1:24 Airfix Spitfire Mk. IXc..or is it E?- June 5th 1944

[Craigyboy]

26 minutes ago, Bomber_County said:

Craig, thanks for the explanation, I know nothing about C, E wings so useful. My nephew lives in Sheffield and looks like you guys got clobbered. The build is amazing……..

Thanks. Yep no work for me rest of this week. Snow and being a driving instructor don't work well. 

[Peterpools]

Craig

Awesome research and it follows right through the correct details and modifications. Outstanding work

 

[Craigyboy]

2 minutes ago, Peterpools said:

Craig

Awesome research and it follows right through the correct details and modifications. Outstanding work

 

Thanks. Still no work tomorrow so I'll get them sprayed up and see how they look

[Craigyboy]

Just watching 'Hornby: A Model World' about the design and production of ghe kit and guess whos book was sitting on Luke the researcher's book pile? Non other than 'Spitfire Engineered' by Paul Monforton. Now I know why it's NEARLY so accurate LOL

[BlrwestSiR]

Nice work on the E wing conversion. One thing though. The E wing didn't have any outboard machine guns. The .303s were removed and weren't replaced with the 0.50. So they only carried a single 0.50 and a 20mm cannon in each wing. So you can blank off the outer wing ejection ports and muzzle openings. 

 

[Craigyboy]

3 minutes ago, BlrwestSiR said:

Nice work on the E wing conversion. One thing though. The E wing didn't have any outboard machine guns. The .303s were removed and weren't replaced with the 0.50. So they only carried a single 0.50 and a 20mm cannon in each wing. So you can blank off the outer wing ejection ports and muzzle openings. 

 

Already done. It'll be on the next post....hopefully tomorrow 🙏

[Craigyboy]

Afternoon all. Just a quick update on a few bits and pieces I've been fiddling with. 

Now it's going to be an e wing and being an LF to boot, I reckon it would have had the gyroscopic gunsight (GGS). Trouble is, I've already done the throttle quadrant and it's only got the standard handle not  the twisty handle used for the GGS.

Good thing I never throw anything away (Yorkshireman again). The kit gives you three different throttles so, rather than take out the one I'd already done, I snipped off the offending handle and glued the correct one in its place. Before and after shots below

I've been working on the undercarriage legs as well, just done in medium sea grey with a dull aluminium top and chrome Oleo strut. The red decal is a serial number and just came from Airscales placard set. The thin wire running down the side is a failsafe device to stop anyone unscrewing the castellated nut at the top of the oleo strut without releasing the pressure first.

Wheels wise. I've been looking and the days leading up to D-Day were wet so I'm thinking muddy wheels and tyres. I'm still playing with these but two ideas are here

The entry door on the port side is very well done but I took out the plastic metal closing bar and used metal wire to make it look less "clunky" (seems to be a buzz word LOL). I've also added wire springs at each end of the shaft. The decals are Hobbycraft dry stencils

Lastly for this short post, I've got the prop blades painted, decaled and tweaked. NO metal scratches as they were wood composite. A phosphur bronze lead edge was put in I believe but I've just shaded and toned down the decals a bit. The decals are numbered 1 to 4 so, If you glue the shafts to the boss first, watch the numbering

 

That's it for now. I have a pond to re-line tomorrow so it's bound to rain and then off to Portugal in a week for a wedding anniversary/see the brother kind of double celebration thing

Thanks for looking

[Martinnfb]

Beautiful detail Craig, I am eager to start mine LOL

Cheers

Martin

[Craigyboy]

1 hour ago, Martinnfb said:

Beautiful detail Craig, I am eager to start mine LOL

Cheers

Martin

Don't delay it's a pleasure to build! LOL

[KevinM]

Craig beautiful pit one of the better ones of late I have seen as to the wheels I like the L one.

[Craigyboy]

5 hours ago, KevinM said:

Craig beautiful pit one of the better ones of late I have seen as to the wheels I like the L one.

Thanks Kevin. Duly noted 🙏

[Craigyboy]

So, definitely the last post before hols.

Firstly, a shout out to the excellent 1ManArmy. Sven produces stencils for those tiny decals we all rip and lose, or that won't stick. He normally works in 1:32 or lower but has just released a set for this beast. They look incredibly authentic and I for one am queuing up for my set. You can view it HERE

Next, the exhaust stubs. They're terrible. Full stop. Worst bit of the kit without a doubt. Awful. you have to stick the two bits together then that necessitates sanding off the weld seam if you want anything near an autentic stub. Also, for some reason I can't understand, they've left a huge hole on the lower part as though no one will look there or it's out of sight....which it isn't by the way. No one makes a set of the fishtail exhausts in 1:24, so I had no option but to fill the hole, sand the top face and glue lead wire to recreate the weld line....TWELVE BLOODY TIMES! Anyway, this is how they look now,

 

Then, just to really boil my urine, yesterday I saw that Eduard Brassin ARE making a set for release in May.

