Juan R-S Posted September 3, 2019 Share Posted September 3, 2019 Can you convert a Spitfire Mk 22/24 to the Spitfire Mk 47 without drastic surgery? Not having plans but a thought so I won't start a firestorm of controversy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Troy Smith Posted September 3, 2019 Share Posted September 3, 2019 1 minute ago, Juan R-S said: Can you convert a Spitfire Mk 22/24 to the Spitfire Mk 47 without drastic surgery? Not having plans but a thought so I won't start a firestorm of controversy. FWIW, the Seafire 47 compared to a Spit24, has contra props, new undercowling, folding wings, and rudder with stinger hook, those are the main visual differences so, yes, it's possible. Any reason why, I'm feeling lazy, but I assume there is a Seafire 47 in 72nd, Airfix do one in 48th, there is not decent Spitfire 24 in 32nd, so... why do you ask? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
triumphfan Posted September 3, 2019 Share Posted September 3, 2019 If you are thinking of 1/48 or 1/72 I think there are already decent kits available so no surgery necessary. Atb, Steve. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Giorgio N Posted September 3, 2019 Share Posted September 3, 2019 IMHO the surgery required to convert a Mk.24 into a Seafire 47 is deceptively easy... new chin, new prop, a few differences here and there... However when all details are considered, it's a more involved job than it looks at first sight, so it's something I'd personally avoid unless trying to build in a scale where no FR.47 is available from the box 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Juan R-S Posted September 3, 2019 Author Share Posted September 3, 2019 I forgot to mention that my plan was to use the Airfix 1/72 Spitfire 22 scale kit. Sorry for the confusion. There is a a Rareplanes Spitfire Mk 47. I am not sure if there is another Spitfire Mk 47 in 1/72. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham Boak Posted September 3, 2019 Share Posted September 3, 2019 Ventura did a Seafire 47. It may still be available from Jay Models. Much more recently AZ did one, under the Admiral label. Tracking one of those down should be easier. Changes not mentioned are the curved windscreen and larger flaps. Others may add more. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
72modeler Posted September 3, 2019 Share Posted September 3, 2019 1 hour ago, Juan R-S said: I forgot to mention that my plan was to use the Airfix 1/72 Spitfire 22 scale kit. Sorry for the confusion. There is a a Rareplanes Spitfire Mk 47. I am not sure if there is another Spitfire Mk 47 in 1/72. Special Hobby has done a very nice FR47 in 1/72 scale. Mike 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bedders Posted September 3, 2019 Share Posted September 3, 2019 If it's any help, here's one I did a couple of years ago using the Airfix 22 kit. The WIP link is embedded in the RFI text, as is the reference to a wonderful 1/32 conversion (from a Spitfire XVI!) by Jumpei Temma in Japan. The most complicated bits were the nose and the new wheel-well bulges. It was a fair bit of work, but fun and I'm still happy with it. Justin 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Giorgio N Posted September 4, 2019 Share Posted September 4, 2019 (edited) 8 hours ago, Bedders said: If it's any help, here's one I did a couple of years ago using the Airfix 22 kit. The WIP link is embedded in the RFI text, as is the reference to a wonderful 1/32 conversion (from a Spitfire XVI!) by Jumpei Temma in Japan. The most complicated bits were the nose and the new wheel-well bulges. It was a fair bit of work, but fun and I'm still happy with it. Justin A very good model that shows well what I meant with deceptively simple: the Mk.24 and the FR-47 share the basic structure but the list of small and not so small differences is by no means short, as shown in your thread. Starting with a Mk.22/24 kit alone would involve a lot of scratchbuilding, a cross-kitting exercise like this is a much better option. Personally I considered following a similar path using the Ventura kit after I first saw your WIP on the forum. Then I chickened out as I realised that it would have been more work than I was ready to do. Not that building the Ventura kit is an easy walk, but it's something I know I can do with my more limited modelling skills. Speaking of which, I've never compared the shapes of the Ventura kit with the Airfix Mk.22, I'm curious to see how the old short run kit compares to the more recent offering Edited September 4, 2019 by Giorgio N 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Denford Posted September 4, 2019 Share Posted September 4, 2019 12 hours ago, 72modeler said: Special Hobby has done a very nice FR47 in 1/72 scale. Mike Not quite. Like all their kits from Mk 22 on, the rear of the outer wing tapers in too sharply giving too narrow a tip. I had hoped that here they might have corrected it as the outer wing is a separate part, presumably to allow folding. Alas no, though not too difficult to correct. When I last compared, (most of) the problem lies in the aileron becoming too short in chord as it reaches the tip. I have sometimes wondered if an aftermarket player, perhaps Quickboost, might issue replacement aileron and tip. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
