**** DONE: GB-49 1:48 Spitfire Mk.I (EARLY) - Favourite A/C of WWII

[fastmongrel]

Thanks all. Stuff getting done, slowly. Bored out the exhausts...

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...and got the main parts together. I'll add the tail feathers next and then bolt it all together. A test fit shows some gaps at the wing/fuselage join. I'm first going to try adding a spacer behind the mounting lugs under the fuselage and if that doesn't work....there be mud

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I hate to mention it but that's not how the wings are supposed to be attached. I think you missed a page in the instructions

What clamps are you using. I have seen them in several builds and tried googling them but can't find anything that looks similar.

 

[fubar57]

Don't forget the signal lamp lens like I did!

HEY ANDY............GUESS WHAT? Wings and fuselage together and the spacer definitely helped with just a wee gap at the front on the left side. From what I've read, both the lontitudinal and othertudinal panel lines on the upper cowl need to be removed.

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The fuel tank cover is just press fit into place and will be glued shortly. The small gap here and wingroot will then be filled. Looking ahead here for painting, it looks like the outside of the right landing gear cover is painted white so it goes without saying that the left will be painted black. What about the inside of both gear covers and wheel wells? Looking at the photo below, the struts are silver coloured but the cover look white. Any thoughts?

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fastmongrel These clamps are called Berna clamps. A tad expensive but very handy. I got mine as a 3 piece package, two large and one small
One U.K. link...Berna Small Multi Clamp x 2 | allendalecrafts.co.uk but you may find them cheaper elsewhere.

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[Crimea_River]

That lens must have caught more people than not. Too funny. My fix was to just fill the hole from the outside with clear parts cement.

Regarding the wheel wells, based on what I read, I left mine in silver dope for the black/white underside but I understand that the wells could have been painted black and white too.

 

[SaparotRob]

I am always impressed by the gizmos and contrivances you guys use to build these planes. When I was a kid, if there was an open seam, I'd just put glue on my finger and smear the seam closed.

 

[Crimea_River]

I am always impressed by the gizmos and contrivances you guys use to build these planes. When I was a kid, if there was an open seam, I'd just put glue on my finger and smear the seam closed.

And then sniff your finger for the rest of the day.

 

[SaparotRob]

I know, right?

 

[fubar57]

Crap, crap, crap, crap, crap. I was just going over the the above photo trying to figure out landing gear colours and I noticed that even though this is an early Mk.I and didn't have seat armour, it did have a head rest. I'll make something up out of stretched sprue

 

[fubar57]

So I makes up a headrest from sprue, measure it against one the is mounted on the seat armour. Even rounded the front edges. I'll paint er up and mount it in the A.M.

 

[fastmongrel]

Good catch I usually spot these things after I have glued everything shut.

 

[Wurger]

Nice.

 

[fubar57]

Appendages all in place. I ran stretched sprue around the gaps and test drove the closed canopy on the airframe.....like a glove

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The lower cowl piece will require a bit of fettling; small gaps at the wing and it seems to be a tad too long. Once done I can prepare for paint. Going through the Eduard Mk.VII kit and may start it shortly

 

[Wurger]

 

[Crimea_River]

Nice Geo.

 

[fubar57]

Thank you. Clear parts are Future'd and I'll mask both sets tomorrow. Cut out and did a test fit of the prop assembly, a five piece affair

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Some clean-up to do and it should be seamless

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Still in debations on the inside colour of the left gear cover. It sure looks white to me. And while I was looking, I noticed that this aircraft carries the later style pitot tube

 

[Crimea_River]

I don't see why the left inner gear cover would be white. I vote aluminum dope.

 

[fubar57]

Sounds good to me Andy. I was just comparing it to the outside of the right cover, the left landing gear cover and the left gear strut. This might all be shadows but the right gear cover looks white and black and the gear well looks dark. The shadows are falling right to left to about the 7 o'clock position.

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Another Spitfire in the same photo has the inside of the gear cover as black and note that the Spitfire in the above photo has a black well on the left side; at the left of the photo below

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The paint guide says my aircraft is dated Aug. 1938 and has aluminum paint on both ailerons and elevators. This photo, dated May 1939 shows the right aileron painted black.

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The paint guide in this book....

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....shows this...

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All very interesting and confusing but I'm going with aluminum inners and white well

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EDIT: The book, "The Legendary Spitfire Mk.I/II 1939-41" definitely shows the left inner gear door as aluminum....done

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[Crimea_River]

White well on the white side. Black well on the black.

 

[rochie]

Looks good Geo

 

[Wurger]

 

[fubar57]

I caved in and went with Airfix's call, aluminum ailerons which you can't make out