Airfix 1/24 Spitfire HF Mk.VIII

[MrB17]

Well here we go, first WIP. Airfix 1/24 Spitfire HF Mk.VIII 457 Squadron RAAF. I’m converting the new Mk.IXc kit into an HF Mk.VIII. Most of you are aware that the kit appears to cater to other marks, so I have decided to change it into a Mk.VIII. So as the first step after my research, I opened up the flashed over holes in the wing and installed the recognition lights provided in the kit (clear parts 3&4). Next I am removing carefully the bezel from the wing bottom so I can reposition it aft on the fuselage. You can see where I am drilling around it to make it easier, as the plastic is rather thick here.

I posted a synopsis of the kit here, so you can see where I’m coming from.

 

 

[MrB17]

Bit more work done, moved some access panels because of the wing fuel tanks. Filled the recognition light hole and managed to keep the bezel intact (the donut in the wing root area). I wanted to keep the round access panels as they were, so just have to sand and fill around them. The leading edge rivets are going to be filled as per WWII spec. The rest will just get a swipe of Mr. Surfacer to make them look more like flush rivets than holes. Time to retire for the night. Looks like I forgot to post the second pic. I was 🥱 

 

Cheers

 

Jeff

Edited February 9, 2023 by MrB17
Forgot pic

[mick]

will follow your build

[bigbadbadge]

Looks a very interesting project,  great start.

Chris

[MrB17]

Four lower wing round access panels rearranged into leading edge fuel tank connections access. The location for the Mk.IX central recognition light filled.

Just need to scratch the fitting under each tank, and the access panel and mount for the Mk.III IFF antenna.

 

The ailerons span had to be shortened to 3.0575”, which happened to lay along the second last outer rib, so the rivet line was handy. I used the backside of Radu’s scriber to make the cut, it has super fine teeth. The cut was so fine, I may not have to shim the aileron gap! A lot of sanding done on one aileron to fix the issue described in Airfix model world’s build article. I am showing the corrected aileron in comparison to the uncorrected one. You can see by the shadow how much difference there is in the thickness of the trailing edge and the step on the leading edge. So the hinge rod doesn’t bind, you have to deepen the recesses where it lays inside, I just used a razor saw very carefully and it works fine.

 

 

 

The backyard swimming pool exhaust cavities were filled with thick ca and purposely overfilled to compensate for shrinking, I should have very little sanding or filling now. The small pieces for the exhaust opening had some nasty flash from the oval ejector pins, I filed them flush and I will add them tomorrow after the ca has set and I finish sanding the exhausts. I think it’s better to do it before adding the delicate little pieces to the end. 

 

The propeller blades needed a lot more sanding than I thought. There’s a long shallow sink along the back of the blade, that shouldn’t be there, no filling other than the seams around the bit that was supposed to eliminate sink marks. Even a couple of those bits had sink marks, but only sanding was necessary. They are ready for primer now.

 

I’m not following the instructions in sequence, I am waiting on some more cockpit stuff, so I’m just trying to get a few subassemblies done to bring down the parts count and continue making the Mk.VIII modifications. Be back soon with some more stuff.

 

Cheers

 

Jeff

[MrB17]

Over the Hump! I have been wrestling with how I was going to approach the retractable tail gear. I could have just gone simple and cut the doors out and stick something in there to hold the tail oleo in the correct position. So I scratched a partial frame #20, with the pivot blocks for the retractable oleo.  I scratched the ceiling of the wheel well using plastic card and a section from an old Revell Lancaster wheel to serve as the blister for the wheel to retract into. The original piece was stamped aluminium and fastened with screws, so I simulated that as well.
 

