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Spitfire 1a R6691 PR-J * Flt Lt F J Howell 609 Sqn * Airfix 1/24 - Weathering at last


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Hi Folks,

 

not terribly exciting, but a step towards completion - The Undercarriage:

 

Down the back of the u/c covers went the brake lines. Copper wire with foil to represent the fittings and the join to the flexible (black) hose;

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There are practically no photos of the brake lines (that I could find) so I used my imagination!

 

No mods made to the rear wheel;

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I've seen photos of Spitfires with the rear wheel in silver, makes a bit of a change.

 

The main undercarriage.

I used the Airfix rubber tyres, they were fine. I mounted them on a drill bit (about 8mm IIRC) and spun them at high speed in my Makita cordless using wet&dry to get rid of the seams.

Additions - the brake lines (not seen here but see above), the oleo oil line and a new nut. I shaved some rubber off the bottom of the Airfix tyre to make it flatter and sit properly when compressed on the ground. Oh, and the locking lugs on the upper legs.

y4mbn-F1a372ITO5EwoBBVzRegP2ojvqEJJ9I2iM

 

Just about there, only a few bits and bobs to stick on! Thanks for looking.

 

Cheers!

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  • Johnson changed the title to Spitfire 1a R6691 PR-J * Flt Lt F J Howell 609 Sqn * Airfix 1/24 - Undercarriage

Just caught up with some of your recent posts, loving the detail you've put in around the cockpit. This is looking the dogs danglies now, nothing better than seeing these old classics given some love :)

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11 hours ago, bigbadbadge said:

Looking good Charlie, nearly there now.

Thanks Chris, got to finish today, the 109 STGB beckons! :frantic:

 

10 hours ago, woody37 said:

Just caught up with some of your recent posts, loving the detail you've put in around the cockpit. This is looking the dogs danglies now, nothing better than seeing these old classics given some love :)

Cheers Neil, you're most kind. I'm very pleased with the result but not sure about the weathering. I wish I had your skill in that dept!

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15 hours ago, Johnson said:

The main undercarriage.

Charlie,

 

You're very much on the home straight now. Tenacious and a great result.

 

Ray

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3 minutes ago, Ray_W said:

You're very much on the home straight now. Tenacious and a great result.

Thanks Ray! I'm just about finished with the build and frankly I'm so nervous about adding weathering that I'm going to put if off till I've had a bit of fun in the 109 STGB. I'll post some build completion pics later.

Cheers,

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9 minutes ago, Johnson said:

frankly I'm so nervous about adding weathering that I'm going to put if off till I've had a bit of fun in the 109 STGB.

 

Sounds like a plan. The change of pace will be good. 

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This is awesome! Sorry! I've only just stumbled across the build thread.

 

I have a similar project on the go, so it's nice to see another 1/24 Spit coming along so wonderfully. Nothing I like to see more than these old "Superkits" getting some love. They do still scrub up rather nicely with a bit of elbow grease.

 

Great work so far!

Steve

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53 minutes ago, fightersweep said:

This is awesome! Sorry! I've only just stumbled across the build thread.

 

I have a similar project on the go, so it's nice to see another 1/24 Spit coming along so wonderfully. Nothing I like to see more than these old "Superkits" getting some love. They do still scrub up rather nicely with a bit of elbow grease.

Cheers Steve.

The longer I worked on her the more I liked and admired what Airfix had given us.

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6 minutes ago, Johnson said:

The longer I worked on her the more I liked and admired what Airfix had given us.

 

Totally agree with that. I found the kit a great basis for a super build. Very impressed by the surface detail too for it's age. I did start my build a long, long time ago and there are a few things I would do differently and details I missed. Some of the info I found tricky to nail down too despite having dozens of books on the Spit. Flare rack on the seat was one example. Any plans on tackling the 109E next?

 

Steve

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2 hours ago, fightersweep said:

Flare rack on the seat was one example

Flare rack - I wasn't sure whether it should be there or not. In the end, having looked the IWM film a few times, I decided against.

2 hours ago, fightersweep said:

Any plans on tackling the 109E next?

I probably ought to get one while they're around, someone said recently how good they are (but can't find the post now :huh:) and it would be great to have one on the shelf next to the Spitfire. But whether I'll get the time? I really want to make 602 Sqn's LO-B 'BOGUS' in 1/24 as a quick build, not the 10 months this one's been on the bench. So much to do!

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1 hour ago, Johnson said:

Flare rack - I wasn't sure whether it should be there or not. In the end, having looked the IWM film a few times, I decided against.

 

Must admit, I was often confused by the whole flare rack saga. There seemed to be a leaning towards it being a later addition and I'm sure Edgar backed this up in his usual, knowledgeable style. However, I always found myself coming back to this photo which shows the flare rack, and being that this cockpit has the hand operated U/C pump, I assumed that it must be quite an early Mk 1. Who knows?

 

 51210122157_13ab018fa8.jpg

 

 

1 hour ago, Johnson said:

I probably ought to get one while they're around, someone said recently how good they are (but can't find the post now :huh:) and it would be great to have one on the shelf next to the Spitfire. But whether I'll get the time? I really want to make 602 Sqn's LO-B 'BOGUS' in 1/24 as a quick build, not the 10 months this one's been on the bench. So much to do!

 

Same here! I've got a couple of the Emils in the stash with one that has been started on. I was lucky enough to pick up a couple of the 1/24 photo etch sets from "Old Etcher Fred" years ago. Great set, but it's going to be a long haul. Like you, finding time can be a bit of a problem. I'm also currently taking a break from super detailing big stuff and knocking out loads of old 1/72 Heller kits instead. It's very refreshing. I do recommend the Emil though. If you enjoyed the Spit, you'll love the Emil as well. It's the same fare, but a great canvas to go silly on.

