Alan P Posted December 24, 2023 Share Posted December 24, 2023 Hi everyone, and a very merry Christmas to you all! This is kind of an early Christmas present (bit of a shameful story, but fellow addicts will empathise...!) So basically, I pre-ordered this back in August and it arrived unexpectedly about a week ago. Wifey P thoughtfully decided it should be a Christmas present (which meant taking it away from me, dashed unsporting, I thought ) Unfortunately she never got round to wrapping it due to a busy pre-Xmas work schedule, so it was sitting staring at me from the top of the pile all week, taunting me with all of its lovely Kotare goodness Anyway - as she was at work all day today and I was off, I thought it would be rude not to start it, so I did . Of course, I replaced the box back where it was this evening, so no harm no foul. (unless she reads this, then I'm definitely for the chop ) So that bit of naughtiness notwithstanding, Kiwi Santa was good to me this year! The kit is well-documented (at least the previous Mk.1a Mid-Late versions) so I'll just give you the quick intro: The instructions are awesome. Really well produced and packed with references and tips. This is the early Mk.I 19 Sqn pre-war option which I will be building. Just looks so good with the oversize roundels and aluminium dope undersides. Lovely! Instructions include lots of helpful references. Also using the excellent Wingleader book packed with helpful modellers' references. This is the additional Sprue F with the early features. There is also a plethora of canopy options - different hood shapes, open, closed, with and without bulletproof windscreen. The other sprues imply there may be plenty of other Kotare Spitfires coming down the track from Auckland in the future. Because I pre-ordered I also got the 3D-printed Mk.I exhausts included as well! The decal sheet is comprehensive with cockpit placards, instruments and stencils as well as the full set of roundels and codes for all three options. The quality and legibility of these is astonishing, and printed by Cartograf of Italy. Well - all in all, a kitset worth waiting for, which is why I couldn't Alan 11 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan P Posted December 24, 2023 Author Share Posted December 24, 2023 This is such a lovely, well-engineered kit. I've never seen a Wingnut kit before as WW1 holds ZERO interest for me, but I understand it's the same creative team behind Kotare. I've seen various comparisons drawn but the tooling and design are first rate. The design of the wing assembly is particularly clever with the main wing/fuselage join independent of the awkward double-jointed wing root seam, which is the bane of most other Spitfire kits. There's so much good detail in there out of the box, and it builds up in a logical process which just makes you feel good to be building it. The cockpit of the early Spits was a bit of a cocktail of different primers and colours, so it will be quite interesting to assemble. Here are all the main cockpit components primed and ready for some paint. This is a totally feelgood kit(set), I would unreservedly recommend as an OOB build for a jaded AMS-sufferer or as a mojo-rebooter. Definitely more of this to come soon! Alan 19 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spitfire Posted December 24, 2023 Share Posted December 24, 2023 Bad man, though looking at the kit it was perfectly understandable behavioure, so was completely forgiveable. It certainly looks a really well thought out kit, I haven't even opened mine yet as I am determined to finish the two that I am building at the moment, so opening the box would have the same effect on me and I would have to start it as I am partial to Spitfire kits. Looking forward to more progress, presumably after the big day. Cheers Dennis 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Retired Bob Posted December 24, 2023 Share Posted December 24, 2023 1 hour ago, Alan P said: Here are all the main cockpit components primed and ready for some paint. Alan, Alan. When you said you'd opened your 'prezzie' while SWMBO was at work, I thought you had just done some sprue fondling or at the worst, dry fitted a few parts. But now there is primer involved! Tut,tut. I'll let you off as it does look lovely, I have managed to resist so far as I have too many kits already. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigbadbadge Posted December 24, 2023 Share Posted December 24, 2023 Crikey, very cheeky Alan , you will get a lump of coal in your stocking!!! It does look a very nice kit though and looking forward to seeing the future releases. Great start Chris 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan P Posted December 24, 2023 Author Share Posted December 24, 2023 14 minutes ago, bigbadbadge said: Crikey, very cheeky Alan , you will get a lump of coal in your stocking!!! I know, I'm terrible 🫣 but Santa doesn't do takebacks so I've still got my Spitfire 😂 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan P Posted December 27, 2023 Author Share Posted December 27, 2023 Welcome back to this now totally legal build this is