Spitfire Mk1A 1/24 Airfix

[BIG X]

This is actually from last year – before I joined up here – but I thought it might be nice to share this – so I took some pictures today – in between the showers.

I always wanted to build one of these as a kid – but we just didn’t have the money for BIG KITS – so it was always the bagged up 1/72’s from the local newsagents – great days though.

Anyway enough of the sob stories – I got a couple of these kits last year and I have to say I was very dismayed with the quality – having paid full price.  But you can’t shatter a little boys dreams – so I picked the best bits from both kits to build one good one.

Having looked at everyone else’s presentations on the internet (before finding Brit modeller) I knew mine would hardly be a masterpiece – but I wanted to make one – and make it a little different – so I performed some minor surgery on the decals – turning a ‘B’ into ‘P’ and then found some suitable numbers to get the right serial number  to re-create this…

 

 

Last year I hadn’t even considered buying an airbrush – but I had progressed as far as rattle cans – a big step at the time as I remember.  Everything is ‘out of the box’, as I found out pretty quickly – no one is interested in making after-market parts for these old kits.

It was a horror to build and I even considered a ‘post crash’ version at times – but here she is – ‘pre crash’.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

…and here she sits on the desk – she makes me smile every time I see her – a childhood dream fulfilled.

 

 

Please remember if you ‘like’ it – hit the like button – if not ‘other threads are available’.

But seriously - as usual all constructive comments are most welcome.

Thanks for looking - Steve

 

[Corsairfoxfouruncle]

Steve ... great work. I really cant say about the current quality from Airfix. However I rebuilt my brother-in-laws Airfix/mpm 1/24 scale P-51D in 2015. He originally built the kit in 1977 and it sat in a dark damp basement for about 35 years. I completely took it apart as the old testers tube glue had turned brittle. And i thought the quality was pretty good. My biggest problem was the plastic had mutated over time and i could'nt get any glues to work. I started with testers tube, then Tamiya liquid cement. Both were like using water. I finally went to the nuclear option and used liquid C/A. He never got around to the decals in '77. So i actually was able to use a few. I completely scratched the unit markings and rattlecanned my way to a 20th Fg P-51D. Everything except star & bars and a few kill markings was rattle canned Including the camo., Railroad nose markings, invasion stripes and group markings. I had Star & bars from another kit that were the same size. I just thought id say for molds that go back to the mid 70's i think they are pretty good. 

 

Dennis

[Bugle07]

That's a really really good finish on what can be a messy kit. I've the Vb version sitting on the shelf of doom and I'm not sure if I'll keep going on it. It would help if the two fuselage half's were the same size!

 

 

 

Geoff 

 

 

[Luis Alfonso]

Congratulations for the Great work in this one Steve!!!

If you have the other kit from bits and parts fo both kits, try to find a good cutaway drawing and some plans that you can enlarge to this size and start to make your own detail sets in plastic card and thin metal  sheet, those  kits are so big to make a super  detailed build with hand made detail sets and you can have two" one of a kind " models to show here.

 

Cheers,

 

Luis Alfonso

[BerndM]

A very clean build and painted Spitfire.

[BIG X]

9 hours ago, Corsairfoxfouruncle said:

Steve ... great work. I really cant say about the current quality from Airfix. However I rebuilt my brother-in-laws Airfix/mpm 1/24 scale P-51D in 2015. He originally built the kit in 1977 and it sat in a dark damp basement for about 35 years. I completely took it apart as the old testers tube glue had turned brittle. And i thought the quality was pretty good. My biggest problem was the plastic had mutated over time and i could'nt get any glues to work. I started with testers tube, then Tamiya liquid cement. Both were like using water. I finally went to the nuclear option and used liquid C/A. He never got around to the decals in '77. So i actually was able to use a few. I completely scratched the unit markings and rattlecanned my way to a 20th Fg P-51D. Everything except star & bars and a few kill markings was rattle canned Including the camo., Railroad nose markings, invasion stripes and group markings. I had Star & bars from another kit that were the same size. I just thought id say for molds that go back to the mid 70's i think they are pretty good. 

 

Dennis

 

Hey Dennis - that sounds like a brilliant recovery job.  When I bought these kits I had only been back into modelling for about 3 months and I'd only built the new tool Spitfire and Hurricane in 1/48 - which were beautifully detailed and simply 'clicked' together - which was very reassuring for a newbie.

 

So you can imagine my horror when I opened the box on this.  First manufactured in 1969 and still going strong today - without anyone bothering to tidy up the moulds LOL.

 

It fought me every step of the way with - twisted parts / acres of flash / huge sink holes / lack of detail.

 

I think if they started from scratch with the quality they have shown on other recent kits - it might be pricey - but I bet it would be out of this world.

 

Thanks for looking and for all the recent encouragement - Steve

[BIG X]

10 hours ago, Bugle07 said:

That's a really really good finish on what can be a messy kit. I've the Vb version sitting on the shelf of doom and I'm not sure if I'll keep going on it. It would help if the two fuselage half's were the same size!

