Airfix

Airfix Spitfire Mk Vb – Progress report I

Pierre Lagacé

There is a lot of psychology behind My Forgotten Hobby III. First there are two more: My Forgotten Hobby and My Forgotten Hobby II… I created the first one in December 2013.

This is the first post.

You could say it’s a collector’s item…

I write so I won’t forget to build some of what I have bought since the 1980s and also not to forget how building model airplanes was and still is lots of fun… well most of the time.

Building my latest model kit has lowered the bar for whatever expectations I had with newer model kits. I am now reconciled with Airfix Spitfire Mk Vb.

I had started painting my Airfix Spitfire Mk Vb last week after I had glued the canopies with clear acrylic paint. That’s the best way I have found for glueing canopies since reuniting with my forgotten hobby.

I had used light gray as a primer coat following Jeff’s advice. Then I did some experimenting with pre-shading using diluted black acrylic. A few days later I painted the underside using Airfix azure blue acrylic paint found in the kit, and then left the Spitfire alone.

Then this morning on the spur of the moment I have tackled the top side.

Airfix acrylic paints found in the box are working surprising well. You have to be careful though when you open the tiny jars because they are hard to open and it is easy to spill the content. Also once you have opened them it is easy to topple the jar if you don’t put something behind to hold it.

So beware!

I have traced the camouflage lines using a lead pencil and then I have added a thin coat of matt desert yellow.

 

I will be adding later a thin coat of dark earth later and we will see how things work out.

Intermission – Trumpeter Vickers Wellington Mk. III VS Airfix vintage Vickers Wellington Mk. III

Pierre Lagacé

My Forgotten Hobby is fast becoming a sitcom…with my Spitfire Mk Vb still on hold with “unhinged” canopies.

Last week I was contacted by someone who wanted me to build two Airfix Vickers Wellington Mk IIIs he had bought a few years back. One would be for him and one for me.

Nice box art!

165253-12155-pristine.jpg

I told him I did not not see any problem except that these two model kits were vintage kits and although they could be quickly built they were lacking details.

So I went shopping around on Amazon.ca…

There was only one Trumpeter Wellington Mk. III left on Amazon.ca.

And only one Mk. X on Amazon.com.

Looking for information about them, I found both model kits are almost the same except for a few extra parts to build the other one.

I had always wanted to buy Trumpeter 1/48 scale version of the Wellington B III. The Wellington B III was flown by RCAF 425 Squadron at Dishforth in 1942 and the squadron flew the Wellington Mk X at Kairouan in Tunisia.

There was one Trumpeter 1/48 scale Wellington Mk III available on Amazon.com but it was too costly being almost four times the asking price for the Trumpeter 1/72 version of the Mk. III. So with the fear of passing up a great deal, I had decided to follow Jeff’s advice and buy the 1/72 scale version although that scale is not my favorite scale.

This model kit will be built instead and the two vintage kits later…

One will be build as RCAF 425 Alouette squadron Wellington Mk III call sign KW-E and the other as a Mk X serial number HE268, call sign KW-K.

There is so much history behind RCAF 425 Alouette squadron. You just have to Google 425 Alouette squadron on the Internet, and you will probably stumbled on what I have been writing on that squadron since 2010.

Writing about unsung heroes is what I like to do best even more than building model airplanes. Unsung heroes like Jacques Morin who had never talked to strangers before about his service in WW II before I met him in 2011.

Intermission – RAF 232 Squadron

Pierre Lagacé

My Forgotten Hobby III is much more than a just forgotten hobby. It’s more than building model airplanes since the 1960s. My Forgotten Hobby has been about a learning experience and sometimes about preserving the past of unknown heroes who gave so much.

It is hard to decide how I will finish my Spitfire Mk Vb…

Buzz Beurling’s Spitfire?

 

While researching how to paint my Airfix Spitfire Mk Vb I stumbled upon this image taken on the IWM Website.

This is the description they give.

Supermarine Spitfire Mark VC, ER557 ‘EF-D’ “Mustapha”, of No. 232 Squadron RAF awaits the signal to start up in its dispersal at Tingley, Algeria. It formed part of the fighter escort for a force of North American B-25s of the 12th Bombardment Group Detachment USAAF, one of which can be seen taking off at right.

