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Tamiya Spitfires- HF VII and VIII


BloorwestSiR

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With a pair of Spitfires for the Jurassic Plastic and Keep it Civil group builds on the bench, I got carried away and started working on another pair that I've wanted to do for some time.

 

The unique looks of the the HF VII with its extended wingtips and Ocean Grey/PRU Blue paint scheme has had a big appeal to me.

 

Likewise, the VIII with the iconic Grey Nurse shark mouth is hard to resist.

 

The biggest challenge for building a VII was the deeper rear canopy section and the rear pressure bulkhead. Roy Sutherland's build of the VII in the "How to Build Tamiya's Spitfire" book was a great source of inspiration. Unfortunately it didn't cover how to make the rear canopy. I cut and spliced two canopies together to get the correct depth, hoping to use it as a master for a smash moulded replacement.

 

 

IMG_20170101_225852.jpg

 

Unfortunately it didn't work out with the sheet plastic melting and deforming my master.

 

IMG_20170101_234435.jpg

 

Guess I should have expected that but that was my first try at this sort of thing.

 

My second try, I simply bent the plastic sheet to the right shape. This seemed to work out much better.

 

 

IMG_20170101_234447.jpg

 

With that out of the way, I turned my attention to the fuselage modifications. I started by cutting away the rear section to match the new canopy. Here is the modified one in front of the VIII fuselage.

 

IMG_20170101_235728.jpg

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For Grey Nurse, I decided I wanted to do in flight and use the display stand that Tamiya includes with the kit. Of course this meant a pilot figure would be required. The kit figure is in the typical European flight uniform which would be far too warm for Pacific based crews. Fortunately Master Details released a suitable figure.

 

Comparing his torso to the kit pilot revealed that he was significantly taller in stature.

 

IMG_20160314_215253.jpg

 

This is even more apparent when he's seated in the cockpit which I dry fitted to see.

 

 

IMG_20160314_215611.jpg

 

Vs. the kit pilot:

 

IMG_20160314_215631.jpg

 

Time for some mods here.

 

Carl

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A small update here. I attached the pilot's legs and then started trimming away the parachute so that he could sit lower in the cockpit.

 

IMG_20170202_212507.jpg

 

At the same time, I trimmed the seat down to get him further into the "bucket" of the seat. By the time I was done, there wasn't much of a bucket left.

 

IMG_20170202_212531.jpg

 

Carl

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Just about to do that exact same figure for my NMF Tamiya 1/32 Mk VIII Spitfire - will follow for sure...

 

Its a pity you need to attach the 30 gallon slipper tank to use the inflight stand....i wonder if theres a work around? 

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Just about to do that exact same figure for my NMF Tamiya 1/32 Mk VIII Spitfire - will follow for sure...

 

Its a pity you need to attach the 30 gallon slipper tank to use the inflight stand....i wonder if theres a work around?

I think if you're looking to attach it permanently, you could drill a hole in the lower wing and fit the nut from the inside. I used their stand on a 1/32 X-15 and that's how I did it.

 

87c1717ca4fe5f878c3b5e0f9479f2dd.jpg

 

d9f69dfc7e207089400444abf5363df9.jpg

 

It's attached with the screw so is removable but you'll have the hole showing.

Edited by BloorwestSiR
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Carl, what's with this obsession with Spitfires? There's gotta be a story behind this...if I'm not mistaken, it's not even your favorite AC??!?

I'm not really sure Shaka. I think a lot of it has to do with how great the Tamiya kit is and that I've been able to get them at a decent price.

 

It's also lent itself to building other variants without too much work.

 

Carl

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Building 2 Spitfires at once, sounds good to me, the HF VII is a very attractive looking aircraft and I remember the same article firing me up to build one, but alas as usual I was sidetracked by some other builds. So I will be very interested to see how this one goes.

 

Cheers

 

Dennis

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Building 2 Spitfires at once, sounds good to me, the HF VII is a very attractive looking aircraft and I remember the same article firing me up to build one, but alas as usual I was sidetracked by some other builds. So I will be very interested to see how this one goes.

 

Cheers

 

Dennis

Thanks Dennis!

 

I really wish Barracudacast had released a conversion set for it after he did the article and made the masters.

 

I emailed him asking if he was going to but never got a reply.

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With the seat and the pilot's parachute pack cut down, it was time to see how it all worked together. I painted and attached the seat to its bulkhead and then dry fitted it doing with the IP.

 

IMG_20170204_152749.jpg

 

As you can see, this is a really tall pilot.

 

So some foot surgery was required.

 

IMG_20170204_152857.jpg

 

I did a test fit in the fuselage to see how he looked:

 

IMG_20170204_153136.jpg

 

With his head in place and the windscreen on:

 

IMG_20170204_160238.jpg

 

I think I'm in the clear now. Except that I now have to paint a figure.

 

Carl

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