Spitfire Mark IX in Mediterranean Blue Malta scheme (Eduard

[@fotomakr]

My Revell Spitfire decals acted similarly. Used a bit of Tamiya thin to “melt” the silvering of the small decals. Painted the the black lines, rounders/flashes and letters. Cool technique on removing decals there.

[@ModelNerd]

Thanks Bryan, good to know I'm not the only one.

[@roadweary5252]

I felt the frustration when you were fighting with the decals - way to stick with it, my friend. It came out quite nice!

[@ModelNerd]

Thank you. Yep, it's very tempting to give up when it feels like your model haw been "ruined", but there's usually a fix.

[@bluegambit67]

I've been making models on and off for the last 40 years and so far never weathered any of the kits I have made. Since following your channel I will hopefully start weathering some of them. You done a great job on this kit.

[@ModelNerd]

Thanks buddy

[@Flyingcircustailwheel]

Man that thing looks gorgeous in that blue.

[@ModelNerd]

Thanks

[@robbo1068]

Totally agree with your sentiments re the decals......a little bit of poetic licence isn't a bad thing if it doesn't bother the builder....I've done it once or twice for the same reason (decals falling apart or not adhering to the model). Excellent job on the Spit and, as always, I really enjoy how you present the video. Looking forward to seeing those future notifications.

[@ModelNerd]

Thank you Robbo :)

[@t.j.w3561]

Solid blue choice, I dig it. The decal-debacle is why, at my age, I don’t model anymore…I don’t have your patience! I would’ve taken the Spitfire and made it fly (from my 2nd story window!!!) Great build sir, as always!

[@ModelNerd]

Thank you T.J - always appreciate the feedback!

[@MVeminor7]

It is amazing how the Spitfire's lines and contours can handle any color you paint her. She looks beautiful no matter what!! You did really well. Thanks for posting and looking forward to all the rest of your work. See you next time

[@ModelNerd]

Thank you Michael. And how many great schemes there are! I have to get at least the TLS and TSS done at somw point, plus the desert scheme :)

[@MVeminor7]

@@ModelNerd Keep up the good work sir. I love your style

[@FinsburyPhil]

The great thing about the Malta colours debate is that unless you are copying a specific aircraft on a specific day and have decent reference photos, you can do pretty much whatever you want! The point is not who is right but that everybody can be right!

[@ModelNerd]

Definitely! And what you enjoy/think looks good :)

[@piotrekszczepanski5125]

You haven't made a plane in ages! glad to see it finally happen again. Amazing work especially on the weathering. I'm not quite sure what went wrong with the new eduard decals. From my understanding it's a different type where you have to peel off the carrier film.

[@ModelNerd]

Thanks mate. Yes, I've got quite a few aircraft in the stash so I will definitely be building more. I've seen the videos where people remove the carrier film from the new Eduard decals, although Eduard themselves say this is "unofficial" and shouldn't be needed. Once I decided to bin the decals I did first try to remove the film, to no avail :(

[@piotrekszczepanski5125]

that's unfortunate. I hope eduard goes back to their original decals soon.

[@BrettG64]

Great video. I agree with you completely pertaining to the Vallejo Metal colors. They brush paint and airbrush wonderfully. And they are durable. The only problem I've ever had with them is the Dull Aluminum. I masked it and when I peeled the tape off, I could see where the tape had been. It wasn't residue, but more of a discoloration. Your choice of color looks really good. Historically correct or not it looks very nice. Overall, a job well done!

[@ModelNerd]

Thank you Brett. I must admit I haven't tried masking the Vallejo colours yet...

[@lawrencereid9375]

I think your final, light colored weathering wash did the trick. Considering the near-endless sunshine and blistering heat of the Malta climate, the aircraft would be certain to "bleach out." Blue paint, especially, seems prone to fading more than most of the other primary colors. EXCELLENT build as always!

[@ModelNerd]

Thank you Lawrence!

[@flannelmeister]

Really interesting alternative colour scheme. Next one will have to be one of the reconnaissance spitfires, unarmed and painted pink!!

