Whistlekiller

I also have an horrendous addiction to the acquisition of every mark of Spitfire/Seafire/Spiteful/Seafang/Type 224 in 1:72nd scale. I’m currently building a Brengun (AZ) Mk.Vb with a Daimler Benz 605 engine, as cobbled together by the German Air Ministry for testing. For what it’s worth I tend to use Airfix for Mk.I/II/Vc/XIX/22/24 with kitbashes from the above selection for F.21 and Seafire 45/46/47. Add to this KP for a Mk.Va and PR.Mk.X/XIq, AZ Models for Mk.Vb, Mk.VII, a single Mk.VIII, an FR.Mk.IXc and a high back Mk.XIV and Eduard for most other Mk.VIII/IX/XVI. To add to this I converted a Fujimi Mk.XIV to a Mk.XVIII and used Brengun for the two floatplane versions. The Type 224 (the original ‘Spitfire’) is a Rareplanes vacform and the two 5054 prototypes, as well as a Mk.XII, the ‘Speed Spitfire’ and a Seafire Mk.46 are CMR resin kits. Most of the Seafires I have are by Sword - they do a five plane box set.m as well as a bubble canopy Mk.XIV. The Spitefuls and Seafangs are AZ. Personally I’d avoid the Special Hobby/XtraKit/AZ late model Spitfire/Seafire efforts (21/22/24/45/46/47) as they just look a bit odd, too fat and the canopies seem squashed. The Falcon canopy set is well worthwhile, particularly if you’re intending to do an open cockpit. In the end, you and I will probably never ever finish as there are so many sub-variants and colour schemes to cover you’d need an entire house shelved out to accommodate them all. Nevertheless, good luck and you’re amongst friends! 👍👍👍👍😎😎😎😎

Brengun do some very interesting subjects. Lovely stuff!

I've been looking at doing one of these. I keep on coming across references showing Corsair Mk.IIs painted Olive Drab/Grey over Light Grey underside camouflage by Vought. The XtraDecals I have for a later Corsair Mk.II I have in the stash seem to confirm that. Were the earlier Corsair Mk.Is painted in the UK with the standard TSS?

I made a 1:72 FR.18 from a Fujimi XIVe. A bit of filling of the outer redundant wing gun access panels does the job for me although I daresay there are other bits and pieces that more fastidious builders would choose to alter. Looks OK. 👍

Dave, you're not wrong there! I've since replaced the XtraKit versions in my stash with the Airfix ones. 👍

It's showing 'In Stock' from what I can see Colin: https://www.hannants.co.uk/product/SBS72050

I'm no great expert at rigging but I previously had a lot of success on a 1:72 Airfix Gladiator with Stroft GTM 0.15mm monofilament nylon fishing line (I'm a fishing tackle dealer so I've got tons of it). I just brushed a well thinned mix of Vallejo Aluminium Acrylic over it once complete. I'd probably be doing the same with the Swordfish had I not stumbled across the SBS stuff on eBay a month or so back.

I'm not sure if this interests you Colin but there's an etched set of 1:72 Swordfish rigging available from S.B.S Models - SBS-72050

I've built both the KP late mark Tempest kits, The F.6 came first and was a bit of a struggle as I didn't follow the construction schedule (which is why the nose section was such a pain) but the Mk.II was a breeze (although I'd already completed the engine and propeller in anticipation of its arrival from the spares in the F.6 kit). The F.6 had bad sink marks in the prop spinner but the subsequent pay-back spare part from the Mk.II sorted this out. One of the recurring comments in the thread has been concerning the KP decals. To be frank, they're pants....... I persevered with the F.6 ones but went for XtraDecals for the Mk.II as the kit ones were obviously the wrong colour and so badly printed that many of the serials were unusable, something which I've also found with their Seafire Mk.Ib, Spitfire PR.Mk.X and PR.Mk.XI decals, all of which I've mostly replaced. Aside from these gripes though, some nice gaps filled in my collection. 😃

