Brian's place -Models-Airfix 1/48 Spitfire IX

Brian's place

Airfix 1/48 Spitfire IX

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Airfix 1/48 Spitfire IX

The long awaited Airfix Spitfire IX in 1/48 turned out to be a bit of a mixed blessing! I loved it for the fuselage dimensions when I open the box, but the honeymoon period has long gone - so many areas to correct. Still, in the best traditions of Airifx, it can be turned into a decent model.

Areas that need attention:

Wing thickness - sand it like a vacform!
Wing tips - too rounded and the airfoil shape is wrong - they would be more at home on a Hurricane! Sand sand sand (repeat until done!)
Trailing edge thickness on all surfaces... sand sand sand
Cannon covers are well over inflated... sand sand sand!
Prop seems strangely shaped... file, sand...
Larger Vokes filter is over inflated... sand sand sand!
Exhausts are waaaaaay too big (IMHO), file and sand!
The canopy is very thick and the windscreen seems like it is too flat, but not so sure about this one.
remove the bulges over the wheel well, only seen on post war Spitfires
Put some packing into the tail wheel hole in the rear fuselage to give the tail wheel something to glue to!

My philosophy with this kit was to build it as best I can from the bits in the box, no external help whatsoever. However if you get the Aeroclub update bits you can make quite a fine model. I will probably use a replacement canopy, since I want the canopy open.

This view attempts to show how much I have reduced the thickness of the wing, it is still a little over-scale but not too bad.

Here's my attempt at correcting the lumpy bits. The whole panel is slightly too think and needs a little filing so that it fits flush with the wing. The panel sitting on top shows the profile from the standard kit part.

slightly thinned tail feathers.

I have reduced the height of the exhausts by filing down the undersides, they look way over-scale to me. I also filed down the backing plate (and eventually the slot into which they mount) in an attempt to reduce the amount they stick out.

Notice the angle of the windscreen, is it wrong?

I have also refined the shape of the vokes filter (that's the air intake under the chin). It seems quite misshapen to me.

The shape is now quite pleasing, beginning to look good enough! Do the exhausts stick out too far still?

There's filler everywhere on this kit. Probably more a statement on my gluing abilities than the fit of the kit! Still, it is beginning to look quite spitfire-ish.

The first spray of RAF Ocean Gray is on, using my (now precious) stock of Aeromaster Acrylics. This is my preferred masking tape and blu-tak sausage method of RAF Camouflage.

My local shop had a rare shipment of Humbrol Acrylics on sale, so I thought it would be good to try these. Bad move - maybe they were 100 years old, or maybe they're rubbish (or maybe I'm rubbish!) but I didn't like them.

I'd always used Humbrol 30 for RAF WW2 Dark Green,when I was a kid, but it looks so wrong now. Please bring back Aeromaster Acrylics to NZ!

place the mousepointer on the image to see the underside

The hard work is beginning to pay off, it looks quite good - if you squint!

Roll the mouse over the image to see the underside.

I'm selling a couple of spare kits on Trademe (like ebay but local, and better), this is the photo I used there.

Aerials, undercarriage, and weathering to go!

My impression of this kit is: It isn't a dog, because it LOOKS like a Spitfire IX. It does take a fair amount of work and would benefit from after market parts. Unlike the new AIrfix 1/48th Spitfire I/IIa, which looks like a wee honey straight from the box. But that's a separate subject...

Dec 2010 update: I've revised my feelings on this kit: The only good things in the kit are the fuselage and the decals. The interior detail is acceptable, everything else is below par... woof woof.

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