[@ModelNerd]

Thanks Mark. Yes, I would love to do some of the other alternative schemes. As much as I love the Battle of Britain era Temperate Land Scheme and the later Day Fighter Scheme, I think a recon scheme would be great. I just need to brush up on the differences between each Spitfire version, as there seem to be so many!

[@BrushQuill]

Despite the issues that came out really nice. Thank you for keeping the problems in as well, they are just as inspiring as the finished model to me. I hope your B17 will be a long series like the Lancaster was.

[@ModelNerd]

Thanks mate, I appreciate that. Yes, I think I'm going to split some builds into shorter parts (building, painting, weathering as 2 or 3 videos) in the future.

[@lh-tv280]

Nice job, as always! I like the unique color scheme and this upload was definitely worth the wait.

[@ModelNerd]

Thank you, much appreciated!

[@BigFred1925]

Excellent

[@ModelNerd]

Thank you Pete

[@davidcawthorne2942]

Looks really good we'll done. Saw it on the forum.

[@ModelNerd]

Thank you Dave

[@ja37d-34]

Built the first Profi Pack when it came out and bought the Royal Class plus later a Mk VIII overtrees.. Need to build one again. I really liked that malta-variant. Madde a couple of Malta Vb and Vc a few years back, Special Hobby and Tamiya. I went with Extra Dark Sea Grey iirc, for the top of the Vc - and the usual desert colours on the Vb (both flown by George Beurling) Nice build, I agree, the cockpit is fine without PE. All I used was the seatbelts and instrument panel I think.. Good enough for me! Too bad about the decals.. Eduard should have kept using Cartograf.. Xtradecals sheets are nice as are Victory productions Aces of the Empire!

[@neilhaas6024]

Hello Model Nerd that's a nice looking Spitfire I like this model fighter plane blue scheme. I enjoyed this video on this build fantastic. 👍🤗☺🙂😁😀🤑😊💔💘

[@ModelNerd]

Thank you Neil, I appreciate that

[@youbretaw]

Decals. I’m surprised you haven’t switched to making masks for most of the markings. It does lengthen the process, but produces the best results.

[@ModelNerd]

I do like masks (I used them for my 1:32 Lancaster) but to be honest I find them very fiddly, especially on smaller scales. I am tempted to try some of the metal / photoetch masks though - I've used those a couple of times when spraying marks onto tyres for F1 cars.

[@scottroberts7875]

Thanks for the fascinating Spitfire vid.. Have a particular love for this "why ? " i here you ask... Well my Grandfather was Chief Stoker (catapult .... And was on board for the whole of Operation Pedestal... HMS Indomitable... . to re-arm and re-supply Malta... (Hence why i once suggested a below decks diorama.) ..To think my Grandfather " George" Roberts actually may have sent those birds on their way (once the fleet and its escorts were near enough ) fills me with pride.... i have his photo collection here at home... Scott Somerset

[@ModelNerd]

Hi Scott. Thanks for sharing that - that's a really interesting link. I like the below decks dio idea too - I've been looking at a few options for folding wing aircraft since I went to the Fleet Air Arm museum recently.

[@scottroberts7875]

@@ModelNerd if you go to Yeovilton again, swing by St Barts on the Airbase... Fascinating chapel. My Grandfather is mentioned in dispatches there... Regards Scott

[@ModelNerd]

Thanks Scott, will do!

[@paulfrantizek102]

Very reassuring to see that I'm not the only one who'll take liberties with the markings on occasion. Those waxy decals are something you'd find in a 1960s era Aurora kit, not Eduard.

[@ModelNerd]

Yeah - for some kits (e.g. 1:32 Lancaster) I go the extra mile, especially if it is a particular aircraft I'm building. But for this, it's just the scheme I like :)

[@petermerz2704]

Looks great to me! Love the blue.

[@ModelNerd]

Thanks Peter, I'm glad you liked it.

[@petermerz2704]

@@ModelNerd I built a Hawker Hurricane and it came with stickers that looked like waterslide decals. Not fun. Had to re-paint the model and buy new decals. I know what you mean about spending unnecessary money!!!

