The Wooksta! - The Plan, a Spitfire Blog

[The Wooksta!]

I went looking for the decals for the Beaufighter last night and came across a part used DH Hornet sheet.  One of the options was for a Sea Hornet at Hal Far, Malta and looked rather unusual so it caught my attention. 

I've a Seafang in the post war FAA scheme of Extra Dark Sea Grey and Sky with the high demarcation.  It's one of my own castings and doesn't have the wing cannons so I'd always intended it for second line duties.  Initially, I'd thought about the red/yellow striping worn by some Sea Furies and Seafires on an exercise but decided against it but finding these decals plus a memory of something RotorheadTX did with a Matchbox Tempest got me thinking about doing something similar myself, only with the Seafang.

Apart from the decals, there's not a lot needing doing to it. I have a boxfull of 3 spoke hub wheels that were done last year, so all I really need are the prop and the canopy.  The Seafang was to have had the same canopy as the Seafire FR47  and I've plenty of Falcon ones, so that's sorted.  I'm just not looking forward to sorting out the serial code on the fuselage.  Underwing?  I just ignore it.  All my post war RAF and FAA aircraft are in a whiff universe that never went back to putting them underneath.

[The Wooksta!]

Finally!  Getting something done.

The E.XIX now has it's decals on.  Few little tweaks and can get the varnish on and then it'll be finished sharpish.  Considering that I got it as a built up wreck, it's looking surprisingly good.

I've also got the underside colours on a few others, so I can get decalling over the weekend.  Most of then are FR birds and I'm looking forward to seeing them finished, especially the FR.XIII with all the upgrade bits.  The FR.XIVc is another one but I'm going to have to start searching for a squadron for that one.  2 Sqn springs to mind - they were always an FR squadron but it's too obvious.  Time to start re-reading Flying Units of the RAF!

Comments on this thread go here:
http://www.whatifmodelers.com/index.php/topic,34772.0.html

[The Wooksta!]

Got some of the decals on quite a few last night, although I concentrated to just the national markings because I need to do some research before I go any further, especially with the PRXIII and FRXIVc.  I'm pretty much decided on a squadron for the latter - I gave them FR21s last year.

Tonight is going to be masking, pt 1.  This is with maskol.  Paint that on in the disruptive scheme and then spray over the top.  Simples.  There's only the four to do today, maybe a couple of hours work.

More ideas abound, this time for Spitefuls.  Firstly as coastal strike.  Wouldn't have the range for the Norwegian coast but Holland or Denmark would be well within range.  Underwing slipper tanks, one with a strike camera, two sets of double tier rockets per wing (spare from the Academy 14) and the torpedo drop tank under the fuselage.  Or bombs in place of the rockets.  Either way, they'd be toting some tasty looking lethality.

The other one I was considering was Rhodesian.  They definitely had Spitfire F22s - I've several sets of markings for them - and there's a photo of one in Spifire International on a plinth in Dark Earth and Dark Green with the Spear roundels.  I've several sets of those stashed away too.  Simple backstory is that they purchased a squadron of Spitefuls to replace the F22s in the ground attack role - with it's wide track u/c the Spiteful would be better for operating from rough airstrips - where they'd be used to keep fractious tribesmen down.  I rather like the idea of one lobbing a couple of rockets through Mugabe's window.  However, I'd have to go for the dark scheme but with a slight twist and use the squadron bars on the decals with the type D roundels.

The final thought was Swiss.  Now, I'd heard that they did consider Sea Furies and given that the Swiss operate from roads and hide their aircraft in tunnels it makes sense - wings fold to get into smaller tunnels and the arrestor hook would be useable with airfield arrestor gear.  So, what if the Ministry of Supply offered them the 30 or so production Spitefuls and Seafangs that were built but never flown at a knockdown rate?

Comments on this thread go here:
http://www.whatifmodelers.com/index.php/topic,34772.0.html

[The Wooksta!]

Haven't done a lot, due in part to the weather (too hot and bothered), the garden (have you seen the weeds out there?!!!) and sheer laziness.  One thing I did find whilst fighting the garden - an MPM PRXIX wheel that had fell off a cocktail stick when I was spraying it last year and which promptly vanished.

I did get the clipped wing PR1G masked and the green on, though.  Another couple got a respray but these are long term ones and one of them I decidedly unhappy about the canopy.

