Spitfire XIVe- Tamiya with Laminar Flow Design conversion

[BlrwestSiR]

1 hour ago, CANicoll said:

Carl,

Not sure how I missed this earlier, but amazing packaging.  I had not seen those seatbelts before.  Are they easier to put together than the HGW, or basically the same?  Looking good.

Chris

Chris, the seatbelts are made by Wako from Japan. They're much cheaper than HGW ones, about $8 for a set of the High Detail ones. The basic ones are even cheaper. Either comes with 2 sets of belts per pack. 

On the High Detail sets, Wako has layed out the buckles in such a way that you can thread the belts through them before cutting them off the fret. They also include instructions that are very detailed as to how the belts go together including how the buckles go. 

The one drawback is that the buckles are plastic and not metal. I have broken the odd one but if you're careful, it's not too much of an issue. 

Hope that helps. 

[CANicoll]

5 minutes ago, BlrwestSiR said:

Chris, the seatbelts are made by Wako from Japan. They're much cheaper than HGW ones, about $8 for a set of the High Detail ones. The basic ones are even cheaper. Either comes with 2 sets of belts per pack. 

On the High Detail sets, Wako has layed out the buckles in such a way that you can thread the belts through them before cutting them off the fret. They also include instructions that are very detailed as to how the belts go together including how the buckles go. 

The one drawback is that the buckles are plastic and not metal. I have broken the odd one but if you're careful, it's not too much of an issue. 

Hope that helps. 

Enormously!  I was starting to try and thread the HGW ones onto the metal buckles before cutting the buckles off, but not easy to do.  These do look amazing thanks for sharing.

[Peterpools]

Carl

Terrific progress on the Spit and thank you for the detail photographs on how you cut out the hatch openings and especially the details on the Wako seatbelts.  Is there a US or Canadian vendor you can recommend? 

[BlrwestSiR]

Peter,  I usually get them from HLJ and just grab them when I have an order to ship from them. My LHS Wheels and Wings had them in stock for a while but I don't see them at the moment. 

If you want a couple to try, let me know. I've got a couple sets here and could drop one in the mail for you. 

[Peterpools]

9 minutes ago, BlrwestSiR said:

Peter,  I usually get them from HLJ and just grab them when I have an order to ship from them. My LHS Wheels and Wings had them in stock for a while but I don't see them at the moment. 

If you want a couple to try, let me know. I've got a couple sets here and could drop one in the mail for you. 

Thanks Carl, PM sent.

 

[GazzaS]

Work looks great, Carl.  Real Curious about those Wako Belts. 

[JohnB]

On 8/13/2023 at 8:18 PM, BlrwestSiR said:

There's a high back XIV coming. Mainly a change to the vertical tailplane fillet. 

He's working on a P-51B conversion and he's started on a Spitfire XII. Which hopefully means a Seafire XV will follow along after that. 

I'll surely be in for the P-51B conversion! Something that is badly needed.

[JohnB]

This looks like it will be a really nice build. Following along.

Do you have a link for Laminar Designs? Thanks.

[BlrwestSiR]

3 hours ago, JohnB said:

This looks like it will be a really nice build. Following along.

Do you have a link for Laminar Designs? Thanks.

Here you go John:

https://laminarflowdesign.com/gb/

He's currently sold out. He makes them in batches of 60 and then puts them up for sale. He's on his second run and the third should be out I think around the end of October.

[JohnB]

1 hour ago, BlrwestSiR said:

Here you go John:

https://laminarflowdesign.com/gb/

He's currently sold out. He makes them in batches of 60 and then puts them up for sale. He's on his second run and the third should be out I think around the end of October.

Thanks Carl! I'll check from time to time to see what's new, etc. I'll also send him a message about his planned P-51B conversion. Thanks again.

[JohnB]

19 hours ago, JohnB said:

Thanks Carl! I'll check from time to time to see what's new, etc. I'll also send him a message about his planned P-51B conversion. Thanks again.

I had a reply from him that the P-51B conversion will be done, just no timeline, etc.

[Peterpools]

John, Carl

I'm in for at least one P-51B conversion. 🤞