Needed - Scratch Built Missing Parts for - 1/48 Scale Spitfire - April 2021

This model languished in my basement for decades until I decided my step grandson should have it to accompany the Barrie Clark print hanging in his bedroom (which I also donated due to our downsizing in 2019).  The landing gear had been repaired but it was clean at the time, although the decals were aged and showing cracks but not flaking off!  I recently noticed that the starboard tail-plane had gone missing.  (No questions asked - he is 8 years old).  But with all of the other rehab work I had been doing of my brothers old models I thought it was time to do one of mine and give Kaleb a plane more worthy for his growing collection.  My challenge was creation of the missing parts - the Tail-Plane and landing gear covers that I don't recall ever having????

This more clearly shows the condition of of the existing surface and decals.  
The Port tail-plane is removed so that I can make a template for the missing starboard side.

Here is seen that the gear is intact but no covers!  The poor condition of the existing roundels is apparent, plus the fact that the underside was never painted.  The forward portion of the spinner and blade edges were a faded yellow, but the remainder of the blades were unpainted and needed attention.

My first task consisted of black washing aileron/panel lines and interior green in the wheel wells.  No detail inside the wells, or in the cockpit.  That plus the retractable gear makes me think this might be and old Monogram kit.  More on that later.

Sliding in a piece of paper is a neat way to quickly paint the entire spinner without mess......

......after which the blades took on a coat of flat black and the yellow tips.

My spares stash contained left over decals from the Mosquito rehab (also on this Blog) I posted back in  October of 2020.  I used the roundels for the wings plus I used the strip of Balken crosses to make my pilot a double Ace✌; however, the fuselage decals would have to be a fill-in and paint around!

But first I have to paint the underside the Ghost Gray to cover those old cracked and faded roundels.

This photo shows the retouched fuselage decals - filled in the letters and roundel using masking tape.  I have a 5/8 inch diameter circular punch.  I put the masking tape on a sheet of thin plastic card stock that my wife uses for craft card making, punch it out and peel off the tape to place on the roundel.  This way I have only one edge of the yellow circle to be concerned with.  The photo also shows that I have totally repainted the Camo in several small steps in order to work around the fuselage letters and detailed the aileron lines with black wash  

The lead edge yellow was repainted using masking tape (one long piece but cuts made to follow the curve of the wing), then I added the big wing roundels.

Now comes the tricky part of creating the missing pieces.  First I cut a template from heavy stock paper.

For the wheel covers and the tail-plane.

For the wheel cover(s) I trace the template onto a sheet of 1/8 inch polystyrene I picked up our local Hobby Lobby ($1.49!).  The polystyrene is soft enough to allow tracing around the template with an xacto blade.  I then switch to xacto saw blade and follow the etched lines of the tracing.  Note the hole in the template which allows the cover to fit over the nub/lug to which the original cover was attached.  I traced this also with the xacto then pin drilled three holes and cut the remaining plastic away to create a rectangular hole to fit over the lug. I rough it up with 1000 grit sand paper and paint Ghost Gray on outside and interior green on the other.

The new cover is fitted on the gear and held down and filled in with cyano gel.  Note that the the underside ghost gray is complete and new roundels applied.

Both covers are attached and painted, but are we still retractable???

YES SIR! B00-YAH!

But now comes the tail-plane challenge.  Sure I cut out a heave stock template, but now what?  I'm not crazy about using the Polystyrene.  There is a lot of detail - rivets and panel lines and such, My brother suggested trying to use foil, but what kind?  

Here is my process to date.  I cut out two more pieces of the heavy stock to make a three layer sandwich with wire "pins" in  the middle for attachment.  
Simple Elmer's white glue is used for the sandwich.  I laid more Elmer's on the edges to seal them.  I then took a trip to my Butera Market where I knew Fetzer Sundial Chardonnay was on sale.  The Fetzer folks use an actual heavy foil over the cork and not cheap plastic.  The foil is formable and (I hoped) able to pick up impressions by rubbing it over the existing Tail-plane.  BTW, the Chardonnay did not go to waste.

I cut the impression(s) from the foil (top and bottom sides) and used the Elmer's glue to affix the foil to my heavy stock sandwich.  I can see the rivets and I did my best to scribe in the panel lines needed.  All that remains is to hope the foil will take paint and attach to the fuselage - we'll see!

Attachment was easy with the wire pins, but it looks a bit large and the elevators don't line up.  But the nice thing about the foil surface is that it is malleable and lines can be rubbed flat and new created. 

The paint went on well as did some black wash of panel lines.  The only issue is that the rivet detail was not pronounced enough to show through  the coat of paint - so while not perfect I believe it is a decent replacement part.  Except for the final dull-coat this rehab is completed.

Now I think we need a battle companion!  There are many ME 109 kits available, all very nice with great detail, but for an 8 year old (going on 9) I'm not looking for a diorama on the shelf, but something I know will get played with.  So what kit out there has retractable gear?  The 1/48 Group came through for me.  All pointed to the "dinosaur" Monogram Me109 E.  Researching the kit instructions on Scalemates proved correct and I found a kit on eBay.  It is a Classics retool, probably 1999 just like the Monogram TBF build I posted back in January.  What those old Monogram kits lacked in detail they made up for in moving parts.  Instructions for the ME109E on Scalemates shows other Monogram models including (you guessed it) the Spitfire Mk IX you see above😂