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1/18 Spitfire Mk. XIVe - Race #80


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`Bootifu'l,.........superb work so far Peter and I`m enjoying every minute of it,.....superb as usual and good luck with the rest of the build,

Cheers

Tony

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Awesome really starting to come together well done Peter.

Guy

Edited by F4u
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evening chaps & thank you :)

I am wondering, will the landing gear handle the weight of the model? (sry if anyone asked this previously)

well I hope so :) It is brass and pretty hardy, plus I epoxied some pretty hefty brass plates to spread the load in the wing so fingers crossed it will be ok - there is no engine so no weight there either - we will have to see :ninja:

todays little challenge is the carburettor intake under the nose - a lot like this one...

WIP630_zpsiut6smd9.jpg

first step was to take theoriginal drawings and try to scale them so they all work together to give a three dimensional template - it took a while to try and understand where some of the sections sit as they are not numbered and exactly where they might intersect another section..

..I also enhanced some of the lines on the drawing so I can navigate around the sections..

WIP631_zpsjrqv4fn3.jpg

..after transferring them to card I cut them out and scored the section lines for reference when assembling.. the middle top part is the side profile from which everything else would hang from..

WIP632_zpsjzsgribo.jpg

..chopped the bits around, assembled them and marked the edges to sand filler down to...

WIP633_zps0bdjhbvo.jpg

..covered it in P38 filler and shaped it down to the profiles..

WIP634_zps2kd2nnsc.jpg

..that took care of the carb fairing, but not where it fairs into the fuselage... for that I used sandpaper on the fuselage itself to work a nice tight fit...

WIP635_zpsefq9q4ye.jpg

..then mounted it on a masking tape barrier and filled the gaps to fair it into the fuselage... also masked the fairing as it was already shaped...

WIP636_zpshi6zgfk7.jpg

..used a ball cutter in a dremel on a low speed to get some of the convex shapes..

WIP637_zpssxuuvs03.jpg

..and the part starts to take shape.. I will cast one in resin and hollow out the inside...

WIP638_zpsurxyu6o9.jpg

WIP639_zpsjlcv93si.jpg

..it's a really complex set of curves so still more to do..

thats all for now

TTFN
Peter

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Nice trick with the sandpaper! i'm sure that will come in handy some day! As it happens i'm working on the humble frog pritfire XIV in 1/72 and the carb intake will need to be replaced, so your image might come in handy as a reference.

for what it's worth two nice shots i have of the area:

DSC02620.jpg

also note the two small holes at the side of the scoop, not sure if these where original or perhaps even added when it was first on display before it was propperly restored to perhaps fit a "fod" cover

DSC02829.jpg

you can also see the hooks for the slipper tank at the back, an often missed late spitfire detail.

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Hey Peter,

Did you notice in the photo above, that the leading edge strip on the Rotol blade is segmented and not a single piece? Interesting.

Can't wait to see how the resin comes out!

PR

You have sharp eyes mr PR! Looks it was patched up or something like it.

Peter, the fairing is so impressive. Great work! What is this P38? Is it an automotive body filler?

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Although it it surely battered (the plane ended is carreer as a training aircraft, and was belly landed,and not restored to flying condition.. although this took out the prop blades as well so they have been replaced, probably by blades no longer suitable for active use)


Yet i'm inclined to think the multi segment leading edges might have been as per original... i'm not sure how much one could repair something as delicate and balanced as a prop blade...but also most body panels on planes of this era did not have compound curves, and when they did they're usually rather subtle. it's the combilations of a lot of pannels folded on one dimention that gives an overall curved shape like the one the spitfire is so known for.


flat sheets of metal could and where folded to shape by hand , where compound curves would require special tooling and thicker metal, so these was reserved for areas where it was aerodynamically required... usually small fairings.
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