Here is my second Tamiya Spitfire Mk Vb Trop, kit 61035. The first time I completed this kit, it was done as an RAF plane in tropical camouflage. Since all the schemes included with the kit are in that same scheme, I decided to use aftermarket decals this time. I used TigerHead decals 'Spitfires and Wurgers of the Turkish Air Force' (decal set 48008).

As with the previous build, I used a 50/50 mix of Model Master Enamel Flat White and Azure Blue for the bottom. In an interesting twist on my previous build of this kit, I attempted to use Model Master Enamel for the Middlestone, but it went on badly. So I lightly sanded it, and then used a Tamiya mix, which worked better. I then used another Tamiya mix for the Dark Earth.

Again, the upper camouflage was masked using masking tape, cut to the pattern that Tamiya provides in the box. Again, it worked reasonably well, but (again) was somewhat of a pain.

I used Polly Scale Pacemaker Red for the spinner, the rudder and the small areas covering the wing machine guns. I intended it to be a match for the red used in RAF roundels, and it's pretty close. However, I think the red on the rudder should have been lighter, and it should match the insignia on the bottoms of the wings. Also, I painted over the camouflage on the rudder - I should have either painted the red first, or shot a coat of light grey over the rudder before painting the red.

As I mentioned, the decals are from TigerHead decals. The decals were quite thin, but not so thin as to be fragile. However, I had a devil of a time making the insignia on the bottom of the wings to conform to the surface. I was lucky in that those were the only insignia on the aircraft, and the other decals went over relatively flat surfaces. After the struggle with the insignia, I decided to forgo applying the stencils (especially since I don't enjoy applying decals!).

Page last updated June 15, 2023.