SPITFIRE XIV "High Back"- Build Log Pt. 1

 HOBBYCRAFY 1/48 SPITFIRE XIV

I got this open-bag kit recently on ebay for $0.99 USD.... I joke that it cost more to mail it than to purchase! 😄
And while I see the purchase as a win, myself, Hobbycraft kits have a reputation as dogs in the scale modeling world. For me, it will mark my re-entry into scale modeling, the old fashioned way.

KIT NOTES

This Hobbycraft kit is pretty basic, with only about 40 parts, total...typical of Hobbycraft. It is also long out of production, and hails from the 1990's, about 3 decades behind today's kits. It was part of the early tooling efforts from the Korean manufacturers, and so it lacks the super fine detail of today’s kits. 
Scale modelers in 2026 enjoy an truly amazing glut of 3rd and 4th generation kits from Airfix, Eduard, ICM, Tamiya, Arma Hobby, etc., and they have come to expect two things....

• To spend a lot of money on a kit

• To get a lot of microscopic detail for the money. 

Therefore, this kit is inevitably compared in an unfavorable light againt modern tooled kits. Frankly, those have more parts in the cockpit, than this one has in the whole box!

The basic layout of the kit, as received. 

But, I'm positive about something: it is not a terrible kit.
It has acceptable shape overall, and many say it captures the shape of the Spitfire Mk XIV better than some newer attempts. It also sports 1st generation engraved surface detail and panel lines. This detail is not done to the nth degree, but its workable. I've built other Hobbycraft kits in the past and they build up into good shelf sitters, which is what matters in the end.
The build philosophy on this one will focus on fit and finish, with just a few prominent details to be highlighted. I cover that below.
For me, it's a chance to revive and tune-up my modeling skills - not a fall into place assembly project.

The kit decals

Decals

With any kit, decals are my favorite part. But the kit decals with this one are mostly unsuitable. They ARE there, so that's good. But there's no stenciling, on a bird that had plenty of it. Secondly, there are more profound problems.
The colors are strong with no yellowing of the carrier film, BUT the squadron and aircraft code letters are the WRONG color and their shape is way off. I could use the roundels, but this decal sheet is probably headed for the, "decal dungeon."

The Important Things
All that said, there is a checklist of things that will matter when finished:

1. The cockpit will be given a sense of busy-ness under the closed canopy, but thats it.
   Unlike the majority of my fellow modelers, I’m not in love with super-detailing cockpits in these smaller scales. This one plays to that, since there is little cockpit detail included. It will be a “simple” project…not a rivet counting exercise. 

2. The fit and appearance of the unique 5 blade prop and massive spinner are crucial. This part of the aircraft juts out in front, and cannot be overlooked, so it needs to be just right. The prop seems a little small, but I’m running with it.

3. The exhaust stacks of the brutish Griffon engine stand out, too, and the kit pieces are crap. I’ve sourced some aftermarket versions.

4. Next in line are the XIV's engine rocker covers. They also stick out like the proverbial sore thumb, and the Hobbycraft kit needs some extra definition in this area.
   

3. The landing gear are out front, of course, and they're soft on detail. They will get as much detailing treatment as I can manage.

4. The guns in this kit need attention, as well…both their root fairings at the wing, and the cannon muzzles. Like everything else on this plane, from the cockpit forward, the guns catch ones attention.

5. Paint scheme is to be 1944 RAF spec, "Day Fighter" scheme:
   Disruptive, Ocean Grey + Dark Green on upper surfaces, Medium Sea Grey undersides, Sky spinner and empennage band.
   Fortunately, the instructions call out FS numbers to get me started. The plan is to depict an Air Defense of Great Britain (ADGB) fighter, based in the south of England.

6. The markings I want are for a V-1 defender during June-July, 1944.
   The kit decal aircraft codes depict such a bird (even if they're wrong in other ways), and that started me learning about the RAF’s V-1 defense program (Operation Diver).
   It’s a fascinating, poignant story and I want to honor the suffering Brits and those pilots with this model.
   But I have to find some proper decals! The chase is on…

7. Weathering is planned to be mild, depicting active, in-service wear, not a ragged, worn out hack.

8. I wish to mount the bird to a base and add a pilot or maintenance figure for scale and the “human element.”

This kit will take some doing, as I regroup my modeling tools and skills. But I used to do this stuff on the regular, back a few decades.
And amid the crowded field of Mustangs, P-47’s, and Messerchmidts, these late-model Spits stand alone as the most elegant, “total package” combat birds of WWII!