Apart from that, it's been more decalling, doing the odd 30 mins worth here and there.  You'd be surprised how much you can get done in short bursts.  In total, there's about 6 plus a Sea Fury that just needed it's squadron code reapplying.  Some of them are looking fab - the Seafang really looks the business, although I've a feeling I used the wrong size roundels even though I nicked them from a Seafire 47 sheet - but the Ib doesn't really cut it.  More left handed than right handed, if that makes any sense.  I'll finish it, but more from a sense of completion than owt else

Just got to cut out a few letters for the FR14c and that's done.  I chickened out on the serial and wound up using the one from the Academy kit as I'd found two sets of decals which gave me what I needed.  The only others I found were either E wing aircraft or the Fujimi ones which don't look quite right.  That's another one I'm looking forward to seeing finished.

And apart from that, I still have to mask the other PR1G!

Comments on this thread go here:
http://www.whatifmodelers.com/index.php/topic,34772.0.html

[The Wooksta!]

Four finished and another half dozen to go  - the Tyneside show is sunday and I have tonight and perhaps a little bit of tomorrow to get the others done.  I'd like the Seafire 47 finished but won't lose any sleep if I don't.  Not happy with it but it'll do as a crowd filler at the back of the display until I can do a better one.  The source kit lets it down - it's a Ventura one and I should have done more clean up on it. 

I may try a cross kit with the Airfix 22 when it comes out, using the Ventura wing and some resin bits.  Given that at least 1 of the 22s will be donating it's wings to a PR.XIX so I can do a 21, it'll be a nice use of spare parts.  The Ventura fuselage can be crossed with my resin wing and I get an FR26 out of it.  Win-win all round

Very happy with the contraprop PR.X trial aircraft and the 2TAF FR aircraft - the Airfix one still needs the canopy and the door done, plus a few aerials but it looks the business.

Spiteful wise, I've decided on a squadron for the one in the post war intruder colours.  I know it's cheating, but I'm going to nick the squadron codes and markings from a Frog Hornet and put it with either 19 or 41 squadron, probably the latter as I've 19 flying the F22, although 41 were flying F21s before they got Hornets.

There's a trio of Spitefuls I'd like to get finished for Sunday but lack of time and pressure of trying to get the others finished will be against me.  One I do want finished, because I'd salvaged it from a bad decision and I'm happy with the 5 blade Merlin prop I cobbled together from a pair of Aeroteam contraprops and 5 blade Griffon props.  It looks right but odd.  First glance you'd not notice the difference, but it's just odd enough to get you looking again. Which is a sign of good whiffing!

Comments on this thread go here:
http://www.whatifmodelers.com/index.php/topic,34772.0.html

[The Wooksta!]

Well, they got there, kind of - the three Seafires were cheats in that two didn't have their tailwheel doors, one no exhausts and one no tailwheel.  Then again, bits fall off in transit and sometimes we never notice.  That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it, although I really should go through the boxes and do some running repairs and touch ups.

The stash got a nice influx of kits at Temple Park and I got the Czech markings I'd been wanting for a while in one of the CMR kits - I've already got it but the decal sheet has long since vanished.  I know I've got it, it's just a question of where.  It did take me three years to find my CMR Speed Spitfire kit after all and it was only a chance glance in the CMK Commonwealth CA15 box (I discovered that I've three!) that enabled me to find it.  Not all the Temple Park acqusitions are for The Plan - the CMR ones certainly are not - but some are.  The Xtrakit F.XII was high on the must get list, especially with it being deleted and OOP.

The display itself looked fantastic, although it was too cramped in places and too spaced out in others.  You can see for yourself here:








Something told me to enter the competition this year.  Partly to bulk the numbers out (it wasn't as well attended as it should be, although the standard was quite high), partly for a laugh and oartly to get some whifs into it. So I entered two of the Spitefuls.  I nearly entered two of the Seafangs but changed my mind.  Fool!



This was an original Pegasus tooling that I'd intended on doing as a target tug back in 2004.  It got as far as being primed in white but then I changed my mind (I *loathe* painting all the black/yellow striping having done it with a Meteor TT3 some years back after having an argument with C-FKWT - what happened to him, BTW) and it became a PR machine.  Never finished and it was stripped and redone last year but never finished. 

