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Airfix Spitfire (early Mk IX) 1/72


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Here's a simple build of the new-ish Airfix 1/72 Spitfire. The pros and cons have been debated and it seems to me that most of the apparent discordances are easily fixable. I decided to do an early Mk IX in a different colour scheme and change the exhausts, propeller and radiators. As the canopy would be closed I didn't do much to the spartan interior.

First was to remove the later model wheel bulges and the narrow fairings.

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These were replaced by ones hacked from an early Frog kit (with a cutting disc on my new Xmas present Dremel), although there are plenty of aftermarket ones. These were available and about the right shape. The remainder of the Frog kit went into the bin, only to be retrieved as I had an idea! More later!

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They looked about right here. Basic assembly done without much added to cockpit.

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Faired in with some putty (thinned out Mr Surfacer) they look better. The panel lines were half filled with more Mr Surfacer and wiped off as I think they may be a little deep.

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The undersurface was treated in the same way. The radiators are enlarged by the addition of plastic card to the side - about a scale foot is needed. Again there are aftermarket items but the Pavla ones I have are also a bit narrow.

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Edited by Ed Russell
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We are doing a High Altitude Fighter Scheme. I quite like the MSG/PRU Blue schemes and have already done a CMR Mk VII in this scheme. 453 Sqn (http://decals.kitreview.com/decals/rrd4840reviewbg_1.htm)

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Incidentally, there is a misconception, not only on Britmodeller, that if an aircraft was finished in a particular scheme it was only ever employed on that assignment, eg HAFS marked aircraft spent their lives in high altitude work. Not so.

Here we are - painted Extracolour MSG on upper surfaces. I noticed the removal process for the wheel well bulges was not good enough and that's what the scraped off paint is.

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Back to the paint shop!

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Nice conversion, whats the scheme going to be? :thumbsup:

Edited by Ed Russell
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I've had that numerous times with Xtracylix, a weird marbling effect in the paint. Better thinning and mixing seems to cure it.

As for spare gun bulges. Try and get hold of one of the recent Kopro boxings of the KP Spitfire F.IX. It was recently given a light retool and has loads of alternate bits, mainly bulges for the wings.

Looking forward to seing the final result.

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I've had that numerous times with Xtracylix, a weird marbling effect in the paint. Better thinning and mixing seems to cure it.

But I was using the Extracolour enamel.... will try your tip though.

recent Kopro boxings of the KP Spitfire F.IX. It was recently given a light retool and has loads of alternate bits

Useful to know - more extra bits always welcome.

Continuing the build - Undersides painted with Testors PRU Blue - no pebbles here fortunately.

Now some decals

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Progress will appear slower now as the photos have just about caught up to real time!

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Okay, I'll try that. I have been using the Xtracolour brand thinner. It usually works okay but the 'pebbly' finish was apparent this time. I doubt these thnners go 'off' so it was probably a concentration/temperature/humidity effect - isn't organic physical chemistry wonderful!

I have finished the decals. I'm using the Rising Decals 'American Spitfires' sheet - I want to do all four of them on the sheet. Lots of unusual schemes - unfortunately out of print now. The stencils were cobbled up from various sheets - TallyHo and unused kit sheets. The Post-it note is the stencil for the painted out B-type wing roundel - scarcely visible in the picture but certainly there - done in the nearest Citadel colour to MSG.

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I can see a few minor problems here - silvering of some of the stencils being the worst. Hopefully matt varnish and weathering will hide it. USAAF Spitfires in the Med seemed to be quite weathered - no doubt a result of the harsh environment.

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I have really caught up to real time now - next is wheels, prop, exhausts then final finish.

Maybe I should clean up the workbench first?

Ongoing minor problems!

Can't decide whether to leave the wheel wells PRU Blue or back to the green or metal colours - the information is so damn confusing (and I have studied real Spitfires and read all the info here!). Help needed! I'm reasonably convinced about the gas detection patch for aircraft in ground attack role like this one!

