Biggles87 Posted April 17, 2015 Share Posted April 17, 2015 Hi Srew, I've been looking through my old Spitfire at war books and in Vol 3 there is a section called "Better fitted for the fight" which has a reproduction of the questionnaire filled in by Bob Stanford-Tuck after he tried out the two step rudder mod. It is dated 23/07/40 and the following text states that new style rudder pedals were fitted to all new aircraft after that and also retro-fitted to existing ones. Hope this is of interest to you. Regards John 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
06/24 Posted April 17, 2015 Share Posted April 17, 2015 Then, courtesy of Messrs Hannant's Emporium in Lowestoft, my plastic card arrived - it was a little thicker than I intended (I have no real way of visualising what '20-thou' looks like beyond a vague idea that if it is twenty-thousandths of an inch it must be quite thin) but adequate, so I made up the seat armour parts using a couple of Eduard etched parts as my guide, first the seat armour: ... and then the head armour - I first tried to drill a hole in this to fit it over the headrest (see exhibit one to the left, the failed example) before reasoning that it would be quicker and infinitely easier to cut off the headrest, fit the armour and glue the headrest back on, which is what I ended up doing: Very neatly done sir. Not sure if it helps or not (it helps me) but knowing that 40 thou is so nearly 1mm as makes no difference, helps me visualize thickness (or indeed thinness) so your 20thou sheet is half a mm thick or, in 1/72 scale equivalent to 1.42 inches thick in real life. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stew Dapple Posted April 17, 2015 Author Share Posted April 17, 2015 Hi Srew, I've been looking through my old Spitfire at war books and in Vol 3 there is a section called "Better fitted for the fight" which has a reproduction of the questionnaire filled in by Bob Stanford-Tuck after he tried out the two step rudder mod. It is dated 23/07/40 and the following text states that new style rudder pedals were fitted to all new aircraft after that and also retro-fitted to existing ones. Hope this is of interest to you. Regards John Thanks John, that is interesting and not the result I was expecting, assuming the dates on the decal instructions are correct the 222 Sqn aircraft would be the only one that might have had the two-tier pedals (referenced as "Summer 1940", the other two aircraft being dated May for 72 Sqn and July for 266 Sqn)... fortunately you provided this in time for me to 'mix and match', cheers Very neatly done sir. Not sure if it helps or not (it helps me) but knowing that 40 thou is so nearly 1mm as makes no difference, helps me visualize thickness (or indeed thinness) so your 20thou sheet is half a mm thick or, in 1/72 scale equivalent to 1.42 inches thick in real life. 1.42 inches? At least my pilots will be safe then - I'll try to remember your advice but to be honest I buy plastic card so seldom that I will probably have forgotten it by the time I next need a sheet Today I got the internals done; the fuselage halves (all three look pretty much the same so forgive me for showing just one - if it bothers you, you can look at the picture three times ): The shading looks a bit overdone, but once the fuselage is closed up I will be lucky if it is even visible... I also got the seats harnessed and fitted: Once again I used the Eduard micro-fabric seatbelts for this, I really do like them even if they are a bit 'challenging' to use on occasion. Then I decalled and fitted the instrument panel/gunsight parts: ... and all that is currently setting/drying/curing/whatever the hell it is that those things get up to when I am not looking. Hopefully tomorrow I can get the cockpits installed and the fuselage halves joined. Cheers, Stew 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CedB Posted April 17, 2015 Share Posted April 17, 2015 Stew those seat belts look really nice. Is it these? At £3.30 a set? I probably won't be using these for my models on the ceiling... 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Biggles87 Posted April 17, 2015 Share Posted April 17, 2015 The cockpits look great. It must be fun putting those seat belts together in 1/72 scale, I have enough problems with 1/48! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rob85 Posted April 17, 2015 Share Posted April 17, 2015 Great detail stew. As for over doing the high lighting, you rightly said you would be lucky to see anything once closed... But what you can see will stand out due to your highlighting no? I love the seats you should be chuffed with these.... Much better than the one I did as my first model back. Lol! That's not really a compliment is it.... Sorry. I really feel your internal detail gets better with every build you do. Keep it up Rob 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