Thanks for reading, and Part 2 is forthcoming, so stay tuned!

Sincerely,
David

South Carolina, USA

I recently got a Hobbycraft Spitfire XIV and the previous owner had made some “modifications”….

1. The ailerons and the flaps were both cut from the wing halves, elevators untouched.
2. Various cockpit bits are started-ish.

Well, the Spit XIV isnt seen in period fotos with the flaps down, and almost never will you see the ailerons in anything but a neutral position. So the other person was trying to do something that was uncharacteristic for Spitfires
That it because the ailerons were balanced to rest at neutral. Rarely will you see them in another position.
Meanwhile, the flaps were ONLY used for landing and were immediately retracted once the wheels were in firm ground contact. SO they should be posed in the retracted position.
Why?
Because the flaps were pnuematically actuated and there was only two positions - fully retracted and 85% OPEN!
This means they were a bit of hazard for ground crews and subject to damage while on the ground, so they were immediately retracted upon landing.
By contrast, they were NOT used to take off….flaps weren’t needed on take off, as the excellent lift generated at take off speed by the Spitfire wingform was enough. In short, there was more than enough lift without the flaps. In reality, they were more of a drag brake than a lift augmentation, and their main purpose was to help the Spitfire come in hot and fast on the short, congested runways of the time.
It went something like this:

1. Steep approach
2. Drop flaps once over the wire
3. Descend rapidly on the flaps, touch down
4. Start rollout and retract flaps right away

So the flaps on a display model, wheels down and on the ground, should be up, ailerons at neutral. That means I have to reattach the parts the other person cut off and then fill and rescribe as necessary.
ELEVATORS
The elevators on Spits are usually seen drooped, on the other hand, because theyre mass balanced to be neutral inflight… and they tended to droop down when on the ground. So Ill have to cut them away to pose them drooped, as the next step.

PS The cockpit bits will be for another day.

Fun With Decals - The Bleaching Method

Today's topic covers a problem that all scale modelers eventually face...
problems with decals. 
Or, rather, lets call it, "Fun With Decals," to keep things positive. 
The particular method covered here is a good hack to have in your modeling tool box, especially if you're one of those fearless hobbyists who works with older kits and their decals. Besides..., it IS different and a lot of fun!
It all started with...

The Kit
    I recently got a pre-owned, "open-bag" kit of Hasegawa's Hawker Hurricane, their discontinued SEAC* boxing, Kit #JT-152.


The boxtop

    Now, I like Spitfires as much as the next guy, but the rugged Hurricane is my favorite British WWII fighter, and this Hasegawa molding is good.
    It is what I would call a first generation, "high detail" kit, from the 1990's. It has a couple of engineering oddities – a Hasegawa trademark - but it has very good detail across the board. In my opinion, it holds up well alongside more modern Hurricane kits in that regard.

    I hope to add a few more to the stash (hint, hint 😉).


    The bagged kit as received, in all its glory

    So what is an open-bag kit?
    "Open-bag" kits, as the name implies, are kits wher a previous owner has removed the outer wrap of the kit box AND has opened the sealed parts bags inside. See the above foto.
    Sometimes they've started the kit, sometimes they've just looked at the parts, and sometimes, well, something goes awry during ownership and the kit is in a, "disorganized" state. These kits are a gamble, for this reason, as fiddly parts are sometimes missing. That puts off many people, but I enjoy the challenge of resolving these minor issues.
    This open-bag kit was missing the instructions and a couple tidbits, but both "problems" were overcome quickly. But you do have to wonder about the careless handling some kits often endure.
    The kit in question came with the original decals, which are the subject of this article.
    In this SEAC* boxing, Hasegawa provided markings for two WWII SEAC Hurricanes....
1. No. 34 Sq., RAF, code EG * N
2. No. 1 Sq., Indian Air Force, code A*A, "Red Elephant" markings. This one is often seen on the internet, as it is kinda cool.
* South East Asia Command (SEAC) was the WWII adminstrative body in charge of Allied operations in the South-East Asian Theatre.

Decal Troubles – See photo below
    Any parts problem with these pre-owned kits is usually a minor inconvenience. But the fragile decals are sometimes the worse for wear, and this one was no exception....