Plastic strips in various thickness were used to make guides for the frame and ceiling, as well as gear doors and hardware. I added a small blister to the bottom edge of the doors, It’s so small, it’s hard to see it in photos, but it’s there. I thinned out the doors and parts of the fuselage door openings. I used plastic rod to fabricate the tail oleo, and reinforced it with a steel pin, which also allowed the tail wheel to swivel. I scratched a protective boot (gaiter) by placing a section of heat shrink tubing over a brass rod in between two sections of brass tubing and after heating it, compressed it between the tubes. Although warbirds don’t seem to have the boot fitted to the tail oleo, the factory drawings and wartime photos show this installed. I scratched the tail fork by heat forming scrap from the unused parts of the kit, over brass tubing and filing and drilling to shape. The tail wheel was too wide for even the Mk.IX tail strut fork, so I cut the key off the wheel half and sanded the backs down until the wheel fit the kit forks, and then formed my own forks to fit. I added a band and fitting for the tail wheel door linkages to connect to. The main oleo is drilled into a bit, so that plastic rod will secure the oleo through the drilled out pivot blocks. I added a few bits of hexagonal plastic to simulate bolt heads on the pivot blocks. All of the hydraulics are out of sight above the wheel well, so no worries there.
 

The retractable tail wheel was not easy, and it took three attempts before I was happy. There’s a lot of interference in there, and the tolerances are tight even in this scale. The fuselage tail section can be assembled separately and fits nicely with no visible gaps. At least I can breath again. Next I have some priming to do and a bit of rescribing. Still waiting on some more aftermarket, I ordered the Armory block tread resin wheels, I would have preferred Z block tread, but no one is doing them so far. Also have the Airscale Sutton harness on the way now.

 

It took 3 sanding and puttying sessions to fill the cavities in the exhausts. There’s a real need for aftermarket exhausts here, I still have to replace the weld seams, as the sprue gates attach right in the middle of them. Unnecessarily complicated! I punched out some kabuki tape masks for the access panels on the wing, in preparation for priming. Something I have noticed, is that a lot of mating parts, ie left and right halves are of different thickness, even the rudder halves! More sanding than should be necessary. But I am still enjoying the build, and I have another on the way to build for a friend of mine, who wants it in George’Buzz’ Beurling’s markings. It’s going to be a lot easier, because I now know what to expect.

 

That’s it for now, I will be back at it soon.

Cheers

 

Jeff

[Thom216]

The construction before assembly! Impressive.

[David H]

Very nice! I always preferred the Mk VIII to the IX, because of the markings options.

 

-d-

[Warwolf]

Watching this VERY closely!

[MrB17]

Managed to make a few more modifications today. I installed the recognition light under the aft fuselage. I McGivered a hole saw from brass tube and it perfectly fit and cut out the housing from the cockpit floor. I had to curve the bezel first, and then I matched that curve on the housing. Very careful filing to get the hole correct size, so the bezel would sit flush. I taped the fuselage halves together and tack glued a very small section of the belly, just where the recognition light goes. I still had to sand a bit, to match the curve of the belly, but no putty required. In the photo, I placed the cockpit floor in position, to show how far aft the recognition light was moved. I am not sure I will bother to fill the hole, it would be very difficult to even see it.
 

More wing work. The Mk.III IFF blade antenna was scratched from acrylic square stock and filed and sanded to the correct dimensions.
The panel where it mounts was scribed, using .010” sheet styrene cut and filed to dimensions, as a template. I used fine brass tubing sharpened with a Dremel and by hand to make the outline of the rubber grommet that surrounds the antenna.

The leading edge fuel tank drains were added to the bottom, again using sharpened brass tubing, and a small drill. The filler caps were added to the top of the leading edge tanks, using the same technique. 
The wing leading edge fillets had to have some surgery to put the gun camera hole on the starboard and fill the hole on the port fillet. Using kabuki tape, I copied the opening on the port fillet, and transferred it to the starboard fillet. I filed it to match the part moulded on the lower wing that would normally be filed off for a Mk.IX, and filed off the port side. I cut the opening of the port fillet into a rectangle, and filed and fit a piece cut from leftover parts. No putty should be required.🤞

 

The rudder nav light was notched out, and I fabricated a proper shaped clear lens, with bulb indicated by drilling into stretched and sanded clear sprue. I brushed the outside with ‘Future’. leaving the “frosted bulb” visible.