Pegasus original tooling, with my  resin tail surfaces, wheels and radiators.  The exhausts are Aeroclub white metal ones, the canopy an Aeroclub vacform one (Seafire FR47) and the prop was nicked from a Frog/Novo F.XIV. The slipper tanks are Airfix Firefly ones courtesy of Narses2.  The undercarriage was from the later Pegasus tooling. Decals I think are either Freightdog or Xtradecal.  Pity they silvered a little but still, it got a Highly Commended. 



This one, the Speed Spiteful, won it's class, even though it was up against a BFO scale Phantom and I'd written off it's chances.  This is a Blackbeard Resins one with a Falcon Seafire 17 canopy and CMR Spiteful prop.  Decals were from the CMR kit and a Carpena sheet, the white stripe being from a French Seafire and unlikely to be used for the real thing.

Photos courtesy of Jaybee and Martin H

Comments on this thread go here:
http://www.whatifmodelers.com/index.php/topic,34772.0.html

[The Wooksta!]

Now that there are some photos available, I think it's time I filled you in on a few more of the line up.



This is a PR1D, although it started as a Hobbyboss Spitfire Vb.  You need to replace several bits anyway, so it got a Falcon early PR canopy, Airfix Vb prop, wheels and exhausts, a resin Aboukir filter and an Aeroclub u/c, more of which anon. In addition, the flying surfaces aren't as well defined as they could be so a little rescribing was in order.

It's difficult to think up convincing alternates for the early PR machines, because they were what they were and there were so few of them.  A flip through the On Target book on PR Spits yielded something convincing.  BR416 was built as a PR1D and was used almost exclusively in the middle east, ending up SOC in Palestine in 1945.  Say it was just left on a scrap dump by erks who were more interested in coming home than putting an axe through it and was found by the Isrealis.  The Aeroclub Spitfire u/c was intended for his Griffon fuselage conversions and as such had the torque links introduced on the mk IX and never used by the PR1D.  However, the Isrealis DID fly the mk IX and would have used the spares to rebuild BR416.

Standard RAF colours - again, these would have been left behind.  Not a model I'm that happy with - the u/c got written off, hence the Aeroclub replacement (which I'd allocated to something else) and I always seem to have a problem with RAF desert camouflage.  I also loathe vacform canopies with a passion.



Another Isreali machine, this time an LFIXe with the bubble hood.  Actually, it's the Heller LFXVIe but the only difference between the IX and the XVI was that the latter had a Packard Merlin and there was no external difference.  Simple whif being that the Czechs were given late bubble hood IXs and they took them home, selling them to the Isrealis later.

I'd already done one Isreali low back but I liked this scheme on the Egyptian/Isreali Spitfire sheet and decided to adapt it for a low back.  The Egyptian markings ended up on a Spitfire PRXI - they did express an interest in buyiung them but never did.


Photos courtesy of Jaybee

Comments on this thread go here:
http://www.whatifmodelers.com/index.php/topic,34772.0.html

[The Wooksta!]

Time for a few more pics.



This is the Magna Seafang F.31, finished as a second line aircraft using the Legato decals for a Seafire F46.  The prop is an Aeroclub one but it's a replacement - the one I was doing for it originally inexplicably went on a PR19 and had to be replaced with an Aeroclub one.  The Magna canopies are frankly awful so I used a Seafire FR47 one from Aeroclub and the wheels also got replaced with some home cast resin ones.  I'm quietly pleased with this one as it taught me that the Magna kit isn't as bad as I'd previously thought.



This is more of a rare beastie, the PRXIII.  There were 26 of these in total, all converted airframes, and very few photos.  They served with  541 sqn and some then found their way to the Royal Navy.  The decals are from the Model Alliance Early Merlin Spitfires sheet.

Again, this was a Hobbyboss Spitfire Vb, with an Airfix Vb u/c & wheels, Airfix IXc prop (I think...) and a Falcon canopy.  Like the PR1D, I did a little scribing to emphasise the control surfaces a little more. 

