Airfix Mk.IXc in 1/24.

[Peter Roberts]

On 5/28/2022 at 2:31 AM, Corsairfoxfouruncle said:

And hopefully an VIII, if my memory is correct it would just need new upper wings if my thinking is correct ? 

 

Unfortunately a few more changes than that. Off the top of my head, the Mk VIII had shorter ailerons, wing root fuel tanks, a relocated belly light and retractable tail wheel, plus ID lights in the lower wings (though not sure if the latter applies to all Mk VIII’s) 

 

Depending on the subject, it could also have longer wingtips. And of course the pointy rudder.

Edited May 29, 2022 by Peter Roberts

[Seahawk]

2 hours ago, Peter Roberts said:

 

Unfortunately a few more changes than that. Off the top of my head, the Mk VIII had shorter ailerons, wing root fuel tanks, a relocated belly light and retractable tail wheel, plus ID lights in the lower wings (though not sure if the latter applies to all Mk VIII’s) 

 

Depending on the subject, it could also have longer wingtips. And of course the pointy rudder.

True, but the main wing parts are nicely isolated on their own frames, so an easy swap out at a later date.

Edited May 29, 2022 by Seahawk

[john224]

2 hours ago, Peter Roberts said:

 

Unfortunately a few more changes than that. Off the top of my head, the Mk VIII had shorter ailerons, wing root fuel tanks, a relocated belly light and retractable tail wheel, plus ID lights in the lower wings (though not sure if the latter applies to all Mk VIII’s) 

 

Depending on the subject, it could also have longer wingtips. And of course the pointy rudder.

New upper and lower wings (they'd need to do that if they make a IXe, which I'm sure they will, anyway), with short span ailerons, tailwheel area is catered for, pointy rudder is in the kit, wingtips are separate parts so long span wing tips are easily done. Not much to do to get a new version.

[Peter Roberts]

9 hours ago, Seahawk said:

True, but the main wing parts are nicely isolated on their own frames, so an easy swap out at a later date.

 

9 hours ago, john224 said:

New upper and lower wings (they'd need to do that if they make a IXe, which I'm sure they will, anyway), with short span ailerons, tailwheel area is catered for, pointy rudder is in the kit, wingtips are separate parts so long span wing tips are easily done. Not much to do to get a new version.

 

Absolutely doable. The new belly light position is the one sticking point. Maybe a bit of actual modelling on the part of the builder? A minor adjustment to the basic kit but needs mentioning. Perhaps a slight mod to the existing mould to allow for this change?

[john224]

2 hours ago, Peter Roberts said:

 

 

Absolutely doable. The new belly light position is the one sticking point. Maybe a bit of actual modelling on the part of the builder? A minor adjustment to the basic kit but needs mentioning. Perhaps a slight mod to the existing mould to allow for this change?

New lower wing would allow for that.

Edited May 29, 2022 by john224

[jenko]

Looking at the numbering. Sorry lettering of the sprues. The following are missing from those shown.

 

I, K, L, M .

My guess is there will be variations on a theme at a later date,

 

Remember this kit will be a money cow for Airfix so they will maximise the mouldings to the full.

 

Dick 

 

[john224]

1 hour ago, jenko said:

Looking at the numbering. Sorry lettering of the sprues. The following are missing from those shown.

 

I, K, L, M .

My guess is there will be variations on a theme at a later date,

 

Remember this kit will be a money cow for Airfix so they will maximise the mouldings to the full.

 

Dick 

 

K, L and M are all there, some of the sub sprues are also given letters (K is engine, L is side cowls and prop and M is top cowl).  Still leaves O to Z to go at!

[Peter Roberts]

10 hours ago, john224 said:

New lower wing would allow for that.

Hmm, am away from home at the moment so unable to check but from memory I think the position is further back than a new lower wing would allow

[john224]

2 hours ago, Peter Roberts said:

Hmm, am away from home at the moment so unable to check but from memory I think the position is further back than a new lower wing would allow

Just found a picture of a Mk VIII underside, and you're right. Can't see them doing a whole new fuselage just for a belly light, but I still think the way they've engineered the kit an VIII is on the cards. They could always do what they've done with the Mk XVIII wing panels...

[Scimitar F1]

Quick Q - Is anyone planning an instrument panel or other detail sets in the short term? I am thinking of building it straight after release.

