The Land of Black Gold (Supermarine Spitfire)

Nicolas
Following

Spanjaard
really curious about this one now 😉

Alex K
Greg's building a Spit? I'm in!

Greg Baker
Well, I do have plenty of other projects I could be working on, but while I was scrolling through my Tintin books and thinking about what projects might be on the near horizon (I'm still working on the Citroen 2CV, but it's still on the "virtual" modelling bench) and then I ran across this. It had been lower down my list, given that the Khemedi Spitfire isn't flown by Tintin, just some nameless pilot, but then I got an idea and intrigued by the challenge of how to do it. Can anyone guess what the challenge is? 😉

Robert Podkoński
Taking a seat!

Greg Baker
I got the project underway. For some strange reason, I seem to be missing a part - the frame that holds up the armour shielding behind the seat. I had a thought to scratch-build a replacement, but once I stick a pilot in there, with the sloping sides of the fuselage, no one will ever see it. I also want this one in flight, so despite Academy giving us tires with a flat spot/bulge, I started sanding them to less than half height to be able to get them and the covers into the wheel wells.

Nils Steyaert
following, but i thought the Spitfire it that story was most likely a Mk.V or Mk.IX (could have been a Mk.I).
a Mk.XIV just seems a bit long, but still im looking to seeing this build finished 🙂

Cuajete
Another interesting project to follow.
What are those little pink strips?

Greg Baker
@Nils - that seems to be the general consensus on on the Spitfire (Mk. V), however, a) It literally appears in two panels (the main one of which is displayed in the project header graphic here), and b) the only Spitfire kit I have in my stash is the Academy Mr. XIV one... 🙂 It has roundy wings and looks more or less like a Spitfire-shaped.

Guy Rump
Following. 👍

Greg Baker
Welcome aboard, Guy. I added a bit of a wash to the interiors.it was mainly just to give it a bit of texture. This project isn't about building the most detailed Spitfire ever, and no one will be able to see anything of the cockpit interior when I'm done anyway.

LucLuke B
And also, are you going to print text on the pink leaflets?

Greg Baker
Hahaha!

Maybe. 😉

Matthew A
Could even be four different Spitfires flying over
[img1]
Right: PR.IV (Herge based this on a photo of a Mk.I, I've flopped the picture to show the oil cooler and radiator on the correct sides. Interestingly he's extended the intake maybe to emulate a tropical filter - something the Blue Rider team missed).
Center: PR.XI with Aero-Vee.
Insert Mk.VIII low back prototype (first had a round tail) without cannon.
Left: The drawing is completely different in the 1949 version. First thought is that it looks like a Seafire Mk.III as many had Aero-Vees and 6 firshtail exhausts.

Alec K
Taking a seat 👍

Greg Baker
Hmmm… now that the propellor is on… it does look too long. Sigh. Now I'm not quite sure what I want to do. I could just go get the Revell Mk. V… or should I look for an earlier Airfix… sigh… now I'm a bit indecisive.

Alex K
I'm not a Tintin expert and I'm knowledgeable on Spits as much as any average modeler, so the following view is rather based on a hunch. Furthermore, I feel that expecting 100% "accuracy" on each little detail of a Spit Mark is a bit stressing it in this case... while your overall relaxed approach on such matters over the years, given we are talking about fictional subjects after all, is rather liberating. BUT having said that, I'll admit that I would personally go for a Spit Mk V or even for a Mk I - definitely not for a Griffon-powered XIV... something, simply, "doesn't look right"... Just my, very personal, "two cents". I also take into consideration a) that you never shied away from starting a project all over again and b) that I'm sure that you'll find a way to put that Academy XIV into good use in the context of another project...

Greg Baker
I more or less agree wit you, Alex. It's funny, but it wasn't until I got the propeller spinner on that I realized just how long the nose looks. I know from my previous experience, that if it "doesn't look right" to me, it'll bug me. So better to just bite the bullet and move on. I think the candidate kit that works best would be the Revell Mk. V. Stay tuned.

