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Two 1/48 Mk.I Spitfires - Tamiya and Airfix (New Tool) - Finished and in the Gallery! - 26/10/15


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Yesterday afternoon I managed to get a couple more hours on this project and ended up fiddling around with more PE parts. Most of the time I was working on seeing if I could build up a replacement for this:

19652789412_2a842b4504_c.jpg

......Tamiya's rather odd seat.

As I have the Eduard etch sets - one for this specific kit and one for Airfix's older 1/48 Spitfire - I took a look at both and opted to use the one intended for the Airfix version. It seemed a closer match for the one above in terms of general sizes - the one intended for this kit looks a little small. I'll have to see how well this replacement fits once I get to that stage.

Anyway this is the first time I have made up a major part from photo-etch for any kit. I was a little tricky at times (including when one bit went flying off and got stuck to the floor!). Anyway I think the result looks a bit better than Tamiya's original seat. I still need to complete the painting and weathering, but this is what it looks like at the moment:

19633676426_9ac6bb0d51_c.jpg

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19652790232_f960d5b132_c.jpg

One of the main parts I need to paint on the above is the flare rack across the front which should be cockpit green. The etch provided by Eduard looks to have the flares in place rather than being empty. Can anyone advise me of what would be the best colour to paint them?

I also got one more PE part added to the port cockpit wall of the Tamiya kit:

19633675796_69b7a21b47_c.jpg

Unfortunately I probably won't get more done until the weekend now....... :weep:

Comments and suggestions welcome.

Kind regards,

Stix

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Hi Stix, the flares I used as a Runway Controller in the 1960s looked just like overgrown 12 bore cartridges, brass and plasticised card. Unfortunately I can't remember the colours of the bodies, they could have been the colours of the flares but I wouldn't swear to it. Are you sure you want a flare rack on the seat? There has been quite a lot of discussion on " All the Spitfire question" etc about when they were actually introduced. There, I've given you all the assistance you could need short of actually helping!

Very impressive seat.

Keep up the good work

John

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Great detail work, looks simply great ! The fuselage doors are a godsend for the modeller, who wants to wish for more details in the cockpit and it stay visible after closing the fuselage halfs....

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The replacement seat is so much better. Your doing really well. Joe

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Hi Stix, going back to the signal cartridges. I remembered last night ( and googled to confirm ) that the cartridge bodies were cardboard coloured with a coloured band, red, green or white, near the front. I would think that they would not have changed much since WWII.

We even had left over stocks of "Schmooli" rockets which were fired vertically through low cloud from the runway threshold to point the way to pilots. We had great fun firing them all off when they were declared surplus to requirement.

Regards

John

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Hi Stix, the flares I used as a Runway Controller in the 1960s looked just like overgrown 12 bore cartridges, brass and plasticised card. Unfortunately I can't remember the colours of the bodies, they could have been the colours of the flares but I wouldn't swear to it. Are you sure you want a flare rack on the seat? There has been quite a lot of discussion on " All the Spitfire question" etc about when they were actually introduced. There, I've given you all the assistance you could need short of actually helping!

Very impressive seat.

Keep up the good work

John

Hi Stix, going back to the signal cartridges. I remembered last night ( and googled to confirm ) that the cartridge bodies were cardboard coloured with a coloured band, red, green or white, near the front. I would think that they would not have changed much since WWII.

We even had left over stocks of "Schmooli" rockets which were fired vertically through low cloud from the runway threshold to point the way to pilots. We had great fun firing them all off when they were declared surplus to requirement.

Regards

John

Thank you John, you're a star - as always. I can imagine it was great fun!! Like a fireworks display with one type of firework - but lots of 'em! Great stuff. Thank you for the information - I was struggling to find anything useful. Now, slightly additional question. There's not much on show in the rack but do you, or anyone else, know which way up they were placed in the rack? My guess would be that the brass end would be on show - but I know nothing! When you mentioned them looking like large shotgun cartridges, and I checked the PE rack, it does look like the brass end. Anyway - thank you again.

Definitely a major improvement to the puny Tamiya seat! :clap: :clap:

Ciao

It certainly does - now I've just got to hope I can get it to fit!

Nice seat, it's coming along nicely.

Thank you Ozzy.

Great detail work, looks simply great ! The fuselage doors are a godsend for the modeller, who wants to wish for more details in the cockpit and it stay visible after closing the fuselage halfs....

Thank you Bernd. Yes the cockpit door was a great addition to the Spitfire design from a modelling point of view! :thumbsup:

Very nice stix, did you use this photo etch set on your vb's? Looks more detailed?

Rob

Hi Rob. Thank you. Yes there's a lot more detail and parts in these sets than the one I used for the Tamiya Vb - I didn't use one for the Airfix version last time. I may have used a zoom set for the Tamiya one - I'll check later - I'm at a railway station at the moment.

The replacement seat is so much better. Your doing really well. Joe

Thank you Joe - I'm quite pleased with it at the moment - especially as it's my first proper use of a larger PE item. Hope I can get it to fit!

Kind regards,

Stix

Edited by PlaStix
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Definitely brass end up for the cartridges, there was a lip around the top which would have fitted into a recess around the hole in the rack. Apart from anything else would you want them pointing up at you from the position they were in if anything went wrong!

It's enough to make your eyes water.

Bye for now

John

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Definitely brass end up for the cartridges, there was a lip around the top which would have fitted into a recess around the hole in the rack. Apart from anything else would you want them pointing up at you from the position they were in if anything went wrong!

It's enough to make your eyes water.

Bye for now

John

Thank you John, that's extremely helpful. And yes.......... that does not bare thinking about!!

