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Posted

The fuselage is now finished and I'll soon be starting on the wings.

 

At my last update, I mentioned that I'd started on the left cockpit side.  Only the air tanks were done.

 

d7OJqD.jpg

 

A couple more hours work had it done.  The trim panel and most of it was semi gloss black, a decal is added to the rudder trim and the throttle quadrant is multiple colours even though you can't see it in this picture.  You can see a bit more in the picture after.

 

aCuGWm.jpg

 

Before I added this to the rest of the cockpit, I decided to make up the radiator cooling flap lever which almost every Spitfire model seems to miss.  This was made from 1.0mm copper tube with a short length of wire set inside for the release button, then painted cockpit green and added to the model via a hole drilled in the floor.  I've no idea of the actual pivot mechanism but since it can't be seen, this will do.  It is to the left of the pilot's seat and looks like the flap lever on a Piper PA-28.  I found a suitable decal from my spares box for the top of the map case for the rad flap settings.

 

yipGgf.jpg

 

n7TyBG.jpg

 

All closed up.  This needs very careful but strong clamping to ensure all the ribs go into their respective channel properly.  A little chamfering with a file helps, especially if you use the Airscale etch set which adds thickness.

 

CCllSl.jpg

 

Gh070i.jpg

 

The complete assembly was then glued into the right fuselage side.  I used the left fuselage side to ensure it was in the proper place, clamped the lot together and left it to dry overnight.  Once it had dried, I made up an anchor for the control cables and glued this in place.  Once dry, I passed the cables through it and tensioned them straight.  It's very crude, but once sealed up, you'll never see it.  You can't even see the black box behind the last last fuselage frame.  But you can see the control cables, oxygen bottles and the pilot's oxygen tube which was difficult to put in place, as it has to be manoeuvered past a few other bits and pieces.

 

v7w4yV.jpg

 

LV4SfC.jpg

 

Cockpit close ups.

 

lKurhL.jpg

 

I5sokg.jpg

 

The left fuselage half was then completed.  This only needed two parts adding, after paint of course, plus a decal.  I've also added a bit of cable from the radio controller box.

 

WcL4zH.jpg

 

Lastly, the two halves were joined then the engine firewall was added.  After scraping off any paint in the joint, I glued the halves together from the cockpit back, taped them tightly together, then joined the upper forward fuselage together and pulled them together using more tape.  Then the firewall was added.

 

WkoJ1s.jpg

 

 

This is what it looks like at the time of writing.  I've left out the door for much later in the build. 

 

On with the wings now, but my first pic in the next update will be the fuselage without all the tape and clamps, and a little clean up which won't be a lot.  The join on the fuselage spine looks just about perfect already.

 

 

Cheers,

Michael

 

 

Posted
22 minutes ago, BradG said:

Great progress mate.

 

Thanks Brad.  As you posted this comment, I was adding another update. :D

 

 

Cheers,

Michael

Posted (edited)

I've now started on the wings.  But before I get onto that, a look at the fuselage without tape all over it, and which needed a little clean up.  The worst side was the right thanks to a small gap in the join between the fuselage and the tail part which makes this a Mk.IX.  The tail fin needed a little go over with a file to get rid of a few glue jaggies, and the two halves of the fuel tank cover didn't have the best joint though I've seen much worse than this.  The fuselage spine was perfect and a quick go with an 800 grit sanding stick took care of that.  Here it is with some Mr Surfacer 500 filler applied.

 

OfpBlV.jpg

 

The right side gap in the tail cleaned up with just wiping the excess Mr Surfacer off using a Leveling thinner soaked cotton bud.  I did the same with the joint over the tank cover, but it revealed a step between the two halves.  A little sanding fixed that but the joint received another go over with Mr Surfacer 1200 and a light rub back.  Here it is now.

 

49Ypf6.jpg

 

mhdr7V.jpg

 

Can't feel the joint at all now.  So on to the wings.  First of all, I'd like to congratulate Airfix on the way they've planned the sprues in this kit.  Here's an example.  It has all the fittings for the insides of the wings; left wing on one side of the sprue, right wing on the other.  Very thoughtful :D.

