Artie Posted January 28, 2018 Share Posted January 28, 2018 Hi all......I've found this kit while rummageing though my stash...To be hones, don't know where did it came from, nor how long has it being there. In fact, I didn't even knew that I had it. Ity says "Limited Edition" on the box top, and comes with some resin parts to represent the arrestor hook. It also comes with a True Details resin cockpit.....what it lacks is the fuselage reinforcements, so will have to scratch build them... What do you think about this kit..???? Is it any good..???? And regarding the box art......Did those Seafires look so tatty...???? Are those lime green blocthes soppòsed to be worn paint or overpainted patches...??? Best regards... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham Boak Posted January 28, 2018 Share Posted January 28, 2018 I think that they are meant to be worn areas, but no I don't think that would get that tatty. Although there are a few pictures of Seafires looking pretty manky.... I was always told that aircraft on carriers showing wear would be rapidly touched up to avoid corrosion, but there are photos on this forum showing that this wasn't always immediately true. However, any wear on Spitfires would certainly show itself on the wingroot where people go scrambling about, rather than the side of the engine cowling. These aircraft were new for HMS Formidable on Operation Torch, so quite how they were supposed to get so worn on the fuselage side whilst leaving the code so pristine is rather beyond me. No idea about the kit, I'm afraid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Troy Smith Posted January 28, 2018 Share Posted January 28, 2018 19 minutes ago, Artie said: What do you think about this kit..???? Is it any good..???? The Hase Vb is on initial inspection pretty good, a little short in the fuselage but the rest looks OK. I mention this as some internet sources will tell you it's 1/50th. It's not. I was put off by and eventually got one cheap out of curiosity. which I just posted in another thread.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Artie Posted January 28, 2018 Author Share Posted January 28, 2018 (edited) AFAIK, MB345 was given new codes before Operation Husky......previously, she only carried a single "K" below the cockpit, wich seems to be overpainted with the same lime green on the boxart drawing....even the Vokes filter seems to be overpainted....but anyway, those heavy patches seem quite weird to my eyes...can't think about any Fleet Air Arm officer allowing such a high level of wear in one of "his" planes.... Edited January 28, 2018 by Artie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Artie Posted January 28, 2018 Author Share Posted January 28, 2018 Troy, I find it a very fine kit, with subtle engraved panel lines an an overall fit (dry fitting) likely excellent...haven't compared it against the Tamiya or Airfix kits, but at first glance it looks "smaller" than them..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham Boak Posted January 28, 2018 Share Posted January 28, 2018 (edited) It's possible that the Vokes filter was a late addition for Operation Torch. (Husky was Sicily, later.) Sturtivant (Aircraft of the FAA) simply describes it as K in early 1943, post Torch. Which may or may not imply no unit markings, but it does look as though a K was overpainted, doesn't it? PS Modeller's rules numbers 14 to 247: enjoy but do not rely upon the box art or any profiles.... Edited January 28, 2018 by Graham Boak Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gingerbob Posted January 28, 2018 Share Posted January 28, 2018 51 minutes ago, Artie said: haven't compared it against the Tamiya or Airfix kits, but at first glance it looks "smaller" than them..... That's because, at least compared to the Tamiya fuselage, it is noticeably more slender (I'm thinking of height). Now I have to go find a Hase fuselage and compare it to an Airfix one... It doesn't quite pass the rivet-counter inspection, but looks like a Spitfire Vb (or derivative) and should be a pain-free build. That's the basic kit- I wasn't impressed by Hasegawa's "special" boxings (I had a "Spit Vc") that just give you the same old kit and the resin parts (or some parts) to do a conversion. bob p.s. Perhaps the starboard cowl panel had been set down on the deck, caught by a gust, and needed some emergency attention! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Artie Posted January 28, 2018 Author Share Posted January 28, 2018 (edited) 22 minutes ago, Graham Boak said: Modeller's rules numbers 14 to 247: enjoy but do not rely upon the box art or any profiles.... Wise words, Graham...wise words..... different machine, but no extreme paint chipping in this one... Edited January 28, 2018 by Artie 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gingerbob Posted January 28, 2018 Share Posted January 28, 2018 That's also a Seafire IIc. Your cover girl is about three pics down on this page, before new codes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Troy Smith Posted January 28, 2018 Share Posted January 28, 2018 59 minutes ago, Artie said: Troy, I find it a very fine kit, with subtle engraved panel lines an an overall fit (dry fitting) likely excellent...haven't compared it against the Tamiya or Airfix kits, but at first glance it looks "smaller" than them..... 4 minutes ago, gingerbob said: That's because, at least compared to the Tamiya