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Airfix 1/48 Spitfire Mk XIV bubble top


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This one started in the Spitfire/Seafire GB, but I ran out of time, so there is also a post in WIP, This is the Airfix 1/48 scale Spitfire FR Mk XIV with some changes. I used a Quickboost spinner and prop, Eduard exhausts and cockpit photo etch and seat belts, and stole a computer gun sight and wheels/tyres from an Eduard Spitfire Mk IX. The bomb racks came from a Hasegawa Spitfire Mk IX, and the gun fairings are Ultracast replacements. Decals courtesy of the kit, and Red Roo supplied the Squadron codes, serial, Squadron emblem and rank pennant. Both lots of decals were great - the Red Roo decals are a bit finer than the Airfix decals but robust enough to take some reasonable handling for positioning and nicely opaque. I used Mr Mark Softer on them with out any issues. I can't say I enjoyed this build - the kit sucked me in with some nice fit and detail, then whacked me when I least expected it. I found poor fit in several areas. The fit of the fuel tank cover is known, but this also splits the windscreen fairing moulded on the fuselage and needs care full fitting to ensure the windscreen fits ok. I thought I had this covered but still had issues with the windscreen fit. It also needs some careful filling to ensure a smooth fairing. The ailerons needed fettling for a good fit, as did the slots in the rear fuselage for the tailplane to fit. The clipped wingtips were a poor fit, as was the wing to fuselage join along the upper fairing. Neither the tail wheel nor the belly aerial fitted in their locating holes, and the panel lines for the wing fuel tanks don't match up. The fit of the carb intake under the nose leaves a distinct gap which isn't all that out of keeping with the rest of the plane but I finished up filling this for a better look.

 

The model OOB has several inaccuracies. The lower signalling light in the belly is in the wrong position and needs to be moved further aft, requiring the hole in the cockpit floor to be filled. The lights out by the wing tips are absent altogether. The gunsight supplied is the wrong one, and the fuel tank cover sits flush with the surrounding panels. Camera ports are recessed - I found one photo of a Mk XIV with what appears to be recessed ports; the rest seem to show flush windows here. The dzeus fasteners are raised when these were flush, and there are some strange rivets on the kit; random rows of rivets on the wings end abruptly, while those on the wing root fairings are incomplete. The wing tip lights are also recessed, but I am not convinced this is correct. The propellor blades to my eye look too wide, but I haven't compared these to plans. The tyres have a tread pattern on them but this is very poor where the moulds meet, around the circumference. The detail on the gun fairings looks too emphatic, and I struggled to get a good fit, hence the Ultracast items were used. If you are using the full span wings, the wing tip lights are indistinct blobs and not well defined. Finally, Airfix have omitted the rear view mirror, and the IFF and spine aerials, but to be fair the latter is very fine. The plastic tends towards soft which I think is a good thing as it enables fine parts to be removed without too much damage (although I did manage to break a torque link!) and makes clean up and cutting an easy job.

 

The subject I chose was a 451 Squadron aircraft flown by Squadron Leader Graham Falconer in post-war Germany. I decided that this was likely a fairly clean plane - photos show a little wear around the wing root, and I was a bit restrained in wear and tear, and oil staining. I figure there would have been more time to maintain and clean these planes at this stage. I diverged from the Red Roo instructions a little with the spinner. Photos seem to suggest a black back plate and slightly darker than white spinner which I have painted Sky. It does appear that other aircraft had white spinners, but my interpretation for this plane is Sky, perhaps a differentiating point for the CO? Also, the ports on each side of the fuselage seem to have been over-painted, but I couldn't decide with what. I couldn't match the shade of grey with other known colours in the black/white photo so just opted for a non-descript dark grey. 

 

At the end of it all, I do have a reasonable model of a Mk XIV Spitfire which sits well with my other Spitfire models, despite the issues with the kit - and my abilities! Enough of my waffle, a couple of pics:

 

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I painted the rear wheel well interior green but admit I am a little uneasy with that. All the photos I have of this area show green, including some 'period' shots which may well be post war. Based on how the rest of the interior was treated I suspect these may have been aluminium, but finally decided to go with what evidence I had.

Edited by Peter Roberts
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She's a beaut- the postwar upper wing roundels really stand out; seems like all of your efforts were richly rewarded; how about a Germany-based Centaurus-powered Tempest Mk II to go with this one?

Mike

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5 hours ago, 72modeler said:

She's a beaut- the postwar upper wing roundels really stand out; seems like all of your efforts were richly rewarded

I agree. Great looking Spitfire!

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9 hours ago, 72modeler said:

She's a beaut- the postwar upper wing roundels really stand out; seems like all of your efforts were richly rewarded; how about a Germany-based Centaurus-powered Tempest Mk II to go with this one?

Mike

Trying hard to resist a Tempest, or Typhoon - great aircraft. Never say never, great idea ....

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