Cuajete
👍

Greg Baker
Ok… this does look better… 🙂

Alex K
That was quick! 🙂 Would you go for a Hurricane canopy, as Uwe did, or not?

Uwe Kaeding
Definitely the right move Greg

Greg Baker
When in doubt, refer to Uwe's projects... 😉

I just swung by the local hobby shop on the way home from work yesterday. I had a mission to pick up the Revel Mk. V but then was slightly stalled when I saw the Italeri Mk. IX on the shelf for the same price. In the end I decided to just go with the plan... but I did stand in the aisle with two boxes in my hand for quite a while. 🙂

Greg Baker
As for the canopy, I'm going to have it open, so the fit is not really the main issue. I do have an Academy Hurricane kit in the stash, but I'm a bit loath to just scavenge the canopy unless I have to. I do have a Hellcat canopy in the spares box which is a bit similar but likely too big.

Живко Джаков
And I take a seat. Spitfires have always eluded me. I even ruined an Arifix, if someone asks me how I did it... But let's talk about your model. Looks like it's going to be interesting.

Thomas Espe
👀

Greg Baker
As before, I didn't spend too much time on the cockpit. Once I stuff a pilot in there, you won't be able to see anything anyway. Fuselage glued together, I started on some sanding of the seams, but I also had to mount the prop before everything was closed up completely. It's a bit in the way, but I managed to dry fit in perfectly cantered so now I'm scared to try and move it. I'm sure my banana fingers will take care of that problem at some point. Once I knock it off alignment (or just off) I'll deal with it I guess.

Greg Baker
I knew the XIV kit would come in handy… as a donor for the underside air intakes. 🙂

We're kitbashing now…

Matthew A
Looking good don't forget to remove the cannons

Greg Baker
Yep. I did that already. A bit of putty and some sanding is in my future. 🙂

Edward MacKenzie
Taking a seat too

Greg Baker
Welcome aboard, Edward! A bit of masking and we'll be all set for painting.

Greg Baker
Ok.. so I really wasn't sure what colour to paint this. In the book, it's more or less just straight up yellow… and I already have a lot of yellow Tintin-related planes… with more to come. Of course, I didn't just want to go straight to the desert colours either, even though that would make sense. Instead, I decided to make no one happy and go right down the middle. Half and half Tamiya Yellow (XF-3) and Dark Yellow (XF-60). Any comments from the gallery? 😉

Alec K
I am no Tintin expert but it looks spot on to me!

Cuajete
I agree with Alec 👍

Greg Baker
Thanks guys. If you two agree, that's good enough for me~ 🙂

Alex K
After Alec's and Cuajete's reply, I feel a bit like a party pooper... but personally I'd go for something more sandy... let's say 75%-80% desert/sand/dark-yellow and 25-20% yellow... If I get it right, one of the great challenges with Greg's "fictional" projects is to find the right balance between what one "sees" in the relevant comic book and what might one also expect "realistically" or "historically" speaking... (this doesn't apply only to colors). In this case, no matter what the colorist of the original drawing did (I don't know if this was Hergé himself or someone else), what everybody "expects" from a Spitfire of an Arabian air force is a "desert", "sand" color rather than a canary yellow one (as in the Udet Flamingo). So, maybe a bit more towards the Dark Yellow side? In any case... it's what looks good for you!

Greg Baker
Well, now that's an interesting comment. It's true, I do sometimes struggle with finding the fictional balance with my Tintin projects. On the one hand, Herge (and his studio) eventually became very meticulous about the vehicles that show up in the albums. On the other hand, Herge is basically the epitome of the "Ligne claire" art style which stays away from an over abundance of detail. As for the colour... that also depends quite a bit from album to album - Matthew's reference images above illustrate the problem. So let's see what others have done.

