Steve Eagle Posted June 16, 2017 Share Posted June 16, 2017 I have the Grey Matters conversion kit, and had tried to use it with the Hasegawa Mk V kit. I wasn't satisfied with the results I was getting- no fault of the conversion set. Primarily due going from a Vb wing to a XII wing. I have acquired the Revell MK IX to try to use the set with it instead, and noticed that either I am nuts or the set/nose would end up being short in length. Just an FYI for those that might be considering this conversion. I plan to do further work into finding out what might be necessary to get this correct. MikeC 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cib2265 Posted June 17, 2017 Share Posted June 17, 2017 I'll be using Tamiya's Mk VIII with my Grey Matters kit. As I was building my stock VIII earlier this year (RAAF NMF) I had a few test dry fits and it looks at first glance to not be a problem. The clipped wingtips are included in the Tamiya kit as well, and of course, its much better detailed than anything else out there. I hope to make a start at it sometime later this year, want to build a couple more 1/32 kits first and maybe a practice 1/72 resin kit to get more used to dealing with that medium. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Eagle Posted June 17, 2017 Author Share Posted June 17, 2017 Welll, don't I feel the fool!! After checking all my dimensions several times, I discovered that I had forgotten to take into account the length added by the pointed rudder. Therefore, indeed, the Grey Matters Mk XII conversion will create the correct total length as published in different sources. On the path now to do the conversion some justice. MikeC 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chek Posted June 17, 2017 Share Posted June 17, 2017 The irritating thing about a Spitfire XII conversion from an available kits POV, is that you need a proper 'C' type armament wing, with a Spitfire I - V style radiator arrangement, which is only commonly available in 1/32nd scale from a Spitfire Vb kit. And a broad-chord rudder as you say, with late production batch ones (based on the Mk VIII airframe) having the retractable tail wheel also. MikeC 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dennismcc Posted June 18, 2017 Share Posted June 18, 2017 If you can find one the Paragon Mk. XII conversion set for the Hasegawa kit is superb, I built one many moons ago and was very pleased. Cheers Dennis MikeC and Rick Griewski 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeC Posted June 18, 2017 Share Posted June 18, 2017 (edited) I'm pondering using my Paragon XIV on a Tamiya VIII, but there's always that consciousness that you're cutting up a £100 + kit. I know there shouldn't be too much actual cutting (I hope) but the problem will be whether the cross-sections match, or at least are near enough. Edited June 18, 2017 by MikeC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dennismcc Posted June 18, 2017 Share Posted June 18, 2017 (edited) Below is the Paragon Mk.XII and a Warbirds Mk. XIV conversion both using the Hasegawa kit as a base. The XIV And Mk. XII Cheers Dennis Edited June 18, 2017 by dennismcc MikeC, cib2265, nmayhew and 1 other 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BloorwestSiR Posted June 18, 2017 Share Posted June 18, 2017 I used the RB XIV conversion on a Tamiya VIII kit. It wasn't a perfect match in terms of the cowl profile and the fuselage but I made it work. Carl MikeC, indian70, Rick Griewski and 1 other 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alaninaustria Posted June 19, 2017 Share Posted June 19, 2017 Below is the Paragon Mk.XII and a Warbirds Mk. XIV conversion both using the Hasegawa kit as a base. The XIV And Mk. XII Cheers Dennis Damn Dennis! Those are really beautiful models!! Outstanding! Cheers Alan .... any links to the actual builds? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dennismcc Posted June 19, 2017 Share Posted June 19, 2017 Apologies Steve for the slight detour Damn Dennis! Those are really beautiful models!! Outstanding! Cheers Alan .... any links to the actual builds? Hi Alan, The links are below, they are quite old now though. http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/17142-spitfire-mk-xii/& http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/20189-spitfire-mk-xivc/?hl=%2Bhasagawa+%2Bwarbirds+%2Bspitfire+%2Bxiv Cheers Dennis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
indian70 Posted June 24, 2017 Share Posted June 24, 2017 I was working on a Grey Matter/Hase MK.VI,but I botched it up.The Revell MK.IX may be the way to go.I'd like to see a built model. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elger Posted June 24, 2017 Share Posted June 24, 2017 I would recommend against using the Grey Matter nose on a Revell kit. My impression from a side by side comparison is that the Revell fuselage is taller by a couple of mm than the noses of the Hasegawa, Tamiya and as well as the Trumpeter kit. The Grey Matter nose seems to fit all of the three latter kits reasonably well, but the Revell fuselage seems too tall - I think that there will be major issues trying to make it fit. In fact, in terms of overall dimensions, the Hasegawa, Tamiya and Trumpeter nose sections are actually quite comparable. In addition, my impression is that the wing to fuselage fit of these three kits would also mostly interchangeable - obviously with a bit of work. The Revell kit's nose is the odd one out if you compare the 4 kits. Its wing root is also different form the other three. (Although comparable at the base, Trumpeter's wings are decidedly more pointy towards the tip - Tamiya, Hasegawa, and Revell wings are more similar to each other in overall shape). There's also the Jim Brown conversion set, aimed specifically at the Revell kits. Originally designed for the Mk II, you could probably easily fit it to the newer IX kits (find a solution for the oil cooler). https://www.largescaleplanes.com/news/news.php?nid=182 The thing is, I think that the Grey Matter conversion parts are of slightly better quality. The nose shape looks better, the panel lines are more sophisticated. The bulges of Brown's set on the front end don't blend into the sides at the bottom as they should - they stand out just in front of the exhausts - there is an "overhang". The exhausts of Jim Brown's set are a little better than Grey Matter's though (but both are significantly smaller than the Tamiya IX parts). The Grey Matter nose is a little longer than Jim Brown's. In fact, Brown's parts are *exactly* the same length as the original Revell II nose section. Of course, the Revell II nose is a bit too long to begin with, but it probably is a couple of mm too short for a mk XII fuselage. So, while using the Jim Brown nose on a Revell kit would be the easier option in terms of fit by far, for a better looking XII it's my impression that you'd be better off fitting the Grey Matter nose to either the Hasegawa, Tamiya or Trumpeter kits. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alaninaustria Posted June 24, 2017 Share Posted June 24, 2017 Apologies Steve for the slight detour Hi Alan, The links are below, they are quite old now though. http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/17142-spitfire-mk-xii/& http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/20189-spitfire-mk-xivc/?hl=%2Bhasagawa+%2Bwarbirds+%2Bspitfire+%2Bxiv Cheers Dennis Thanks Dennis! Those builds look just great!! Thanks for sharing the build links! Cheers Alan dennismcc 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
indian70 Posted June 27, 2017 Share Posted June 27, 2017 I would recommend against using the Grey Matter nose on a Revell kit. My impression from a side by side comparison is that the Revell fuselage is taller by a couple of mm than the noses of the Hasegawa, Tamiya and as well as the Trumpeter kit. The Grey Matter nose seems to fit all of the three latter kits reasonably well, but the Revell fuselage seems too tall - I think that there will be major issues trying to make it fit. In fact, in terms of overall dimensions, the Hasegawa, Tamiya and Trumpeter nose sections are actually quite comparable. In addition, my impression is that the wing to fuselage fit of these three kits would also mostly interchangeable - obviously with a bit of work. The Revell kit's nose is the odd one out if you compare the 4 kits. Its wing root is also different form the other three. (Although comparable at the base, Trumpeter's wings are decidedly more pointy towards the tip - Tamiya, Hasegawa, and Revell wings are more similar to each other in overall shape). There's also the Jim Brown conversion set, aimed specifically at the Revell kits. Originally designed for the Mk II, you could probably easily fit it to the newer IX kits (find a solution for the oil cooler). https://www.largescaleplanes.com/news/news.php?nid=182 The thing is, I think that the Grey Matter conversion parts are of slightly better quality. The nose shape looks better, the panel lines are more sophisticated. The bulges of Brown's set on the front end don't blend into the sides at the bottom as they should - they stand out just in front of the exhausts - there is an "overhang". The exhausts of Jim Brown's set are a little better than Grey Matter's though (but both are significantly smaller than the Tamiya IX parts). The Grey Matter nose is a little longer than Jim Brown's. In fact, Brown's parts are *exactly* the same length as the original Revell II nose section. Of course, the Revell II nose is a bit too long to begin with, but it probably is a couple of mm too short for a mk XII fuselage. So, while using the Jim Brown nose on a Revell kit would be the easier option in terms of fit by far, for a better looking XII it's my impression that you'd be better off fitting the Grey Matter nose to either the Hasegawa, Tamiya or Trumpeter kits. Elger,do you think the Revell MK.IX wing would mate up to the Hasegawa/Grey Matter fuselage? Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Artful69 Posted June 27, 2017 Share Posted June 27, 2017 I would recommend against using the Grey Matter nose on a Revell kit. My impression from a side by side comparison is that the Revell fuselage is taller by a couple of mm than the noses of the Hasegawa, Tamiya and as well as the Trumpeter kit. I wasn't aware there WAS a Trumpeter Kit?? ... I've never seen one in my 1/32 hunts online! Could you provide the kit/product number? ... If, on the other hand, you're referring to the Hobbyboss kit - don't bother ... false alarm! Rog Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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