So, what makes it a whif, then?  Easy.  The prop on the original was a 3 blade, I've gone for a four blade.  Both the PRXIII and the Seafire III used the Merlin 32 and the latter had a 4 blade prop to get the best out of it, so perhaps the erks swapped things round?  I also went for 6 stub ejector exhausts for added effect.  I also added the low level camera, pointing out of the bulged camera port on the starboard side but you can't see that too well in this photo.

Finally, the scheme.  The profile suggests some colours I've never seen the RAF use with PRU Mauve undersides.  However, some researchers think that it retained the PRU undersurfaces it had when with 541 and was repainted in the Temperate Sea Scheme on the uppersurfaces of Extra Dark Sea Grey and Dark Slate Grey.  That seemed to make a bit more sense and I went for that.  I rather like the combination and may use it again in future - I did something similar with a PRXIX a few years back and liked that too.

I rather like the Hobbyboss Spitfire.  It's cheap, easy to assemble and the plastic is both thick and rather soft, which makes it quite forgiving when doing conversion work.  Yes, it does need some replacement bits but those with a capacious and copious spares box shouldn't find it too onerous.  Given that you'd need some of those bits anyway if you were converting, say, an Airfix Ia, it's almost ideal.

Photos courtesy of Jaybee and Aircav

Comments on this thread go here:
http://www.whatifmodelers.com/index.php/topic,34772.0.html

[The Wooksta!]

Modellingwise, I've done little since the weekend, because shows tend to take a fair bit out of you for a day or so but I did get cracking with a PRXIX yesterday.  This is to be one of the three pathfinder ones I've been planning since Christmas.  I've done the wartime ELINT/Radar spoofer (the post war one is largely assembled), the pathfinders were to be in a similar scheme and I'd already built them. 

Only to remember that the cockpit interiors should have been painted black and I'd used cockpit green.  No matter, I had ideas for PRXIXs anyway, so simply reallocated them.  One becomes Pakistani, another Isreali (sold on by India) and the other RAF in the Far East, although I'm still undecided on scheme but will probably end up doing both of those in mind because the Airfix PRXIX is cheap, reasonably accurate and such an enjoyable build.  I did get the radiators painted and fitted, so all three will have a date with the airbrush at the weekend.

I also got one more of the Telford refuseniks closer to completion, this being a PRXIX lowback.  It's a spare AZ F.XVIII fuselage from their F.XIV kit with the wing and tailplanes from the MPM PRXIX out of the Millenium set.  I didn't have a cockpit interior so cobbled one together from some resin bits and strips of plastic card.  Not up to Tamiya standard - or even Airfix, come to that - but still, it does the job. 

The canopy became tricky, because none of the PR windscreens would fit, so a little judicious bending and strategic use of superglue (which I'm wary of doing with clear parts due to the possiblity of the fumes fogging them) and it fitted.  I'd also cut out a rear bubble section some time back for the vile Xtrakit F22 and simply used that.  All it needs now is the prop (I have a cleaned up Airkit one from his F21/F22 awaiting primer) and the pitot tube.

I also started an Airfix mk II but may have to think of some other ideas for it.  What I had in mind probably won't work.  Still, nothing wasted as it'll get finished eventually.

Comments on this thread go here:
http://www.whatifmodelers.com/index.php/topic,34772.0.html

[The Wooksta!]

Another day, some more pics.



This is a Telford refusenik from 2010 and it was toveyed around a few shows last year.  It's an old Aeroclub Spitfire F.XII fuselage conversion that I'd originally done in 1991 but got stripped a few years back and the wing fell off.  Consequently, the bits got slung in a box and forgotten about.  

Fast foward some time later and a discovery.  I test fitted an Airfix Vb wing and it fitted but would need filler.  Hmmn, basis for a mk IV?  The rudder would have to go so it got some careful surgery and the tail planes were also snapped off, these being the later mk IX style and would have to be replaced with some spare Airfix Vb ones.  I needed constant PSR on the wing roots as they flexed and cracked all the time and it nearly went off a wall on at least two occasions.  Still, I never completely abandon any model.  Well, 99% of them anyway.

So, now I've a mk IVb, what scheme?  Battle of Britain, as it was the 70th anniversary.  Say Rolls Royce managed to get enough Griffon prototypes ready to equip a flight or perhaps a squadron?  Which one?  I decided on one of the Defiant squadrons and nicked some decals from the MPM kit.

