Supermarine Spitfire Mk.1a, Airfix 1:24

[neilg]

I've finished this build and I am really pleased with how it turned out.

 

I was debating which scheme to depict, and in the end, I flipped a coin which decided on the black-and-white underside (which deep down I preferred anyway).  I have already built the 1:72 Spitfire in similar colours.

 

A couple of minor issues - I couldn't understand how the propeller shaft fitted into the hub from inside the engine, as the shaft was oval shaped, and the related hole in the propeller hub was circular.  I left the shaft out as suggested in the WIP thread, but the propeller fits tightly into the sleeve in the engine so it can turn without falling out.

 

And my fault - I had some overspray inside the cockpit, which I only realised as I was removing the masking tape at the very end of the build.  I used a cotton bud (dipped in thinner...) to remove it, and the clear plastic instantly became foggy.  Lesson learned...

 

After sending a sheepish email to Airfix, they sent me a replacement windscreen, which arrived two days later.

 

The landing gear is designed to be retractable.  The tops of the landing gear legs fit into downlock tangs on the underside of the wings, and into uplock tangs in the wing root.  With the landing gear down, the tops of the legs are too long to move without pushing up on the inside of the upper wing.  It's then impossible to move the landing gear when the upper and lower halves of the wings are cemented.

 

I like moving parts on models, so I wanted to fix this.

 

I trimmed the tops of the landing gear legs just above the pivot, but they are now still long enough to engage with the downlock tangs, but too short to engage with the uplock tangs.

 

However, the angle of the wheels means that when the landing gear is retracted, they don't sit perfectly flush with the underside of the wings anyway.

 

The tyres also rub inside the wheel wells, which holds them in place when the landing gear is up.

 

I hope you like this build:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[keith in the uk]

looks very nice indeed , i got the same kit for christmas 1970 when it first came out together with the motor ,great stuff . 

[neilg]

7 hours ago, keith in the uk said:

looks very nice indeed , i got the same kit for christmas 1970 when it first came out together with the motor ,great stuff . 

 

Did you fit the motor?

 

I'm really impressed by the detail and how well it went together considering the tooling's age.

 

I've got the Hurricane to build and I'm tempted by the BF109!

[SAT69]

Very nice model! I'm always nervous about airbrushing around canopies and windscreens because of the fear that some tiny opening I missed will allow spray to get inside the clear parts. I take pains to go over the seams very carefully, looking for places where a dab of canopy glue will fill the hole. Like you, I don't like the surprise of discovering the paint got inside.

[neilg]

10 minutes ago, SAT69 said:

Very nice model! I'm always nervous about airbrushing around canopies and windscreens because of the fear that some tiny opening I missed will allow spray to get inside the clear parts. I take pains to go over the seams very carefully, looking for places where a dab of canopy glue will fill the hole. Like you, I don't like the surprise of discovering the paint got inside.

 

I was furious with myself!

 

I noticed the gap before I started painting, but thought it was too small to really be a problem - plus, I wanted to paint the sides of the canopy.

 

The center part slides, and I thought about stuffing the cockpit with kitchen paper or cotton wool to prevent paint going in... but I thought it would be ok.

 

Then literally the last step was to remove the masking tape, and I thought all was well because I started with the rear windows, and there was no paint there.  It was under the front windows, which was the last of the tape to peel off.

 

I think with an airbrush, it would have been ok, but I used spray cans outside, which have a lot more force, more volume, and less control. 

 

I'm never going to risk it again!

[Bertie McBoatface]

You made a lovely model from this ancient kit. It's nearly as old as me!

[Stew Dapple]

Nice job Neil, she looks good in the early camo scheme  

 

I built one of these a long time ago; didn't turn out as nice as yours but I was happy enough with it at the time. The big Hurricane's a nice kit too (though more complex than the Spitfire kit) but I had real trouble with the 109 kit, I don't think I even finished it - I can't remember why, it was fit issues somewhere. For me the real queen of the range (in the 1980's) was the Ju87b, if that sort of thing floats your boat it is a beautiful kit  

 

Cheers,

 

Stew

[keith in the uk]

19 hours ago, neilg said:

 

Did you fit the motor?

 

I'm really impressed by the detail and how well it went together considering the tooling's age.

 

I've got the Hurricane to build and I'm tempted by the BF109!

Yep , sure did , although if i recall the battery s didn t last that long and you had to use the stand as they where fitted in the base. 😬

[bigbadbadge]

Nice job Neil, I did the other scheme KL-B and loved the kit  the surface details are very nice indeed considering the age of the kit.

Great work on yours, the Hurricane is lovely too, you should enjoy that one.

Chris

[neilg]

On 14/08/2021 at 15:37, keith in the uk said:

Yep , sure did , although if i recall the battery s didn t last that long and you had to use the stand as they where fitted in the base. 😬

 

Ahh I had ignored the bag with the stand in until just now, and it has moulded holders for the batteries.