 

 The padding on the seat back was filed and sanded, it looked a tad flat, and I wanted to give it a look, closer to what wartime photos show. I have the Airscale Sutton harness en route, the brass grommets sold me. I had the opportunity to strap into a Kittyhawk here for a photo shoot and I remember the harness well, and the brass grommets.

 

 I think I am going to continue with the Mk.VIII modifications in the cockpit now, moving the voltage regulator and moving and scratching components to the side walls and instrument panel, which will entail a few modifications to the Airscale cockpit upgrade. Essentially I am making it a Mk.VIII kit, before assembly, except the ailerons are finished.

 

Thanks to all the BM members who contributed to the “All the Spitfire questions” threads here. Also thanks for the comments and interest. Very helpful indeed. And I salute you up there Edgar 👍

 

Cheers

 

Jeff

 

[mick]

great progress

[MrB17]

Slow progress in the cockpit, a lot more differences than expected. The instrument panel is different, and I had to modify the Airscale parts as well. Although I have used photo etched many times, this is the first time I’ve had to cut things out and move them around.

 

The Airscale cockpit upgrade is very nice and I am adding a lot of little lights, knobs and switches. I cut out the flap lever and oil pressure gauge from the kit instrument panel and sanded the back off, much like removing resin moulding blocks, but on a very small scale. The elevator trim gauge was moved down, and holes were drilled to accommodate the lights, switches and dimmer knobs. There is a tail wheel down indicator light below the main gear indicator. The little frames for checklists were moved to the centre and the dimmer knobs were moved to the left. I added the photo etch to the inside of the instrument panel frame and added some .005 strip then used Radu’s riveter to make the rivets. I used Tamiya X22 clear to laminate the acetate over the decals and then the photo etch panels. I am pretty happy with how it looks.
 

I scratched a mount for the leading edge fuel tank gauges from leftover photo etch, and scratched the gauges by painting a piece of clear acetate black, then scratched the marks with a pin, adding a red pointer and then painted light grey, it worked better than I thought. The primer is moved up and an indicator light goes right below the yellow oil pressure gauge. A light and a red button are going to the left of the supercharger switch. Brass rod and plastic rod were used to make the lights and buttons and also the master switches to the far left bottom corner. I set the photo etched panel in place on the bulkhead and drilled all of the holes right through and into the plastic, the panel will be lined up with all of those brass pins, going right through.

 

I drilled out all of the lightening holes on all of the frames and then countersunk the holes to replicate the beveled flanges. I drilled out the antenna mount and removed some plastic from the battery mount, so it looks proper through the lightening holes. I filled the slots for the T section longeron that runs between frames 11 and 12, where the Perspex behind the canopy is located. The Mk.VIII uses a small diameter tube in place of the larger T section. I removed part of the longeron to the left of the pilot’s seat, in preparation for the voltage regulator relocation. Sanded down the dzus fastener surrounds on the cowlings, they should be flush. I’m hoping to finish the instrument panel this weekend and I will post photos when done. 
 

Something I have to iron out, is the top cowling, the Mk.VIII top cowling is the same as an early production Mk.IX, so not bulged. I am trying to determine just how much of a bulge the kit cowling has and figure out how to “flatten” it. I am not displaying the engine in either kit, so if necessary I will laminate sheet plastic to the underside of the top cowling, if I have to take it down that far. I am researching this in more detail. 

 

 I think the only things left in the cockpit are to scratch build the external tank jettison lever to the right of the seat and the fuel tank selector, below the right of the instrument panel. I also have the drawings for the 30 and 60 gallon external tanks, so I might scratch a 30 gallon tank as well.

 

The old kits on my work bench keep me humble as to how far we have come in model kits. I still do nostalgia builds of my old favourites. My Granny keeps me company.

 

The centre panel is just sitting on there, not the final position. I thinned out the rudder pedals and added the photo etch.

Cheers

 

Jeff

 

[HOUSTON]

Jeff 

Excellent  and exceptional  workmanship. 

Outstanding!

You are doing a grand job and your comprehensive  posts are very informative as are your clear  sharp photography. 

