Cookenbacher Posted May 16, 2016 Share Posted May 16, 2016 I know that there is no way that I can finish three more builds on time, but I'm striking while the iron is hot, as they say. I've been dreaming about a 1/72 Mk V triple build for some time, and my plan is to do an A wing, B wing and C wing, all in 303 Sqn markings: 1. Spitfire VA, K9871, RF-P, Airfix Mk I/IIA kit - includes the parts required to build a VA (I think). This aircraft was built as a Mk I, but was modified into a Mk V and assigned to 303 Sqn in late 1941. It was flown by Boleslaw Gladych on 8 Dec 1941, where he, alongside Mieczyslaw Adamek, protected a downed Spitfire pilot over the English Channel. I built one of Gladych's P-47's in that STGB, and I thought it would be nice to build one of his Spitfires. I've not been able to find any photographs of this aircraft as a 303 Mk V, only as a Mk I, so I'm just going to apply 'typical' squadron markings. 2. Spitfire VB, BL670, RF-K, New KP kit This Spitfire was assigned to S/L Wojciech Kolaczkowski, who commanded 303 Sqn from Nov 1941 until May 1942, and had his name "Wojtek" painted on the nose, as well as the name "Krysia" formed with the individual squadron letter on the fuselage. 3. Spitfire VC, AB174, RF-Q, Sword kit This aircraft was the mount of PO Antoni Glowacki, a Battle of Britain 'ace in a day'. The individual squadron letter, 'Q' formed the word "QQWCA" on the fuselage side, apparently meaning 'cuckoo' in a transliterated Polish/English pun! The Airfix cockpit is the winner for ease of construction: Here's the KP cockpit: The Airfix on the left, and KP on the right. Time to start building the Sword kit. 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beard Posted May 17, 2016 Share Posted May 17, 2016 If you finish this in time, or not, I'll be tagging along, Cookie, and all the bits you need to build a Va are in the Airfix box. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
giemme Posted May 17, 2016 Share Posted May 17, 2016 (edited) For some reason, I can't see any of the pics you posted Cookie. ... and I can't believe you're on with another triple build ... :D Edit: now I can see the pics, and what a progress you've already made! Edited May 17, 2016 by giemme 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Giorgio N Posted May 17, 2016 Share Posted May 17, 2016 Very interesting build, love the idea of having 3 subvariant of the same type used by the same unit ! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gingerbob Posted May 17, 2016 Share Posted May 17, 2016 Same here! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PlaStix Posted May 17, 2016 Share Posted May 17, 2016 Another three!! Wow! Well, progress looks good so far and I'm on board! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cookenbacher Posted May 17, 2016 Author Share Posted May 17, 2016 Thanks for coming along everybody, and thanks for the info on the Airfix kit Simon, I can now proceed with confidence. Time for the Sword kit to catch up. Not surprisingly, the Sword cockpit was the most difficult to assemble and get situated in the fuselage - I might have it in the right place, I might not. Left to right: Airfix, KP, Sword. For those interested, the Sword and Airfix fuselages are nearly identical in dimension, while the KP is about 1 mm shorter. The KP kit may also suffer from AZ/KP 'skinny wing'. Here it is superimposed on the Airfix wing. The Sword is nearly identical to the Airfix wing. I'm inclined to believe that the Airfix and Sword dimensions are more accurate, given Greenshirt's analysis of Mk IX kits with the Montforten drawings. That being said, none of the dimensions are deal breakers in my opinion, and they each bring the satisfaction of becoming Spitfires as the assembly continues. I left off the gear bay walls from the Sword kit, as I believe it makes it much easier to attach the wing, which requires a little finess. I like to work from front to back, attaching the under fuselage 'fillet' last. The Airfix wing goes on like an afterthought, no planning necessary. The KP kit is set up so much like the Sword kit that I thought I'd just use the same method, but the 'fillet' didn't really want to fit. And when I tried clamping it down, it forced the rest of the wing out of alignment, so I ended up sawing off the rear portion of the wing and attaching it separately. Now, there is step and a gap, which will require some attention, but the wing root is nice and even. I'll be more careful with my next KP kit, and Stew Dapple has shown (twice!) that it is possible to get a nice fit without taking drastic measures. I'm thinking of trying to get these assembled and ready for paint before priming my in progress Mk XII's so that I can put the Day Fighter Scheme on all five together - assembly line style. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
giemme Posted May 17, 2016 Share Posted May 17, 2016 Assembly line: that's exactly the expression that crossed my mind You're going really fast with these, Cookie! Great job Ciao 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cookenbacher Posted May 18, 2016 Author Share Posted May 18, 2016 Thanks Giemme, it was the first day in a while that I could spend so much time at the bench. I nearly reached CedB levels of productivity. Here's where they stand now. Airfix Sword KP The gap on the underside may need some more work. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Giorgio N Posted May 18, 2016 Share Posted May 18, 2016 Ouch, having to chop the rear fillet was some drastic measure.. Interestingly I had a similar fit problem with my Sword Seafire where I had to bend the rear part quite a lot to make it fit. The too narrow wing of the KP kit is a bit disappointing. How does the wing compare in span with the Sword and Airfix kit ? The AZ Mk.ix is also too short in span, hopefully this has been sorted on the more recent Mk.Vs 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
