How To Build Tamiya's 1-32 Spitfire

HOW TO REVISED EDITION INCLUDES THE NEW SPITFIRE Mk.
XVIe
BUILD... TAMIYA’S 1:32
SPITFIRE Mk.IXc, Mk.VIII and Mk.XVIe

Brett Green
INCLUDING
THREE COMPLETE BUILDS PLUS:
■ Late Merlin Spitfires close-up
■ Step by Step – Tips and techniques
for building the ultimate Spitfires
■ Historical summary
■ Aftermarket decal and accessory summary
FEATURING THE WORK OF

From the publishers of Tamiya Model Magazine International, Brett Green, Chris Wauchop
Model Military International, Model Airplane International
and Military Illustrated Modeller and Dave Johnson
p 01 Cover Spit3B.indd 1 04/02/2015 14:20

FOREWORD AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
How to build... Tamiya’s 1:32 Spitfire Mk.IXc, Mk.VIII & Mk.XVIe
I
n today’s hyped-up world it is
common to see adjectives such as ■ Chris Wauchop
“superb”, “excellent” and “superior”
when describing a new product. Chris Wauchop was born in Deniliquin in regional Australia in
The hobby of scale modelling is no 1954. Chris’s career began in the photo studio of a major Sydney
exception. We are fortunate to live in advertising agency. From here, Chris moved on to professional
an era that is seeing an unprecedented model making at Lego. After nearly five years, he decided to
number of brand new kits released across go solo, opening a hobby shop called “Absolute Hobbies” in
a wide range of scales. Many of these suburban Sydney. This became a Mecca for local modellers. The
releases are very good indeed. end of the property lease after seven years prompted another
Late in 2009, however, Tamiya lifted the career change, this time painting props and vehicles for the
bar with their 1:32 scale Spitfire Mk.IXc. science fiction movie, Red Planet. Chris has built many models
This was followed in mid-2010 by their for commercial advertising, displays at trade shows, articles
Spitfire Mk.VIII and Mk.XVIe in 2011. for magazines and websites including Tamiya Model Magazine,
Tamiya’s 1:32 scale Supermarine
AIR Modeller, HyperScale and Missing-Lynx, and has been a
Spitfires are truly superb kits in terms of
contributor to many modelling books. Chris now lives in semi-
retirement on Sydney’s northern beaches with his wife Deirdhre.
level of detail, engineering innovation, fit
and presentation. In the warm afterglow of
its release, many modellers have declared
Tamiya’s Spitfire kits to be the best scale
models released to date. ■ Roy Sutherland
Naturally, such a subjective assertion is
Roy been a modeller since the age of 6, and a professional model
very much a matter of opinion, but the four
maker for the last 21 years. He has worked in a number of model
modellers in this book would not argue
shops in the SF bay area, including Industrial Light and Magic
with this view! (credits include Star Wars Episode II), and M5 Studios (where they
Even so, there are some areas of the film Mythbusters). Roy has worked for Toy Companies such as
kit that might be improved, and there is Worlds of Wonder, Galoob, and 21st Century Toys, where he was
massive potential for conversions and in charge of the development of the entire product line. These days
alternative colours and markings. he runs Barracuda Studios, which produces the BarracudaCals,
The purpose of this book is to suggest BarracudaCast and BarracudaGraphs product lines. For more info
how Tamiya’s kit may be improved, deliver go to www.barracudacals.com. He lives in Fremont, CA and has
a step-by-step illustrated guide to building a son, Cooper.
the model, and finally to offer some
inspiration with four complete builds,
including one conversion and one with
additional detail. ■ Dave Johnson
Any modelling book is an ensemble
effort and this title is no exception. I would Dave Johnson is 33 years of age and lives in Wellington, New
like to extend my sincere appreciation Zealand. He works for Wingnut Wings. He built his first kit model
to Chris Wauchop, Roy Sutherland kit around the age of 8, but got back into the hobby in 2005 after a
and Dave Johnson, whose wonderful long break. Dave’s favourite modelling era is World War II aircraft,
Spitfires appear in these pages. Roy especially RNZAF aircraft during this period. He is an enthusiast of
went especially far out on a limb with WWI aircraft too. Working for Wingnut Wings, his interest in these
his extraordinary super detailing and early but fast developing aircraft grows each day.
conversion. Thanks to all of you for your
efforts and your sense of urgency.
We are very grateful to Tamiya Japan for
providing the kits built in this book. ■ Brett Green
I would also like to thank Barracuda
Studios and Eduard for the aftermarket Brett Green was born in Sydney, Australia in 1960. Brett displayed
samples used on the Spitfire Mk.VIII. a passion for aviation and aircraft modelling from an early age.
The photos of the Spitfire Mk.XVI Merlin This developed into a particular interest in camouflage and
engine in the Close-Up section were markings. Brett established the popular scale modelling website
kindly provided by James Levingston, and HyperScale (www.hyperscale.com) in 1998. He is also Editor
Spitfire expert Bob Swaddling provided a of the ADH Publishing’s Model Military International and the
helpful list of improvements. Aircraft Edition of Military Illustrated Modeller magazines, the
Finally, thanks to Dr Charles Metz for the armour modelling website Missing-Lynx, and author of more than
list of Spitfire Mk.IX reference publications
20 books. Brett concluded his 25-year career in the Australian
that appear at the end of this book.
telecommunications industry in 2003, when he decided to
pursue his interests in online publishing and writing as a full-time
Brett Green, February 2015 occupation. He still lives in Sydney today with his wife and two
children, Charlotte and Sebastian.
2 How to Build... Tamiya’s 1:32 Spitfire Mk.IXc, Mk.VIII & Mk.XVIe
p 02-03 Foreword Spit3B.indd 2 04/02/2015 14:21

CONTENTS
Page 2 Foreword
Page 4 Introduction
Page 6 Chapter 1
LLate Merlin Spitfire Close-Up
Page 12 Chapter 2
Spitfire Mk.IXc in Profile
S
Page 13 Chapter 3
T
Tamiya’s 1:32 scale Spitfire
Mk.IXc in the box
Page 16 Chapter 4
B
Building Tamiya’s 1:32 scale
Spitfire Mk.IXc Step by Step
Page 32 Chapter 5
R
RAAF Spitfire Over the
Continent – Brett Green
Page 40 Chapter 6
S
Supermarine Shangri-La -
Chris Wauchop
Page 41 Chapter 7
Spitfire VIII in the Box
Page 42 Chapter 8
Shark Attack! Chris
Wauchop and Brett Green
Page 52 Chapter 9
High Atitude Fighter – Roy
Copyright © 2015 ADH Publishing Ltd. Sutherland
All rights reserved. Reproduction in part or
whole of any text or photographs without
written permission from the publisher is strictly
Page 66 Chapter 10
prohibited. While due care has been taken to Spitfire Mk.XVIe in the Box
68
ensure the contents of this book are accurate,
the publisher cannot accept liability for errors. Page Chapter 11
First Published in the United Kingdom by: Sweet Kiwi Sixteen – Dave
ADH Publishing Ltd., Doolittle Mill, Doolittle Lane, Johnson
Totternhoe, Bedfordshire, LU6 1QX
Telephone: 44 (0) 1525 222573 Page 80 Appendix
Fax: 44 (0) 1525 222574 After-Market Accessories
Email: enquiries@adhpublishing.com and Decals
Website: www.adhpublishing.com
Designed by Alex Hall Page 82 References
How to Build... Tamiya’s 1:32 Spitfire Mk.IXc, Mk.VIII & Mk.XVIe 3
p 02-03 Foreword Spit3B.indd 3 04/02/2015 14:21

