SPITFIRE GROUP BUILD 2007-2008

Marc, the cockpit is looking good!  As for the seat back, I always thought that it was padded and i read the same thing that it was a brownish color.  I think it was a review for the airfix kit but I am not sure.

Chris

Marc-

I'm no Spitfire expert, so if anyone else out there has better info please share.

The seat back was padded, just like the texture on your seat.  It was a black leather, with vertical ribbing just like yours.  The seat itself was made from a material called bakelite, and was a reddish brown color.  I have heard that they tried painting them in the beginning, but the paint did not stick well so they quit and left them their natural color.  Here's a photo of the color:

Love the office on yours so far, you really have a knack for delicate painting and detailing!

Marc: Great cockpit !! nice paint job on the seat  !!!

Frank: thanks for a reference picture ! It will server well very soon

Greg 

Marc, that is looking incredible so far!! Awesome work, my friend!!! ...and Frank is correct about the bakalite seat. I painted mine with Pollyscale 'Demon Red'.

Frank, I worked from that exact same pic when I built the 'pit for my Mk.Vb. Great stuff!

wing_nut wrote:

A question about the seat back... Was that padded?  And what color is the seat?  I saw something that said the whole thing was a brownish.  Should that just be the back rest?

Try panzer red brown from PolyScale. It's a close match to the bakelite plastic color.

This is the only pic I've got that shows the seat back:

It appears that where the ribs start it is the bakelite color..... just at the corner. But it's hard to tell.

Anybody got a pic with a little more showing?

jwb wrote:

Anybody got a pic with a little more showing?

Yeah, but only my wife gets to see those!!

ruddratt wrote:

jwb wrote: Anybody got a pic with a little more showing? Yeah, but only my wife gets to see those!!

LMAO!

I think you may have that around the wrong way Ollie, Spitfires up to the Mk.IX had a Bakelite seat that was usually left unpainted.  There are a couple of reasonable shots of a Mk.IXe cockpit at the bottom of the page  http://www.spitfire.dk/chapter4.htm  Past the Mk.IX I honestly don't know what material they used for the seat, might have to do a bit of research on that one.

As for my colour of choice, I always use Tamiya Hull Red as this to me is a pretty good match for unpainted Bakelite

This is a very old build but you get the idea

Cheers

I hath opened the Great Book of Spitfires, and thusly having searched it's great texts forthwith, I find said book strangely silent on the subject of seats and interior color.

At least flipping through the pages over a cup of coffee.... I'm only up to the Mk. I in reading it.... it's HUGE!

I did notice that in all the diagrams of the interior, basically right up through the very last of the line (Spiteful), all the seats appeared the same as the Bakelite seat used throughout the life of the Spitfire Marks.

Didn't find any mention of the color, but everything I've ever seen indicated the brownish-red color, though on some early aircraft, they tried to paint it Int. Green but the paint did not stick.

Interestingly, the place it does mention Bakelite is in a few pages discussing experiemnts with making composite components for the Spitfire. Tests were done with several similar plastic composites.

I recall reading somewhere on the web- seems like a build report somewhere- that later Seafire marks were painted a with a dark gray interior. I can't find anything one way or the other in the GBoS, and the only pics I have of the interiors of Spitfires/Seafires are Br. Int Green, though I can't find any of them for the 46.

Now having said all that I realize it doesn't confirm or deny a thing..... most vague, I am....

Maybe I should run for office.... or maybe not..... perhaps a study.....

I am glad I asked the question.  That's one of the things I like about a good GB... always learn something.

So here is the painted seat with my version of the Bakelite color... MM rust with a tiny drop of red.  I have since repainted the headrest black as well as the part in the back.  BTW... What is that" second" headrest facing backwards for?

And the fuselage just before I buttoned it all snug and cozy

wing_nut wrote:

I am glad I asked the question.  That's one of the things I like about a good GB... always learn something.   BTW... What is that" second" headrest facing backwards for?

Great cockpit !!!

I am not sure but I think it was a voltage regulator - is it right ??

Greg 

wing_nut wrote:

So here is the painted seat with my version of the Bakelite color... MM rust with a tiny drop of red.  I have since repainted the headrest black as well as the part in the back.  BTW... What is that" second" headrest facing backwards for?