Due to the nature of the model, a salbage job with a wreck, I'm in two minds about it.  Happy that I managed to turn some wreckage into something decent but generally unhappy with the build overall.  It was a struggle and not a pleasant one.  Plus I cocked up the decals in places.  It's one I'll redo at some stage and hopefully with a better kit, possibly an Xtrakit FXII although I may do that as a mk IVc.



Another Telford refusenik, but only just and I really wish that I'd got this one finished as it's one of my favourites.  It started as a CMR Seafire FR47 and is the moulding they did in 1996 - I've had this one in the stash since 1997.  

I was looking for something last year when I found this in the box of CMK Seafires.  On closer inspection, it turned out that CMR had made a right cock up - the canopy is a standard Spitfire bubble and the wing bulges over the wheel bays are too small.  Essentially, all they've done is add a panel line to the wing for the fold and the deeper cowling.  However, that meant that I could do a decent Spitfire FR26 from the box, albeit with a small amount of filling to de-navalise it.

The fuselage was also a tad warped, so some hot water treatment cured that.  The sting section was replaced with part of an Admiral F22 rudder that's spare in their Seafire F46 kit.  I used the kit's underwing combat tanks - the drop tank will eventually find it's way onto a Seafang and the undercarriage was replaced with an Aeroclub white metal one - I didn't like the look of the kit u/c as it looked too weak and being resin, I suspect it would warp under the weight.

It went together a dream and I was highly impressed with it, especially as it's the first CMR Spitfire I've actually built.  Been looking for anothyer and finally got one off ebay a few days back.  That's going to be similar but with a standard 5 blade prop.  I also have the earlier CMK FR47 which is somewhat more basic and resembles the Pegasus kit.  Who copied who, I don't know but it'll get built as part of The Plan at some stage, along with the Pegasus one.  Syrian or Egyptian possibly.  I've plans for some subtle whiffs for their F22s using the forthcoming Airfix kit and some spare AZ decals.


Also in the photo: to the left is the Final touch Seafire 47 - see these threads: http://www.whatifmodelers.com/index.php/topic,30674.0 and http://www.whatifmodelers.com/index.php/topic,31187.0

To the right is the Ventura Seafire FR47, which is a *very* subtle whiff indeed and you have to know the subject well enough to tell what it is (and no, I'm not giving it away!)

There's also the tail of the Central Gunnery School F22 I did some years back and most of the Seafire F45.  The former is a salvaged Airkit F22 and the latter is a converted Academy F14 I was given some years back.  See this thread for a nude photo. http://www.whatifmodelers.com/index.php/topic,26002.0

Photos courtesy of Martin H.

Comments on this thread go here:
http://www.whatifmodelers.com/index.php/topic,34772.0.html

[The Wooksta!]

This one (the black grey one in the centre coded J) is one I'm very happy with, the R.XIX.



This was an Airfix PR.XIX I got last year as a salvage job and did it need a load of clean up!  The u/c, prop, exhausts and canopy all needed replacing as they were either smashed, missing or seriously glue scarred.  The u/c and tailwheel came from...  Actually, I don't know where I got it but it was an Academy 14.  The wheels were my own resin ones.  Canopy was a spare Airfix one, as were the tailwheel doors.  The slipper tank was a spare Freightdog one.  The prop was stolen from another Airfix XIX but the prop that came with it was salvagable.  The exhausts are home cast resin copies of the Fujimi ones.  Still need to do glareshields though.

It's a radar spoofer, flying alongside the bombers and used to draw off German nightfighters, wasting their time and fuel.  So she carries a few whip aerials and underneath a "Monica" tail warning radar aerial.  That was modified from a spare arrowhead aerial from a Tamiya Mosquito NFII.  I also added the bulged low level camera panel, although this is used as a flare chute.  

The scheme is Extra Dark Sea Grey over black and I'll be doing it again with a XIX used for pathfinder duties.  I wanted it to be as anonymous as possible, so no squaron codes and no serials.  No white on the national markings either.

Very happy with the finished result.  Consequently, I've a post war version on the go with the MPM XIX, but this will be a bit more colourful.  Or at least, a bit brighter.

And I'd better explain the others too.

The desert one to the left is a Pakistani PR19.  Straight Airfix kit with MPM markings.  Another Telford 2010 refusenik.

