Barry Posted December 19, 2015 Share Posted December 19, 2015 (edited) A few of questions related to my tribute build. Are all the bumps and bulges on the cowling correct for the Mk IA? Are there any other changes I should make to improve accuracy? Are the any good pilot figures appropriate for an in flight display in this scale and B.O.B. period? I can rework a standing figure if need be. TIA Barry Edited December 28, 2015 by Barry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fightersweep Posted December 20, 2015 Share Posted December 20, 2015 Hi Barry; I tend to pick up early releases of this kit as the detail is nice and crisp. These can be picked up easily on Ebay or at model shows for a fairly cheap price. The Airfix 1/24 Spitfire, with a bit of extra work, builds up into a very nice model. Of course, there is the more recent Trumpeter offering, but the shape of this kit is very suspect in a lot of areas. The Airfix offering looks every inch a Spit! Having said that, I have just picked up a recent boxing of the Mk I and it seems quite nice...the transparencies are far clearer than the old boxings I have.The major issues with the Airfix kit are the complete lack of wheel wells and the wing dihedral problem that affected all of the big "Super Kits". I find that the best fix is to do just what the real aeroplane had....a wing spar! I make one up out of Evergreen hollow plastic rods and a bit of plastic card. Add the necessary 6 degree angle, glue to the bottom part of the wing and voila! No droopy wings! The wheel wells can be addressed with some plastic card too...no great headache as Spitfire wheel wells are not to complex. One other point is the kit's oleo legs, which because of the model's gimmicky retractable undercarriage, means that the oleos are in the fully extended position. This makes the kit look a bit odd when sitting on it's gear as it has the appearance of being on tip toes! Of course, the kit still looks great built out of the box too! The Airfix 1/24 Spitfire is also a great basis for conversion to other marks! I've have a few on the go at the moment. I think that the bumps and bulges on the kit are correct for the Mk Ia, but I will check for you. Before I forget, I do know that the exhausts are incorrect in the kit, in that the "fishtail" type are supplied. They should be the earlier style similar to those found in the 1/24 Hurricane kit. I'll add anything else as I think about it... Best regards; Steve D.B. Andrus and Sparzanza 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barry Posted December 20, 2015 Author Share Posted December 20, 2015 Thanks Steve, I built the kit way back when it was first released here in the states. I remember it looking every part the beautiful elliptical winged swan the Spitfire is. The difference this time is my "modeler's" eye will not allow me to just build it I will have to correct as many of the inaccuracies as possible without becoming O.C.D. The release I have is not the earliest but I shopped for as earlier a release as I could find for a reasonable price. It does have a few issues most noticeably is the left fuselage half at the trailing edge of the vertical stabilizer is short in span but is fixable. I will be building an in flight display canopy closed, gear up in fighting trim. That said the undercarriage and wheel well issues will (should) not affect my build. In my temp assembly the wing dihedral issue became very apparent; I like your suggested fix. The cockpit will be another area that will not require too much detail though I plan on using the new AirScale set as soon as Peter has it ready. I need a pilot but looking over the kit pilot it is not terrible and I think I can work it into and acceptable representation. Any help of further suggestions will be greatly appreciated! Thanks again, Barry Harold and D.B. Andrus 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chek Posted December 20, 2015 Share Posted December 20, 2015 Also note that the dihedral starts a foot or so out from the wing root - mark a line parallel to the centreline from the aft junction of the wing fairing forward. Scribe that line and bend upwards and that'll give you the flat inboard section and then insert a spar to set the dihedral angle. The hardest part of building the kit is preserving the surface detail, although the availability of strips of raised resin rivets nowadays helps greatly. D.B. Andrus and Barry 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barry Posted December 26, 2015 Author Share Posted December 26, 2015 Another questions for the Spitfire aficionados; Is the forward edge of the aileron outboard of the outboard hinge racked to the aft on both the upper and lower wings? Hope that makes sense. It appears so in the few photos I have where I can see that area. The Airfix kit appears to be so but is very inconsistent between the upper/ lower wing. Aileron fit is very loose because of the movable feature so it is hard to tell by looking at them. Thanks, Barry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RBrown Posted December 27, 2015 Share Posted December 27, 2015 Another questions for the Spitfire aficionados; Is the forward edge of the aileron outboard of the outboard hinge racked to the aft on both the upper and