1:48 Supermarine Spitfire Vb (A05125)

[John Irwing]

Airfix 1:48 Supermarine Spitfire Vb (A05125) GN*H AB264
P/O Robert Wendell “Buck” McNair DFC (Royal Canadian Air Force) No 249 (Gold Coast) Squadron, RAF, Operation Spotter, Ta’ Qali, Malta March 1942.

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A great kit, U/C arrangement bothered me but worked out fine. Fitting some belts after the cockpit was built up and the fuselage halves joined caused a little extra work but I am happy that I did it. The only fit issue I found was the fuselage plug in front of the cockpit.

Brush painted with Humbrol enamels and finished of with Humbrol Matt Cote.

[Discostu]

Good looking build John. What was the issue with the insert forward of the cockpit?  I have this kit in my stash and any tips on what to look out for would be handy.       Cheers, Stuart. 

[Matthew72]

Nice build and the the unique camouflage colors are very fetching.  Your finishing skills with the brush are excellent!

[John Irwing]

It just didn't sit properly Stuart, as I built option B I used part B16 in stage 19. It is not a major problem to sort out but absolutely everything else fitted so perfectly with this kit it sort of sticks in the mind.

If going wheels down I would take care with the undercarriage particularly stages 22 & 23 (parts C30 and C31) as with all new Airfix kits I try and construct before painting because the tolerances are so precise now, but for added strength and alignment this is especially true of these two parts.

[Discostu]

Thanks for the heads up John,  I had heard that the landing gear attachment could be troublesome, but hadn't heard about the fuselage insert,doesnt sound too major a drama though. I'm looking forward to building this one as I've always liked the mkVb with the tropical vokes filter, and the dark earth/sea grey scheme make a nice point of difference.           Cheers, Stuart.