Nick Belbin Posted July 10, 2020 Share Posted July 10, 2020 Back in 1969, I was given the Revell 1/32 Spitfire for Christmas: I really liked those Revell kits; the surface detail was quite impressive and makes you wonder why they don't do it today. And I love the box art! Not so long afterwards, I discovered the Otaki MkVIII which stood out on the shelf by virtue of another wonderful painting. On opening the box, I found this stunning set of plastic pieces which seemed to me the perfect compromise between 1/72 and 1/32. Even though I've bought several 1/32 kits over the last few years, I couldn't shake off the 1/48 attraction and that's all I do now (apart from 1/24 cars). Some time ago, I thought it would be quite an interesting twist to revisit those old Revell kits but build them in 1/48 – I have several kits appropriate and have collected various decals to help me. This group build has given me the impetus to kick off the theme with the Spitfire. Yes, I know another one – sorry! I'll pay a visit to my stash tomorrow and grab the kits and bits. Nick 14 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JOCKNEY Posted July 11, 2020 Share Posted July 11, 2020 Great stuff Nick The box of your kit seem to have survived in remarkable condition considering its age. Good luck with your build cheers Pat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max Headroom Posted July 11, 2020 Share Posted July 11, 2020 Ooh I’m so in for this. I remember building this in the early 70’s, once as the MK.I and then a few years later as the Seafire Ib. Niggling at the back of my brain are a few points. Firstly look out for the rake of the undercarriage. I seem to recall it was raked too far forward (the attachment method was also iffy) and the exhausts have a gap between each one. This’ll be a nostalgia trip! Trevor Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ventora3300 Posted August 18, 2020 Share Posted August 18, 2020 This will be a good one, Nick. I built this back in the day and was then convinced that Revell were the tops for 'details' The retractable undercarriage was the thing as it popped up into the retracted position and was held in by a flexible bit of plastic within the wing - as long as you glued the two halves together correctly. Cowling panels were removable to expose the Merlin - great stuff! Of course, I have 'collected' another since and it is in the loft for a nostalgia build sometime. Looking forward to seeing yours come to life. All the best. Mike. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Belbin Posted August 19, 2020 Author Share Posted August 19, 2020 Oh dear, sorry to disappoint you, chaps! I'm not building that kit – I was just referring to it as an inspiration . . . On 10/07/2020 at 14:14, Nick Belbin said: I really liked those Revell kits; the surface detail was quite impressive and makes you wonder why they don't do it today. And I love the box art! Not so long afterwards, I discovered the Otaki MkVIII which stood out on the shelf by virtue of another wonderful painting. On opening the box, I found this stunning set of plastic pieces which seemed to me the perfect compromise between 1/72 and 1/32. Even though I've bought several 1/32 kits over the last few years, I couldn't shake off the 1/48 attraction and that's all I do now (apart from 1/24 cars). Some time ago, I thought it would be quite an interesting twist to revisit those old Revell kits but build them in 1/48 – I have several kits appropriate and have collected various decals to help me. I've been experimenting a little trying to get some overlapping panel joints on the fuselage. This first pic (on a wing!) uses a positive method adding layers of bare metal foil built up just to see what happens: Next I attempted removing plastic from individual panels. There's a quick burst of primer over this – and it'll need some tidying: I'm reasonably encouraged by this - the hard lighting does emphasise everything a tad. With some selective masking and a heavier coat of primer, it might work. Of course, with some paint and transfers, the effect might be reduced a little further. Nick 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Belbin Posted September 24, 2020 Author Share Posted September 24, 2020 I've also had a go at the cowling fasteners. Rather than sitting on the panel like the kit's, I've had a go at setting them in. I drilled out the old ones and punched out some new ones in 5 thou plasticard; unfortunately the plastic was a little prone to tearing and tended to melt with the adhesive! A bit of thinking(!) led me to try punching some out of wine bottle top foil which came out much more even. I fixed them in with Klear. With a splash of paint: I'm hoping that primer and final paint will help even more. I'm concentrating on the airframe but have started the cockpit. I don't intend to go overboard in here because the canopy will be closed. And a dry fit of everything together so far: While the paints been drying, I cut the elevators from the Tamiya tailplane. I quite like the tapes even though they might be a tad overscale. That's all for now but I do need to get a move on! Nick 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Troy Smith Posted September 24, 2020 Share Posted September 24, 2020 46 minutes