The caption says Spitfire Mk Vc, but while researching more I think RAF 232 squadron was not flying Spitfire Mk Vcs but Spitfire Mk Vbs. 

As I was trying to find out the difference between a Spitfire Mk Vb and a Spitfire Mk Vc just to be sure I found this information. The Spitfire Mk Vc had the “c” wing which could carry four 20mm cannons. However most of the time the pilots would prefer having only two 20mm cannons instead of four.

So IWM is probably right unless I prove them wrong…

I know this won’t matter because I won’t modify what I am building right now. I will stay with the two 20mm cannons.

RAF 232 Squadron was somewhat special lately especially since I had this group photo shared Vicki Sorensen. Vicki’s father was Frank Sorensen.

232 Squadron - Tingley, Algeria, North Africa, early 1943 MOD

The group photo was taken at Tingley, Algeria in early 1943. It was shared by Arthur Sherwin, last row, second from the right. This photo is most interesting when we look at some Frank Sorensen’s log book pages.

We clearly see he was only flying on Spitfire Mk Vbs not Spitfire Mk Vcs. 

Frank Sorensen is the second pilot on the left in the back.

232 Squadron - Tingley, Algeria, North Africa, early 1943 MOD

I will probably build my Spitfire Mk Vb as one of the Spitfires he flew.

Progress report – High expectations

Pierre Lagacé

I had high expectations when I started building Airfix Spitfire Mk Vb especially since I had written so much about Spitfire pilots who had flown that version of Spitfires.

New kit, state-of-the art… in 2018.

The troubles I had was mostly with understanding the instructions. First with the cockpit assembly, then with how to glue it properly which left me checking and double checking where parts should go.

Having built model kits since the 1960s I had high expectations. The Spitfire is now almost complete except for the canopies. I have had a hard time to fit them properly. The kit has several canopies since Airfix like ICM will use this model kit for different versions.

You can see the result here as I had to file the part behind the pilot seat so I could glue the rear canopy.

 

Even by reading the instructions and dry fitting the belly tank several times I managed to glue it off center!

This is not to mentioned how I glued one tire the wrong way, the flat side up!

Live and learn…

The landing gear seems to be solidly glued and having the right stance. It does not show here, but you can trust me.

The next step will be adding a primer coat, then painting it to represent a RAF 232 Squadron Spitfire Mk Vb like this one.

It will be kind of a tribute to these Spitfire pilots posing for posterity on a group photo at Tingley, Tunisia circa early 1943.

Some of them never came back from the war.

To be continued…

Progress report – When a little progress is enough progress…

Pierre Lagacé

I am now reconciled with Airfix Spitfire Mk Vb and I am spending some fun time.

I am just a little bit more cautious with fitting some parts.

Dry fitting has become an obsession and I did a lot of fitting which explains why little progress has been made. Most of the time the fitting has been okay and I am sure the final result will prove satisfactory.

I am using sushi leftover trays to store small parts. This way I don’t lose any.

The main landing gear sub-assembly has been done, but it won’t be added until the rest of the plane has been assembled.

Progress report – Get over it

Pierre Lagacé

This is what I said to myself…Pierre, get over it and build it…

I have tried my best to get over the seams by using some scraping, filing and filling with just plain white glue, then white paint using my wet finger to take the excess off.

Necessity is the mother of invention…

We’ll see what happens, but now I have started having fun again with building the Spitfire Mk Vb. The wings have been mated together without too much frustration using clothespins.

Of course I will need to take extra care with the main landing gear.

And the fragile struts…

These will be glued last before painting. I have not decided yet how I will paint the Spitfire Mk Vb since there was different color schemes of Spitfires which flew over Malta.

This one is John Plagis’ Spitfire Mk Vb.

Source Internet

There are also the Smith brothers’ Spitfires…

And Buzz Beurling’s Spitfire.

 

Source Internet

PL-14939
26/02/43
Portrait of F/O G.F. Beurling (Screwball) Verdun, Quebec.

Colorised by Pierre Lagacé

Intermission – Sniper in the skies

Pierre LagacéLeave a comment

I just need to take a break after feeling frustrated with Airfix Spitfire Mk Vb.

