Eduard 1/72 Spitfire IXc

[stillp]

Well, after finishing my "Tamk", I looked around my stashes for something to build next, and realised I haven't built a Spitfire for half a century. I'd bought this Eduard Mk IXc at a show somewhere.
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Seems to have enough parts to keep me busy for a while:
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As well as some PE, and canopy masks.[ATTACH]312539[/ATTACH]
I've made a start, but I'm confused already - why do Eduard tell you to remove the magnetic compass?
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I looks nicely moulded - pity to remove it.
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Does anyone have an explanation?

Pete

[yak face]

I think the idea is to replace the moulded plastic one with a two part folded PE one - PE parts 19 and 24. Seems a lot of mucking about for very little difference to me pete, if it was me i would just cut off the coloured piece of part 24 (looks like the compass face ) and stick that on the plastic bit already there. Trying to fold up that tiny bit of PE is just an easy lunch for the carpet monster!!

[stillp]

Thanks Tony, I must be particularly thick today, I hadn't spotted that! I looked all through the instructions for a compass - must be getting old. I might try folding up that PE, and if it comes out OK, then remove the plastic part. There is a nice compass face on top of part 24, but it won't fit on the plastic part.

Pete

[Jim R]

Hi Peter
I'll follow this with interest. I built the 1/48 version very recently and this looks the same, just smaller. These Eduard plane kits seem to be well thought of.
Jim

[stillp]

Hi Jim, the more onlookers the better, you can help Tony point out my stupid mistakes!
Any problems with the 1/48 version?
I found an interesting reference for the cockpit: https://www.haraldjoergens.com/panor...e-td314/files/

Pete

[stillp]

Haven't updated for a while, but have made a little progress; here's the compass mentioned above:
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Eduard supply a PE part for the seat back armour, but I prefer the plastic part shown in the photo.
Some painting done:
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Very nice rendition of the reflector gunsight.
Also the fuselage halves have had a coat of Interior Grey-Green by Hataka, and a PE part added:
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Did you spot the mistake on the seat?
Now repainted in red-brown. Next up when that's dried is to install the PE seatbelts.

Pete

[Jim R]

Hi Pete
Looking good.
I had no problems with the 1/48 version and as it was only the second plane I have built that says a lot for the quality of the kit.
Jim

[dave]

making some good progress.

[stillp]

Thanks Jim and Dave.

Another mistake - I've glued the seat back armour to the seat but should have fitted the shoulder straps first, there's a bit that goes between the seat back and the armour. Might need that PE armour after all...

Trial-fitting the wing components together and found a problem, a locating pin is stopping the upper wing from fitting to the lower wing correctly. Easy fix - chop off the pin!

Pete

[stillp]

And it was all going so well... The seat/floor assembly fits each of the cockpit sides perfectly, but try to fit both sides, and the recess that the seat assembly fits into seems to be further forward on one cockpit side than on the other, so it wants to twist when all the parts are together. Pulled it apart, will scrape away the sticky mess when it's hardened, and try again tomorrow.
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Pete

[JR]

Bit late, sorry Pete.
Not a Wingy ,but an always intrigued by the office. Yours is looking the part. Had to smile about that small piece of PE, why do they do it, when it produces nothing better than the plastic part .
John.

[Steve Jones]

Sorry to hear about your trials and tribulations. Hopefully things will get easier soon

[stillp]

Thanks Steve. The cockpit tub is now together - still not entirely square and symmetrical, the starboard side is a little further forward than the port, but it fits in the fuselage after filing a little off the front of the starboard side.
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Surprising that Eduard seem to have forgotten the pilot's leather head rest on the armour plate. I'll have to scratch that, it's very visible on the real Spit. A short slice of cocktail stick should be good.
Hope to get the fuselage closed up tomorrow.

Pete

[stillp]

Bit late, sorry Pete.
Not a Wingy ,but an always intrigued by the office. Yours is looking the part. Had to smile about that small piece of PE, why do they do it, when it produces nothing better than the plastic part .
John.

Better late than never John! I agree about the PE - the funny thing is there are loads of controls in the Spitfire cockpit that could have been supplied as PE, but Eduard seem to have moulded some into the fuselage sides, and just ignored others.

Pete

[Guest]

Smashing job so far.