[MrB17]

Again not too much visible progress, but a lot more research. It’s the first time since Covid that I have had a flu! Anyway I discovered that a key feature is missing from the cockpit of the kit, for both the Mk.IX and VIII, the external tank fuel cock and jettison handle. I scratched one from card stock and made the lever for the fuel cock from scrap photo etch and plastic rod. I also scratched the wing fuel tank selector. I still have to add some tubing back to the left frame below the instrument panel. Also missing from the Mk.IX and VIII, is the main fuel cock, just to the right and partially mounted to the compass cradle. Fortunately Airscale includes the lever and panel in the cockpit set. I used the lever arm to scale the one for the wing tank selector and the external tank fuel cock.

You can see on the instrument panel that all of the switches and buttons and lights have been added, and also the primer pump moved up from the frame to the panel. The blob in the kit was cut off and I scratched a new one from plastic stretched sprue rod and tube.

 

I put the elevators together and horizontal stabilizers and the rudder. I replaced the small plastic hinge pins on the trim tabs with brass rod. The kit ones are destined to break off long before the kit is finished.

 

The other Spitfire Mk.IX kit has arrived as well as another Airscale cockpit upgrade and a couple of Sutton harnesses. I also ordered a harness for my Kotare Spitfire which is en route presently.

 

My friend that I am building the Mk.IX for, wants a pilot in the seat, so I am doing some serious reworking of an old Airfix Spitfire pilot figure. I’m trying to make him look as much like Buzz Beurling as possible. I did a dry fit to see if he fits in amongst everything and he does, much to my surprise. 
 

When I am feeling better, I will be doing a lot of airbrushing on both kits at the same time. Hope to have some good visible progress as soon as I can. I am still enjoying the build (now builds).

 

Cheers

 

Jeff

[Johnson]

9 hours ago, MrB17 said:

It’s the first time since Covid that I have had a flu!

Not nice! Hope you feel better soon. Do you get flu jabs?

 

Great work on the i/p. All looking very good.

 

9 hours ago, MrB17 said:

My friend that I am building the Mk.IX for, wants a pilot in the seat, so I am doing some serious reworking of an old Airfix Spitfire pilot figure. I’m trying to make him look as much like Buzz Beurling as possible. I did a dry fit to see if he fits in amongst everything and he does, much to my surprise. 

 

The original 1/24 Airfix Spitfire pilot (53 years old!) always looked OK I thought. I'm sure he'll be very pleased with the new improved Spitfire. 😀

 

Cheers,

[Keeff]

Theres some seriously impressive work and detailing going on! 👌

I'll be following along to see how it goes! 

 

Keith 😁 

[MrB17]

2 hours ago, Johnson said:

Not nice! Hope you feel better soon. Do you get flu jabs?

 

Hi Charlie, yes, I get flu shots, I am a diabetic, so I can’t take chances at my age. Plus my grandkids live across the street and visit daily, one’s in Kindergarten and the older in grade 2. I rarely go out anymore but they bring all the latest bugs home from school. However I cherish every moment with them.

 

The original 1/24 Spitfire Mk.I is still a great kit, it can use some tuning up but still looks good. When I finish the VIII and my friends IX, we are going to do a photo shoot with both, plus my old Mk.I for comparison, which I gave him in 75. I finished it as DW-K N3289 from 610 Squadron, there were no aftermarket decals back then or paint masks, so I hand cut my own from 3M masking tape, no kabuki or painters tape back then either. With the tools and technology we have now so much is easier to accomplish. My daughter has one of those Cricut (pronounced cricket) cutters and I bought some Tamiya kabuki sheets, so the Grey Nurse markings are going to be a little easier.
I’m still deciding on which one and which mouth, there’s 3 distinct styles, the original actually looks like a Grey Nurse Shark and is hand brushed, the second version is larger and wide open, (probably hand brushed also), and the teeth have shading and pink gums with some blood, the last type has fewer but much larger teeth and appears to be masked with no blood. The HF Mk.VIII from Temora in Australia is finished in Bobby Gibbes markings and features the last type of shark mouth. I am leaning toward the middle type but haven’t picked the aircraft yet.