shaping up to be an epic build experience. This is just such a nice kit! Really easy to plan and build. Using AK Xtreme Metal Duraluminium and White Aluminium for the unpainted bits and MRP FS35227 Green for the Supermarine 'Apple' Green interior. Other parts like the seat and control column are painted with MRP RAF Cockpit Grey Green. It's a subtle difference but so is the original. Don't know how 'period' this airframe is (it's the cockpit section/fuselage in the BoB Museum at Manston) but it's a useful reference for a Mk.I Spit cockpit. Various frames in green and Aluminium, plus the flare chutes from the kit. Here are all the bits from the kit I've managed already. This kit is so good it's practically therapy Looking forward to the details and placards, this cockpit is going to look great when done. Cheers, Alan 11 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan P Posted December 31, 2023 Author Share Posted December 31, 2023 More progress on this lovely kit. It's really been fun to build so far. Today was all about detail painting, and there's plenty of detail to paint! The floor and lower sidewalls are very well represented. Interior decals and placards are finely detailed as well. Mig Dark Wash applied, but not too heavy. You've probably seen a bazillion of these Spitfire cockpit photos on Britmodeller, but I just really like the way Kotare has modelled this. The instructions were also excellent for pointing out which bits to include or chop off for the different time frames - it looks like the early Spits went through a plethora of changes internally, externally and painted appearance. This is all out of the box with moulded seatbelts - the instructions show where to add additional wiring and detail, but I just want a simple therapy build OOB (it's working well so far!) Kit IP with decals. I think I put the oxygen bottle decal on the wrong way round, but they're so thin I didn't want to reposition it, so it took one for the team I will probably add the wire attaching the harness to the rear fuselage, but that's going to be it for extra detail! With flare chutes added. If you got bored making the kit*, I suppose you could turn this into a little speedboat with an outboard Looking forward to getting the fuselage stuck together, because the fit looks very good indeed. Cheers and a very Happy New Year to all Alan *If you get bored making this kit, take up golf or birdwatching, because modelling isn't for you 19 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
galgos Posted January 1 Share Posted January 1 I get the impression that you’re enjoying this then Alan? I have both the “early and mid” to do at some point in 2024, looking forward to both. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mick Posted January 1 Share Posted January 1 look forward to your build 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan P Posted January 12 Author Share Posted January 12 Been able to do a bit of work on this - it's still wonderful to build! I skipped photographing some of the steps, like the fuselage closing up and the wings interior, but here it is fully assembled. The fit is just satisfying, apart from some seams along the leading edges. But look how well everything lines up! All the usual problem areas with Spitfire kits are just absent - the wing-to-fuselage join, the trailing edge fairing into the fuselage, wing dihedral - it's all taken care of out of the box. Also - the only putty I've used is to fill in superfluous access panels. There's no joins, other than realistic panels. Added some extra cable detail for the harness but other than that this is just what's in the box. Most of the bits are painted or primed already, next step is painting. Looking forward to it! The green looks a bit USAAF here, but I think it's just my phone camera. That's a very good, accurate early Spit cockpit out of the box. I hope there are more of these in my modelling future! So far I've collected the Brian Lane boxing of the Mid version, but the Va and IIa are in the offing, along with hopefully a Vc. This surface detail is just I hope I do it justice in the paint stage. Hey - this could be the most mojo-boosting kit I've ever made. Thanks Kotare, those guys really have their poo-poo together 13 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigbadbadge Posted January 12 Share Posted January 12 Great progress Alan, great to hear it's such a good kit, certainly does look good, the cockpit details look fantastic. Great work Chris 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spitfire Posted January 12 Share Posted January 12 Looking good, sounds like you are having fun with a very well engineered kit, looking forward to building mine. Cheers Dennis 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stew Dapple Posted January 13 Share Posted January 13 8 hours ago, Alan P said: this could be the most mojo-boosting kit I've ever made. 100% in agreement Alan, I finished mine thinking I might be a better modeller than I am Kotare have gone to a lot of trouble so that I didn't have to, the kit must have been designed by a modeller who hates filling and sanding as much as I do. Yours is looking a beauty and I'm sure you will be pleased with the end result Cheers, Stew 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan P Posted January 13 Author Share Posted January 13 5 hours ago, Stew Dapple said: I finished mine thinking I might be a better modeller than I am 😂😂😂 That's a perfect way of expressing what it's like to build this! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrahamB Posted February 16 Share Posted February 16 Thanks for putting up this thread and being brave enough to show a build-in-progress. This kit is my next project after finishing (at some indeterminate time in the future....) the Airfix 1/48 Anson in Kiwi colours. Cheers, GrahamB 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan P Posted March 22 Author Share Posted March 22 Well, I took along break from modelling due to the low temperatures, but I'm back now! Several days' worth of modelling to follow: Paint went on well - all from the Colourcoats range. This will NOT be heavily weathered, it's only just entered service! Don't know if it was me and my spraying inadequacy, but it went on a bit thick in places so I had to micromesh it down to a smooth surface. Some bits will need a touch-up. But so far, mission success! Alan 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan P Posted March 22 Author Share Posted March 22 Couldn't leave it like that for long, so the decals went on after a layer of Gauzy Intermediate gloss coat. Got to love that garish look with the oversize yellow-banded roundels! The decals from the Kotare kit are superb. No trouble at all and went down very tight with Micro Set/Sol. I used the Kotare instructions along with the excellent Wingleader Mk. I/II Early guide. The ejector chutes for the shell cases seemed to be taped or covered over on these early airframes, so I experimented with the supplied Kotare decals. They looked like a good simple solution. Flat coat next... 10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan P Posted March 22 Author Share Posted March 22 The flat coat followed next day - it was VMS Varnish, a new product I picked up at SMW last year and went on VERY flat. I might have to add some satin varnish as this looks a bit too much. It also reacted a bit to the residual Micro Sol leaving a sort of snail trail along the walkway lines and just by the right aileron. Need more practice with it obviously, but it's literally taken the gloss off this build for me. 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan P Posted March 22 Author Share Posted March 22 Added some light weathering on the inboard wing & root but it looks a bit lifeless to me. My next Kotare Spit will be better! Next step will be going round to touch up all the paint and cover the crappy snail trail bits and silvering that occurred after the flat coat. I'd guess the VMS needs more thinning to get the dull sheen I like. Or else I'll be going back to trusty old Xtracrylix Flat. I know you're thinking karma has bit back after the Christmas deception, and you may be right!!! 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan P Posted March 22 Author Share Posted March 22 A week or so later I was able to tidy it all up and add the landing gear and other details. Unfortunately, the anti-spin chute guard on the fin pinged out of the tweezers holding them while stored in the airing cupboard to dry So that's more of a dimensional jump than a simple carpet monster. I wrote to Kotare who have despatched a replacement post haste! They're a really good modelling company, please support this kind of goodness 🥲 Ever since I first saw these in the wild i thought they made the most Spitfire-looking Spitfire kits I'd ever seen. I still believe that. Believe it or not, this is the first kit I've ever built of any subject from before WW2! Just the finishing touches to go! Cheers, Alan 13 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimT Posted March 23 Share Posted March 23 Great build so far. Thanks for sharing all the photos and the detailed build log. Your work compliments what's clearly a great kit, and it all just adds to the temptation to get one. It's great to read and see how much you're enjoying this one. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
corsaircorp Posted March 23 Share Posted March 23 Really impressive build Alan !! You did great !! Sincerely. CC 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigbadbadge Posted March 23 Share Posted March 23 Lovely looking early Spitfire Alan great work, glad you were able to sort the Microsol reaction. I used to suffer the same thing with the Matt varnish, but over the oil wash panel lines, I found a coat of Klear over the model prior to Matt Coat and it prevents any issues. Great work on this beauty Chris 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan P Posted March 23 Author Share Posted March 23 Thanks all @TimT @corsaircorp and @bigbadbadge, very much appreciated 😊 The replacement spin chute guard just arrived, so I will finish this today 😁 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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