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Supermarine Spitfire Mk. I

RichB

Well-known member
Took the start pic earlier in the week but just got to cut plastic this weekend.

Start~20.JPG


The cockpit is nicely detailed and provides for early or late Mk. I's with different lower starboard panels, different undercarriage levers, long radiator flap lever and cockpit armour. A couple of things that Airfix missed were the ring & bead sight for an early Mk. I (I've got a spare PE one in the parts bin), the optional open cockpit door has the crowbar molded on and the headrest for the unarmoured option. The fittings for the crowbar were on Mk. I's and II's door but the crowbars weren't factory installed until 1942. As my Spitfire won't have the armour, I cut the headrest from the plate and glued it to the bulkhead. Early Spitfires were fitted with a metal seat that was usually interior green but could also be black. The red-brown "bakelite" wasn't cleared for use until May 1940. The two cylinders on the port side were compressed air tanks, not oxygen bottles or fire extinguishers, and ran the guns, flaps, brakes and landing lights.

Ckpt_1~7.JPG


Ckpt_2~7.JPG


Ckpt_3~5.JPG


Ckpt_4~4.JPG


Ckpt_5~1.JPG


Still have to add the seat harness and route the anchor cable into the aft fuselage before the fuselage can be closed up.

Cheers,
Rich
 
Looks like a Spitfire now and getting close to paint time.

The cockpit assembled and fitted nicely, just make sure to clean the paint off the bulkhead tabs and out of the sidewall slots as they are a very snug fit before applying any paint. There are a couple of options for the upper fuselage panel that covers the fuel tank, the early unarmoured and the later armoured with the fairing for the external armoured glass for the windscreen. I had to sand the instrument panel to get my early panel to fit better and had a little bit of a gap to fill.

The wings have an option to open the gun access panels on the upper and lower surfaces. Separate panels are provided with some structural detail to replace the ones surgically removed. Gun breeches and ammunition feeds are provided to fill the bays. Again, a slight gap to treat with Tamiya putty and nail polish remover where the wings meet the fuselage fairings. The ailerons are also separate parts.

The elevators are connected so it is easy to keep them aligned. They usually drooped when the aircraft was parked. The rudder is also separate so can be canted. The flaps are molded up as they should be when on the ground (you can expect a 2 Crown fine otherwise). The radiator flap can be positioned open or closed, but was usually closed.

Assy_1~7.JPG


Assy_2~7.JPG


Assy_3~6.JPG


Assy_4~0.JPG


Assy_5~0.JPG


Thanks for looking in.

Cheers,
Rich
 
Jolly Good! Airfix has come a long way, don't you agree?
:salute :eek:ldguy

Yeah they seem to get a little more refined with each release. There are a few niggles but what kit doesn't have them.

Cheers,
Rich
 
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