06/24 Posted April 17, 2015 Share Posted April 17, 2015 Stew those seat belts look really nice. Is it these? At £3.30 a set? I probably won't be using these for my models on the ceiling... That's the beasties, but for three squid you get two sets, so a quid sixty five per single seater starts to sound reasonable, plus they look better than homemade paper or tape equivalents, or at least, better than my homemade equivalents! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
06/24 Posted April 17, 2015 Share Posted April 17, 2015 The cockpits look great. It must be fun putting those seat belts together in 1/72 scale, I have enough problems with 1/48! They do get easier with practice, I feel. For me, lifting them with a scalpel blade seems the most effective starting point, and then it's a case of magicing three hands and poking and prodding until satisfied. Originally I used PVA to settle them but subsequent builds I've relied on their in built self adhesive nature, without any ill effects so far. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Biggles87 Posted April 18, 2015 Share Posted April 18, 2015 I have not tried the micro- fabric seat belts yet, I'm still using up my stock of Eduard etched belts. The problem I find with these is that they do not hang naturally against the seat back and end up hanging in space, and even after glueing tend to ping off after a time. I have some HGW and RB 1/32 sets waiting to be used, and I hope that being "textile" they will not need sticking to the seat back, we shall see. John 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stew Dapple Posted April 18, 2015 Author Share Posted April 18, 2015 Stew those seat belts look really nice. Is it these? At £3.30 a set? I probably won't be using these for my models on the ceiling... Them's the blighters Ced, but no, as you imply, not really worth it for ceiling-hangers The cockpits look great. It must be fun putting those seat belts together in 1/72 scale, I have enough problems with 1/48! Thanks John, I quite enjoy fiddly little intricacies so I am probably right in the middle of their target consumer group Great detail stew. As for over doing the high lighting, you rightly said you would be lucky to see anything once closed... But what you can see will stand out due to your highlighting no? I love the seats you should be chuffed with these.... Much better than the one I did as my first model back. Lol! That's not really a compliment is it.... Sorry. I really feel your internal detail gets better with every build you do. Keep it up Rob Thanks very much Rob, that was a great compliment, cheers They do get easier with practice, I feel. For me, lifting them with a scalpel blade seems the most effective starting point, and then it's a case of magicing three hands and poking and prodding until satisfied. Originally I used PVA to settle them but subsequent builds I've relied on their in built self adhesive nature, without any ill effects so far. It sounds like your experience of them has more or less mirrored mine Jon, though I do still glue them at the anchor points - probably needlessly since they are under no stress and are unlikely to move once the cockpit is closed up (or even before then, given the intrinsic stickiness of the material) but old habits die hard They are pricey, no doubt about it, but I prefer them to etched brass, decal or tape straps by such a long way that I don't really question the expenditure Aaaaanyway... the wing production line swung into action: The fit was a little tight so taking Beard's sage advice borne of hard-won experience, I cut off the locating pegs and simply glued the upper and lower wing parts, adjusting by eye and securing with a half-dozen clothes-pegs until dry (I've got some really nice clothes pegs by the way, I think they came from Sainsburys and were a couple of quid, they've got rubbery silicon grips and could have been made with modellers in mind ) Then I cleaned up and completed assembly of the propellers: So I am now poised, like a coiled spring, like a leopard ready to pounce, like a... erm... like a... no, like a... well, like a bloke who is almost ready to glue six fuselage halves together Soon. Cheers, Stew 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stew Dapple Posted April 18, 2015 Author Share Posted April 18, 2015 I have not tried the micro- fabric seat belts yet, I'm still using up my stock of Eduard etched belts. The problem I find with these is that they do not hang naturally against the seat back and end up hanging in space, and even after glueing tend to ping off after a time. I have some HGW and RB 1/32 sets waiting to be used, and I hope that being "textile" they will not need sticking to the seat back, we shall see. John Sorry John, you ninja'd my post there or I would have responded directly... I think the micro-fabric sets are only available in 1/72 anyway - I'm not sure if they would work in any larger scale, they might be a bit flimsy looking, With the brass ones I used to bend them into shape before glueing them, but now they mostly seem to be pre-printed I think that would just crack the paint off. I did once use the RB 1/24 Luftwaffe harness and it was a little fiddly but it looked bloody unbelievable when it was done - or rather it looked totally bloody believable, it looked real. Of course that would not be possible to reproduce in 1/72 Cheers, Stew 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Biggles87 Posted April 18, 2015 Share Posted April 18, 2015 Clothes pegs eh? You know you've been modelling too long..