VFR750FK

Very much on the off chance that I haven't bored you all off this thread with my incredibly slow & boring progress... Has anyone had any experience of these rivet sets, or the seat belts please? http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/111014670433 http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/111016227253 Thinking of trying them out. Thanks.

Well, having sorted my motorbike out a bit, I've started looking at this build again. I bought some Aires Hispano 20mm cannons, cut out the access panels from the upper wing, stuffed a few bits of plastic in, what looked like the appropriate areas of the wing (in accordance with your excellent cutaway diagram Edgar), and did a kind of loose fit assembly, to see what it might look like. (See piccies) Guns need aligning and a lot of parts need to be made, filed, fitted, tidied and sprayed.... but at least it's progressing, albeit extremely slowly. If you can see anything that I ought to do to improve it, your comments would be more than welcome.... And a few more loose fit piccies with a rough out of the Hispano heater pipes and dzus panel strips... All of which need a lot of tidying up and painting... er, obviously. Does anyone know if there should there be a cylindrical magazine, or similar, atop the Hispano breech block, please? (Something of that nature is shown in Edgar's diagram). A bit more detail in the gun bay. (1st piccie is of my first attempt at the magazine/ feed, which turned out to be rather too wide...2nd piccie is of the initial stages of the narrower mags) Paintwork is truly awful.... A lot of 2000 grit wet and dry methinks... My intention is to leave the Starboard wing as is, but add a pair of 'Quickboost' cannon barrels/shrouds (QB48 064) to the gun ports, but leave the port wing barrels exposed as per the last piccie. Any comments would be appreciated...

Thanks for that Edgar, it's very reassuring, and I'd hate to feel that I might offend anyone if I occasionally stray from their excellent advice, with the build. Re the Cosford Spitfire, claimed to be the earliest of the Mk1's in existence... I'm next down there on the 22nd of Jan, so I will see if it might be possible to take a gander (and photograph) of the inside. I might also include a piece of my model so that I can use it as a reference..... Compensate for their weird lighting. Failing that I might be able to pop over to the conservation workshop and see if anyone there can help.

Thanks Edgar. All of this, along with all the other accurate info, points to me not having any off-set control surfaces, which I'd kinda set my heart on, mainly as a means of teaching myself modelling methods.... Working on my 'life method' of 'ya got ta cock up in order to clue up', so I'll try and keep it to a, half reasonable amount of off-set bits. And hope that you wont all decide to stop advising me. Thanks again. As a minimum, I'm beginning to understand elements of the Spitfire better. I do a bit of voluntary work at RAF Cosford Aerospace Museum (mainly so that I can drool as I touch TSR2 once in while). I will now attempt to impress some of the guys with my newly learned Spitfire knowledge...

So here are the hacked Ailerons and tabs..... Not quite as bad as I thought yesterday, and recoverable with some Milliput but, as my old teachers used to say on my school report 'could do better'... These are very rough cut and will need to be cut off fully, tidied up and re-fitted.

I think that I just reached the point at which my fabulous ideas and designs have been heavily outweighed by my skill level. Trim tabs and ailerons have been duly hacked (no other word would better describe what I have just achieved...) and some degree of repair is deemed necessary... Oh well, that's what learning is all about really No worries Joachim, I broke that off earlier on and can easily set the ailerons to correspond to the position I glued it back in... Re- moved ailerons, rudders and such, I may have to set a compromise between accuracy and cutting/ hacking control surfaces, in order to teach myself about the finer details of modelling. (scribing, cutting, smoothing & scratch building odds-n-ends) And I haven't even got to proper assembly, smoothing, painting, applying decals and weathering.... Again, thanks for your invaluable help. I sincerely hope that I won't seem ungrateful, or 'a waste of time', if I don't always comply fully with your very educational suggestions ....

Thanks for that Alfisti... I'll try one of our local model shops... The only problem is that it needs to be scimitar shape, for that period... Or so I've been told. And a guy off Ebay explained how I might make my own prop using layers of Obechi and Maple (IIRC), so I might just give that a go. I've used some of the Tamiya X19 smoke and, like you say, brilliant... Bearing in mind what you say, I might use a bit more around the exhaust exits, and surrounds. I'll definitely get some of that Lifecolour Tensocrom Oil. I'm sure I've read about it somewhere else. So you've confirmed it... Thanks again mate. Sorry for being slow to respond, it's just that I've got a few things on the go at the same time. Motorbike (real) modifications, Spitfire f22/ 24 build... Oh, and fitting heated grips to my SIL's Ducati. It's a good job I'm retired....