INtroduction
BACKGROUND YOU TAKE THE HIGH ROAD

AND I’LL TAKE THE LOW ROAD...
T M
he Focke-Wulf Fw 190 asserted its and a four-bladed propeller to handle the odellers have been waiting a
authority as soon as it appeared greater power. very long time for a 1:32 scale
over the Channel Front in Although initially conceived as a stop- Spitfire Mk.IX and Mk.VIII.
September 1941. It was so clearly gap measure, the Spitfire Mk.IX and the Until now, our only options
superior to the Spitfire Mk.V that RAF essentially similar Mk.XVI (powered by a have been expensive resin or vacform
Fighter Command curtailed operations Packard Merlin engine) eventually became conversions requiring considerable skill
twice - from November 1941 to March the most numerous of all Spitfire variants and effort, or the limited-run Pacific Coast
1942, and again from 13 June 1942 - due with more than 7,000 delivered to the RAF, Models kit released in 2008.
to unacceptably high losses against the the VVS and other Allied air forces. Now Tamiya has released the first
Luftwaffe’s “Butcher Bird”. The Spitfire Mk.IX continued in front long-run injection moulded kits of late
The Rolls-Royce Merlin 60 series line service until the end of the Second Merlin Spitfires in 1:32 scale. These
engines would offer the Spitfire the World War. are remarkable kits in terms of detail,
essential edge it needed to balance The new and improved Mk.VIII featured accuracy, engineering and presentation. It
the scales against this new foe, but a strengthened fuselage and retractable has been well worth the wait.
the high altitude Spitfire Mk.VII and the tail wheel. It was fitted with the new Volkes Before we examine the Tamiya kits in
unpressurised Mk.VIII were still many Aero Vee air filter, which was also adapted detail though, let’s take a look at some of
months away from production. to the later production Spitfire Mk.IX. Each the options open to us until now.
An interim proposal was therefore wing was also fitted with self-sealing 14
made to provide a suitable solution in gallon fuel tanks and the capacity of the Spitfire Mk.IX Conversions
a more timely fashion. The Merlin 61 main tank was increased to 96 gallons. in 1:32 scale
engine would be fitted to the existing All Mk.VIII Spitfires were fitted with the C A number of vac form or resin 1:32 scale
Spitfire Mk.V airframe, matching the Fw wing, with either four 20mm cannon; or Spitfire Mk.IX conversions have been
190s performance at medium and high two cannon and two machine guns released over the last few decades. These
altitudes. This aircraft was known as the In the end, the Spitfire Mk.VIII never have all been designed for the venerable
Spitfire F.Mk.IX, Type No.361. replaced the “stop-gap” Spitfire Mk.IX Hasegawa Spitfire Mk.Vb. The base kit is
The resulting Spitfire retained the clean in northern Europe. The Spitfire Mk.VIII reasonably accurate in outline but suffers
lines of the earlier Mks. I, II and V, but entered service around the middle of from a very poor cockpit and non-existent
featured a longer and modified fuselage 1943 in Italy and the Far East and in 1944 wheel well detail. The raised panel lines
to accommodate the bigger engine, with the Royal Australian Air Force in the of this 1970s vintage kit won’t be to many
revised intakes, radiators and oil coolers, Pacific, largely in a ground attack role. modellers tastes either.
4 Introduction
p 04-05 Intro Spit3B.indd 4 04/02/2015 14:22

instrument panel and a Q harness with
printed stitching.
The clear parts are very nice - thinly
moulded and good looking in shape.
The overall outline looks good but there
are some shape issues with the propeller
blades. The undercarriage doors also lack
the characteristic bulge of the Mk.IX.
Due to its limited-run nature, you should
ideally have had some experience with
short run kits or resin accessories before
tackling PCM’s Spitfire Mk.IXc. However,
If you spend sufficient time preparing
the parts and test-fitting (in other words,
Warbird Productions showing this kit the respect that any limited
offered a full Spitfire C
Paragon’s resin conversion was the best way to build a Spitfire Mk.IXc in 1:32 scale before 2008. wing in 1:32 scale. run offering demands), then you will be
rewarded with a nicely detailed model of
The best of these conversions were PACIFIC COAST MODELS’ 1:32 SCALE this most numerous Spitfire variant.
offered by Paragon Designs and Warbird SPITFIRE MK.IXC, MK.IXE AND MK.XVIE I built this kit shortly after its release in
Productions of the UK. Pacific Coast Models released their 1:32 2008 and was pleased with the result.
Paragon produced a number of scale limited-run Supermarine Spitfire Pacific Coast Models followed up with
conversions designed for Hasegawa’s Mk.IXc in 2008. This was the first complete a 1:32 scale Spitfire Mk.IXe and a resin
1:32 scale Spitfire Mk.Vb, including one for injection moulded kit of a Spitfire Mk.IX in low-back XVIe conversion.
a Spitfire Mk.IX. this scale.
Paragon’s Spitfire Mk.IX conversion Pacific Coast Models’ Spitfire Mk.IXc
33 parts in. The parts will need to be comprises 70 parts in grey plastic, 9 parts
removed from casting blocks, but this in clear, 21 resin parts, a colour photo-
should not be difficult or time consuming. etched fret and markings for six aircraft.
Even so, this is a comprehensive The plastic parts are moulded by Sword
conversion requiring significant surgery of the Czech Republic. The plastic is
to the base kit, so significant modelling shiny, and surface detail is well done with
experience will be helpful. recessed panel lines.
Paragon supplies all the parts necessary The 21 grey resin parts are mainly used
for a Spitfire IXc including an entirely new in the cockpit, but also include wheels,
three-piece engine cowling, supercharger undercarriage bays and two different The cockpit is well detailed with resin
intake, exhausts, spinner and propeller styles of exhaust - flared and tubular. The and colour photo-etched parts.
blades, pointed rudder, double-kinked two styles of wheels included are five
elevators (you’ll need to modify the kit spoke and covered hub.
tail planes to fit these), second under The resin parts are excellent.
wing radiator and housing, five-spoke The colour photo-etch fret offers
weighted main wheels, upper and under attractive eye-candy for the
wing bulges for cannon and undercarriage front office including a detailed
(broad and narrow cannon bulges are
included), plus new cannon barrels and
stubs. The high altitude extended wing
A good result can be
tips are supplied too, making it possible to obtained if care is taken
build a Spitfire HF Mk.IXc. with parts preparation and
alignment.
The most difficult aspect of this
conversion will be transforming Hasegawa’s
“B” wing to a “C” wing. Although Paragon
provides all of the fittings, the real hurdle will
be cutting, filling, fitting the new radiator and
scribing the many new panel lines.
For those who do not feel up to the
task, Warbird Productions released a
full resin “C” wing. This presented its
own challenges though, as the wing was
supplied in left and right halves. Joining
these heavy one-piece resin wings to the
fuselage would require reinforcement and Pacific Coast Models’ 1:32 scale
Spitfire Mk.IXc was released in 2008.
careful alignment.
In addition to the C wing, Warbird
Productions also offered a wide range of
late Merlin and Griffin Spitfires.
How to Build... Tamiya’s 1:32 Spitfire Mk.IXc, Mk.VIII and Mk.XVIe 5
p 04-05 Intro Spit3B.indd 5 04/02/2015 14:23

CHAPTER 1 LATE MERLIN SPITFIRES CLOSE-UP
A nice overhead view of Temora’s
Spitfire Mk.VIII in flight. Note the
narrow C wing cannon bulges, and the
absence of inboard wheel well bulges.
LATE MERLIN SPITFIRES

CLOSE-UP
We take a close-up look at two late-Merlin Spitfires
at Temora Aviation Museum
T
he Spitfire Mk.XVI and Mk.VIII by Sydney Technical College as an took its first mission with 453 Sqn. RAAF on
were both very similar to the instructional airframe. Mr. Sid Marshall 24 March, 1945 wearing the codes FU-P.
late Spitfire Mk.IX. Many of the purchased the aircraft in 1982 and stored After being written off by the Royal Air
engine, cockpit and airframe it in components, Mr. Colin Pay of Scone Force in 1951, this aircraft started a film
details will be helpful to modellers building then acquired and restored the Spitfire. career, first as a prop in MGM’s 1955
Tamiya’s new 1:32 scale Spitfire Mk.IXc. After four decades of storage and disas- adaptation of the Douglas Bader story,
The Temora Aviation Museum has not sembly, this marvellous aircraft took to the “Reach for the Sky”, and again twelve
one, but two late-Merlin Spitfires, the only skies again in 1985. It has been part of years later as a non-flying extra in “The
two Spitfires in flying condition in Australia. the Temora Aviation Museum’s collection Battle of Britain”.
The Museum’s Mk.VIII was the last since 2002, and regularly takes part in Sir Tim Wallis purchased the partially
Spitfire taken on charge by the Royal flying displays. restored airframe in 1987, completing the
Australian Air Force. It was manufactured The aircraft is painted in the Ocean project and shipping the Spitfire to New
in England during 1944, and shipped Grey and Dark Green camouflage worn by Zealand as the centrepiece of the Alpine
to Australia where it was delivered to RAAF Spitfires in the South West Pacific. Fighter Collection.
the RAAF in April 1945. Its RAAF serial These markings represent the personal Temora Aviation Museum acquired the
number was A58-758. The aircraft was aircraft of Wing Commander R.H. (Bobby) aircraft in April 2006. It is currently finished
immediately placed in storage and never Gibbes AM WG CMR DSO DFC. in the colours and markings of its first sor-
saw active service. The Spitfire Mk.XVI was manufactured at ties over the skies of northern Europe with
Post-war, this Spitfire was employed Castle Bromwich in late 1944, and under- 453 Sqn. RAAF.
6 Chapter 1 - Late Merlin Spitfires Close-up
p 06-11 CH01 Spit3.indd 6 04/02/2015 14:28

The Spitfire Mk.VIII was a later development, but shared many of the characteristics of the The most obvious external difference between the Mk.IXc and the Mk.VIII is the retractable
Spitfire Mk. IXc. This beautifully restored example is displayed at the Temora Aviation Museum. tail wheel. Note that the Mk.VIII is always fitted with the late-style pointed rudder.
A closer view of the instrument panel.
Temora’s Spitfire Mk.VIII cockpit is mostly original. The configuration wil be almost
identical to a Spitfire Mk.IXc. Here we can see the instrument panel, slightly overshadowed
by a large cover over the modern avionics mounted on the instrument coaming. The starboard cockpit sidewall is quite bare, as it was on the wartime aircraft.
Black leather cushions are fitted to the Spitfire’s composite seat. We can see the The rear cockpit frames feature lightening holes. These are not drilled out in the Tamiya kit
characteristic brown colour of the composite material. Some modern avionics are also – a simple improvement if you wish to spend a few minutes with a pin vice.
visible behind the seat on the starboard sidewall.
p 06-11 CH01 Spit3.indd 7 04/02/2015 14:29

