Revell 1/32 Spitfire Mk.IIa kit - Built as a 54 Sqn Spitfire Mk.Ia.

[LSP_Kevin]

I would be grateful if Kev or one of the other staff members could move this thread over to the WIP forum please and I will re-title it accordingly.

 

Moved! You can re-title the thread yourself though Derek - just edit the first post and choose "Use full editor".

 

Kev

[Derek B]

Moved! You can re-title the thread yourself though Derek - just edit the first post and choose "Use full editor".

 

Kev

 

Thanks Kev, will do. I will still carry out my assessment, but it will now become a WIP build. All 54 Sqn Spitfire information would be most gratefully accepted as I really need to know what the colour scheme and markings would have been on these aircraft between July and September 1940? (If I am correct, I think that the scheme in the above photographs was only current up until May 1940?).

 

Derek

[Loic]

Hey dude, good to see you decided to start this one

Looking forward to your progress !

[mattlow]

Also looking forward to watching you progress this one.

 

Matt

[Derek B]

Next job was to sort out those wing root bulges. I used a round file to correct the problem, followed by sanding.

 

 

 

 

Starting from the front of the aircraft, the propeller was the next thing to tackle. I intend to install a Rotol prop on my aircraft, even though it will be a Mk.I Spitfire (more of which later). However, for completeness, I have also corrected the DH Constant Speed (CS) Variable Pitch (VP) propeller that comes with this kit simply to illustrate how I approached the issue.

 

 

Apologies for the above shots being slightly out of focus. The kit spinner is a little too pointed, so I reduced it slightly to make it less so.

 

The kit propeller blades are generally very well shaped and are commendably thin; however, they are somewhat 'paddle bladed' at the tips (too wide) to correctly portray DH CS VP blades, so the upper halves of the blades needed to be modified (made thinner an more pointed) in order to correctly represent the correct blade shape.

 

 

 

The spinner diameter has already been identified as being too large in diameter, and should be approximately 19.5mm to be correct (making is similar to the Hasegawa kit size). The spinner was glued together and hand chucked with a taper through the back, then hand spun on a file and wet and dry paper until the correct diameter was obtained.

 

 

 

Hasegawa spinner backplate against the Revell kit spinner for comparison after diameter reduction.

[Loic]

[Derek B]

Modified Revell and standard Hasegawa kit spinners back to back.

 

 

The spinner backplate detail was scribed onto the spinner and fastener details added.

 

As the spinner was now assembled, the blades were difficult to install and locate. the blades location pins were shortened very fractionally (essentially only removing the domed ends) so that they could be inserted from the outside of the spinner and be correctly located and attached.

 

To ensure that all three propeller blades would be equally spaced and angled (and to help me check the correct diameter) on the spinner, I created a very simple rigging template.

 

 

 

 

The standard Revell kit blades are correct in length, giving the whole propeller assembly a dimension that matches the template (no adjustment to the blade lengths required, only re-shaping). I think that it now looks a little more like the DH CS VP propeller should do. Next up is the Rotol propeller.

 

Derek

Edited October 1, 2014 by Derek B

[Loic]

Looks good to me

[Pascal]

Still going strong Derek, great work !

[Chek]

Great prop and spinner you've created there Derek.

And all from the provided ingredients!

[Guest Peterpools]

Derek

Super update with the tutorial was greatly appreciated.

Keep 'em comig

Peter

[Martinnfb]

piece of art

[Derek B]

Martin, Peter, Loic, Matt, Check and pascal - Thank you for your kind words guys.

 

Before I continue with the Rotol prop, it may be worth my while explaining a little about how I intend to create a generic Spitfire Mk.Ia model. A fellow LSP member - Edgar Brooks - has very kindly furnished me with a list of what items in the Revell Mk.IIa kit required attention, modifying or replacing in order to do so; for this I offer my sincere thanks (I shall be using this guide for my conversion).

 

So, using his list as a guide to making a Spitfire Mk.Ia from the Revell Mk.IIa kit, here we go (all areas requiring attention are highlighted in yellow on the instruction sheet and have matching text below each photograph which will be referenced by note number, instruction sheet section number and description of work required with reference to part numbers where necessary):

 

1. section 1: For a Mk.I aircraft, you will need two fuel gauges (bottom right of instrument panel) instead of just one.