[@der_fuxs]

Those decals would give me a headache. But the effort you did put into finishing this model pays off! I like the interesting colour choice and also your approach of light weathering! I mostly do streaks by applying them fairly heavy and after a short dry time I use a paint brush damped in white spirit (or whatever you use for diluting the oil paint‘s) and remove the color to my liking. Nice sneak peak at the upcoming video‘s! Looking forward to see them🙂

[@ModelNerd]

Thanks for watching mate, I'm glad you liked it :) The decals were indeed a huge headache.

[@calumclark1719]

Strange one with the decals am always terrible at putting them on so tend to paint as much detail as i can but that has its down sides too, really like the spitfire in Blue Med setup looks great as always

[@ModelNerd]

Thank you Calum. I've tried painting roundels on the 1:32 Lancaster and I think I'll try it on a few smaller kits in future too.

[@josecesar8657]

Great job, I like it !

[@ModelNerd]

Thanks mate :)

[@paulmanuse2353]

Looks Great!!!

[@ModelNerd]

Thank you Paul

[@davidcole8268]

The Bob Harris of scale modelling!

[@ModelNerd]

Haha :)

[@davidcole8268]

Seriously, I enjoy your delivery and you made a pleasing job out of the Spit.

[@ModeliteDiorama]

Nice video,I like the look of this plane :)

[@ModelNerd]

Thanks!

[@keithwright3605]

Cold water for the decals😊

[@ModelNerd]

I always though it didn't make much difference, but lukewarm was preferred? Happy to be wrong though! :)

[@epicforger12345]

Looks like I’m avoiding the new eduard kits because of these decals hopefully they change them soon

[@ModelNerd]

I really hope so too

[@epicforger12345]

I also have the tamiya spitfire mk 1 in the stash so I’d love to see you make that at some point

[@ModelNerd]

Thanks. It's definitely on the list.

[@JedenSiedemDwa]

Nice done! All the best for You! ;)

[@ModelNerd]

Thank you!

[@TheModelGuy]

The new Eduard decals are a real pain in the ass. You can try to peel the carrier film off because of how thick it is, but it's a gamble. They're worse than Tamiya's :S

[@ModelNerd]

They certainly are. That said, I always liked Tamiya decals (or at least, never had problems with them), though lots of people say that are very thick.

[@davidorr6627]

Check out the video that Modelling Weekly made about the Eduard decals. They changed them in 2020 to have the carrier film on the top, which is why they have that blotchy sheen. Despite Eduard saying at various times that you don't take the carrier film off, they also say to take it off. The 2nd technique that Modelling Weekly tried was to let them dry for 24 hours then apply white spirits and rub it off with a cotton bud. That seems to work well. It's a shame that Eduard did this, and also that they failed miserably to explain how best to remove the film.

[@jvengence]

I believe with the eduard decals you are to peel off the carrier film when they are dry

[@ModelNerd]

I've seen people do that, but according to Eduard it is not a recommended technique. They said the application of the decals should be identical to previous decals.

[@foreverplastickits138]

*This blue scheme is a bit strange but it suits very well, 👍!*

[@ModelNerd]

Thanks. I'll be doing the more traditional TLS and TSS patterns at some point in the future too :)

[@Nemesisrooster]

It turned out nice mate. I had the same trouble with decals on my Academy 48th F1- 11c. I had a gloss finish that was like glass and every single decal ended up silvered. They were Cartograph decals and I wasn't expecting them to behave the way they did. I don't know what I did wrong on that build.

[@ModelNerd]

It's really stressful when that happens, isn't it? Decals make such a difference to the final model, and really detract from it when they randomly go wrong

[@carlwashbrooke8678]

Hi I have just come across your channel brilliant builds. I have been out of the hobby for about 30 years and I have just bought a cheap airbrush for now to see how I get on with it, can I ask how long you leave the paint before you apply another thin coat thanks for your time. Carl

[@ModelNerd]

Hi Carl. Welcome back to the hobby! For airbrushing I use Tamiya acrylics and AK Real Colors - if I am applying another layer of the same colour paint (i.e. building it up gradually) I usually find that by the time I have finished the first coat the beginning of the coat is dry enough. These paints dry really quickly. If I'm adding a second colour (e.g. the red or brown over the German dunkelgelb) I usually give it a couple of hours, just to be on the safe side. I hope this helps - have fun!

