Search the Community

Hello Gentlemen, this will be my entry to the F4U Corsair STGB. Tamiya 1/72 scale Bird Cage Corsair The model sprues. Xtradecal Set X72140 Yanks with Roundels Part 1 The Decal Sheet. Eduard Zoom Set SS270 Thanks for looking, Joe

If Spitfires are not your thing then it may be worth looking away now as I'm going to try to make two 1/48 versions simultaneously! A fair while back, when I decided I'd one day like to make the Eduard Mk.IX Spitfire, I didn't know at the time what I was starting. You can check out my finished version of the Mk.IX here. When I thought about such a lovely, quite expensive kit, I decided I ought to practice the skills I'd need to do it justice beforehand. So I practiced by making three 1/72 Spitfires and then moved onto a 1/48 Mk.XVI. Even before I'd started the Mk.IX I realised I was addicted to making Spitfires. A few months ago I'd already picked up the 1/48 Tamiya Mk.Vb and then when the Airfix version appeared (and was quite cheap on pre-order on the big A) I decided to get one of those too. I had originally planned to make the Tamiya kit before the Eduard one but I ended up making the latter for the D-Day Group Build first. So now it's time to expand my Spitfire collection by two. I'm quite excited by this project and thought it would be interesting to see what the comparisons are between the two kits - I have little pre-knowledge about them other than reading bits and pieces about them on the web. Some people seem to be positive about both and others the opposite. Versions of these that I have seen built look pretty good to me but I'm not an expert on the real thing or the kits. In my head I have this idea that I might be able to use each kit to be make the other a better version but this may not work out in practice. I don't intend to do any major surgery on either, but rather just enjoy the type of thing I feel comfortable with. Edit 21/08/15 - if anyone is interested there is a follow up thread to this one where I am currently making the Tamiya and Airfix (new tool) 1/48 Mk.I kits. I'm using a lot of the lessons I learned from this thread. If you are interested it can be found in the Battle of Britain Group Build section here. So box and sprue photos first - I like the artwork on both: In comparison the Airfix box seems a lot fuller of parts but I already know some of them won't get used: Tamiya box: As there did seem to be fewer parts with the Tamiya kit I decided to bolster it a bit with Eduard Zoom set: Tamiya sprues: Some cockpit details - I really like making up the cockpits and both kits seem to have nice details - Tamiya: Tamiya instructions: Versions included in the kit: Airfix sprues: Airfix cockpit detail: Airfix - new style instructions - not sure about these yet: Possible versions in the box: I have also got these bits left over from the cockpit of the Eduard Mk.IX and I might think about if they're better to use somewhere: I'm hoping to get some work started on these this weekend - all I've done so far is get all the parts washed in warm soapy water. Comments and suggestions welcome. Kind regards, Stix