On one hand, we have Uwe Kaeding's awesome work, which is definitely on the more realistic side of the equation - Land of Black Gold | Project by Uwe Kaeding (1:72)

On the other hand we have this offering from VickersVandal, which skews closer to the book - whatifmodellers.com/index.php?topic=47693.0

We also have Michael louey's version, which is more desert than yellow - britmodeller.com/for..-land-of-black-gold/

I was trying to find a happy medium, but maybe it's still a bit too yellow? As I said, I have PLENTY of yellow planes in my Tintin collection.

Alex K
... plus this one: pienoismallit.net/galleria/malli_8837/
... plus, I suppose, also the Blue Rider profiles that definitely adopt the "sand" approach, as opposed to the yellow Puss Moth: The Aircraft of Tintin - Part 2 (Blue Rider CD-002, 1:72)
I always take great pleasure in studying the different takes on the same subject by different modelers... the more the better - and the variations are as many as the modelers, i.e. at the end of the day each model is unique... This also applies to models of real, historical subjects, so... for fictional ones the artistic freedom margins are surely larger.
I think what you always strive for is something "plausible" - and, in the end, you'll be the judge of that! 👍

Greg Baker
Ok. So I decided to go with a 3:1 ratio of desert vs. Canary yellow. I'm happier. I think it strikes the right balance of album vs. "Reality". I'm thinking I might have to try again on my fake open canopy though. The lines are a bit thicker than I thought.

Greg Baker
Alright. We're getting close now. I redid the scratch built middle canopy bit - it's amazing what you can make out of a medicine capsule blister pack, some masking tape and a bit of paint. I made the frame much lighter and I think it looks good. I re-used the 6-pipe exhausts from the Academy XIV, and with a bit of sanding and some careful placement, they fit well enough. I got the Blue a rider decals on, but it wasn't easy. The fuselage one on the backside was ripped while removing it from the backer. Not a huge issue, but made the choice of which one to put on the front side easy. I also made the mistake of not cutting the decals close enough. Some of the printing on the sheet went into the water and made a HUGE mess of tiny little black specs that just LOVED to stick to everything. With a bit of patience and some cotton swabs, I got it done though. 😉

Finn
I'm in

Matthew A
👍

Alex K
Great work on the canopy! 👍

Cuajete
Nice progress, Greg. Middle canopy looks much better now 👍

Greg Baker
Thanks guys! Now that the pilot's in place, it's almost time to turn my attention to the bonus feature part of this project. 😉

Spanjaard
wow

Erik De Smet
hurrah ! a nice working Spitfire and a lot of other Tintin projects on the work bench

Greg Baker
Thanks Erik! The propellor was a bit more of a challenge than I'd thought. When I seated the DC motor, I didn't quite anticipate how close the spinner would need to sit next to the engine cowling. I was able to hide some of the the motor by drilling out the centre of the propellor piece and then carefully using a small bit of polystyrene rod to attach the motor shaft to the newly hollowed out spinner. I got it working, and it spins more or less straight. One trick I've learned is that, if you've got the propeller more or less centred, if you have it spinning after you glue it in place, the centrifugal will help keep it centred as it dries (and the wind generated will also dry it faster).

Greg Baker
The only thing left to do is chop up a piece of paper into lots of tiny little leaflets. Plan "A" to attach them as a leaflet drop is to use some very thin "spiderwebs" of hot glue. This will either come off brilliantly... or be a huge mess.... we shall see... 🙂

Matthew A
Love the pilot

Greg Baker
Thanks Matthew. He's 100% my own creation. 🙂

So… anyway, I think I'm done. Not really sure if my pink leaflets work as well as I hoped, but they aren't as bad as I feared, so I'm prepared to call it even.. the hot glue threads were the thinnest I could get to stick and support the paper. They're not quite invisible, but I think it looks a bit more organic than if I just strung them on a line like little flags. At first it was quite a mess, but I tweaked and prodded for a while, added a bit of clear rod as support, and then carefully sprayed the whole thing with a matt clear coat to keep it held together. If you turn it upside down, no pink papers fall, so good enough.