fuselage, it is noticeably more slender (I'm thinking of height). Now I have to go find a Hase fuselage and compare it to an Airfix one... It doesn't quite pass the rivet-counter inspection, but looks like a Spitfire Vb (or derivative) and should be a pain-free build. That's the basic kit- I wasn't impressed by Hasegawa's "special" boxings (I had a "Spit Vc") that just give you the same old kit and the resin parts (or some parts) to do a conversion. for more on new tool Airfix I/V and Tamiya I/V, see here the Hase fuselage is about 2mm too short, it looks as if Special Hobby used the same data, so the same fix applies, spice in front of tail and splice in the fuel tank. the wing is different place compared to SH, which is too far back. I've not noticed a height problem to the fuselage compared to the Airfix, not checked against the Tamiya, but Airfix and Tamiya are a good match in height. @gingerbob, dig the Hase Vb out, it looks to be decent overall, but I have not really gone over it really carefully, just checking the main parts, the wing match the Airifx very well, it's just the fuselage length. height, or depth problems are the problem with the Academy XIV and the Airfix Spit XII and Seafire XVII, but that's another story.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham Boak Posted January 28, 2018 Share Posted January 28, 2018 11 minutes ago, gingerbob said: That's also a Seafire IIc. Your cover girl is about three pics down on this page, before new codes. Actually, that's the photo I had in mind when I said that some Seafires looked manky. I hadn't realised that it was the same aircraft. OK, so one Seafire looked manky... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Artie Posted January 28, 2018 Author Share Posted January 28, 2018 The problem with that ripped off paint effect, is that I can't guess the other side of the plane, so instead of depicting a spurious patchy look, I'd rather build it without ANY ripping.... I think she saw better days at some point, before getting so hardly weathered.... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grey Beema Posted January 28, 2018 Share Posted January 28, 2018 Ron McKay, Britain Fleet Air Arm page 167 has a picture of Seafire Ib "K" with a Volkes filter sitting on an out rigger on HMS Formidable, behind "K" is Ø°6B also on an outrigger. Both of these airframes have the same pealed paint on the cowling. I would suggest that the "Lime Green" in you picture would be a green primer that you should see the edge of. Having said that I'm not sure that green primer was used on Seafires (I thought it was silver but I'm probably wrong). So there you have it - photo evidence of peeling paint on early Seafires. I haven't seen it to the same extent on later Seafires so I'm guessing it's something they fixed.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham Boak Posted January 28, 2018 Share Posted January 28, 2018 I think that's the same picture Bob has linked to, but if so I think B's cowling as missing... Now to go look for wherever i put Mackay's book. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Artie Posted January 28, 2018 Author Share Posted January 28, 2018 15 minutes ago, Grey Beema said: I'm not sure that green primer was used on Seafires Very interesting...probably aluminium primer, then...????...bad quality paint, not suited for salty environment...???? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grey Beema Posted January 28, 2018 Share Posted January 28, 2018 Links to a couple of pictures in the IWM collection https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205151076 https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205151077 Hope they help.. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike romeo Posted January 28, 2018 Share Posted January 28, 2018 5 hours ago, Artie said: Hi all......I've found this kit while rummageing though my stash...To be hones, don't know where did it came from, nor how long has it being there. In fact, I didn't even knew that I had it. Ity says "Limited Edition" on the box top, and comes with some resin parts to represent the arrestor hook. It also comes with a True Details resin cockpit.....what it lacks is the fuselage reinforcements, so will have to scratch build them... What do you think about this kit..???? Is it any good..???? And regarding the box art......Did those Seafires look so tatty...???? Are those lime green blocthes soppòsed to be worn paint or overpainted patches...??? Best regards... Well, I'd be happy to take it off your hands if you decide you don't want it. 😁 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wlad Posted February 4, 2018 Share Posted February 4, 2018 Hi Artie, I've built the Hasegawa Spitfire Mk VI which is based on the same Spitfire Mk V kit your Seafire is based on. I found it a nice kit to build, though I don't know how well the extra parts on the Seafire will fit. I compared the parts of the Hasegawa Mk VI with the parts of the Tamiya Mk V and found the Tamiya parts look a little chunky and simplified in comparison. The Tamiya kit goes together like a dream though. On the Hasegawa one you may find a large gap between the fuselage and the wing roots. Don't worry, spread out the fuselage bottom at the wing roots with a piece of sprue and the gap will disappear almost completely. I saw this kit a couple of years ago and thought it was overpriced at the time. Lucky you, it's already in your stash. Go ahead an build it, and please let us know how it goes. Cheers, Wlad Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
