Advice please , Tamiya 1/32 Spitfire IX c

[Guest]

Hello and happy Christmas , I`ve just ordered this kit as a present from my wife and kids , I`ve also ordered some IX c after market Xtradecals as the Tamiya decals are a bit thick from the reviews I`ve read ,

I`m not an experienced aircraft builder and very much out of my comfort zone , so a couple of questions , I know you get a little PE but does it come with cockpit masks , also would a eduard interior pe set or eduards fabric harness set or even a resin pilot enhance this kit , or is the kit good straight out of the box ?

Any advice would be very much welcome.
Cheers
Richy

[BarryW]

Richard. Take a look at my recent Mk XVI build thread as it is essentially the same kit but with alternative sprue for the later mk.

http://www.scale-models.co.uk/threads/tamiya-1-32-spitfire-mk-xvie.27087/

Some pointers:
There is a canopy mask set in the box but it is not pre-cut and I would suggest an aftermarket set would be good.
The kit has a superb level of detail and the pe sets are very much gilding the lily and is mostly a waste of time in my opinion
What I would suggest getting:
... a resin door with seperate crow bar
...if you are displaying the engine then some resin 'rocker covers' with the Rolls Royce logo
...You could get a replacement seat if so inclined and aftermarket seat belts.
... resin wheels to replace the rubber ones

That is about it really, its a great kit. Superb engineering and fit.

That said I would ignore the toyish bits and not worry about the swapping of panels or switching between in flight or on the ground. Too gimmicky and it would just give you a lot of headaches. Decide how you want to display it and build it that way from the start.

[stona]

I agree with Barry.
Barracuda Studios (Roy Sutherland) do some resin upgrades for the Tamiya Spitfires, but, with the addition of a harness (assuming the kit still contains a rather nasty P-E affair) and some replacement decals it makes a superb Spitfire right out of the box.

http://barracudacals.com/products.php?cat=13

You might consider masking and spraying markings rather than uses decals at this scale, you are guaranteed that 'painted on' look

http://shop.maketar.com/?product=132-supermarine-spitfire-mk-ixc-for-tamiya-kit-60319

I tend to use vinyl masks as I don't re-use them, but the kabuki ones are just as good and theoretically will last for a while. Canopy masks are included in most Maketar sets, including this one.

I also agree about deciding how you are going to pose the model and then building it that way.

Cheers

Steve

[colin m]

It's a great kit and you won't be disappointed. I would only add to the above, if something doesn't fit, you've gone wrong. I had a layer of paint give me trouble when building the undercarriage. Just a layer of paint.

[Guest]

Hi gents , some great info , masks seem a good way to go and a harness set seems a must have , kit will be displayed with panels off as it would be a shame to cover up the engine .

Thankyou
Richy