Finished ! Spitfire Mk II P7531 / L.Z I / 421 Flight

[Stefan buysse]

Excellent build, Matt.

Thanks for creating this fine thread.

I'd been browsing for some guidance on building an early Spitfire and this is the best I've come across so far.

I notice that you painted Tamiya part A19 silver: this is the colour I had in mind for that too.

But Tamiya instructs us to paint it the same colour as the interior and so does Hasegawa in a Mk VIII that I have.

Hasegawa's instructions call this part "Hi pressure oxygen cylinder for Browning guns feeding".

Is that correct? I never came across a ground based MG that had an extra external oxygen cylinder.

Could it simply be the pilot's oxygen?

Cheers, Stefan.

[Matt]

Hi Stefan,

Thanks for the kind words.

Those are the storage tanks for the Spitfires various pneumatic controls. The undercarriage, brakes , gun cocking and firing mechanisms were all pneumatically controlled, pressure coming from a pump on the engine , stored in these tanks.

I've seen modern restored Spitfires that have these in a similar colour to the interior green, but I've read elsewhere that wartime examples were often silver. Not having been around in the '40s with a colour camera, I went with the silver as it add a visual contrast.

The pilots oxygen was in a separate bottle that went on the opposite side of the fuselage. Tamiya don't supply the part in this kit. I've scratched built it in the past, but so little is visible from above when everything is closed up that I didn't bother with this build.

Here's an example from a previous build.

Its the big black thing behind the seat frame with the silver strap around it.

Cheers,

Matt

[Stefan buysse]

Thanks, Matt.

That explains a lot.

Cheers, Stefan.