Hi Ed: try thinning Xtracolour enamels with cellulose thinner. Works a treat and makes them cure a LOT faster too. Nice work, BTW :-)
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From here, your addition of the Frog cannon bulges looks much tidier - and probably less hassle - than my attempts to replace the entire cannon bay cover with the Pavla part. Well done.

Nick

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Apart from nearly sanding my fingerprints off, it was easy! (:>) I do have aftermarket Pavla and spare CMR ones to play with for later builds but this has convinced me not to hack into the Airfix (or probably any other) wings.

From here, your addition of the Frog cannon bulges looks much tidier - and probably less hassle - than my attempts to replace the entire cannon bay cover with the Pavla part. Well done.

Nick

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The Airfix wheels, exhausts and propeller are okay but the look of the model would benefit from their replacement - particularly the exhausts.

There are various options but the Red Roo 'Spitfire front End Kit' is an easy one. Being a small cog in the Red Roo wheel, I am biased.

But it gives a nice set of exhausts and a new prop. The Airfix exhausts are nothing like real ones - perhaps a restored one?

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This shows various Spitfire wheel options I had - CMR spares to the left, Airfix to the right. Middle is Hasegawa 4 spoke and CMR 3 spoke. (Sorry about crappy picture)

I ended up using the nice CMR 5 spoke wheels appropriate to this Spitfire.

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This shows how light grey Airfix are (like most plastic blades) a bit anorexic compared to pink RR ones and cream CMR ones. The Airfix are actually not bad - better than Hasegawa - and I could have used them without a problem. The grey Pavla ones are perhaps a little too paddle shaped.

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Here's the Red Roo front end kit and CMR wheels added. The backplate is a strip of white decal.

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Close up photos are very cruel - I can see I need to touch up the wheels and do something with the air intake. Perhaps a little more staining on the exhausts too.

Next some weathering and matt coating and it's finished.

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That's why my builds are three footers!

I admire the work in adding the early bulges. That is one aspect I still don't like - hacking up a kit, and then putting it back together so it looks like it was never touched. Nice job.

I still wonder when I'll get up the urge to do my ICM 48th MK VIII HF in that scheme

Is The other Spit the high altitude MK IXc Ju-86 interceptor? That was the first ICM build I did. For some reason I like the high altitude Spits.

Matt

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Is the other Spit the high altitude MK IXc Ju-86 interceptor? That was the first ICM build I did. For some reason I like the high altitude Spits.

No, it's a Mk VII - Okay, seeing you asked (and you aren't the first) here's a short digression on MD114 quoted from an answer to someone else.

The Red Roo decals are correct but you are not wrong in attributing MD114 to 312 Squadron in 1943. In early 1943 312 was in Somerset with 10 Group. They moved on 24 June 1943 for some 'rest and recuperation' to Skeabrae and thus moved to 13 Group. They were there for three months, moving back to 10 Group, this time at Ibsley, on 21 Sept 1943. While 312 were in Somerset, 453 were near them in Cornwall with 10 Group. A month after 312 had departed, 453 moved, on 15 October 1943 into Skeabrae and 13 Group, taking over the Spitfires that 312 had left behind. I don't know whether 312 left all its Spitfires (I don't think so, because they were equipped with the Vc model) but they did leave the HFVII's which were useful for deterring high flying Luftwaffe reconnaissance over Scapa Flow. I don't know whether 453 brought some Spitfires to Skeabrae but it is likely as they had converted to the Spitfire IXb. They stayed a Skeabrea for three months before joining 2TAF and converting to the Spitfire IXe. It is interesting that 453's code was FU, but there is some evidence that the HFVII's were left as DU. The picture on the decal sheet apparently came from RAAF files and shows that aircraft in early 1944.

So, both the CMR instructions on the HFVII kit and the Red Roo decals are correct. I don't think MD114 was ever officially assigned to 312 or 453. It's history from the Morgan and Shaklady book assigns it to the Skeabrae Station Flight, which is completely consistent with its history - not sure why 312 put their codes on it or whether it ever had other codes. It was damaged while 453 were using it and it later went to Boscombe Down for high altitude trials

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