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Can you have too many Spitfires? Tamiya 1/48 Spitfire MkVb


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The answer is: no! (to me, at least :fight::winkgrin: )

Few words on the kit: it's well known, and as Troy Smith pointed out in my WIP thread (see here if you're interested), has some shape issues, concerning mainly wings and fuselage shape.

I didn't feel like I was able to fix them, though, so I decided to build this kit as an experiment for various techniques such as, for instance, salt chipping (first time ever for me), an doing my own mask for roundels.

No aftermarkets used, but definitely some scratch - building involved:

- cables and wires and few other details inside the cockpit

- radio switches box (cockpit again)

- brake lines on undercarriages

- pitot tube (using a prescription needle)

- back canopy thermoformed, as the kit one is too wide and tends to break at the minimum pressure

- IFF aerials, using hair

probably something else, but I don't remember now.

Roundels, fin flag and code letters were airbrushed, using self made masks. The only kit decals I've used are the serial numbers and the stencils.

The AC I intended to reproduce is this:

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A quite battered one, indeed. Here are the pics:

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Weathering details

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Bottom view

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More detail pics to follow

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And there I was just asking about where these photos had got to over in your WIP thread! And here they are! And well worth it they are too.

All I can do is repeat what I said in that thread:

:wow: That looks stunningly beautiful giemme. I love the weathering effects and your attention to detail with things like the pitot tube and mirror is amazing. This is going to be one of the best looking Spitfires made on BM. Superb! :worthy::worthy::worthy:

You can probably tell I like it a lot! :pilot:

Kind regards,

Stix

Edited by PlaStix
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Detail pics

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Here's what I forgot to mention: harness made out of post it-note, with buckles made from hammered and shaped copper or tin wire. I know they're out of scale, I'll do better next time :banghead:

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Cockpit details before closing the fuselage halves

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That's it, comments are more than welcome

Ciao

Edited by giemme
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The answer to your question, deffinitely not and in may defence may I submit 20+ A-7 Corsair II's. A very tasty Spity model indeed, you could maybe have even carried the weathering further juding by that in the photos. Thanks for sharing your pics. The A-7's, well one day...

Colin

Edited by heloman1
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Thanks everybody!

@Colin; actually, I think the chipping at least it's a little understated, compared to the real AC pic, but it was my first time with salt chipping as I said, so I was being sort of ... shy :winkgrin: . I'm glad you like her, anyway :thumbsup:

20+ A-7? You can call it an obsession ... :lol:

As for the number of Spitfires: in my defense, I should say that this is my first one, but then, why should I defend myself about that? :hobbyhorse:

Ciao

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At your first attemp at the salt chipping I can fully understand wanting to be shy and hold back. I think it came off well.

Yes 20+ Corsair II's. in the late 70's when I got hooked, Micro-Scale were bring out multi Corsair unit decal sheets and I just couldn't resist the colourful tail marking of the day. Not al the units using the A-7 were available but in the intervening years 90+% are. I live in hope of one day finishing the project I started in 1975, to portray all the US Navy units then using the type. Ha!

Colin

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Again, thanks everybody for taking the time to comment :thumbsup:

You can probably tell I like it a lot! :pilot:

Thanks mate, I'm glad you like her because it was largely inspired not only by your recent Mk Vb double build, but also by all your Spitfire builds here on BM. :thumbsup2:

Cooken, same goes for you: I got inspiration also from your builds, in terms of experimenting new (to me) techniques

Well all the work turned out a fantastic finish in the end Giemme,superb job all round on this one.

Thanks Steve, I'm so glad you like her!

Yes, in case there is no space for Bf-109s anymore ;-).

:rofl: Yes, that can be a good reason ...

Ciao

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This is a modeller who knows his Spitfire!

My only quibble is the instrument panel. It is a worderful job done to Tamiya's rendering, but should the bezels not be embedded in the plate and not raised?

But, then, you got the crowbar absolutely right!

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This is a modeller who knows his Spitfire!

My only quibble is the instrument panel. It is a worderful job done to Tamiya's rendering, but should the bezels not be embedded in the plate and not raised?

But, then, you got the crowbar absolutely right!

Thanks NPL! :thumbsup: As for the bezels, see this link (I used those pics as my bible for this Spitfire interiors). They appear to be, in various ways, raised; I'm not saying that Tamiya was 100% correct in that, their IP panel is probably well oversized in that respect, but still looks the part. The real problem there, which I mentioned in the WIP thread, is that I used decals to represent the various gauges which came from my spare box, so I chose what would be the closest match the real ones, but definitely not totally accurate ... :banghead:

Thanks again for taking the time to comment

Ciao

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I think only the Luftwaffe, Regia Aeronatica and the JAAF would have argued a case for there being too many Spitfires!! LOL

:rofl: Yes, that thought probably crossed their mind!

And thanks for your comments, they mean a lot to me, knowing the level of your models :thumbsup:

Ciao

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