detail is everything Posted February 10, 2018 Share Posted February 10, 2018 (edited) On 1/28/2018 at 2:17 PM, Graham Boak said: I think that they are meant to be worn areas, but no I don't think that would get that tatty. Although there are a few pictures of Seafires looking pretty manky.... I was always told that aircraft on carriers showing wear would be rapidly touched up to avoid corrosion, but there are photos on this forum showing that this wasn't always immediately true. However, any wear on Spitfires would certainly show itself on the wingroot where people go scrambling about, rather than the side of the engine cowling. These aircraft were new for HMS Formidable on Operation Torch, so quite how they were supposed to get so worn on the fuselage side whilst leaving the code so pristine is rather beyond me. No idea about the kit, I'm afraid. 885 NAS had a mix of MK1bs and IIcs Because they didn't have folding wings they couldn't be struck down below and so they were permanently stored on deck on outriggers to give as much deck space as possible for operations. Because of this, they suffered from exposure to the weather. The engine panels and area around the cockpit would have suffered the most from pilot and mechanic activity. The codes seem to have been in the process of changing from just the aircraft letter identifier to the full ship, squadron, aircraft identifier, possibly in preparation for Torch, where there were a lot of ships and squadrons involved? Edited February 10, 2018 by detail is everything two froms Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ClaudioN Posted February 11, 2018 Share Posted February 11, 2018 (edited) On 28/1/2018 at 4:30 PM, Artie said: Wise words, Graham...wise words..... different machine, but no extreme paint chipping in this one... Sure, but look at this one THE ROYAL NAVY DURING THE SECOND WORLD WAR. © IWM (A 17076) IWM Non Commercial License From what I see from Sturtivant, "Fleet Air Arm Aircraft 1939-1945", MB345 was with 801 Sqn. first, then went to 885 Sqn. in February 1943. The single-letter code might be usual for 801 Sqn. where, however, 'K' had been MB366. All three aircraft in this picture appear to be Mk. IBs with the Vokes filter: THE ROYAL NAVY DURING THE SECOND WORLD WAR. © IWM (A 17083) IWM Non Commercial License I would suggest the two pictures give us a view of both sides of O/6B. The Squadron Signal book "Fleet Air Arm", by Ron Mackay, has a picture of MB345, now fully coded O/6K, on the deck of Formidable together with MB182:O/6F. It would seem the Hasegawa box art reproduces part of this photo. Likely period is early 1943. HTH Claudio Edited February 11, 2018 by ClaudioN Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Artie Posted February 11, 2018 Author Share Posted February 11, 2018 Excellent picture, Claudio. Thanks a lot. Vey clarifying about the subject's overall tstty look....Wich colour would you suggest for that "underpaint" coat????? Hasegawa sugghest a light green shade, probably a primer, but wich one...???? Cheers- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gingerbob Posted February 11, 2018 Share Posted February 11, 2018 30 minutes ago, ClaudioN said: All three aircraft in this picture appear to be Mk. IBs with the Vokes filter I would suggest the two pictures give us a view of both sides of O/6B. I agree it is likely both sides of 'B', but that particular aircraft is a Seafire IIC. If you zoom in on the first shot, you can clearly see the "stubs" for the outer cannon bay. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ClaudioN Posted February 11, 2018 Share Posted February 11, 2018 (edited) 3 hours ago, gingerbob said: I agree it is likely both sides of 'B', but that particular aircraft is a Seafire IIC. If you zoom in on the first shot, you can clearly see the "stubs" for the outer cannon bay. Right, it's a Mk.IIC. Unfortunately, the serial appears to be overpainted. Meanwhile, I found the other IWM picture featuring MB345, taken in July 1943 right before Operation Husky. BIG BRITISH SHIPS IN THE IONIAN SEA AS INVASION OF SICILY BEGAN. 10 TO 16 JULY 1943, ON BOARD HMS FORMIDABLE. BIG SHIPS OF FORCE "H" WERE IN THE IONIAN SEA AT THE START OF THE SICILY INVASION.. © IWM (A 18314) IWM Non Commercial License Edited February 11, 2018 by ClaudioN Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ClaudioN Posted February 11, 2018 Share Posted February 11, 2018 8 hours ago, Artie said: Wich colour would you suggest for that "underpaint" coat????? Hasegawa sugghest a light green shade, probably a primer, but wich one...???? No idea at all, sorry. My first thought was simply metal, very heavily worn metal panels, rather than primer. Hasegawa may know better than we do, but I have no idea whether primer is less subject to chipping off than camouflage colours. Claudio Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grey Beema Posted February 11, 2018 Share Posted February 11, 2018 My suggestion would be to go over the the Aircraft section and ask the question "What colour was Spitfire / Seafire primer" in the "All you ever wanted to know about Spitfires but were scared to ask" thread. In the meantime I'll just leave this here..... 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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