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Seafire XVII Airfix 1/48


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Hi,

I'll throw my hand in with a build of the Airfix Seafire XVII.

There are a few Spit GB's running around the place currently and I have a Vb on the bench. But I'm keen to have a go with the newish Airfix Kit...More so since my Corsair GB entry is complete.

Here is the Boxing I'm doing..

airfixseafirefxvii%20_1__zpsytrb6awt.jpg

I'll add a few images once we get rolling..

Cheers

Plasto..

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Thanks guys.

Yes I agree it's a nice kit. I'm thinking of doing it wings folded and cockpit open. But that might change.

I've just finished a build of a Seafire LFIIc from the 'old' Airfix kit so I'm hoping this one treats me more kindly. I'm sure it will.

Cheers

Plasto.

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Well if you can do that with that model - your XVII is going to look fantastic! :)

Jonners

Well that certainly looks like a Seafire. Nice work with a less than wonderful kit :goodjob:

Aye it's not the best kit but you get a lot of options in the box it repays careful construction and not being overly ambitious.

Glad you like it... I'll have a look at the XVII later today and grab some images.

Cheers

Plasto

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Hi,

Here are a few images to kick things off.

My Boxing...

4E4F010E-6738-4805-AA45-B7E647BDE28B_zps

Sprues to affirm things are not started in a major way...

84816A85-9E15-47DF-9BB8-3C114839CC01_zps

While I have been working on My Vb build I took the opportunity to use up paint in the Airbrush to get the cockpit started.

BEC4990E-ECAD-405F-A6BA-59AC722F3EC3_zps

I also opened up some of the holes on the cockpit framing..

0221F877-5674-48E9-9710-8AB435C7A782_zps

Finally I wondered about a scheme and this one is on the xtradecal sheet. So it's a possibility.

AB2F482B-CE85-4B9D-8A92-3B96FC9AF777_zps

So we've broken the ice...

Cheers

Plasto...

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Good to see this one underway :) I'd certainly like to watch you model SX365 as it's a nice variation on the typical Seafire XVII scheme with the unusual roundel proportions and large fuselage numbers.

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Hi ,

Thanks for the support. I can run with SX365. The plan is to build it cockpit open and wings folded.

I might add a bit of aftermarket to it in the form of some Ultracast wheels and resin exhausts. I was also wondering if the barracuda cast griffon rocker covers were worthwhile over the kit bits??

I taped the fuselage halves together for a trial fit and did a bit of Drybrushing with some graphite on the cockpit sidewalls and chopped out the door...

AEC3638B-0489-480C-BCB2-5DB180085C6D_zps

B8BF8394-5A51-4484-BBA8-C9857532975F_zps

Small steps but useful.

Cheers

Plasto

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Hi ,

Thanks for the support. I can run with SX365. The plan is to build it cockpit open and wings folded.

I might add a bit of aftermarket to it in the form of some Ultracast wheels and resin exhausts. I was also wondering if the barracuda cast griffon rocker covers were worthwhile over the kit bits??

I used them on mine. The kit ones are a bit too round at the front compared to the resin ones. To be honest I couldn't really see much of a difference at first but once I did it was obvious they looked wrong. I also slimmed the propeller blades a little otherwise they look a bit like cricket bats.

P1010262_zpshoz8bhdm.jpg

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Hi ,

I might add a bit of aftermarket to it in the form of some Ultracast wheels and resin exhausts. I was also wondering if the barracuda cast griffon rocker covers were worthwhile over the kit bits??

lipstick on a pig. The kit needs some surgery to be the right shape, it suffers from the faults of the Spit XII kit, fuselage too deep, wing too broad in chord. I also think the main engine horizontal panel line is too low, and so the rocker covers sit too low

GJ-Seafire-002.JPG

these are fixable, but....

I used them on mine. The kit ones are a bit too round at the front compared to the resin ones. To be honest I couldn't really see much of a difference at first but once I did it was obvious they looked wrong. I also slimmed the propeller blades a little otherwise they look a bit like cricket bats.

the blades are the wrong shape, they look like the used a photo of the blade at an angle, the real ones are pretty wide.

137%2004.jpg

Annoyingly there are not replacement blades :(

I had a go at fixing the XII blades, but did not get a result I was happy with. Unless supergluing your fingers together was what was wanted (it wasn't)

On a more positive note, there is a very useful walkround on here, where the above pics comes from.

http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/74606-supermarine-seafire/

Still, as you managed to make an excellent job of the considerably worse Spitfire Vc/Seafire III kit ..so if you build this as well then it will look fine.

