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Yes,
you guessed it. My collection of Merlin engined Spits is not yet complete! This
is the Hasegawa Spitfire IX in 1/72 scale. I had an Aires resin Merlin engine
“in stock”, so I decided to make a model of a Spit with the engine exposed.
After deciding on that, I thought, “What the hell, let’s see what else I can
open up”. A brief description is below.
The
cockpit was detailed first, using 5thou plastic card for the interior ribs and
stringers, after thinning the kit fuselage sides. Details were added using
various parts cut from an Aries cockpit set. You may ask why I never use the
whole of the resin part. One reason. When you glue the resin sidewall to the kit
part it looks like it is about 9 inches thick. Other details were added from
stretched sprue, wire etc.
The
ribs around the radio and battery compartments were first cut to the right
profile to fit inside the fuselage, the lightening holes were drilled, and after
gluing to the fuselage, were carefully cut on the inside to show the correct rib
profile. The radio tray and battery tray were scratched from thin plastic card.
When these bays are opened, the control surface cables and the harness cable are
visible. I added these from thin wire.
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seat and its mounting were scratchbuilt from 5 thou card, with a little
shaped Miliput for the cushion. Rudder control rods and the pedals were
added next. I made sure that the control column was deflected to match the
ailerons. I used the Aries etched instrument panel, on a plastic card
frame.
The
whole interior was finished with Humbrol Interior Green, washed and
drybrushed as usual, with details picked out in various shades. The
fuselage could then be closed, the engine firewall added and detailed.
Great reference can be found in “Spitfires and Polished Metal” by
Graham Moss and Barry McKee. This book, published by Airlife, is chock
full of colour shots of Spitfires undergoing restoration. |
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The
engine mountings were made from stretched sprue, rod etc and the pipes added
from thin rubber, wire, sprue, in fact anything that came to hand. The engine
was painted semi gloss black, drybrushed with some aluminium and then mounted on
the frame. Pipes were painted copper etc. The frames for the cowling panels were
added from 5 thou card. I used the kit exhausts, which I separated into
individual pipes and mounted on the block at the correct angle and spacing. Why
do resin engines never come with exhausts?
The
gun bays in the wing were cut out and detailed using plastic card, sprue, wire
etc. The guns were scratchbuilt. I already had a late IXc in the collection, and
this time I wanted the early version with the large wing bulges. These were made
from shaped Miliput. I also deflected the ailerons and dropped the flaps. I know
Spits should not be seen with lowered flaps on the ground, but this was an
exercise in showing details. The flap indicators were also added to the wing
uppersurface.
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Being
an early IX, this aircraft had the early style elevators. These were modified
from the kit items.
The
wheel bays in the kit are a little shallow (a common fault with Hasegawa) so I
cut these out with a razor saw and made new walls from 5 thou card. A little
detail on the inside and they were complete.
The
model was primed (after some VERY careful masking of the engine!) and painted
with Humbrol and Xtracolour enamels. The kit I had bought was the Closterman
boxing. As this was an early IXc, I felt I should make it Johnny Johnson’s
EN598. I know everyone models this aircraft, but with all that detail, I thought
it fitting to make it of probably the best-known Spit ever. I did not have any
after market decals for this aircraft, so I made the codes up from various
Modeldecal sheets. The maple leaf insignia is included in the old Airfix boxing
of the Spit IX (memories!) but is far too big. I hand painted this.
Undercarriage was added, detailed with wire brake pipes, a couple coats of flat
and the model was finished.
Next
project is a Griffon engined Spit with an exposed engine. I am currently
scratchbuilding the engine now. Wish me luck!
Len
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