The well of the Spitfire’s floorless cockpit is a jumble of wires, actuators and structural details. The large quadrant and trim wheels may be seen on the port sidewall here too.
Glimpses of the air bottles for the pneumatic systems may be seen behind the seat. These The pinch bar clipped to this open hatch was intended to break the Perspex canopy in case
are painted in a slightly pale version of British Interior Grey Green, but some were seen in of emergency. In common with most restored Spitfires, this one is painted red, although
silver, grey or other colours. wartime pinch bars were more commonly seen in bare metal or Interior Grey Green.
A round mirror with a streamlined fairing was fitted to the top of the windscreen. This Spitfire Mk.VIII is equipped with flattened and flared ejector exhaust stubs.
p 06-11 CH01 Spit3.indd 8 04/02/2015 14:29

Note the slight bulge at the rear of the tail wheel doors to accommodate the tail wheel All Spitfire Mk.VIIIs were configured with the universal C wing. Most, if not all, Mk.VIII
when retracted. This retractable tail wheel was not fitted to the Spitfire Mk.IX. Spitfires featured the narrow inboard bulge for the 20mm cannon, plus two .303 machine
guns outboard on each wing.
The bulge on the upper engine cowl just aft of the middle is for the compressor intake. The Spitfire Mk.VIII was fitted with the later style “double kinked” elevators.
A small clear navigation light is present just under the rudder trim tab. Note how the wheel tilts out at the top. This permits the wheels to be accommodated inside
the wheel well without any additional bulges or fairings.
p 06-11 CH01 Spit3.indd 9 04/02/2015 14:29

The large supercharger intake was common to the Mk.VIII

and late Mk.IXs. A cover is in place here.
A front view of the Temora Spitfire Mk.VIII showing the wing armament and the narrow undercarriage track.
Temora is also home to a Spitfire Mk.XVIe. In contrast to the Mk.VIII, this Mk.XVI is fitted with tubular exhaust stubs.
Main wheels are the later style with four lightening holes. The geometry of post-war Spitfires was often modified to A closer view of the main landing gear. The oleo scissors
improve performance on sealed runways. Note how the are a feature of later Mk.IXs and Mk.XVIs. Early Mk.IXs were
angle of the wheels is more vertical compared to those on not fitted with oleo scissors.
the Spitfire Mk.VIII.
p 06-11 CH01 Spit3.indd 10 04/02/2015 14:29

Radiator face detail. This Mk.XVI has the same style of large supercharger intake as the Mk.VIII, but the cover
is not in place here.
Note the different size and location of the E Wing

cannon bulge. We can also see the additional wide
teardrop-shaped fairing needed to accommodate This Mk.XVIe is also fitted with the late-style double-kinked elevators. Spitfire wing tips were separate panels that could quickly
the reconfigured angle of the main wheels. be replaced.
A side view of the Rolls-Royce Merlin 70 engine in Temora’s Spitfire Mk.VIII. Note the bare The curved oil tank under the engine and the long supercharger intake are obvious from
copper coolant pipes. this angle.
The small bare metal reservoir behind the propeller is the Glycol tank. Ethylene Glycol was The rear of the engine bay is crowded with the carburettor, supercharger and various gear
used as the coolant in the Spitfire. Note the circular black filler cap near the top of the tank. housings, plus plenty of plumbing. Although the engine is largely authentic, the bright
Tamiya missed this feature. Also missing from the Tamiya kit is the filler neck for the oil orange tubes and coloured wiring are very much a modern feature.
tank. This may be seen in the photo a little more than halfway back on the oil tank, curving
upwards.
p 06-11 CH01 Spit3.indd 11 04/02/2015 14:29

CHAPTER 2 SPITFIRE Mk.IXc IN PROFILE
SPITFIRE Mk.IXc
IN PROFILE
Richard J. Caruana explores the colours
of the Spitfire Mk.IXc in worldwide service.
MJ840
Supermarine Spitfire LF Mk.IXc, MJ840/DU•L, No. 312 (Czech) Squadron, 11 June 1944. Ocean Grey/Dark
Green/Medium Sea Grey scheme with Sky spinner and codes; Yellow leading edge to wings. Black/white bands
around wings and fuselage; Czech roundel under both sides of windscreen while unit badge is carried only on
port side. Note fuselage bands roughly painted leading an irregular boarder around codes and roundel; blue/
red roundels above wings.
Dutch H-60
Supermarine Spitfire Mk.IXc, NH238/H•60 (ex-MK606), No. 322 Squadron, Netherlands
Air Force. Experimental scheme of Light Grey and Jungle Green upper surfaces with
Light Blue undersides; orange spinner, white codes. National markings in six positions;
Olive Drab anti-dazzle panel. ‘Three mice’ marking on nose.
Italy 5-20
Spitfire Mk.IXc, 5•20, believed to be MM.4112 (ex-RR235, serial
partially overpainted by code), of the 92a Squadriglia, 8o Gruppo, 5o
Stormo Aeronautica Military Italiana, Orio al Serio (Bergamo), 1949.
Aluminium (silver) overall with black anti-dazzle panel and white spinner
front. Roundels in normal six positions.
EN315
Supermarine Spitfire Mk.IXc, EN315/ZX•6, No. 145 Squadron, flown by fighter ace
Squadron Leader S. Skalski (five kills). Dark Earth /Mid-Stone upper surfaces with Azure
Blue undersides. Red spinner, blue codes outlined white; note Polish flag (reversed) and
five white swastikas ahead of windscreen. Blue/red roundels above wings.
12 Chapter 2 - Spitfire Mk.IXc in Profile
p 12 CH02 Spit3.indd 12 04/02/2015 14:30

CHAPTER 3 IN THE BOX
TAMIYA’S 1:32 SCALE

SPITFIRE Mk.IXc IN THE BOX
We take a close look at the contents of Tamiya’s
1:32 scale Supermarine Spitfire Mk.IXc
T
amiya’s 1:32 scale Spitfire Mk.IXc packed in separate plastic bags, while The fuselage is broken down into main
comprises more than 360 parts metal parts and the delicate plastic cowls halves, but the lower empennage (the
in grey plastic, 17 parts in clear, are contained in boxes. area of the fuselage under the horizontal
two nickel-plated photo-etched The quality of the plastic parts is all that tailplanes) is supplied as a separate insert.
frets, six parts in flexible black vinyl, eight we have come to expect from Tamiya. This breakdown suggests that we will
steel pins, seven miniature magnets, The surface of the plastic is smooth, while probably see future releases such as the
various small screws and metal parts, the parts are thoughtfully placed on the Spitfire Mk.VIII and VII with the retractable
a self-adhesive masking sheet for the sprues to make removal and cleanup as tail wheel.
canopy parts, two metallic self-adhesive fast and as easy as possible. Indeed, Many optional parts are included in the
name plates and two decal sheets with most of the cockpit and wheel well parts kit. Most are mentioned in the instructions
markings for three aircraft. can be pre-painted while still on the but some are not. These include alternate
The top of the box forecasts the sprues, as the attachment points will not style exhaust stacks (flared or tubular);
contents even before the lid is lifted. leave scars on the visible surfaces. two styles of lower cowl supercharger
Luxurious gold lettering is printed below Surface detail is exquisite, featuring intakes (long Aero-Vee and short); two
attractive artwork. The impression of very fine crisp panel lines and some of the styles of upper cowl (early “flat” style and
quality is unmistakable. subtlest renditions of recessed rivets that I the later bulged version, usually seen
Inside the box, sprues are carefully have ever seen. covering Packard Merlins on the Mk.XVI,
p 13-15 CH03 Spit3.indd 13 04/02/2015 14:33

Decals are well printed. The kit includes self-adhesive

canopy masks and metallic name plates for the stand.
Marking options are supplied for three aircraft, including one French Spitfire in Indochina and a Polish machine in North Africa.
plus various blisters and intakes for sub- The undercarriage legs
types), two varieties of separate wing tips are held in place not
(standard and clipped LF); two versions by glue, but screws.
of wing gun covers (standard two-gun C Configuration of the
and four gun C); early and late gunsights; landing gear may be
slipper style drop tanks; wing-mounted changed even after the
bombs; and three wheel patterns – five model has been built
spoke and four spoke, both with smooth thanks to removable fairings
treaded tyres, and covered hub via photo- on the lower wings. A display
etched parts. Both styles of elevators are stand is supplied for in-flight
also supplied – the early style with the display. This attaches to the
angled mass balance and the late “double centreline slipper tank. Tamiya also
kinked” version. Early (rounded) and late includes two metallic nameplates for instrument panel are
(pointy) rudders are also included. the base of the stand. offered – early and late. The master
All of these options mean that the A beautifully detailed Rolls-Royce compass is beautifully represented in
modeller can build virtually any production Merlin engine is also included. One of plastic and photo-etch with a decal to
variant of the high back Spitfire Mk.IXc the problems with previous models with top it off. The control column is even
or Mk.XVIc except for the high altitude detailed engines was that the thickness of fitted with a separate photo-etched brake
versions with the pointed wing tips. the engine cowing plastic meant that the handle. Pilot’s armour is supplied scale-
The list of kit features is equally powerplant was undersized. In this case, thickness in photo-etch. The cockpit door
impressive. All control surfaces are Tamiya’s cowl panels are a fraction of a is poseable, and two are supplied – one
separate. The ailerons, elevators and millimetre in thickness. Another innovation is for the open option and one for closed. It
rudder are fitted with metal hinges, while the use of tiny magnets to permit the cowl is a little surprising that the crowbar on the
the flaps may be posed open or closed. panels to be fitted and removed with ease. inside of the door is moulded in place. The
The little flap indicator hatches on the top The cockpit is fully equipped with a inside of the door also has some of the
of the wings are supplied as separate multi-media sandwich for the instrument only ejector pin circles in a visible location,
parts that may be posed open or closed. panel, photo-etched harness and an although they are very feint.
Alternate parts are given to display the optional seated pilot. A standing RAF Clear parts are very thin and free from
undercarriage retracted or extended. figure is also included. Two styles of distortion. The sliding section of the
Surface detail is beautifully crisp and restrained. The lower empennage is a separate insert, pointing to later The pilot’s entry door is a separate part.
The instrument panel may be seen here too. releases with the retractable tailwheel such as the Mk.VII
and Mk.VIII.
The wings feature separate panels for the gun covers and There are even more panel inserts on the bottom of the wing. The early rounded and late-style pointed rudders are
leading edge ports. These are for the cannon and machine gun ejector ports. offered...Engine cowl covers are ultra-thin and held in
place with tiny magnets, permitting the engine to be
displayed.
14 Chapter 3 - In the Box
p 13-15 CH03 Spit3.indd 14 04/02/2015 14:33

