Spitfire MkXVI, SL721

[RLWP]

My dad had one of those when he was younger. How he got six people into it, I'll never know.

 

Carl

 

I've done that. One in the drivers seat, one in the passenger, the rest sat along the back behind the seat

 

Happy days, didn't get caught by the cops...

 

Richard

[Dpgsbody55]

Not sure why you'd even want to get one person into one of those.  My first car was a Chrysler Valiant, and I used to take particular delight into showing them the way around corners.  Never did find one which could keep up, which made me wonder what was the point of them.

 

But back to an actual Spitfire, I've now more or less completed the cockpit sides.  I started by painting some details onto the lower side pieces before I glued them into the fuselage halves.  I also added some wiring to the left side.  Here's the bare right side.

 

 

And this is the left side.  The radio unit is enhanced with some more photo etch.

 

 

Next step was to start adding wiring before cluttering it any further with kit parts.  Then I added trim wheels, which were "scratched up" with dry brushed silver, together with the throttle quadrant, which benefitted from some Eduard photo etch.  Here's the result.

 

 

The right side was built in a similar fashion, with some photo etch in the form of IFF selector, undercarriage quadrant, seat belt tension release and the lever on the emergency undercarriage release.  I've also added hydraulic lines to the undercarriage quadrant, and this is only set in place for the purposes of this photo.  I have to manoeuvre it into place around the instrument panel frame when I install the pilots control/seat assembly.

 

 

I'm presently working on the panel night lights for each side of the fuselage, which I've made with the photo etch bits in the Eduard kit, to which I've added some brass tube for the lights themselves to remove the flatness of the standard Eduard bits, together with the associated wires.  I'm not 100% sure if I can add these, but I'll try if I can get my fumble fingers to work.  I've also got it in mind to add the pilot's air hose which I've made from old guitar string, and I hope to add this again when I install the pilot's seat and control assembly.

 

Unfortunately, the pilot's seat I ordered still hasn't arrived, so I can't complete this section of the build until it does.  Once it does arrive, I can complete the control panel/seat assembly and button up the fuselage.  Since this plane was the personal plane of a high ranking officer, it would have been kept in pristine condition, so I won't be adding any major weathering in the cockpit.   In the mean time, I'll press on with other bits of the kit.

 

 

Cheers, and a happy new year to all here.

Michael

[Dpgsbody55]

The seat arrived a couple of days after my last post, but so did a new flight simulator, so I've been a bit side tracked.  That said, the fuselage is now together and this happened exactly as I had hoped, complete with panel night lights, pilot's air hose and undercarriage hydraulics as pictured above.

 

First of all, I built up the seat support frame and shoulder harness.  For this, I used Eduard belts, as I couldn't work out how to fit the cockpit floor together with the air hose and undercarriage hydraulics which needed to go around the kit parts.  Hopefully what I mean will become clearer when you follow this pictures.  Here's the seat frame with belts.  I painted the back of the belts with Gunze Sangyo sail colour (H85) as the back of the shoulder harness will be partially visible.

 

 

This was then glued into place on the cockpit floor, together with the rear fuel tank..  All of the lightening holes have been drilled out in all parts.

 

 

 

Next up. the pilot's seat was built, together with the seat mount and lower belts.

 

 

 

The night lights were then glued into each cockpit side, and the cockpit floor was added to the right side fuselage half.

 

 

 

Once this had dried in position, I added the undercarriage lever and hydraulics, air hose, then the seat.  The excess brass wire (undercarriage hydraulics) was removed flush with the cockpit floor, so as not to fowl the wing when that is fitted.  I had intended to bend the brass wire hydraulic lines to make it look like they go somewhere, but there is not sufficient room for this and I also didn't want to pull the undercarriage quadrant off the cockpit side in an effort to bend the wire.  The pilot's air hose is made from a short length of old guitar string, courtesy of my son Brett who makes guitars.

 

 

 

 

 

The left side fuselage was then glued on, and here's where the build is presently.

 

 

 

So now it's onto the wings.  I've already built the rudder and tail planes, but I won't fit these until the main wing is on, so I can check alignment properly.  So hopefully, that will be my next update.

