johnd

Thanks, both. That's not necessarily the same aircraft though, as 'Argentine (British)' was the name of the squadron rather than the aircraft. It shows that the yellow leading edges were in place, though, so I'll crack on. Btw, is it me, or are those propeller blades missing the yellow tips? John.

That's a good tip. Thanks, I'll try it. Tony O'Toole mentioned preventing brush strokes with stippling in one of his WiPs but with varnish and I don't recall whether it was acrylic or not. John.

There's an Airfix P40B lying about that isn't building itself. Might join in if I can find some stickers. John.

Pardon my ignorance, but how long do these STGBs go on for? John.

Is it Humbrol acrylic base paint? John.

You are correct. John.

"Loose Lead - for Scuba Divers Weight Belts Dive Pouches" is the one I bought. John.

I wasn't imagining it: rearming from below is shown in the second video posted by Troy in this thread . John.

It's in the first volume of 'Spitfire At War' in a chapter called 'Feeding the Guns'. The technique involved using a piece of canvas to pull the first round of the belt through the breech. This obviated the need to remove the top panels. John.

It's in one of the 'Spitfire At War' books, I believe. It may be me imagining stuff, but I thought it was mentioned in one of the videos but I'm damned if I can find it now! John.

Was the 4 spoke hub introduced to cope with the extra weight of the metal wing? If so, what happened when an early airframe was re-winged? Presumably, new wheels would be part of the process? John.

Yep. Definitely in for that one. Might learn some new words John.

How are they for fit, though? Do they need filing and hacking? John.

109 or Gladiator. Not sure I'd call the Hurricane 'fun'. Assuming you mean the 1/72 fabric winged one. John.

Amber, I believe. At least I hope so, as that's the colour I used for mine. John.

Shame you had to do it in the first but pleased you have. Looking forward to updates on the build! John.

What he said.^ But you could always change it later John.

There's not a single part of that kit that doesn't require replacement or correction but it has a certain charm. I think it's a mix of the chunky plastic and the challenge. To be fair to it, the rear fuselage has the fabric covering spot-on and the transfers are of decent quality with three interesting schemes. Are there such things as single kit group builds for classics such as this? John.

Looks good to me.

Don't forget the rudder. The kit one has a full curve at the rear, where the real one flattens out for a while. Valiant Model Wings do an upgrade set. It includes a propeller (no spinner as the Airfix one is ok), wheels, pitot, cannons, carburettor intake, wheels and exhausts. Useful, but could have done with a rudder, elevators and canopy too John. PS if you have an old Airfix I/II kit lying around for spares, the prop for that fits nicely in the IIc spinner. It's not 100% but is a huge improvement on the later one.

Lovely photos but I think that one's in Temperate Land Scheme and pre-dates the yellow identification bands. Thanks, John.

Hello all! I noticed that the instructions for the 1/72 scale Airfix Spitfire Va do not specify the yellow leading edge identification marking. It represents an aircraft from 164 Squadron, April to September 1942. Shouldn't it be in place for Fighter Command aircraft in that period? So do Airfix have a photo showing the absence of the yellow lines or is it a mistake and I have to paint them on? Thanks, John.

Your kit, your call, it's all about fun. I shouldn't have mentioned it, it's a mojo restorer. But if you do wash the panel lines, don't forget to do the stickers first... Sorry, I'll shut up now. John.

Just my viewpoint but I'd be a little wary of doing anything to the panel lines on this kit. Elevators, ailerons and rudder to be picked out, cockpit door and gun-hatches to be lightly depicted and the rest left to 'natural shading' I'd say. Just my tuppence worth, your Spitfire, wash at will! John.

I noticed that the instructions for the Va do not specify the yellow leading edge, despite regulations stating that they should be in place for Fighter Command aircraft in that period. Also, the picture in post #28 from FZ6, of a Spitfire from the same squadron at the same time, appears to show it. So do Airfix have a photo showing their absence or is it a mistake and I have to paint them on? John.