Paul's Airfix Spitfire I - with a new twister...**FINISHED**

[PaulBradley]

I'll be tackling the new mould Airfix Spitfire I, hopefully in two guises:



3D Kits has two small conversion sets, one is a Mk.II Rotol propeller set, but can also be used to build a Mk.I with Rotol. The other converts the kit to a Mk.II LR, or Long Range - in 1941, some 100Mk.II Spits were adapted to carry a non-detatchable fuel tank under the left wing. Goodness knows what this did for handling....!

Here's both sets:



I plan to do KL-T for the first, and UM-D for the second.

[DazDaMan]

I don't think the LR Spits were well-liked!

[Old_Tonto]

Those 3D-kits conversions are great. Never had the LR version though, as Daz said I don't think they were well liked and didn't last very long in service.

[Stuart]

Yeah I agree, that conversion set is great. I built the eagle Sqn mk.II but using the old tool (BTK?) kit as a base.

[PaulBradley]

Sprue shots:



A very simple kit; one of the new Airfix's earlier new releases, it has some good detail, but is quite clunky in places. The interior is just that - it's all there, but chunky...





Thankfully, the kit has a very chunky one-piece canopy, so nothing will be seen once that's in place...

I'm building both kits simultaneously, so there's no point in posting identical pictures.

Airframe assembly is straightforward, but the wing roots needed a little sanding to get them to fit without compromising the dihedral. Both are at this stage right now:

[DazDaMan]

How did you find the fit of the innards? I know that the three I've built have been a bit of a pain when closing up the fuselage.

[PaulBradley]

Actually, the fit of the cockpit assembly inside the fuselage was great - it was getting the various interior parts together that was a bit of a pain!

[iggie]

Nice start Paul, Chunky or not it's looking good

[PaulBradley]

Cheers, ig.

Just been cleaning up seams - nothing here to see, move along there, move along.......

[PaulBradley]

OK, something to see now.....



Fitted the tailplanes, rudders and radiators. Each has a very positive location and it would be hard to get them wrong. Despite what I said earlier, it is a good kit for the beginner.

[airjim]

Swift progress!

Jim

[PaulBradley]

Simple kits!

[TomW]

Simple they may be but some modelling skills are needed to get them together cleanly, very nice so far Paul

Regards

Tom

[PaulBradley]

How does that old theorem go? Ah!

"The infinite monkey theorem states that a monkey glueing model kit parts at random on a modeling desk for an infinite amount of time will almost surely build a given model, such as the Airfix 1/72 Spitfire I."

[jssel]

Wow Paul. Really going at it.