72modeler Posted September 4, 2019 Share Posted September 4, 2019 3 hours ago, Denford said: Not quite. Like all their kits from Mk 22 on, the rear of the outer wing tapers in too sharply giving too narrow a tip. I had hoped that here they might have corrected it as the outer wing is a separate part, presumably to allow folding. Alas no, though not too difficult to correct. When I last compared, (most of) the problem lies in the aileron becoming too short in chord as it reaches the tip. I have sometimes wondered if an aftermarket player, perhaps Quickboost, might issue replacement aileron and tip. I had forgotten about that, but when you look at the competition in 1/72 scale as well as how easy it is to correct the SH kit, it's a no-brainer! I can always take the ailerons and tips off of my Rareplanes FR47 vacform if I get desperate or lazy enough! Good luck getting something from Quickboost that's accurate...casting resin copies of inaccurate injected parts seems to be a fairly frequent problem with their releases. I don't think I will live long enough to see Eduard get around to the Griffon-engined Spits/Seafires in 1/72 scale, but they would be worth waiting for, methinks! Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveWilko Posted September 4, 2019 Share Posted September 4, 2019 (edited) If one remembers correctly,the old Rareplanes vac form Seafire 47 scales out at something like 1/75th/1/77th scale. It does appear rather diminutive compared to "real 1/72nd"Spitfires/Seafires. Since beginning to return to the modelling scene(after many,many years away) and reading through many articles (plus being a lover of Mr Mitchell's creation in all it's forms)on these pages,it does appear that the Airfix 1/72nd Spitfire 22 is indeed the absolute benchmark for a Griffon Spit with the later wing. The gentleman above's(Bedders)conversion based,if one understand's correctly,on the Airfix 1/72nd 22 has captured the look of the FR.47 very well indeed. And here is the original leading question containing some very interesting information: And here the work involved to produce that lovely model of the FR.47 from the Airfix 22: Dave. Edited September 4, 2019 by DaveWilko 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meatbox8 Posted September 5, 2019 Share Posted September 5, 2019 On 9/3/2019 at 11:17 PM, Graham Boak said: Ventura did a Seafire 47. It may still be available from Jay Models. Much more recently AZ did one, under the Admiral label. Tracking one of those down should be easier. Changes not mentioned are the curved windscreen and larger flaps. Others may add more. I don't think AZ did a Seafire 47. They did do a 46. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham Boak Posted September 5, 2019 Share Posted September 5, 2019 I wasn't sure whether it was AZ or Special Hobby and crossed out the wrong one. I don't have the 46 but do have a 45, under the name of Admiral but still AZ. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Denford Posted September 5, 2019 Share Posted September 5, 2019 1 hour ago, Meatbox8 said: I don't think AZ did a Seafire 47. They did do a 46. You're quite right: it was Special Hobby Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Swindell Posted September 5, 2019 Share Posted September 5, 2019 Seafire 47 1:72 kits Injection - Ventura (Jays), Pegasus, Special Hobby Vacform - Rareplanes Resin - CMR, Kitbits, Otherwise it's conversions as above. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bonhoff Posted September 5, 2019 Share Posted September 5, 2019 On 9/4/2019 at 8:33 PM, DaveWilko said: If one remembers correctly,the old Rareplanes vac form Seafire 47 scales out at something like 1/75th/1/77th scale. It does appear rather diminutive compared to "real 1/72nd"Spitfires/Seafires. I can confirm that the Rareplanes Seafire 47 is under scale. ... KR's IanJ 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveWilko Posted November 6, 2019 Share Posted November 6, 2019 One has done a little research of late. All the Eastern European late Spitfire/Seafire kits(21/22/24/45/46/47)with the Joe Smith wing are all based on the same moulds and therefore have the inaccurate wing. Reading through Bedders construction notes,it also seems the fuselage is a little short at the nose,the length being reclaimed by an over long spinner assembly. Whether that is indeed true for the models with a five blade propeller or just an idiosyncrasy of the contra propped models one does not know. But one thing is certain,to produce any of the later marks,the Airfix 1/72 F.22 kit is a jewel of a starting point. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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