Clear parts are thin and free of distortion. The clipped wing
tips are supplied as clear parts too, making it easy to mask
the navigation lights before painting.
A standing RAF figure

is included.
The seated pilot

figure is nicely
detailed.
canopy is appropriately bulged. The two Tunisia 1943. This aircraft is finished
gunsights are amongst the best I have in tropical colours – Middle Stone and
seen in any scale. Dark Earth over Azure Blue.
Two sets of black vinyl tyres are C. “P” of GC 1 / 4, “Dauphine”, French Multimedia parts include two busy photo-etched frets.
supplied for the main wheels. One is half- Air Force, Nha-Trang, Indochina, 1948.
thickness for the retracted gear. Although This is finished in Ocean Grey and Dark
I am not generally a big fan of vinyl tyres, Green over Medium Sea Grey.
these ones do look quite convincing. The
seemingly inevitable raised centreline Decals are provided on two sheets.
seam is very slight too. The red and blue of the RAF insignia look
Self-adhesive canopy masks are a little too bright to my eye, but register is
included, but you will need to cut the good and the printing is very crisp.
shapes out from the printed on, small Construction is called out over 71 steps
yellow kabuki masking sheet. in a 36 page stapled instruction guide. Nuts and bolts.
In addition to the two busy photo-etched A 16 page reference booklet rounds out
frets, multimedia parts include metal the package. This contains historical
hinges, screws, nuts and magnets. A small notes, a pictorial explanation of wing tips
Phillips Head screwdriver is also supplied. and armament, variants and 41 small
Three nicely varied marking options are detail photos.
provided: Tamiya’s 1:32 scale Spitfire Mk.IXc is
A. Je-J of Wing Commander J.E. “Johnnie” an extraordinary kit. The level of detail is
Johnson, Kenley Wing, July 1943, second to none, and the sheer number
finished in standard mid-war colours of optional parts should please even the
of Ocean Grey and Dark Green over fussiest Spitfire-o-phile. As good as it
Medium Sea Grey. looks in the box though, let’s take a look
Vinyl parts include two sets of main tyres (different sets for
B. ZX-6, Polish Fighting Team, 145 Sqn., at how it actually goes together. retracted and extended) plus hydraulic lines for the gear legs.
...as are early (single kinked) and late (double kinked) style Single and two-cannon blisters are supplied. The wide The small centreline slipper tank and five-hole wheel hubs
elevators. two-cannon blister is a slightly unusual pattern with a may be seen here. Four hole and covered hubs are also
squared-off front. provided.
Cockpit detail is superlative, but you might like to drill out Engine detail is equally good. The engine bay is built up in layers, just like the real thing.
the lightening holes in the cockpit frames. Much of this Here is the outer frame for mounting the starboard engine
detail may be painted while still on the sprue. cowling.
p 13-15 CH03 Spit3.indd 15 04/02/2015 14:33

CHAPTER 4 STEP BY STEP
BUILDING TAMIYA’S 1:32 SCALE

SPITFIRE Mk.IXc STEP BY STEP
We take a detailed look at how to build and improve
Tamiya’s superb new Spitfire Mk.IXc
T
amiya’s 1:32 scale Supermarine This is correct for aircraft manufactured the vertical pleats fashioned from very thin
Spitfire Mk.IXc is a magnificent after September 1943. For aircraft built strips of the tape. This backrest should be
kit with extraordinary detail. In before this date, the entire interior would painted semi-gloss black.
fact, the contents can look a bit have been painted RAF Interior Grey 5. In Steps 8 and 9, you might consider
imposing upon first inspection. Green. drilling out the lightening holes in the rear
The good news is that the kit fits together 2. In Step 6, the artificial horizon cockpit frames, parts F11 and F19.
precisely and presents few serious decal for the blind flying instrument 6. In Step 13, the instructions call for the
challenges. However, you do need to follow panel is blue. This should actually be compressed air bottles to be painted Sky
the instructions carefully and keep focused. black. Replacements may be found on Grey. Wartime compressed air bottles
aftermarket decal sheets from Mike Grant were unpainted steel colour. Some
CORRECTIONS AND DEVIATIONS Decals or MDC. restored Spitfires today have these bottles
The kit is generally very accurate, but there 3. The flare cartridge rack (part F48) painted various colours such as Sky Grey
are a number of areas where you might in Step 7 was not usually fitted to the or Interior Green.
consider deviating from the instructions. Spitfire Mk.IX. Do not glue this to the front 7. The oxygen bottle (part F5) should
Let’s discuss these before we begin: of the seat. be painted gloss black. The kit supplies
1. The instructions suggest that the 4. Spitfire seats were often fitted with a the oxygen hose for the seated pilot that
fuselage interior (except for the cockpit leather backrest. A simple backrest could is connected to his mask, but there is no
area) should be painted Bare Metal Silver. be made from Tamiya masking tape with hose attached to the oxygen bottle. The
16 Chapter 4 - Step by Step
p 16-31 CH04 Spit3.indd 16 04/02/2015 14:37

The very first step was
preparing the photo-etched
metal parts with Tamiya’s
Metal Primer. This is a
clear finish.
The photo-etched frets

were also treated to a coat
of Tamiya Grey Surface
Primer. This helps improve
the “tooth” of the shiny
metal for subsequent coats
of acrylic paint.
The interior of the fuselage

halves were sprayed with
absence of the oxygen hose is obvious, Tamiya’s AS-12 Bare Metal
so the missing length may be fashioned Silver straight from the can.
from a guitar string bent to shape. This
should be glued to the starboard cockpit
wall disappearing behind the seat toward
the oxygen bottle (it really should go
to the oxygen regulator as should the
fitting from the oxygen bottle but it would
be impossible to see and this gives the
impression that we are after).
8. Tamiya suggests that you fit the tail
wheel in Step 20, but I left mine until the
final stages of construction.
The areas surrounding the
9. Tamiya would have you install the cockpit were masked off
main landing gear in Step 42, but I in preparation for Tamiya
XF-71 Cockpit Green. The
strongly suggest that this is delayed until base colour was streaked
the very end of the build. and mottled with a paler
10. At the front of the engine bay, the filler shade for variety.
p 16-31 CH04 Spit3.indd 17 04/02/2015 14:37

for the glycol tank is missing. Check the
“Close Up” chapter for a view of this filler
high on the port side of the glycol tank.
11. Below the engine, Tamiya has also
missed the curved filler neck for the oil
tank. Once again, this feature may clearly
be seen in the “Close Up” chapter.
12. In Steps 49 and 50, the instructions
call for the coolant and oil pipes (parts
X1, X2, X3, X7 and X8) to be painted
Interior Grey Green. These were more
All the interior surfaces
likely a dirty bare copper finish. Check the
received a selective wash “Close-Up” chapter for detail photos.
in a heavily thinned mixture 13. The 20mm cannon barrels (parts CC3
of Lamp Black and Raw
Umber oil paint. in Step 64) are really only appropriate for
the early Spitfire Mk.IXc.
14. Early Spitfire Mk.IXs were fitted a
mechanical undercarriage down-lock
indicator on the upper surface of each
wing. These were small red blade-shaped
indicators that popped up when the
undercarriage was down and locked.
Although these parts are not supplied,
their locations are marked if you look
Cockpit parts were painted carefully. The indicators themselves may
on the sprue. Here we can be easily made out of thin plastic.
see the cockpit sidewalls 15. If you are installing the centreline
and forward bulkhead in
the base Cockpit Green slipper tank (part J4 in Step 65), you will
colour with irregular also need to fit the small hooks, parts
streaking and subtle
shading, all applied with J1 and J2. These hooks are included
the airbrush. on the sprues but not mentioned in the
instructions. The holes for the hooks are
located inside the wing just forward of
the innermost flap need to be drilled out.
There are three holes. For the smaller
hooks only the forward holes need to be
opened. Remember that these hooks
don’t support the slipper tank so don’t
try to make them meet the tank. These
hooks were there for when the slipper
tank was jettisoned, so that it would slide
back into these hooks. Otherwise, being
an airfoil shape, the tank would slide back
The cockpit components along the fuselage underside and cause
have received a gloss coat damage.
using Tamiya’s acrylic X-22
Clear before application of 16. Tamiya’s decal placement guide
an oil wash. would have the modeller apply the wing
walk lines over the upper wing roundels.
This is not correct. They also have you
extend the starboard wing walk line all
the way to the fuselage. Although this
was seen on early Marks II Spitfires and
II Spitfires, it does not apply to the Mk.IX.
The starboard side wing walk lines should
appear exactly as the port side.
I am grateful to Bob Swaddling for many

of these handy tips.
Of course, Murphy’s Law dictated that
I was not aware of many of these issues
The gloss coat on the
cockpit sidewalls will until I had already finished building my kit,
improve the adhesion of so the list is offered in the spirit of “do as I
placard decals.
say and not as I do”!
p 16-31 CH04 Spit3.indd 18 04/02/2015 14:37

