Cookenbacher Posted April 2, 2016 Share Posted April 2, 2016 I had a setback with some Corsairs, and needed something in order to get 'back in the saddle', so I almost mindlessly started this whif: a 1/72 AZ Joypack Spitfire IX joined with the misshapen Special Hobby Mk 21 wing. The wings are not exactly a good fit, note the plasticard stuffed into the seams. The wingtips were clipped to just outboard of the ailerons. The Spitfire 26 began concurrently with the Mk 21, retaining the plentiful Packard Merlin of the Mk XVI, which it was designed to replace - the Mk 26 being to the Mk 21 what the Mk XVI was to the Mk XIV - a low altitude fighter-bomber. The heavier wing somewhat hampered performance compared to the XVI, but allowed for greater range and larger ordnance loads for the fighter-bomber role. Planned to be built in the thousands, only a little over one hundred were completed with 350 'bubble top' Mk 27's following behind (planners reserved Mk's 26-29 for Merlin powered late Spitfires). The Mk 27 is most famous for its use by the RAAF in the Korean War, alongside USAF P-51's, where its four-cannon armament and under-wing racket rails proved vital in the close support role. I'm planning on finishing this Mk 26 as a post-War racer in a silver scheme. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham Boak Posted April 2, 2016 Share Posted April 2, 2016 My Mk.28 fits in well in with your series, but it has the big tailplane that you really need to use the aft tanks. Did you get those tailplanes spare with your spare SH wing? I'm assuming a Merlin 100 rather than the weaker PM 266, not that it makes any external difference. I'm also using a cutaway rear fuselage, for the aesthetics, but to get the best range then the earlier "high-back" is better, as that carries two aft tanks. Another possible consideration is slipper wing tanks as on the Mk.47. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rob85 Posted April 2, 2016 Share Posted April 2, 2016 Nice one cookie! Hope it has the desired effect after the loss of the corsairs! Rob 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
giemme Posted April 4, 2016 Share Posted April 4, 2016 (edited) Good thing I can spot your left hand in one of your pics, I was starting to think this was some sort of robotized Spitfire production line .... :D Hope this works as intended Ciao Edited April 4, 2016 by giemme 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The wooksta V2.0 Posted April 4, 2016 Share Posted April 4, 2016 You do realize that I'll be nicking that idea? Although I do have a Heller 16 fuselage mated to a resin 18 tail unit with a 21 wing and contraprop somewhere, I may have slightly beaten you to the punch with the low back 27... 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham Boak Posted April 4, 2016 Share Posted April 4, 2016 There may be differences between Supermarine and Castle Bromwich production. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The wooksta V2.0 Posted April 4, 2016 Share Posted April 4, 2016 Supermarines had the short barrel Hispanos. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The wooksta V2.0 Posted April 4, 2016 Share Posted April 4, 2016 (edited) My Mk.28 fits in well in with your series, but it has the big tailplane that you really need to use the aft tanks. Did you get those tailplanes spare with your spare SH wing? I'm assuming a Merlin 100 rather than the weaker PM 266, not that it makes any external difference. I'm also using a cutaway rear fuselage, for the aesthetics, but to get the best range then the earlier "high-back" is better, as that carries two aft tanks. Another possible consideration is slipper wing tanks as on the Mk.47. I've a feeling that Cookie has just used a full kit as spares - the SH late mark Spits are ideal for this and IIRC, there are short and long tailplanes in the kits as standard. Actually, with the abundance of spares in the various AZ/Admiral/KPM/SH/Sword Spitfires and Seafires, there's enough to build several oddities from the left overs. The forthcoming Eduard kits are only going to add to those spares boxes. Cookie, how about a "clipped" 22? Actually, you're giving me ideas - contraprop clipped 21 with tanks and rockets in 2TAF markings for starters. Edited April 4, 2016 by The wooksta V2.0 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max Headroom Posted April 4, 2016 Share Posted April 4, 2016 What colour is the crowbar? I like your thinking......... Trevor 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Procopius Posted April 4, 2016 Share Posted April 4, 2016 Cookenbacher is my kind of scum. Fearless and inventive. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cookenbacher Posted April 4, 2016 Author Share Posted April 4, 2016 Thanks for the encouragement Rob! Giemme - I do have seven Spitfires on the go right now, and am very worried about when it's time to attach landing gears and props - we'll see if I can keep it all straight! Wooksta - I admit I did a browse through your posts in order to see if you had done one of these, and to figure out what to call it! I found an AZ low-back Mk XVI for less than a tenner yesterday and it's on its way to become an RAAF Mk 27 - I've got a spare Mk XVIII rudder that will do nicely. Did you add a fillet to the leading edge of the vertical tail? Please build that 2nd TAF Mk 21! Graham - Thanks for the info regarding the tanks and stabilizers. Wooksta is right about me cannibalizing the entire SH kit, the fuselage spine and tail section (including the 'short' horizontal stabilizers) went to converting an Airfix Mk 22 into a Mk 21, and I had the wings sitting around begging to be used on something. I wouldn't recommend the SH kit to build OOB, the fuselage is off (a bit 'dumpy' looking), and the wing doesn't look entirely right either (especially compared to the beautiful Airfix Mk 22), hence my clipping the wing to disguise it a little. At first I was disappointed in my purchase, but then realized that the SH kit is a bargain for all the parts you get, and ordered another! The Griffon noses will go to good causes as well I hope. Max - I usually buff down a layer of metalizer then add the cockpit grey green (this is the first time I mixed Sky and Cockpit green for the color), and then scrape back the paint from the crow bar with a cocktail stick leaving it natural metal. But since this is a whif, maybe I should paint it red! High praise form PC the Hutt, thanks man. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The wooksta V2.0 Posted April 4, 2016 Share Posted April 4, 2016 (edited) I've looked to see if I have a photo of my lowback hybrid but it appears that it's one of the few that didn't get photographed for some reason, likely running repairs. I used a complete Freightdog 18 tail unit plus resin 22 tailplanes and wing, so the fin is wider than the usual Merlin fin. Here's a clipped low level contraprop PR19 as compensation: More here: https://www.facebook.com/norman.church.5851/photos 7 on the go? Don't be such a girl! For Telford 2012 I had roughly 70 (but probably more...) on the go for weeks beforehand. And that's not exaggeration, I can provide eyewitness testimony. Edited April 4, 2016 by The wooksta V2.0 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Procopius Posted April 5, 2016 Share Posted April 5, 2016 High praise form PC the Hutt, thanks man. I see my recent weight gain hasn't gone unnoticed. I'll lose it all once the baby gets older, honest. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The wooksta V2.0 Posted April 5, 2016 Share Posted April 5, 2016 Here's two of my takes on a Spitfire 26. It's basically an RAF version of the Seafire 47 and any further ones I'll do will be intended for rough strips given that the u/c was beefed up for carrier use. The first is based - loosely - on the Kitbits Seafire FR47, possibly the worst Spitfire kit I have ever seen and was salvaged by replacing almost everything in the kit bar the fuselage. It fought me every step of the way. The second, in the rather fetching post war desert scheme, is the CMR 1996 tooling of the Seafire FR47. They got it wrong, with Spitfire 22 wheel bulges and the wrong canopy, so it was ideal for whiffing. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Thompson Posted April 6, 2016 Share Posted April 6, 2016 the Kitbits Seafire FR47, possibly the worst Spitfire kit I have ever seen Have you ever tried the Merlin Seafire 15? John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The wooksta V2.0 Posted April 6, 2016 Share Posted April 6, 2016 I do have the bits of the Merlin Spitfire 12 somewhere which I never even considered building as it was so bad. I never saw the Seafire 15 and never knew he did one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Thompson Posted April 6, 2016 Share Posted April 6, 2016 I do have the bits of the Merlin Spitfire 12 somewhere which I never even considered building as it was so bad. I never saw the Seafire 15 and never knew he did one. Sorry, my mistake - it was (supposed to be) a XII; I foolishly attempted to convert it to a Seafire 15. I still have the remains somewhere... John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The wooksta V2.0 Posted April 7, 2016 Share Posted April 7, 2016 You have my sympathies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cookenbacher Posted April 11, 2016 Author Share Posted April 11, 2016 Very cool whifs Wooksta, you can see why...wait a minute, 70 on the go at once!? PC, I'm sure you're not Hutt like in the least, except for your penchant for eliminating your enemies via sarlac. John, at least you probably have some decent Spitfire whiffing bits left over from the 15. There was a method to the plasticard stacking madness above. The rudder is from the AZ Mk XIV/XVIII kit, I think. Whatever its provenance, it fits now. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Learstang Posted April 11, 2016 Share Posted April 11, 2016 More Spitfire madness. Excellent (he says in his best Mr. Burns imitation)! PC, if you are a Hutt, you don't happen to have a slave girl Princess Leia you're not using at the moment, do you? Regards, Jason Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Procopius Posted April 11, 2016 Share Posted April 11, 2016 PC, I'm sure you're not Hutt like in the least, except for your penchant for eliminating your enemies via sarlac. He knows! (Furiously mashes button next to chair.) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
giemme Posted April 11, 2016 Share Posted April 11, 2016 Tail surgery! Great madness stuff : May the Force be with you Ciao 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The wooksta V2.0 Posted April 11, 2016 Share Posted April 11, 2016 (edited) Very cool whifs Wooksta, you can see why...wait a minute, 70 on the go at once!? No, it's true I can assure you of that! It had to be carefully managed and I had a checklist to assist in doing it. Nearly drove myself insane but did mange to get 50 or so finished in time. Just wish I had a few photos of the display. Anyhow, here's a few pics showing a reverse conversion: An AZ 22 fuselage mated to a Fujimi wing for a late mk XVIIIe. Can't remember what the unit is, one of the second line post war ones. The four gun armament is something Edgar mentioned as planned for the E wing but never implemented. The big tail would have certainly cured the stability problems. I have a hankering now to have another go at one, probably in camo. Edited April 11, 2016 by The wooksta V2.0 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cookenbacher Posted April 22, 2016 Author Share Posted April 22, 2016 Another beauty Wooksta! It carries four 0.50's? It just looks fast. I got the primer on, and chromed up the cowling using Uschi pigments. I sort of pre-shaded it as an experiment using the AK Xtreme metals black base. The stuff sprays very nice with no thinning. On with the Xtreme metal aluminum. The pre-shading may have caused too much variation, and I may post shade using Vallejo's water based Metal Colors, like on the Mk 21 that I panted at the same time, just to even it out a little. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CedB Posted April 22, 2016 Share Posted April 22, 2016 Late to this one Cookie (I wasn't watching this forum) but caught up now and following... If I didn't have a shelf full number of metal paints already I'd be tempted to try the Xtreme metal... well, perhaps one more won't hurt? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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