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Tamiya Spitfire MK XVIe


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Tamiya Spitfire MkXVIe

1/32 Scale

With the Meng GT40 and the Revell Embraer 190 done and in the books, it was time to look at my next projects.  For me nothing better then enjoying a Tamiya kit and so the Spitfire Mk XVIe begins. My alternating build is going to be either the Hasegawa Castrol XJR9 or the Revell Corvette CR.7 but which ever build won’t be started for quite a while as I need to first make major progress on the Spitfire.

AM purchased for the build:

Barracuda – Five Resin detail sets, as I would pick and choose what I needed.

Quinta – 3D Cockpit Detail set with Sutton harness

Maketar Mask set to be use along with the kit decals. A first for me.

Ammo by Mig RAF WWII Late Colors set of Acrylic Paints

MRP Paints for the interior and all other colors not covered with the Mig set.

Primer: MRP Light Gray

And let the fun begin

For starters, I needed to make a decision as to how to incorporate both the Quinta and Barracuda AM sets.

Barracuda – are resin replacements for a lot the kit parts, adding more details and correcting a few inaccuracies.

Quinta .. 3D vinyl decals for the front office and they are meant to enhance the existing parts and bring the cockpit up to a new level of detail. Having used Quinta cockpit decals twice in the past, I decided to go the Quinta route of enhancing the kit parts and then add the Barracuda resin parts as needed and there were quite a few used even at this stage.

I just love Quinta 3D cockpit decal sets and I went with the full monte incorporated into the Tamiya front office. I started with the IP and worked my way around including the leather seatback padding, Sutton harness set and all the almost limitless decals and placards. What I thought would have taken a few work sessions, easily was a full three plus and then I started adding the Barracuda resin AM parts as needed.  Combining the kit parts with both Quinta and Barracuda brought the front office up to a new level of detail.

I still need to finish the IP (I lost the kit gun sight and used the resin Barracuda sight),  some light weathering and dry brushing will be needed. Numerous other Barracuda resin parts will be used in the front office and canopy, but I haven't gotten that far yet.

The joy stick is still not glued into place as it’s final position will be determined on the set of the elevators. 

I also gave Ammo by Mig Ultra Glue a try for adding the Quinta vinyl decals for the first time. I found I still prefer Micro Kristal Klear as it’s not as fussy to work with and for all the small decals used CCA.  

So far, a joy to build, no issues at all, typical Tamiya..

 Keep ‘em comin

Peter 

AM so far

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Mig Paint set of choice

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Chief restorer and incharge of the project

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Very nice start Peter, I will follow your build, as I never build a Spit and have only two 1/48 ones in stash. When I'm grown up, maybe I will purchase a Tamiya Spitfire.
Two questions remain, is the Mk. IX IP identical and do you plan to lower the loop of the seatbelts a bit, they look a bit strange in the side view, the way, they are draped over the upper bar.

Cheers Rob 

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Hi Rob, much appreciated. 

From what I can tell, there are two IP's in the kit, I used the one in the instructions for the Mk XVIe and the Quinta IP matches that. So I would have to say the IP's are not the same.  Quinta is the same as Tamiya. I might try and pull the shoulder harnesses down a bit but the vinyl seemed to have a mind of it's own and still a million times more realistic then the s/s ones in the kit..

Keep 'em comin

Peter

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Thanks Kev

I know what you mean. When I was working, it was always six days a week for all my life until close to retirement. A good deal of the time, I wish I was working again as there is way too much free time on my hands. 

Keep 'em comin

Peter

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Peter, wow….flawless as ever……great start and almost John’s speed of building. I’m similar to Rob, only ever built one Spit in my life, Airfix 1/24. Very badly I may add was in my teens…….so it’s about time to remedy that……

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Thanks Phil

Great kit and going to be a fun build for sure. Only way I can get semi close to John's speed, is ship him the kit and he'll build it for me 😉

I've built now quite a few Tamiya Spits and still have a few more in the stash. If memory serves me correctly, the Spitfire was Tamiya initiation into their large scale WWII fighters. One thing I'm remembering as I go, bot the Spit and Mustang had some toy like features ala Trumpeter PE hinges and movable control surfaces that completely vanished by the time the Corsair series hit the shelves. Just a lot of extra work that really doesn't serve any purpose. I'm solidly in the positional camp and more then that, proved to be unnecessary.

I built the same Airfix kit in the early seventies and from what I remember, what a beast. But just getting it built was an accomplishment. I didn't even have a compressor, just cans of Pasche air and I know I must have set a record on how many cans of air I used. 

Keep 'em comin

Peter

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Thanks Kai

So glad you are going to be along for the journey and as with all my Tamiya builds, no major stumbling blocks at all, except the self-inflicted ones.

A few first are being planned for the Spit

Combining both the Quinta and Barracuda upgrade sets as each as their own details to contribute. The biggest newbie is I'm planning on using the Maketar mask set, as I've only used masks in the past for the canopies. So lots to learn and look forward to.

Keep 'em comin

Peter

  

l

 

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Peter, great start on the Spitfire. The cockpit looks fantastic. I like the idea of mixing and matching the AM and using what suits the particular detail the best. 

For something different, how about painting the Merlin red with chrome covers? 

IMG_20170131_155942-600x450.jpg

Oh and Tamiya's first WWII kit was the Zero, followed by the Spitfire.

Carl

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13 hours ago, BlrwestSiR said:

Peter, great start on the Spitfire. The cockpit looks fantastic. I like the idea of mixing and matching the AM and using what suits the particular detail the best. 

For something different, how about painting the Merlin red with chrome covers? 

IMG_20170131_155942-600x450.jpg

Oh and Tamiya's first WWII kit was the Zero, followed by the Spitfire.

Carl

The red color of theMerlin is specific to modern, rebuilt, Merlins for racing aircrafts. It wasn't used, AFAIK, on mar machines

Hubert

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Thanks Carl very much appreciated.

Learning to mix and match AM, takes a bit of forethought, of which I didn't use any and now have a lot of Barracuda resin left over and not used. But the plus side, I have more Tamiya Spits in the stash, plus the Revell Mk II and of course, I'm waiting for the Kotare Spit Mk Ia to make its appearance late this fall. With no new 32nd scale WWII Tamiya kits anywhere on the radar. adding to the stash seems to be a natural. Holy Smokes a bright red Merlin - sure looks like a chevy bloc to me plus those chrome valve covers. Pretty cool, what's on the bench requiring that, Merlin? MY Merlin is almost completely paint and already painted, waiting in the side lines now until I reach that stage in the instructions.

Keep 'em comin

Peter

 

 

 

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