 

kWyo5l.jpg

 

First, I glued the rear spars on both sides which support flaps and ailerons.  Then I set about the main spar.  However, the suggested assembly steps looked "dangerous", I thought, as they want you to dry assemble a dozen or so parts onto the lower wing, hold them in place while you run thin cement around all the bits on one side and hold that down while it dries, then rinse and repeat for the other.  This is to get the main spar in place on both sides with the correct dihedral.  However, I see bits flying off everywhere while all this is going on, so I did it my way.  Please don't sing. :coolio:  As you can see from the next picture, there is quite a difference in the dihedral of the spar and the lower wing out of the box.  I can't imagine holding twelve bits in place with one hand while you run thin cement around all the parts with the other hand, while trying to keep the other side in place with your third hand.

 

So I started by making up the wheel wells and it's rib and let these set.  Then, on the left side only, I glued the wheel well to the main spar, as well as the outer rib, then glued this lot to the lower wing skin using proper glue, taped it carefully into place and let it set.  Then I did more or less the same on the right side taping that into place.  Thin cement is great on small parts and a few of the ribs, but not this part which needs strength.

 

WTOTCf.jpg

 

While the right side was drying, I completed adding the ribs and gun heater tubes on the left side.  The inner rib and another part of the wheel well went in first, followed buy the remaining ribs, working my way outwards.  There are a number of pipes to be added for the gun heaters, as well as the retainer for the cannon shells.  Part of this was masked off to receive the cannon shells later, and once all this was dry, I gave the lot a spritz of Tamiya AS12.  It doesn't take long to dry, and while that was happening, I painted up the guns and the cannon shells, and assembled the cannon feed which was brush painted, then these were added but not before drilling out the machine gun barrels.  The wheel well was painted in light sea gray which is the underside colour.  Here's the result.

 

X2UlUd.jpg

 

Here's a closer look.  The outer machine gun is just placed in, as is the cannon drum feed.  The outer machine gun has not yet been fitted with the rear holding bracket as the inner one has.  This is because the instructions say it won't allow the fitting of it's cover on the upper wing.   Likewise the cannon drum feed won't allow the cannon cover to be fitted later.  I'm going to experiment later to see if the outer gun will go in after the upper wing surface is added.  Watching a video from Nigel's Modelling Workbench suggests it will, but I followed the instructions and added a bracket in this gun bay that perhaps will mean it won't.  So some test fitting will be needed first, though later on.

 

TDzDxP.jpg

 

Here's a look at those machine guns which I drilled out.  I started with a 0.9mm drill and went in about 5mm.  Then I drilled in a little less with a 1mm bit, then a little less with a 1.1mm bit, ditto a 1.2mm bit until finally I just reamed out the tip with a 1.3mm bit.  This should give it a more realistic hollow look without weakening the gun barrel.

 

j4bAFl.jpg

 

With the top layed on, but not glued.  I may add a little more detail if I can get that outer machine gun sorted as I want.

 

CIXCij.jpg

 

Here's why you can't add the cannon drum feed.  No amount of grinding will fix this. :(

 

iVaRNK.jpg

 

That's it for now.  I've made up the tail surfaces but I won't be gluing these on until the wing is in place.  So I'll be finishing up the right side next so I can get to the wing attachment stage.  According to the number of steps I've completed, I'm about a third of the way into this build, not including paint of course.  It's been fun so far.

 

 

Cheers,

Michael

Edited by Dpgsbody55
Posted

I'm really enjoying following along with you Michael.

 

It is a nice kit to build.

 

Makes me want to break out another one of these from my stash! 

Posted

Very nice and interesting build Michael.
Here I am, hesitating between this 1/24 Airfix kit and the 1/32 Tamiya kit...
The choice isn't going to be easy!

Posted
11 hours ago, Shoggz said:

I'm really enjoying following along with you Michael.

 

It is a nice kit to build.

 

Makes me want to break out another one of these from my stash! 

