Tamiya 1/48 Spitfire Vb

[Jeff Hunt]

I picked up this kit yesterday at the LHS. It was part of a collection that had been purchased by the LHS and she was a pretty good price.

I brought her home and opened the box to find all the bits on two main sprues moulded in light grey and one of clear for the canopies.

The decal sheet as included was quite nice with an option of three different aircraft but not being able to tell how old things were I decided to purchase some aftermarket decals. I began shopping around and there is certainly no shortage of choices to be had. I eventually decided on these decals and I also grabbed a complete stencil decal sheet.

I am leaning towards the bottom of the three aircraft to do but nothing has been decided for sure just yet. I will wait until the decals get here and I will have a look at them and then make a decision.

This is my first Spitty model since I was a kid and something is telling me it should be done in European C/S but I do like that middle eastern C/S as well.

I have started her, beginning with the cockpit and photos will be forthcoming as required to keep you fellas up to date on the progress of this build.

Cheers,

Jeff

 

[le_steph40]

8)

 

[Crimea_River]

It's a nice kit.

 

[Wurger]

Agreed.

 

[Lucky13]

 

[Airframes]

Good haul there Jeff, and I agree with Andy, it's a nice kit.

 

[Wayne Little]

good stuff Jeff, I also agree a damn fine kit.

 

[ade]

This should be a good one.

 

[Jeff Hunt]

This morning dawned foggy and overcast which scrubbed my plans to head to Toronto to take in bits and pieces of the Canadian International Air Show. Plan B was to work a bit on the Spitfire. Adding to what was accomplished yesterday the cockpit has been completed and installed in the joined fuselage halves.

What a wonderful fit the cockpit is. It slides up into the fuselage from below and is as snug as a bug.

Not a spot of putty was required for the fuselage joint as it is perfect other than a very light rubbing being required to erase the joint line. This will be done later.

I have drilled two additional holes along the fuselage where the roundels will be going, this being for the IFF antennas. I plan on threading a needle through these two holes after applying the decals and then running the thread back to the tailplanes for attachment. If things go according to plan it may require a bit of a touchup with red paint, if it is a colossal failure then I can use extra decals to cover up the mess and leave off the IFF antennas.

That will be it for today as a family matter has been scheduled and Mother Superior has strongly requested my attendance.

Cheers,

Jeff

 

[Airframes]

Good stuff so far Jeff.
One minor point - British aircraft did not have the yellow tape around the blind flying instrument panel. This was an addition to USAAF fighters in the ETO, to highlight the instruments for easier concentration in the poor European weather. The last remaining Hawker Typhoon (currently in Canada) has the yellow tape, but only because it was loaned to the US, for evaluation, during WW2.
For the IFF wires, you'll find that 'invisible' thread is ideal in this scale, and can be attached with a tiny spot of 'superglue', to the small hole, after adding the decals and final clear coat. The 'tail end' can be fitted in a similar fashion, either to a very small notch in the tail plane, or a tiny hole, and any small imperfections can then be re-touched with a fine brush.
The 'invisible' thread is available in a number of shades, including a 'smoke' colour, ideal for the wires, and can be found in haberdashery or needlework shops.
I've included a couple of pics of the attachment points on the real aircraft, taken recently at Duxford.

 

[vikingBerserker]

I have to say, I've learned a lot about aircraft just from these model builds.

Well done Terry!

 

[Airframes]

Just noticed also - the instrument panel should be black, and the voltage regulators, behind the head rest, were normally either plain metal (silver) or black. It's a bit late for the panel, but the VRs could be re-painted.
By this date also, the seat was normally the composite type - a dark reddish brown colour - although the early metal seat was sometimes retro-fitted, which was the interior colour. Both had a very dark brown, almost black, 'slip on' leather back padding.

 

[Crimea_River]

Beat me to it Terry. Great reference shots!

 

[Jeff Hunt]

I will attempt the corrections that can be made using a small brush.

Thanks for the tips.

Jeff

 

[Crimea_River]

Here's a close-up of the voltage regulator (those two cylinders behind the head rest), black in this case.

And the instrument panel:

 

[Jeff Hunt]

The voltage regulators have been redone and the yellow line is gone from the instrument panel. I will take a look and see how secure the cockpit is glued in and if I can remove it I will repaint the I.P. the proper colour as well. Thanks again fellas.

PS. The seat back cover s black, it just does not show in the photos.

Cheers,

Jeff

 

[Wurger]

 

[Jeff Hunt]

I was able to remove the cockpit assembly and I have redone the IP in black. The assembly has been re-installed and things will now move forward.

Thanks again for the tips and the photos of the IFF attachment points.

Cheers,

Jeff

 

[Jeff Hunt]

The wings have been put together which was not to tough as it was a total of 5 pieces. I need to buff out some surface scratches, especially where I removed re-enforcement strips that were on the top of the wing. A little bit of putty along the bottom where the tips were joined and they should be ready to be mated to the fuselage soon. A touch up of the wheel wells after painting the bottom of the wing is on the list of things to do as well.

Cheers,

Jeff

 

[Crimea_River]

Good stuff.