Narses2's Blog - or what I'm slowly making progress on

[zenrat]

Is this the new 1/72 Vc Chris?
Does it come with parts to build it without the tropical kit?

t
Yes it is the new tool kit and yes whilst the non tropical parts are not marked they are on the sprues, as are clipped wings. You've just got to figure out how to use them yourself...

Thanks mate.  It came today and I had a quick look at the destructions but as you say it only shows how to build for the supplied schemes.  I haven't opened the bag yet.

[NARSES2]

Stencils, stencils, stencils, but we're there on the Spitfire 

[NARSES2]

Spitfires finished 

I'll get a photo of it up when I take some of the actual what if's that are currently on the bench.

[NARSES2]

Gave the bench a deep clean and moved a few things around to try and make it a more ergonomic environment for working. We shall see the results, if any, when I start work on the Blue Light's GB build. Was hoping to break plastic this morning, but had to put my "UK What If SIG Newsletter's Editors hat on" and lost my patience with MS Word.....as usual 

Anyway it's Real World, but I quite like the results, so here's  some shots of my new tool Airfix Spitfire Vc which is a really enjoyable and relaxing build. I shall be building more 

[PR19_Kit]

Is that an Azure Blue underside please Chris?

It looks very much like Deep Sky................

[NARSES2]

Yup Azure Blue, Xtracrylic XA1026 straight out of the pot.

[DogfighterZen]

That sure looks good, Chris! 
Might have to buy one of those kits to build a real world Vc of the Aeronáutica Militar Portuguesa, the precursor of the PoAF.

[TheChronicOne]

Brilliant! RW or not, it's one of my favorite treatments..... "Americanized."  I should snag one of them kits.....   

[Old Wombat]

The Spit looks great, mate!

[zenrat]

Good job Chris.

[NARSES2]

Thanks gents.

Can I just say  that it is a great kit and is an ideal "relaxation build" after perhaps a difficult or long winded project.

Airfix are obviously going to bring a clipped wing version out as they are included in this boxing although not used.

[DogfighterZen]

Thanks gents.

Can I just say  that it is a great kit and is an ideal "relaxation build" after perhaps a difficult or long winded project.

Airfix are obviously going to bring a clipped wing version out as they are included in this boxing although not used.

Would be nice to have a boxing of the Vb/c with Portuguese markings, seeing that they released the Beaufighter TF. Mk.X with a set for Portuguese Aeronáutica Naval ones. That would certainly make me buy it cause most of the aftermarket decals for Portuguese subjects aren't of the best quality. Most are simply too thick and hard to make look good.

[The Wooksta!]

Thanks gents.

Can I just say  that it is a great kit and is an ideal "relaxation build" after perhaps a difficult or long winded project.

Airfix are obviously going to bring a clipped wing version out as they are included in this boxing although not used.

Would be nice to have a boxing of the Vb/c with Portuguese markings, seeing that they released the Beaufighter TF. Mk.X with a set for Portuguese Aeronáutica Naval ones. That would certainly make me buy it cause most of the aftermarket decals for Portuguese subjects aren't of the best quality. Most are simply too thick and hard to make look good.

According to Air Britain's superbly researched Spitfire International, listing all the export Spitfires, Portugal only got mk Is, Vbs and, quite recently, a solitary mk IXc.

IIRC, Carpena did a set of Portuguese markings.  Sure they did as I got it to do Portuguese Spitfires...

[DogfighterZen]

Thanks gents.

Can I just say  that it is a great kit and is an ideal "relaxation build" after perhaps a difficult or long winded project.

Airfix are obviously going to bring a clipped wing version out as they are included in this boxing although not used.

Would be nice to have a boxing of the Vb/c with Portuguese markings, seeing that they released the Beaufighter TF. Mk.X with a set for Portuguese Aeronáutica Naval ones. That would certainly make me buy it cause most of the aftermarket decals for Portuguese subjects aren't of the best quality. Most are simply too thick and hard to make look good.

According to Air Britain's superbly researched Spitfire International, listing all the export Spitfires, Portugal only got mk Is, Vbs and, quite recently, a solitary mk IXc.

IIRC, Carpena did a set of Portuguese markings.  Sure they did as I got it to do Portuguese Spitfires...

I'm not sure about the accuracy of the research done by the writer of the blog i read regarding Portuguese Spitfires but it states that the Aeronáutica Militar had a few different variants of Spits. The Ia is the most well know, and supposedly they got 18 of them.
Regarding the V, it says they first got 34 of them, most being Vb but it says that 2 were Vc with the non-standard weapon configuration and 7 were Vb LF with clipped wings, delivered between October 1943 and February 1944.
There was an offer of 120 Mk. IX but the Portuguese declined, insisting on more Mk.V and that's where i got the inspiration for my Portuguese Mk.IXc build.
The following 60 planes began arriving in April of 47 and the deliveries extended to January of 48. It also says these were a mix of Vb F and Vb LF, with the Vb F being converted to LF before delivery.
The writer also mentions the sole Mk. IX you spoke of, which was either given or traded for something else. Not sure but i remember reading something about it being traded for another plane with the South African AF to be put on display at the PoAF's museum in Sintra. It was altered in Portugal to represent a Mk.V.
the writer says his sources were the PoAf's historical archive and a book, "Aeronaves Militares Portuguesas no Século XX" - Adelino Cardoso - Edição ESSENCIAL, Lisboa, 2000.
Here's the page, if you wanna read it, although it's all in Portuguese but, i believe Google translator can be of assistance.
https://altimagem.blogspot.com/2013/03/60a-supermarine-spitfire-segunda-parte.html

Regarding decals, yes, i have some for Spitfires and Hurricanes by Carpena, which are a bit thick but as there weren't many options when i bought them a few years ago, they did the job. There are a few recent editions by Black Cat decals, which were the ones i used on my Spit Mk. IX and those are better, good colors and a bit thinner than the Carpena ones. There's another Portuguese company now doing a bunch of different planes but i have not used those so i can't comment. Don't get me wrong, the Carpena decals are usable, no doubt, but some of the roundels i've used were thick and cracked easily when i tried to get them to conform to engraved panel lines with some mircosol.
The best i've seen for Portuguese aircraft were the Model Maker decals for F-16s, those are top quality, very thin but can take a fair amount of abuse with no problems.
I'm still hoping that Airfix will include Portuguese markings in a next boxing of the Mk.V, as it would make life easier for us by not having to buy a separate sheet.

[Rick Lowe]

Nice job on the Spit, Chris.