This is how it sort of started for me Trevor. My name is Richard and, finished, in production (7 currently) or in the stash, I would seem to have an even worse 1:72 Spitfire problem........The resulting spares box and your thread have got me thinking of ways to add even more. Eduard, AZ and Sword are the gifts that keep on giving..........😂 Seafang F.31 AZ Seafang F.32 AZ Seafire Mk.Ib KPM (Vokes) Seafire Mk.IIc Sword Seafire L.Mk.III Sword (Clipped) Seafire L.Mk.III Sword Seafire Mk.XV Sword Seafire Mk.XV Sword Seafire Mk.XVII Sword Seafire F.45 Special Hobby Seafire F.46 CMR Seafire FR.47 Special Hobby Spiteful F.XIV AZ Spiteful F.XV AZ (Converted Seafang) Spiteful F.XVI Pegasus Spitfire Type 224 Rareplanes Spitfire Type 300 CMR (Zinc Chromate) Spitfire Type 300 CMR (Light Blue) Spitfire Mk.I Airfix (2 Blade) Spitfire Mk.I Airfix (2 Blade) Spitfire Mk.Ia Airfix Spitfire PR.Mk.Ig Airfix (Falcon Canopy) Spitfire Mk.IIa Airfix Spitfire PR.Mk.IV Italeri (Vokes, Mk.VI Conversion) Spitfire PR.Mk.IV Sword Spitfire LF.Mk.Vb AZ (Clipped) Spitfire Mk.Vb AZ (Night) Spitfire Mk.Vb Brengun (DB605) Spitfire Mk.Vb Brengun (Vokes, Float) Spitfire Mk.Vc Airfix (Vokes) Spitfire HF.Mk.VI Italeri (Ext) Spitfire HF.Mk.VII AZ (Ext) Spitfire Mk.VIII Eduard Spitfire HF.Mk.VIII Eduard (Ext) Spitfire Mk.IXb Brengun (Float) Spitfire Mk.IXc Eduard (Med Blue) Spitfire Mk.IXc AZ Spitfire FR.Mk.IXc AZ Spitfire Mk.IXe Eduard Spitfire TR.9 AZ Spitfire PR.Mk.X KPM Spitfire PR.Mk.XI KPM Spitfire Mk. XII Xtrakit Spitfire Mk.XII CMR (Fixed Tailwheel) Spitfire Mk.XIVe AZ Spitfire FR.Mk.XIVe Sword (Clipped, Bubble) Spitfire LF.Mk.XVIe Sword (Clipped) Spitfire LF.Mk.XVIe Eduard (Clipped, Bubble) Spitfire LF.Mk.XVIe Eduard (Bubble) Spitfire FR.Mk.18 Fujimi (XIVe Conversion) Spitfire PR.Mk.XIX Airfix Spitfire PR.19 Airfix Spitfire F.Mk.XXI Eduard Spitfire F.Mk.21 AZ (Contraprop) Spitfire F.22 Xtrakit Spitfire F.22 Airfix Spitfire F.22 Xtrakit Spitfire F.24 Xtrakit Spitfire F.24 Xtrakit

Agreed, but use good quality toilet paper though. The cheap stuff (that you can put your fingers through easily 🤣) often leaves a fibrous residue behind which can be difficult to clean up! @Ngantek, I'm currently doing the SH 1:72 FR.47 but haven't come across most of the issues you're experiencing. I suppose this is the nature of limited run injection moulded kits with a reduction in consistency. The bubble canopy however is a sod and I needed to chamfer its inside edge and also reshape the area of fuselage decking on which it sits. I found this to be a common problem with the SH FR.47 as well as XtraKit F.22/24. The spare canopy parts included allow for Seafires F.45/46 and 47, the curved front screen being the one needed for the FR.47. I'm no expert here but Special Hobby, XtraKit, AZ, KPM, Brengun and Sword all seem to have design and moulding commonality in their (considerable) Spitfire/Seafire ranges.

Only slightly related I know but does anybody have a good pointer to the nearest Vallejo Model Air equivalent of Light Blue 23?

Here's another with USAAF options. AZ Mk.IX. I've built a couple of these and they go together well. (Edit) Mark….that’s AZ7392. You can find them on eBay at the moment for reasonable money. 👍

Mark, the only Spitfire model I’ve given up on is an M News Mk.XII which I took a chance on for reasons of completion. I wasn’t too upset at this as I didn’t pay much and it has proved useful for spare bits and bobs for others. In the end I called it quits and went for the CMR Mk.XII which, while a little pricey is a lovely kit, once you get used to the resin side of things. Keep an eye out for the upcoming KPM PR.Mk.XI as there’ll be this USAAF service version available. 👍

Nice work, particularly on salvaging the notorious PM effort. I currently have thirty-eight Spitires/Seafires/Spitefuls/Seafangs/224s stashed or on order in 1:72, eleven of which are now complete. They represent all marks (some more than once) aside from a PR.Mk.IV which I will eventually hunt down or modify from another kit. I'd heartily recommend Airfix (modern moulds), AZ, Sword, Eduard, KPM, Xtrakit, CMR and Special Hobby for the bulk of these and Brengun for the floatplane versions. Two of the candidates are more of a challenge, the Pegasus Spiteful and the Rareplanes 224 but well worth the struggle! 😎😎😎😎