PhantomBigStu Posted March 3, 2016 Share Posted March 3, 2016 (edited) Ordered myself an AZ joypack, so far thinking of doing 1. MKIXc using airfix Johnson markings 2. MkIXc using airfix Skalski decals what to do with the 3rd I don't know, guessing if I order another variant of the kit I can do something different with spares Will also be doing some other mks, will give them separate threads, hope this will be fitting tribute to Edgar even with my no doubt error strewn creations, didn't know him well but answered a few of my questions on the spitfire thread. Edited June 5, 2016 by PhantomBigStu 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Col. Posted March 3, 2016 Share Posted March 3, 2016 An interesting mix of markings there Stu. Welcome to the GB. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Giorgio N Posted March 3, 2016 Share Posted March 3, 2016 Good choices, the AZ kit also includes all the parts to properly represent Skalski's aircraft, parts that are not included in the Airfix kit. Finding an interesting option for your 3rd kit is not difficult, but will depend on what decals you have in your stash P.S. where did you get the joypack ? Thought they were all gone by now Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhantomBigStu Posted March 3, 2016 Author Share Posted March 3, 2016 Good choices, the AZ kit also includes all the parts to properly represent Skalski's aircraft, parts that are not included in the Airfix kit. Finding an interesting option for your 3rd kit is not difficult, but will depend on what decals you have in your stash P.S. where did you get the joypack ? Thought they were all gone by now Thinking of actually doing something different with the 3rd, I do have the later rudder, going to see what spare bits come with the other AZ spits, see what I can cook up. Anyway I ordered it from hannants stock listed as 10+, also MJW'S still have some slightly cheaper than hannants Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhantomBigStu Posted March 7, 2016 Author Share Posted March 7, 2016 (edited) ready to go now, quite surprised when I first saw the box, thought they sent the wrong kit untill IO removed the packing paper Edited March 7, 2016 by PhantomBigStu 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhantomBigStu Posted March 9, 2016 Author Share Posted March 9, 2016 interesting experience so far, quite different building a short run kit it seems 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Giorgio N Posted March 9, 2016 Share Posted March 9, 2016 That was good and fast progress. One small note of caution: I compared the Airfix and AZ kits yesterday and noticed how the rear fuselage in the Airfix kit is a bit longer than the AZ part. Don't want to go into a discussion on the relative accuracy of the two kits, however it's a difference worth keeping in mind if you plan on using the Airfix decals on the AZ kit. The decals may be a bit large if they are designed for the longer Airfix fuselage, might be worth checking if they fit fine on the shorter AZ kit Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhantomBigStu Posted March 9, 2016 Author Share Posted March 9, 2016 Thanks Giorgio, just compared it to the airfix mk1 so looks like the airfix is inaccurate (figures given the wings are two broad as well), hopefully the decals will be fine Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JosephLalor Posted March 9, 2016 Share Posted March 9, 2016 Thanks Giorgio, just compared it to the airfix mk1 so looks like the airfix is inaccurate (figures given the wings are two broad as well), hopefully the decals will be fine I actually quite like the Airfix Mk IX (I've bought five) but I've formed the impression for what it's worth that the fuselage is 2.5-3mm too long, due to the wings being a mm or so too broad in chord and a similar amount too far forward, thus giving the fuselage extra length in the area of the forward fuselage fuel tank. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Procopius Posted March 9, 2016 Share Posted March 9, 2016 I actually quite like the Airfix Mk IX (I've bought five) but I've formed the impression for what it's worth that the fuselage is 2.5-3mm too long, due to the wings being a mm or so too broad in chord and a similar amount too far forward, thus giving the fuselage extra length in the area of the forward fuselage fuel tank. My understanding is that this is not the case, and that it matches the Monforten Spitfire book dimensions quite well. The AZ IXs are slightly short by 1-2mm, unlike their VIIIs, which are spot on. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhantomBigStu Posted March 14, 2016 Author Share Posted March 14, 2016 very unproductive weekend modelling, ddin't get much down friday afternoon as I decided to do what I been putting of for weeks and go into the loft to sort out my diecast boxes. Then woke up saturday to find my left hip region had gone into some sort of spasm and hurt like hell, which made doing much modelling a no no. Still was able to do a little, and painted this up in a few coats of desert colours. Next step isto fill and sand the gaps, and scratchbuild the bar between the bulkhead and the fuselage, got to think about how as will need to repeat it on the other two 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Giorgio N Posted March 15, 2016 Share Posted March 15, 2016 Thanks Giorgio, just compared it to the airfix mk1 so looks like the airfix is inaccurate (figures given the wings are two broad as well), hopefully the decals will be fine I actually quite like the Airfix Mk IX (I've bought five) but I've formed the impression for what it's worth that the fuselage is 2.5-3mm too long, due to the wings being a mm or so too broad in chord and a similar amount too far forward, thus giving the fuselage extra length in the area of the forward fuselage fuel tank. As Procopius said, the Airfix kit seems to be the most correct around when compared to measurements of the real thing. Mind, it's probably a bit on the long side, but the AZ one is sure too short. I compared the rear fuselage of the AZ kit with the Sword Seafire I'm building and the Sword part is longer, as is the Airfix one. I agree that the Airfix kit is likely to be too long in the tank area, this shows when compared to pictures. It is curious how such a well known aircraft like the Spitfire IX has yet to be treated properly by the plastic kit manufacuterers, although the Sword kit seems to be pretty close to ideal, apart from its short run nature. Eduard fortunately has announced a scaled down version of their 1/48 kit, this will likely be the definitive 1/72 Spit IX 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhantomBigStu Posted March 15, 2016 Author Share Posted March 15, 2016 frustating afternoon trying to paint the camo, I know its just the A type camo with mid stone instead of dark green, but its so confusing having done a base coat of mid stone as the light colour first, my brain wants to paint the dark earth as I would dark green..... also found out the intake in the kit is a wider and shorter than the one airfix show for skalskis IXc.