Even the metal parts may be painted before removal from Harness straps were sprayed Tamiya XF-55 Deck Tan. The flying instrument panel and the base for the gun sight
their frets. were painted XF-1 Flat Black.
Building Tamiya’s 1:32 removing the parts from the sprues. both applied straight from the spray can.
scale Spitfire Mk.IXc However, it also means that there will be I painted most of the cockpit parts and
Work on Tamiya’s Spitfire starts in some raised “pips” on the mating surfaces the fuselage interior before I had cut a
the cockpit, but there are a couple of of each fuselage half once they have been single piece of plastic from the sprue.
important tasks to perform before heading cut free. These must be totally eliminated A Tamiya spray can was used for the
to the front office. or they will interfere with the fit of the next job too, this time AS-12 Bare Metal
Tamiya has cleverly attached the fuselage halves. Silver to coat the entire fuselage interior.
fuselage halves to the sprues at the mating The photo-etched frets were prepared This paint delivers a lovely smooth
surfaces. This reduces the chances of for paint, first with a coat of Tamiya’s clear grainless finish ideal for bare aluminium.
scarring the exterior of the fuselage when Metal Primer, followed by Grey Primer,
The instrument panel, forward bulkhead, control column and Tamiya’s depiction of the Spitfire’s The seat and rear cockpit frames may be seen here. The perforated rack
rudder with actuator rods have been brought together as sub- “bottomless” floor is very convincing. in front of the seat is for flare cartridges. Research suggests that this
assemblies. rack was not fitted to the Spitfire Mk.IX, but I found out too late!
The photo-etched
armour plate at
the rear of the seat
delivers a scale
appearance.
The photo-etched harness straps

were bent into shape before
gluing them to the plastic seat. The central cockpit sub-assemblies.
p 16-31 CH04 Spit3.indd 19 04/02/2015 14:38

The instrument panel is a sandwich of plastic, photo- The dials are printed on the back of the decals, so don’t panic when you The blue artificial horizon is undoubtedly striking,
etched and clear parts, with decals bringing up the rear. see plain black disks on the front of the decal sheet! but the wartime instrument was invariably black.
The Front Office

Tamiya suggests that the cockpit parts
should be painted XF-71 Cockpit Green.
Being a Japanese WWII cockpit colour,
I was originally a bit dubious about this
shade representing RAF Interior Grey
Green, but in the end I think it looks quite
good. The cockpit area was masked off and
XF-71 was sprayed on the fuselage and
relevant cockpit parts on the sprues. The
base colour was then mixed with light grey
to create a lighter shade, applied in thin
streaks and mottles over Tamiya’s XF-71.
Details were then picked out with Tamiya
and Vallejo paints with a fine brush before
further weathering with a thin wash of The two main instrument panel sub-assemblies ready to be installed. This is the early style panel.
Lamp Black and Raw Umber oil paints.
Assembling the cockpit is a real suggest a glass lens. XF-64 Red Brown and XF-3 Flat Yellow to
education. The little spheres at the top The bottomless cockpit floor and the represent the unpainted brownish Paxolin
of part F30, which attached to the upper control column need extra attention during composite material. The photo-etched
starboard sidewall, are spare light globes assembly. The fit is very precise and, harness straps look good. Unfortunately,
for the early-style GM2 gunsight. The if correctly assembled, they will fit very I did not pay close enough attention and
master compass, often an afterthought perfectly behind the forward firewall. draped the starboard strap over the side
on other models, is just gorgeous with a The seat fits together well too, but don’t of the seat instead of threading it through
folded metal mount and a decal compass forget that you will not need to attach the the hole.
face. I applied a few coats of Future floor flare rack (part F48) to the front of the If you are planning to use the seated
polish over the decal with a clean brush to seat. I painted my seat in a mix of Tamiya pilot, you will not install the lap harness,
The core of the cockpit has now been assembled. The photo-etched harness straps look good in place.
p 16-31 CH04 Spit3.indd 20 04/02/2015 14:38

Details are picked out on lower sidewalls with a fine paint brush, and small parts are glued The lower starboard sidewall is less of a jumble.
in place. The placard decals on the air bottles are sourced from Reheat.
The instrument panel has now been added to the cockpit core, but the gun sight will not be The cockpit is really taking shape now.
installed until much later.
Test fitting is crucial. The cockpit core sits snugly against the inside
of the port fuselage. Note that the lower sidewall parts have finally
been freed from their sprue and glued to the cockpit core.
p 16-31 CH04 Spit3.indd 21 04/02/2015 14:38

Small grey polythene caps are fitted near the base of the forward bulkhead. A placard has been added and final weathering applied.
These will permit the press-fit of the supercharger intake assembly.
and you will use a different shoulder

The cockpit core was now glued to the
harness (photo-etched part a-20). inside of the starboard fuselage.
The regular harness for the empty seat
requires a little photo-etched origami.
There are two layers of shoulder straps.
The rearmost layer needs to be folded
to slip through a hole in the back of the
seat and drape behind the main shoulder
straps. With the benefit of hindsight, this
would have been easier if I had annealed
the photo-etched parts before folding
them. Annealing involves waving the
photo-etched part over the top of a flame
until the metal becomes discoloured
(usually blue), before dunking it in cool
water. This process significantly softens
the metal, resulting in a more natural fold
and drape. Fortunately, the straps looked
pretty good even without annealing.
The only non-Tamiya additions to the
cockpit were a few placard decals from
Reheat. These were applied over a gloss
coat, followed by Polly Scale Flat to Temora’s Spitfire Mk.VIII. Reheat Placard risk of knocking off the protruding reflector
restore the dull finish. decals were applied to the front of the during subsequent handling.
The compressed air bottles, Part F14, bottles too. In Step 15, don’t forget to install the
were painted with Tamiya XF-71 Cockpit The instructions would have you install small grey polythene caps in the back of
Green, not Sky Grey as called out by the gunsight at Step 14, but I would the forward firewall. These are the only
the instructions. This was in line with the suggest you leave this until just before the things that hold the supercharger intake
colour of the bottles I photographed in windscreen is installed to minimise the in place.
The tail wheel insert is reinforced with a wide locating strip on the fuselage side. Fit is extraordinary. It’s hard to tell that this is a separate part once the insert is glued into place.
p 16-31 CH04 Spit3.indd 22 04/02/2015 14:38

The cockpit and engine firewall are trapped
between the fuselage halves, which are
temporarily secured with clamps and Tamiya
tape while the glue sets.
The control surfaces are secured with

photo-etched steel hinges and metal rods.
Here are the components for the rudder. The photo-etched hinges are slid onto the rod. The wings, fin and horizontal tailplanes are moulded with slots to
accommodate the ends of the hinges.
Here, one of the metal rods has been glued onto the When the control surfaces are glued together, the metal hinges This is simply pressed into the corresponding part, in this
channel in an aileron half. extend from the mating surface. case the horizontal tailplanes. Glue is not required. The control
surfaces may now be posed according to your preferences.
p 16-31 CH04 Spit3.indd 23 04/02/2015 14:38

Wheel wells are fully boxed in and well detailed. A clamp was used to ensure a gap-free fit.
I test fitted the cockpit and forward single outboard angled kink. The later
firewall a half dozen times before style had a double kink – one angled
committing to glue. The fit was perfect. I and then another at 90 degrees to the hinges for control surfaces, but Tamiya’s
suspected that the cockpit would stay in elevator hinge line. Installation of the work very well. Just be careful to use the
place without glue, but I decided not to early version requires no modification to correct hinges with their related rod. For
take the chance! the kit parts, but if you are using the later the elevators, photo-etched hinges B-8
“double kinked” style, you will need to and B-9 are associated with steel rod ST1.
Around the Airframe cut a small section from the outer edges Once the elevators are assembled with
The Spitfire Mk.IX could be fitted with of the upper horizontal stabiliser halves the steel rods and hinges sandwiched
either of two styles of elevators. The early (parts B19 and B20). between, the control surfaces may simply
style was the same as the Mk.V, with a I have never been a big fan of metal be pushed into place.
The inside surface of the bottom wings were sprayed with Tamiya AS-12 Bare Metal Silver straight from the can.
p 16-31 CH04 Spit3.indd 24 04/02/2015 14:38