 

Thank you, and yes, it is a nice kit to build and the instructions are very well written too.  I'd love to do another if I can find/create more shelf space.  Might have to do a clipped wing job, just to be different. :coolio: :lol:

 

11 hours ago, Furie said:

Very nice and interesting build Michael.
Here I am, hesitating between this 1/24 Airfix kit and the 1/32 Tamiya kit...
The choice isn't going to be easy!

 

Thanks.  I think I'm enjoying this a bit more because of it's size and the subject I'm building.  The Tamiya kit is also very good and it's hard to separate them.  I have a Tamiya Mk.IX in my stash too, and I hope to start on that sometime later this year.  That also will be one of Clostermann's Spitfires. 

 

 

Cheers,

Michael

 

Posted (edited)

The wings are on now and it's really starting to look like a Spitfire.

 

Having completed the right wing innards after my last update, the instructions have you gluing this on without the top wings being on.  A bit wierd, I thought, but I found that there was method to the Airfix madness.  The wings glue to the fuselage by the wing spar centre section to the engine fire wall and at the back by the wing fillet and fuselage.  I taped it into place at both ends and found it needed clamping at outer end of the wing fillet.

 

q5f1CP.jpg

 

Then I noticed a gap developing at the front where the wing spar butts up against the front of the wing fillet, so two G clamps were applied.  This was left to dry thoroughly before attempting any more work.

 

Zqn2V1.jpg

 

The next stage is to add the top wing surfaces.  When doing this, I'm always tempted to firmly clamp it all together four ways from Sunday along all edges.  Dont.  If you do, you'll finish up with a nasty step between the wing fillet and the upper wing surface.  The plastic on the fillet is much thicker than the upper wing.  Test fitting showed an almost perfect gap if the upper wing is just layed on, so to add a bit of support I added a small length of 1mm x 0.5mm stock plastic strip to the top of the rear spar.  Not enough, so I added a second piece.

 

H13B8N.jpg

 

This provides the right spacer for this joint.  Glue was applied to the wing top leading edge, tip and rear spar joint only as far as the aileron and adjacent area to the aileron, and lastly along the wing fillet.  Once in place, tape was used to hold it all in place, and a couple of clamps at the outer end.  No clamp or tape was used near the wing fillet.  Correct dihedral is also not an issue here if the lower wing is properly assembled and the joint to the fuselage is done carefully.

 

lDJ2sH.jpg

 

This gives a very nice joint in what is often a problematical area.

 

cj40he.jpg

 

The other side was done in the same method.  Once dry, the tail plane was added, but without the elevators and rudder.  The joints were finished off using one application of Mr Surfacer 1200 except for the lower surface of the left tail plane which needed two applications of Mr Surfacer 500.  Here it is after clean up, which is easier before rudders and elevators go on.

 

dsSPpM.jpg

 

Here it is now with the last of the tail installed and the engine and cradle test fitted into place, mostly for inspiration.  The engineer's one foot ruler gives an idea of the length of this model.  The engine was quickly slapped together after the three individual assembles were painted as shown earlier in this build.

 

HC8go9.jpg

 

I have two small problems to attend to now.  The first is with the upper wing surface, around the outer edge of the cannon bay.  The plastic here is buckled, but I think if I can get the paint off the two surfaces, I can glue this together without creating other problems.

 

dY4tw1.jpg

 

The next is also with the right wing upper surface, as the trailing edge in the middle of the flap recess is wavy.  Perhaps a little steel wire clamped and CA glued to this may fix it before I add the flap itself.

 

jIGj4g.jpg

 

That's it for now.  Once I get these two problems sorted, it's on with the radiators.

 

 

Cheers,

Michael

Edited by Dpgsbody55
Posted
21 hours ago, mozart said:

A very comprehensive thread Michael, you’re making an excellent job of building this lovely kit. 

 

Thanks.  I'm glad someone understands my gibberish :D.

 

 

Cheers,

Michael

Posted
5 hours ago, Furie said:

I've just found this photo of the MJ586 at Advanced Landing Ground (ALG) B-2 (Bazenville).
Sorry for the poor quality.