 

Anyway I am feeling better today, so much sanding and preparation for airbrushing is in order.

 

Cheers

 

Jeff

[MrB17]

Sorry for my long absence, I’ve been dealing with a bug that just doesn’t want to go away. 
I managed to take some measurements of the top cowling, using the ordinates in the Monforton book. Measurements revealed that the top cowling is an early production cowling and not the later bulbous cowling. I established the fuselage datum with red plastic tape, the datum line doesn’t sit on the flat top, but further down. The real datum plaques usually have a little cross hair, but if you just find the centre of the disc, you can mark it yourself. I used 1/4” tape to mark the stations, in 1/24 they equal 6” and the ordinates are 12” apart starting from station 12, which is 12” from station 0. I used the red tape to establish the centreline on the top. Once I got the fuselage secured at 90o, I took the measurements using digital callipers and squares and straight edges. I wrote the stations and the actual measurements for early and late cowlings, along with the scale measurements, on the 1/4” tape, just to make sure. I made a small table showing the ordinates of both, converted to 1/24 scale. I’ll post it here with the photos below. It’s too bad that Airfix didn’t make the bulbous cowling, because the issue of the top cowling not fitting would have been solved for most, considering the kit itself is mostly representative of a Late Mk.IX. Although I am making mine a Mk.VIII and the kit cowling is fine for that, I am also making a Mk.IX late for a friend. I will need to find a way to add the bulge to the cowling, it won’t be too hard. There is definitely a market for a resin or 3D printed late top cowling, this would probably make it possible to make the cowls removable and fit back on.

 

Here’s what I managed to do with the two kits in the meanwhile. The wing components were put in place, none of the gun bays will be displayed open, although I installed some of the structures for added rigidity. I was very impressed with how all of the ribs and spars and wheel wells fit very nicely. I removed the parting lines from all the parts and sanded them very well, and they went in so smoothly. I assembled the propellers, and more subassemblies, while I wait for better weather to do my spraying. I had to drill out the holes on the Mk.IX frames and fill another 12 exhaust pipes. The Eduard ones look nice, they won’t be in time for these, but I could use them for my Merlin’s that I will display down the road. I am going to engineer (McGuyver) a mount for the propeller shafts, so I can use those engine components that would otherwise be serving no good purpose inside the nose. 
If it works well, I can post the dimensions and the stock I use. I received my Armory resin block tread tires and they look great. The flat spot on the main tyres is at an angle to allow for the camber, nice touch. There’s 2 tail wheels, one tyre says Palmer Aero, and the other says Aero, otherwise identical and it allows me to use the other one for the Mk.IX. I got another Airscale cockpit upgrade for the Mk.IX and the Sutton harnesses for both. I also have 1ManArmy stencils on the way. The only decals on either kit, will be in the cockpit and Buzz’s kill marks. I throw in a few photos of my Tuxedo “Jester”, he loves the Airfix Spitfire box, I have another box, but “Hector” my other Tuxedo, could care less. Anyway, enjoy the pics.

 

note: I redid the table below, after I noticed a dip and added more stations.

 

 

Jeff and Jester

[Keeff]

Your attention to detail throughout this build is amazing Jeff and each update is very informative. 

 

Keep them coming! 

 

Keith 😁 

 

[TempestV]

Is Hector 'helping'?

[Corky]

Great looking work Jeff!
 

Im learning a lot about the Airfix Spitfire from your postings.

I'm still chugging along with my out of the box Spitfire. The kit is a lot of fun and interesting engineering by Airfix.

 

Thanks.

[Johnson]

2 hours ago, TempestV said:

Is Hector 'helping'?

Not if he's anything like Pippin (our dog) and a major distraction from modelling (and just about everything else). Not that I'd change him!

 

Great stuff Jeff, enjoying your build!

 

Cheers,

[airscale]

Brilliant - excellent job so far and very interesting to watch

 

bravo

 

Peter

[PeteH1969]

That is the best use of an Airfix box I have seen in ages.

 

Good modelling as well.

 

Pete

[MrB17]

I’m going to feature Hector in my next post.

 

Cheers

 

Jeff