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Airfix 1:24th Spitfire MkIa restoration and new-build MkVb


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11 hours ago, Bonkin said:

Great progress there Rob. Very dedicated work indeed - which I will be following along with much interest :yes:.

 

I love these old 1/24 scale Airfix kits. I have a load of them patiently waiting for when I have the time to return to the hobby, including a couple of Hurricanes, two Spitfire IVs, a Bf109, Harrier and the new Typhoon. Think I'm going to need a big display case.

Cheers Bonkin! Glad you're enjoying seeing this project take shape 😊

 

Like you I think these old 24th scalers are brilliant builds for their respective ages, and can offer a huge amount of scope to builders that are far more adventurous with their super detailing and scratch building.

 

I've been lucky enough to have been able to convert the garage into a dedicated workshop which provides plenty of space, and I've been able to get three of each of nearly all of these classics - one of each that I built many years ago that I want to refurb (these Spits plus Hurricanes, Mustangs, Fw190's, Bf109's and Harrier), plus two new of each out the box. The only exception is the Stuka, with two kits in the stash and previous builds to refurb.

 

I haven't ventured into any of the new kits - Mosquito, Typhoon or Hellcat....I think the current lineup is more than enough! 😂

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9 hours ago, Johnson said:

There's a certain fascination with the pics of the stripped fuselage with a bits of paint around the rivets. I'm sure they will look great when put back together with some primer. That's quite a task you've set yourself but I'm sure it will be worth it!

Thanks Johnson - I must admit I'm really looking forward to getting the paintwork going on these three! The fuselage clean-up and repair, although it's taken roughly 4 hours for the starboard (mainly due to rebuilding the engine bay framework) and 2 hours for the port side so far, it's progressed a lot quicker than I envisaged. The fuselages for the two new kits should be a very quick process to fettle in comparison; the wings however I think will slow me down a bit, as I want to add a spar to help prevent droop as time goes on.

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  • 1 month later...

More steps forward with the 33 year old Airfix 1/24th Spitfire MkIa strip & refurb and the two new builds (MkIa & MkVb):

 

There's been a mix of work and progress on the three aircraft over the past couple of weeks.


Concentrating on the wings of the MkVb - it's taken a little while to clean up all the edges, undercarriage location cradles and mating surfaces to ensure best fit of parts. The wing surfaces have been modified to reflect the deletion of two of the .303s in each wing (rivet details yet to be replaced) with the addition of the bulges to accommodate the cannon, and the access panels fettled and modified to suit as necessary. The upper main access panel for the 20mm was found to fall through the wing once cleaned up, so I've added some ledges inside the aperture for it to rest on.

 

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In order to help set the correct dihedral and prevent warping of the wings as time goes on, I've worked out the shape and dimensions for the wing spar and the first has been cut from 2mm plastic card with a successful dry fit by taping the wing sections together - next step is drilling out holes for the gun barrels to pass through. Once that's done I can then make a proper template to fabricate spars for the two MkIa's that are also on the workbench.

 

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Then, in order to help keep the mind fresh and the enthusiasm in top condition, I decided to do a wee spot of painting - I've finally got the first coats of primer on some Merlin and cockpit interior parts. Feels like a nice big step forward as I've been working solely on fettling and cleaning up parts on these three Spitfires since I started the project back in April this year! These parts will all get another inspection, and any outstanding filling and fettling completed before applying a second coat. For ease and quickness I'm using an automotive grey primer spray from a well known store here in the UK called Halfords. It lays down a treat and dries silky smooth. Highly recommended if you've not tried it before and can get hold of some 👍

 

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This evening, I've been back to working on the old MkIa that I originally built 33 years ago - this time it's cleaning all the old glue and paint residue off the upper port wing, plus re-fettling as needed.


Photos show a before and after of the outer and inner surfaces. Looking a bit more presentable now after just over an hour's work. All the gun access panels are now fitting correctly and are removable after being glued in place in the original build. The outboard-most panel needs a minor repair as it's lost a corner, but this will be easily corrected with some scrap plastic. The engraved panel lines have been cleaned out with a scribing tool, but the original enamel colours have stained them heavily in places, so they still look a bit grubby here and there.

 

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As always, comments and suggestions welcome! 😊👍

 

Cheers!

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Great to see some paint going on and lovely progress so far, I kind of like the look of the model with the paint removed and the residue left behind in ghe Panel lines,it kind of looks like a 3D stencil data diagram!!!

This is an ambitious and great project and good to see your care and attention being lavished on these lovely kits.

Keep up the good work 

Chris 

 

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6 hours ago, bigbadbadge said:

Great to see some paint going on and lovely progress so far, I kind of like the look of the model with the paint removed and the residue left behind in ghe Panel lines,it kind of looks like a 3D stencil data diagram!!!

This is an ambitious and great project and good to see your care and attention being lavished on these lovely kits.

Keep up the good work 

Chris 

 

Thanks Chris!
It's odd in a way but I do agree with you - the slight outlining of the surface detail on a 'vintage white' has got a bizarre charm and fascination about it. I'm looking forward to seeing it all together but with the cockpit and Merlin all in place and painted up just to see the contrast between the finished interior and the bare exterior. Should make for a few interesting photos 😎

 

Cheers!

Rob

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6 hours ago, Johnson said:

As Chris says, great work and progress. A real production line. And good ideas on the wing spars.

Thank you! I'm still trying to keep to a small session at the bench each day - sometimes it's just enough to get a single part cleaned or filled or sanded to keep things ticking over.
The fabrication of the spars is time consuming though, as it's literally a scalpel and small metal ruler job plus a certain amount of elbow grease. Once they're done though I'll be able to make huge strides forward with the wing assembly.

 

Cheers! 😎

 

Rob

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  • 1 month later...
On 31/05/2021 at 20:44, Rob Henderson said:

Comments and suggestions always welcome!

Are you totally insane? 

 

Three 1/24 spits at the same time!!!!

 

Incredible! 

 

Any more progress 🙂

 

I'm starting research on a 1/24 Douglas Bader 222 squadron Spit, alongside an Eduard 1/48 of the same, if I ever finish Bader's 1/48 Hurricane. I thought those two in parallel would be pushing it but three 1/24 Spits....

 

Watching with a lot of interest... 

 

 

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Hi Rob , just stumbled on this WIP , all looks good so far. 

I am currently building the same kit ( MK1a ) just a pointer regarding the wings , using the Tamiya 1.48th kit as a reference the Airfix kit has thick raised lines above and below at both wing ends plus two blobs on each underside of the wings ? i have removed these as well as the one on the fuselage side , not only dose this improve the appearance but also when you come to apply decals they will sit nice and flat . Another vast improvement is ditch the kit wheels and invest in some Barracuda resin wheels , these have a much better appearance with correct hub detail ( they even have DUNLOP written on the tyres ) Will keep watching with interest. Cheers Keith.

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