Spitfire FR.IX PV115, Italy 1944 - Finished.

[Col.]

Mind if I play? Got a Home Bargains £2.99 Airfix Spitfire IX kit and was thinking it'd make a good quick build subject as this machine. All the references I can find have this one in overall white but I'm wondering why it couldn't be PRU Pink.

Edited November 13, 2016 by Col.

[vppelt68]

Why indeed it couldn´t, Col? I think this GB deserves its Pink Spitfire Contribution too, so go for it! V-P

[Col.]

Why indeed it couldn´t, Col? I think this GB deserves its Pink Spitfire Contribution too, so go for it! V-P

Thank you V-P

Made a small start to it last night by dry-fitting parts and lamenting the woeful lack of cockpit detail but think a wheels-up in-flight model will help solve some of the main issues with this rather simplistic kit.

Edited September 6, 2016 by Col.

[vppelt68]

Spitfire and Bf 109 cockpit detailing... You only need to do them if 1) you must know it´s there and/or 2) you want/need to share pictures of them while they´re being built.

Building a pair of Ju 88:s was an experience that made me promise myself I´ll keep building these tiny fighters instead!

[wellzy]

Mind if I play? Got a Home Bargains £2.99 Airfix Spitfire IX kit and was thinking it'd make a good quick build subject as this machine. All the references I can find have this one in overall white but I'm wondering why it couldn't be PRU Pink.

Looking forward to yr build

[Col.]

Spitfire and Bf 109 cockpit detailing... You only need to do them if 1) you must know it´s there and/or 2) you want/need to share pictures of them while they´re being built.

Building a pair of Ju 88:s was an experience that made me promise myself I´ll keep building these tiny fighters instead!

I'm trying hard not to do my usual trick of adding too much never-to-be-seen-again detail that slows down projects and strips away enthusiasm but that 'cockpit' is a bare and barren place!

[Col.]

On the subject of cockpits, particularly the lack of, we get this out of the Airfix box;

Yes, I did say cockpit, perhaps that should be 'cockpit' in the loosest of descriptions. Now I'm not sure what Airfix used as inspiration for the three bits you see glued together here but the chair looks a lot like one my grandma used to have and she didn't live in a Spitfire. As a result of Supermarine sub-contracting seat production out to DFS and this particular Spitfire having a particularly well padded one a normal pilot isn't getting into the cockpit so instead our kit has to be flown by a 7-year old. Seriously, who did they measure up as inspiration for this!?!

I hollowed out the seat a bit;

...then drafted in a spare Hurricane pilot from the Airfix fabric-wing kit who was otherwise unemployed

Next trick will be to make him look a bit more as if he's part of the action rather than a passenger up the back of the number 7 bus.

[Col.]

As part of type conversion training for our former Hurricane fly-boy a new set of arms were grafted on in place of the 'paralyzed-to-his-lap-in-fear' limbs that he came with;

Still a wee bit of work required there but hopefully more convincing than as moulded.

The wing was also assembled using the wheels-up parts. Plenty of thinning to the rear edge of the lower parts ensured a smoother join and did away with the potential step. There is, however, still gaps that will need filling;

Edited August 30, 2016 by Col.

[Col.]

Last night I threw together some basic cockpit detail;

Not super-accurate to 5 microns but hopefully enough to look busy through the closed canopy. Instrument panel and control column next.

[vppelt68]

Last night I threw together some basic cockpit detail

I´m calling that the understatement of the week

[Giorgio N]

A Spitfire in overall white may well actually be in PRU Pink, considering that this colour is almost white anyway...

There isn't much information on the use of this colour in the MTO, however it would make for an interesting model and may well be accurate

[Col.]

I´m calling that the understatement of the week

Thank you V-P. It was quite relaxing work with only some basic plastic strip and sheet plus a couple bits of rod for the bottles.

A Spitfire in overall white may well actually be in PRU Pink, considering that this colour is almost white anyway...

There isn't much information on the use of this colour in the MTO, however it would make for an interesting model and may well be accurate

Thank you Giorgio. This was much the same reasoning I adopted myself and it allows me to make a pink Spitfire for my daughter

[rob85]

Last night I threw together some basic cockpit detail;

Not super-accurate to 5 microns but hopefully enough to look busy through the closed canopy. Instrument panel and control column next.

Thrown together!! THROWN TOGETHER!! ...... Can you throw a few more together and put them in little bags so they can be posted to me? Then I can pretend that I threw them together??

That's some very good skill and fairly accurate detail especially in 1/72 col. Great work

Rob

[Col.]

Thrown together!! THROWN TOGETHER!! ...... Can you throw a few more together and put them in little bags so they can be posted to me? Then I can pretend that I threw them together??

That's some very good skill and fairly accurate detail especially in 1/72 col. Great work

Rob

Thank you Rob and I'd consider your kind offer if it wasn't for the fact I get precious little free time to detail my own kit cockpits

[Hockeyboy76]

Some cracking work here Col.

All Airfix pilots fly by thought control. It takes a great deal of skill to sit there relaxed with your hands on your legs, winging through the air.

[06/24]

That cockpit wall stuff is bloody brilliant!!!!!

[06/24]

Some cracking work here Col.

All Airfix pilots fly by thought control. It takes a great deal of skill to sit there relaxed with your hands on your legs, winging through the air.

As I read this I thought of a photo I saw the other day, of a Hawk in the Mach loop, and how I had admired the back seater's ability to belt along with his hands on his knees. Think I would feel an overwhelming urge to try to steer!

[Col.]

Got a basic instrument panel made a couple nights ago;

then splashed some paint around;

Still plenty to do for the pilot and a control column to make but all good fun and trying to avoid going overboard with the never-to-be-sen-again detail.

[Col.]

Ever get one of those days when everything flows and you make great progress without effort or realisation? Not often enough for me but that was last night.

After cutting down the gunsight mount and fixing it to the instrument panel I did a lot of test fitting of the various cockpit/fuselage parts. Suddenly glue was added to the mix and...

The gunsight was painted black then dry-brushed a dark grey. A brace was added from square rod between the pilot's head armour and the fuselage. Then, since everything was fitting well some glue got brushed on,

Prior to fixing the tailplanes I removed the erroneous rudder actuating rod from the starboard side and refined the moulded one on the left by replacing the control rod as moulded with a short section of stretched sprue.

Filler time next!

[Giorgio N]

Ever get one of those days when everything flows and you make great progress without effort or realisation?

No !

Looks like you had one though, great progress on this model !

[wellzy]

She`s looking good like the cockpit

Les

[Cookenbacher]

Excellent job on sprucing up the Airfix IX!

[Hockeyboy76]

That's a lovely looking Spitfire Col. Great work dude.

[dadgaddad]

Are you building it OOB as well?

http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/235008500-airfix-spitfire-mkixc-172-totally-oob-honest/

[Col.]

Thanks lads

Are you building it OOB as well?

http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/235008500-airfix-spitfire-mkixc-172-totally-oob-honest/

You and me both