[@BillHalliwell]

G'day Model Nerd, I must say that was a most informative video. I don't actually share your reticence over the monotone paint scheme for this model. I discovered the same sort of issues the first time I did a USN WW2 Corsair in all 'navy blue'. My specialty is WW2 aircraft and one becomes so used to most of the models sporting various two or three camo colour liveries that 'light weathering' - which I also favour - is 'easier' on the eye. With a single colour scheme, the usual weathering can look a bit 'forced' or uneven which tends to look like a 'bad paint job. The original Spitfire prototype was, as we all know, was a monotone light sky blue that did not have traditional weathering as it was not flown in all weathers and that particular aircraft was given extraordinary care by the crews at Supermarine. Similarly, those aircraft like the all black Catalinas and other types that had all black schemes, have a kind of uneven look after they have been weathered. All the panel detail seems to stand out much more in a single colour. I am so glad you pointed out that terrible fault with Eduard's newer decals. Until Eduard fix that problem, I'll be buying a different set of decals for any Eduard kits I really want to build; however, I think it will be easier just to avoid them until they get their decal act together. I confess I like building Spitfire models but one can have too many stock standard camo liveries. This caused me to do a lot more research on real world Spitfire paint jobs. I was really surprised at the number of short run or even one-off schemes that were used on Spits doing various jobs. There were different shades of pink ones; a dark sea grey one; an odd kind of blue green and even all yellow variants. Delving deeper into the subject, I discovered, there was a great deal of paint job experimentation with many types of aircraft. This is backed up by numerous WW2 and even Cold War pilots voicing their opinions that, virtually, all camo paint schemes were, essentially, useless. A couple of Vulcan pilots even went as far to say that with such a big aircraft there wasn't any paint scheme that worked to 'conceal' or even confuse an enemy. People on the ground may not have heard a Vulcan approaching, but once overhead or heading away nobody would have ever been fooled by any livery. Today's trend of painting all aircraft in various shades of grey are, possibly, the most effective in 'blurring' long distance sightings; especially in places like Europe where there are frequent dark, overcast weather conditions. I've noticed in the last ten years or more, a trend by many modellers to 'over weather' their models to a point where one would think these airframes never saw the inside of a maintenance hangar. Yes, during the Battle of Britain, etc. touch-up painting was way down at the bottom of the maintenance agenda, except for battle damage that took out necessary squadron and roundel markings. I'm rambling on now so I'll sign off. I just wanted to point out that you shouldn't be too critical of the finish of monotone liveries. There were issues with real world aircraft and that's just the way it was. Don't get me started on so-called D-Day or Invasion stripes. I've got dozens of period photographs of these black and white stripes being applied, roughly, by hand using wide brushes and big tins of paint. Modellers have simply not got this concept and continue to go to great lengths to have razor sharp lines separating their black and white stripes. Cheers, Model Nerd. I'm a subscriber and looking forward to your future builds. BH

[@ModelNerd]

Thank you Bill, I appreciate the time you took to write that. Not rambling at all - very interesting to hear your thoughts on it. And you're right - a bit like rust on armour models, it seems very unlikely that aircraft would be flying in a totally battered condition.

[@NJonners]

I am wondering to what extent the stencils would have been re-applied after the local field re-paints.

[@ModelNerd]

A good question. I mean if they didn't have the official paints in stock and often used local supplies, it would be easy to imagine they didn't have the stencils either. I guess "it depends" :)

[@alexanderhetherington6018]

Looking good! what Vallejo metal did you use? aluminum?

[@ModelNerd]

Thanks. It was dull aluminium.

[@jdcookiemonster]

I'm thinking you must have had a bad batch of decals. I have used eduard new style decals a few times and never had this issue. Yes they are a big more fiddly but look perfect once applied.

[@ModelNerd]

Have you tried any of their recent kits, John? From this year? I hear that is where the change was made. I've had their (older) kits before and, like you, never had any problems.