 

 

 

Geoff 

 

 

Hey Geoff - I know what you mean - NOTHING FITS!!!  However - as this was pre-forum days - I was still lucky enough to meet a more experienced modeller - who reminded me...

"Proper modelling is not just assembling" - how right he was... 

[Lawzer]

Nice!

 

I too had the childhood dream of a 1/24 airfix kit and last year bought the vb.  Opened the box with some (understatment) excitement but when i saw the flash on almost every part and (ok don't know when the original kit came out but at least 80's) compared to the detail on the new tool 1/48 vb i decided it was beyond my skill and more importantly patience so sold.

 

so, kudos for this - it's turned out real swell!!!

[Bugle07]

1 hour ago, BIG X said:

Proper modelling is not just assembling" - how right he was... 

Never a truer word spoken!

 

I know I'll pick her up again at some point but for now I just need a couple of simple builds to keep the mojo flowing. 

 

Again great work and I do like the clean painwork.

 

Geoff 

[BIG X]

7 minutes ago, Bugle07 said:

Never a truer word spoken!

 

I know I'll pick her up again at some point but for now I just need a couple of simple builds to keep the mojo flowing. 

 

Again great work and I do like the clean painwork.

 

Geoff 

She was far too pretty (in my eyes) to weather her - besides my weathering skills are very much at the 'beginner' stage and I didn't want to ruin her - after all the hard work.

[Meatbox8]

I can't believe you had any problems building this kit.  It looks superb!  It brings back memories to me also.  Being allowed to sit up late in my jimjams watching my dad build one, circa about 1974.  I seem to remember he put the electric motor in his.  Does the it still include this?  He built the Me109E as well.  After completion they were handed over to me and my brother so they soon accumulated quite a bit of battle damage. 

[GREG DESTEC]

Nice one Steve,

 

My Dad got me this kit for Christmas when I was a kid. He built it for me and it sat on my shelf for years after as a bench mark I never equalled as a child.

 

When I got back in to the hobby a few years back I got the Vb version and built it up mostly ootb. The wings in my example had warped and I had a real struggle to get them into shape. 

 

Like you I still enjoy looking at it as it brings back good memories.

 

Yours looks great to me btw. Well done.

 

Cheers Greg

[BIG X]

1 hour ago, Meatbox8 said:

I can't believe you had any problems building this kit.  It looks superb!  It brings back memories to me also.  Being allowed to sit up late in my jimjams watching my dad build one, circa about 1974.  I seem to remember he put the electric motor in his.  Does the it still include this?  He built the Me109E as well.  After completion they were handed over to me and my brother so they soon accumulated quite a bit of battle damage. 

The merlin engine has a void for a motor - but it doesn't come with the kit.  I have a few motors floating about - they seem a bit scarce in the shops - but I had nowhere near enough confidence to attempt that feat of engineering.

 

Dad's eh - wonderful fellas - I wouldn't be sat here now if it wasn't for my dear old dad buying me a kit every week from the newsagents - on his way home from work.

[BIG X]

2 hours ago, GREG DESTEC said:

Nice one Steve,

 

My Dad got me this kit for Christmas when I was a kid. He built it for me and it sat on my shelf for years after as a bench mark I never equalled as a child.

 

When I got back in to the hobby a few years back I got the Vb version and built it up mostly ootb. The wings in my example had warped and I had a real struggle to get them into shape. 

 

Like you I still enjoy looking at it as it brings back good memories.

 

Yours looks great to me btw. Well done.

 

Cheers Greg

Hi Greg - the warped - or rather 'droopy' wings were a real nightmare.  I ended up balancing the wing tips of the bottom wing section on two piles of books on the desk and then placed a heavy weight in the centre - to force it down.  This forced the wings upwards.  Then I glued the upper wings in place and let them set.  This forced the whole wing assembly into something like the shape it should be.  Not perfect - but a major triumph for a newbie.

[stever219]

13 minutes ago, BIG X said:

Hi Greg - the warped - or rather 'droopy' wings were a real nightmare.  I ended up balancing the wing tips of the bottom wing section on two piles of books on the desk and then placed a heavy weight in the centre - to force it down.  This forced the wings upwards.  Then I glued the upper wings in place and let them set.  This forced the whole wing assembly into something like the shape it should be.  Not perfect - but a major triumph for a newbie.

 

Alternatively you can stretch a length of tape from below one wing tip, across the top of the fuselage and secured under the other wing tip while the cement/superglue/whatever sets.  Ideally this should be done before painting as some tapes leave sticky residues.

 

You've produced a very nice model of an early Spitfire there.  I have the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight Mk. Vb boxing in the stash but I wonder if I should drop some heavy hints in the direction of Christmas and/or birthday present fairies (other fairies are available) about the Mk. Ia in our local model emporium.

[Gorby]

That looks great Steve. It is shocking that Airfix are still churning this kit out after so many years, definitely time for a retool. I did three 1/24 back in the 70's (Bf 109, Mustang and Ju 87) and at the time they seemed perfect, but these days they're quite crude in comparison to modern kits. So well done producing something that actually looks like a Spit!

