1/48 Airfix Spitfire Mk.Vb

[Wendall]

I'm living dangerously at the moment, tackling stuff outside my comfort zone. I picked this one up in my LHS yesterday. I think it is a new release? After a quick search I cant find it posted previously so here are the box and sprue shots.

[ATTACH]85988.IPB[/ATTACH]

[ATTACH]85989.IPB[/ATTACH]

[ATTACH]85990.IPB[/ATTACH]

[ATTACH]85991.IPB[/ATTACH]

[ATTACH]85992.IPB[/ATTACH]

[ATTACH]85993.IPB[/ATTACH]

[ATTACH]85994.IPB[/ATTACH]

[ATTACH]85995.IPB[/ATTACH]


The parts are very finely detailed, there are about 30 parts that go into assembling the the cockpit tub alone! Hardly any flash or parting lines and the canopies are nice and clear and free from distortion.

The decals are well printed and the instructions are very nicely drawn, once you decide on the variant you want to build and read them through a couple of times it looks pretty straight forward.

Out of the two decal options provided I shall be building this one, purely based on the pilots name....

[ATTACH]85996.IPB[/ATTACH]


And already I have a couple of questions for you all.

These wing strengthening bars? Would they have appeared on the aircraft during active service? Or are they retro fitted to restored aircraft?

[ATTACH]85997.IPB[/ATTACH]


And a question about the aerial. The box art shows the wire running from the antenna atop the fuselage to the tail but I have seen it with two antenna running either side of the fuselage to the tips of the horizontal stabilizers. Which would be correct?

Thanks for looking

Jason

[Lee W]

[ATTACH]85998.IPB[/ATTACH]


I'm watching this one, Jason

Lee

[Guest]

That looks a nice kit Jason, it will be an interesting build.

Can't help you with your questions I'm afraid, I'm a novice with aircraft myself!

[stona]

Remove the strengthening strakes as these weren't fitted until July 1942 and your subject could not have had them.

The wire running from antenna mast to the top of the fin was for the old HF radio, but this had been superceded by the newer VHF radios by your time period. Your aircraft did have the little wire attachment point near the top of the mast, but no wire.

The wires running from the horizontal stabilisers to the fuselage (near the centre of the roundels) were antennae for the IFF system. I'm fairly sure that this was not fitted to the Malta Spitfires. I remember a document about removing them and ballasting to compensate but can't remember the date.

The operation Spotter aircraft arrived in Malta with the standard Dark Earth/Mid Stone upper surface desert camouflage. The Mid Stone areas were over painted with a locally mixed grey colour. Photographs of your subject reveal that this was not done as exactly as a factory paint job.

Your man McNair remembered the repainting and the lack of contrast between the upper colours in black and white photographs certainly supports his contention.

Cheers

Steve

[monica]

nice Jason will keep an eye on this one

[Guest]

Steve, Your breadth and depth of knowledge never fails to amaze!

[Wendall]

Cheers Guys and Gal, hopefully it'll be a build worth watching. Last plane I tried was a disaster.

Thanks for the info Steve its a great help.

Jason

[stona]

Here's a couple of pictures of your subject in Malta.





You can see that the grey colour was fairly roughly applied, not the overspray over the demarcation with the lower surface colour on the rear of the fuselage.

I have a profile which, like the kit instructions, gives the under surface colour as 'Sky'. Some think this might have been one of the blue colours applied to some Mediterranean deliveries. Luckily, as with the grey colour applied over the Mid Stone on Malta, you can't be wrong because nobody knows for sure

Cheers

Steve

[papa 695]

That does look like a nice kit Jason I will also watch if you don't mind

[Wendall]

You're more than welcome Ian.

Cheers again Steve, where do you find all this stuff. The images are a great help. Hmmm now I need to make my paintwork look rough. Should be easy then.....

Would the horizontal stabilizer always sit in that position when on terra firma?

Jason

[stona]

The elevators drooping was most likely due to the pilot pushing the stick forward when exiting the cockpit. There was a control lock which locked the control column in place but there is no way of knowing whether it has been fitted in those photos. A look at pictures of parked Spitfires would seem to show that drooping elevators were quite common though some are neutral and a few are even up. You've got a free hand with them.

I found the IFF document which comes courtesy of the ever industrious and generous Edgar Brooks, a result of his ferreting in our various archives. It is from a later date than your subject and I don't know when the mods (modifications) mentioned were first introduced. I can't see the IFF wires on the Spitfires from the early Malta deliveries (like Spotter) but your guess is as good as mine whether they were there or not. My guess is that they were not and that they were removed in line with 'Spitfire Local Modification No.4'. There is no point in having such a system fitted to the aircraft if the infrastructure to support it isn't present on the ground.



Cheers

Steve

[Wendall]

That solves that little problem for me. Didn't fancy tackling those IFF wires. Lots of potential for gluey fingerprints everywhere.

Thanks again Steve for taking the time to share your knowledge.

Jason

[Guest]

Looks a nice Kit Jason, will be very interesting to follow this build

[Dave W]

Just seen this after I posted my review of the same kit!.

[flyjoe180]

Just read Dave's review. It really looks to be a nice looking kit, Airfix have done well.