 

qzyb.jpg

 

Thanks for posting this.  It's great to get some period photos as it really helps with the build. :)

 

 

Cheers,

Michael

Posted (edited)
On 2/5/2024 at 7:43 AM, Furie said:

I've just found this photo of the MJ586 at Advanced Landing Ground (ALG) B-2 (Bazenville).
Sorry for the poor quality.

 

qzyb.jpg

 

If I may respond to this again, one thing this picture does suggest is a probable answer to the question of whether or not the aircraft serial number was over painted by the invasion stripes, and I'm presently thinking they weren't.  This picture could possibly be a photo taken on the day this plane was handed over to Jacques Remlinger on or just after 7th July 1944 when the stripes were being removed from the top surfaces.  All the pictures posted here suggest that the fuselage invasion stripes were painted on this particular plane so far to the rear that the last white band obscured the usual sky band, so presently I'm thinking that my rendition will have no sky band, full invasion stripes with a "cut out" for the serial number.  Please feel free to tell me I'm wrong, however, if you can demonstrate why.

 

A little more progress has been made and I'm now at the point where I'll be re-starting work on the engine for next time.  For this update, I have fixed the wavy wing trailing edge, the bump in the gun cover framing, and added radiators, wing tips, flaps and ailerons.

 

First, that pesky right wing trailing edge.  I experimented with the large paper clip you see on the wing below, but found the front edge of the flap sat too high up in the flap recess.  So I packed this part of the flap with stock styrene rod of 1.2mm on the outer edge, 0.75 rod in the middle and 0.5 rod at the inner end, then glued the flap in place, clamping it with that clip across the trailing edge.  The clamping force applied to the very edge of the wing plus the flap itself seem to have been enough to have settled it all into the correct shape.

 

q1BuM1.jpg

 

Clamp removed.  Success. :)

 

VWjM1i.jpg

 

The recalcitrant cannon bay frame was also glued down successfully after the paint was removed with an application of leveling thinner.  I used a pointy cotton bud and pushed it into the gap then rubbed it along the frame adjacent to the cannon bay and the shell box area, then poked some styrene glue into that and clamped it with a large F clamp from the aileron cutout in the wing.  I forgot to take a photo of this, but here's the result.  Success again :).  The F clamp I used is shown at the top of the first picture in this update.

 

WYQQ6E.jpg

 

Next, the wing tips went on, followed by the ailerons.  The ailerons have a very well engineered hinge provided in the kit, in plastic, which is easy to assemble and has an offset pivot that allows proper movement of the aileron.  Not just two silly pins at each end.  Well done again, Airfix.  So I'm wondering why the rudder and elevators are fixed but have moveable, if floppy, trim tabs???  I like the separate trim tabs, but matching hinges for the tail control surfaces would have been a good match for the excellent ailerons.  Very strange... :hmmm:  I think I'll apply a little Tamiya extra thin cement to these.  They move about enough to suggest they'll probably break off.  The wing tips are a varying fit.  One topside has no gap and the other a very small gap, whereas the lower surfaces have slightly bigger gaps.  All were easily treated by painting on various grades of Mr Surfacer and have come up well.

 

m1hjWj.jpg

 

Radiators next.  These assemble very well and are a perfect fit into the wings.  Good surface detail too on the rads themselves.  I added the braces on the cooling flaps.  Follow the instructions carefully here as the left and right radiators are different.  Here's a picture of them before installation.  The left one is viewed from the rear, and the right is seen from the front.  There were ejector pin marks in the radiator flaps, but these were filled with Mr Surfacer 500 and filled back.  Other ejector pin marks were ignored as they can't be seen.

 

zF8I4Y.jpg

 

Attached.  The kit also provides the gun heat pickup pipes at the rear of each radiator.  I've painted the orange light too by painting the reflector in silver, then painting it again in clear orange.  The lens will go on later.  There's a gap I don't like on the wing/fuselage joint and you can see I'm in the process of tidying up this area.

 

UQwskv.jpg

 

The picture also shows the engine as it is now.  It has nothing added and comprises the blocks, heads and crankcase, reduction gear, supercharger assembly with carburettor and intercooler.  It's all been painted and now I have to start adding the detail parts.  That's for next time.

 

 

Cheers,

Michael

Edited by Dpgsbody55

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