Spitfire F24 Kai tak ,Hong Kong 1951 1/48 Airfix
How I acquired this kit in the first place is unusual to say the least...a few years ago I was doing a Sunday morning tip run taking garden waste and all those paint tins with one inch of dried up paint that we all keep and god knows what other junk I had built up to the local tip, having chucked it all in it's appropriate skip I was walking back to my car when I passed a woman staggering under as much household junk as she could manage in one go and on the top wobbling precariously was an Airfix box , wow! I thought maybe there's some odd decals or a few bits and pieces for the spares box so I asked if I could have it and obviously keen to reduce her load she said yeah take it, greedily I snatched the box and hurried back to my car to check the booty , to my surprise there was a full kit ,decals ,instructions, the lot or at least so I thought...Anyhow pleased with my prize I took it home to take it's place in the "to do" pile, fast forward to early summer this year and I read a description of this kit somewhere praising it as a pretty good effort by Airfix so in need of a project it jumped gazelle like from the bottom of the pile to the table ,it is now that I found on closer examination that one of the engine bulges that were added by Supermarine to house the bigger Griffon engine was missing , no worries these can be found on Hannants as an after market improvement so I ordered them, a nice resin cockpit set and a replacement canopy as well (more on that later) this was the one I thought, this was going to be the best one yet, don't we all think that every time? it is worth noting that the improved engine bulges when compaired to the remaining kit part were identical so how they are claimed to be an improvement I fail to see ,buyer beware as they say.
The build now progressed nicely all though at my usual glacial pace to the end, I decided to spray the black and white stripes rather than use the decals just for practice ,the rest was the kit decals and then it was all done and dusted , a coat of Tamiya matt varnish and I sat back to admire my work ,give myself a mental pat on the back and anticipate the praise and admiration I will surely earn from my friends and colleagues here on iModeler...
Then I spotted something when comparing my work to pictures of the actual aircraft in a reference book I have called "The Spitfire story" by (Dr) Alfred Price the markings didn't look like mine on the kit, for a minute I couldn't work it out then it hit me - the decals provided by Airfix have the letter A under the canopy on both sides however on the actual aircraft this is only on the starboard side, on the port side they are reversed with the W under the canopy as you can see in the pictures. This was really disappointing from Airfix but now too late to change so it will just have to be displayed with the correct side on show. I had a good look at other built examples of this kit on the internet and it is bit of a mixed bag of right and wrong.
It is also worth noting that if you wish to build this kit with the canopy retracted you will need to buy a replacement part as the Airfix part only fits in the closed position it is not even close when retracted, it looks kind of like when Oliver Hardy puts Stan Laurels hat on by mistake !
So there she is your comments as usual will be welcomed.
P.S. I just spotted that on some of the pictures of the port side view the canopy has slid down a little because it is not glued in place , the Squadron canopies part is a perfect fit.
Nice work, Neil. I like Griffon Spits and that’s still a great kit.
Thanks John , yeah the late model Griffon engined Spits look so much more aggressive than the early ones.
Nice Build. Good write up and tips too. Thanks
Sorry, have we met ? haha Cheers Robbie.
Very nice build, Neil @neil-foster
What a story on how you got this kit. You were exactly at the right location on the right time.
Yes sometimes it just happens ,pity it wasn't an Airfix SAM 2 and transporter she was chucking out...
Cheers
I enjoyed the story about how you got this kit, Neil. The Spitfire turned out great, and I’m sure we’d never have known about the lettering anomaly if you hadn’t told us. I can’t help wondering why the lady was throwing it away.
Thanks for your kind words George old boy, my kit donor was probably clearing out cupboards I should have asked, knowing my luck she probably had a pile of them at home for the next tip run...
Excellent result, Neil! What a story behind the specific kit!
Kind words as ever Spiros, cheers pal
Yes that is a unique way to acquire a model. Sort of a rescue kit, eh? Modeling is fun. It seems I always find a glaring ---- up on every one I finish. You are in a large company.
Thanks Bill, the next one will be the one ,perfect, flawless in every way I can just feel it...;)
One women's trash is another mans gold. With the decal situation, its not operator error. Its always a disappointment to finish a kit and find out that the research done on it by the maker of the kit comes up short. I've come to learn that is a more common problem with many kits. The research comes up short with the decals and cameo. However, the end result is impressive and the knowledge gained by your experience can be applied to others. I've got the kit in the stash .
Some strong work Neil.
Thanks Stephen, it was a bit annoying that I had the pictures of the real aircraft all along and just didn't spot Airfix's error and especially when I invested in aftermarket extras as well, oh well there's always the next one...
Come for the neat kit build, stay for the cool story.
Thanks Dave.
Nice "save"...and great build/finish.
Thanks Bob , just had a quick look at your profile , your a generous guy giving all those kits to the local club I could do with a friend like you.
Cheers.
Just a beautiful build of a beautiful bird, Neil @neil-foster! However, i do understand your disappointment regarding Airfix. I just had a similar experience with the Blenheim where their research was also a bit faulty. Nonetheless, you made a lovely Spit!
Well thanks for your kind comments Felix, what was the problem with the Blenheim ?
Hi Neil @neil-foster, the instrutions stated that three window panels in front of the cockpit were to be painted when it should have been just two instead. Got it here: https://imodeler.com/2023/08/airfix-blenheim-1-48/
Thanks I'll bear it in mind , the Blenheim is on my list.
Neil: this is really nice and you did a great job with it. I think the Spitfire 22/24 and Seafire 46/47 kits are "evergreen," but you do need the aftermarket items you got.
One thing (not a complaint) for future reference: Ocean Gray is a lighter shade than you did. Both Tamiya and Gunze do this color. They both do Ocean Gray, RAF Dark Green and Sea Grey Medium - which in my experience are hard colors to correctly mix on my own.
Thanks Tom , I also have the Seafire 46/47 pending so your advice on the colours will come in handy.
I am slightly frustrated over the issue with the markings as I had the pictures all along and could easily have cut them and placed them correctly had I noticed Airfix's error.
Your Sea Hurricane was great by the way.
Cheers.
I think the Gunze "Duck Egg Green" is a closer approximation of "Sky" as it would be on the Seafire, and the Gunze EDSG is also good. Do get the Squadron/Falcon vac canopy for that one. The Barracuda resin aftermarket set really goes a long way to getting the Seafire 47 you want.
Cheers Tom, when I bought the canopy etc for the Spitfire I included a canopy for the Seafire in the same order so it's in the box waiting to go !
Nice find and fine job all around, Neil
Thanks Gary
A great build Neil - looks great, regardless of the decals/markings issue. I would never have caught it!
Great build and nice find. Sometimes it pays to be in the right place at the right time.
Beautiful looking build. I also like the story of how you acquired the kit!