In front, wearing a yellow P, is a Royal Navy example.  Again, and Airfix kit but the rudder is modified to have a sting section for an interim version flying off the carriers for recce flights.  Eventually, I'll have one in BPF markings and possibly a full naval scheme.  Still have to work out where the wing fold will go, although that'll just be a scribed line.

In front of the Pakistani one and only just visible is a SAAF example.  This was given to me built, I just had to finish it off.  Base kit is the MPM one from the Millenium set.

Behind J is an F21 in Far East camo.  Aeroteam kit and it's safe to say that it isn't my favourite kit.  You can just see the wing from a second Aeroteam kit.

Wearing early Indian markings coded 96 is an FR21, cobbled together from the Ventura PR19 and my resin F21 wing.  Took a while this and I'm not too keen on it.  Good as a crowd filler though.  Behind it as a PR21, using the Airfix 19 fuselage and my F21 wing sans cannon bulges.

Finally, and looking quite smart in 603 Sqn markings, is an Airkit F21.  Another salvage job using a kit I built back in 1992.  Plenty of markings for this as an F22 in the stash so it's the simple "give the unit a different mark" routine.


Photo courtesy of Martin H

Comments on this thread go here:
http://www.whatifmodelers.com/index.php/topic,34772.0.html

[The Wooksta!]

Plenty of assermbly going on at the moment, mainly mk IXs and I hate the Airfix wing.  It needs some judicious sanding on the trailing edge of the lower wing and it's a real pain. Other than that, they're a real breeze to assemble as they're so simple.  Others may complain about lack of detail but once the seat is painted with some tape seatbelts, that's all you really need as you can see little else through the canopy.

Right now, there's a long span IXc, an FR IXc and an VIIIe.  I need to know the colour match for RAF "Deep Sky" for the HF IX although I've heard that a mix of PRU Blue and white is a reasonable match but I may just go with PRU Blue for quickness.  That one is because the one I did last year from the KP kit stalled because of problems with the cockpit aperture - it's too long and no canopy I had would fit it properly.  The wing tips are from the Freightdog HF.VIII conversion but I'd used the tail on the VIIIe, along with the wing bulges from the 3D late IXe conversion set. 

The exhausts, rudder and prop from that are going on another Airfix IXc, along with drilling a camera port on the starboard hatch, as this will be the FR.IXc mentioned above.  Norway for this one as they did look at the possibility of converting some of their Spitfires for the FR role. This meant a quick flip through the relevant section of Spitfire International and I discovered a unit I've been wanting for the late Vb that I painted but didn't decal last year.  Norway did want some for the training role but never got any.  Time to dig out my Norwegian markings!

I'll have to do some casting too, because I'll be needing instrument panels.  This is the one concession to extra detail in the cockpit and I found that the panel from the Airkit Spitfires was a perfect fit.  Okay, a little surgery to the pieces that hold the cockpit section so it can be popped in place with the fuselage closed up.

Also on the bench is an early mk XIVc - the early ones still had the mk VIII tail section.  This is a crosskit of the airfix IXc (wings, guns, u/c and canopy) with everything else from the Airfix XIX.  The tail is being converted with some of the bits left over from the Freightdog PR.XI conversion.  I never waste anything.

Soon, this lot will have to be boxed and put to one side as I need to clear the decks, quite literally.  The Airfix F22 is almost here - the lorries are on the road now delivering them to your LHS as I key this.  This is one I've been looking forward to since it was anounced.  Pity it's the wrong side of payday...

Comments on this thread go here:
http://www.whatifmodelers.com/index.php/topic,34772.0.html

[The Wooksta!]

I now have the first two of the new F22 and...  Actually, I feel a bit let down.

It is everything I wanted - beautifully detailed and with some nice spares and oodles of possiblities -  but something about it feels wrong.  It didn't help that the one in build has some quality control issues - the wing fillet is short shot, as is one of the u/c doors plus everything has had to have flash trimmed for better fit.

One other trick, which I learned from the Airfix MkIa is to drill out the locator pin holes - they're a very tight fit and as such the fuselage won't close up properly unless you drill them out.  Even so, it still needs clamping when the cockpit assembly goes in.  That didn't fit together as well as the Ia either and like the Ia needs some trimming to go together properly.

