Airfix Spitfire MkIXc, 1/72

[lazycat]

I bought this kit to see how it looks close and personal. First impression was good but didn't last to long.
The deep lines are not a main problem, the problem is a fact that has too long fuselage (fixable) and to wide wings at the base.
Considering that fuselage is right height and only needs shortening I got few more to fix Hasegawa kits and make few early MkIXc.
I have large "family of Spitfire" and need them to look right. Not as assembled kits, but series of models of particular airplane.
The final choice (for now) is the Sword Mk IX/XVI.

This one is for training purposes only.







Here is the "correction" to Hasegawa.



Back to Airfix:







After spraying few coats of primer and wet sanding it look like this:







Next step was restoring some lines and making new ones:



In the background is Ventura MkVII kit. Now a "collectors item".

[davefleming]

The Airfix fuselage isn't too long - all the others are too short!!


www.trashmodeller.com/index.php?topic=1860.0

[lazycat]

Aug 20, 2012 2:31:16 GMT -7 davefleming said:

The Airfix fuselage isn't too long - all the others are too short!!

Dang!!! I forgot this post.

OK, than for ME and perhaps ONLY me, the ruler is SWORD kit.
I made few Hasegawa's and liked them until compared with other Marks.
Length did not bother me so much but "skinny" look was more than enough to stop building them. Airfix looks right to me.
This what is bothering is base of the wing
Over all it looks like different scale.

[timmay]

Just a quick side note here. I talked to Roy Southerland at the Nats and asked if he might make his Spit interiors available again. He said yes he was going to do them and was going to improve the detail in them as well. It is a great add on for the Airfix IXs. Timmay!

[Mofo]

Re-posting 'coz it's useful, and will get zapped.

Dave Fleming

Airfix 1/72 Spitfire IX fuselage length
« on: 24, February, 2010, 17:06:28 PM »
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Posting this here on the basis that it's the one place on the net you can have a sensible discussion!

Read a couple of posts on various forums suggesting that the nose of the new IX was 'too long' 'more like a griffon in length' - didn't look like it to me, so I compared it with the Ventura kit, often quoted as 'very accurate'. WAs surprised to see the Airfix kit was 2-3mm longer than the Ventura, with the additional length being in the area between the firewall and the exhausts. (Nose and rear fuselages were almost identical)

Dug out Bruce Archer's measurements of the real thing (a mk VIII in Texas I beleive) and converted them to 1/72. Using a precision calibrated ruler I measured the kit parts and the Airfix is almost dead on for the converted lengths (No more than a "ba' hair" out, as my grandfather would say), with the vaunted Ventura kit being shorter than the measured dimensions, in exactly the place I mentioned.

Haven't yet compared to the Hasegawa kit, as the one I had looked out has disappeared - cats have probably stolen it!!



Trash King

Re: Airfix 1/72 Spitfire IX fuselage length
« Reply #1 on: 25, February, 2010, 01:35:12 AM »
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You know what. In the end there I'm going to have to measure the damn thing myself. How is it possible that the Ventura kit has been deemed accurate when it isn't? Wrong conversion from inch to metric?
Djeez.
I think the Airfix IX looks right. I'm keen to hear what we're getting out of this. Next time in Bodø I am going to measure our Spitfire. Definitely.



Lenthomson

Re: Airfix 1/72 Spitfire IX fuselage length
« Reply #2 on: 25, February, 2010, 05:47:02 AM »
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I am at work at the moment so can't check any parts (and at home everything modelling related is packed away for house decoration!), but it would be interesting to see how the CMK resin kits compare too.

I have the Ventura, Hasegawa and CMK kits which I can lay my hands on fairly easily. I will compare them tonight and let you know my findings.




airjiml2

Re: Airfix 1/72 Spitfire IX fuselage length
« Reply #3 on: 25, February, 2010, 07:58:09 AM »
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I had heard that as well. The Airfix kit is longer then that other paradigm of accuracy, the CMK kit, by about the same amount. It is way longer then the Hase kit. If indeed the CMK kit is right, it is about as long, as the Hase kit is short.

I've been meaning to convert the Clint drawings in Spitfire the Canadian to 1/72. I just may do so and see how they weight in. Maybe Monforton too.



jenshb

Re: Airfix 1/72 Spitfire IX fuselage length
« Reply #4 on: 25, February, 2010, 10:17:36 AM »
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Will be interesting to see what you find. With all the material available on the Spitfire, Airfix of all companies should get it right. Like they did with the Sea Harrier

Seriously though, although I haven't bought the Airfix Mk. IX, the built up test shot at SMW last year and of course seeing Drewe's built up ones at Yeovilton, it seemed to have a good shape - there was certainly nothing that I could put my finger on shapewise.

