Time now for some weathering and I started with some exhaust and gun staining. Nothing special here just a mixture of highly thinned blacks, browns and light greys sprayed in the direction of the airflow. I also added some chipping along high wear areas using dark grey and a silver pencil that was `tapped` around the wing roots (check out your Techniques Bank for how to do this). AK interactive fuel staining was used around the fuel filler cap in front of the cockpit and along the lower sides where staining was visible on period photos.
The final part of the weathering was to give the upper surfaces an oil dot wash. For this I used a combination of white, light brown, dark brown and light grey oil paints. These were `dabbed` and mixed into the matt finish to give tonal variations in the base colours of dark brown and middle stone. This gives a subtle faded paint effect that would have been common on these aircraft with them being exposed to the sun and dust for long periods whilst serving in the Mediterranean.
The undercarriage is again straightforward and it locates solidly in the wings giving the correct angle. The one thing to note though, and this is a personal taste thing, is the kit has rubber tyres and these are not everyone’s cup of tea. Personally I think they look OK but they really need to have a weighted effect to look realistic.
With the wheels in place that was it done and I’ve got to say it stands up well against the Tamiya Spitfire, it looks good and especially when you consider the price difference.