Howard Moon Posted March 30, 2013 Share Posted March 30, 2013 Supermarine Seafire Mk XVII, 1831 NAS, RNVR Here is the very popular Airfix Seafire with a few tweaks to try and improve it but without resorting to aftermarket items. The kit was built OOB with the exception of the following: Fuselage panel lines: Brushed with Mr Surfacer 1000 and then rubbed down. Upper cowling intake: Replaced with a slice of tube. Tail wheel guard: Replacement made from brass wire. Exhausts: Drilled out. Propeller: Chord increased by adding plastic strip to leading edges. Outer ejection ports: Lined with plastic strip to match the size of the inner ones. Flaps and ailerons: Sanded down to reduce thickness of trailing edge. Radiators: Leading edge of housings sanded to reduce thickness and new flaps made from plasticard. I did resort to the following accessories to finish it off: Seat harness: Eduard Decals: Excellent Freightdog Post War Seafires set. It was painted with Mr Colour and Tamiya paints. All pane lines were pre shaded and a more random post shade was carried out to try and create a worn but well looked after look. A coat of Vallejo satin varnish was used to finish it off with the exception of the spinner which is gloss. I didnt use a panel wash except for around the engine cowling. Look forward to your comments and criticisms. Thanks Howard. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pilot Officer Prune Posted March 30, 2013 Share Posted March 30, 2013 Very nice indeed! Tick, VG! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Bunting Posted March 30, 2013 Share Posted March 30, 2013 Very nice and good work on the prop, that would be a nerve racking step for me to try. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miggers Posted March 30, 2013 Share Posted March 30, 2013 Very,very nice Howard. Excellent finish and nice suble weathering. I did most of the same mods on mine except for the prop,upper cowling intake and I made a masking tape harness. Another wrinkle I found was to use the "closed" hood in the open position. It fits much better than the "open" one. These simple tweaks really do bring the Airfix kit to life and make a much better model out of it. Well done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gazza l Posted March 30, 2013 Share Posted March 30, 2013 Very nicely done, those little tweaks make all the difference. gazza l Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlackBart Posted March 30, 2013 Share Posted March 30, 2013 That's a cracker. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimbuna Posted March 30, 2013 Share Posted March 30, 2013 Very nice indeed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roof Rat Posted March 30, 2013 Share Posted March 30, 2013 Oh yes 10/10 RR Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
russ c Posted March 31, 2013 Share Posted March 31, 2013 Really nice work there !! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neil Whiteley-Bolton Posted March 31, 2013 Share Posted March 31, 2013 (edited) Looks grand - I hadn't appreciated that there are issues with the wing chord on this kit - would you care to elaborate on your method for correction - it sounds very simple, but I for one wouldn't know how to go about it. Thanks. Neil Edited March 31, 2013 by Neil Whiteley-Bolton Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
426 Posted March 31, 2013 Share Posted March 31, 2013 There is just something about Griffon engined Seafires. A beauty. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyot Posted March 31, 2013 Share Posted March 31, 2013 I like that a lot and I`m currently building an Airfix Seafire 17 in exactly the same scheme as it is a personal favourite, All the best Tony O Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Howard Moon Posted March 31, 2013 Author Share Posted March 31, 2013 Another wrinkle I found was to use the "closed" hood in the open position. It fits much better than the "open" one. Thanks for the kind comments Mark, knowing how particular you are about Spitfires and Seafires makes it all the more rewarding. Never thought about using the 'closed' canopy but can now appreciate how it would work better. Looks grand - I hadn't appreciated that there are issues with the wing chord on this kit - would you care to elaborate on your method for correction - it sounds very simple, but I for one wouldn't know how to go about it. Thanks. Neil Neil, It was the propeller blades that I modified. They are a bit on the skinny side so added a strip of plastic to the leading edge which I blended in with CA glue and a little putty and then sanded the profile so it all blended in. Was nervous to try it but only took about 10 minutes per blade. It is still probably not that accurate but has improved the look somewhat IMO. To every one else who has commented, thank you for the kind words. Best regards Howard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
king daddy Posted March 31, 2013 Share Posted March 31, 2013 very nice... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tank152 Posted March 31, 2013 Share Posted March 31, 2013 (edited) Hey 'H', nice to see one of these thats actually seen a bit of use, and you've even had a nod of approval from one of the "Spiteratti", things are looking up . I reckon this scheme is sooo much better than that oh so boring sky/grey scheme you normally see these things dressed up in. As per normal with your builds, a top job. Kurt! Edited April 1, 2013 by tank152 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Howard Moon Posted April 1, 2013 Author Share Posted April 1, 2013 Hey 'H', nice to see one of these thats actually seen a bit of use, and you've even had a nod of approval from one of the "Spiteratti", things are looking up . I reckon this scheme is sooo much better than that oh so boring sky/grey scheme you normally see these things dressed up in. As per normal with your builds, a top job. Kurt! Thanks Kurt! Glad you like it. I've got a Seafire F47 in the pipeline that will be EDSG/Sky but won't be pristine when it's finished Got anything on the bench at the moment? H Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMCS Posted April 1, 2013 Share Posted April 1, 2013 Lovely finish. Great to see a Seafire for a change Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tank152 Posted April 1, 2013 Share Posted April 1, 2013 Thanks Kurt! Glad you like it. I've got a Seafire F47 in the pipeline that will be EDSG/Sky but won't be pristine when it's finished Got anything on the bench at the moment? H Hi H, yeah I've just finished a V1 I'll post some pics up of it later. Kurt! Ps, whats with all these Seafires? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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