Trumpeter Spitfire VB 1/24

Thanks for the great info Bob!!!!! My kit was just about completed when I read all of the posts on the changes that I should have made to make my Spit more authentic. I think I'll rebuild this kit in the future and make the changes. Thanks again!

Hi Brodie
The gun bay covers on the Spitfire are removed for gun reloading. No Hinges. To load the .303 ammunition there is a panel that hinges down from the front directly below where the kit has you put the m/g ammo trays that nobody will see when the wing halves are glued together. Here is a photo of the panel hanging open last May when we were doing an engine run-up before puting the cowls and everything back on Mk XVI s/n SL721 after her paint job. Although this is an "e" wing, and the inner m/g bay is moved out one rib bay, and there was no .303m/g ever mounted in the bay, the panel is the same. (I could explain a lot more of the differences but it's a long story). You see it here with part of the roundel on it.

I hope this helps.
Cheers
Bob S.

I have just about completed my Trumpeter 1/24 Spitfire VB. I have been searching for pictures of a real Spits gun bays and have yet to find any. My question is: are the gunbay doors on a Spit hinged or are they removed for gun reloading and cleaning? If they are hinged which way do they swing? Any help would be appreciated!!

Hi John P.
I don't think that it would be too hard to fix that door. In fact, I was thinking about scraping that "brace", or "fly swatter", or whatever it is, out from between the real bracing and making a crowbar out of some stretched sprue or a soft piece of solder. Don't forget to keep the door out from the fuselage in the open position. I have seen too many models with the door hanging right down on the fuselage which doesn't happen on a real Spitfire. E-mail me direct and I'll send you a photo to explain what I mean.
Cheers
Bob S.

That brace on the door is supposed to be a crowbar, which the real Spits had mounted to the inside of the door diagonally on a couple of spring clips. All we need to fix it is a resin door with the correct bracework, and a 1/24 scale crowbar :).

See here on a 1/48 resin door:
http://www.kitreview.com/reviews/images/48095.jpg

Bob-
apologies for misquoting... ;-)
And yup, I did mean the fixed portion of the stabilizer...

Your article did state that the "tail feathers" were correct, but "Trumpeter mistakenly depicted the upper halves as fabric-covered". That's the part that I was hoping someone would have recast as resin replacements. If no one does make them, I'll follow your suggestions to make them more correct. I was planning on fixing all the moveable surfaces, as you suggested too.
Thanks for the offer of the photos...email address is on its way....
cheers,
Sam

Hi Sam
You say that I sanded, scribed and riveted the tail feathers in the FSM article. That isn't true. I did sand the "fabric" on the starboard upper half of the horizontal stabilizer and didn't touch the port side at all. When we are working on the real Spitfire, when we refer to the "tail feathers" we mean the moveable control surfaces, but I think that you are refering to the horizontal stabilizers, right? Now, if I was doing another Trumpeter Mk Vb for myself, I would certainly sand both horizontal stab upper halfs smooth and rescribe and re-rivet them although the rivets are not too visible on a real Spitfire, and certainly not like what Trumpeter has done with all those tiny holes that look like a woodpecker worked his way around the model, although when the kit is finished the overall rivet effect is not too bad.
If you send me your e-mail address I will send some pics of the Trumpeter being built.
I certainly enjoyed building it but would never bother with those moveable control surfaces and all those PE hinges and metal rods. They are a pain and when done you have a Spitfire with everything hanging, including both ailerons which looks ridiculous.
Cheers
Bob S.

I plan on getting the Cutting Edge cockpit and prop for my Trumpeter Spitfire. Before I begin the corrections on the elevator/stab, is there an aftermarket set of correct tail feathers? Or do I need to sand, scribe and rivet them as Bob did in the review article?

Hi John
Absolutely. The upper cowl does not need a replacement but we sure need a canopy, and a door. The kit door looks like it has some sort of brace on it that was never there. My next attempt on the Trumpeter will be "my way" and not the way it had to be to do a proper kit evaluation. The first thing will be to try to scratch build a proper door. The next will be to thin down those fat wing tips. Spitfire wing tips do not look like that when viewed from head on. Oh yeah, the horizontal stabs need some sanding and resribing. The propeller really needs to be replaced with an aftermarket Rotol and the seat is a total loss and needs to be replaced too.
One bit of advice.....fill in all those "rivets" on the armoured upper fuel tank cover. The real one does NOT have them, just the fasteners.
Cheers
Bob S.

Cutting Edge is available direct from the maker, Meteor Productions, at www.meteorprod.com

The make a corrected cowl, prop & spinner, and seat with seatbelts. God only knows why they didn't make a corrected crew door, 'cause the kit one is all wrong.

Hi Stefano
Warbird Productions have 1/24th scale Spitfire parts too. Check them out at -
http://loru1588.tripod.com/
I can help you with your Super Size Spitfire if you need any help. I did the review for FSM that you refer to.
Cheers
Bob S.

Cutting Edge and Waldron have 1/24 accessories for the Spit. The Cutting Edge stuff is brand new and made to fit the Trumpeter kit.

Do a search on Hannants with Spitfire and 1/24 as keywords to see the items in question...

www.hannants.co.uk