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Spitfire Progression - Supermarine 300 (5054)


Brent

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Howdy,

I'm gathering info on the Supermarine 300 or Spitfire 5054.

The Paragon and Aeroclub conversions are scarce. So, I figure I'll just carve up a Tamiya kit and make it myself.

Is there an approved set of plans that I can use? What is the consensus?

This will be in 1/48.

Thanks!

Brent

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Hi, as above really.

There are several threads on K5054, mostly the blue version.

I found a set of drawings on the net of the different wing panelling and am doing that with Sellotape aluminium to get the clinker pattern. I also have a different cockpit, IP, etc. which I just scratchbuilt.

PM me if you like and I can mail you my copy of the drawings. I think the forum is a little tired of the topic as I got little response to my thread, maybe because I was making stuff, not buying aftermarket sets.

Cheers,

Martin

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Martin, I don't think it is so much that we're tired of the subject, as that we've possibly squeezed the sponge dry at this point! There has been extensive discussion of K5054 before your current initiative (which I applaud). Unfortunately, most of what we "know" is second hand information and conjecture, seasoned with a dash of photographic and other documentary evidence. I do not in any way mean to discourage either of you, but perhaps we do get a little weary of having the same basic discussion each time someone decides they're going to build a model of the subject. Furthermore, having little bits and pieces of information scattered across myriad threads makes it that much harder to go back and find the nugget you are seeking later.

I really hope that you don't read this as rude or discouraging, because it is not meant to be, and if you have specific questions I (and others) would be happy to try to answer them, but bear in mind that the documentation is fairly scarce. I'm not personally satisfied with referring you to someone else's guess at an answer. A diligent search of this forum, and no doubt others (FlyPast Forum might be worth a look?) should bring you up to speed with "the body of knowledge and opinion" (you're not terribly likely to find consensus) AND it might provoke new questions, observations, and solutions.

bob

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Bob,

not rude or discouraging at all and I agree with everything you say.

I have tried the forum search facility and get nothing much, but I'm happy with my own interpretation of the photos available. I know what I think it looked like!

The sponge is probably "squeezed dry"! Nicely put.

I certainly don't want to discourage either, hence my offer of the drawings in the above post. They look helpful to me.

When I do a master of a rare racing car, I often have only a few b&w photos from an old Motor Sport mag to go on and have had no complaints so far. Sometimes it's all you have. At least nobody can gain say what you've done as long as you've exhausted all available info.

Thanks,

Martin

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Martin, I don't think it is so much that we're tired of the subject, as that we've possibly squeezed the sponge dry at this point! There has been extensive discussion of K5054 before your current initiative (which I applaud). Unfortunately, most of what we "know" is second hand information and conjecture, seasoned with a dash of photographic and other documentary evidence. I do not in any way mean to discourage either of you, but perhaps we do get a little weary of having the same basic discussion each time someone decides they're going to build a model of the subject. Furthermore, having little bits and pieces of information scattered across myriad threads makes it that much harder to go back and find the nugget you are seeking later.

I really hope that you don't read this as rude or discouraging, because it is not meant to be, and if you have specific questions I (and others) would be happy to try to answer them, but bear in mind that the documentation is fairly scarce. I'm not personally satisfied with referring you to someone else's guess at an answer. A diligent search of this forum, and no doubt others (FlyPast Forum might be worth a look?) should bring you up to speed with "the body of knowledge and opinion" (you're not terribly likely to find consensus) AND it might provoke new questions, observations, and solutions.

bob

Hi Bob,

I think that you are "spot on" - why don't we (and I would be happy to do this alone, or together with anyone else) put together an information resource that addresses each of the most popular Spitfire topics - with information collected and disseminated from the numerous Britmodeller threads - and post them as Sticky Topics?

Regards.

Neil

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I understand how annoying a resurrected thread can be. Please accept my apologies.

It happens in other forums where a modeler just heard about Future and wants help learning how to use it.

Maybe K5054 can be pinned as an archive?

I admit to using the search site function and was underwhelmed with the results.

Anyhow, thank you for the pointers.

Brent

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No idea how that is done, Neil, but it sounds like a good idea.

Martin

No idea how that is done, Neil, but it sounds like a good idea.

Martin

Hi Martin,

I think that the simplest way would be, once we have collected and structured the information to either create a series of web pages and link to them (I'm concerned about breaking site rules) or instead of web pages have sticky posts with links that maintain the organisational relationships. Either way I would be happy to work on this, and happy to host any images.

Regards.

Neil

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Brent - I have the Paragon set that I'd be happy to measure up for you, to aid you in getting the major dimensions right. If you'd like me to, I'll take a pic of the parts, and you can tell me what dimensions you want :)

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I understand how annoying a resurrected thread can be. Please accept my apologies.

It happens in other forums where a modeler just heard about Future and wants help learning how to use it.

I admit to using the search site function and was underwhelmed with the results.

Anyhow, thank you for the pointers.

Brent

Brent, you don't have to apologize, and welcome aboard, by the way- just noticed you were a new kid! I hope you weren't caught off guard by the severity of the French taunting.