2. Section 2: Compasses were black inside only; exterior was greenish-grey similar to the cockpit green (the picture below, which is actually a Mk.IX, shows the original cockpit colour, which is nothing like Humbrol 78).

3. Section 4: Rudder pedals should have canvas loops over the top.

4. Section 6: Gun button was brass with a red surround (not all were red).

 

 

5. Section 7: Part 25 should be replaced by a circular piece similar to the headrest, as part 25 represents the later voltage regulator.

6. Section 9: Seat back cushion needs replacing with a vertically ribbed example as opposed to the type depicted.

7. Section 10: It's very unlikely the Very pistol cartridge rack was fitted to the front of the seat.

8. Section 12: The rear seat armour plating has been omitted from the kit - a new item will need to be made or supplied.

9. Section 15: Radiator flap operating lever is omitted from the kit - a new on will need making.

10. Section 16: Prior to December 1940, part 36 (IFF destructor buttons) was not fitted.

11. section 19: Part 40 (Landing lights lever) belongs on the instrument panel, just over the Pilot's left knee. Part 42 (Oxygen bottle) was black, not green.

12. Section 20: Parts 37 and 38 are the VHF radio control, which was not often fitted in 1940. Part 42 (Compressed air bottles) were silver, not green (at least, not until late in the war).

 

13. Section 22: Part 21 need the 'square hole' (beside top right corner of the door) filling in.

14. Sections 28 to 32: The fabric flying control surface stitching is overdone (needs reducing/refining). The 'prong' on the top of the rudder (section 32) was not fitted when VHF radio was installed.

 

15. Sections 37 and 38: No metal ailerons were fitted to the Mk.I aircraft until 17-7-41 (modify kit part to look like fabric covered ailerons).

16. Section 40: Centre of identification lamp transparency (part 180) should be painted orange.

17. Section 43: Part 172 is slightly oversize.

18. Sections 45 and 62: Dropped flaps need the small doors (on top of the wings - see section 62) to be opened. Flap interiors were silver.

 

Note: One thing Edgar did not mention is that the Mk.I Spitfire did not have the Coffman starter, so part 176 (section 43) needs to be omitted and the area filled and sanded flush.

 

19. Sections 50 and 51: Under wing oil cooler - the whole thing needs to be replaced or modified to represent the Spitfire Mk.I cooler.

20. Section 54: Radiator flaps were rarely dropped.

21. Section 55: The kit wheels are poor representations of the full size wheels; the Hasegawa kit wells are better.

22. Section 62: The small clear square light transparencies (parts 50B) were only fitted from the 11-11-40 to the 22-8-41. The pilot's entry door had no crowbar until January 1942.

 

23. Section 68: The propeller supplied with the kit is correct for a Mk.I Spitfire in the majority of cases, although the blade tips are to broad (the outer half of the blades should be slimmed and made a little more 'pointy' at the tips).

 

There are other small differences that I will undoubtedly pick up and mention as I go along, however, the foregone is a general overview of what things require altering.

 

Below are two images of a Spitfire Mk.I cockpit for reference:

 

 

 

 

Derek

Edited October 4, 2014 by Derek B

[LSP_Kevin]

A recently former LSP member - Edgar Brooks [...]

Edgar's still a member, and still visits, he just doesn't post any more.

 

Kev

[Derek B]

OK, on to the Rotol prop...

 

I decided that I like the look of the Rotol propeller compared to the kit supplied DH CS VP item, even though it is generally correct for a Mk.I Spitfire. However, I did find out that a couple of RAF Squadrons did trial the Rotol propeller on their Mk.Ia aircraft at Sqn strength during both the Dunkirk retreat and BoB periods. This is why I had decided upon a 54 Squadron aircraft, as it allows me to build a BoB period aircraft that was fitted with a Rotol propeller unit.

 

Keeping to my self-imposed mantra of modifying the kit part or using other none-AM parts, I decided to modify the Revell 1/32 Hurricane Mk.I kit Rotol propeller for my needs.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The above photographs are all Spitfire Mk.IIa's with Rotol propellers. The Hurricane unit is almost identical, but the spinner - whilst still bulbous at the nose - is slightly smaller in diameter and noticeably longer in length.