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Re: A Pile of Spitfires....
Posted: Wed Mar 18, 2026 5:56 am
by Stuart
Painting commences.... I admit, I painted the undersides of all three in a quick coat just so I didn't get mixed up which one was which...
Re: A Pile of Spitfires....
Posted: Wed Mar 18, 2026 7:43 am
by KSaarni
That is an interesting project Stuart and looking good!
Is there any bigger difference between the Tamiya kit and those two Airfix when it comes to fit, details and in general "the feeling" ?
- Kari
Re: A Pile of Spitfires....
Posted: Thu Mar 19, 2026 6:19 am
by Stuart
Both have their pros & cons Kari - and both are enjoyable. The Tamiya kit has a LOT finer surface detail than the Airfix kits (the Airfix mk.I is one of their earlier kits and has the rather over-done panel lines), yet I'd say that Airfix did a better job of the cockpit and underwing radiators etc.
They both needed filler.
I'd say build what comes to hand.
Re: A Pile of Spitfires....
Posted: Thu Mar 19, 2026 9:30 am
by speedgraflex
I was thinking more about the word Kari chose to describe the model kit—feeling—but I didn’t want to respond before you, Stuart. It’s a great word, actually. My interpretation is he meant the soul or the essence of what makes a Spitfire—not accuracy, per se. I do agree with you that to build either kit in 1:48 is correct, but I do feel that Kotare is the kit to build in 1:32. They have captured the feeling of the aircraft. No kit is perfect, Tamiya may fit better, Airfix may have sorted out the details, but Kotare has impressed me with the the feeling more so than the others.
Re: A Pile of Spitfires....
Posted: Thu Mar 19, 2026 10:15 am
by Stikpusher
Aren’t the staff at Kotare many of the folks who used to work at Wingnut Wings?
Re: A Pile of Spitfires....
Posted: Thu Mar 19, 2026 11:13 am
by Stuart
Yep - some of them at least anyway.
Re: A Pile of Spitfires....
Posted: Thu Mar 19, 2026 11:23 am
by speedgraflex
Richard (General Manager) is, the other fella Mark owns Modelair NZ. These are the hobby shop guys PJ invited to join him on his quest to own and build every WWI aircraft type! Too bad the partnership dissolved but I’m grateful Kotare exists. I’m even more grateful CSM exists, but that’s not Spitfire related.
Re: A Pile of Spitfires....
Posted: Thu Mar 19, 2026 1:31 pm
by BlackSheep214
I often wondered why Wing Nuts dissolved…
Re: A Pile of Spitfires....
Posted: Thu Mar 19, 2026 1:35 pm
by cbaltrin
Looking good Stuart!
Re: A Pile of Spitfires....
Posted: Thu Mar 19, 2026 4:16 pm
by speedgraflex
BlackSheep214 wrote: ↑Thu Mar 19, 2026 1:31 pm
speedgraflex wrote: ↑Thu Mar 19, 2026 11:23 am
Richard (General Manager) is, the other fella Mark owns Modelair NZ. These are the hobby shop guys PJ invited to join him on his quest to own and build every WWI aircraft type! Too bad the partnership dissolved but I’m grateful Kotare exists. I’m even more grateful CSM exists, but that’s not Spitfire related.
I often wondered why Wing Nuts dissolved…
Larceny, thievery, knavery. Publicly, their reason was COVID hurting sales.