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Tony Prince
95 articles

Tamiya Spitfire Mk.IX. 1/32nd. scale.

March 24, 2013 · in Aviation · · 9 · 1.8K

As much as I love Spitfires, this one took me rather a long time; six month, give or take & I completed a few others while I was having a break. Lovely detail & fit & absolutely spot on for shape & proportion. I kept the cowlings closed as I like to preserve the 'ready to go' lines of my aircraft models. The only scratch built items were the ribs on the entry hatch & a metal crowbar. There is a Mk.VIII in my cupboard along with a Mustang -Same scale, same manufacturer. We'll see if they get to the top of the pile by year's end.

Hope you like it.

Tony

Reader reactions:
3  Awesome

6 additional images. Click to enlarge.


9 responses

  1. Really nice - that kit is pretty much unbeatable if you take your time as you did.

    I wish Tamiya would stop the "all the bells and whistles" with the engines and all that, those fershlugginah magnets don't work that well. Cut the price 30% and anybody who wants all that can do the same thing 109 modelers do with Hasegawa kits - get an aftermarket resin engine. I'd like to do more than one of these, but not at those prices.

  2. Hey Tony, nice build, and build it like you want and I guess you did I heard fair was for 3rd graders and old maid school teachers.

  3. Nice work, Tony...wish mine had turned out as well. I must have screwed up somewhere (as usual), because I still can't get my cowl pieces to fit flush. Great pics, too...not all "washed out" with that diffused look as I've seen so often here. Good job all 'round...I dub thee a 'ten'.

  4. Well done, looks great. Thanks for sharing.

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    said on April 1, 2013

    Brilliant - but too expensive for my pocket! Love Tamiya but not their prices.

  6. Cool built, Tony.

    • said on May 16, 2014

      Hi Halvar,

      Apologies about the reply delay; I was using a different computer which could receive but not send. I had a look at your beautiful Spitfire & of course share your feelings about this magnificent machine...so beautiful to look at - so difficult to get just right. A really first class job!

      Re your enquiry about paints & finishes... I use mostly Gunze paints & thin with Windex (window cleaner - methylated spirit base). I have found that Gunze takes ages to completely dry, hence the thinning with Windex rather than their own brand..

      For camouflage I use templates of stiff paper held slightly above the model with blu-tac, or in difficult locations with 'worms of blu-tac & masking tape. Gloss coats are usually of thinned Future (Windex again!) & my finishing coat is Polyscale flat with a little Future & Windex added. Sadly Polyscale seems almost impossible to find in Australia & my remaining supplies won't last for long. I have tried the Vallejo range of clear finishes & they seem excellent. I should add that I rub my paint coats down with very, very fine steel wool after the clear gloss coats dry, being careful to avoid removing paint from any protruding bits. Future is fairly tough so I rarely need to touch up! Gently does it!

      I'm not usually a "heavy weatherer" but I tend to favour pastels, mostly using a very dark grey or black applied with a brush after the final dull coat. Too much can always be removed with a damp cloth & you can always add more.

      Are these the type of comments you are after? I hope they are of interest.

      Cheers,

      Tony

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