 

Bloody typical. Jury's out whether I go with the resin.

 

Propeller and boss etc. is done. I revarnished the blades with a slightly less semi gloss varnish. I like to mix my own semi gloss with flat and gloss then I can adapt it to get just the level of glossiness I want.

 

More ranting. My spinner is awful. Obviously a problem with the mould. There's no seam line and the fasteners are very poorly moulded. I've contacted Airfix.

 

Entry door is finished. Crowbar on, I've seen plenty in red. Why why? Unless you're making a contemporary aircraft. I also snuck my obligatory scale map in, tucked down behind the crowbar, which I've seen in refs. This one is the south coast of England. I've also reneged on my promise to quit macro photos, God only knows why.

 

 

 

So, there we are til I return from hols, by which time I'm hoping:

• my Maketar masks have arrived (paid for, not heard a word from them yet?)
• My metal polishing powders from Uschi van der Rosten have arrived (paid for, not heard a word despite several emails and intervention from PayPal)

I've really tentatively put the front bulkhead, the wheels and the engine on a test fit just to see how it all looks. Still loads to do on the engine of course as well as the prop boss but I'm happy (despite the ranting)

 

Thanks for looking and see you all soon

[MARU 5137]

Hello Craig,

Firstly enjoy your holidays and hope its warm and sunny (its like that now here in God's Own Country-Yorkshire).

Just read a few pages to catch up and I am incredibly amazed  at your exacting  detailed work....  I dont think I have seen another Big Spitfire build which has SO much and EXQUISITE  looking parts and workmanship!

The seat, seatbelts and its positioning is just the very best I have seen in any Spitfire build..

I love your meticulous  looking cockpit which is AWESOME!!

  

 

Its such a joy to see a stunning looking engine{Always MY Favorite part in n aircraft.}   Beautiful details.

All in All your work is EXEMPLARY  and Craig , you have set a very high standard for other spitfire builds for  modellers.

It will be a hard task to follow your workmanship. 

And thank you for sharing your research material, drawings and other paraphernalia...

KUDOS on the build so far....

  

 

[Craigyboy]

2 minutes ago, MARU 5137 said:

Hello Craig,

Firstly enjoy your holidays and hope its warm and sunny (its like that now here in God's Own Country-Yorkshire).

Just read a few pages to catch up and I am incredibly amazed  at your exacting  detailed work....  I dont think I have seen another Big Spitfire build which has SO much and EXQUISITE  looking parts and workmanship!

The seat, seatbelts and its positioning is just the very best I have seen in any Spitfire build..

I love your meticulous  looking cockpit which is AWESOME!!

  

 

Its such a joy to see a stunning looking engine{Always MY Favorite part in n aircraft.}   Beautiful details.

All in All your work is EXEMPLARY  and Craig , you have set a very high standard for other spitfire builds for  modellers.

It will be a hard task to follow your workmanship. 

And thank you for sharing your research material, drawings and other paraphernalia...

KUDOS on the build so far....

  

 

Thank you so much. I'm watching the sun stream in in God's own county as I write. Tbh I don't know why we're going anywhere else

[KevinM]

Liking it Craig beotch about the exhaust with everything you've put in to it I might wait to see Eduard's?

[Craigyboy]

11 minutes ago, KevinM said:

Liking it Craig beotch about the exhaust with everything you've put in to it I might wait to see Eduard's?

I think your right Keven. And thanks

[Craigyboy]

Hi all

Quick update from sunny Portugal. Paypal have kindly refunded me the money I paid to Uschi van der Rosten. While the products look great, there are several people online in the same situation as myself, money paid, no product and no communication. 

Maketar are the same, no communication at all and no product either.

Lastly, Airfix got back to me on the spinner seam line problem....they're all the same end of story. I'll have to scribe the line myself and, short of going to Simon Kohler, no escalation procedure either. Not good

[DocRob]

Enjoy your holidays in one of my favorite countries. The wine, the food, the people and the surf,..., I get carried away, sorry.
I love what you have done lately, detailing your Spitfire in a more 'personal' fashion.
Bummer with the AM. I have all three polishing powders and absolutely love Chrome and Iron. These a re the finest metal pigments, I ever used. Steel is a bit more coarse and I don't use it often, as Iron covers that as well. I sometimes dealt with Alex from Uschi without problems, but this was some years ago. The products seem to be not too easy to purchase. 
Modellbau König, a very trusty seller since lots of years has the Iron powder in stock.

Polishing Powder Iron (modellbau-koenig.de)

They also carry chrome polishing powder from 'Das Werk', which could be the same as Uschi, as these companies are affiliated somehow. But I can't vouch for that.

Metal Polishing Powder Chrome (modellbau-koenig.de)

I also dealt with maketar without trouble, but also some time back.

The OneManArmy masks are absolutely fantastic, I used them for my 1/32 Corsair build recently and afterwards ordered some more sets.