The wing is nicely detailed and the fit is again better once some fettling is done with the mating surfaces.  I can understand with the AZ and MPM/Xtrakit ones - they're limited run - but Airfix?

I *really* dislike the wheels.  The hub isn't as well defined as it could be and on the example in build has a lot of flash on it.  Ideally, it'd get replaced but as they've moulded it with a flay, the axle is a larger squarish shape so the wheel is angled correctly on the leg.  This is quite clever but another annoying niggle.

Yet another niggle is the odd lip on the outside edges of the tailwheel doors.  These need trimming because there's no such thing on the real aircraft.  I don't like the options for the closed doors - the tailwheel section is a solid lump whilst the maingear ones are thick with a bar to help location.  Not that much of a niggle really but these are always handy for other things.

Fit overall is good, with the caveats mentioned above.  They've continued with the tailplane locator style used on the mk Ia and it makes alignment much easier.  Love the prop.  It looks very nice indeed but the spinner needs the panel line rescribing.  The supercharger intake is also the nicest one in injection.

The engine cowling.  Slide mould used to get the rocker covers but needs cleanup and some of the panel lines around it are a little indistinct.  There's something about the whole cowling that bothers me and I just can't put my finger on what it is.  It feels... dainty.  Too dainty.  The Griffon is a big, beefy engine and the cowling doesn't really reflect that.  Not in my view anyway.  I've plans to replace one with an FR47 cowling anyway, but I shouldn't have to do this.

Overall?  8/10. 

Comments on this thread go here:
http://www.whatifmodelers.com/index.php/topic,34772.0.html

[The Wooksta!]

It's together and not far from being sprayed either .  The wheels are now painted and they don't look quite so bad under a coat or two.  The fit alignment is clever and means you can't get them wrong unless you're an imbecile.

The second on the bench is close to having the fuselage closed up - just need to put the decal instrument panel in place and I'm toying with opening the cockpit entry hatch.

This one is going to be a Seafire F46, possibly in overall high speed silver and flown by some high ranking officer in charge of training - there's a RW Seafire 17 in polished metal that is similar to what I want to do.  Alternately, it'd be a Extra Dark Sea Grey top with Sky underneath but very glossy and with the type D markings.  Either version has the stubs in place of the cannons - I trimmed them down.

The spare u/c doors have been trimmed down and used on one of the Academy 14s converted to 21s.  The one with my own wing now has the u/c on and the aforementioned outer doors.  It doesn't look quite so bad but it's going in a dark scheme and will be a Met Flight aircraft.  Just need to find teh old Aviation news with the Met Flight Hastings in it for confirmation of the scheme.  I'm sure it's Dark Sea Grey over Med Sea Grey, but would like to be certain and in any case, I need to be clear about the roundels.  Pretty sure they're wartime type C.

Again, this is another aircraft with just stubs in place of the cannons and I used some sprue offcuts from the Airfix IXc and PRXIX - some of the moulding gates are quite delicate and with a little trimming, they're almost ideal.  Although trimming them down is a nightmare when they go ping across the floor.  Lost about six last night.

Comments on this thread go here:
http://www.whatifmodelers.com/index.php/topic,34772.0.html

[The Wooksta!]

Quick Google image search revealed that the Met Flight scheme I want is indeed DSG over MSG with Type D roundels, so I'm looking forward to doing this as it's a nice scheme combo.  It's also on the South African low back IXes and it's quite attractive, with the Type D roundels, doubly so.  Just need to get some primer now as I've several coming together.

Closed up an Airfix I last night night, this being the I/IIa boxing of the Airfix kit and will be pre war Dutch, replacing the old Hasegawa one that yet to finish.  I'll still finish that one off, because it's a museum exhibit whereas the Airfix one will be the real thing.

Also closed up the 46 and took the opportunity to open the door.  Airfix have moulded some delicate detail in there and it's a shame to hide it, although being a Seafire it's all in black but I did use a silver quilting pencil and a stiff brush to weather it a little.  One thing I did notice is the moulded on hinge at the base of teh door on the outside.  Every other kit has this as a recessed line.  Another plus mark for Airfix.

Must get some more of the F22 as I'm still coming up with ideas and just want to get cracking!

Comments on this thread go here:
http://www.whatifmodelers.com/index.php/topic,34772.0.html