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stew Dapple Posted April 18, 2015 Author Share Posted April 18, 2015 Clothes pegs eh? You know you've been modelling too long..... I know... Cheers, Stew 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duncan B Posted April 18, 2015 Share Posted April 18, 2015 Don't tell anyone but I'm not a great fan of the Spitfire, it must be my lack of stiff upper lip and my Teutonic duelling scar that does it! Strangely though I do have the (not so) new Airfix Spitfire in the stash, I do not understand or remember the reasoning behind buying it but there it is so maybe I will actually sit down and make the thing one day (just so my Bf109's have something to growl at on the shelf). Duncan B 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beard Posted April 18, 2015 Share Posted April 18, 2015 Aaaaanyway... the wing production line swung into action: The fit was a little tight so taking Beard's sage advice borne of hard-won experience, I cut off the locating pegs and simply glued the upper and lower wing parts, adjusting by eye and securing with a half-dozen clothes-pegs until dry (I've got some really nice clothes pegs by the way, I think they came from Sainsburys and were a couple of quid, they've got rubbery silicon grips and could have been made with modellers in mind ) Soon. Cheers, Stew I accept no responsibility of it goes wrong. Thanks for pointing-out the rounded top to the gunsight, I spent some time last night sanding a piece of clear plastic to go in my French Mk1. Will also be re-reading 'Spitfire - The History' today, to check when the armour plate, behind the seat, was introduced. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimHead23 Posted April 18, 2015 Share Posted April 18, 2015 Well I'm sad enough in that I am now looking for an excuse to take my wife to Sainsbury's next shop instead of the local ASDA to check out the new pegs! Time was when I was more interested in a different pair of pegs but that's age and obsession for you! Thoroughly enjoy your builds Stew and on top of everything else they all seem to be about items in my stash or future acquisitions. My local newsagent was happy to sell me his stock of Spitfires for the price of a newspaper when 'The Daily Mail' was giving them away with tokens a few years ago. With that and other bargain buys I have about 25 Mk 1's in the stash so I am looking forward to seeing you cope with three at a time. Keep up the talented, interesting and eloquent work. Regards JIm 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CedB Posted April 18, 2015 Share Posted April 18, 2015 Don't tell anyone but I'm not a great fan of the Spitfire... Duncan B Whaaaaaattttt! (In PC's absence, he's busy working I think, it has to be said.) How can you not? Those lines, those curves... but hey, if you're a 109 fan and like the harder edges, then I'm a modern man, whatever turns you on. With that and other bargain buys I have about 25 Mk 1's in the stash so I am looking forward to seeing you cope with three at a time. Jim you should make up a squadron and send it around to Duncan's. Has to be done. I think Mrs B has some of those pegs and I have a couple on the bench, but at Stew's recommendation I will go and rummage in Mrs B's laundry * Looking great Stew, excellent detail. Not tempted to buy some pens and colour up the knobs and stuff? * Dbl-E, score 1, fnaar fnaar 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duncan B Posted April 18, 2015 Share Posted April 18, 2015 I think my 17 Bf109's plus the 12 Fw190's could deal with a squadron of mk1 Spitfires. It was actually the challenging colour schemes that first attracted me to the Luftwaffe side of things, all that lovely mottling whereas the Spitfire colours all looked the same to me. However Stew's recent RAF builds have definitely peaked my interest in WW2 RAF stuff hence my visits to this WIP. Duncan B 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rob85 Posted April 18, 2015 Share Posted April 18, 2015 Both two ends of the art deco spectrum and lookers in their own right no?? (Brutalist lines and beautiful curves both were pretty good at knocking others and each other out of the air! Rob 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimHead23 Posted April 18, 2015 Share Posted April 18, 2015 I think my 17 Bf109's plus the 12 Fw190's could deal with a squadron of mk1 Spitfires. It was actually the challenging