Severus

Hi all! Recently bought Sword's Spitfire V.c looked very familiar to me, and, as I checked the Xtrakit's box of XII, I found info of mould maker being the same. As I bought some pair of XII's for half the price of recent V.c, in the intention to kitbash nose of old Airfix with XII's fusselage, I changed my mind, as I realised I have no any decent griffon spit in collection, and even no seafire. Currently started XII (I had read the rules!) will be finished along with GB, let's say, I use it as testing platform... I intend to build following birds: - Spitfire Mk.XII (EN221, December 1942, trials against EN222) Point of interest - EN221 was probably only XII with eliptic wing! - Seafire XV (PR362, 5H, 806th sq., HMS Glory, 1947) - Seafire XVII (probably SX273, So5O, 709th sq. RNAS St. Merryn, 1945) Just a pic of EN221 found on the net: EDIT - Topic name changed as requested by Severus

It's quite simple: Scrap of decal paper cover with desired paint (Must be enamel!!!). Then cover with two layers of varnish. Cut into desired pieces. Apply as usual decals.

Thanks all, chaps (Yep, that terrible thread on Azure I saw. Prefferebly I mix my paint for every single case, as, allways the Azure from tin looks too dark.)

Greetings, I found forgotten box of paints, and found some tins, I have no idea what they were used for: Hu:97 (eggshell?) common to 90, Hu:124 (some blue with hint of green) Hu:122 (like Sky or duck egg blue, just very bright) Hu:173 (dark brown) Hu:175 (perhaps RLM76???) I also found some HBxx - Azure Blue. Though very dark or rich shade, what a paint! With one brush dip I got almost half of the wing!!! What surpricing experience apart from todays (by brand only) Humbrols...

What about holy water???

Helpful, unfortunately, incomplete.

Fill in, then file/sand.

I mean both. Mishappens: - Canopies front pieces - Propellers - Scribbing - omission of significant lines on conection of wing to fusselage. - Radiators Misshaped cowl is just... The crown.

Well, if U mean their last release of P-40's, that in the amount of discrepancies surpassed their old release...

It depends, what do you find under term "nicest", and "salvageable". Concerning cockpit - stretched sprue, clipped coke can and some wires in absent cockpit of old mold AFX Ia or Vb makes better cockpit, than what's in the box of Academy. And talking about the wing - Overly thick, terrible radiators... So, what remains? Perhaps legs, wheels, propeller (?), dashboard... Is it really this few pieces worth of the money for Aca's XIV?

Do I see correctly the front spit and hurr in Temperate Land, while the far spit is Day Fighter scheme?

Airfix did mostly good kits. I had had their FW-190A-8, that, considering it's age, still is good on the shape. And even D-9, that came with surprisingly good features, looks pretty good in line with hasegawa, if built with some work invested.

Surprising - I tried repeatedly their LWF as well as RAF range. Never got two tinlets of the single shade not same, but not even common. Perhaps, revell learned to make paints, i should give it a try.

Even usable as basis for really crazy conversions...

You are definitly wrong, if you even consider using whatever from italeri's parody on spitfire. New tool Mk.Ia from Airfix is enough, what's needed for early spits, unless scribing tool, putty and sand paper are your enemies.

Putting in front of spitfire line Academy's parody, every spit must look just right. I also got that miracle from Korea. It could be improved just one way - by throwing into waste basket. It's simple - it's been MPM's shortrun. Have some three pcs. at home. Not bad, but nothing to write home about.

Spend extra on Fujimi, if you have the taste or convert AZ.

Excellent - just what a pity of that decals. What color range had been used?

Looks excellent! Just a one piece of hair on criticism - check your references, defelction angle of flaps seems too much.

Try to look net for Spitfire V published by Zlinek. It's mostly related to 310/313/312 Czechoslovak squadrons, but there are some pics of six stybs exhausts spits. It's long oop, scanned is downloadable if you look around. Sorry, no direct link, as I don't remember, where I got it.

Looking on the XIX, I get just the right feeling of spitfire. Never put it on drawing, as it is somehow uncomfortable to put on if it's assembled.

Deeper chin cowling isn't uncurable with some miliput (or even with some polyester automotive putty) in such scale. And, of course, there are shortcomings, as prop, no detail in cockpit, early rudder (BTW, there were even XI's with early rudder). I wrote my statements above from the point of someone, who has really limited cash. I think, too frequently I hear / read such cries "this kit is faulty" or "they didn't get it right", instead of "fill in", "move some mm's forward/backward/up/down" etc.. From other basket - I have handfull of cheaply bought old Vb/Ia from airfix, and, looking at price tag at Sword's Vc's, I decided to buy some cheaper Xtrakits XII to replace the nose for merlin's one from those old Airfix. Even if I can afford relativly pricy kits as F-111's of hasegawa, if I want Spit IX in 1/32, and can get Vb/VI hasegawa for sixth or eigth part of shining Tamiya, I don't see the point to throw avay those old kits, if it takes just little toying with sheet styrene, some putty, some butchery (some surgery, when knife cuts skin instead of styrene ), and plenty of good modelling time. Aftermarket I use as the last choice. Imagine the feeling of making two stage merlin mosquito from Tamiya's IV with just sheet styrene and the cheapest nasty automotive putty! Or, making tempest VI from old heller with just sheet styrene and cyanoacrylate...

The shape - apart from heavy lines - sides somehow too rounded. Nothing uncurable, but I would have hoped for more from fujimi.

The keyword is "mostly".

I have some conversion vacu fusselage. So, there certainly IS option. Frankly said, even if you have no conversion, buy the cheapest IX (ICM, perhaps), some miliput, good drawing, and - U R almost there. With some wise aproach, if you would use old Occidental as base kit, the faulty feature of bad shape of lower cowling would became advantage. Compare with drawings.