andrewj

You really seem to have it in for the Airfix kit . I suppose it depends on whether you want a basically accurate kit that needs the trailing edges thinning and a few details adding, or an apparently nice kit that needs major surgery to correct . Andrew

Nothing wrong with that , it's your model , if you want the flaps down then build them down. Be aware tho, that the CO will fine you for this, LOL. But seriously the aircraft could be undergoing manintenance or a systems check. I don't know if you've ever sen a Spitfires flaps work , but the're vitually instantaneous, one minute the're up , then bang , the're down and vice-versa, there's no half way at all. Spitfire flaps are usually only used for landing , the clue is in the name " landing flaps" although for carrier take -offs including the deliveries of Spitfires to Malta , wooden wedges w

You will find that the Eduard canopy will be too narrow to fit the ICM kit , a vac-form replacement will probably be needed. Andrew

Exactly the point , nice kit , goes together well , trouble free build , just not very accurate . You pays your money and you take your choice. Andrew

Very unusual for a Spitfire in flight , this means the flaps are down . Since they only have two positions , up or down , they were normally only used for landing. Andrew

Don't really see how you can claim the Eduard is "fairly close" and the new Airfix is "wrong" when they fit together almost exactly. By the way this is my Spitfire Vc conversion, both the Airfix wing root and the Eduard wing are unmodified at the point of contact. Andrew

Nothing much really , it's quite accurate in outline , perhaps the engine thrust-line is a little high ,but not really noticeable. It's just it lacks a little of the finesse of some other kits eg. some quite thick trailing edges, but then again nothing a bit of sanding can't cure. Andrew

Why bother with the Tamiya MkI at all it has so many defects it's not worth it. Take the new Aifix Vb remove the cannon bulges and rescribe the MG hatches for a MkI . replace the oil cooler with an early type, all the other bits are in the kit including the MKI canopies. Much less work than modifying the Tamiya fuselage and wing to the correct length and planform. Andrew

I think you are making a mistake in assuming the Eduard and Airfix kits are wrong in this respect. Having studied Spitfires for many years , I have only just noticed that there seem to be slight variations in the shapes of the wing root fairings. The Spitfire V BM597 which Airfix based their kit on and which is one of the options in the kit , does indeed have the "joggle" in the forward position as kitted. You can see this by comparing the position to the wingwalk lines. However , the BBMF's MkIX MK356, has the joggle aft of the wingwalk line , as does the ICM kit. Another BBMF aircraft

Jonathon , what you must realise by now is that Mr Marty/Sherwood/Robertson has made a career out of comparing kits and rubbishing those he considers not to come up to his standards. Where his theories fall down is that he insists on comparing kits to each other and not to the full size aircraft. Others such as the previously mentioned Edgar Brooks , Roy Sutherland , etc take a great pride in their knowledge of the real thing. For example Mr Robertson condemns the Airfix Spitfire XII for having a coxpit that is 3 inches too wide, but wider than what , another kit ? or the 1/48 scale original

You corrected the Airfix Mk XII ? , by you own admission your so called corrected kit was still so flawed that you dumped it. I've been building Spitfire kits for over 50 years and I think I know which are the good ones and which are not. Andrew

SH Mk XII is worse than the Airfix one , fuselage too short , as are all of SH's Spifires , wing wrongly placed, wing poorly shaped, and not nearly as nice to build. There is a fix for the SH Spitfires , but its easier to build an Airfix one. SH fuselage fix, This cures the length problem and position of the wing , but you still have the inaccurate wing shape ,which problems seem to be inherited from the Tamiya kits. Andrew

Just measured the Airfix Vb and Mk XII cockpits , the MkXII is no more than 1mm wider or 1.8 inches in full size. Stand them side by side and it's not noticeable. Apart from the slightly deep fuselage under the cockpit area , everthing else on the XII is in proportion and it builds into a very nice model , better than the SH MkXII in my opinion.Certainly not flawed enough to condemn it. Give me several tubes of filler and I'll make you a Spitfire, that much filler and you won't need a kit. Andrew

It will be difficult to fit the MkXII wing to the MkVb fuselage , as the root shapes are slightly different. The Eduard wing , however, is an almost perfect fit for the Airfix Vb. Andrew

The Eduard weekend Spitfire IX kit is availible for the same price as the new Airfix kit, don't know where this idea it is expensive comes from. Not sure what your comment about the "fillet jog" is about , but the new Airfix wing and the Eduard MkIX wing are virtually interchangeable , since these are the best two 1/48 Spitfires on the market I would expect them to be right. Andrew

Not only the wing of the Tamiya Spitfire is wrong but also the length of the fuselage and the position of the cockpit, faults also shared with the SH kits. The new Airfix kit appears spot on . I also agree with Brett Green the surface detail is as fine as the 22/24 kit , I have them both in my hands as I type this. The new kits detail appears "crisper" if this makes any sense , perhaps a different technique is used in the tooling process ? Andrew

Monogram Spitfire Mk IX in "white box ". Andrew

The Airfix 1/48 PRXIX represents a type 390 with a pressure cabin and as such is not suitable for a D-Day machine. The early PRXIX's used on D-day were type 389's and were not pressurised, as such some conversion work will be needed to accurately represent these aircraft. The kit will need the pressurisation intake and outlet deleting and the canopy rails will need modifing to represent the non sealed type. Andrew

I,ve yet to see any helicopter that could carry a Transall. Andrew

Fantasy Printshop do a large rang of serial decals , availible direct from their website or on Ebay. http://www.fantasyprintshop.co.uk/ Andrew

The P40 B that Airfix are advertising is in 1/72 scale. Andrew

Wheel wells are almost invariably the same colour as the undersurface of the aircraft, ie MSG on a MSG undersurface. Inside faces of gear doors , interior green or undersurface colour , and gear struts light grey or aluminium laquer finish. Andrew

The Mk IX's could carry either clipped or standard tips with the pointed rudder, the LF prefix refers to the engine rating rather than the wingtip configuration. So, LF Spitfires could carry clipped or standard tips, indeed the wingtips were interchangeable , so any aircraft could carry either style of wingtips at different points in it's career, best to pick a photograph before deciding on your model. Andrew

Hobby knife and Milliput, simple really . Andrew

This is my PR XI conversion usimg the Airfix PRXIX wing on the ICM fuselage . No PRXI in service had a flat fronted screen , just the normal curved PR windscreen , although some perserved aircraft ,postwar, carried fighter type windscreens. Andrew