Oh,I presume you still have the wing from the above kit?

It was based on the old tool Spitfire Vb kit, which was mostly very well shaped,with new parts from the crude late 90's Airfix IX kit.

The Vb wing is the right shape if you want to compare it.

The comments above are from someone with most 1/48 Spitfire kits and the only ones completed was in, erm, 1980, which was the old Vb kit and the Monogram IX...

HTH

T

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So Troy are you telling me you're an armchair expert? ;-)

my fascination with soft furnishings is not something I like to discuss here .... I never recovered from the comfy chair...

I do a lot of research, and cross referencing... I can build well, don't know about paint... that will be the make or break, in the meantime I enjoy sorting out fixes.

in my defence, corrections for the Tamiya Spitfire..

see post #51 and #53 here

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/page-3

I have adjusted the wing as well, but not done the pics. The Seafire XVII is not horrible, it's a decent kit, but with some annoying, but mostly easy to fix flaws.

By lipstick on a pig I mean why add new detail if you don't fix the underlying problems...maybe it's just me, I see quite a few builds here that do this, look nice, lots of detail, but still base kit faults.

it's easy to get a bit Spit crazy, and many subtle shapes are have eluded many manufacturers...

Spitfires are not even my pet subject..... http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234980181-hawker-hurricane-propellers-and-spinners-a-modellers-guide/

At least the walkround pics should help?

cheers

T

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maybe it's just me,

Possibly...

How does this sound for a general concept. I'll build my model how I want to. With maybe the odd post here to support this GB..

You can build your models exactly how you want to.

I agree with Spitfire's folk can get a bit crazy and start posting all sorts of stuff. I really just want to get on and enjoy sticking together and daubing a bit of paint around.

Possibly there are more receptive places for your well researched and Indepth insights on Spitfire Kits..

Cheers

Plasto

Edited by Plasto
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Hi all,

Britmodeller is a broad church. We have room for a lot of differing opinions, but they generally don't get in the way of modelling enjoyment. I would hope that we can get back to that enjoyment in this thread. Please don't let a minor disagreement get out of hand.

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Hi Enzo Et al,

I agree I just want to crack on with my Seafire. Troy I understand you were trying to be very helpful and showing an interest in my build I do appreciate that. Hopefully we can box on..

I've been looking at the prop on my SH Seafire XV and its a lot broader in width then the Airfix offering. I wonder if these blades are correct??

Cheers

Plasto

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Hi Enzo Et al,

I agree I just want to crack on with my Seafire. Troy I understand you were trying to be very helpful and showing an interest in my build I do appreciate that. Hopefully we can box on..

I've been looking at the prop on my SH Seafire XV and its a lot broader in width then the Airfix offering. I wonder if these blades are correct??

Cheers

Plasto

Hi Plasto

thank you, I can witter on, but am just trying to help.

The Special Hobby Seafire XV blades are a lot closer to the original than the Airfix, and some XV used the same prop blades as the XVII, maybe all.

This thread

http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234995521-building-a-better-spitfire-xii/

discusses the Spitfire XII, and ways to make one, As the Seafire XVII was done at the same time as the Spit XII, it has the same faults, and these are discussed. It's quite a detailed thread,

Also the XII has basically same engine, a single stage Griffon.

see here, from the man who owned the Spitfires in the thread above

The engine bay dimensions for the XII and the XV/XVII are common. The engine bearer is common.

The propellers are similar but not the same. I used wooden XV/XVII blades . I suspect that some of the XII's used metal blades.

Some XIIs, probably the EN range, with fixed tail wheel, had the oil tank behind the pilot.

The later XIIs in the MB serial range, with retracting tail wheel, I suspect had the oil in the fuel bay ahead of the top tank as the XVII...but I am not 100% sure.

The Griffon 3, as fitted to the XII, had a dual unit single magneto set between the cylinder banks at the front that required a clearance bulge on the top engine cowling.

The Griffon 6, as fitted to the XV/XVII, had a lower profile magneto that did not require the bulge.

http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234978050-vol-2-all-the-spitfire-questions-here/page-28#entry2246315

Replacement blades for a XIV or XIX, are pretty similar in shape ,

eg https://www.hannants.co.uk/product/BCR48093

Barracudacals

BCR48093.jpg

compare

137%2004.jpg

They maybe a little longer, I'm away from my copy of Spitfire the History to check the specifics of various props are listed.

Regarding the resin rocker covers, I don't know if the single stage Griffon are the same or different to the two stage ones or not, and I'm too tired to try to find out now.

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