 

 

Cheers,

Michael

Edited January 13, 2018 by Dpgsbody55

[Dpgsbody55]

Quick update.  It now looks like a plane.  I haven't done a lot in the last few days, but in trying to find more information on the colour, I also found out that the plane was stripped of all military equipment as it had the rear fuselage tank removed, together with all the armour plating.  Dang!!! :doh:  I'd already put the fuselage together with these item installed.  That's blunted my enthusiasm a bit, knowing that the model is incorrect.  I knew the guns had been removed and those areas of the wing converted to luggage compartments, but I didn't know about the rest of it.  Too late now, but I hope anyone else who builds a model of this plane can take note.

 

First shot is of the wings being built up.  I forgot to take a picture of the wheel wells under construction, so this will have to do.

 

 

 

Here's the wings in place. 

 

 

Alignment is critical with this model, as none of the forward fuselage will fit if it's at all skewif.  The wing joint is the best I've ever seen.  No filler needed here.

 

 

Lastly, the tail surfaces are complete.

 

 

So this is where I was a few days ago.  I've started work on the engine, and I'm also finishing up the fuselage and wings so that I can start painting.  The radiators are not on and I'll probably add them after painting.  I was going to see if I could get the pilot's door to work, but I think I've left it too late for that now. 

 

 

Cheers,

Michael

[LSP_Kevin]

Terrific cockpit, Michael!

 

Kev

[MikeC]

Looking really good.

[Guest]

Smashing !.......Harv

[Dpgsbody55]

Smashing is a bit how I felt when I read that the plane didn't have armour or the rear tank.  How do I take this apart to rectify that, I wondered.  For about 5 seconds.  Not one of my better thoughts.   I don't like to build a  model I know is wrong, but this is possibly the nicest kit I've built and it's now at a stage where I'm committed to building SL721.

 

I'm pleased with the cockpit too.  Hope the engine turns out as well.  I've read that the engine cowlings don't stay on very well with the magnets supplied.  Is that so??  I have the Spitfire Mk VIII and IX in my stash, so this kit is something of a prototype for those.  It would be good to be able to display them with cowlings on or off, as the mood takes me.  Can anyone let me know of their experiences in this regard??

 

 

Cheers,

Michael

[Dpgsbody55]

Quick question regarding the engine.  This being a Packard built Merlin in a Mk 16, would this have "Rolls Royce" engraved on the cam covers??  I have an Eduard detail set which has these in it, and I'm not sure if I should apply them.  Pictures I've found so far on the wide world of web suggests not.  Can anyone confirm?

 

 

Cheers,

Michael

[BloorwestSiR]

I haven't had too many issues with the cowlings so far on the 8 that I've built. Oddly enough, the ones where I did run into a bit of a problem is when I decided not to build the full engine and close up the cowl from the get go. Here's my last two I completed.

 

 

 

 

As for the Rolls Royse logo, I don't think it should be on the Packard Merlin since it wasn't built by them.

 

Carl

Edited January 27, 2018 by BloorwestSiR

[Dpgsbody55]

Thanks Carl.  I think I'll go ahead and paint the engine today, without those logos.  They can go into my spare parts stash.  I've also fitted extra magnets inside the engine in the hope of avoiding any issue with cowlings dropping off. 

 

I love those Spitfires.  I recall the build, especially the red engine on the Silver plane.  Also, what colours have you used on the HF Spitfire??  I have a MkVIII and a MkIX in my stash, but I can see me buying more of these.  I'm very much enjoying this build.  It's so nice to build a model in which all the parts just fit.

 

 

Cheers,

Michael

[Reuben L. Hernandez]

Very cool and eye catching scheme can't wait to see the final results!!

[BloorwestSiR]

Thanks Michael!

 

The PRU blue is from Xtracrylix and the Ocean Grey was from Tamiya.

 

Carl

[Dpgsbody55]

Thanks Carl.  I'm now fairly certain that the shade of blue you have used is what I need for my build.  From all my research, SL721 was painted a light shade of PRU blue, namely Scheme D PRU light blue.  Apparently, there were 3 shades of PRU blue in the late war and post war era.

 

I'd love to build a Spitfire with the extended wingtips, and your high flyer looks like great inspiration.

 

 

Cheers,

Michael

[Wackyracer]

great work on the apit. really coming together now.