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1/48 Airfix Seafire XV


John B

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A few questions -

1 - Is there any definitive word on a future release date of a 1/48 Seafire XV kit based on their Spitfire XII and Seafire 17 releases?

2- Is it likely to have the A-frame tail hook option?

3- Is it uncommon to have a Seafire with one wing folded and the other fully extended? I've seen models of Corsairs, Seafires, and Skyraiders posed this way, but I'm wondering how realistic it is.

Edited by John B
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Having a couple of the Revell boxed Special Hobby kits in the stash means I've not thought about Airfix doing one but then again why wouldn't they.

As for one wing folded and the other deployed; I'd thought about doing a simple diorama with a few figures half way through the process. There is some diagrams in one of my reference books that show the required actions well.

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As Edgar says. Not only is there no definitive word for a release date, it has not even appeared on a "sometime next year - maybe" list.

As for one wing folded, one extended, you don't leave aeroplanes like that. It's just a polite fiction to show off difference aspects of the model. A lot of types don;t even allow asymmetric folding in service, if they have powered wing folds. In that way it is comparable with something else you often see at shows - a jet with maintenance panels off all over the place, yet carrying armaments.

Edited by Work In Progress
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A few questions -

1 - Is there any definitive word on a future release date of a 1/48 Seafire XV kit based on their Spitfire XII and Seafire 17 releases?

Lets hope they don't, I would rather see and all new kit to the quality of their Mk.V.

If it is possible, then it can be displayed that way. I do that with all my carrier aircraft models - saves display space which is now at a premium. When I was building my Gannet, I was dubious as to whether it was possible, but I found a photo of one parked just like that.

882cb4a9-2794-4bff-adb3-2e106cab4186-1.j

Agree - a model sitting on a shelf is just a snap shot in time, as long as it is phsycially possible, or not in a diorama that suggests otherwise then it doesn't really matter. You don't "leave" aircraft with engine cowls off either, but the cowls do come off and some times we want to show that.

Edited by Tbolt
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TBolt,what's the problem with the Afx 1/48th XVII then?

Just the fact that the surface detail wasn't as good back then, like the Mk.XII, with bigger panel lines etc - the XIX improved on this and the V is meant to be even better (I don't own one). They probably won't do an all new tool, but one can dream...

Edited by Tbolt
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Perfectly feasible to do one folded and one spread.

As Edgar has demonstrated,all Seafires upto the 47 had manual wingfolding

(commonly known as the "Armstrong" method.).

TBolt,what's the problem with the Afx 1/48th XVII then?

The detail's not as good as what Airfix is doing now and the rear fuselage is a bit off in depth (it's just a bit fat, enough to be visible to the expert, not enough to really look bad).

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Adam, in the XII it is easily visible to the naked eye, but I guess that it is because everyone is more used to the look of a humpback Spit. To make things worse, as the spinner is dimensionally correct, the nose has a bit of a too pronounced downwards curve (even allowing for a Griffon cowling). Of course, SH XV has the wing to cockpit relation crooked, as any other SH or Tamiya Spit. IMHO, the best bet for now would be combining any with an Aeroclub fuselage.

Fernando

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As Edgar says. Not only is there no definitive word for a release date, it has not even appeared on a "sometime next year - maybe" list.

As for one wing folded, one extended, you don't leave aeroplanes like that. It's just a polite fiction to show off difference aspects of the model. A lot of types don;t even allow asymmetric folding in service, if they have powered wing folds. In that way it is comparable with something else you often see at shows - a jet with maintenance panels off all over the place, yet carrying armaments.

It was done quite frequently with RAN Sea Venoms, the squadron party trick was to fold the right wing to have the

aircraft "saluting" visiting Admirals.

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I have seen Corsairs with one-wing-up-and -one-down but never Wildcats or Avengers. Can anyone out there prove me wrong please?

Well, the trick answer is that the Grummans rotate back, rather than go "up"!

