Popular Post Navy Bird Posted July 12, 2019 Popular Post Share Posted July 12, 2019 Hi mates, During the height (depth?) of my chemotherapy back in 2015, a very fine gentleman from Australia sent me the fantastic 1:32 scale kit from Tamiya of the Supermarine Spitfire Mk.IXc. The generosity of this man was unbelievable and at the same time a beautiful gesture to someone going through a difficult time. I will forever be grateful to him. It took me a long time to start and finish the model, but at last she is finished. Although the Tamiya kit is amazing right out of the box, old Navy Bird never misses an opportunity to spend some of his children's inheritance on aftermarket goodies. These are detailed in my summary below. Project: Supermarine Spitfire Mk.IXc BS152 AE-W, 402 Squadron RCAF, flown by Lorne Cameron, DFC early 1943 Kit: Tamiya Kit No. 60319 Scale: 1:32, a major departure from the norm in Navy Birdland Decals: EagleCals 32-116; stencils and other miscellaneous decals from kit Resin: Barracuda - Spitfire Seat 32001, Cockpit Upgrade Set 32003, Rocker Covers 32004, Five Slot Main Wheels 32005, Starboard Cockpit Sidewall 32008, Cockpit Upgrade Part II 32011; Quickboost Fishtail Exhaust QB32-143 Photoetch: Frets included with kit; Eduard - Mk.IX Exterior 32249, Mk.IX Interior 32670, Seat Harnesses from LooK set 634005; Yahu Instrument Panel 3220 Turned Brass: Master Model Hispano Cannons AM32016 Masks: Eduard JX103; Montex 32105 Paint: Colourcoats - ACRN07 Ocean Grey, ACRN11 Dark Green, ACRN04 Medium Sea Grey, C03 White; Gunze H3 Red, H4 Yellow, H74 Sky, H77 Tire Black, H90 Clear Red, H94 Clear Green, H95 Smoke Gray, Interior Grey Green (mix), Gold MC217, Brass MC219; Tamiya XF-69 NATO Black; Alclad ALC314 Klear Kote Flat Weathering: Some colour modulation and a light panel line wash, a bit of pastels on the main tyres Improvements/Corrections Detailed the cockpit with Barracuda resin bits and Eduard photoetch, added hydraulic and pneumatic lines Drilled out lightening holes in bulkheads and seat frame Added canopy lock mechanism Detailed the engine with ignition harnesses, oil lines, coolant lines, hydraulic lines, etc. Added chafing strips to cowling framework with Eduard PE Added spout/breather to the oil tank below the engine Added scratchbuilt wing gun heater duct-work to rear of radiators Added "cheese cutter" IFF antennae from 0.008" Nitinol wire Probably something else that I forgot - hey, I'm old! Elapsed Time: Only two years and four months! Yikes. The build thread can be found here. I know, you want the pictures. OK, here they be. An in-process photo of the wing gun heaters: To get a better view of the cockpit, we need to see it before the fuselage was closed up: Really a great kit, and a pleasure to build. highly recommended. Cheers, Bill PS. And a really big Thank You to the gentleman from Australia! 91 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin Ford Posted July 12, 2019 Share Posted July 12, 2019 That is a beauty. I particularly love the engine. Fantastic detailing. What a lovely gesture to have sent this kit to you. Congratulations on winning your battles. Best wishes to you my friend, heres to many, many more builds, Martin 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max Headroom Posted July 12, 2019 Share Posted July 12, 2019 Oh my word. A Thing of Beauty. That is top notch. I love the photos too, especially the foreshortened front and rear views. Trevor 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luiz Posted July 12, 2019 Share Posted July 12, 2019 Fantastic job in all aspects😲😲😲 Great attention to details 😉 Congratulations 👏👏👏 Luiz 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rob85 Posted July 12, 2019 Share Posted July 12, 2019 It’s gorgeous, stunning work Bill. Rob 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mick Posted July 12, 2019 Share Posted July 12, 2019 excellent work 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
giemme Posted July 12, 2019 Share Posted July 12, 2019 See, building a kit in 1/32 is just like building it in 1/72, but with more details... All jokes aside, you gave us an excellent model I don't remember if you've mentioned what's next.... Ciao 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clive_t Posted July 12, 2019 Share Posted July 12, 2019 An absolute work of art, Bill. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Biggles87 Posted July 12, 2019 Share Posted July 12, 2019 Superbe ( the french spelling ).Two years four months for a 1/32 kit is pretty quick in my book.I have a couple which were started three years ago and are still not finished! John 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Navy Bird Posted July 12, 2019 Author Share Posted July 12, 2019 3 hours ago, Martin Ford said: That is a beauty. I particularly love the engine. Fantastic detailing. What a lovely gesture to have sent this kit to you. Congratulations on winning your battles. Thanks Martin! I am still amazed that this kit was gifted to me, and from Australia at that. The postage fee must have been almost as much as the kit. This proves that modellers are really a good bunch at heart, despite all our quibbling over how many rivets are on a Bf 109. 