The bottom of the cockpit area was masked and sprayed XF-71 Cockpit Green. This was The wheel well and wing spar have been installed.
weathered in a similar fashion to the rest of the cockpit. We can see the wheel well
components plus the wing spar here.
Separate panels are supplied for the C Wing cannon and machine gun fairings. The back of the lower cannon covers needed a little persuasion to keep them aligned with
These are the lower covers. the wing.
Here is the inside of the lower wing with all the parts in place. Take a good look now, because you won’t see this again!
p 16-31 CH04 Spit3.indd 25 04/02/2015 14:38

Clamps and tape keep the upper wing in place as the glue dries.
Tamiya suggests that you fit the tail although these are not mentioned in the the structural detail moulded to the wheel
wheel in Step 20, but I left mine until the instructions. well ceiling.
final stages of construction. If you are building a late Mk.IX, don’t Take care aligning the two wheel well
In Step 21, take careful note of the forget to cut off the small wedges at sub-assemblies and the wing spar (part
holes that need to be drilled out in the the middle front of the wheel wells as A10) when securing them to the bottom
bottom of the wing to accommodate indicated in Step 21. wing. Don’t forget to install parts B1 and
various stores. If you are fitting bombs, In Step 22, before assembling the B2 near the front of the bottom wing either
drill the holes now. Also, as mentioned in wheel wells, make sure that you cut away (I did!).
the “Corrections and Deviations” section the small flashed-over rectangles at the From this point onward, construction of
earlier in this Chapter, if you are fitting the bottom of parts G11, G12, G21 and G22 the basic airframe is straightforward and
slipper tank you will need to drill holes and as indicated in the diagrams. In fact, you fast. Just follow the instructions and you
to fit the small hooks, parts J1 and J2, may have to cut away a little more to clear should have no trouble.
The wing tips are supplied as separate parts. A clipped wing tip option is also offered. Ailerons are also hinged.
These parts are moulded in clear plastic.
p 16-31 CH04 Spit3.indd 26 04/02/2015 14:38

Here are the engine block and cylinder head sub-assemblies. The crankcase and oil filter have been added.
The supercharger ducting is fitted with a threaded bolt. This will eventually The supercharger ducting, blower and other details await assembly.
secure the engine to the firewall.
The engine block, initially painted in basic black,

test fitted inside the main engine mounts.
p 16-31 CH04 Spit3.indd 27 04/02/2015 14:38

So far, so good, but the paint job is very bland at this stage. The engine is treated to a more varied finish, starting with two shades of grey.
In Steps 33 through 35, we have the Tamiya would have you install the shaft back to the firewall. Don’t worry
option of building the flaps up or down. landing gear in Step 42, but I strongly though, there are few challenges during
For the deployed option, Tamiya supplies suggest that this is delayed until the very construction.
some nice photo-etched structural detail. end of the build. The method of securing The engine bay is built up in layers,
Bear in mind, though, that Spitfire flaps the main landing gear legs with part AA5 starting with the core of the engine block,
only had two positions (fully extended or and a screw works perfectly. The fit of the the sump and cylinder heads; then the
up), and that it was very, very rare to see legs may seem very tight at first, but the crankcase, the supercharger, carburettor,
Spitfire flaps down at any time other than screw will force part AA5 down, resulting intercooler and firewall details. We next
when the aircraft was coming in to land. in perfectly aligned landing gear. The move on to the engine bearer, oil pump
However, if you do decide to defy RAF screw covers, parts A3 and A4, fit perfectly and lines, coolant pipes and tank, plus
regulations, don’t forget to attach the flap with the magnets alone. Do not use glue smaller details.
indicators (parts B13, B14, B23 and B24) on any of these parts. Some of the sequences are tricky,
“up” to indicate “flaps down” in Step 36. but everything goes together exactly as
In Steps 38 and 39, you will need to Merlin Magic advertised. I would only recommend
cut off the top mounting lug for the oleo Perhaps the most daunting element of that the engine bearer parts be allowed
scissors if you are building an early Tamiya’s 1:32 scale Spitfire Mk.IXc is the to dry thoroughly overnight following
Mk.IX. The later Mk.IX was fitted with oleo engine bay. It is beautifully detailed and attachment to the firewall in Step 49
scissors (parts CC12). quite complete from its splined propeller before proceeding. Test fit the oil pump
The firewall and engine mount were

washed with a thin mix of Lamp
Black and Raw Umber oil paints.
The engine, glycol tank and

supercharger intake received the
same treatment. This is the long
intake for the later Spitfire IXc.
p 16-31 CH04 Spit3.indd 28 04/02/2015 14:38

The engine is fixed in place with a single screw behind the firewall... ...then the firewall is attached to the front of the fuselage. The fit is so good that I did not use
glue to fit the firewall. This means that the engine can be easily removed if required. The dark
engine was buffed and shined to a semi-gloss finish – more realistic for this type of equipment.
But we are not quite finished yet!
The individual exhaust stubs were tacked to a box, labeled to keep track of them, The outer engine frame has been fitted. Note the splined propeller shaft at the front of the engine.
and sprayed a rusty shade.
Tamiya has beautifully captured the crammed

appearance of the Merlin engine bay.
p 16-31 CH04 Spit3.indd 29 04/02/2015 14:38

With the detail parts complete, assembly of

the main airframe is incredibly fast.
and radiator pipes a few times before

committing to glue. You need to feed
these pipes between various bearer
frames. This assembly looks like plastic
origami at first, but the pipes really do fit
perfectly if you take your time.
You might like to add the missing cap
for the glycol tank and filler neck for the oil
cooler at this stage.
The one area where there is some
margin for error is the attachment of the
cowling frames (parts Q1 and Q2) in Step
54. These do not snap into place – some
work is required. If you don’t get this step
100% correct, the magnetic cowls will not
fit perfectly.
I also found that the locating stubs on
the individual exhaust stacks were quite
shallow, resulting in a vague fit compared
to the precision of the rest of the kit. I
used super glue to set these quickly.
Unsurprisingly, fit is superb. Just a smear of Tamiya With the engine bay complete, the entire
Surfacer was added to the area where the trailing edge sub-assembly may be fitted to the front of
of the wing meets the bottom of the fuselage.
the fuselage without glue.
Hairline gaps were dealt with around the machine gun ejector chute panels. The profile of the front of the cannon fairings is questionable, but some photos suggest
that this style did exist.
p 16-31 CH04 Spit3.indd 30 04/02/2015 14:38

The undercarriage legs are reinforced with steel rods. Early Mk.IXs were not fitted with The landing gear is precisely secured with a single screw, seen here being fixed in place
oleo scissors, but the kit supplies these as an option for later versions. with the kit-supplied screwdriver. A small plastic panel covers the screw. This clicks in
place with a magnet, so that the undercarriage legs may be removed and replaced with the
retracted version if desired.
FINISHING TOUCHES cover up the front of the engine and that want to display the model with retracted
I skipped Steps 61 and 62 at this stage, splined shaft, but the propeller assembly is undercarriage. Because the gear and
which dealt with the canopy, and moved secured with a polythene cap and so may covers are held in place with screws and
straight to assembling the propeller in be removed at will. magnets, you will be able to swap the
stage 63. This is a particularly clever design If you are planning to mount the model raised and lowered gear whenever you
that I have not seen before, but I will bet on its stand, just follow Steps 65 and 66. like. Nice!
that we see it again in the future. Two pairs You can dismount your Spitfire at any After the main airframe was complete
of two blades each are mated diagonally to time and replace the slipper tank with the and painted, I installed the delayed sub-
deliver the four-bladed propeller assembly non-stand version. This is also the time to assembles – the gunsight, canopy, main
with perfect pitch. It is almost a shame to assemble the alternate landing gear if you undercarriage legs and tail wheel.
Building Tamiya’s 1:32 scale Spitfire Mk.IXc is more than

mere pleasure. It is a true odyssey and an education.
p 16-31 CH04 Spit3.indd 31 04/02/2015 14:38

CHAPTER 5 SPITFIRE Mk
Mk.IXc
Mk.IX
.IXcc (EARLY), 453 SQN RAAF
RAAF SPITFIRE
OVER THE CONTINENT
Brett Green finishes his 1:32 scale Tamiya Spitfire Mk.IXc
as an RAAF machine in the UK with the aid of
home-made markings and masks.
T
amiya’s 1:32 scale Spitfire Mk.IXc PAINTING Some colours are only available in
was built straight from the box. The lower surfaces of my model were aerosol cans. For example, automotive
Construction of the model has painted with Tamiya’s AS-11 Medium Sea touch-up paints are matched to specific
been comprehensively covered in Grey straight from the rattle can. The finish colours from car manufacturers, so these
the previous chapter, so we will focus here was smooth and satin - just what I was will be very helpful to car modellers.
on the painting and customised markings. hoping for. Other aerosol paints may have technical
Tamiya AS-11 Medium Sea Grey was used for the lower surface colour. Tamiya Sprays were also used for the upper surface colours, but these were decanted into
glass jars and applied with the Testor Aztek airbrush.
32 Chapter 5 - Spitfire Mk.IXc (Early), 453 Sqn RAAF
p 32-39 CH05 Spit3.indd 32 04/02/2015 14:41