The Avenger had hydraulic folding, so would not normally have one wing out and one in. The Wildcat, on the other hand, was manual, so could have just one folded. With a narrow and fairly "wobbly" gear, it probably wasn't encouraged.

bob

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Adam, in the XII it is easily visible to the naked eye,

Really? Is it a case of seeing the error, or modellers "seeing" it, because they know it's there? Two of our club members built the kit, when it was issued, and have displayed at shows ever since; nobody has ever approached and said that they can see there's something wrong with the models, in fact the conversation normally goes, "That's a Mk.XII." "Oh, that's the one with the misshapen fuselage, isn't it?"

I really have to marvel at those modellers who can see 1mm error, with the naked eye, because I can't, and nor could anybody else until the kit was laid on some drawings.

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From experience (Sea Venom, Sea Fury Firefly & Tracker) most aircraft with power folding wings

will lift one wing ahead of the other purely because the hydraulic pump cant compensate quickly enough

for the sudden demand on the system. Anything with a hand pump is going to be flat out raising one wing, let

alone both.

The RAN's saluting Sea Venom trick was done simply by a couple of bods swinging off the port tip tank to hold the

wing down while an unlucky soul pumped furiously on the hand pump to raise the other wing (usually smashing knuckles on the

de icer pump as well)

I'm with Edgar regarding the Seafire 17, I thought it was a nice little kit.

Edited by NAVY870
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Hi, Edgar,

Actually I spotted it in a small picture in the web, and got quite a bash when suggested it (I really do not remember if it was in this very forum, but could conduct some of a search if it was worth), but I am talking about myself, which is not quite correct (yes, I later bought the kit). Then someone suggested that the kit was "humped", and got his share (I even think he retracted) Then came, if memory doesn't fail me, an official word from Airfix saying they had used wrong plans (though I have never seen it). A millimeter, or two, in the height of a fuselage probably measuring 10-15 mm high is noticeable, it is a difference of around 10-20 % . Look at the Hobbycrap P-36/P-40 family (in that case, they lack the couple of mm). In some other, bigger, dimension probably it goes happily unnoticed.

Of course I would say "Oh, that's a Spit XII"; at most, probably adding "The Airfix one, isn't it?", to a fellow club member; I try to behave like a gentleman.

BTW, glad to have you back. I had heard you had retired, to the general chagrin and sadness.

Fernando

Edited by Fernando
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As has been mentioned the Special Hobby Seafire XV is out there and is a good kit. You can cross-kit the Airfix Seafire XVII and Spit XII also. There was an article in Airfix Model World that did just that. If memory serves it was one of Tony O'Toole's builds. I am sure he will be along at some point. The Seafire kit has two sets of wings, so it is not as wasteful as it sounds as you can still build two models out of the bits. You may need the Heritage set though for the radiator etc.

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As has been mentioned the Special Hobby Seafire XV is out there and is a good kit.

No it's not really , too short , cockpit position wrong , also wing position and shape. A much better model will result from cross-kitting the Airfix Mk XII and Seafire XVII.

SeafireXV.jpg

Airfix hybred Seafire XV

Mention has been made of the nose of the Airfix XII being wrong , however , comparison of the Airfix and Aeroclub noses show they are within a whisker of being identical.

spitfireprofile002.jpg

spitfireprofile001.jpg

Andrew

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No it's not really , too short , cockpit position wrong , also wing position and shape. A much better model will result from cross-kitting the Airfix Mk XII and Seafire XVII.

Andrew

I live and learn. I wasn't aware of those issues and had heard good things about the kit. I will have to go and dig mine out of the stash now. That being said, I do agree that the Airfix cross kit solution would be a better bet.

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Oh well guess I'll have to throw out those Revell reboxed Special Hobby kits in the stash then.

Was going to use the Airfix XII and convert to a Seafire III but will be interesting to compare it with the SH kit shapes and see what needs to be done if at all possible to create something that looks like a XV.

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