3 hours ago, Max Headroom said: Oh my word. A Thing of Beauty. That is top notch. I love the photos too, especially the foreshortened front and rear views. Thanks Trevor. Yeah, I like those poses, too. I try to get the camera at eye-level as if the model were full size. It's a different perspective than a lot of model photos, and I find them more dramatic. 2 hours ago, giemme said: See, building a kit in 1/32 is just like building it in 1/72, but with more details... All jokes aside, you gave us an excellent model I don't remember if you've mentioned what's next.... Thanks Giorgio! Yeah, more details - that's for sure. Luckily, Tamiya did most of the work for me! There is part of my that says I should build some more in that scale so this model won't be lonely. The Tamiya Corsair or Mustang come to mind. Although I do have the old 1:32 Matchbox Spitfire Mk.22 along with a ton of aftermarket to "accurize" it (Gawd, I hate that word - where did it come from?). I suspect when I build it, I'll find it a rather more different experience than this Tamiya gem. What's next? Well, there are two 1:72 Gloster Javelin kits on my workbench that are trying to mate. Maybe their offspring will merit a WIP thread. 1 hour ago, Biggles87 said: Superbe ( the french spelling ). Two years four months for a 1/32 kit is pretty quick in my book. I have a couple which were started three years ago and are still not finished! Thanks John! That got me thinking - I have 204 kits in my stash. They are mostly 1:72, so let's say I'll need, on average, 3 months to build each one. That's a total of 612 months, or 51 years. So, assuming I don't buy any more kits (HA!) I'll finish when I'm 115 years old. What do you think? A reasonable goal? Thank God they're not all 1:32! Cheers, Bill 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buzby061 Posted July 12, 2019 Share Posted July 12, 2019 Beautifully built, painted & photographed. Pete 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMCS Posted July 12, 2019 Share Posted July 12, 2019 Superb 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Newbie(kinda) Posted July 12, 2019 Share Posted July 12, 2019 Good grief, has it really been 2 years and 4 months; have I been following this build for that long (I can still remember the very first post and thinking 'I'm watching this one')?!! And now she's done. What a beauty. A very special build in EVERY way. I'm just in awe, really. B E A U T I F U L and thank you for sharing the journey... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hobo Posted July 12, 2019 Share Posted July 12, 2019 Stunning result Navy Bird. The cockpit and engine look superb. Well worth the time invested. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keefr22 Posted July 12, 2019 Share Posted July 12, 2019 Simply wonderful modelling Bill, stunning Spitfire! Keith 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeaton01 Posted July 13, 2019 Share Posted July 13, 2019 Outstanding modeling and photography! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kitchen Modeller Posted July 13, 2019 Share Posted July 13, 2019 Beautiful spit you have there sir - superb paint job and detailing - engine is gorgeous. Well done on the model and your triumph over cancer. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Laidlaw Posted July 13, 2019 Share Posted July 13, 2019 Beautiful, Bill. You did it justice, and then some. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CedB Posted July 13, 2019 Share Posted July 13, 2019 Another beautiful model Bill - gorgeous. Thanks for sharing the build and I'll look forward to the next one! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rabbit Leader Posted July 13, 2019 Share Posted July 13, 2019 If ever the word "Perfect" was to be applied to this hobby, it must certainly be now. Cheers.. Dave. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greg Law Posted July 13, 2019 Share Posted July 13, 2019 That's a very well executed model, to say the least. It is a pity it can't be closed up. I would like to see it whole as well. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CJP Posted July 13, 2019 Share Posted July 13, 2019 Fabulous Bill - you must get great satisfaction looking at her now CJP 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cookenbacher Posted July 13, 2019 Share Posted July 13, 2019 That looks amazing Bill, two icons in one build: Spitfire and Merlin. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spitfire madman Posted July 14, 2019 Share Posted July 14, 2019 Beautiful rendition you got there great work 👍 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vinnie Posted July 14, 2019 Share Posted July 14, 2019 Superb work Bill. This may just give me the impetus to get back to the workbench in the depths of my chemo. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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