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Hi folks, May I share some thoughts and photos of my recently completed 1/24th scale Airfix Spitfire please? (I know, not another Spitfire I can hear you thinking.....) I'm a big fan of this kit. Airfix did a terrific job IMHO. They really captured the look and sit of a Spitfire with this model so credit to them for that. The subject of this model is MK356 flown by the RAF's Battle of Britain Memorial Flight. Tragically this aircraft was lost on may 25th 2024 killing her pilot, Squadron Leader Mark Long. This build is my small tribute to him and his legacy. Blue skies Sqdn Ldr Long. MK356 was fitted with the E-wing so I used an aftermarket set for the canon and wing bulges along with the roof of the gear bays. I also added a set of wheels by Armoury which are a delight although I did tweek them a smidge. I'll detail a few more mods as we go along but for anyone interested in a more in-depth account please have a look at the WIP thread here In the above image #1 shows a small dink in the spinner noted in reference photos. #2 shows mild pinching where the spinner cap is screwed down tight. #1 above is a length of aluminium along the leading edge of the gear bay. I don't know it's purpose exactly (strengthening possibly?) but it is apparent in reference images of not just this airframe but other warbirds too. #2 shows a flap in the carb intake. This can be seen closed in some photos of Spitfires and open in others. This mod was just to add a little visual interest. Many of the fasteners (#1) were removed and recessed as seen on the full sized aircraft. Two breathers were added to the starboard engine cowling #" The wing fillet fasteners were enhanced as these are quite an obvious feature of many Spitfires.(#3) I used 1ManArmy masks on the prop blades but I had to modify the text and hand paint the "Rotol" logo. #1 #2 shows a vestigial fuel filler that I believe is a unique feature of MK356. It's very obvious in photos of her. #3 is a scratch built antenna and #4 are scratch built aerials. The scratch built RBF cover for the pitot is also visible in this image. A further aerial here at #1 #1 and #2 are what appears to be strengthening to the movable tail surfaces. Some of the texturing that I did to the fabric surfaces is also visible here. #3 is a scratch built lamp from clear sprue. This close up of the gear shows some added details including the interior detail in the bays created using a skin of metal foil embossed with rivet detail. I used MRP paints for the scheme and they spray beautifully. However, they aren't correct for this version of MK356. The dark earth is too pale and the sand is not yellow enough sadly. I have to say a huge thank you to Max, @mozart for the custom masks that worked perfectly and to Steve @Stevepd for the stencils that I used where I didn't have suitable 1ManArmy masks. Your help was invaluable guys, many thanks. A special mention to Carl Proctor too. Carl was extremely patient with my badgering him for information and came up trumps with imagery that I was struggling to find of the parachute pack, straps and wheel chocks. Thanks Carl Lastly thanks to everyone who accompanied me on the build thread. I truly appreciate everyone's kind words, encouragement and support as well as all of the help, suggestions and advice. This whole community is a wealth of information and knowledge that is difficult to top. I hope you enjoyed the build as much as I did. Here's to the next one. Cheers, Guy

Hello all of you fine people of LSP. May I share my new project with you please? Although I have already built one of the Airfix 1/24th scale MkIX Spitfires I felt this model was the ideal basis for a tribute to Squadron Leader Mark Long who perished whilst at the controls of his aircraft earlier in 2024. The aircraft was part of the RAF's Battle of Britain Memorial flight and had been well known on the airshow circuit for many years. At the time of the fateful incident she was wearing the desert markings of No. 92 squadron (QJ-3) so that is how I will depict her. As a restored warbird this aircraft sports a number of elements not seen on period aircraft. I will mention the ones I spot as I go along. She will also be quite clean. The BBMF keep there aircraft in generally good condition with the exception of exhaust staining. Many reference photos online show plenty of exhaust staining for me to get my teeth into later. The model will be buttoned up. No open panels, canopy closed with possibly even a modern RBF tag on the pitot This means that I won't be spending alot of time or energy on things that won't be seen. Whereas I included the Airscale aftermarket set for the cockpit of my previous build I aim to largely use the kit parts this time around with only minimal extra detail added. Having said that, here are a couple of pics of the seat. I'm trying to give the impression of a contemporary parachute pack. I've also replaced the flare holder with a scratch built one. This is quite an obvious feature even through the canopy so I wanted to improve it's look and shape. I started out thinking of simply drilling out the kit part but the plastic sidewall is so thick it was easier to fabricate a fresh one. I also re-shaped the seat backrest a little because pics online seem slimmer in appearance. So, we've begun our journey. As ever, any and all comments are welcome. If anyone can share images of MK356 or knowledge that may help along the way, please feel free to include it here. There are a couple of superb large scale Spitfire builds going on elsewhere so you can rest assured I will be following those like a hawk for all of the tips and tricks I can glean. Cheers, Guy