[Meatbox8]

1 hour ago, BIG X said:

The merlin engine has a void for a motor - but it doesn't come with the kit.  I have a few motors floating about - they seem a bit scarce in the shops - but I had nowhere near enough confidence to attempt that feat of engineering.

 

Dad's eh - wonderful fellas - I wouldn't be sat here now if it wasn't for my dear old dad buying me a kit every week from the newsagents - on his way home from work.

 

Indeed.  My dad was a great modeller although my uncle, his younger brother was a true master modeller.  Before he was sadly and suddenly taken from us he produced a series of card kits, mainly of types flown by the Shuttleworth Collection, in 1/24th scale.  They were true masterpieces.  I have a couple, a Hermes Moth and a Dragon Rapide, still boxed and unmade as I don't think I could do them justice.  Also, they're probably now irreplaceable. 

[Corsairfoxfouruncle]

Big x ... i had only come back to modelling myself about 8 months prior. I think my advantage is this. Yes i build the shake n bake kits by Tamiya or Hasegawa when i can. However i work with a very severe budget as im disabled. I build mostly old monogram or revell re-pops of those very molds. And they were good and still are. However i cant afford eduard or other aftermarket bits very often. So i scratch build a lot of stuff. As for wing warp/droopiness i usually add lengths of brass rod to my kits as wing spars. Even in smaller scales if the aircraft is large enough to warrant them.  I believe by building older kits thats where my skills and fortitude come from. That and i've been told i could teach a mule how to be stubborn. Maybe thats why i did the re-build. Any how i enjoy your work and will keep watching. 

 

Dennis

Edited July 22, 2017 by Corsairfoxfouruncle
Added

[Lawzer]

2 hours ago, Corsairfoxfouruncle said:

Big x ... i had only come back to modelling myself about 8 months prior. I think my advantage is this. Yes i build the shake n bake kits by Tamiya or Hasegawa when i can. However i work with a very severe budget as im disabled. I build mostly old monogram or revell re-pops of those very molds. And they were good and still are. However i cant afford eduard or other aftermarket bits very often. So i scratch build a lot of stuff. As for wing warp/droopiness i usually add lengths of brass rod to my kits as wing spars. Even in smaller scales if the aircraft is large enough to warrant them.  I believe by building older kits thats where my skills and fortitude come from. That and i've been told i could teach a mule how to be stubborn. Maybe thats why i did the re-build. Any how i enjoy your work and will keep watching. 

 

Dennis

 

Well said! 

 

I think i actually prefer old airfix kits.  Granted not as accurate or detailed as the modern offerings but i had a lot more enjoyment making the old stuka kit than the new tool hurricane.

 

each to their own i guess.

 

(sorry for the thread hijack!)

 

ian

 

(just realised this kinda contradicts what i said in an earlier post but patience and me don't get on)

Edited July 22, 2017 by Lawzer

[BIG X]

4 minutes ago, Lawzer said:

 

Well said! 

 

I think i actually prefer old airfix kits.  Granted not as accurate or detailed as the modern offerings but i had a lot more enjoyment making the old stuka kit than the new tool hurricane.

 

each to their own i guess.

 

(sorry for the thread hijack!)

 

ian

Hey Ian - I would love to make the old 1/24 Stuka - but I can't find any 'bargains'.  I can't pass a Hobbycraft without seeing if they are selling anything off

[Buzby061]

Great work on a real old timer.

 

I got one for Christmas when it first came out, did it in Al Deere's colours. After much research (rummaging) I found it at the back of my parent's wardrobe & was counting the days until I could feign surprise on opening it.

 

Pete.

[BIG X]

4 minutes ago, Buzby061 said:

Great work on a real old timer.

 

I got one for Christmas when it first came out, did it in Al Deere's colours. After much research (rummaging) I found it at the back of my parent's wardrobe & was counting the days until I could feign surprise on opening it.

 

Pete.

That's a lovely story Pete - it brings back memories of something very similar with the Airfix Pontoon Bridge Assault set - it was very 'well handled' by the time Christmas morning came.  Dad just smiled - he knew he had got me the right present.

[stevej60]

The holy grail for most of us of a certain age,I had to wait till 2013 to finally build the Hurricane,excellent build and finish!

[Lawzer]

2 hours ago, BIG X said:

Hey Ian - I would love to make the old 1/24 Stuka - but I can't find any 'bargains'.  I can't pass a Hobbycraft without seeing if they are selling anything off

 

It was the 1/48 kit i did.

 

just looked at prices for the 1/24 - holy cow!

[BIG X]

Just now, stevej60 said:

The holy grail for most of us of a certain age,I had to wait till 2013 to finally build the Hurricane,excellent build and finish!

Thanks Steve for the lovely comment - praise indeed from a man who builds such fantastic machines.

 

The Holy Grail indeed - or maybe the Holy Trinity - Spitfire / Hurricane / Emil