Cheers Rob

 

 

[Craigyboy]

1 hour ago, DocRob said:

Enjoy your holidays in one of my favorite countries. The wine, the food, the people and the surf,..., I get carried away, sorry.
I love what you have done lately, detailing your Spitfire in a more 'personal' fashion.
Bummer with the AM. I have all three polishing powders and absolutely love Chrome and Iron. These a re the finest metal pigments, I ever used. Steel is a bit more coarse and I don't use it often, as Iron covers that as well. I sometimes dealt with Alex from Uschi without problems, but this was some years ago. The products seem to be not too easy to purchase. 
Modellbau König, a very trusty seller since lots of years has the Iron powder in stock.

Polishing Powder Iron (modellbau-koenig.de)

They also carry chrome polishing powder from 'Das Werk', which could be the same as Uschi, as these companies are affiliated somehow. But I can't vouch for that.

Metal Polishing Powder Chrome (modellbau-koenig.de)

I also dealt with maketar without trouble, but also some time back.

The OneManArmy masks are absolutely fantastic, I used them for my 1/32 Corsair build recently and afterwards ordered some more sets.

Cheers Rob

 

 

Thanks Rob. I'll give them a try. I'm really keen to try the powders. Iron is available in a few places. Maketar seem great for 'standard' stuff, it's the bespoke which seems to be a bit of a pain. My masks from Sven have arrived. Can't wait to get cracking with them

PS you're right about Portugal. One of the most underrated cuisines in the world

[Craigyboy]

Hols over and back to cold and windy UK. I've carried on with the undercarriage and got the inner surfaces painted up and lightly weathered. I'll be adding more dirt later as the weather on the lead up to D-Day was wet and unsettled.

So now I can set about getting the brake cables in. It's amazing how few kits include them but I think they add another touch of realism to a model.

Mocked up here, it's solid metal pipe all down the length of the wheel cover then switches to sheathed round to the connection to the wheel. I've used tiny clips from Hiroboy designed for scale car engines to fix the cable over the cover.

The bit at the top of the strut will be sheathed too but until I'm ready to fit it all onto the plane, I can't judge where. I won't be adding it until all the underside is painted and weathered as that means I can fit the covers in the retracted position for painting and weathering then add another layer of weathering to represent that picked up when the wheels are down.

Next up I fitted the cockpit light on the left of the cockpit. Like Guy found on his excellent build, there's not much room to fit one on the right side of the cockpit although reference pics show there was one on either side. I'm too scared of knocking something major off trying so I'm going with the one on the left

 

Lastly, back to the engine. I want to get it finished even though fitting it will be the last thing I do on the model.

As I've said earlier, it's a nice Merlin. Not as good as Airfix's P&W engine on the Hellcat which was simply superb. Lot's of work and lost hait (if I had any to lose) but well worth it,

This Merlin is missing oil pipes from the pump into the cylinders and has no linkage whatsoever for the engine controls. The oil pipes were easy the linkages less so. I've made a strt and will dress them up later. The magneto boost is on there too but I won't be adding everything.

So there we have it. Quick update on my gripes.

Refund from Paypal for the never seen Uschi stuff

Refund pending for the never seen Maketar stuff

Masks from 1ManArmy have arrived and are awesome. Can't wait to try them

 

As for Airfix and the spares, what a joke!

I mentioned I emailed spares regarding some 0.5mm Brownings from the Hellcat kit to let me do the E wing...never had a reply

I also emailed then regarding the spinner which is very poorly moulded. I had a reply asking what was wrong with it? I replied telling them again and got a reply saying "well, all the ones I have here are the same"!

At this point, more in hope than expectation of rousing a response, I took to Twitter to lament their customer service. A short time later, RESULT! They replied apologising and asking me to email marketing who would look into it for me. 

I waited like a kid waiting to open his supermodel !:24 Stuka on Christmas morning (yes, in 1975, I was that boy) and the reply duly came...."could you contact spares regarding this please?"

 

A letter typed on paper the old fashioned way is, as I speak, winging its way to Kent

 

Thanks for looking

[harv]

WOW !.....harv

[Spitfire]

They look great, I always struggle with brake pipes.

 

Cheers

 

Dennis

[Craigyboy]

1 hour ago, Spitfire said:

They look great, I always struggle with brake pipes.

 

Cheers

 

Dennis

Hi Dennis. Thanks. I wanted to use braid but can't get a fine enough diameter

[BlrwestSiR]

Amazing work on the engine. I can't even imagine trying to make the linkages. 

I'm curious about the 1 Man Army masks. It says it includes basic markings so does that mean it has the roundels and fin flash in them?

Carl

[Craigyboy]

2 hours ago, BlrwestSiR said:

Amazing work on the engine. I can't even imagine trying to make the linkages. 

I'm curious about the 1 Man Army masks. It says it includes basic markings so does that mean it has the roundels and fin flash in them?

Carl

Hi Carl

Thank you it's killing me LOL. Yes it has roundel and insignia for all the 5 variants