Hello all of you shiny, happy people. I hope everyone is well. A little while ago Airfix released a large scale MkIX Spitfire in 1/24th scale. I was lucky enough to be at the launch event and was blown away by the look of the models on display. I resolved there and then to treat myself to one. I got the kit in December 2023 and began it shortly after unwrapping it on Christmas day. The kit is substantial and relatively easy to build although it gets a tad unwieldy due to it's size so care must be taken in the latter stages of the build. For a kit this size the detail is good. However, there are many aftermarket parts available that improve the look still more. I opted to enhance the cockpit by scratch building a few elements and treating myself to the beautiful Airscale cockpit upgrade. To my mind this is a must for this model. It takes patience to assemble but improves the face of the cockpit no end. The other bits of aftermarket that I'd recommend would be a set of wheels, an entry door and exhausts. There are a few wheel sets available. The ones I went for were by Eduard The detail is great and the wheels look the part but for some reason the subtle molded in flat spot doesn't sit flat on the ground when they are fitted so some judicious sanding is required. If you choose to use these be aware of this before glueing them in place. The door is by Buchon models and is a definite improvement over the somewhat chunky kit part. Lastly, one area where Airfix really dropped the ball is the exhaust stubs. What were they thinking? For a start these are molded in two parts but not where a seam line falls. If two parts are necessary why not make the join along an actual seam? Also, there is a huge hole in the underside of each stub that has to be filled. I can't help wondering if the designer was off the day these were created and the janitor had a go..... Fortunately Eduard come to the rescue with a beautiful 3D printed set. Another must for this build in my humble opinion. Airfix include a plethora of markings but for this build I turned to a combination of 1ManArmy masks and some custom masks kindly created for me by Mozart here on LSP. Many thanks Max I was hoping that painting the markings would give better results in this scale. All of the masks worked beautifully and the fidelity of the stencils needs to be seen to be believed. Add one more to the "must have" list for this build. The 1ManArmy set replicates the markings offered in the kit but my aircraft depicts an aircraft of 412 RCAF sqdn. This squadron was formed in 1941 at RAF Digby in Lincolnshire which is only a stone's throw from where I live. Thank you for your patience so far. Now after this pre-amble it's on to the RFI photos. Setting a couple of hiccups aside (I lost one of the Eduard exhaust stubs) I'm pretty happy with how it turned out. If I were to build another I'd definitely thin the aft lip of the ailerons. I'd also buy a set of turned brass cannons. Getting the two part plastic components round and filled was too much fuss. For a kit assembler like me this Airfix product is nigh on perfect. Plaudits to them for giving us a very good representation of one of the most popular marques of Spitfire. Thanks for your time. I hope you enjoyed this. If you'd like a more in depth article please have a look here for the WIP thread. Cheers, Guy

Still on a break from my stalled FW-190 project I figured this little kit would be a short fun build. How wrong was I?! Turns out that for my shaky hands and poor eyesight its a fiddly little bleeder that requires to be painted and decaled before assembly... and then, when assembly starts is a fragile kit that lacks suitable holding positions... i.e. you can't place it upside down on a box lid for example whilst you work on the underside. Still, gripes aside (I like to whinge in my senior years), I have honestly enjoyed building it and am pleased with the result... although I think Airfix should up the skill level from 2 ! Another problem area I had was my decals. Not sure if it was due to the age of them or something having been spilt on them by the previous owner but they would just not separate from the backing paper and required a lot of coaxing to remove them. Additionally, I was aware that their thinness would mean the white was translucent - so during the build I first sprayed the white areas and then masked them off before painting the yellow and silver. This seemed to do the trick - although I'm sure more competent builders would probably do away with the decals and just use masks instead. Adaptions from the box kit were: - Replacement rocket tubes from Evergreen styrene tube and rod - Replacement AA missiles from Evergreen styrene rod and sheet - Replacement machine guns made from brass tube - Seat belt made from masking tape and wire - Fuel and brake lines from fishing line - Spark plugs by AnyZ - Spark plug cable and control cables from varying gauge wire Anyway, here it is:

I've just added the final touches to Airfix's classic 1/24th scale Stuka. This was actually the Heller boxing but the plastic is the same - @Erwingave me a great deal in this last year and I couldn't resist A great kit to build, and despite its age it's crammed full of detail, has some lovely surface detail and goes together really well. What you see here is as it comes in the box, with the only additions being some Eduard belts and a bit of extra plumbing in and around the engine. All paints were Xtracolour enamels. Ju-87 B-2 'Stuka' - 3/St.G2 - Northern France, August 1940 Picture 1 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr Picture 3 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr Picture 4 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr Picture 7 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr Picture 6 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr Picture 8 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr Picture 5 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr Picture 2 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr Picture 9 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr Happy modelling, folks! Tom

Evening all This is very likely to be my last completed model for 2017 - I've been working on it on and off since August and it crossed the finish line this week. I picked up this classic from Airfix at a model show for a mere £20, and set about building it for a bit of nostalgia and a love for one of WWII's unsung heroes (the Spitfire seems to get all the glory!) I built it more or less out of the box, but did use SAC metal undercarriage legs, an Eduard seatbelt set and aftermarket decals from Techmod. A bit of extra piping was added to the engine, but other than that it's as it comes. It fitted together pretty well - at least better than I was expecting for such an old kit. The wing roots were a little tricky and there was plenty of filler needed here - Archer rivets to the rescue to replace those lost in the filling and sanding process. The worst fitting parts were probably the landing light covers and these took a lot of careful trimming to get them flush with the leading edge. Some of the detail is a little clunky and not up to today's standards, but the surface detail is streets ahead of the Trumpeter offering, with beautiful raised rivets and lovely fabric effect on the rear of the fuselage. Paints were from the Xtracolour enamel range, with the flat cote from Humbrol. Hawker Hurricane MkIc, 306 (Polish) Squadron, RAF Ternhill, November 1940. For £20 it was certainly great value for money. Happy modelling! Tom

Hi guys; Here are three more profiles Thierry Dekker prepared for us for our new 1/24th scale Typhoon EagleCals. Thanks to Mark Proulx for his amazing research!