 

I like the stand, but it's a bit too short for the size of the kit I think.

 

Does the motor replace the entire engine?

[kapam]

Never built this kit myself, but I well recall watching a neighbour's progress on it.

Don't know if he ever finished it, as I went off to college and never saw him again!

You've definitely excelled with yours.  Kits have come a long way since then, but your skills have definitely brought it up to standard.

[keith in the uk]

17 hours ago, neilg said:

 

Ahh I had ignored the bag with the stand in until just now, and it has moulded holders for the batteries.

 

I like the stand, but it's a bit too short for the size of the kit I think.

 

Does the motor replace the entire engine?

Yes the motor replaced engine , you had to use the kit parts provided that held the motor in place , i am not sure if this is provided for in current issue kits? 

Also if i recall the motor was not that powerful and was often swooped for another better unit. Looking back i may be wrong , the motor may have fitted inside the engine, somewhere in my stash i think i have the instruction sheet which i will dig out and take a look.  

[nickhenfrey]

 

@keith in the uk

 

On 16/08/2021 at 15:21, keith in the uk said:

Yes the motor replaced engine , you had to use the kit parts provided that held the motor in place , i am not sure if this is provided for in current issue kits? 

Also if i recall the motor was not that powerful and was often swooped for another better unit. Looking back i may be wrong , the motor may have fitted inside the engine, somewhere in my stash i think i have the instruction sheet which i will dig out and take a look

 

I'm pretty certain there were options to mount the electric motor instead of the Merlin, or inside the Merlin

 

@neilg

 

turned out very nice - I'm looking to build one as Douglas Bader's 222 squadron Spit, what would you say were the hardest parts of the build (I have built a couple in the past but so long ago I can't really remember them)?

[neilg]

21 hours ago, nickhenfrey said:

turned out very nice - I'm looking to build one as Douglas Bader's 222 squadron Spit, what would you say were the hardest parts of the build (I have built a couple in the past but so long ago I can't really remember them)?

 

It was mainly instructions around the engine that were difficult to interpret - in particular that long bar that runs along the top of the engine.  I still don't know where it's supposed to go, and at the moment, it's only attached at the rear into the engine bulkhead.

 

If you are planning on using the movable landing gear, they don't seem to fit without some rework, and I think the attachment point on one side is moulded slightly out of position, so it doesn't fit in the wheel well without a push - the other side is fine however.

 

And the engine panels are push-fit pieces that don't hold very well.

[nickhenfrey]

I remember that part in the engine bay!!! 

 

I'm going to build it with gear down, I am concerned about the dihedral, and I'm sure I'll need to pack out the wings

 

Thanks for your reply! 

[Col Walter E Kurtz]

Really impressive Neil. I like these big scale kits. I really liked the black and white underside too. A good choice imho. I do like the more unusual paint schemes which make a model stand out from the crowd. Toying with the idea I might like to do the 1:24 Hurricane some time. Would have to do it as a 56 Squadron bird if possible.. my Uncle Peter's  Squadron. They flew Hurricanes from Ongar airfield just up the road from me and have a gate guard full size replica in 56 Squadron markings! 

A super build indeed. Thanks for sharing this. You should be proud indeed! Glad you sorted the overspray fogging of the canopy too! 

Regards, Andy 

[Deano353]

For such an old and poor kit you made a great job of it. I wonder when we'll see a new tool 24th Spit? Nice finish on the gloss underside looks very good.

[neilg]

9 minutes ago, Deano353 said:

For such an old and poor kit you made a great job of it. I wonder when we'll see a new tool 24th Spit? Nice finish on the gloss underside looks very good.

 

Thanks, I'm not sure if there will be another one any time soon - is the Airfix one the only one on offer?

 

I wasn't sure if the underside should be gloss or satin - but gloss looked better in my opinion.

 

I used Humbrol satin varnish for the body, which I brushed on - I am really surprised how well it turned out.

[neilg]

23 hours ago, nickhenfrey said:

I remember that part in the engine bay!!! 

 

I'm going to build it with gear down, I am concerned about the dihedral, and I'm sure I'll need to pack out the wings

 

Thanks for your reply! 

 

The dihedral is not as pronounced as it is on the 1:72 kit.  In fact, the wings look pretty flat:

 

 

[nickhenfrey]

That's a very interesting comparison - thanks

 

They both look great, even though different in the dihedral and the angle of the gear legs

[Deano353]

Trumpeter has a 1/24 Spitfire/109/Zero/Hurricane and Stuka if I'm remembering correctly but those would be from more than 10/15 years ago I've no idea about any issues with them but they're not new but a lot newer than the Airfix offering.

Edited August 28, 2021 by Deano353