Supermarine SPITFIRE / SEAFIRE / SPITEFUL / SEAFANG STGB Chat

[Johnson]

I feel completely qualified to say That’s not THAT bad! 

 

I mean, its not like you’re collecting toilet rolls! 

[alt-92]

But then there's the upcoming re-release Airfix Mk.I, the Eduard Mk.I, the Airfix Mk.XIVe Racer, somewhere there's a 1:48 PR.XI with my name on it....

Ugh..

[Johnson]

A serious hole in my collection is a decent 1/72 Mk VII. Last time I looked nothing appealed to me. Is anything out there or imminent?

[alt-92]

AZ (newer tooling) or CMR probably. 
The Italeri is relatively easy to find, but.. yeah. 

If you're daring, Jays' Models/Ventura but that's rare.
 

[Corsairfoxfouruncle]

Whats the best kit to get a PR Pink Mk.IX in 1/72 scale ? Is there an pre-existing kit ? Or would it be best to use an Eduard, Italeri, or someone else's kit ? Anything i need to add besides the side and/or belly camera port’s. 

[TEMPESTMK5]

12 hours ago, Johnson said:

Enzo guessed correctly that I'm hoping to build a couple of CMR resin kits, the first and last;

 

 

 

But... before I get too excited and fired up, I started the Mk.24 kit many years ago and painted the interior green, then looked at the canopy which had turned bright yellow and discovered the appalling fit of the wings to the fuselage. Back in the box it went!

 

Anyway, I thought that I'd better check with our host @TEMPESTMK5 that my Mk.24 meets the 25% rule. I'm pretty sure its OK as I didn't get very far with it;

 

 

Is this OK Patrice?

Good morning Charlie

 Yes it is OK and I must admit that I am very interested to follow your build ...

All the best

Patrice

[Col.]

7 hours ago, Corsairfoxfouruncle said:

Whats the best kit to get a PR Pink Mk.IX in 1/72 scale ? Is there an pre-existing kit ? Or would it be best to use an Eduard, Italeri, or someone else's kit ? Anything i need to add besides the side and/or belly camera port’s. 

For my own project it was the Airfix kit but I'd certainly not recommend that one as there's about as much interior detail as a 60s era kit and a canopy so thick you can't see all the extra work done to produce any representation of a cockpit - guess how I discovered this  The Italeri kit has a poor reputation. I'd say Eduard is by far and away the most detailled.

[Mr T]

Looking forward to the start of this Group Build, Definitely settled on at least two. The CMR type 300, although mine will be in the painted finish as I have an ancient jar of Compucolour Supermarine Seaplane Grey that is still usable, although it might be used got paint matching purposes. An early PR F is the other one. I have an old conversion kit that should fit the Airfix Spitfire and as most of the panel lines were filled on the original so the heavy surface detain should not be an issue. 

[Johnson]

8 hours ago, Corsairfoxfouruncle said:

Whats the best kit to get a PR Pink Mk.IX in 1/72 scale ? Is there an pre-existing kit ? Or would it be best to use an Eduard, Italeri, or someone else's kit ? Anything i need to add besides the side and/or belly camera port’s

I see that Hannants are offering a Kovozavody Prostejov PR Pink Mk.IX as a future release with 10% off backorders. It is labelled a 're-box' however. If its as good as their Mustang P-51B it would be excellent. Not found any reviews online, anyone know about this one?

[Johnson]

27 minutes ago, Mr T said:

The CMR type 300, although mine will be in the painted finish as I have an ancient jar of Compucolour Supermarine Seaplane Grey

Great to see that you're also building this Mr T! I'll be attempting the greenish anodised aluminium finish.

 

Is your canopy as yellowed as mine? 

[Mr T]

No, my canopy looks OK, I only bought it at SMW last November new from Hannants, my experience is that canopies either yellow quite quickly or not all. Someone did tell me why, but I cannot remember it. Fine collection of Spitfires BTW. I am working my way through mine, finished a PRG and a Seafire F46 early this year with more to follow. 

[alt-92]

2 hours ago, Col. said:

For my own project it was the Airfix kit but I'd certainly not recommend that one as there's about as much interior detail as a 60s era kit and a canopy so thick you can't see all the extra work done to produce any representation of a cockpit - guess how I discovered this  The Italeri kit has a poor reputation. I'd say Eduard is by far and away the most detailled.

AZ/KP (they're reboxing as KP now) - although no locating pins and a bit fiddly - works as well.

If you have spare frames from a Sword or Eduard, more's the merrier.

 

 

Edited March 27, 2020 by alt-92

[Johnson]

2 hours ago, Mr T said:

my canopy looks OK, I only bought it at SMW last November new from Hannants, my experience is that canopies either yellow quite quickly or not all.

You should be OK. I bought mine when they first appeared, 2006 I think. I've ordered a set of Falcon Spitfire canopies, has the prototype and Mk.24, which has also gone very yellow.

[Corsairfoxfouruncle]

3 hours ago, Mr T said:

my experience is that canopies either yellow quite quickly or not all. Someone did tell me why, but I cannot remember it.

I think I read it has to do with type of clear resin used ? Over time they wrong type can and will go yellow. 

[TEMPESTMK5]

8 hours ago, Johnson said:

I see that Hannants are offering a Kovozavody Prostejov PR Pink Mk.IX as a future release with 10% off backorders. It is labelled a 're-box' however. If its as good as their Mustang P-51B it would be excellent. Not found any reviews online, anyone know about this one?

Hi Charlie

Here is the Product Timeline according to Scalemates

https://www.scalemates.com/kits/kp-kovozavody-prost-jov-kpm0176-supermarine-spitfire-frixc--1274877

All the best

Patrice

[Johnson]

My other Spitfire collection, 40+ years of buying books;

 

 

A bit of light reading before the GB kicks off. No excuses for getting it wrong!

