Airfix 1/48 Spitfire IX

Modeling Subjects Aircraft
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This is a repost from the Airfix GB.

The Spitfire IX is done!

I enjoyed this kit. There were some problems, however. The correct wings for the Mk. IX fit horribly- upper and lower pieces I mean. Just plain weren’t the same size. So I used the other set that came with the kit, which has raised wheel bulges. I could’ve sanded them, but decided it wasn’t too bad, and I’m not much of a rivet counter. The decal roundels on the upper wing were pretty bad- for some odd reason, the left ones had a black circle around the outer edge. I finally scraped thoe off and used the yellow ringed versions. The wings are a bit thick, and the propellor is oddly shaped.

Still- it was a fun build. It was challenging overcoming the aforementioned issues. The model was nicely detailed, and certainly could be a scratch builders dream. In many ways it was like building a Revell-Monogram kit (which I’m more familiar with.) This kit does not have the engineering that the Tamigawa kits do, but when you compare the price to the result- well, I’ll usually go with the lower price. I build for the fun, not absolute accuaracy. And the box was packed with so many sprues of parts, you could build quite a few versions.

I decided to forego weathering- I just did a panel wash. Had some trouble getting some off here and there, but nothing too terrible. (My wife switched soaps on me- I think that may have altered the wash a bit.)

So here are a few shots of my Airfix Spitfire Mk. IX. I started the build to say goodbye to Airfix, and now happily, I can say “Welcome back- take a look at one of your kits!”

She’ll take a space on my shelf alongside a 1/48 Revell Spitfire Mk. II.

I picked up a little hand drill at Hobby Lobby, and used that to drill out the exhaust stacks. There shape made it a bit tricky. I drilled out a hole at either end of the exhaust, then used an Xacto to cut out the rest. It’s not perfect, but I think it worked pretty darn well! (Wish I could get a clearer picture…)

I had a great time in this GB. This was a nice kit. Certainly not shake-and-bake, but it ends up looking good, I think.

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Nice lookin turd i mean bird[:P] She turned out great there Jon.

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I’m impressed! Everything came out very well. The camo and decals look great. Drilling the exhaust was a nice touch. I would have to nominate you ‘most improved’ over the past year.

Andy

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Nice work, Jon! I may have filled the panel lines around the wheel blisters but other than that, cool build. You definately get my nomination for “most improved”![;)]

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Looks good overall Jon.

Regards, Rick

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I’ll second that motion!!! Jon the thing looks real sharp! What’d you use to mask? Thanks for sharing!

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Well done, Jon. This one is a real stunner. Which paints did you use for the exterior (I see a Polyscale bottle)? You GB seems to have turned Airfix around…now if only you could start a Tamiya Large Bomber GB, they may decide to actually make the B-17 that’s been rumored for years.

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smokinguns3, Wulf, rjkplasticmod- Thanks so much for the kind words and encouragement!

hkshooter- Old age on that I’m afraid. I was filling gaps, and meant to do that. Completely forgot about it until my first coat of the upper camo. I could’ve stopped at that point and fixed it, but I was on a roll, and I just went on. One of these days maybe I’ll figure out what kind of modeller I will be by really paying attention to detail. [;)]

RadMax8- Just plain old blue masking tape. Burnished it really well, then airbrushed on thin coats of the camo. I finished up with a gentle sanding with a coffee filter to rub down any high points.

mucker- Thank you so much! I’ve switched pretty much 100% to Pollyscale. The exterior camo is all Pollyscale, as is most of the interior. I’m sold on them. The GB has been fun- osher got that going and has done a great job of keeping it running. I did try to single-handedly put Airfix back in business. Since the GB started, I went kinda hog wild and aquired 4 1/48 Airfix Spits, and the 5 plane 1/72nd Spit Anniversary set. Since it seemed to work pretty well, maybe we oughta do that Tamiya idea. [;)] Or maybe a “Forum members get rich GB”? LOL

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WOW Jon, you did a GREAT Build there. I think one of the best I have seen from you so for

WTG

Bud

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Hey-nice work! Its nice to seee one of these built up, thanks for sharing it with us.

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Jon, this is your best effort so far I think. How you have improved with each build is obvious and this one is a real good looker. Subtle weathering, good finish and the pipes look great

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Nice, clean build Jon! Definitely a keeper.

Mark

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Dubau, TANGO 1- Thanks so much! I appreciate it.

wing_nut- I tried to take a cue from what I’ve seen Pixilater do- I simply did the panel wash, and purposely did not do the chipping, exhaust stains, etc. I like the results. And I’m going to drill all my exhausts that way from now on. It was so easy to do- just a bit time consuming. Thanks for the kind words!

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Way to go Jon! Another great build. Man I love your work and your choice of subjects Nice going

Thanks for sharing with us Jon

Zip

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Mark Joyce- Thanks so much!

zipmeister- Thanks! I really appreciate it. Next up is a Yak-1 (with skis… maybe) from Accurate Miniatures.

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Kudos, Jon! Very nice work, indeed! Thanks for sharing with us!

Brian [C):-)]

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I like it. I like it alot. Very smooth looking a/c, Jon!

60

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Jon, you’ve done a top notch job!

Just goes to show you don’t need to start with a Tamigawa kit to achieve stunning results.

Karl

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brain44, m60a3, KJ200- Thanks so much!

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So this is the spitfire we been hearing about. Looks good, I like the exhaulst.