Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[Lythronax]

As a modelling exercise, I've started building a Spitfire. Specifically, it's going to end up being a 1942 Spitfire Mk IX, though I'm creating it in a modular fashion as so I can build any mark I'd like... eventually. My goal is to make it as accurate as can be in both form and dimensions - within a reasonable poly count. To achieve this I've amassed hundreds of plans/blueprints, reference photos, etc.

Whether I'll use it in my preferred sims (1946 or CFS3 for combat, FSX for anything else) depends on if the model is viable at all. So we'll see.

Here's where she's at so far:

I plan to make a 1942 F IX, the model of which can be used for an early LF IX as well. It will have the small rudder, "Mk XII" temperate intake, wide cannon blisters, fishtail exhausts, and an alternative model with singular leading-edge cannon apertures (a la MH434 and other 1942-42 Mk IXs).


The duplicate starboard wing, stabiliser and fillet are test dummies and will be duplicated properly when the wing is fully completed. I'm dreading making the cannon blisters I cannot lie 


An earlier enclosure I had built was of a lower poly count and had been made up of several separately modelled pieces, and as such it was mismatched and looked ugly; this replacement was built as one continuous piece with twice the polys. I decided to go with the flat-sided "bulged" hood as opposed to the Malcolm hood. The first Mk IXs tended to have the former as many were Mk Vc conversions, though it varied greatly as the Malcolm hood was in the process of production line standardisation as the first Mk IXs were being built.


A look at how the gull-wing has come along. It's been particularly difficult to model and it'll be harder to make it look good, as evidenced by the next photo.

I'll keep you posted as it progresses. Any thoughts or advice from modellers (or anyone really) on the forum would be greatly appreciated

[Kopfdorfer]

No worthy advice to give , but I admire you for diving in.
Good luck - or more to the point keep your focus sharp.
It looks great so far.

Kopfdorfer

[Mission_bug]

Looking great so far, hope to see the final result in game some day.

As I found these projects can take a very long time, especially for IL-2 as there is a lot to a model besides the exterior shape and a lot to learn, maybe for FSX not quite so much so, either way it is a very satisfying feeling to actually see your work fly.

Good luck and enjoy the learning process.

Take care and be safe.

Wishing you all the very best, Pete.

[Lythronax]

No worthy advice to give , but I admire you for diving in.
Good luck - or more to the point keep your focus sharp.
It looks great so far.

Kopfdorfer

Looking great so far, hope to see the final result in game some day.

As I found these projects can take a very long time, especially for IL-2 as there is a lot to a model besides the exterior shape and a lot to learn, maybe for FSX not quite so much so, either way it is a very satisfying feeling to actually see your work fly.

Good luck and enjoy the learning process.

Take care and be safe.

Wishing you all the very best, Pete.

Thank you both for the encouragement! I'm aware of the enormities of building a plane from scratch, but the challenge is what spurs me on! Building the internals is probably going to be the biggest pain of all, but I feel as though I can manage it after practice.

-

Update #1: Slow and steady

The rudder has been built up! It's really beginning to look the part. The addition of the antenna has helped as well.

[Mission_bug]

It's really beginning to look the part.

Yes, you have certainly captured what is quite a unique shape very well indeed, congratulations.

I lost track of just how many times I re-made parts of the Lysander because I tried to adjust various things that did not quite look right, every time you touch a vertex it becomes so easy to alter something unintentionally, very frustrating, at the same time really enjoyable to work on these things and be able to create something workable in any game, keep going.

Take care and be safe.

Wishing you all the very best, Pete.

[Lythronax]

Yes, you have certainly captured what is quite a unique shape very well indeed, congratulations.

I lost track of just how many times I re-made parts of the Lysander because I tried to adjust various things that did not quite look right, every time you touch a vertex it becomes so easy to alter something unintentionally, very frustrating, at the same time really enjoyable to work on these things and be able to create something workable in any game, keep going.

Take care and be safe.

Wishing you all the very best, Pete.

Thanks for the compliments your Lysander thread has been a good reference for the building process, I cannot thank you enough for it!

-

Update #2 - Detailing...

This is where I'm at as of tonight. I've made a practice air intake, as I do not as of yet have a drawing for this particular type. I've had to eye it up based on the Spitfire VII at the Smithsonian. When/if I find a reference, I'll build a new one. Also modelled are the cannons, stubs and the large C type blister. The cannons on Spitfires are seldom modelled correctly (looking at you, War Thunder), and I believe I've done a fair job at representing the earlier fairings - the later ones being thicker and more 'cigar' shaped.

Any comments/advise/thoughts?

Keep safe everyone.

[Lythronax]

Update #3 - Bumps and stubble.

I've began adding the various blisters dotted across the fuselage. The first blister modelled is one located on the lower right engine cowling and allows an enlarged air compressor, though famously in the Mk II an identical blister encases a Kaufman starter - which the Merlin 60-series never used.

After making a boolean cut in the cowling, I began making some practice exhaust stubs. These are pretty rudimentary and not perfect in the slightest, so I'll likely make new ones with a cleaner shape.

Things are, however, going smoothly. If you have any comments, critiques or advice please don't hesitate to reply!

-

EDIT

Some quick updates - I've modelled basic radiators to get a feel for how the model will come together:

[MADMICK71]

More Spitfires............................and the VIII and IX have just had 3d updates.

Wish you best of luck with this.

Regards

[Lythronax]

More Spitfires............................and the VIII and IX have just had 3d updates.

Wish you best of luck with this.

Regards

Thanks for the reply. I absolutely understand where you're coming from. Could you direct me to the 3d updates for the Mk IX? I already have the recent VIII one installed The existing VIII model is pretty good (and much newer) and I have few qualms with it, but the Mk V and IX models in-game are pretty ancient, and famously have warped meshes and subsequent mapping issues. It's fair to call me a Spitfire nut, so I saw an opportunity and thought I might as well take it. Whether or not the model ends up in-game remains to be seen. 

[asheshouse]

Nice work.

[DarkBlueBoy]

Coming on nicely. Well done on your work.

[Mission_bug]

The aircraft is really coming together now Lythronax, nice job so far.

Thinking back to my own project I think the best advice I can offer is learn the mapping techniques you need now before you go any further, map and skin the aircraft once you feel the shape is correct before doing anything further work such as internal details for wings or fuselage.

Once the external shape is mapped and can carry a skin to your satisfaction, as little distortion as you can get and things like rudder and wing stripes aligning, then you can move on to cloning that base shape for the internal skins.  Once mapped you can then just colour another area of the skin template to accept what will be the fuselage and wing internal skins, if you go that far that is, and actually make things so once hit all the detail can be seen.

If you are to make the decal system it is better to take it on with only the base shape, I did it late and eventually had to add those areas using the hier, they work but the idea is to have them as part of the skin, there is a tutorial by Champi that explains this process, he was a wonder at describing anything to do with building models although I cannot remember him actually releasing one to us.

Once you start to clone parts to make the inner skins and attach them to the outer you can cause all sorts of distortion issues if you start to move vertices to alter any shape imperfections because if you are not careful it is so easy to move elements of the cloned parts once they are part of the outer skin.

I'll leave it there for now, you have seen my Lysander thread so hopefully my trials and tribulations will have helped you stay clear of making a mess of things like I did.

Take care and be safe.

Wishing you all the very best, Pete.