Airfix 1/48 Supermarine Seafire IIIc

[Stuart]

Hi Gents,

I thought I'd lower the tone a bit and chuck in my latest attempt to build something - Airfix's old tooling of a Supermarine Seafire IIIc



What I'm going for is this...





With this...



Oh dear...

Essentially what we have here is an old 1979 Tooling of a Spitfire mk.Vb, with a C-wing and other bits/extra sprue(s) chucked in the box (You can make a mk.Vc in this kit too - with a Vokes filter).

The thing is, Airifx of this time period produced lots of early Spitfire marks with basically the same kit with extras, but then didn't remove the old bits. SO I could probably make any mark of early B or C winged spitfire in this kit (it has two full sets of wings) including the clipped and extended wings (It's great for the spares box)

The main issue is, unlike later boxings such as the Bader mk.Va I built a few years back, they hadn't yet re-tooled it with recessed panel lines. Not a problem normally as I don't mind raised lines... However the C-wing IS recessed...



So I'm having to scribe the lines in on the Fuselage halves and tailplane. It's the first time I've had to do this, and yes I've made a few small errors but generally so far I'm happy with it. I'm not sure yet what to do about the rivet and inspection panel detail.



I've just started working on the other side. The other issue I have to overcome is the cutout for the hook assembly. The guide lines Airfix put in place aren't in the right place, so the cut out is too large. I wish I'd known that before I started cutting... .

Cheers!

PS - sorry for the black and white pics - the sensor has gone for a burton on my work camera.

[LyleW]

you could make a bi-wing Spit? I am sure you will do it justice.

[Stuart]

you could make a bi-wing Spit? I am sure you will do it justice.

you laugh, but there was a Bi-wing Hurricane.

[Floki]

Was this a joke? I would be interest with the story behind it.

[Stuart]

No it was a real aircraft. The extra wing was an essentially a fuel tank. It was part of a study into extending the range of the Hurricane which is basically a short range fighter.

The wing was fully jettisonable (is that even a word?).

[Stikpusher]

I’ll be watching this one. You’re project has me interested and I have the same kit in my stash...

[Stuart]

Ah you'll know what I'm dealing with then Carlos - It's not a bad kit, just a bit rough around the edges.

I'm still toying with what to do with the cockpit. This'll be a closed up build and you can see sod all once all the clear parts are in place. i do have an Utracast seat and some Airwaves PE kicking about, but I might just put the pilot in and leave it at that.

[Stikpusher]

Stuart, I know exactly what you’re dealing with. It’s not a bad kit, but it shows it’s age. And describing the fuselage to match the wings is not too difficult, just time consuming. Addressing access panels is best handled by getting some scribing templates. Then you’ll have those onhand for any future such projects. Not to mention for use on recessed detail kits where such stuff gets sanded away during seam clean up.
As far as the canopy goes, why not look for a vacuform replacement? They are inexpensive and can show off more of the interior detail. Especially if you dress up the cockpit a bit.

[KennyX]

Oh cool! What a great subject. I’ll be following this intently. I can’t wait to see what you do with your magick brush!!

[Stuart]

Thanks Kenny!