Airfix 1/24 Spitfire Mk.IXc

[Ginja Ninja]

Hello fellow LSP-people!

 

This is my first build on LSP and if I'm honest, I'm a little nervous. The standard of work on the forum is amazing, and I would on the best of days consider myself a mediocre modeller so my participation may bring the standard down a little  Any feedback and/or advice is welcome. Now onto the subject ...

 

I will be attempting the new 1/24 Airfix Spitfire Mk.IXc and the particular build will be version "A" in the kit which was flown by Squadron Leader Johnny Plagis, No. 126 (Persian Gulf) Squadron. This aircraft was based in Harrowbeer, Devon, which is just up the road (9 miles) from Plymouth where I was born. I recall playing on the disused airfield as a child whenever my parents took my two brothers and I to Yelverton Rock. 

 

I will be using some AM for this build.

• Airscale cockpit upgrade set
• Eduard wheels 5 spoke wheels - I was sent the 1/48 scale wheels in error and no amount of work is going to get those to fit. Fortunately there is no rush for the replacement.
• Eduard exhaust (on backorder)
• HGW harness (on backorder) Airscale harness ordered

 

 

Thanks for looking!

 

Jeremy

Edited December 24, 2023 by Ginja Ninja

[Sepp]

Welcome aboard! No need to be nervous, just enjoy yourself - it is supposed to be fun, after all! I can attest that people here are friendly, and very happy to help with tech details, "how to" advice and/or mojo support.  Looking forward to seeing your build progress

[Lee White]

Looking forward to seeing how this comes together! Also, the Brak avatar gave me a good laugh, I haven't seen him in a few years.

[Ginja Ninja]

11 hours ago, Sepp said:

Welcome aboard! No need to be nervous, just enjoy yourself - it is supposed to be fun, after all! I can attest that people here are friendly, and very happy to help with tech details, "how to" advice and/or mojo support.  Looking forward to seeing your build progress

Thanks Sepp! I'll try to remember the fun part  and I'll be sure to ask for advice. Fortunately there a plethora of Spitfire builds here to inspire me.

 

8 hours ago, Lee White said:

Looking forward to seeing how this comes together! Also, the Brak avatar gave me a good laugh, I haven't seen him in a few years.

Hi Lee, anyone who appreciates the legend of Brak is always welcome! 

[MikeMaben]

Hey Jeremy   Yep, just have fun. LSP is a learning experience not a competition. 

[BradG]

Nice choice mate.

[Iain]

Great choice - it's a nice kit, I'm sure you'll enjoy building it!

 

And Mike's comment above is spot on - it's not a competition here, it's about enjoyment and learning.

 

Blue skies,

 

Iain

[Ginja Ninja]

On 12/24/2023 at 9:01 AM, MikeMaben said:

Hey Jeremy   Yep, just have fun. LSP is a learning experience not a competition. 

 

On 12/24/2023 at 12:15 PM, Iain said:

Great choice - it's a nice kit, I'm sure you'll enjoy building it!

 

And Mike's comment above is spot on - it's not a competition here, it's about enjoyment and learning.

 

Blue skies,

 

Iain

Thanks for your welcome guys! I'm really looking forward to building this kit. The detail is outstanding for and the IMHO the best Airfix have produced.

 

Just to clarify, I wasn't alluding to LSP being a competition, it was just an observation on my part of the high standard of builds on the forum and a comparison to my own ability. I'm really looking forward to taking my builds to the next level and learning from other members.

 

I hope you both have a fantastic Christmas and New Year!

 

[Erwin]

Why are the stripes smaller on this Spitfire ?

 

I assumed they were a given a regulated width to be painted on all fighters.

Edited December 26, 2023 by Erwin

[Sepp]

40 minutes ago, Erwin said:

Why are the stripes smaller on this Spitfire ?

 

I assumed they were a given a regulated width to be painted on all fighters.

 

Good question, and yes the stripe width was laid down in an Order - but it appears 126 Sqn either didn't get the message or chose to ignore it, as 5J-L was definitely painted likewise.

 

 

[Ginja Ninja]

19 minutes ago, Sepp said:

 

Good question, and yes the stripe width was laid down in an Order - but it appears 126 Sqn either didn't get the message or chose to ignore it, as 5J-L was definitely painted likewise.

 

 

 

This is what Airfix have to say on the matter. 

 

I did read something the other day about it, I'll check my internet history and try to find the page.

 

[scott_t]

Looking forward to seeing your progress on this Jeremy !

[Ginja Ninja]

Well, what happened to January and February? My plans to have this buttoned up by now fell by the wayside after picking up a virus at work (I work in community pharmacy so I will pick up anything and everything doing the rounds) and it knocked me sideways for about six weeks. I was well enough to go to work but the evening and weekends were mostly for recovering, in hindsight I should have left the modelling bench alone but hindsight is 20/20 vision and as a result I made a bit of mess of things.

1. step one I managed to glue the seat parts the wrong way around - this was noticed almost immediately and corrected.
2. the Airscale cockpit set is lovely ...in the right hands. Part 19 - glued this the wrong way around so the rivets were facing inside - binned, and parts 25 went flying into another dimension.
3. Used the wrong shade of paint on the seat - fortunately I have more 99.9% IPA than you can shake a stick at so managed to get that cleaned and redone.

I gave up at this point as carrying on would have made things worse.

 

Some time later …let's talk about actual progress.

 

Airscale IP complete! The detail is stunning and worth the effort.

 

Things on crocodile sticks!

 

 

Cockpit bottom and sides - the top panel has been weathered using the sponge chipping and AK paneliner. 

 

All three now weathered.

 

Firewall(?) IP bulkhead and seat bulkhead - these look a bit over-weathered but that is due to the light/camera and in reality more subtle.

 

The plan for today is to get a flat coat on all of this and start putting this together. All being well I hope to have the cockpit completed this weekend.

 

Thanks for looking and happy modelling!

 

Jeremy

[LSP_Kevin]

Sorry to hear about your health issues, Jeremy. Spitfire is looking good, though!

 

Kev

[Ginja Ninja]

21 hours ago, LSP_Kevin said:

Sorry to hear about your health issues, Jeremy. Spitfire is looking good, though!

 

Kev

Thanks Kev, I'm feeling a lot better now and I'm quite pleased on how the Spitfire is coming together.