 

Will

[Peter Roberts]

Wonder how the wings and cowlings from the Mk I kit will go with the Mk IX fuselage - looking forward to trying that one out!

[Alex Gordon]

40 minutes ago, Peter Roberts said:

Wonder how the wings and cowlings from the Mk I kit will go with the Mk IX fuselage - looking forward to trying that one out!

As far as the wing goes,if it's anything like the 1/48th offerings,not without some modelling ability.

New tool Vb fuselage to PR XIX wing

 

 

 

It won't stop me buying one though.

[Bozothenutter]

22 hours ago, jenko said:

Looking at the numbering. Sorry lettering of the sprues. The following are missing from those shown.

 

I, K, L, M .

My guess is there will be variations on a theme at a later date,

 

Remember this kit will be a money cow for Airfix so they will maximise the mouldings to the full.

 

Dick 

 

Wouldn't hold my breath....how many variants have they done on the other 1/24 kits?

[Black Knight]

11 minutes ago, Bozothenutter said:

Wouldn't hold my breath....how many variants have they done on the other 1/24 kits?

N.A P-51 Mustang = 2

Hawker Typhoon = 2

V-S Spitfire 1a = 2, one as the Vb

BAe/H.S. Harrier = 3

[D.H. Mosquito = 2]

[MrB17]

Even if they don’t do a Mk.VIII, I will make one, just because the vision of a 1/24 Spitfire Mk.VIII in Grey Nurse markings…well say no more.

I will build Hugo Armstrong’s Spitfire Mk.IXc BS435 first, that one for my grandson. That may entail some modelling skills to make an early IXc. After that, will be a Grey Nurse Mk.VIII for my granddaughter, who loves sharks or anything with a shark mouth. They were both born in Melbourne, so there is a reason, my wife is on board for both. I put in a backorder with Hannant’s, it would be nice to have them this year, but I can wait. Patience is a virtue, or so I’ve been told. I have a 1/24 Spitfire Mk.IX already, but it’s a wooden kit (balsa) and it makes any other kit look like a walk in the park! We have come a very long way my friends.

Jeff

[Johnson]

10 minutes ago, MrB17 said:

We have come a very long way my friends.

We certainly have Jeff. A long way from the 1/24 Mk.1a (much as I love it!). It's got to be less work than the last one...

 

 

I'm really looking forward to August, or whenever it arrives!

 

Regards

 

[Black Knight]

11 hours ago, Scimitar F1 said:

Quick Q - Is anyone planning an instrument panel or other detail sets in the short term? I am thinking of building it straight after release.

Companies such as Airscale and Yahu have i/ps for Airfix Spitfires already so they'll probably be on it quite quickly

[MrB17]

Well Charlie, @Johnson there’s no doubt in my mind that you’re a modeller, not just a kit assembler! I remember when those Airfix 1/24 kits showed up on the shelves of not just hobby shops, but department stores, drug stores etc. I had to pick my jaw up from the floor when I first gazed up at those kits! I am hoping to have a similar reaction when the Airfix Spitfire IX arrives at the door. My first 1/24 kit was the P-51 and I was able to proudly display it in my favourite LHS window. Unfortunately when I returned home on leave, the shop had burned down and my P-51 with it. A few years ago I built it again, only I fixed the wing dihedral, dropped the flaps, shortened the main oleo legs from fully extended (a problem because of retractable gear). Otherwise very much like my first one. I wonder how many of these new Spitfires will arrive under the tree this year?

Ridge Runner III #2

 

Jeff

[Johnson]

10 hours ago, Black Knight said:

Companies such as Airscale and Yahu have i/ps for Airfix Spitfires already so they'll probably be on it quite quickly

I’m certainly hoping Airscale do an i/p. Their one for the Mk.1a was excellent.

 

10 hours ago, MrB17 said:

Unfortunately when I returned home on leave, the shop had burned down and my P-51 with it.

Good grief! That’s a hell of a way to lose a model! But paved the way for another lovely P-51D. Thanks for your kind words, the Mk.1 was a long haul, but I enjoyed the build immensely.

[k5054nz]

Really really really hoping for a high-back XVIe without having to resort to the aftermarket (purely for financial reasons) 🤞

Edited June 1, 2022 by k5054nz

[MrB17]

Moved content to All the Spitfire questions part II. Because it’s more relevant to any Spitfire C wing/armament variants, not specifically the new Airfix 1/24 Spitfire IXc. The link to the info is below:

 

Edited August 13, 2022 by MrB17
Moved to a more relevant section.