I don’t need to show you my photos or to explain why I was frustrated since Jon wrote about his frustration on his blog.

Recap

https://www.jonbius.com/2016/10/24/comparing-148-spitfire-mk-vb-kits-airfix-versus-tamiya-the-cockpit/

This modeler is comparing two Spitfire Mk Vb, one made by Tamiya and the other one by Airfix. He encountered the same problems I had last week with the cockpit assembly. I always took for granted that model kit manufacturers do rigorous testing before putting model kits into production. It must have been apparent to someone that some parts were not fitting well leaving noticeable gaps as you can see here on Jon’s blog. 

Also instructions can be sometimes vague and you have to figure out where some parts are to be glued which is causing some frustration even after dry fitting a few times. This had taken the fun out of building my Spitfire, but I guess that’s the challenging part of the hobby.  Jon’s had a second and a third part where he had some more issues with the Spitfire…

https://www.jonbius.com/2016/10/26/comparing-148-spitfire-mk-vb-kits-airfix-versus-tamiya-winging-it/ https://www.jonbius.com/2016/11/26/comparing-148-spitfire-mk-vb-kits-picking-a-winner-a-politicians-answer/    

End of recap…

During my intermission, I have been reading some parts of this book as a way to soldier on.

There was always this myth about Buzz Beurling being a loner… Well Nick Thomas shoots down that myth in his book about Buzz Beurling. I can remember now why I bought that kit in 2017 in my first uncontrollable impulse buying on Amazon.ca. It was about new Airfix model kits being released. I had not bought Airfix model kits since the 70s. All that would change in 2017. The first model kit I bought was not an impulse buying. It was all about building an Airfix Boulton Paul Defiant Mk I.

I wanted to build it for Gérard Pelletier’s niece whose uncle was an air gunner with 264 Squadron and later RCAF 410 Squadron. Her uncle was killed on September 3, 1942 while on a search and rescue mission. His niece had shared her uncle’s log book, letters and photos that he took in WW II. This is some of what I wrote on him on the original My Forgotten Hobby. Three years later Chantal and I still have not found the time to meet so I can give her this.

Airfix Supermarine Spitfire Mk Vb – Update

Pierre LagacéLeave a comment

This is the first project on My Forgotten Hobby III.

I bought this kit two years ago on Amazon.ca for under $40 CAD. I had not built a Spitfire since the 70s and I have to say I was missing building a Spitfire especially since I have been writing a lot about Spitfire pilots since 2011. A case in point…

https://georgeboudreau.wordpress.com/

https://georgesnadon.wordpress.com/

https://249squadronraf.wordpress.com

/https://rcaf416squadron.wordpress.com

/https://rcaf403squadron.wordpress.com

/https://443squadron.wordpress.com

/https://rcafspitfirepilots.wordpress.com

/https://anotherunsunghero.wordpress.com/

https://colinfranksorensen.wordpress.com/

Getting back to my forgotten hobby for now, I keep forgetting to read what other modelers have written about what I am starting to build. I should have read what this modeler wrote before I started Airfix Spitfire MkVb…

https://www.jonbius.com/2016/10/24/comparing-148-spitfire-mk-vb-kits-airfix-versus-tamiya-the-cockpit/

This modeler is comparing two Spitfire Mk Vb, one made by Tamiya and the other one by Airfix. He encountered the same problems I had last week with the cockpit assembly. I always took for granted that model kit manufacturers do rigorous testing before putting model kits into production.

It must have been apparent to someone that some parts were not fitting well leaving noticeable gaps as you can see here on Jon’s blog. 



Also instructions can be sometimes vague and you have to figure out where some parts are to be glued which is causing some frustration even after dry fitting a few times. This had taken the fun out of building my Spitfire, but I guess that’s the challenging part of the hobby.  Jon’s had a second and a third part where he had some more issues with the Spitfire…


https://www.jonbius.com/2016/10/26/comparing-148-spitfire-mk-vb-kits-airfix-versus-tamiya-winging-it/

https://www.jonbius.com/2016/11/26/comparing-148-spitfire-mk-vb-kits-picking-a-winner-a-politicians-answer/