SaminCam Posted May 21, 2023 Share Posted May 21, 2023 Almost posted at the same time! This is looking awesome, seems like you've got the engine to fit perfectly if you can get it dry fitted this well. Great work! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeteH1969 Posted May 21, 2023 Share Posted May 21, 2023 Very nice work. What are you doing for the covers and cowlings that cover it all up? Pete 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Shearwater Posted May 21, 2023 Author Share Posted May 21, 2023 15 minutes ago, SaminCam said: Almost posted at the same time! This is looking awesome, seems like you've got the engine to fit perfectly if you can get it dry fitted this well. Great work! Thanks… I’ve had to do a lot of hacking of the internal fuselage, and sanding back of the lower engine firewall, to get it to fit. Not quite sure why, as they’re both Eduard products - I was assuming it would be seamless. I have a sneaking suspicion I’ve taken a touch too much off when I cut the forward fuselage/ cowling off, meaning the engine sits slightly further back than it would otherwise. My advice here is leave a bit extra on the fuselage, dry fit engine, and file back the fuselage halves as required. Hindsight eh! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Shearwater Posted May 21, 2023 Author Share Posted May 21, 2023 18 minutes ago, PeteH1969 said: Very nice work. What are you doing for the covers and cowlings that cover it all up? Pete Thank you! In short… I’m not! Always planned to display the model in “maintenance mode” with all cowlings removed. The Eduard engine kit does actually have a full set of cowlings, though it states that they’re not designed to fit on the model - presumably just for static display alongside. I’m in the middle of painting them up now so once the engine is glued in, and cowlings are dry, I can see how they fit. Probably won’t bother trying to mount them but it would be nice to have an option I guess! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SaminCam Posted May 21, 2023 Share Posted May 21, 2023 11 minutes ago, The Shearwater said: Thanks… I’ve had to do a lot of hacking of the internal fuselage, and sanding back of the lower engine firewall, to get it to fit. Not quite sure why, as they’re both Eduard products - I was assuming it would be seamless. I have a sneaking suspicion I’ve taken a touch too much off when I cut the forward fuselage/ cowling off, meaning the engine sits slightly further back than it would otherwise. My advice here is leave a bit extra on the fuselage, dry fit engine, and file back the fuselage halves as required. Hindsight eh! Yep, I've had exactly the same experience and pretty much come to the same solution with hacking away the spar that the engine is supposed to butt up against. I completely agree that keeping ~1mm on the fuselage and carefully filing back would fix the issue! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Shearwater Posted May 21, 2023 Author Share Posted May 21, 2023 7 minutes ago, SaminCam said: Yep, I've had exactly the same experience and pretty much come to the same solution with hacking away the spar that the engine is supposed to butt up against. I completely agree that keeping ~1mm on the fuselage and carefully filing back would fix the issue! Very relieved to hear it’s not just me! Thanks for the detail. I think I’ve pretty well removed all of the spar in that area. Thank goodness it’s not a flying model… 🤣 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Shearwater Posted May 23, 2023 Author Share Posted May 23, 2023 And she stands! Wheels now on, along with one aerial and some more PE bracing around the engine. Weathering completed (tried to keep it very subtle, at least on the top sides, as the real MH434 is lovingly looked after and kept very tidy). A coat of Vallejo satin varnish over the top flattens and seals the whole lot. Some more tidying up required, and of course the canopy and door still to be attached, but the end feels like it's in sight. Once again, poor quality iPhone pictures (I'll get some proper focus-stacked DSLR shots for the RFI post) and ignore the prop hanging off in the side-on shot, it's only a push fit at the moment! 10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Shearwater Posted May 25, 2023 Author Share Posted May 25, 2023 (edited) Well there we go, that's the building finished. A few bits of paint/weathering touch-up required I think, but I'll call the rest of it a day. Glazing on, along with the whip aerial and the door. The kit comes with some very nice PE, although the canopy mirror supplied is rectangular and therefore wrong for this aircraft (not sure if it's actually round on all Mk IXs, or just some). I rounded the end of a sprue arm and cut it off to make the hemisphere shape of the mirror, and attached a tiny offcut of plasticard for the mount. Possibly my most tiny and challenging scratchbuild item to date! The mirrored face is done with a chrome pen which is excellent for stuff like pistons, mirrors etc - I'll try to show that in the RFI pics when I can get round to them next week. And for those who have seen my more recent "Ready For Inspection" offerings involving the diorama scenes, you'll be unsurprised to hear that I'm planning similar for this one... here's a preview of one of the accessories. 1/72 scale spanners [well technically 00 gauge, or around 1/76] are proper 'carpet monster' fodder and at least one has disappeared for good!!! Surprised that I managed to paint / weather this lot reasonably well too... Edited May 25, 2023 by The Shearwater spelling 11 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zephyr91 Posted May 25, 2023 Share Posted May 25, 2023 Amazing work. I still keep having to check what scale we're in here. Rob 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