[@PeteCourtier]

@@ModelNerd I used them on their “Hurristory” 1/72 hurricane kit. I was very dubious/anxious but I think I fluked it 😂 They went down really well. If you have a paint mule, use the spare decals and practice on that. You can peel off the carrier film so it looks like you painted the markings. Love the colour of your Malta Spit👍 Great job.

[@barrythatcher9349]

Hi Model Nerd would to like to know what brand of paint brushes you use? They look excellent and they seem to paint well. let me know.

[@ModelNerd]

Hi Barry - this is the link I got them from. I've definitely been pretty pleased with them: www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07PL9ZCWZ/

[@argentinianspotter]

I believe Eduard changed their decals because of the complains of them being so thin thar they were hard to use (they folded on themselves). Now the new ones seem to be thicker.

[@ModelNerd]

I've heard a number of things, including that Cartograph apparently couldn't supply their demand so they had to make the switch. I've no idea what is true, but these decals were not fun, that's for sure :)

[@allanrichards6448]

I think your model looks good and different to the usual camo offerings. I have found Eduard kits to be good but those decals looked like something I used in the 1960's. They are awful and such a shame for a potentially good kit manufacturer. As for dust and adding a bit to the aircraft I would suggest playing with oils to add some tone to the colour and also put some oil smears around the engine panels and filler caps. For dusting I have used heavily thinned sand colour lightly sprayed over the model from around 9 inches away. To vary this I have then used a light pigment lightly brushed in areas and in the wheels to highlight the treads.

[@ModelNerd]

Thanks Allan. Yes, I should have made more of the black basing effect too. The decals - crazy eh? And this is a 2021 first release!

[@bobmano66]

You are supposed to peel the top layer film off the decals

[@ModelNerd]

I've seen people do that, but according to Eduard it is not a recommended technique. They said the application of the decals should be identical to previous decals. It's covered in the 5th post in this thread: www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/235081281-new-eduard-decals-with-peel-off-carrier-film/

[@ScaleMilitaryModels]

Gear work!

[@ModelNerd]

Thanks!

[@adventureguy4119]

Where do I begin iv made a lot of planes but can never get paint or anything right

[@ModelNerd]

Small steps mate - and build for yourself, rather than what other people might think. What kind of paint are you using?

[@adventureguy4119]

@@ModelNerd usually just the basic color kits with a. Brush from testers

[@statoilbensin2190]

Never seen such horrendus decals, this us Eduard? I have mostly heard good things about them. I have used a lot of decals from a lot of companies: Italeri, Zvezda, Icm, Trumpeter and the only decals I dont like that much is Tamiya decals. But I have never seen something like this. Also the Vallejo metal colours airbrush beutifully, and they are so thin witch is good as the thinner the better.

[@ModelNerd]

Yes, I was very surprised too. I might have to buy another one of their recent kits (it is only 2021 onwards that are affected, I think) to see if that has the same issues.

[@markfergerson2145]

Very nice build of what looks like a very well engineered kit... except for those decals. They look like they were made of construction paper! I felt your apprehension at first look. They had all that texture while still on the sheet, a very bad sign. Like all manufacturers I imagine Eduard has to find ways to cut costs and went with these new decals for that reason, and I sincerely hope they reevaluate that decision soon. Decals should not require some new special technique to apply, or if so, the kit instructions should lay it out clearly. Don't stress about your weathering technique. Everyone has to evolve their means and methods, and watching you go through that process helps your viewers do the same. Personally I think you went just far enough with chipping and the dust wash, enough to show that the airplane wasn't brand-new in theater.

[@ModelNerd]

Thank you Mark, I appreciate the feedback. I think my other Eduard kits are old enough to have the old style decals, but yes, I guess cost cutting is an important factor in the decision.

[@loucosmotivaferromodelismo6560]

👍🏼😜👍🏼🇧🇷

[@ModelNerd]

Thanks :)

[@c-note676]

Eduard's decal quality has really decreased compared 2 their old model kits which is a shame 2 see

[@ModelNerd]

Yes, it really is. I'm considering trying another one of their newer kits in case I just had a bad experience, but we'll see.