 

Hope to see "Bogus" one day though. Always liked that scheme. I'd love to finally get Al Deere's Spit done too. Nine Lives was the first biography I read aged 12. Stuck with me ever since.

 

Steve

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29 minutes ago, fightersweep said:

I always found myself coming back to this photo which shows the flare rack, and being that this cockpit has the hand operated U/C pump, I assumed that it must be quite an early Mk 1. Who knows?

It certainly looks it, it has all the features of an early Spit cockpit; pump (as you say), one position rudder pedals. There may have been variations in the seat/rack?

 

13 minutes ago, fightersweep said:

I do recommend the Emil though. If you enjoyed the Spit, you'll love the Emil as well. It's the same fare, but a great canvas to go silly on.

I shall get one!  :D  I'm sure I can find space for it somewhere... ^_^

 

15 minutes ago, fightersweep said:

Nine Lives was the first biography I read aged 12. Stuck with me ever since.

I'm just finishing it. Last two chapters to go, a great read!

 

Cheers,

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Final details added;

 

Aerial Wire;

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I've always painted the wire black in the past, but the (much referred to) IWM film shows that they were 'silver'. The rear part of the aerial looks 'blobby', but this is a re-sampling artifact, it is in fact smooth. The bit at the back will get snipped off!

 

Pitot Tube and Fuel Vent Pipe;

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Almost impossible to focus on the pitot tube, but it does have a hole in the front!

 

Yellow Prop Tips and Rudder Linkage;

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Yellow tips 4" (4.23mm @ 1/24)

 

Gun Port Covers and Wheel Position Indicators;

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I couldn't decide what to do about the red linen gun port covers. Paint them on? Tamiya tape? Open or closed? In the end I opted for painted decals which I think looks reasonable at scale. I may open them or here's a Spitfire ready for the next sortie. They are of course far too neat and the ground crews slapped them on fairly quickly and often fairly crudely.

 

Thanks for looking in, back soon.

 

Cheers,

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  • Johnson changed the title to Spitfire 1a R6691 PR-J * Flt Lt F J Howell 609 Sqn * Airfix 1/24 - Final Details

Nice work on the final touches, it’s always tempting to rush when you’re this close to the end but you’ve obviously taken care with them.

I think you made the right decision about the flare rack, Edgar usually knew what he was talking about regarding Spitfires, amongst other things.

 

John

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1 hour ago, Biggles87 said:

Nice work on the final touches

Thanks John. The last details seem to have taken up the whole day, though I did get some gardening duty in this afternoon! Hope to get pics of the completed (if not weathered) Spitfire tomorrow.

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@HOUSTON, Thank you! It was a fun build.

 

This probably isn't the end of the whole build as I feel a bit of restrained weathering is in order. The plane is supposed to reflect R6691, Flt Lt Howell's Spitfire in August 1940 at the height of the Battle of Britain and would have had a few marks here and there. But I need to experiment before I risk spoiling the finish and that will take a while. So as with the Heller GB last year, R6691 is going back in the hanger a for a while as I'm off to the Bf 109 STGB. Anyway, here's where it's at, hope you like them and many thanks for all your support and most encouraging comments in the last 10 months.

 

As I promised, a few 'assembly finished' photos:

 

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Back in a while, cheers!

 

 

Edited by Johnson
Better light, better photos
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  • Johnson changed the title to Spitfire 1a R6691 PR-J * Flt Lt F J Howell 609 Sqn * Airfix 1/24 - Assembly Finished Photos

That is truely magnificent!  An excellent build and finish, I'm adding your pages to my reference  material on the Spit for all my future builds, congradulations!

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3 hours ago, Tail-Dragon said:

That is truely magnificent!  An excellent build and finish, I'm adding your pages to my reference  material on the Spit for all my future builds, congradulations!

 

2 minutes ago, JeroenS said:

What a stunning build Charlie, and indeed a great reference as well. Top notch.

 

Thanks T-D and Jeroen, that's most kind!

Regarding it as a Spitfire reference, as I'm sure that you appreciate, what I have tried to do is build a Mk.1 as it probably looked in Aug 1940, and even then there were many changes going on, not least to the undercarriage system that still raises much controversy.

 

4 hours ago, Stew Dapple said:

Good result Charlie, well worth the wait B)

 

2 hours ago, bigbadbadge said:

Great model Charlie and great work fella. It looks absolutely fantastic. 

Many thanks Stew and Chris, and for your all your support and encouragement through the build, it really helped!

 

I will come back and add a little weathering, if only on the underside where the Merlin would have spread a bit of oil.

 

All the best,

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5 minutes ago, Biggles87 said:

Magnificent!

I think a little weathering on the wing roots and some exhaust staining would only enhance the appearance.

Thanks John!

I'm planning to do a bit of restrained weathering. I certainly agree it needs some on the wing roots but not too much exhaust staining. Photos of this plane and many (but not all) BoB Spitfires show fairly clean sides, possibly to do with the fairly proud exhaust stubs and use of 100 octane fuel? And it will certainly need some staining on the underside.

But all that will have to wait until I've finished having fun in the Bf 109 STGB. The Spitfire is safely installed on the shelf, away from the dog, grandchildren - and me! I managed to knock a nav light off putting it on the shelf. If I start looking on the floor the dog immediately thinks there must be something worth eating, and he loves plastic in any shape, form or size! I managed to rescue it before the dog (and carpet monster) got it and glue it back.

Cheers,

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