k5054nz Posted May 25, 2023 Share Posted May 25, 2023 (edited) WIth every photo I forget this is 1/72 and not the big Tamiya kit. W O W!!! I bet Sarah Carr and the OFMC team would love to see this. EDIT: while I was typing my post you shared the toolbox photo. My god!!! Edited May 25, 2023 by k5054nz 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Shearwater Posted May 25, 2023 Author Share Posted May 25, 2023 6 hours ago, Zephyr91 said: Amazing work. I still keep having to check what scale we're in here. Rob 5 hours ago, k5054nz said: WIth every photo I forget this is 1/72 and not the big Tamiya kit. W O W!!! I bet Sarah Carr and the OFMC team would love to see this. EDIT: while I was typing my post you shared the toolbox photo. My god!!! Thanks both… the toolbox is certainly cute! A few more accessories which will look good around the aircraft. In the meantime I’ve decided the whip aerial is too thick, so when I get home I’ll replace it with a thinner piece. Kind to mention the OFMC though I’m not on Facebook and I don’t think they’re on Twitter like me! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ForestRed Posted May 25, 2023 Share Posted May 25, 2023 Wow, that is really something, the detail and finish look amazing. I'm just returning to the hobby after 50 years! I've bought a few 1/72 scale kits to see how I get on, I think if I can achieve a fraction of what you (and others on this forum) have done with this i will be chuffed! Well done and I've enjoyed watching every bit of the build. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Shearwater Posted May 25, 2023 Author Share Posted May 25, 2023 21 minutes ago, ForestRed said: Wow, that is really something, the detail and finish look amazing. I'm just returning to the hobby after 50 years! I've bought a few 1/72 scale kits to see how I get on, I think if I can achieve a fraction of what you (and others on this forum) have done with this i will be chuffed! Well done and I've enjoyed watching every bit of the build. That’s very kind thanks, I’m certainly nowhere near the standard of lots of builders on here - it’s an inspirational website in that regard! Enjoy your builds 👍 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SaminCam Posted May 25, 2023 Share Posted May 25, 2023 8 hours ago, The Shearwater said: Actually said "wow!" out loud when I saw this! Also love the toolbox, are you going to have people in your diorama and if so which 1/72 figures do you like? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Shearwater Posted May 25, 2023 Author Share Posted May 25, 2023 13 minutes ago, SaminCam said: Actually said "wow!" out loud when I saw this! Also love the toolbox, are you going to have people in your diorama and if so which 1/72 figures do you like? thank you kindly! Yes, hope to incorporate a figure or two in there. I’ve got some Reed Oak resin figures which are just jaw-dropping in their accuracy and detail. Absolutely beyond any other figures I’ve found. Only problem is he’s a French gent who makes them so the delivery cost & time are a bit higher. See one figure in this diorama 👇 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
k5054nz Posted May 26, 2023 Share Posted May 26, 2023 17 hours ago, The Shearwater said: Kind to mention the OFMC though I’m not on Facebook and I don’t think they’re on Twitter like me! I sent a link to this thread to Sarah (Ray Hanna's daughter and Mark's sister for those unfamiliar with the name) on Facebook and she just got back to me: Quote This is phenomenal….. thanks so much for sending the link Zac, and please send him our heartiest congratulations on such extraordinary work 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Shearwater Posted May 26, 2023 Author Share Posted May 26, 2023 3 hours ago, k5054nz said: I sent a link to this thread to Sarah (Ray Hanna's daughter and Mark's sister for those unfamiliar with the name) on Facebook and she just got back to me: Wow that’s so kind, thank you… I hadn’t realised who Sarah was but goodness me, that’s some family heritage right there. Really appreciate the kind words 👍👍 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Shearwater Posted May 26, 2023 Author Share Posted May 26, 2023 On 25/05/2023 at 09:53, k5054nz said: WIth every photo I forget this is 1/72 and not the big Tamiya kit. W O W!!! I bet Sarah Carr and the OFMC team would love to see this. EDIT: while I was typing my post you shared the toolbox photo. My god!!! I’m away but it’s just occurred to me to clarify, in case anyone thought I’d built up the tiny toolbox, I haven’t… it’s a resin item (from Goodwood Scenics, a model railway supplier), as was the set of spanners. All I had to do was remove them from sprues; prime, paint and weather them; then lose a couple of the spanners before getting the remainders into the toolbox 🤣 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Shearwater Posted June 5, 2023 Author Share Posted June 5, 2023 Nearly forgot the most important accessory for any diorama featuring a Spitfire in a hangar... the oil drip tray! Just made this from a tiny rectangle of plasticard, edged with plastic rods; sanded, and painted aluminium. I think that's everything done now, hope to have the finished thing up in Ready For Inspection over the next day or two. Thanks to anyone who's stuck with me through this build and given feedback etc. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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