[Tbolt]

18 hours ago, MrB17 said:

Spitfire C wing cannon blisters 101. I have just been looking at the test sprues for the Airfix 1/24 Spitfire Mk.IXc and I am really hoping that they correct the large blister cannon covers. I have yet to find a photo of anything like that on any spitfire. I have put together a collage of photos of the large cannon blisters on the “c” wing. The first Spitfire IXc’s used Mk.Vc airframes, so why would the cannon blister be any different?
Below I made a collage of c wing large blisters, some are on Vc’s but they shouldn’t be any different. #1 611 squadron Spitfire IXc early, clearly not anything close to the Airfix big flat blister thing. #2 The only photo I could find that possibly shows a blunted front on the blister, is on some SAAF Vc Trops, and even then, the lighting is poor and additionally, they appear to have 4 cannons installed. The second aircraft looks like it has standard large blisters. The c wing was designed for 4 cannons from the get go, so why would they require a different blister? Different cannon types? The blister panels are painted a darker colour than the surrounding camouflage, so we’re they modified? At any rate, they are Vc’s not IXc’s and they are not as flat as the Airfix ones, nor do they have an almost square front. #3 Here you can see the profile of the blister towards the front of the wing on an early IXc. #4 This photo is very misleading and a probable cause of misinterpretation. The cross section of the blister has a larger radius towards the front, but the high point is almost at the halfway mark, this makes the blister appear flatter, because you are seeing the larger radius from the rear. Note the shadows and how they capture the profile. #5 Early IXc showing the profile of the blister very clearly. #6 It’s a Seafire but it has c wing large blisters. This photo is interesting because of the lighting where you can scarcely make one the top of the blister, but the shadows are quite prominent. #7 Vc showing the larger radius of the front on the blister. #8 Vc Trop and I like this photo because of the camouflage and lighting making the starboard blister appear to have a blunter front than the port blister. #9 Early IXc, and although the wing mat is covering half of the blister, it takes up the curve of the profile. #10 Vc and a similar viewing angle to #4 but closer and you can easily see how someone might think that the front is blunt. #11 Early IXc and here you can see the effect of the shallower front, however you can’t see the front, so another misleading possibility. #12 Early IXc with a glossy finish showing to good effect the flatter effect of the front part. #13 Wreckage of a C wing spitfire and although a bit grainy, is a better view of the teardrop outline. #14 RAAF Vc in a dark finish, notice the effect of the crew member on the starboard wing and how it makes it appear different than the port blister. #15 Really nice shot of the blister on a Vc probably Malta bound. #16 RCAF early IXc showing the profile of the blister from a different angle. #17 RCAF early IXc and a beautiful look at the profile of the blister. #18 RAAF Vc Trop showing to good effect the high point of the profile about halfway back. #19 RAAF Vc Trop with heavy weathering and the lighting in the photo makes the whole blister look squat. #20 RAAF Vc Trop, compare this with #19 and how the camouflage demarcation makes the blister appear taller than #19. #21 RAAF Vc Trop with a nice 3/4 view of the blister. The drawing is only shown because it portrays well the outline and profile of the blister. As a rule I don’t rely on drawings, but this gives a close approximation. Below the collage is single photo of a dented c wing large blister and shows unmistakably the outline of the teardrop shape. Lastly, I have the Airfix G sprue test shot for the 1/24 Spitfire Mk.IXc and I have clearly marked the offending parts. Being a test shot, one can only hope that Airfix has corrected the issue. At any rate, I am converting one to a Mk.VIII, so if they don’t fix the blister, I will wait until someone does it in resin. I’m not a Spitfire expert by any means but if someone has a good photo of a large c blister any different than what I have found, please post it.

 

Jeff

 

Any chance you could edit your post with line spaced paragraphs as it's really hard to read the way it is?

[MrB17]

31 minutes ago, Tbolt said:

Any chance you could edit your post with line spaced paragraphs as it's really hard to read the way it is?

Thanks for the tip @Tbolt, I have made the adjustments, I just wasn’t thinking about having to read all of my dribble haha.

 

Cheers,

Jeff

[Corky]

Thanks Jeff!

[Corsairfoxfouruncle]

As a casual observer couldn't a builder just file the blunted end of the cannon cover to the correct shape ? My guess is it would probably take all of about 10 minutes each ?