It is important to thoroughly seal off the cockpit. Here, the Tamiya masking tape was applied to the painted lower surfaces and the bottom of the horizontal tailplanes. The extra time
cockpit door has been used to aid this important task. spent masking is more than compensated by the speed and precision of subsequent painting.
The upper surfaces are coated in

Ocean Grey. A slightly gritty finish at
the wing roots has been polished out
with Micro Mesh abrasive cloths.
The base colour was broken up with

streaks and patches of a paler shade.
paint is Tamiya’s AS-12 Airframe Silver, Alclad or other metallic lacquers.

which is only available in an aerosol can. The problem with aerosol cans is that
This covers thoroughly, dries quickly, that the air pressure and width of the
advantages resists fingerprints and other damage, and spray are not adjustable, making fine line
over tinned or features a very fine metallic grain. It is ideal and mottling work virtually impossible.
bottled products. For either as an overall Aluminium paint colour, Also, aerosol cans often leave an orange
example, my favourite silver or as a dull metallic shade combined with peel effect on the surface of the paint.
Tamiya’s camouflage instructions were enlarged to 1:32 scale and printed out. The printed camouflage pattern was cut out and applied to the model using a combination
of Blu-Tack and Tamiya tape.
p 32-39 CH05 Spit3.indd 33 04/02/2015 14:41

Mk.IXc
Mk.IX
Tamiya AS-9 RAF Dark Green

and AS-10 Ocean Grey were
used for the upper surfaces.
The camouflage pattern is previewed

with all the masks in place.
Tamiya AS-9 Dark Green was sprayed

between the masks in several thin coats.
to let too much vapour escape from the You might notice that the longer you
container. hold down the button on the spray can,
We Next, find a common household bendy the colder the can will get. Spraying
can over- plastic drinking straw and attach it to the pressure will also decrease. If you
come these nozzle of the paint can. The diameter want to decant the entire contents, you
limitations yet should be close to the diameter of the will probably need to do so in several
still take advantage of nozzle, but the nozzle may need to be sessions to allow the can to warm and for
the aerosol paints by decanting trimmed with a sharp hobby knife if it is normal spraying pressure to return.
them from the spray can into a bottle for too large. Immediately after decanting, the paint will
later use in our airbrush. After thoroughly shaking the aerosol can, be cold and may be effervescent. The pro-
The first step is to find a disposable a quantity of paint may be sprayed through pellant gases from the spray can will need
glass or plastic container. I usually cover the hole in the cling wrap into the con- some time to bleed out of the paint, so
the top of the container with cling wrap, tainer. Tip the container so that the paint leave the jar open until the liquid stabilises.
and punch a small hole in one corner. starts to pool in a bottom corner (if the Once the liquid has stabilised, the paint
The hole should be large enough to spray paint is spread too thinly along the bottom may be used normally in your airbrush.
paint from the can, but small enough not of the container, it will quickly congeal). After decanting Tamiya spray paints, I find
The areas surrounding the rear fuselage band were masked off with various widths of ...and sprayed with Tamiya XF-XX Sky.
Tamiya tape...
p 32-39 CH05 Spit3.indd 34 04/02/2015 14:41

Similar to the Ocean Grey, the Dark Green
camouflage was treated to irregular mottling.
scanned, scaled up to 1:32 in Photoshop, paint. While the airbrush was still loaded
increased in contrast and converted to with Sky paint, I sprayed the spinner and
monochrome before being printed and backplate at the same time.
cut into masks. These were attached to When all the masking tape was
the model using small blobs of Blu-Tack removed, the overall picture was revealed.
that they do not usually need to be thinned. underneath, and Tamiya tape at the The paint job looked very stark, but this
If they do, however, I use lacquer thinners. edges, in preparation for the disruptive was toned down once weathering and
The lower surfaces were masked with camouflage colour of Dark Green. I did decals were in place.
Tamiya tape, and the fuselage, wings not worry about camouflage masks for I was not really satisfied with some
and tailplanes received a base coat of the mid-rear fuselage, as this would be of the camouflage demarcations on the
Tamiya AS-10 Ocean Grey decanted from completely covered by invasion stripes. fuselage, so these were revised and
the spray can into a jar. The paint sprays Tamiya’s AS-9 RAF Dark Green was improved until I was eventually satisfied
beautifully straight from the jar after it has used for this colour, also decanted from with the result. I think that there are
settled, but it may be thinned with up to the spray can into a jar before being particular elements of RAF camouflage
70% Tamiya Lacquer Thinners if it thickens applied with the airbrush. that really define the scheme.
over time. The Sky fuselage band was the Two coats of Future were now sprayed,
The upper surface camouflage plans last masking and painting task for the providing a nice glossy coat for the decals.
from Tamiya’s kit instructions were moment. I used Tamiya XF-21 Sky acrylic
The artwork was scanned, scaled down to 1:32 and

printed onto clear decal film. The outline was
then filled in with a fine paintbrush.
The artwork under the cockpit was drawn The question mark code was created by cutting up and rearranging the parts of a
freehand onto a large piece of paper. number 2 on a Carpena decal sheet.
p 32-39 CH05 Spit3.indd 35 04/02/2015 14:41

Mk.IXc
Mk.IX
Here is the model still wearing its

glossy coat of Future floor polish
following application of the decals.
The propeller tips receive a base coat of Tamiya White Primer to ensure opacity of the I used Tamiya TS-34 Camel Yellow for the propeller tips. The tips were masked prior to
yellow to come. painting the rest of the propeller assembly.
The propeller hub was painted using Tamiya AS-12 Bare Metal Silver, followed by a wash of It is a shame to hide all that lovely detail. Fortunately, the fit of the spinner cap is so good
thinned Raw Umber and Lamp Black oil paint. without glue that I can remove it to admire the hub detail whenever I like!
p 32-39 CH05 Spit3.indd 36 04/02/2015 14:41

Decal setting solution stained the gloss coat. Sometimes this stain will disappear over time. This one persisted, however.
A further thin coat of Future eliminated the pale discolouration.
MARKINGS as a reference, I first drew the artwork onto appropriate shape.

I wanted to finish my Spitfire as an early a half a sheet of A4 paper using a pencil. The roundels and fin flash were robbed
Mk.IXc attached to 453 Sqn. RAAF. When I was satisfied with the design, the from Barracudacals’ 1:32 scale BC32004
Several of these aircraft featured interest- pencil outline was then traced over with a Spitfire Mk. IX Series - Part 1. I think
ing artwork on the nose or under the black Sharpie. these offer the best representation of Dull
cockpit. I have built a few of these 453 I scanned and reduced the line drawing Red and Dull Dark Blue of any decals
Sqn. Spitfires in the past, so I was looking to 1:32 scale, then printed the artwork available today.
for something a little bit different. onto clear decal film. The outline was A selection of stencil markings from
One of these early Spitfire Mk.IXs from sealed with a coat of Flat Clear, then the Tamiya’s decal sheet completed the job.
1943 featured an interesting “Question coloured details were picked out in Tamiya
Mark” code and a boy painted under the and Vallejo paints with a fine brush. The FINISHING TOUCHES
windscreen holding a sign bearing the outline was tidied up with a 0.03 Copic The model was given a topcoat of Polly
words, “You Have Been Warned!”. As there Multiliner before another coat of clear. The Scale Flat. Two thin applications over the
was no commercial decal release for these decal was then cut out and applied under glossy surface resulted in a nice flat finish.
markings, I set about making them myself. the windscreen. The airframe was shaded with a thin
Decals were scrounged from a number The Sky codes came from a Carpena
of sources. decal sheet. The question mark was a
The under-windscreen artwork was a bit of a challenge. In the end, I sliced up
homemade decal. Using a wartime photo a number “2” and rearranged it into the
Additional weathering was applied by

airbrush over a topcoat of Polly Scale Flat.
Key panel lines and structural details were
highlighted with a thin mix of Tamiya XF-1
Flat Black and XF-64 Red Brown.
p 32-39 CH05 Spit3.indd 37 04/02/2015 14:41

CHAPTER 5 SPITFIRE Mk.IXc (EARLY), 453 SQN RAAF
Tamiya supplies self-adhesive painting masks for the canopy, but you’ll have to cut them The masks were applied according to the instructions.
out yourself.
A base coat of XF-71 Cockpit Green was sprayed first. This will remain visible on the The painted canopy fits perfectly on the completed model.
canopy framing when viewed from the inside.
Many scale model gunsights seem

to be oversimplified afterthoughts, but
this is probably the best WWII example
that I have seen in any scale...
p 32-39 CH05 Spit3.indd 38 04/02/2015 14:41

Smaller detail parts were painted and weathered in preparation for final assembly. The bottoms of wartime Spitfires were usually filthy with oil and exhaust stains.
These were replicated mainly with the airbrush.
The engine is simply plugged into the front

of the fuselage for an impressive result.
Tamiya’s 1:32 scale Supermarine

Spitfire Mk.IXc is a magnificent model.
mix of Flat beautifully detailed assembly. Many

