Another Spitfire...Hobbyboss Mk.VB (Trop)

[flyjoe180]

Yeah, I'd be inclined to paint over those gun covers too. Nice work Steve, coming along nicely sir.

[Guest]

Looking good so far mate. Not sure about those clear bits, I would be painting them too.

[stona]

Cheers fellas. Those clear bits are strange. I though maybe they were an alternative, as in some Trumpeter kits, but there is no 'solid' option on the sprues. They'll be okay once painted. If you did want to keep them clear you'd want to use an acrylic cement (like Gator's Grip) and be very careful with it.

Cheers

Steve

[stona]

I thought I'd show you what comes in the kit from HpH models. Most of you know I'm not some kind of modelling guru and nobody pays me for my opinion, so I promise you it will be honest. It might help someone decide whether to make the significant investment in these bits......or not.

First the bits I won't use, a set of landing flaps.



These look good to me. They are very well cast, there's no sign of any bubbles or other nasties. They look like they will separate very easily from the casting block. I will never know if they will fit well

If anyone build a Hobbyboss Spitfire, flaps down, and wants these you know where I am.

These parts I will use most if not all of.



The horizontal stabilisers look good and address a well know issue with the kit parts. You could fix the issue easily enough but if you've invested in the correction parts you might as well use them. They too look very good indeed.

I'll be having the cockpit door open and will use this resin part too. It is better than the kit part.

Not sure about the wheels. I need to see what was on my victim at the time.

Next is a part which will help fit the replacement canopy to the kit fuselage.



It's sat on the instructions (which, incidentally are also good) to show the rather optimistic way that is suggested to fit this. We'll see how I get on later. I doubt that I'll be attempting this method.

To be honest anyone could figure out a way of fairing in the windscreen without resorting to the resin part at all.

Next the clear parts. These are cast in clear resin. They look a bit thick to me. I'll use the windscreen because the kit part is just wrong and see about the rest. With the door open the hood will also be slid back, so I might get away with the kit parts for the hood and rear canopy.

Finally you get a set of masks.



I'm not familiar with the material so I'll reserve judgement until I've had a go with them.

Overall I reckon you get some nice parts for your money. Is it worth it? That depends how bothered you are about the problem with the kit's windscreen. For me that was a serious and obvious problem, so it is. You do get a lot of other nice stuff for your money. A lot of people will just go with the kit parts and not think it's worth effectively doubling the price of the kit which is fair enough too.

Alternatively chuck in another 40-50 quid and buy a Tamiya Spitfire

Cheers

Steve

[stona]

Close of play today, bad light stopped play at two o'clock in the afternoon for heaven's sake! I don't really like working, particularly painting, under artificial light. The two halves of the fuselage, including a bizarre tail wheel attachment system, are done and ready to be joined.



As I am 'resting' at the moment and probably for another week or so at this quiet (for those in the entertainment industry) time of year progress should be swift. The wings amount to about six parts as I won't fit the machine guns but will 'tape' over the ports. The cannon barrels will be removed from the rest of the weapon and added much later.

Cheers

Steve

[yak face]

Great viewing steve, its always good to get an unbiased opinion of a kit . Your build log is perfect for anyone considering this spit, showing as it does all the faults and how to address them . Ive no doubt its going to look excellent when youve done , cheers tony

[stona]

Even at this stage I'd say if someone is looking for a very reasonably priced large scale Spitfire then this would be a good choice. It does have a few problems, but almost every kit does.

It has some curious engineering, but that's not really a criticism. The fit so far has been very good, we'll see what happens with the infamous fuselage-wing join later. Hobbyboss have engineered this in what is almost the traditional way, given the complex shape of this area on the real aeroplane. Beverly Shenstone certainly wasn't thinking about future generations of model builders when he designed that!

The only thing that has irritated me so far has been the very heavy and occasionally badly placed sprue attachment points. These do take some careful cleaning up, but Hobbyboss is hardly unique in having these.

You don't get a Tamiya kit but then neither do you spend somewhere around 100 quid. If you are the kind of person who would throw a ton of extras at this kit then don't, buy Tamiya instead. You'll probably save some money.

To my relatively untutored eye the model looks a lot like a Spitfire which is all I want it to do! Most people who visit my house are not modellers or Spitfire aficionados, so as long as I avoid gluey thumb prints on the canopy I should be good to go

Cheers

Steve

[Ian M]

Its looking very good Steve. As you say for the price its a good kit for a spit in that scale. The tail and the screen being the tow big boo boos are easy enough. I might try one myself later.

Ian M

[stona]

The tail and the screen being the tow big boo boos are easy enough.Ian M

I certainly wouldn't be put off by the really fairly minor problems.

Here's one of the kit's horizontal stabilisers.



One side is obviously metal with nice rivet detail whilst the other is, for some mysterious reason, fabric covered. It would not be terribly difficult to sand down the fabric detail and apply some riveting. The alternative parts I got are nicely done and a test fit has revealed that they will slot right in without any problem.

Cheers

Steve

[Ian M]

I wonder what Chinese (or are they Korean) for brain fart... What where they thinking.

As a question of size not on a rivet counter level, how does it measure up against the Tamiya one. I imagine that the tamiya one is not to far from hand.

Just curious as I have hear that it is to short in the fuselage.

Ian M

[stona]

Ian, I'll have a look at the completed Tamiya Mk IX, which is in a cabinet upstairs, next to the fuselage of the Hobbyboss Mk V in the morning and let you know.

I have to say that it doesn't appear stunted at all. I'm not the type to get my underwear tangled about a millimetre here or there

Cheers

Steve

[Ian M]

Me neither Steve, I have just heard a lot about it being to short, just curious as to by how much. It looks fine to me but I'm no expert. lol.

Ian M

[flyjoe180]

A good honest review of the kit as you go Steve, thanks for sharing your findings. I quite like the smaller Hobbyboss kits, you get a lot of extras for the spares box. Be interested to see how the decals go, this has been (apart from some glaringly obvious scale and detail distortions), their biggest issue for me.

[stona]

Just curious as I have hear that it is to short in the fuselage.

Ian M

I've done a VERY approximate measurement, simply by offering the Hobbyboss fuselage up to the completed Tamiya Mk IX. The Hobbyboss is shorter. It matches quite well from fin to cockpit and then the cockpit openings are very similar. The Hobbyboss is several millimetres shorter in the nose.

Cheers

Steve

[Ian M]

Well then I can't see what all the fuss is about. They way they are dodging the kit over here, you would think it was centimetres short!! Thanks for taking the time for that Steve.

I might just grab one one day.

Ian M