Airfix 1:48 Spitfire Mk. I (Kit Number A05126)
The newest Mk.I kit with the fuel tank cover and landing gear issues. Other than that, a great kit. This is WZ⦿H of 19 Squadron, Duxford, 4th May 1939. Innards were painted with Tamiya XF-71 Cockpit Green. Masking tape harnesses. The bottom was painted with Tamiya XF-69 Nato Black and Vallejo Surface Primer - White. Note the long area of white that needed to be masked off and when painting was done and the tape removed, no paint lift. Upper colours were done with Tamiya XF-81 Dark Green 2 (RAF) and Mr. Hobby Aqueous H72 Dark Earth. Antenna is Uschi van der Rosten Super-fine thread
Nice work George. The Airfix Spitfire can be turned into an excellent model.
You appear to have done something similar to what another friend did recently with the model photography: it's very underexposed, and dim. It's really useful to use some external lighting and not to depend on daylight alone. The model's so good, it deserves to be seen!
@tcinla! Thank you Tom. I have adjusted the photos a bit. Believe it or not, I was using a lightbox with side lights, an LED lamp in front and the camera flash. This is also my first (I think) shoot with this backdrop so I'll probably have to fiddle with "Exposure Compensation"
Like everything else "digital," digital photography is all "smoke and mirrors." I've only been doing it for 20 years and finally feel semi-competent.
It has turned into a real beauty, George.
Nice detail to have those fabric covered elements a different color like seen on the original foto.
Thanks John. I had two options here. Both ailerons in silver or the port one white and the starboard one black. I bowed to Airfix though I have seen photos of both options
Excellent model, George!
Your painting skills rock!
Thank you Spiros
Top build George.
Many thanks Haslam
That's a good looking Spit George, well done.
Much appreciated Tom
Nice work. Love the early spits.
Thanks
Splendid Spit George. I had no idea it was the Airfix kit just by looking at the first photo. Well done mate
Thank you very much Pedro
Excellent work. I'm really impressed with the new Airfix kits, having picked up their Mustang, Spitfire XIV, P-40B and Hurricane Mk.I, all in 1/48. They don't quite fall together on their own like the new Tamiya offerings (they're in a class of their own), but they go together very well, comparable to Hasegawa, and have excellent detail. Plus they're clearly selecting their subjects carefully, offering some that are unique outside of obscure, short-run kits.
Thanks Steven. This is my third Airfix Spitfire withe the fuel tank cover/landing gear issues and they do get easier.
Great work, George. I’m a big Airfix fan, but what were they thinking with that landing gear?
Thanks John and totally agree about the gear. I have also just finished their earlier offering with the ever popular peg and slot
Pegs and slots work well! Kit landing gear assemblies should be durable.
Really nice work on this George.
Thank you Dale
Nicely done George!
Thanks Greg
Top notch George. Nice and clean!
Thanks Eric
Beautiful early Spit! Nice touch to see photo of actual bird.
Thanks Robert. The problem with showing the actual aircraft is now one has to be pretty meticulous with markings and camo
Great job and a fantastic looking kit George!
Thank you very much, other George
George, @blackadder57
You nailed it buddy ! Your early Spit looks magnificent. I built this exact same kit and painted mine almost the same as you. I left the bottom side of both ailerons the same as the adjoining colors under the wing. One was black, and the other one was white. I was tempted to paint them in a dull Aluminum color to give it the appearance of doped fabric.
I built it as part of Paul Barber's 100 Years of the RAF. I like how it looks once completed, but I had trouble with two of the problem areas of this kit.
Yep, you guessed it... The landing gear is difficult to get set in the correct stance, and that pesky gas tank seam ! Later on, after I managed to get the seam filled in, I noticed the panel looked thicker than the surrounding areas. Then someone stated this area was made of thicker metal and was steel on the real plane, so it acted as an armor plate for the gas tank...
By the looks of things, you managed to get past these shortcomings too. Your Spitfire looks magnificent. To me, the early Spits look the best.
Recently I picked up some more early Spitfire kits in 1/48 scale. I have plans to build them together to see which one I like the best. I have several of the new tool Tamiya Mk I, and and while I was at it, I ordered some of the Eduard "Over Trees" to see how these two stack up for building qualities, and how they look once completed.
Having built the early Mk-1, and knowing what to expect, I didn't have as bad of a time building the Airfix Mk-V. I would definitely build up a few more of these Airfix Spitfires, as they really look good and are not too expensive. You get a lot for your money with them.
Thanks for sharing this beauty with us. You know I definitely pressed the "liked" button. Well done my friend.
Stay safe.
Much appreciated Louis. If you have a whack in the stash you need this
https://www.ultracast.ca/Fundekals-48-018-Spitfires-Part-2-Early-War-p/fun_48018.htm
A day late and a dollar short, this early Spitfire reminds of how the war was that much longer for the Brits and they stood alone against fascism in the late 30s. George, your kit does a great job of showing R. J. Mitchell's brain child. Spitfire cameo is never easy to do with the squiggles , browns and greens and getting the right colors and intensities to match is hard to do in my book.
Two thumbs up.
Thank you very much Stephen