Chuck1945

Been stalled on this one for a while. I got the fuselage together and the cockpit inserted 2-3 weeks ago I had a problem but hadn’t yet realized it. If you look at the picture, the instrument panel looks a little low but the significance hadn’t yet dawned. Then I tried to fit the wing assembly but no way that was happening. Turned out that when I assembled the cockpit, I put the IP bulkhead in the wrong place. the photos are after I cut off the extra length, it was rather obvious at this point that the IP was too low, but I figured if I did a closed canopy I could still pull it off. Then, trying the wing again I discovered that the entire cockpit tub wasn’t snugged up as high into the fuselage as it should have been because tub was preventing the lower rear fuselage from fitting. The current state of affairs is that I’ve pried the fuselage halves back apart and removed the tub. Haven't decided if I will attempt to rebuild this or just start over with a new kit. In either case, this one will be a DNF in the group build. (At least the Eduard Spitfire Vb is still progressing more or less on schedule)

🤞 Wishing you the best.

For a relatively newly designed kit I’m surprised by the fit issues you have encountered (and overcome). At one time I had the Revell rebox of the old Frog MR.3 but traded it away years ago. The earlier Airfix MR.1 really tempted me but in perhaps the first common sense decision I realized that while I thought it was my favorite version, I would never actually build so passed on it.

🤞

Interesting, I keep intending to build a Whirlwind but suspect following your project will be as close as I get to actually doing my own.

The work you’ve done and the mock-up pictures certainly disguise that this is a 65 year old kit!

Catching up here, skipped the WIP forum for a couple of days and see you are back at it. Question and comment for you Roger; I built the Airfix Blenheim I a few years ago, my top canopy section fit ok as I recall but how did your engines and cowlings fit. All four Bristol powered recent Airfix kits I’ve done (Gladiator, Blenheim, Beaufort and Beaufighter) required significant sanding/grinding to get the engines to fit within the cowls

I may have one. I know I’ve acquired the Matchbox and Revell kits over the years but not sure if I still have them since I got rid of a lot of kits when we moved to our retirement place. I’ll visit my stash in a storage unit, but probably will be a while. .

Oops!

Good recovery on the rockets👍

Late to the party, I’ve been using the HS evolution silver line and now the CR 2024. Got my first evolution more than 20 years ago. The only thing I would add to the cleaning regimen would be when you finish a paint session fill the paint cup half full with your cleaner (I use cellulose thinners) and spray that out, refill and do it at least one more time. This should get the needle and nozzle pretty well clean. I then unscrew the front end and take the air cap and needle off and then extract the needle through the front so as not to drag any lingering paint back into the body of the airbrush. I use cotton swabs to wipe out the paint cup. Give the needle a wipe, and then I use one of the little interdental brushes to clean the nozzle. As a check before I start spraying, I will put a 1/4 of a cup of airbrush cleaner, such as Tamiya in the paint cup and spray it out just to make sure everything is working smoothly. Then add the paint and proceed as usual. This saves a lot of grief, at least for me, by making sure there isn’t any sort of obstruction before I start trying the actual paint.

Had to laugh, did similar with a couple of Spitfires in that GB

I need to finish two Spitfires for the Spitfire STGB but didn’t have plans for any others until the Bomber Command GB. This could fill the gap and give me boost to actually start one of the Airfix Whitley kits in the stash ( the only previous Whitley I’ve built was the Frog kit, probably around 1970!) This post becomes a placeholder and will have the title edited if/when I get this going.

You are correct, the fuselage/wing frames are L and K. Not sure how I got J except perhaps too early in the morning/not enough coffee. ☕️

I have both the Eduard Spitfire Vb Early and Sweeps kits and am confused regarding the sprue (frame) options. The Sweeps boxing instructions say the fuselage/wing frames are J and L but my box has L and G. I’ve used the L set since that fuselage seems to fit with an external armor windscreen. The G frame has a fuselage that looks like the one in the Vb Early box but has the correct cannon bulges for a Vb while Early kit also has the G frame but has wings with the symmetrical underwing bulges. I’m confused!