cynicaljohnny

My 1/48 build of NZ2504 is on here somewhere - from memory, I made the turret blank by taping the fuselage together, bending and taping the thinnest bit of clear plastic over the turret hole so I could see what the shape was, drew the shape required, removed tape and plastic, cut it out, applied superglue and voila - no filling req'd. Clear plastic came from some sort of packaging, I think.

How's this build going? Have you fitted the engine firewall to the fuselage yet? Mine appears to have a gap at the bottom where it butts up to lower wing....

Sure - that would be awesome - thanks very much! (Still hoping that Airfix will release the definitive kit at some point....)

Hi Troy - thanks for your reply - I already have the kit, and built it several years ago, but in the absence of a better one coming on the market, was considering giving it a bit of a revamp. Always thought it looked a little short once finished....

Just curious as to how accurate a kit this is, in regards to basic dimensions. Also, if it has serious accuracy issues - how do you correct them? Thanks in advance

Thanks Sky Dancer - cool video...

Thanks guys - most of your thinking seems to be down the same path as my own, so that makes things easier!

Not too sure about some of the "restored" Tr.9s - at least a few of them are modern conversations, and at least one has a standard Mk.IX wing, complete with cannons, which is definitely wrong. PV202, which is ex-IAF, had red patches over both outer gun positions in each wing, although my understanding is there was only one gun per wing.

Good Morning A couple of quick questions re: Spitfire Tr.IX (or Tr.9?), particularly in Irish Air Force Service, that I'm hoping someone can help me with, as emails to both ARC at Duxford and Biggin Hill have met with no response.... 1) would armour behind the seat have been fitted to either cockpit? seems unnecessary weight o be lugging around in a trainer.... 2) was there a fuel tank forward of the cockpit? the original MkVIII had a smaller tank installed, but was this carried over to the Tr.IX? Restored examples don't appear to have the rather obvious fuel cap of the single seat version. 3) is the canopy glass behind the sliding portion of the front canopy smaller (in length) than normal? Or has it just been partially painted over? 4) oxygen bottles: standard position of Mk IX, or moved/removed? Thanks.

Were early WWII Luftwaffe primed/undercoated (Stuka, Me-109E, etc)?If so, what colour would have been used on exterior surfaces? Thanks in advance for any help.....

Interestingly, some people have had Camels for 2-3 weeks now, and I can't find a single WIP build..... Surely 12 pages of drama over having to wait for delivery isn't so they can just be added to the stash?

Thanks, Graham - a Malta Mk.V is next.......

Sweet! Thanks for all your help - you guys rock!

Calling all Spitfire experts..... What period were the port wings of Spitfires painted black? Was this applied at the factory, or while in service? Also, once the decision to chance to sky undersides was made, were black wings overpainted, or was it left to attrition and replacements to ring in the changes? Secondly, from what date/serial was IFF a standard fit? (Basically, I'm trying to figure out how to build/paint Spit R6835 of 603 Sqn as at late Aug 1940....) Thanks in advance John

If you go off the numbers of each kit, WNW started at 32001 and have released about 50 kits, with the Camels finishing on 32076 - this likely means that there are at least 20-25 aircraft under consideration/development - bound to be some French, Italian, etc aircraft in there somewhere.

Thanks Julien - pretty much the same path I'm thinking along.....

So Testors B-2 model has raised panel lines, which are obviously wrong, so my question is: should there be any at all? Surely then would be filled for "stealth" reasons?

Mainly - used various sets to get the fonts and codes as close as I could - Harvard/P-51 sets for fuselage serials, 24" code set for wings, with a couple of numbers modified, and the Fern set for the roundels. There should be stenciling as well, but couldn't find anything suitable..... Royal New Zealand Air Force, circa 1958-59, although most my reference photos were after its first restoration about 1980ish - this aircraft is still in the Air Force Museum, having never left RNZAF ownership, but is now painted in its WWII era colours....

. Hi - thanks for the kind words - Marc's photography is very flattering.... The turret is blanked off with a bit of clear plastic packaging from something like a shirt box, rolled around something of suitable diameter. I used clear plastic so I could see through it to cut it to the correct shape while it was placed over the hole, then attached with superglue...

Thanks guys, - I'll leave it uncoated at this stage, and spray it later if any issues develop.

Hi - new to these floaty things, so thought I'd jump in the deep end with the old version of Tamiya's Yamato, with various extras - lionroar etch, veteran guns, etc and a KA wooden deck. Basically, what I need to know is - do these decks need sealing to stop them absorbing moisture out of the air and swelling? I've already fixed it down, so whatever I put on needs to ideally go on by brush? Thanks John

Nice - I'm bashing this together but using the Airfix Mk IX as a donor - not a nice experience so far......

Thanks for the help guys - obviously a couple of options to try. Cheers

Thanks, guys - much appreciate your help. John

Hi Curious as to what vile shade of green the Irish Air Corps painted their Spitfires, and also what shades of orange/green the square insignia on the bottom of the wings where? Thanks John