Yeah, Future's a great example- what's it called in Kuala Lumpur, can I do decals with it... The other one I love is a breathless "Hey everybody, Lousy Models has just announced a ____!" when there are three other threads saying the same thing on the same bloody page. (Is one allowed to say bloody on this forum? I'm a Yank, I don't know any better. Semprini!)

The search function can be frustrating, 'tis true. After my post I searched for "K5054" and came up with several pages (at least), though I didn't try to limit it to the subject line, or anything sophisticated. Don't bother searching for 'Spitfire'!

bob

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Semprini? He used to play the piano..."old ones, new ones, loved ones, forgotten ones" and lived on an old yacht in West Mersea, as did I.

Oops, previous life and interests!

Martin

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I understand how annoying a resurrected thread can be. Please accept my apologies.

It happens in other forums where a modeler just heard about Future and wants help learning how to use it.

Maybe K5054 can be pinned as an archive?

I admit to using the search site function and was underwhelmed with the results.

Anyhow, thank you for the pointers.

Brent

Hey, you're stealing my Avatar! I want you to know I paid John Cleese an ungodly sum of money for usage rights! And that included all frames from that scene :)

Cheers,

Bill

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Howdy,

I'm gathering info on the Supermarine 300 or Spitfire 5054.

The Paragon and Aeroclub conversions are scarce. So, I figure I'll just carve up a Tamiya kit and make it myself.

Is there an approved set of plans that I can use? What is the consensus?

This will be in 1/48.

Thanks!

Brent

HI Brent

some points that maybe of use.

Searching the forum, it's easy if you know what you are looking for precisely and who posted it...

Or, alternately, use google, and add "britmodeller" into your search term, I find it narrows down searches a lot.

For a base kit for the prototype, may i suggest the old Airfix Vb kit. The thrust line need reducing, can provide a link to a John Adams fix if of interest but other than that it's very well shaped, [and not a bit fat and short like the tamiya] can be got cheap and has raised panel lines, which in this case actually help, especially in the case of the wings, where you will have to fill all the panel lines and rescribe, as opposed to back fill the the cannon bulges and sand off the detail..

But the wing fortunately was before Airfix decided every Spitfire should have the dropped flaps option, even better, the flaps and ailerons are one piece moulded with the upper wing, so have a decent thin trailing edge. . . The ailerons are metal type tho.

The VB kit was reboxed as a Vc/Seafire III kit by adding in an extra C type wing, so you might just want to see if someone had a spare B wing somewhere.

Yes, the kit is old, and is certainly a bit clunky in the cockpit, but even that is basically accurate.

The following apply to any base kit really,

From what I can see the hardest part of the conversion is making the exhaust pipes. I suggested to Martin/Scratchbuilderusing thin walled brass tube flattened into an oval

pic here http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234935599-k-5054-from-the-new-airfix-mki/#entry1252565

Just in case you are not aware, the Falcon Spitfire Special canopy set has the prototype hood included.

http://www.falconmodels.co.nz/clearvax/set51.html

Sort of thing it would be worth asking for on Hyperscale Plane trading,[as you are in the US] as someone may have the set, but not want the protoype hood if you don't want to spring for the full set..........

Be warned, if you hang out here long enough you'll go Spitfire ga-ga and want to build the entire spectrum of marks, so you will want the full set ;)

... which has just got a lot easier with the new Airfix Spitfire XIX by the way.

Hope some of this is of use to you.

cheers

T

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I'm using the Airfix Mk I, Brent, Troy. I have had to lower the thrust line on that, too as suggested by John Adams, something I'd spotted on my drawing anyway. Easily done. I also think the cam cover bulges are a bit bold, so I cut them back a bit.

Most of the panel lines are OK, only about 30% of the fuselage needed filling and resiting. The wings of course needed almost completely filling and rescribing, although I'm doing the "clinker" plating spanwise with Selotape aluminium foil. In fact I shall be covering the whole thing in foil, then painting the "zinc chromate patchy finish over that. I like foiling, hate silver paint!

I also scratchbuilt the cockpit, detailing the seat and its supports, leaving out the armour plate and scratchbuilding a new test style IP, removing some of the moulded in wall detail and making new bits...back of fuel tank with rivets in litho plate, etc. Simple if a bit fiddly. And barely visible, even with the door open.

The cockpit opening needs filling and reshaping with bits of styrene and Milliput to make it suitable for the curved screen, too.

Last night I added to the front of the radiator housing and reshaped that. I decided to have the pilot figure in, so I'm cutting him back a bit to test pilot garb, from standard pilot clobber, cut his head off and turned it and raised his right hand in a wave to the photographer that I will be scratchbuilding with his old plate camera.

I've even bought a base and some 2mm Perspex ready for the showcase.

As you can tell, I don't "do" aftermarket stuff!

Martin

Edited to say I shall be doing the exhausts in photo-etch as a colleague has kindly offered me some space on his slot car fret. Though if they don't look convincing I shall use Troy's excellent method.

Edited by Scratchbuilder
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