Greg Baker
I was hoping the spinning prop would blow them back a bit, but I had to put some resistance on the circuit from having the DC motor burn itself out. The lower spin rate simply doesn't generate enough of a breeze… but I did make sure the propeller was spinning in the right direction, just in case. 🙂

Erik Off
Great idea! 🙂

Robert Podkoński
Fantastic work, Greg! Chapeau bas!

Spanjaard
leaflets look fantastic

Matthew A
😲

Neuling
I like it! 🙂

Erik De Smet
is there anything written on those leaflets ?😁

Greg Baker
Thanks guys! Y'know Erik, for a half a second, when I was staring and my little pile of pink confetti, I thought "maybe I should scribble something on the paper... just in case Erik asks" Haha!

There's always at least one in every crowd... 😛

Erik De Smet
knowing your sense of detail, Greg, I thought you might have printed something on the paper before you made the confetti, and that I could not see it with my poor eyesight...

Spanjaard
I am surprised you did not write the leaflets.... specially since that can be easily done with a printer at home 😉 (before cutting them as Erik said, of course)

Erik De Smet
this is the second one in the crowd😊

Greg Baker
LOL. I hate you guys... because now I'm thinking... "is it possible?" 🙂

Matthew A
And having the notice in several languages

Alec K
Looks superb. Not sure the print would add to the aestetic. Just my humble opinion…

Greg Baker
I'm actually thinking that a FEW with a bit of print on them might look neat. I might try a few black marks on a couple of extras to see how it looks. No real point in trying to print anything. I've done enough 1/144 scale decals for F1 cars to know what to expect. I didn't want to make any marks on ALL the pages, because I knew at scale that would muddy the pink too much... but maybe a few... just on top.... Kind of like that suitcase of money, where the real bills are only on top and the rest is cut up newspaper.

Erik De Smet
Just one pack maybe for the head of the sheik ? In my copy of the album p.18 (I can't copy the image) 🙂

Gerald
👍

Michael Kohl
I like the look of it.

Nicolas
Looks great. 👍

Cuajete
Great job and nice visual effect. Well done!
Congrats!

Живко Джаков
It's great. And let me just say that I'm on the other side. I know how to print on pink paper even at this scale.

Edward MacKenzie
I love it, this build is funtastic!

Greg Baker
I hate you guys…. But mostly Erik. 😉

I printed out "Read Tintin in the Land of Black Gold" in Arabic on a sheet of pink paper a thousand times on 2x3mm squares and then cut them out and started glueing all over again. I got almost to the end and then somehow managed to snap the main support post… which meant I somehow had to support the plane and it's pink dress with one hand, while I rummaged around and found a replacement of roughly the same length, bent it slightly with a lighter, cut the wires under the base, threaded them back out the hole, inserted the new post and then got the wires back down into the base, all without tearing the glue spiderweb to shreds in the process.

Yes. I think it looks better… but I still hate Erik. 😉

Greg Baker
I also managed to make a pack of leaflets and tie them together with some very thin nylon string. 😉

Robin (WhiteGlint)
Turned out wonderfully Greg! 👍

Michael Kohl
Oh, this almost sounds like slapstick modelling.

Giannis Kaltapanidis
Ha ha ha! Insane!

Spanjaard
awesome!!!

Erik De Smet
Yes, now I can read the leaflet😁. Any figure Tintin? on the ground ?

Torsten
Fantastic ❤️️

Greg Baker
Haha. Thanks guys, I sincerely want to say thanks to all of you. One of the best thing about the Scalemates community is that we push each other in a friendly way to learn new techniques, try new things, and push what we think are our limits. On this build alone I found a better kit, painted a better colour, and (I think) ended up with a better presentation of the leaflets.