[Cookenbacher]

9 hours ago, Johnson said:

I see that Hannants are offering a Kovozavody Prostejov PR Pink Mk.IX as a future release with 10% off backorders. It is labelled a 're-box' however. If its as good as their Mustang P-51B it would be excellent. Not found any reviews online, anyone know about this one?

The KP Mk IX kit is nearly identical to the AZ Mk IX, but with new wing tip pieces, guns and carburetor which I think will make for a more accurate build. It's a very good kit, though I've only built the AZ version.

 

I'm really looking forward to your first/last combo Charlie.

 

18 hours ago, Corsairfoxfouruncle said:

Whats the best kit to get a PR Pink Mk.IX in 1/72 scale ? Is there an pre-existing kit ? Or would it be best to use an Eduard, Italeri, or someone else's kit ? Anything i need to add besides the side and/or belly camera port’s. 

I don't think there is an FR IX kit out the box in 1/72, but would be delighted to be proven wrong, so you'll have to do the same mods no matter which kit you start from. My favorite Mk IX kits are the AZ/KP, Sword and Eduard. I think you'd want a Mk IXc 'late' version of the Eduard kit with the narrow cannon blisters on the wings. The AZ/KP kits come with everything to make a narrow or wide cannon blister C, or an E wing.

 

 

[Enzo the Magnificent]

2 hours ago, Johnson said:

 

Spitfire: The History by Morgan and Shacklady     What a superb book!    (top left corner)

 

Spitfire: Portrait Of A Legend by Leo McKinstry is also highly recommended   (bottom left corner)

[Corsairfoxfouruncle]

2 hours ago, Cookenbacher said:

I don't think there is an FR IX kit out the box in 1/72, but would be delighted to be proven wrong, so you'll have to do the same mods no matter which kit you start from. My favorite Mk IX kits are the AZ/KP, Sword and Eduard. I think you'd want a Mk IXc 'late' version of the Eduard kit with the narrow cannon blisters on the wings. The AZ/KP kits come with everything to make a narrow or wide cannon blister C, or an E wing.

Thanks Cookie... You confirmed what I suspected. I have the Eduard late IXc over-trees in my shopping basket at Sprue bros. for 11.00, and will be ordering it along with some other items on the 1st. Is it only the oblique side Camera ? Or were there belly camera's on these models ? 
 

Dennis

[Johnson]

21 minutes ago, Enzo Matrix said:

Spitfire: Portrait Of A Legend by Leo McKinstry is also highly recommended

Yes, it surprised me how good it is, I must read it again.

 

Another book that I'd recommend (that I forgot to include above) is a newish one - Spitfire by John Nichol (the Tornado navigator who was captured during the Gulf war), an excellent book that covers many aspects and theaters of war that the Spitfire flew and fought in.

[Johnson]

3 hours ago, Cookenbacher said:

I'm really looking forward to your first/last combo Charlie

Cheers Cookie. I'm certainly looking forward to starting them, they've both been sitting in the stash for far too long. But I'm under no illusions about the potential difficulty these kits. I've never tried resin before and the NMF paint job on the prototype will be fun!

[Cookenbacher]

5 hours ago, Corsairfoxfouruncle said:

Thanks Cookie... You confirmed what I suspected. I have the Eduard late IXc over-trees in my shopping basket at Sprue bros. for 11.00, and will be ordering it along with some other items on the 1st. Is it only the oblique side Camera ? Or were there belly camera's on these models ?

That's a great question Dennis. I did a little searching and it seems the FR IX only had a single camera, on the left side of the fuselage in a bay behind the cockpit. Once again, I'm quite willing to be proven wrong.

[Corsairfoxfouruncle]

7 minutes ago, Cookenbacher said:

That's a great question Dennis. I did a little searching and it seems the FR IX only had a single camera, on the left side of the fuselage in a bay behind the cockpit. Once again, I'm quite willing to be proven wrong.

Thats pretty much what I've been able to find as well, think I will go with that. These things were being used at tree top level, kind of hard to use a camera in the belly. I found that they were called “dicer” 🎲🎲 missions ? Reference to how big a gamble it was to fly a spitfire at 50-60 feet and not get killed. 

[TEMPESTMK5]

15 hours ago, Johnson said:

My other Spitfire collection, 40+ years of buying books;

 

 

A bit of light reading before the GB kicks off. No excuses for getting it wrong!

Good morning Charlie

Nice collection of books I know who to ask if I have questions

Patrice

[Johnson]

2 hours ago, TEMPESTMK5 said:

Nice collection of books I know who to ask if I have questions

Absolutely Patrice!

 

Here are another couple of books I forgot to add to the last pic, and the book Spitfire - Portrait of a Legend by Leo McKinstry that @Enzo Matrix referred to;

 

 

Many thanks Enzo for reminding me how good this book is (I started re-reading it this morning). When I said earlier 'it surprised me how good it is' I was referring to the cover, its a classic example of the saying 'you shouldn't judge a book by its cover'. It looks like they photographed a plastic model of a Mk.IX (any guesses on the make of the model?) BUT, if anyone is looking for inspiration for this GB, this may be the book for you.

 

The cover of John Nichol's book however is lovely (well, I think so). A Mk.V heading out over the white cliffs, the art much in the style of the old British railway posters by Norman Wilkinson. But not sure about the badge on the engine cowling? Like the Polish (303 Sqn?) badge but blue instead of red. Maybe there was a blue version.

 

The Mark 1 guide to the Spitfire F Mk.22/24 should be useful when/if I get that far.

 

Cheers,