1/32 Tamiya Spitfire Mk.XVIe

[stona]

Close of play and I've got all the gubbins in the wings, various panels, radiators, wheel wells etc.

I've also got the socket for my stand fitted, a little further back than I would like, but in the first part of the fuselage without something in the way.



I've also permanently (I hope) attached the wings.



Next up, I suspect, will be the pointy bit at the front :smiling3:

[BarryW]

‘Gubbins’ you are certainly up with all the most technical terms Steve... great progress heading towards a museum piece.

you are right about the fit and engineering Steve. Superlative as are all kthe 1/32 Tamiya WW2 warbirds. Every one a real treat to build....

[stona]

The Packard engine in this thing is a model in itself and I spent a while trying to figure out a way of building the nose of the model without fitting the engine, so that I could make the engine as a separate display.

Sadly, it was beyond my ability. The kit really is engineered to have the engine fitted. Consequently, I built enough of it to allow me to build up the nose of the aircraft around it.



Finally, after fitting well over a hundred parts, I found something that did not fit absolutely perfectly! The top engine cowling needed shimming with some very thin card at the lower rear corners to make it fit exactly. The part is so thinly and finely moulded that this is very easily done and really nothing to complain about :smiling3:

[BarryW]

Nice work Steve

I built three of the Tamiya 1/32 Spitfires

My first was a MkXVI and I have to say you made a better job than me of getting the panels to fit. I had a lot more filling and sanding to do.

For my secondI approached it slightly differently. A MkIX and I got a much better panel fit, almost perfect with just a little filler.

Mk VIII was the last and with another smaller change to my approach and all panels fitted perfectly.

All these kits had identical engineering in this area and shared mostly the same parts (if not all the same) so my conclusion is that all fitting errors we’re down to me not the kit!

Your Spit is looking great Steve.

[stona]

In the case of the top cowling it was just a bit 'pinched' in the bottom corners to the rear. You will be well aware how thin the moulding is, so just a little shim to 'lift' those corners and it all went together well.

I had a bit of an issue with the panels on the Mk IX I built not long after this series of kits was started but it was so long ago I don't remember what. I know the solution involved quite a lot of effing and blinding!

I also had a bit of practice not so long ago with my Mustang, which has a broadly similar arrangement of panels and cowlings.

I think the trick is in the fit of the firewall/engine bearer/engine then and those fiddly bits with the panel attachments and exhaust manifolds. It's very easy to get things out of line, particularly the nose slightly twisted and aiming of one way or the other. Even half a millimetre will play havoc with the panel fit. After that, I would also always work from the bottom up, not following the instructions. The lower cowling (with air intake) can only fit one way and very precisely at that. It gives a good starting and reference point for all the rest and also ensures that the engine assembly is correctly aligned in the vertical sense. You can probably tell I've given this a lot of thought :smiling3:

It was that initial fit that I could not work out a way of exactly replicating without using the engine itself. I know what would have happened if I'd tried and got it wrong.

[stona]

Now it is looking like a Spitfire.

[stona]

I now have an entirely 'silver' Spitfire.



This is finished in Alclad II's 'High Speed Silver', which was actually a finish not used on the Spitfire. I intend to modulate this with another aluminium finish and eventually it will get knocked back with varnishes and other weathering. I do not want a shiny sparkly finish, I'm not trying to replicate natural metal but an aluminium dope.

[colin m]

Looking very nice Steve. I've built a couple of the Tamiya 1:32's and you can't help but smile at the fit of things - they really are amazing kits.

[stona]

Some slow progress.

I'm masking and spraying all the single colours, like that yellow band, anti-glare panel and soon the code letters and serial number on the fuselage and under the wings. As I use enamel paints it's a lengthy process.

BTW, those walkway markings are correct for this, a post war aircraft. They would be wrong for most wartime Spitfires.



Once I finish that it will be onto the national markings (roundels and fin flash).

[adt70hk]

That's coming on nicely Steve. Well done.

Andrew

[Steven000]

Nice progress Steve :thumb2:

[Ian M]

That is one very clean and precise build Steve.
When you first mentioned a silver spitfire, I thought that you was going full one polished metal. But they do look nice in the "speed silver".

[stona]

I sprayed the rest of the markings yesterday and have done a couple of touch ups this morning.

Sprayed markings are better than decals in this scale (and Tamiya decals are not the best in my experience), but it is almost guaranteed that something, somewhere, will leak under a mask and run along a panel line! Luckily a dab with a fine brush is all that is needed to fix it.



Those post war roundels are very...errr...bright. No wonder the wartime colours were toned down and the white of the red-white-blue much reduced or deleted!

I plan to mask up the underside later and start to spray the roundels and serial numbers under the wings.

[adt70hk]

Steve

Hope all is well with you?

That really has turned out beautifully indeed and is a nice change from the usual WW2 brown/green scheme.

All the best.

Andrew

[stona]

I've now applied the innumerable stencils and got the overall finish to just about where I want it.

There's still some weathering to do and a bit of final assembly, I'm sure the sharp eyed have noticed a distinct lack of exhausts for example, but I should get it done over the next few days.

Here's how it looks, waiting for a coat of varnish to go off before applying any washes.



I also need to think about a stand. I still have an aluminium plate....somewhere.....and will probably use the acrylic it's perched on now.