Tail-Dragon Posted January 27, 2022 Share Posted January 27, 2022 Just because you can never have too many Spitfires, while waiting for paint to dry on my triple Malta Spitfire builds, I started an ICM Spitfire Mk IXc from the movie 'Battle of Britain'. The ICM kit is no Eduards, but is fairly accurate in outline, (and is in the stash, anyhow). I started with the wings, removing the canons, canon bulges, and lots of filling, sanding, and rescribing. I also had to shorten the landing gear legs quite a bit, replace the inaccurate wheels, and reprofile the fat propeller blades. I filled the lower cockpit wing roots and added stringers, scratch built a throttle and landing gear control, and then turned to the ugly seat. it needed thinning, new sides, bottom and front, as well as a back pad. I'm using an Eduard's photo etch QR belt (this is 1969, after all), and also using a left over tubular exhaust from an Eduard's kit. I've got some paint on the interior, so close up can begin ... Oh yes, I also had to do something with the weird square spade grip! It's going to be open canopy, but with the access door closed, Robert Shaw's 'Rabbit leader' has a nice set of crosses across the door that I don't want to loose! Thanks for looking, Colin 17 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FG2Si Posted January 27, 2022 Share Posted January 27, 2022 Nice progress there. I did the same plane but using the Tamiya 1/32 IX kit a fee years ago. Carl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tail-Dragon Posted February 1, 2022 Author Share Posted February 1, 2022 I was ready to attach the windscreens and start painting when I realized that the BofB Mk IX's did not have the prominent headrest, so out comes a microsaw, and off it comes. (the simple things you miss will get you every time!) ... also, I decided to offset the elevators, rudder and tail wheel to give a little more animation. with the shortened and re-raked landing gear legs, the 'sit' is quite correct now. As issued, it was very stork like! 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keith in the uk Posted February 2, 2022 Share Posted February 2, 2022 Good work so far , dont forget MK9s had different wheel hubs to the ones in your pic. Three spoke i think ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tail-Dragon Posted February 3, 2022 Author Share Posted February 3, 2022 (edited) 15 hours ago, keith in the uk said: Good work so far , dont forget MK9s had different wheel hubs to the ones in your pic. Three spoke i think ? I don't think there was a hard and fast rule, in the movie or during the war. There's lots of photos of Mk IX with 5 spoke hubs from the war ... ... and in the movie, it's a real mixed bag. 3 spoke , 4 spoke, and 5 spoke. I know that one of the aircraft that was marked as AI*A (the one Robert Shaw stood on it's nose by accident!) had 3 spoke, but I'm not sure about the others - I know they used several. The wheel/tire assembly seems to have been interchangeable. I might change the wheels if I come up with some spare 3 spokes, but I'm undecided right now (I kinda like the True Details ones) Postscript: I found the following from Edgar Brooks ... "The 5-spoke wheel remained in use throughout the war, up to, and including the IX, though bomb-carriers (e.g. the XVI) were expected to use the "stronger" 4-spoke. From what I've been able to ascertain, the VIII & XIV (and possibly the XIX) used the 4-spoke from the start, maybe because they, too, were expected to carry more weight. The 3-spoke was a post-war item, designed for the 20-series, which drifted over onto other surviving airframes. Edgar" Edited February 3, 2022 by Tail-Dragon 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tail-Dragon Posted February 5, 2022 Author Share Posted February 5, 2022 (edited) I have some paint on the Spitfire now, and after re-watching the movie, the aircraft did use the post-war 3 spoke wheels. I found them as leftovers from the Airfix 1/48 Mk XIX kit. Wrong for WW2 but right for the movie! (Thanks 'keith in the uk' for pointing that out!) I found that I had to shorten and re-rake the gear quite a bit to get a more correct sit ... ... thanks for looking, Colin Edited February 5, 2022 by Tail-Dragon 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tail-Dragon Posted April 27, 2022 Author Share Posted April 27, 2022 I finally got around to putting some markings on the Spit. They are a real mix of Fundekals, Scalemaster/War Eagle, BarracudaCals, and Fantasy Printshop. Its slowly getting there ... Hope you like so far, Colin 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete in Lincs Posted April 27, 2022 Share Posted April 27, 2022 1 hour ago, Tail-Dragon said: Hope you like so far, Add me to the list. And, to paraphrase the script, "Stick to me like Tamiya extra thin!' 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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