    As you can see...
#1 - The national markings and fin flash have the wrong colors.
They should be dark blue and "India White" – 4 parts white to one part dark blue, an azure blue.
    Instead, the kit markings are dark blue... and a sickly grey-green. I don't know if time has aged them this way, or Hasegawa goofed up... I suspect the latter. Regardless, they need some attention.
    #2 - The decal sheet has taken some hard knocks.
As a result, the decal sheet was a bit crumpled, and both the theatre ID stripes and one of the RAF individual aircraft codes, "N," were damaged.
    #3 - The white lettering for the aircraft codes and ID stripes have yellowed since being printed 3 decades ago.
    Remember, though, we're thinking positive here. We find that the decals do appear sound, and they have passed the, "wet test."
So, I can work with the color and damage issues.

    But the yellowing calls for something special.

The Bleaching
    So how to deal with the yellowing problem on decals? By digging deep for an old-school trick I remember from my scale modeling past: bleaching the decals in the sun!
    Due to the nature of decal printing in general, and the papers used, decal yellowing is always possible - and it was fairly common in the past. It results from oxidation between the paper and the decal carrier film, and thicker decals seem prone to it.
    I suspect we don't see it as much today, for two reasons:
1. The printing process has changed
2. Most modelers are working with newer kits.
    And if something is wonky with decals, we rush out and plop down more hobby money on aftermarket decals.
We're spoiled in this regard.
    But back in the day, you had to work with what came in the kit, and if the kit markings were yellowed, you used the sun bleaching method to reduce the yellowing.
What is sun bleaching?
    In short, this process involves placing the decal in a sunny window, so the sun's UV rays can work their magic on the yellowing and reduce it. Hooray for science!
How to Sun Bleach Decals


    Decals prepped for bleaching. The white portions have been mounted to an index card, and the red elephant part of the markings has been masked with bits of paper.
    Preparation: Place the decal sheet in a clear, sealable plastic bag or document sleeve to protect it from dust and potential condensation on the window. I add a small dessicant pack to the ziploc bag for insurance.
    Placement: Tape the bagged decal sheet to the inside of a window that receives direct sunlight. A south-facing window (in the Northern Hemisphere) or an east-facing window generally works well. The decal sheet should be slightly curved to prevent it from sticking to the glass.

    Notice the dessicant packet in the ziploc bag
    Exposure Time: Leave the decals in the sun for a few days to a couple of weeks, depending on the severity of the yellowing and the strength of the sunlight. Its not fast, but its free!
    Monitoring: Check the decals every day or so to monitor progress and prevent over-bleaching, which could fade the decal colors themselves. I masked the colored portions of the decal to prevent this.
    Reinforcement: Since this discoloration usually happens with older decals, the decals themselves may be brittle due to age. After bleaching, you should apply a thin coat of a liquid, decal-film product (such as Micro Scale Liquid Decal Film) over the entire sheet to reinforce them and prevent shattering when used. As always, cut closely around each decal before soaking in water.
NOTES
    UV Light is the Key: The process works thanks to ultraviolet light, so an artificial UV lamp (like a nail polish curing tunnel or horticultural light) might work, especially in winter or cloudy climates. The sun is free, of course, so unless you live in the arctic or just like doing your own nails, Old Sol is the way to go.
    Not A Permanent Fix: The yellowing is caused by an ongoing chemical reaction with air – oxidation. Since you can't get rid of the decal film or the paper, the conditons that cause the discoloration aren't removed by bleaching. This means the problem could return over time.
    Storing the decals in an oxygen-depleted environment should arrest the process, so a kitchen vacuum sealer could become part of your scale modeling hobby! Barring that, keep them sealed in a sealed ziploc bag and use them relatively soon after the bleaching treatment.
    Decal Brittleness: Sun bleaching only addresses the yellowing of the carrier film; it cannot fix any inherent fragility of old decals. Always test a small, non-essential decal (like a kit ID number) in water, first, to see if the decals are even worth using.
    Alternative Solutions: If the decals are too old and brittle, or the yellowing is a characteristic of the ink itself (not just the carrier film), then you might want to try scanning the decals, and print new ones on blank decal paper. Of course, as we've already mentioned, you can just pony up for some aftermarket replacements and carry on.
Updates To Follow
    At this point the burning question is: "Will this work?"
    As of this writing, the decals have only been subjected to the sun bleaching process for a few days. So, I will monitor and do an update in the next couple of weeks to see how things have progressed - stay tuned!

    As always, I sincerely thank you for reading and happy modeling!
   
Yours Truly,
David Hutton

References
1. Scalemates.com - great site for kit specific info; I sourced free, downloadable instructions for this kit from Scalemates.
2. Stevens Intl. - Hasegawa's U.S. distributor
3. ChatGPT - a place to start for info
4. Experience - I've been building scale models my whole life, on and off.

All rights reserved David Hutton, Liberty Scale Models ©2026