**** DONE: 1/48 Spitfire Mk.Vb Trop – Home Country Modern Aircraft/Spitfire Marks GB

[A4K]

Strange! I posted a reply yesterday, and it's gone! .

That's happened to me a few times over the last month too. Any reason?

Fantastic work Jason, looks beauty!

 

[Airframes]

Must admit, I didn't notice the mistake in the kit. The kit filter is actually the 'factory fit' Vokes filter. The smaller, more compact 'Aboukir' filter fitted to the particular aircraft shown, takes its name from the MU where it was designed and built, in the field, at Aboukir. Apparently, it was actually a better filter overall, working as required, and causing less drag and consequent drop in performance. The 'powers that be', though, suggested it could cause over heating - probably 'their' way of justifying the 'official', large and ugly filter housing !
Tamiya didn't really get it wrong with the filter, just with the particular aircraft. Pity they didn't include an 'Aboukir' filter as an optional part - but then they didn't include the deeper, tropical radiator either, which should be fitted to a MkV 'Trop'!
Seems they just threw in a Vokes filter, different decals, and boxed the standard MkV kit as a MkV 'Trop' !

 

[Jayl]

Tamiya include both the Aboukir filter and Vokes filter, they just managed to get the shape wrong on the Aboukir filter. That's why Quickboost makes a replacement.

The Aboukir to the left and the Vokes in two pieces in the middle.

 

[Wurger]

Here the Quickboost set....

However it should look like the one methinks.

But it is clear that both shapes of the Aboukir filter could appear.

 

[Airframes]

Ah Ha! Just checked the remnants of the kit I built, and yes, the other filter is there. The one fitted to 'UF-X' is the true, 'made in the MU' Aboukir filter, like the second one in the pics Wojtek posted (and included in the Hasegawa 1/32nd scale Spit MkV kit, which also has the UF-X decals).
The Tamiya filter, and that in the first of Wojtek's pics, is the later filter (can't remember if it's an earlier Vokes filter, or an 'official' version of the 'home made' Aboukir, would need to check.), which was used before the larger Vokes filter and deep 'chin' cowling were introduced as 'standard' equipment.
I'm rather surprised that Tamiya went to the trouble of adding two separate filters to the kit, and retained the original lower cowling panel, but didn't include the deeper radiator. On my kit, I used the deep 'Tropical' radiator from the 1979 issue Airfix MkV, which I'd had in the spares box since about 1980 !!

 

[Vic Balshaw]

Most interesting and must remember this. Went to Aboukir when I was a kid, just thought I'd mention it.