#1 DONE +++ Supermarine Jetfire Mk.I, 'YQ-G' of RAF 616 Sq., 1945 (pics @p.2)

[Dizzyfugu]

So, here we go. Let's start with the ingredients: a FROG Spitfire Mki. XIV (originally from 1969, with a V1 included, plus dual display) and a KP Yak-23 w/o box (AFAIK the mould was created in 1981).

1:72 Supermarine "Jetfire", early 1945 (Whif/Kitbashing) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


And then directly into the action. First steps circle around the problem where to make the cuts on both kits. The good news is that the Yak-23's  Derwent nose is almost as long as the Griffon on the Spitfire, so that length is not a major proportions issue:

1:72 Supermarine "Jetfire", early 1945 (Whif/Kitbashing) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


From that basis, the Griffon was cut away in front of the Spitfire's cockpit, with the moulded dashboard and the wing roots still intact:

1:72 Supermarine "Jetfire", early 1945 (Whif/Kitbashing) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


The "mirror cut" on the Yak-23 was a bit more tricky, since I wanted to save the exhaust pipe, placing it under the fuselage just as onboard of the Yak-23:

1:72 Supermarine "Jetfire", early 1945 (Whif/Kitbashing) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


Anyway, dry-fitting the nose revealed that, once the wings would be mounted, almost nothing of the exhaust tunnel would be left - I'd either have to semi-bury it, or add a deep fairing with a distinctive and rather ugly belly. Since the central, low exhaust also bears the indirect challenge of protecting the tail wheel (the Jetfire will keep the Spitfire's tail sitter layout, it's just intended to be a quickly re-engined aircraft), I went for a bifurcated twin exhaust, running along the wing roots to the trailing edge. This solution also offers a neat option to blend the wide and round Yak-23 nose with the much more slender Spitfire fuselage.

1:72 Supermarine "Jetfire", early 1945 (Whif/Kitbashing) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


More to follow soon.

[Captain Canada]

Nice start ! They do fit together really well eh !

[Dizzyfugu]

Thank you very much. Thought so, too when I held the parts together for the first time.

BTW, there's more progress - the wings. A convenient "flaw" of the FROG Spitfire is that the radiators are just glued to the plain wing undersurface, so that they are easy to omit and any sign of attachment can be easily hidden:

1:72 Supermarine "Jetfire", early 1945 (Whif/Kitbashing) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


And here's a dry-fitted overall layout view:

1:72 Supermarine "Jetfire", early 1945 (Whif/Kitbashing) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Supermarine "Jetfire", early 1945 (Whif/Kitbashing) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


The Griffon's carburetor intake will disappear, but in this view you see how little of the Yak-23 exhaust pipe is left to keep, maybe 2mm, if at all! Anyway, the combo looks very natural, if not elegant, I did not expect these good looks for such a crude hybrid! 

Furthermore, I drilled the Yak-23's vertical intake splitter away since it does not make sense on this aircraft layout - even though I am still wondering what to put inside instead? Probably a round central bullet.

[perttime]

Real world British Derwent installations had some sort of splitters or baffles too.

W4041/G Gloster E28/39 by eLaReF, on Flickr

Gloster Meteor Derwent 8 jet engine by Allan McBain, on Flickr

---
Yak with a DB 605 might look interesting, too...

[Dizzyfugu]

I am aware of these - but the Gloster E.28/39 had to hise the front wheel somewhere (just like the Yak-23) and on the Meteor the front wing spar goes right through the air intake. Both are not applicable to the Jetfire's layout.
Anyway, I found a solution: the intake will feature a fine mesh FOD guard (vaguely inspired by the MetroVick F.2/40 Meteor) and a central bullet that will slightly protrude from the intake opening.

[Dizzyfugu]

Progress on the exhaust installation, basically created from styrene tubes; the "sidepipes" are a good way to hide the diameter gap between the Derwent nose section and the much slimmer Spitfire fuselage:

1:72 Supermarine "Jetfire", early 1945 (Whif/Kitbashing) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Supermarine "Jetfire", early 1945 (Whif/Kitbashing) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Supermarine "Jetfire", early 1945 (Whif/Kitbashing) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


Does not look bad at all! 

[PR19_Kit]

Very ingenious. 

[ysi_maniac]

I like this!!!

[ysi_maniac]

May I suggest something for remaining pieces?

[Dizzyfugu]

May I suggest something for remaining pieces?

Yes, Carlos, you can. Great concept(?). And it confirms my impression what a nose replacement with a prop might look like... 

Would make a great racer, though, esp. with the Griffon? The engine the FROG kit lost is already earmarked for another project, but I have a P-51 Merlin from a Matchbox kit somewhere... 

[Dizzyfugu]

PSR, baby... 

1:72 Supermarine "Jetfire", early 1945 (Whif/Kitbashing) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Supermarine "Jetfire", early 1945 (Whif/Kitbashing) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Supermarine "Jetfire", early 1945 (Whif/Kitbashing) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

[RAFF-35]

This is so pretty already  you any idea about its backstory yet? 

[su27rules]

 

[ChernayaAkula]

Lovely work so far. 

Two different kinds of putty?

[Dizzyfugu]

This is so pretty already  you any idea about its backstory yet? 

Sure! No work without concept. 

Lovely work so far. 

Two different kinds of putty?

Thank you. And, yes, different materials. The white stuff is a car body putty, similar to Revell's Plasto. It is more "stable" and I use it most of the time for bigger/deeper work areas, when I need to "add flesh". The greenish stuff is another NC putty for cars, but it's finer, more flexible and also a bit harder/less prone to abrasives, for the final coat and surface work. It's always funny to see the shaggy result of the different layers - but there's not much behind that.