Airfix 1/24 Spitfire Mk I Transparencies

[fightersweep]

Hi All;

I have about ten of these venerable old kits to build, with around three of them off the starting block and one nearly finished. Most of them will be converted to other marks, such as a Mk XVI. My question though, concerns the supplied transparencies. Most of the kits that I have range from the early "Red Stripe" boxings up to the early 1990's offerings. One thing links them all, regardless of age, and that is the transparencies. To put it bluntly, they're all pretty naff. All have imperfections that go all the way through the plastic, so sanding them back is not really an option as the imperfections would still be seen.

Having seen that the big Spit is now back with the lovely 610 Squadron markings, I wondered if anyone had one in the stash as I would be interested to hear if the transparencies have been improved, or if they are still the same old rubbish. It's a pretty important detail in such a large scale, so I'm surprised Airfix didn't do better in the first place. I know that Squadron announced a replacement a couple of years ago, but I believe that it still hasn't been released yet. On top of that, I'm not really able to do a vac replacement myself.

Wonder if I should send a set back to Airfix and have a rant...in a nice way of course!

Regards;

Steve

P.S. By the way, I still feel that the big Airfix Spitfire is still a cracking kit after all these years. With a bit of TLC, a great model will result. One thing that puzzles me though. I was reading the review of this kit in the Modellers Datafile on the Merlin Spit, and the reviewer kept repeating how terrible all of the raised panel lines were. I've got a shelf full of these kits, and all of them have lovely recessed panel lines. I've read reviews like this before, so why do people insist that the Airfix 1/24 Spitfire has raised panel detail when it clearly does not??

Edited January 8, 2012 by fightersweep

[davidelvy]

Hi All;

P.S. By the way, I still feel that the big Airfix Spitfire is still a cracking kit after all these years. With a bit of TLC, a great model will result. One thing that puzzles me though. I was reading the review of this kit in the Modellers Datafile on the Merlin Spit, and the reviewer kept repeating how terrible all of the raised panel lines were. I've got a shelf full of these kits, and all of them have lovely recessed panel lines. I've read reviews like this before, so why do people insist that the Airfix 1/24 Spitfire has raised panel detail when it clearly does not??

I got one a few years ago and was expecting to find raised panel lines, having read the reviews. The lines are indeed recessed, if a little heavy. What is raised is the rivet detail. If those little raised circles offend they can easily be removed. I would not, however, be tempted to replace them with Trumpeter style holes as in this scale they would just look ridiculous.

I've got the MkV boxing with the picture of Ian Gleed's aircraft. The canopy is awful and I suspect any vac-formed replacement would be snapped up.

[fightersweep]

Hi David;

Indeed the rivets are raised, but fairly subtle I found. I did do the unthinkable and drill out all of the rivets on the wings and forward fuselage in "Trumpeter" style. But my plan here is to use Mr Surfacer so that the end result should give that slightly indented rivet look that I have seen in a lot of Spitfire photographs.

Interested to hear that your Mk Vb transparencies were no good. I have this too, but did find that the replacement internal screen was very clear...even if the canopy frames are all wrong!! I have to agree about the possible Squadron replacement. They announced these some time back, and the vac canopies for the Airfix 1/24 Bf-109E did appear and were very good too. Then it all dried up. I wonder if poor sales stopped them from releasing the Spitfire canopy. I know that you get viewed as a bit of a leper if you build 1/24th, but these old Airfix "Superkits" have been crying out for vac replacement canopies for years!

Regards;

Steve

Edited January 8, 2012 by fightersweep

[Work In Progress]

In 1/72 this raised rivet effect is often a trifle excessive on older kits, but down the sides of the 1/24 Spitfire fuselage it has always looked very right to me, where the full size has domed rivets.

I agree that we could do with a decent set of vac canopies for the Airfix I and Vb. I would be first in the queue, or maybe second or third after you!

Edited January 8, 2012 by Work In Progress

[fightersweep]

Well, there certainly seems to be some interest in a vac replacement canopy for the big Airfix Spit. I just checked on Hannant's website, and where the Squadron Spitfire canopy was listed as forthcoming, it has now disappeared. Only the Bf-109 canopies are listed. Seems to me that Squadron might have dropped this now.

So! I wonder if any other companies might consider producing a 1/24 Spitfire canopy? I'm sure I could knock up a master, it's just that I've never attempted to vac form anything and I'm not sure about the whole smash moulding thing. Wouldn't it be great if someone were to bring out an affordable vacuform machine along the lines of the old Mattel machine.

Now, all we need is a cockpit set and a wheel well set for the kit...would save me having to scratchbuild them everytime (mind you, I suppose I would lose the satisfaction of having made it myself!)

Regards;

Steve

[fightersweep]

Oops...had a double post there!

Steve

Edited January 8, 2012 by fightersweep

[Troy Smith]

Well, there certainly seems to be some interest in a vac replacement canopy for the big Airfix Spit. I just checked on Hannant's website, and where the Squadron Spitfire canopy was listed as forthcoming, it has now disappeared. Only the Bf-109 canopies are listed. Seems to me that Squadron might have dropped this now.

So! I wonder if any other companies might consider producing a 1/24 Spitfire canopy? I'm sure I could knock up a master, it's just that I've never attempted to vac form anything and I'm not sure about the whole smash moulding thing. Wouldn't it be great if someone were to bring out an affordable vacuform machine along the lines of the old Mattel machine.

Now, all we need is a cockpit set and a wheel well set for the kit...would save me having to scratchbuild them everytime (mind you, I suppose I would lose the satisfaction of having made it myself!)

Regards;

Steve

Steve

If you really are going to do a load, buy your self a resin casting kit, make a master and then cast them up as you need.

Would save you an awful ot of repition. .... eg http://www.sylmasta.com/acatalog/Casting_Kits.html

To be honest you don't need all the stuff in the kit, but buying resin and rubber separtate will cost more, you get more, but how much are you going to need?

There are guide here on 'how to' Same with a vac canopy. There is a thread on making you own cheap version, as well as vids on youtube. For a one-off, a pain, for 10, well worth the effort.

or... make a master and approach someone who does resin to make them... and, I never got back to did I steve...PM owed...

cheers

T

[fightersweep]

Hi Troy;

Thanks for the link to the casting kit. For the money, it certainly seems to be worth a try! I wonder if I could use the kit transparency as a master to mould a resin replacement? I'm not really all that up on resin casting...but I really could do with learning.

I'm going to have to buy one of these sets and get practising...I could have a lot of uses for some multiple resin castings! The possibilities are endless.

Regards;

Steve