painted is painted and I can always do another one...

Masking and painting yellow leading edges and sky fuselage band...

...results in those two Spits set out to dry...

And a bit of work tonight sees the first of the decals in place! In order to get a bit of difference and add some interest I'll go for a "wartime" scheme with the toned down roundels for one of the aircraft and the more colourful postwar markings for the other.

Regards

Magnus

I had to do a bit of out-of-sequence painting tonight.

There is NO CHANCE ON EARTH that I will be able to fit the dead flat and straight stripe decal to the curved and conical Spitfire rear fuselage and get an acceptable result (or at least I don't dare to try)... I have masked the stripes (starting with the black ones)...

...painted them and peeled away the masking. Not bad, white middle line tomorrow!

Regards

Magnus

Great work so far Magnus! I have toyed with getting the Airfix 22/24 but was a bit dubious about the deep panel lines on the kit ( i bought the PR XIX already). Now that you have a coat of primer and paint on the model, what are your thoughts?

(I also have a Fujimi Mk XIVE on my "Shelf of Doom" from at least 1993 waiting to get done. 🙁 )

david

PS: I'd rather mask bands on the fuselage than use decal any day...

Simon! Fuselage stripes finished by know, wings ought to be easier (and they don't need to fit an existing decal with numbers on...).

David! I don't worry that much about the panel lines, I've done a few of the later Airfix kits and if they asked me I would like them a bit more refined but I still don't think it detracts much from the final result.

Fujimi XIV from the same year as your's David. Bute mine's finished 🙂 !

Airfix Mk XIX and...

...Airfix Mk IX, both almost ootb.
Lines could be finer but they look more prominent in the photos, I think they look fine IRL!

Greg! Doing my best, doing my best... 🙂

White stripe...

Regards

Magnus

Still on sticks but a lot closer to standing on their wheels now...

All major decalling finished!

Regards

Magnus