1/48 Spitfire Mk XVIe - 451 SQN RAAF - in progress

[Harvs73]

I found this half finished kit the other day while looking for some kits to do in the DK Decals set for Spitfires in Australia I recently reviewed on AMI. It is going to be a Spitfire Mk XVIe of 451 SQN RAAF using the Red Roo Decals 'Away Team Pt 3' set representing Spitfire Mk XVIe, NI*V, Matlaske, UK, March 1945. Scheme - Conventional Day Fighter. It's the Hasegawa kit with a Loon Conversions fuselage. The Loon fuselage is not the greatest in that the panel lines are a bit dodgy but it looks good enough for the job. It is the right length and has the right details in the right spot so it works for me as it fixes the Hawegawa 'short fuselage' problem.

http://www.aussiemodeller.com.au/pages/ ... amPt3.html

 

 

All the little gaps filled and undercoat of Mr Surfacer 1500 on.

 

 

I used Humbrol and Pollyscale paints for the upper and lower colours. with Hu90 for the 'Sky' band and spinner. It is about cured now so it will receive a coat of varnish then decalling begins.

 

 

 

 

[Harvs73]

Red Roo decals are now on with the kit stencil markings to get done in the next day or so.

 

 

 

[Harvs73]

It is getting closer to being finished (finally), just the final weathering and adding of small bits eg wheels and exhausts.

 

 

 

 

[Biggles87]

Very nice.

I agree with you on the Loon Model conversions, the long datum line with the 'kink' was particularly bad on mine. I have also used the Aeroclub corrected fuselage which is better,  but unfortunately now long out of production and very hard to find.

 

John