The Spitfire is one of the most elegant airplanes ever flown.  The original Merlin powered Spitfire is a beautiful thing to see in the air. 

And the later Griffon engine Spitfires are long and sleek and wickedly powerful. They look like they are moving 400 mph even when they are parked on the ground. 

This model is the Academy Spitfire FR XIVe. I wanted a straight fighter, so the camera port was filled in. Details were added to the cockpit; canopy crank, oxygen hose, harness and such. Rollover support and fuel filer were refined a bit. Everything painted up with an oil wash and dry brushing to weather.  I wasn't happy with the lines of the nose - it looked clunky to me. So I sanded everything down following line drawings. The spinner had to be turned on a drill motor to match the nose. And the prop blades were extended and contoured, too. Exhaust stacks were drilled out, elevators were cut apart and repositioned. Cannon barrels drilled, Tail wheel turned for a more candid appearance. Wings and tail added and it's time to paint.

Click on images below to see larger images

The model was painted following a picture of an aircraft with the 2nd Tactical Air Force, early 1945. 

Testor's Modelmaster paints were used throughout the build. All the paint was lightened a bit with white before spraying. After masking the windscreen and wheel wells, the undersurface grey was shot as a primer. When I was happy with everything, yellow wing ID band were added. More masking and topside grey went on. Camo pattern was masked and Dark Green was airbrushed. The fuselage band in the picture was obviously painted over, so I added more original color back into the paint mix and sprayed that area to match. Markings were next. They were a mix of spare decals, stencils and home made off the printer. Once they were in place a coat of clear sealed everything. Weathering was a mix of washes and glazes to add a bit of dirt, paint fade and scuffing, and add highlight to control surfaces and panels. A few places got darker, fuller color blended back in by hand brush. And a few rain marks streaked on with a glaze. Pastels were used for a little exhaust staining and dirt.