Jens

Oh, and Len - Metric please




Dave Fleming

Re: Airfix 1/72 Spitfire IX fuselage length
« Reply #5 on: 25, February, 2010, 10:48:57 AM »
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I used the dimensions that Bruce posted in his HS article (I have an email from him where he gave the 1/72 equivalents, but I'm not at home)

www.clubhyper.com/reference/spitfirecomparisonba_1.htm

Converted to 1/72 (x48, /72). There is always the possibility that the measuring introduced errors - for example, if they measured the distance against the fuselage, the curve of the surface area may add length to the fuselage.




Lenthomson

Re: Airfix 1/72 Spitfire IX fuselage length
« Reply #6 on: 25, February, 2010, 16:30:53 PM »
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Ok, I have had a quick look this evening, and done some comparisons. I have not attempted any measurements at this stage, just comparisons.

Hasegawa v Ventura v CMK - rear of canopy to rudder post, the same.

Hasegawa v Ventura - rear fuselage depth, Ventura 0.75mm deeper.

Ventura v CKM - rear fuselage depth, the same.

Hasegawa v Ventura - fuel tank, the same.

Ventura v CKM - fuel tank, the same.

Hasegawa v CMK - front of fuel tank to exhaust opening, Hasegawa 0.5mm longer.

Hasegawa v Ventura - front of fuel tank to exhaust opening, Hasegawa 0.5mm longer.

Hasegawa v Ventura - front of fuel tank to front of nose - Hasegawa 0.5mm longer.

Ventura v CKM - front of fuel tank to front of nose - CMK 0.5mm longer.

So, apart from the slightly too shallow rear fuselage, the Hasegawa seems to be the common denominator. I don't have thwe Airfix kit, so can't compare. I compared the Hasegawa fuselage to plans by G A Cox a few years ago, and it was pretty darned close if I recall correctly.




jenshb

Re: Airfix 1/72 Spitfire IX fuselage length
« Reply #7 on: 26, February, 2010, 06:44:45 AM »
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In terms of lengths, the distance from the firewall panel line to teh rudder post should be 86 or 87 mms in 1:72. How do the kits stack up against that?




Lenthomson

Re: Airfix 1/72 Spitfire IX fuselage length
« Reply #8 on: 26, February, 2010, 08:13:54 AM »
Quote
Quote
86 or 87 mms in 1:72

OK, I will have another look tonight. I have a feeling that these may be constant, and that that variances are in front of the fuel tank .




Dave Fleming

Re: Airfix 1/72 Spitfire IX fuselage length
« Reply #9 on: 27, February, 2010, 02:03:48 AM »
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Airfix is 87mm from the line behind the engine exhausts to rudder post, my Ventura mk VII is just under 85mm. The diference is in the area from the front of the cockpit to the engine (Fuel tank). All other dmensions on the fuselage are identical.


Confusingly, the Airfix mk IX fuselage is the same length as the new mk XIX kit.....




Dave Fleming

Re: Airfix 1/72 Spitfire IX fuselage length
« Reply #16 on: 28, February, 2010, 16:38:17 PM »
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Someone started a similar thread on BM, Graham Boak posted this:

Quote
I was going to say, measure it against Monforton's epic book, then decided it would be better if I actually did that myself. In the meantime Dave has beaten me to it.

The Airfix Mk.IX fuselage length is spot on, or as near as. I have taken measurements from Monforton, page 2.3, from the Airfix, and from a Ventura Mk.IX.

Nose to front of tank: 28.1mm, 28.5mm, 28mm
Length of tank: 12.8mm, 12.8mm, 12.4mm
Tank front to rudderpost: 86.9mm, 87mm, 84.4mm

Which makes the Airfix 0.5mm too long, which is probably tolerances on in my measurements.

The Ventura comes out 2.6mm short. This looks as though they have modelled a broad-chord rudder Spitfire to the correct length for a short-chord rudder, but that may just be coincidence. I suspect it has its high reputation by comparison with the alternatives, but the error is only 2% overall, which I think is generally acceptable as a rule.

I do not have the Mk.XIX - if it is that much short it is just as well. Yes, the wing of the Mk.IX (and presumably the Mk.XIX?) is too broad in chord by about 1mm, based on Monforton.