lower wings? Hope that makes sense. It appears so in the few photos I have where I can see that area. The Airfix kit appears to be so but is very inconsistent between the upper/ lower wing. Aileron fit is very loose because of the movable feature so it is hard to tell by looking at them. Thanks, Barry I am not sure if I have an answer to your question but I'll give it a shot. .. In a profile view the leading edge of the of the aileron has a noticeable taper on the entire top surface. The under surface of the aileron has a short curved radius very close to its leading edge, this would be very, very subtle even in 1/24 scale. In plan view the aileron leading edge is straight from the first inboard rib to the outboard hinge. At the outboard hinge the aileron leading edge is racked aft a few degrees, but is quite evident. RB D.B. Andrus 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barry Posted December 27, 2015 Author Share Posted December 27, 2015 I am not sure if I have an answer to your question but I'll give it a shot. .. In a profile view the leading edge of the of the aileron has a noticeable taper on the entire top surface. The under surface of the aileron has a short curved radius very close to its leading edge, this would be very, very subtle even in 1/24 scale. In plan view the aileron leading edge is straight from the first inboard rib to the outboard hinge. At the outboard hinge the aileron leading edge is racked aft a few degrees, but is quite evident. RB Perfect, Thanks RB Barry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grizly Posted December 27, 2015 Share Posted December 27, 2015 The Merlin in the kit is sadly lacking, however, if you can lay your hands on the Merlin provided in the Airfix Hurricane kit you can elevate the standard of your model immensely. I've done such a conversion and it is worth the effort. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barry Posted December 27, 2015 Author Share Posted December 27, 2015 The Merlin in the kit is sadly lacking, however, if you can lay your hands on the Merlin provided in the Airfix Hurricane kit you can elevate the standard of your model immensely. I've done such a conversion and it is worth the effort. Grizly, Thank you for your input but build will be an in-flight display so engine will be all closed up. Barry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barry Posted December 27, 2015 Author Share Posted December 27, 2015 Looking at pictures of the A Wing gun installation, it appears that the third gun outboard and possibly the forth gun extend beyond the wing leading edge the third being more than the forth. Is this the gun barrel itself or a flash hider? I read where flash hiders were used early on but removed. I am building a BOB period aircraft. Are there blast tubes that enclose the barrels inside the wing? Thanks, Barry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RBrown Posted December 27, 2015 Share Posted December 27, 2015 (edited) Looking at pictures of the A Wing gun installation, it appears that the third gun outboard and possibly the forth gun extend beyond the wing leading edge the third being more than the forth. Is this the gun barrel itself or a flash hider? I read where flash hiders were used early on but removed. I am building a BOB period aircraft. Are there blast tubes that enclose the barrels inside the wing? Thanks, Barry Early Spitfire Is were equipped with flasher hiders on the two outboard guns, apparently to increase its suitability as a night fighter. These were dispensed with and later (Summer 1940?) fabric patches were applied to the gun apertures in the wings... As an incidental note the 19 Squadron aircraft pictured is also fitted with the rudder guard fitted to some early Spitfires (K9787-K9799). RB Edited December 27, 2015 by RBrown D.B. Andrus 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barry Posted December 28, 2015 Author Share Posted December 28, 2015 Thanks again RB that answers the question. I will apply the cloth patches doped "red"; correct? Barry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RBrown Posted December 28, 2015 Share Posted December 28, 2015 My understanding is clear doped red adhesive fabric was the most common, but also instances of blue and black. I have also heard of medicinal tape being used, but perhaps this is only myth... D.B. Andrus 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barry Posted December 28, 2015 Author Share Posted December 28, 2015 My understanding is clear doped red adhesive fabric was the most common, but also instances of blue and black. I have also heard of medicinal tape being used, but perhaps this is only myth... I suspect as in most war time instances what ever would work that was available would do! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barry Posted December 28, 2015 Author Share Posted December 28, 2015 (edited) Yet another question. Should the ailerons be fabric covered for a Mk 1A during the BOB time period? All photos I have where I can clearly see the aileron surface appear to be metal skinned but reading history casts doubt. Thanks, Barry Edited December 28, 2015 by Barry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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