Very nice work- looks excellent!

Can't find for sure, but dealie on the back appears to be a continuation of the headrest. Several reference pics I have of Mk. Vs show it as being the same color as the forward part of the headrest. Perhaps it is secured in the middle where it passes through?

I'd always heard that these weren't introduced until the Mk. IX, but I've got quite a few pics of it all the way back to the Mk. I. Some photos show no headrest here and there, and one evn shows only the back part.... so that may mean the two are not attached.

In all the cases, front and back are the same color. Since the pics I looked at were b&w, hard to tell the exact color, but they do match.

To confuse matters even more.... here's a pic of a restored Mk. IX without the rear part.... and no indication of what the rear part was or should be mounted to. And I found pics of wartime aircraft with both, rear only and front only.

If it were me..... I'd paint 'em both black and call 'em headrests, unless the specific plane you're building has photos showing otherwise. 

gzt wrote:

wing_nut wrote: I am glad I asked the question.  That's one of the things I like about a good GB... always learn something.   BTW... What is that" second" headrest facing backwards for?  Great cockpit !!! I am not sure but I think it was a voltage regulator - is it right ?? Greg

Forget all that other stuff I wrote! You are correct Greg!

When I saw your post, I went on a new search in the GBoS for the electrical system- and bingo! That's it! It is definitely the voltage regulator!

Still..... it's black......

LOL

Now I'm really curious why that restored one doesn't have it..... guess they relocated it. 

gzt wrote:

wing_nut wrote: I am glad I asked the question.  That's one of the things I like about a good GB... always learn something.   BTW... What is that" second" headrest facing backwards for?  Great cockpit !!! I am not sure but I think it was a voltage regulator - is it right ?? Greg

 The only thing ive noticed on the back of there on preserved examples as a cockpit pressurisation system.

Re Seats, from the horses mouth so to speek:

Ollie,

I do not know the definitive answer to your question.

The aluminium seat pan came first fitted to the Mk I and was superseded by the SRBP type. As the seats were interchangeable I suspect there was no Mk number cut off point. I would be pretty sure the MkII production at CBAF had the later seat.

I will ask around.

Best regards,

And Re headrests:

They do not go through the bulkheads. There is a voltage regulator mounted on the back

I would trust this infomation to make a correct model, my source certainly knows what he is talking about when it comes to Spitfires.

ollie wrote:

Re Seats, from the horses mouth so to speek: Ollie, I do not know the definitive answer to your question. The aluminium seat pan came first fitted to the Mk I and was superseded by the SRBP type. As the seats were interchangeable I suspect there was no Mk number cut off point. I would be pretty sure the MkII production at CBAF had the later seat. I will ask around. Best regards, And Re headrests: They do not go through the bulkheads. There is a voltage regulator mounted on the back   I would trust this infomation to make a correct model, my source certainly knows what he is talking about when it comes to Spitfires.

Any idea what the voltage regulator looked like.... other than just the round, molded circle on kits? Any switches, wiring, etc?

Thanks for the info!  

jwb wrote:

Any idea what the voltage regulator looked like.... other than just the round, molded circle on kits? Any switches, wiring, etc? Thanks for the info!

I will ask for you.

ollie wrote:

jwb wrote: Any idea what the voltage regulator looked like.... other than just the round, molded circle on kits? Any switches, wiring, etc? Thanks for the info!   I will ask for you.

please do it for all of us

Thanks

Greg 

Happy 4th of July my friends!

I wish all my friends on the other side of the pond the happiest of celebrations. For some reason its not a big holiday in my part of the world...........

On this day I always recall that scene from The Great Escape when Steve McQueen and James Garner muster the men to the sound of drums and they salute the RAF CO with a cup of hooch and a shout of "Down with the British!"

The CO accepts the drink, smiles and with typical British reserve replies...."Couldn't agree more........" No matter how different we may be-will are always on the same side.

Spitfire Voltage regulator.

Does not look anything like i have ever seen in a kit.

ollie wrote:

Spitfire Voltage regulator. Does not look anything like i have ever seen in a kit.

Wonder if they put a cover over it? That might explain the appearence. 

Now that I look at the Hasegawa Mk. IX I'm building, I see that part is on there.