SPITFIRE GROUP BUILD 2007-2008

Roger that, I look foward to building the Revell Kit first anyway b/c the last time i built it it took me less than a day.

Chris

wyoroy wrote:

You need to talk to Frank (daywalker) he has completed that kit and can give you some first hand information. Roy

Thanks for the plug, Roy!   Guess mine is a lil' of both the Revell and the Tamiya.  OOB Tamiya kit, and Revell decals.  I have to say, I built the Revell one years ago and it was OK.  The Tamiya kit was one of my all-time favorites to build.  It even makes me look good!

Daywalker

It sure do look good that nice old MkI of yours. Especially do like the satinfinsh she has. How did you aquire that???

Best regards from the cold shores of Norway

I have the color coats and one coat of Future on my practice ICM Mk XVI.  The Fututre is not as glossy as I would like, but it's also not as rough to my eye as the photos seem, I took them in pretty harsh sunlight.  The masks worked pretty well, and I also applied the paint (Model Master enamel) very thin and at very low pressure, which I was able to do because I put a new pressure regulator on my airbrush hose where it connects to the supply line to my main air hose.  Seems to control the pressure much better than the bigger regulator on the compressor itself.

Thanks Triumf, and "hi" back! 

John,

Your camo really looks good, think I may try your mask idea!

John the Spit is looking really nice, please keep the progress shots coming.

As for Future, I always cut mine with about 10% Tamiya thinner and apply a couple of misted coats about 20 mins apart. Then I apply one or two heavy coats about 24-36 hours after the initial coats, this seems to eliminate the pebbled finish problems that I used to have.

Cheers

John the camo looks nice.  I am definately going to give those masks a try.

Great looking bird daywalker.

John, looking good.

Roy

John, looking good Love the Camo Scheme might have to give those masks a shot!

Chris 

Nice work John!

Those masks work really well.

Here's another one that lives on my display shelf.............

Its a Hasegawa 1/48 Mk.VIII OOB.

By the way lads...............

Have a great weekend!

CHEERS!

Nice lookin' bird, Darren! ...and you & yours have a great weekend, too!

Seeing all these amazing Spits, is it any wonder I couldn't wait to start mine?!

Heh! Heh! I know what you mean Mike, my Mk.IX is screaming for me to get stuck in!! Oh well, not long now!

All the best to you and yours my friend.

OK so now I am more confused than before. I want to do a MkVc for this build so have been looking into what the "C" wing entails. Everyone  talks about the large blister for the 20mm cannon(s).  I am finding model guys have done with large blisters made form drop tanks (I make a couple today... turned out pretty good).  Last night at my club meeting a guy is selling an Academy Mk XIVc which I scooped up.

(Also note the change in the picture somewhere in the printing run.  The instruction sheet art has 2 blister, bid and small, on the wing but the box top has 1)

Figuring to use the c wing as a guide.  Well it has a tiny blister for the wing insert.  And look at this Mk XIV...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Overloon_Spitfire_Mk_XIV_c.jpg

Those blisters look pretty small and narrow.  I read something about it depends if the cannon is belt fed of drum fed.  Is this true?  It's never easy is it?

OK enough of the serious stuff...

HEY GUYS... LOOK WHAT I GOT

Darren-

Good looking Spit!  That's similar to what I want to do for this GB.

Marc-

Good score!  Are you going to build that one for the GB?

Daren, Good looking Spitfire.

Roy

Glad you liked my Mk.VIII fella's

Marc, 

this should help you out mate.....

I think it was only the late C wings that had the thin cannon blister, the rest had the bigger one.

Hope this helps, 

Marc, 

I'm not near my books at the minute, but I am pretty darn sure that the second cannon was removed.

Great Spit, John.  Johnnie Houlton's bird, IIRC.  Hope I can get my little Mk IX looking half as good as that!

Darren, I have a soft spot for Spits generally but Mk VIIIs in particular.  You've made my day with that post!

Marc, good score, mate.

I've seen a built Academy Spit recently with its two cannon installation but only one gun tube and thought it was rather screwy to put it nicely.  I've got a great book at home called Spitfires and Polished Metal by Barry McKee and some other bloke.  It's about restoring Spits by Historic Flying and there are that many beautiful colour pics of Spits in various stages of undress that you read it with a permanent smile on your face!  I'll have a look for wing arrangements but Darren's post above sorts it out!

wing_nut wrote:

Thanks Darren.  A question about the 2nd cannon being plugged.  Was the gun still installed and just mot used, hence the plug?  Seems nuts.  I only ask since the Academy kits has the plug for the 2nd gun, but both cannons in the gun bay. And we all know kit manufacturers NEVER make mistakes like that.

If the gun arrangement was 1 cannon and 2 MGs per wing, the plug would have been used, and the bay housing the cannons would have only had 1 cannon. If it housed 2 cannons per wing, then of course the cannon bay would have been full, but the MG bays would have been empty.

The plug would have been just outboard of the inboard cannon in the 1 cannon per wing arrangement.

Are the cannons molded in the bays, or glued in? If you can glue them in, leave the outboard cannon off. If they're molded in, and you're going to have the cover open, then you'd need to remove the outboard one.

I'm sending both the large and small blisters to you. If it were me, barring a reference pic of a particular aircraft, I'd go with the large blister. I think it just looks cooler.