ago, Nick Belbin said: I've also had a go at the cowling fasteners. Rather than sitting on the panel like the kit's, I've had a go at setting them in. I drilled out the old ones and punched out some new ones in 5 thou plasticard; unfortunately the plastic was a little prone to tearing and tended to melt with the adhesive! A bit of thinking(!) led me to try punching some out of wine bottle top foil which came out much more even. I fixed them in with Klear. neat work Nick, but have you tried a beading tool? https://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234986216-148-airfix-new-tool-hurricane-mki-p3039-from-no229-squadron-completed-on-31-10-at-1150-pm/&do=findComment&comment=2094476 " I don't like the way Airfix represented the fasteners used on removable panels as they should be flush with the fuselage. So off they came. I used this beading tool to represent the outer ring. I found this to work much better than with an injection needle." You can get these off ebay for about £5 from China, which is where I got mine. HTH T 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Belbin Posted September 24, 2020 Author Share Posted September 24, 2020 Do you know, Troy, I do actually have a set? I completely forgot about them!! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alt-92 Posted September 24, 2020 Share Posted September 24, 2020 Now also available as Trumpeter/MasterTools set for about 6x the original price 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Belbin Posted October 8, 2020 Author Share Posted October 8, 2020 I've continued quietly in the background . . . I've had a bit of a rethink and abandoned the first fuselage sides (the thought of trying to reproduce the lapped panels on future builds put me off!) but I have persevered with the same style of fasteners I tried before on the cowlings. I've also repainted the Eduard resin seat as it looks fine enough to pass as a metal version. Eduard etch and some additional bits have been added as well. I had a bit of a struggle with the two cockpit tub walls because one was a bit banana shaped. I got rather ahead of myself and finished it before taking any pictures. The fuel tank cover and windscreen piece was also distorted which made fitting a little tricky. Next was modifying the wing root fairings on the Airfix kit to fit the Tamiya wing. The leading edge panel had to be removed from the Airfix kit because it's moulded on the Tamiya wing. There was a little bit of surgery required on the fairings to get it to match. A considerable amount of plastic had to be removed from the areas around the flaps to allow the two to match up. They aren't attached in any way at the moment. Blue and white (primed) is Airfix, dark grey Tamiya. More to follow. Nick 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Laidlaw Posted October 8, 2020 Share Posted October 8, 2020 Lovely work, Nick! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Belbin Posted October 8, 2020 Author Share Posted October 8, 2020 Thank you, John. I must get on with the J Car! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Laidlaw Posted October 8, 2020 Share Posted October 8, 2020 1 hour ago, Nick Belbin said: Thank you, John. I must get on with the J Car! And I must get the Hurricane back into work! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Belbin Posted October 30, 2020 Author Share Posted October 30, 2020 Oh crumbs! As of last night with only 48 hours to go . . . And a full day at work today – it's going to be very tight!! Nick 4 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stew Dapple Posted October 30, 2020 Share Posted October 30, 2020 Nearly there Nick, you can do it Cheers, Stew Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Roberts Posted October 30, 2020 Share Posted October 30, 2020 Nick, that is looking the real bees knees! Lovely work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Belbin Posted October 31, 2020 Author Share Posted October 31, 2020 Thanks for the encouragement chaps, but after 13 hours today, I'm beaten! The model is awash with decal softener and needs a scrub down and varnishing. A couple of items still need attaching and then some light weathering. I'm kind of surprised I got this far to be honest, I don't think I've built a kit in less than six months before. Also thanks to the organising team - apologies for failing! Three pics to show how far I got: Nick 4 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
janneman36 Posted October 31, 2020 Share Posted October 31, 2020 Still looking very good though, this will be a stunner when finished....love the exhausts color👍 And you have achieved a very silkysmooth paintjob! cheers, Jan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stew Dapple Posted November 1, 2020 Share Posted November 1, 2020 Aw, that's a shame Nick, you got to within a whisker Still, lovely job on it and a great model to add to your collection I hope you'll do an RFI post when it is properly finished? Cheers, Stew Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Belbin Posted November 10, 2020 Author Share Posted November 10, 2020 Well, the failure is posted in 'Ready for inspection': Thanks again to the organisers!! Nick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now