giemme Posted May 18, 2016 Share Posted May 18, 2016 Gap? What gap? Please allow me to insist on you getting an ETS, Cookie ... :D Ciao 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rob85 Posted May 18, 2016 Share Posted May 18, 2016 Very cool trio cookie, I have been looking forward to this. Your progress is lighting fast but still your same fine quality.... I'm not jealous Rob 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cookenbacher Posted May 20, 2016 Author Share Posted May 20, 2016 Giorgio - the new KP wing seems to be equal in span to the Airfix and Sword wing, it's just a little shorter in chord. In my opinion, it's not nearly as noticeable as the AZ/KP Mk IX wing, which can look a little stubby next to other Spitfires. Giemme - I even purchased an electric toothbrush for that exact purpose, but recently started using it to brush my teeth instead when I left my regular toothbrush somewhere during a trip. Thanks Rob, in my rush, I'm afraid the quality has suffered some, but the similar decline in photo quality disguises it decently! Canopies and primer are on now. Airfix VA KP VB Sword VC All three with a bit of Alclad Semi-Matt Aluminum for chipping. Unfortunately, the Alclad bottle cap shattered when I tightened it. I managed to pour some into an empty Testor's bottle, but I don't know if it seals tightly enough to contain the volatile lacquer fumes. That may be it for Semi-matt aluminum. 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beard Posted May 20, 2016 Share Posted May 20, 2016 Looking good, Cookie, but I'm not sure about the propeller hubs... something about them just doesn't look right.😆 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PlaStix Posted May 21, 2016 Share Posted May 21, 2016 Lovely progress Cookie. They all look great with their coats of paint on. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rob85 Posted May 21, 2016 Share Posted May 21, 2016 They were used for ramming the enemy when you ran out of ammo I think Simon.... Looking good cookie, still impressive speed here! Rob 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beard Posted May 21, 2016 Share Posted May 21, 2016 They were used for ramming the enemy when you ran out of ammo I think Simon.... Rob Lances... that explains it. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stew Dapple Posted May 22, 2016 Share Posted May 22, 2016 Salut Cookie I missed the start of this, apologies mate. Very impressed with your fix on the KP lower-rear wing-to-fuselage join, that might have saved me a lot of irritating fettling if only I had been so bold Cheers, Stew 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Giorgio N Posted May 22, 2016 Share Posted May 22, 2016 Glad to hear that the new kit wings are better than the Mk.Ix from the same company, I'll have to buy a few of these ! Your progress is very good and quick, you may well finish at least one before the end of the STGB ! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cookenbacher Posted May 23, 2016 Author Share Posted May 23, 2016 I've just read that RAF Spitfires never operationally used the wooden lance spinners connected by putty like blobs. Well, that's OK because of the controversy about what color to paint them! Unfortunately, the actual spinners may be an even more fraught affair. I have good reference pics for the B and C, and so can choose the prop based on them without knowing what they're called, but in order to write this post I had to do some research in order to figure out what to call them! The C has what I think is a DeHaviland prop and spinner just like the MK I. The Sword kit includes a prop and spinner that almost identically matches the Airfix Mk I prop and spinner, so I will use that one for the VC, and the Airfix one for the VA. So far so good. The VB has the wide bladed prop with the longer spinner that I believe is the Rotol prop. Both the Sword and KP kits include one of these and so I plan to build them both, and choose the one that looks and fits best. Of course, all of that assumes that I'll remember which is which. In a fit of logic, I've marked the inside of the Sword spinners. I just hope that I remember what that logic was when the time comes for assembly. Lifecolor Medium Sea grey applied to the undersides. I didn't do as well with the seam resulting from splitting the KP wing as I thought, so it is relegated to the back of the picture, and will not be displayed upside down. 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stew Dapple Posted May 23, 2016 Share Posted May 23, 2016 I say Cookie, that MSG has some interesting variations in tone, did you pre-shade it at all? It looks really good. Good progress there mate Cheers, Stew 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
giemme Posted May 23, 2016 Share Posted May 23, 2016 (edited) You really are a Spitfire building machine, Cookie! Excellent progress on these three, too As for the ETS: mine is the kind with replaceable head, so I just keep one for actual teeth brushing, while I have two for sanding ... Ciao Edited May 25, 2016 by giemme 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cookenbacher Posted May 25, 2016 Author Share Posted May 25, 2016 I say Cookie, that MSG has some interesting variations in tone, did you pre-shade it at all? Thanks Stew, it's post shaded. They got a base coat of Lifecolor Medium Sea grey, and then I added a little light grey to the cup and sprayed that, and finally added some white to that and sprayed again. As for the ETS: mine is the kind with replaceable head, so I just keep one for actual teeth brushing, while I have two for sanding ... That's an excellent solution Giemme, and you seem to have your priorities right - two for sanding. This post includes two or three marathon days of masking and painting - frantic indeed! The VB and VC got an initial coat of Tamiya Ocean grey. I wanted to try the masking fluid paint fading technique that Wolwe often uses. I started some riveting work on the 'B', and chipped away the Ocean grey right away with a toothpick in case it bonds with the Alclad (I know that Lifecolor and Vallejo won't bond with it, so I can chip it at my leisure after those coats.) Lifecolor Ocean Grey applied, and masking fluid removed. It's a little too stark, but hopefully the contrast will be reduced by weathering and varnish. Paper masks on. Airfix VA KP VB Sword VC Phew! I may need a break from my hobby. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Giorgio N Posted May 25, 2016 Share Posted May 25, 2016 All 3 looking good ! I would agree that the weathering at the moment looks a bit stark. We all know though how the various clear coats will tone things down, I've got a few models where the tonal differences disappeared completely to constantly remind me of this... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
giemme Posted May 25, 2016 Share Posted May 25, 2016 Very interesting Cookie, I love your attitude to testing different techniques / solutions That's an excellent solution Giemme, and you seem to have your priorities right - two for sanding. Of course, I need a coarse and a fine one For my teeth, I just go with a medium stiffness head ... Ciao 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now