Wow, this really is a rather large, and thoroughly enjoyable, learning curve for me... Thanks for your very helpful explanation TRC So, if I've read this correctly, (and as was suggested earlier on) it would be more accurate to have the flaps closed (up/ flush), the 'Airfix' indicator block filed flat and the outline scribed, while it would be ok to have the original Airfix radiator flaps (modded) open... For my pretend 'engine has just been warmed up' scenario... Shame 'cos I've got a few 'flaps', but I'd rather go for some reasonable degree of accuracy than just have loads of bit sticking up/ down just because I can. Is it still reasonable to assume that ailerons, trim tabs, rudder and elevators might all be offset somewhat, without affecting accuracy? (prior to any control locks being fitted, perhaps?) Please feel free to correct any errors on my interpretations..... And thanks again.

Thanks for the Radiator mod info TRC and about scribing the lower trim tab surface, both of which I will tend to. Re the flap indicating block, if the flaps were partially lowered, would the block be partially visible? ie. not flush with the surface, nor fully visible as shown? Hope I'm not being too much of a dummy here... In order to stop pestering you all too much, I've just ordered this from Fleabay: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/370729191035?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2649 It doesn't cover this mark of Spitfire but, along with early marks, it does include some of the fairly late models, and it should give me a better understanding of certain details. (I'm aware that I'm 'talking the right talk' but have done precious little of 'walking the walk' yet (as our American friends might say...)) Kind of a slow project I'm afraid. Again though, thanks for all the help.... It's truly excellent.

Oops! Quite right DF.... Er, I was just testing you... Thanks... And thanks for your very educational comments too WIP. And yes, I will try to make surface deflections just sufficient to add to the visual interest. If I'm honest, a lot of what I'm doing is in order to teach myself so as to eventually reach a decent standard. (A long way off, mind...) So, while it might seem a bit over the top, and might prove to be ultimately not very successful, it adds much to my education. So thank you for all of your very helpful comments... Oh, and a Happy New Year to everyone.

So it's now established that the engine has just done a ground run and the radiator flaps are slightly open. I've also hacked the ailerons and bent em, port down/ starboard up. (Bit rough at the moment, need to be sanded and tidied...) What's the differential rate of up to down? What I mean is if one goes down 20 degree, what angle does the one moving up go... ish? Also, I'm gonna have to move the stick over to port a bit, I guess. While I'm going slightly crazy, if I cut and adjusted the trim tabs on the ailerons, would I need to adjust them evenly on both sides or might it simply be case of say, adjust the port one to slightly up, and have no adjustment on the starboard? Tell me if I'm asking too many questions...

Thanks for the gun drawings Edgar. Brilliant.... (I think I've just made a rod for my own back there)Re is that too small for the job they had to do on the actual aircraft, or too small for the F22/24 model?It's just that the ICM ones fit differently to the Airfix ones... (I've just loose fitted them for the piccie)P'raps I'll stick with the Airfix rads and modify them slightly. (filters, cooling flaps (I would still like to see them slightly open) , more accurate markings)(Now I think about it, er... the engine covers are off because the engine's been undergoing a ground run......So it's still a bit warm... (aherrm!) Hence the cooling flaps are slightly open... ish) Er, the wheel well bay walls looks really thick too, don't they?...

Not happy with the prop on this at all. Aany idea where I might obtain something a little more accurate please? Oh, and a Happy New Year to everyone...

Thanks for that Lemche, I'll check into it. Presently looking at the possibility of fitting the (ICM) Revell MkXV1 radiators on the Airfix wing, as the cooling flap thingies are in the lowered position, and they look more detailed. (Filters and etc.) Need to check up on the accuracy first.

I realise that this is also for a Griffon 57A, but the guy who sells them might be able to suggest something. http://www.ebay.co.u...=item56507cd5ab (I've just ordered one, so I might even be able to help when I receive it...) Re posting images: Sign on to photobucket http://s1169.beta.photobucket.com/ Load your images from your computer then, left click on the image (in Photobucket). Right click on 'direct link' (lower right of the image) which will now 'copy' the URL thingie... Back onto the Britmodeller 'reply box' and click on the small green-ish 'image' icon, (Upper tool bar) which then comes up with a URL box..... right click on the box (which inserts your image URL). Click 'OK'... Job's a good-un. Hope that helps. (I had to ask the same question a few months back....)