colour schemes that first attracted me to the Luftwaffe side of things, all that lovely mottling whereas the Spitfire colours all looked the same to me. However Stew's recent RAF builds have definitely peaked my interest in WW2 RAF stuff hence my visits to this WIP. Duncan B Quite possibly but did I mention my collection of Mk Vs, IXs, XIVs etc..... I am a sucker for anything with an RAF roundel on it. All my US aircraft are bought for potential 'Lendlease' projects. I appreciate the point about the attractive Luftwaffe schemes but I like the subtle variation in the RAF schemes too. If I ever do retire I plan to model every aircraft flown by the RAF from 1938 to 1948 in 1/72 but it is more likely that I will collect all the un made kits and leave them to my son! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stew Dapple Posted April 18, 2015 Author Share Posted April 18, 2015 Don't tell anyone but I'm not a great fan of the Spitfire, it must be my lack of stiff upper lip and my Teutonic duelling scar that does it! Strangely though I do have the (not so) new Airfix Spitfire in the stash, I do not understand or remember the reasoning behind buying it but there it is so maybe I will actually sit down and make the thing one day (just so my Bf109's have something to growl at on the shelf). Duncan B I must confess that for me the Spitfire is a second-favourite to the Hurricane, so we differ only in degree - it is however a nice kit and has been all good fun so far... I accept no responsibility of it goes wrong. Thanks for pointing-out the rounded top to the gunsight, I spent some time last night sanding a piece of clear plastic to go in my French Mk1. Will also be re-reading 'Spitfire - The History' today, to check when the armour plate, behind the seat, was introduced. I accepted your advice with your usual disclaimer in mind, thanks Beard. Re: the seat armour... the information you need is here Well I'm sad enough in that I am now looking for an excuse to take my wife to Sainsbury's next shop instead of the local ASDA to check out the new pegs! Time was when I was more interested in a different pair of pegs but that's age and obsession for you! Thoroughly enjoy your builds Stew and on top of everything else they all seem to be about items in my stash or future acquisitions. My local newsagent was happy to sell me his stock of Spitfires for the price of a newspaper when 'The Daily Mail' was giving them away with tokens a few years ago. With that and other bargain buys I have about 25 Mk 1's in the stash so I am looking forward to seeing you cope with three at a time. Keep up the talented, interesting and eloquent work. Regards JIm Thanks very much Jim, I appreciate your kind words - I should perhaps point out that I bought the clothes pegs a couple of years ago, but I'm sure they still have them or something like them (probably in Asda as well and I have seen similar ones in pound shops too) - they look like this: ...Looking great Stew, excellent detail. Not tempted to buy some pens and colour up the knobs and stuff?... I can't believe you missed that honking great dbl-e there Ced ...It was actually the challenging colour schemes that first attracted me to the Luftwaffe side of things, all that lovely mottling whereas the Spitfire colours all looked the same to me. However Stew's recent RAF builds have definitely peaked my interest in WW2 RAF stuff hence my visits to this WIP. Duncan B I'm deeply gratified to hear that Duncan, thank you Cheers, Stew 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CedB Posted April 18, 2015 Share Posted April 18, 2015 Had a furtle in Mrs B's laundry and, unusually at my age, wasn't disappointed! The ones on the right were a new find and I pinched a couple more of those on the left. I also have four wooden ones. You can never have enough. I can't believe you missed that honking great dbl-e there Ced So, with the missed 'knobs' above and this lot that's, ooh, score lots, fnaar fnaar. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beard Posted April 18, 2015 Share Posted April 18, 2015 I accepted your advice with your usual disclaimer in mind, thanks Beard. Re: the seat armour... the information you need is here Cheers, Stew Thanks for the link, it's allowed me to spend time playing guitar and sit in the sun today. Simon 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Biggles87 Posted April 18, 2015 Share Posted April 18, 2015 I had a nice set of soft handled clothes pegs, but SWMBO used them to hang up the washing and now the springs have all gone rusty. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CedB Posted April 18, 2015 Share Posted April 18, 2015 I had a nice set of soft handled clothes pegs, but SWMBO used them to hang up the washing and now the springs have all gone rusty. Doh! Some people just don't know what things are really for. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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