So you'll believe me when I say "don't push your luck, Erik!" 🙂

Bruce Huxtable
I'm so glad to have stumbled on your album, Greg. Your persistence has paid dividends, for sure 🙂 I'm very impressed with your creative problem solving. The cascade of leaflets is very convincing - great results, congratulations!

Greg Baker
Thanks for stumbling by Bruce!

Feel free to check out the rest of my albums here on Scalemates, or visit my blog (strobez.ca/wp/index...1-72-scale-projects/) to see all my completed projects (Tintin and more~).

Cuajete
Greg, I also think it's much better now. The effort and all the changes made in this project were worth it. We also learn new things thanks to the ingenuity of persevering modellers like you, 🙂
Congrats one more time!

bughunter
Lovely and very, very unique 👍
But one question: In pic 21 the propeller is running, why the hell do you stop it in Pic 22 ??? 😉

Matthew A
Ha ha ha ha 🤣

Greg Baker
Thanks Frank and Matthew~! I stopped the propellor because I didn't need to chase small little pink confetti all over my house~

Greg Baker
Added some final pics. Enjoy~

Robert Podkoński
Great job, Greg! I admire your imagination and perseverance with respect to every project...

Greg Baker
Thanks Robert! And just to prove to Frank that the propellor still spins...

Youtube Video

Guy Rump
Great job and amazing imagination. 👍

gorby
Fantastic! The leaflets look particularly effective.

Nils Steyaert
you gotta admire your dedication to those details, very nice work, the leaflets is a nice touch! 🙂

Alex K
The leaflets are indeed the icing on the cake... (including the tied-up pack - nice touch!)
What a spectacular result (again!) - and what an utterly pleasurable project to watch, from start to finish, for us in the gallery! 👍 👍

Alec K
Fantastic result Greg. The printed leaflets indeed look better 🙂 👍

Greg Baker
Thank guys! I appreciate the feed back, and I have to admit, getting pushed a bit on the leaflets really did affect how well it turned out. It's strange... at one point when I was trying to attach the printed ones, it felt like it just wasn't working. I couldn't get it to flow in quite the same way that I'd done before, and I was kind of regretting doing it over. But then I managed to get one string looped in just the right way and it started to click. After that I just added a few single leaflets to cover up a few bare (or extra gluey) spots.

Matthew A
If your anything like me you will still be finding little pink bits of paper all over the house when hovering for weeks to come dispite not having put the prop to work

Lochsa River
very cool and creative effect....

Lode Schildermans
It keeps me amazing, Greg. I wished I had your pace in building 😉

Dominik Weitzer
i like it a lot! looks so dynamic.

Peter Hardy
So, the little door stayed closed! Another project completed with aplomb Greg! Well done.

Greg Baker
I think we have the same pace, Lode. The difference is I slap together 1/72 Spitfires and paint them all one colour, and you craft 1/350 battleship masterpieces, with a full crew, that are historically accurate down to the tins of cooked ham in the galley.

On second thought, I wish I was as speedy as you… 😉

Greg Baker
Thanks Dominik! That makes me happy! Mission accomplished.

And Peter, yep. Martin provided me with all the information I needed to know I couldn't take the easy way out and had to go fully open canopy. He's good like that. 🙂

Gary Kitchen
Hi Greg. Fabulous as usual. The leaflet drop is inspired and something I hope to copy for a project I have in mind someday.

Greg Baker
Thanks Gary! I'd love to see how you get on with a similar project. Make sure you let me know!

Erik De Smet
Greg, since everybody is so enthousiastic about the printed leaflets, do you still hate me for my remark ? 🙂

Lode Schildermans
If you're as fast as captain slow (me), it is because every project you do is with craftmanship trying to reach perfection. And that, everyone can notice

Greg Baker
I take it all back, Erik. Everyone knows I owe it all to you~ 😉

Also, thanks Lode! It means a lot coming from a master like you!

MS K
It's a really interesting and fun concept. Nice work!!

Greg Baker
Thank MS K~! I'm still finding small pink bits of paper on my socks, but it was all worth it!