1/72 Airfix Spitfire PR XIX and Seafire side-by-side build

[36feet10inches]

Thanks mate! Got a scan of that crew pic actually, which George sent me. He mentioned the names of the whole crew and duties, I can let you know after work if you're interested.

Yeah, would love to more about the plane. I believe it was sold off to the Thai air force when the RAF had finished with it, that set of decals is available aftermarket so I think I'll do that version too.

I've decided to take path of least resistance and use the decals as with the kit (and trust Airfix to do right by me - I mean, I really couldn't live with myself if these roundels are too big )

Minor decal quibbles apart I have to say the new XIX kit is hugely enjoyable to build. Funny as elsewhere I've seen it said that the new Bf109 kit is a bit of a dog. Maybe I'm not that discerning.

 

[Airframes]

Looks very smart mate!

 

[vikingBerserker]

Very nice!

 

[Heinz]

Looks great

 

[trackend]

Nice

 

[36feet10inches]

Got the decals on the Seafire.

All glossy still. This stalls a bit at this point because I'm waiting for some stencil decals to arrive... from Poland.

There's a little white dot above the "D" which is damage to the paint, there are a few others like it (port wing for example), can be touched up easily enough but I was wondering if it's the Decalfix that causes it - only seen this happen once before with one other model. Maybe residue of white spirit on the brush I was using to apply the Decalfix?

Funny how next to the sleek lines of the XIX this looks a bit stumpy!

 

[Wayne Little]

Looking good mate!

 

[Heinz]

With Wayne!

 

[Wurger]

I echo both posts above...

 

[36feet10inches]

The XIX has been finished for a few days now but as this is supposed to be a "side by side" build I thought I'd sit on it until the Seafire was finished - there are more sticky-outy-bits on the Seafire to deal with! When I finally realised that the Seafire IIb is based on the Spitfire Vb I just swiped some stencils out of a Revell Vb kit - I am learning about the Spitfire and its many variants as I go along! Hopefully finished tomorrow. Good job as there is a danger that the Seafire will be overtaken by the Ia I'm working on (will actually be a IIb, sort of, but that's a whole 'nother story!)

In the meantime... on Tuesday I went to the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight visitor centre and RAF Coningsby in Lincolnshire and got a close-up look at a couple of PR XIX's, my god they are handsome machines. PS915 "The Last" - the facsimile of our friend PS888 - was particularly nice to see. (Those roundels are starting to bug me now...) anyway, here are a few snaps from my visit:

I would recommend a visit to the BBMF to anybody, very informative and interesting tour of the hangar with a little background on each of the planes... and a very sobering insight into life in Bomber Command. The only interruption was the occasional low pass from the Typhoons that live next door...

And just for fun here's my boy being eaten by an Avro Lancaster:

 

[Airframes]

Great pics, and bring back happy memories! Nice clean hangar thay have there, isn't it?

 

[36feet10inches]

Great pics, and bring back happy memories! Nice clean hangar thay have there, isn't it?

You could eat your dinner off the floor... like every military facility I've ever seen (including some stables, and that's saying something!)

 

[Angels one-five]

Great pics - both of the models and the real things.

 

[Wayne Little]

Ah...nice fill in's while we wait for the models!

 

[Airframes]

Eh?! I thought they were the models..... must get some better glasses!!!

 

[FalkeEins]

..nicely done build thread CK !

hoping to get one of these PR19s done soon

 

[36feet10inches]

Well, all finished...

Here's the PR XIX:

There are no stencils with this one and pics of the original plane don't show any; the facsiimile at Coningsby has "walk inboard" lines on the wings as well as black "walk boards" on the inner wings but these might be modern additions for all I know. In any case I think that stencils would probably spoil the clean lines of the plane - this plane reminds me of a sports car somehow.

As I've said it's a hugely enjoyable kit to build and credit to Airfix, I think they're on the money with this one. In the hands of a skilled modeller who's prepared to put more time into it than me this could be quite something and I look forward to seeing others' efforts. Apart from the Swedish option included in the kit ther's a great decal sheet available from Model Alliance with the plane in various other guises, I will definitely be doing a few of those.

The Seafire:

Well, the kit's a bit of a hound but I won't blame that for the outcome! Nect to the sleek lines of the XIX it looks a bit clunky, the wings are like bananas for one thing. Actually I enjoyed dealling with the various challenges that it threw up. There are a few things I'm not that happy with - the canopy looks a bit cruddy and the red flashes on the machine gun ports (that I did with some rudimentary stencils I made out of Tamiya tape) are a bit too big - but overall I'm quite pleased with it. The grab-hook looks a bit crude but at least it makes it look like a Seafire.

Well it's been a fun little exercise to do do two very different takes on a classic, and good to have a few people show an interest along the way, as well as give tips and encouragament. As I said at the outset I'll never be doing exhibition standard stuff but have now worked out how modelling will work for me... let's just say that accuracy and authenticity are more important to be than "realism" - I'm not looking to create lifelike versions (and I wouldn't flatter myself by suggesting that these are anything more than semi-competent out-of-the-box builds), a 3D version of a profile is essentially what I'm after. Over the last few weeks I've acquired a stash of Spitfire kits and decal sheets that give me about 40 different options to go at, and the Mk II is coming along, I'll probably stick my efforts on the "finished kits" thread for anyone that's interested.

Cheers!

Tony

 

[Heinz]

They look great to me Tony!

 

[A4K]

Nice work mate!

Couple of small points about PS888 if you want her to be completely acurate: her spinner was White, she carried the 81 sqn. crest below the front windshield (port side only), she had the large black wing walk patches, and large underwing registrations.
The fueslage roundels should be smaller too, as you suspected - top level with top of the camera port. Size approx. 10 mm in 1:72 by my reckoning.


Also the crew identity I promised, re the photo on the 81 sqn site:

Air and ground crew last spitfire flight 81.(P.R.) Sqdn.

Back row, L-R: L.A.C Tex Bainbridge (Engines), Cpl. Ron Jones (Crew Chief), L.A.C 'G' Travers (Airframes).
Front row, L-R: F/L. Johnny Grant, S/Ldr W.P Swaby (C.O. 81 Sqdn), F/L. P.Giddens.

 

[Wayne Little]

Nice work mate!