Jonathan

Re: Airfix 1/72 Spitfire IX fuselage length
« Reply #17 on: 01, March, 2010, 02:54:05 AM »
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Gentlemen, for your information:




Dave Fleming

Re: Airfix 1/72 Spitfire IX fuselage length
« Reply #19 on: 01, March, 2010, 14:27:46 PM »
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Only really matters when next to each other - but then again 2mm in 1/48th would be different to 2 mm in 1/72.

In this case, I think both kits look fine, but I like to know!!

Now, who fancies measuring the Tamyia kit......




Dave Fleming

Re: Airfix 1/72 Spitfire IX fuselage length
« Reply #20 on: 01, March, 2010, 14:52:03 PM »
Quote
Quote from: Jonathan on 01, March, 2010, 02:54:05 AM
Gentlemen, for your information:




Where did you draw the line for Frame 5 on the mk XIX? The kit has it too near the cockpit




Jonathan

Re: Airfix 1/72 Spitfire IX fuselage length
« Reply #21 on: 01, March, 2010, 15:49:37 PM »
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You talking about the lower vertical panel line at frame 5?

Playing the scale plans lottery, the XIX kit is a good match for the MAP drawings by P B Cooke.



Dave Fleming

Re: Airfix 1/72 Spitfire IX fuselage length
« Reply #22 on: 01, March, 2010, 16:00:31 PM »
Quote
Quote from: Jonathan on 01, March, 2010, 15:49:37 PM
You talking about the lower vertical panel line at frame 5?

Playing the scale plans lottery, the XIX kit is a good match for the MAP drawings by P B Cooke.

Yes, as far as I can tell it 'should' be in the same place as the one for the mk IX, but isn't.

It also matches the plans in the MPM Spitfire 19 book, which is why I want to know the correct measured length of the Spit XIV/XIX sans spinner and rudder, as I do wonder if Airfix have just put the panel line in the wrong place!!



Jonathan

Re: Airfix 1/72 Spitfire IX fuselage length
« Reply #23 on: 01, March, 2010, 16:26:29 PM »
Quote
The Cooke MAP drawings include one with all the frames and its in the same place as the kit.

The Mk.IX kit is a close match for the D H Cooksey MAP plans for the IX, perhaps a mil out in length, same goes for the wing chord.
« Last Edit: 01, March, 2010, 16:29:22 PM by Jonathan »

[lazycat]

In the mid time...

step by step...

[lazycat]

[mrcreosote]

Nice LC. Very nice.
RD

[kyrre]

Nice.
Two things:
Antenna: A bit clunky?
Guns: Something wrong there. Either they're sticking too far out or they're the wrong shape or something.

Okay, three things.
What's with the windscreen? Is it the camera angle or is the windscreen a tad off?

K

[lazycat]

Still needs some weathering.










Thanks RD, K - It is missing the gun stubs hence cannons look long.

[timmay]

Timmay!

[mrcreosote]

I'm curious as to why there are no "stub fairings" for the removed cannons. I saw the finished pictures and it still looks good to me. One of these years I'll build one up.
Maybe.
RD

[lazycat]

As for now - The END*

















* I may go back to it to replace canopy (the windshield is to much of a triangle, and hood is like magnify glass THICK!) than add some missing details.

[Mofo]

Nice. I like it.

[davefleming]

Sept 2, 2012 12:03:59 GMT -7 mrcreosote said:

I'm curious as to why there are no "stub fairings" for the removed cannons.
RD

Not unknown, and caused some confusion over the years between the B and C wing

[lazycat]

BTW, decals are from Kagero miniTopcolors 27 "Polish Spitfires".
modelforum.cz/viewtopic.php?f=602&t=58917

I am going to build 2-4 more from this book!

[lazycat]

Surgery in progress!

[kyrre]

Seems you've bought yourself som extra work there ... glad you did. Don't like that other canopy at all.

[lazycat]

Fixed!

[lazycat]

Done!!!

[kyrre]

It might be in there somewhere, but what canopy did you use? Seriously better.

K

[lazycat]

Sept 11, 2012 8:34:29 GMT -7 kyrre said:

It might be in there somewhere, but what canopy did you use? Seriously better.

K

Thanks! A spare Hasegawa canopy from kit that got converted to low back MkXVI.
BTW, I looked VERY closely at Sword's canopy and...
It is a copy of Hasegawa!