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Tamiya Spitfire Mk XVIe, Steps 47-51. Engine, firewall and frame.


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You'll have a job getting those cannons to fit the fairings of the kit pieces. I ended up shaving off the kit parts leaving 2 holes per wing and trying to fair the Brass to the plastic with putty and Mr Surfacer. Master now do a set for the the Tamiya kit, picked some up at Telford. Not saying they're unusable, just a bit of a slog. 

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Hi Harv, thanks man. Your's will still be there when you're ready to get back to her. There's no race. :)

 

Hi Ade, thanks for the heads-up. I was n't aware of the Tamiys specific set. This was a knee-jerk pick up from a model store I visited recently. I saw them and thought "Perhaps they'll replace the kit parts". Time will tell if they do or not.

 

Hi DonH, thanks for stopping by. I'm working on the seat at the moment but I've sent off for a set of RB production's Sutto Q type harnesses so I shall have to wait until those arrive before I can post pics.

 

Hi Don, thanks for adding the image. Those do indeed look much more appropriate and the subtle details look superb. I have a way to go before I get that far so plenty of time to think on this issue.

 

Cheers.

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Hello folks,

 

After a short pause I've managed a little more on the Mk XVIe.

 

I decided that the etched metal belts that Tamiya were not suitable for this model for two reasons. The first is that they appear to represent an earlier type of Sutton harness than the ones fitted to this era of bird and secondly, the metal is hard to work even if it is annealed. With the decision made I looked around for aftermarket alternatives and opted for the RB productions QS type.

These took a week to be delivered but as soon as they were in my sticky mitts it was full steam ahead.

 

tn_Mk.%20XVI%20Spit.%20007_zps6kwxewqk.j

 

The set includes some very finely etched buckles and belts made from some type of pre-coloured paper.

I did lose a tiny piece to the carpet monster but managed to press a part of the original Tamiya etch into service to replace it.

 

tn_Mk.%20XVI%20Spit.%20006_zpsja5hmstz.j

 

The padding on the seat is wine bottle foil scribed with suitable lines. I drilled out the lightening holes in the seat support arms that Tamiya have rather curiously missed as well as the holes for the flares in the flare holder.

Some may have noticed that the outside of the seat is painted green. This was a choice based on a couple of reference images that I've collected and although it may not be absolutely accurate for this particular machine, it did give me the opportunity to give the impression of a little wear and tear to the seat.

 

At the end of the last update I was trying to make my mind up whether to add some plumbing or not.

In the end I chose to add the three wires on the stick, a wire from the handle on the right of the seat (drop tank release handle?) and the three copper wires on the left hand side of the IP bulkhead.

 

tn_Mk.%20XVI%20Spit.%20009_zpswawucxb9.j

 

I think Don pointed out that very little of this will be visible even with the canopy and door open but if it's fun, where's the harm?

 

tn_Mk.%20XVI%20Spit.%20008_zpszoj26m0h.j

 

The next step is the left hand cockpit sidewall which appears to be brimming with bits and bobs so I'm off to study some reference photos.

 

Thanks for stopping by and having a look.

 

Cheers.

Edited by geedubelyer
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...and they hang, or sit, so realistically don't they, which is the fundamental problem with PE belts.

Max

Definitely the reason that I try to avoid using the etched belts Max. I used the paper provided in the RB set on this build but in the past I've used strips of wine bottle foil which seems even easier to position.

 

Looking good, I'm just putting together some RB seatbelts for the Vb Trop and they are pretty realistic.

 

Cheers

 

Dennis

Thanks Dennis, I'm looking forward to seeing how your's turn out mate. They are such a visible item in the cockpit I think they're worth going the extra mile on.

 

{~snip~} Did you use the kit decals for the gauges?

 

Don

Thanks for the kind words Don, glad you like the cockpit so far. Yes, I used the kit instrument glazing and decals on this build. I would probably have preferred to fashion my own from actetate and Airscale decals but I could n't fathom out which instrument decals to use so took the easy way out.

 

Shoggz, Andy and Shawn, many thanks for the kind words, much appreciated, cheers

 

Bugger...I should've waited for these belts.

 

Regret...

Hi Shaka Hi, maybe on the next one, eh? FWIW, I think you made a great job of the etched belts on your Spit. They look better than I could have done. Keep at it.

 

Cheers.

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A quick update. Step 12. The left hand cockpit wall.

 

There are a number of elements attached to the wall and I've chosen to add a little wiring too.

 

tn_Mk.%20XVI%20Spit.%20003_zpsqq29bw0q.j

 

Adding some of the wiring and plumbing may prove a tad problematic for the right hand side in step 13 as some of the pipework from the undercarriage retraction lever crosses the instrument panel bulkhead. More of that in due course.

 

For now, here are a couple of quick snaps to show how the wall fits with the floor pan and seat. (step 14)

 

tn_Mk.%20XVI%20Spit.%20004_zpsc93ck6po.j

 

tn_Mk.%20XVI%20Spit.%20005_zpsqc2dqeog.j

 

Cheers.

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