Hopefully I'll get the painting of the seat done at the weekend.

Hope it's not too hot at the moment where you are!

Kind regards,

Stix

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Thank you Nigel. Well there's certainly going to be more etch than in/on the other two! More than I've used on any kit before. Should be interesting!...........I hope.......

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Not had as much time on these as I'd hoped. A combination of getting up a bit later than normal and investigating the two actual Spitfires I might make them as (I've almost decided) and then deciding there's a fair chance the flare rack wouldn't be on either, meant I only got as far as this on the Eduard seat for the Tamiya kit:

19606121290_13aec10826_c.jpg

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So the flare rack has gone (to be fair it looked a bit rubbish with the paint on) and some of the side detail painted.

I then decided to make up the Airfix seat and thought someone might be interested in seeing all three seats together. Tamiya original on the left, Eduard seat I'm using for the Tamiya kit (actually intended for the older Airfix Mk.I) in the middle and the new Airfix version:

19767929586_722f5921db_c.jpg

More later I hope.

Comments and suggestions welcome.

Kind regards,

Stix

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Thats a good comparison picture . The Eduard seat looks sharp and detailed next to the others , but which is the best basic shape . Airfix one looks like something from this weekends DFS sale and the original Tamiya wide enough to seat two .

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Nice work. Glad you binned the flare holder, as it wouldn't have been fitted during the BoB. Eduard seat is a close as you'd get, and the colour is pretty much spot on. Keep up the great work!

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Nice work. Glad you binned the flare holder, as it wouldn't have been fitted during the BoB. Eduard seat is a close as you'd get, and the colour is pretty much spot on. Keep up the great work!

Don't wish to say " I told you so " but ......

I agree on the Eduard seat also, could you make a couple for me?

Cheers

John

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The Eduard seat looks a big improvement. Good idea to take a photo of all three together. Joe

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As others said, Eduard seat looks much better. I would't know if it's exactly in scale, while doing my Spit I had the sense that the Tamiya seat has better proportions, but you need to work on it to make it actually looking like a Spitfire seat. But that's mk Vb, I don't know about mk I. Hopefully more knowledgeable people will shed a light on that ... :winkgrin:

Ciao

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Never thought the airfix one was that bad until you lined it up with the Eduard one.... Tamyia looks to be a seat made for people of this generation not the generation that actually flew in the, if you know what I mean.

Rob

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Thats a good comparison picture . The Eduard seat looks sharp and detailed next to the others , but which is the best basic shape . Airfix one looks like something from this weekends DFS sale and the original Tamiya wide enough to seat two .

Hi Mottlemaster. Yes it is interesting to see the differences. I was quite happy with the Airfix version when I built the Vbs, especially compared to the Tamiya one (http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234968337-two-148-mkvb-spitfires-tamiya-and-airfix-new-spitfire-collection-expansion-project-finished-photos-now-in-the-rfi-section-080615/?p=1778612) but it doen't look as good as the Eduard one. I'm going to stick with it for this project though.

Nice work. Glad you binned the flare holder, as it wouldn't have been fitted during the BoB. Eduard seat is a close as you'd get, and the colour is pretty much spot on. Keep up the great work!

Thank you Andy. Yes a bit more research after John's comments led me to remove it.

Don't wish to say " I told you so " but ......

I agree on the Eduard seat also, could you make a couple for me?

Cheers

John

Hi John. Yep you were quite correct. Thank you for encouraging me to look again! With regards my building extra seats........... Well with my planned builds for the near future and the rather slow speed I work at you may be waiting a couple of years!!

The Eduard seat looks a big improvement. Good idea to take a photo of all three together. Joe

Hi Joe. Yes as I said to Mottlemaster; it interesting to see how different the three are. It makes you wonder what the designers look at to measure and get details off!

As others said, Eduard seat looks much better. I would't know if it's exactly in scale, while doing my Spit I had the sense that the Tamiya seat has better proportions, but you need to work on it to make it actually looking like a Spitfire seat. But that's mk Vb, I don't know about mk I. Hopefully more knowledgeable people will shed a light on that ... :winkgrin:

Ciao

Hi giemme. Yes - while I was building the Mk.Vbs I thought it looked a bit odd but basically okay and the Airfix one a little narrow. Once they were buttoned up in the fuselage they looked basically fine.

Never thought the airfix one was that bad until you lined it up with the Eduard one.... Tamyia looks to be a seat made for people of this generation not the generation that actually flew in the, if you know what I mean.

Rob

Hi Rob. Yes in comparison the Tamiya one does appear a little wide.

Yesterday I did get a bit more done but didn't get chance to post any pictures. I didn't do much but got some basic painting done on the Airfix version seat:

19172944764_133277db3b_c.jpg

19769342276_737024c2b0_c.jpg

Comments and suggestions welcome.

Kind regards,

Stix

Edited by PlaStix
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Nice highlights on the Airfix seat you've done ther Stix.

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Thank you Ozzy, Joe and Rob. I think it actually looks a bit better with some paint on.

Quick comparison shot from first thing this morning:

19201563413_1505a9b813_c.jpg

Now the rest of the time this morning I worked steadily for a few hours but, from the two photos I'm going to post below you'd never guess it. The time was taken with painting the seat frame, seat support and armour, adding a Revell Anthracite wash and dry-brushing with a lightened version of the base colour. Then it was a case of fiddling with bits of photo-etch and persuading them to glue to each other rather than me! Anyway this was where I got to before deciding it was time to take a break before something went flying out the window!:

19827295691_a77c483c06_c.jpg

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There's still a bit to do on this but I decided to leave to another day.

Comments and suggestions welcome.

Kind regards,

Stix

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