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Giorgio N Posted March 15, 2016 Share Posted March 15, 2016 frustating afternoon trying to paint the camo, I know its just the A type camo with mid stone instead of dark green, but its so confusing having done a base coat of mid stone as the light colour first, my brain wants to paint the dark earth as I would dark green..... . Well, that's what a number of painters actually did at MU level in the MTO on several Spitfires and other types, resulting in schemes where the two colours were transposed... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhantomBigStu Posted March 17, 2016 Author Share Posted March 17, 2016 just need to scratch the cockpit bar and see an Airfix pilot will fit, got plenty left though did lose a couple down the drain the other day 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CedB Posted March 19, 2016 Share Posted March 19, 2016 ... and late to this one too, but now in I'm building a couple of IXs next so I shall watch with interest Hope your hip's better? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhantomBigStu Posted March 19, 2016 Author Share Posted March 19, 2016 cheers Ced, yep my hibs find, was one of those weird things, was much so better in the morning, so much so I went to play with my football team, had cancelled, so strange. Anyway back to modelling watching your ixs with interest, build both the airfix and italeri myself before, and onto mine, almost ready for gloss coat, just got to fit the wheels in place, was unable to scratch the cockpit bar, well was able to make the thing, but impossible to get it in place, just not the room. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhantomBigStu Posted March 20, 2016 Author Share Posted March 20, 2016 Decals are on, turned out the codes were way too light, but turned out I had a 2nd copy of them in a more suitable shade, also turned out the wing roundels were oversized so spares box to the rescue again. Couldn't find out if the real thing was a delivered in desert colours or repaint, assumed it was a repaint so I could save the stencils for my the final joypack spit. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Giorgio N Posted March 21, 2016 Share Posted March 21, 2016 Judging from some discussions on the relative shapes of this and other Spitfire kits when compared to the real thing, it may very well be that it's not the roundel to be oversized but the AZ wing that is undersized... In any case, good to see that you sorted the problem. Having a good spare decals box always helps ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhantomBigStu Posted March 21, 2016 Author Share Posted March 21, 2016 perhaps but my understanding is the roundel was 40 inches on a spit, which gives decal of 1.4cm, the ones airfix were closer to 2cm, notebly bigger than the ones proved with other spit sets, including airfix own mkI where the replacements came from. In my rush, seems I failed to note I hadn't fitted the cannon bulges...quite obvious really, so fitted the wide bugles, also fitted the smaller chin intake 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Procopius Posted March 21, 2016 Share Posted March 21, 2016 In my rush, seems I failed to note I hadn't fitted the cannon bulges...quite obvious really, so fitted the wide bugles, also fitted the smaller chin intake If I had a Spitfire kit for every time I failed to do this, I'd have even more Spitfire kits than I already do. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Giorgio N Posted March 21, 2016 Share Posted March 21, 2016 Roundels on the Spitfire from June 1942 were 56" above the wings, 32" below the wings and 36" on the fuselage. There were exceptions but these sizes would have been seen on the vast majority of Spitfires. Upperwing roundels were 56" also before June 1942 (but early ones were different) while the other were different (and of a different type). From your measurement of almost 20mm, the Airfix roundel seem to be the right size 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhantomBigStu Posted March 21, 2016 Author Share Posted March 21, 2016 Oh, so I've used the wrong ones, oops, thought they looked too big, didn't know they got bigger after 42. will fix them Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Giorgio N Posted March 21, 2016 Share Posted March 21, 2016 Oh, so I've used the wrong ones, oops, thought they looked too big, didn't know they got bigger after 42. will fix them Wait before correcting, I'll try to see if there are pictures around of your aircraft ! Speaking of upper wing roundels, they roughly extend from the wing leading edge to the leading edge of the aileron. They were quite large, more so compared to other aircrafts of the day where they much smaller Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JosephLalor Posted March 29, 2016 Share Posted March 29, 2016 My understanding is that this is not the case, and that it matches the Monforten Spitfire book dimensions quite well. The AZ IXs are slightly short by 1-2mm, unlike their VIIIs, which are spot on. I don't have access to Monforten but I've checked my Airfix Mk IX fuselage against Olav Hungnes' measurements of Mk VIII MT418, and I have to say my impression's wrong and you and Graham Boak are right. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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