Black and scale model gunsights seem to be
Red Brown. This oversimplified afterthoughts, but this
was sprayed along is probably the best WWII example
control surface hinge lines, that I have seen in any scale. Careful
selected panels, in a few random painting is well worthwhile.
spots and streaks and along the demarca- The kit-supplied masks were cut out
tion line between the Ocean Grey and Dark and applied to the thin and crystal clear
Green. This slightly reduces the harshness canopy parts. I would normally dip clear
of the sharply masked demarcation. parts in Future floor polish for additional
This same mix was used to apply clarity but these parts simply did not need
generous staining on the lower surfaces, it. A base coat of XF-71 Cockpit Green
as was frequently seen. was sprayed first. This will remain visible
A silver pencil was used to apply some on the canopy framing when viewed from
“chipping” to the wing walks. the inside. Once the RAF Dark Green had
The early version GM2 reflector been sprayed, the masks were removed
gunsight was glued into the slot at the and the canopy parts glued in place. The
top of the instrument panel. This is a fit was perfect.
p 32-39 CH05 Spit3.indd 39 04/02/2015 14:41

CHAPTER 6 GALLERY
SUPERMARINE SHANGRI-LA
Chris Wauchop presents his 1:32 scale Tamiya Spitfire Mk.IXc
H
ere is another rendition of was sprayed freehand.
Tamiya’s 1:32 scale Spitfire The spinner and fuselage band were
Mk.IXc. The vast majority of this painted Gunze H74 Sky.
model was built straight from The interior colour is a 50/50 mix of
the box. But what a box! Gunze H312 Green and H306 Grey.
There were only a few areas where Decals were sourced from Victory
I deviated from the instructions. In the Productions’ excellent “Spitfire Eights
cockpit, I added some wiring to the side- and Nines”, Item No. VPD32004. These
walls, and a locking collar to the rudder decals performed beautifully - I was very
actuators. The prominent oxygen hose is impressed. Chris reworked the cockpit entry door, replacing the
missing, so I made one by winding fine Wing Commander John Ratten of 453 moulded-on crowbar with a scratch built item. A glimpse of
the wound wire oxygen hose is visible here too.
wire around soft fuse wire. This makes Sqn. RAAF flew this aircraft in June 1943.
a big visual difference to the starboard With the model now painted, I spent some
sidewall. I also scratch built a rectangular- anxious time trying to get the thin cowl pan-
style mirror, as the kit only supplies the els to fit over the engine. I had my doubts
round type. at first, but eventually the little magnets did
Probably the only disappointing aspect their job and the cowls fitted in place with
of the kit is the pilot’s entry door with only the tiniest gaps here and there.
its moulded-on crowbar and ejector pin
circles. I chiselled the crowbar off the door The instrument panel was
built straight from the box.
and replaced it with an item scratch built Engine instrument bezels Adding some grime and realistic wear and tear to
from scrap plastic. The tiny mounts were were carefully painted. the engine, the mounts and the exhausts makes a big
cut from styrene strip. difference.
Externally, the only addition was the

actuator rod and bracket at the base of
the rudder.
PAINTING AND MARKINGS

My model was painted mostly with Gunze
acrylics and entirely using my Testor Aztek
A470 airbrush.
Lower surfaces first received a blend of
50% Gunze Sangyo H307 Grey pus 50%
Tamiya XF-2 Flat White.
The disruptive camouflage on the upper
surface was Gunze H330 Dark Green and
H75 Dark Sea Grey. The tight demarcation
Decals were sourced from Victory
Productions’ excellent “Spitfire Eights
and Nines”, Item No. VPD32004.
40 Chapter 6 - Gallery
p 40 CH06 Spit3.indd 40 04/02/2015 14:43

The lower rear fuselage insert is cleverly designed to

permit the raised and lowered tail wheel assemblies
to be swapped out after construction.
The kit wing features revised panel lines to reflect the

new fuel tanks.
TAMIYA’S 1:32 SCALE The lower wing has plenty of separate panels, but
they all fit perfectly.
SPITFIRE Mk.VIII IN THE BOX

We examine the differences between Tamiya’s original
release and their new 1:32 scale Spitfire Mk.VIII
T
amiya released their second 1:32 tail wheel. The new retractable tail wheel
scale Spitfire kit, a Mk.VIII, in assembly is delivered via a different insert High altitude pointed wing tips are new in this issue.
mid-2010. below the fuselage empennage. This has
Tamiya’s 1:32 scale Spitfire been cleverly done via two removable
Mk.VIII comprises nearly 400 parts in grey assemblies that are fitted to the main insert
plastic, 17 parts in clear, two nickel-plated panels – one for the lowered tail wheel with
photo-etched frets, six parts in flexible open doors, and one with closed doors
black vinyl, eight steel pins, seven mini- for the retracted undercarriage. These are
ature magnets, various small screws and held in place with a plastic plug, a poly-
metal parts, a self-adhesive masking thene cap and a magnet, so they may be
The pointed rudder was also included in the Mk.IXc kit.
sheet for the canopy parts, two metallic switched even after assembly if you want
self-adhesive name plates and two decal to retract the undercarriage.
sheets with markings for three aircraft. The joins of the main insert panels, Parts
Not surprisingly, most of the parts are HH4 and HH5, fall on natural panel lines.
common with the earlier Mk.IXc kit, includ- Fit is perfect and no filler is required.
ing the main fuselage halves, the engine, Another first-time appearance in this kit
cowling, undercarriage and cockpit. is the large 90 gallon slipper tank.
The obvious and subtle distinctions As a bonus, the initial Spitfire VIII has
between the variants have been thor- been issued with an attractive mouse mat
oughly covered in this new boxing. adorned with the kit’s box art. A new 90 gallon slipper tank supplements the 30
gallon tank from the Mk.IXc. In fact, two of each are
The “wet wing” is new for a start, with the included in this kit.
panel lines accurately indicating the 14 gal- This must be a
lon fuel tanks. The arrangement of the navi- first – Tamiya has
gation lights is different as well. This time supplied a mouse
Three marking options are provided – the American aircraft mat with their
around, Tamiya has included the option Spitfire kit!
on the main box art, plus Australian and Canadian Spitfires.
of high-altitude pointed wingtips for the
HF.Mk.VIII as well as the standard rounded
wingtips for the F.Mk.VIII. The upper halves
of the short ailerons are new too.
Perhaps the most obvious external The decals are well printed. Comprehensive stencil
difference for the Mk.VIII is the retractable markings are included.
p 41 CH07 Spit3.indd 41 04/02/2015 14:48

CHAPTER 8 SPITFIRE Mk.VIII, 457 SQUADRON RAAF
SHARK ATTACK!
Brett Green and Chris Wauchop team up to build
Tamiya’s new release of the classic Spitfire Mk.VIII.
T
he Spitfire Mk. VIII might be VIII was used until the cessation of hostili- VIVE LA DIFFÉRENCE!
referred to as the definitive ties in September 1945. Tamiya has done a thorough job in depict-
Spitfire. Its two-stage Merlin 457 Squadron RAAF remains perhaps ing all the unique characteristics of the
engine improved performance the most famous of the Australian Spitfire Spitfire Mk.VIII, including the retractable
considerably, yet this variant retained the units thanks to its striking “Grey Nurse” tail wheel, the panel arrangement for the
classic slim lines of the earlier Spitfires. shark mouth markings. wet wing, and the navigation light arrange-
The RAAF received 410 Spitfire VIII Both Chris Wauchop and myself had ment. None of these make any real differ-
aircraft, although 120 of the later deliveries already built one each of Tamiya’s mag- ence to the build sequence or difficulty.
were immediately stored and destined nificent Spitfire Mk.IXc kits. We decided More significantly, however, a number of
never to see service. The Spitfire Mk to team up on this project. I would build after market accessories were available by
VIII replaced the Spitfire Mk Vc in four the model, and Chris would apply his the time this kit was released. I decided to
of the Australian Spitfire Squadrons. 85 considerable artistic talents to painting use some for this project.
Squadron soldiered on with their old and weathering. The sole slightly disappointing element
Spitfire Vs until the end of the war. The Mk in Tamiya’s entire Spitfire IXc kit was the
42 Chapter 9 - Spitfire Mk.VIII, 457 Squdron RAAF
p 42-51 CH08 Spit3.indd 42 04/02/2015 14:49

The rear interior fuselage
was first sprayed with
Tamiya AS 12 Silver,
straight from the can,
before masking and
painting the cockpit
sidewalls.
Similar to the Spitfire

Mk.IXc, the vast majority
of the interior parts may
be painted and weathered
before they are evcn
removed from the sprues.
A wash of enamel paint

thinned with Pure Gum
Turpentine (called White
Spirits amongst other
things in different parts of
the world) highlights the
structural detail in these
shadowed areas.
pilot’s entry door, which featured a shallow

crow bar moulded in place and several
ejector pin circles that were difficult to
deal with. The same part is included in
the Spitfire Mk.VIII. Fortunately, Barracuda
Studios has now released a resin replace-
ment door with a smooth surface and
a separate crow bar. This represents a
noticeable improvement over the kit part.
Spitfire seats were often fitted
with a cushioned leather backrest.
BarracudaCast also offers a one-piece This time, I drilled out the
replacement seat with this backrest cast lightening holes in the
cockpit bulkheads with a
in place. small drill in a pin vice.
p 42-51 CH08 Spit3.indd 43 04/02/2015 14:49

Photo-etched
parts are also Eduard’s self-adhesive
painted before photo-etched set was
they are cut used to add even more
from their frets. detail to the cockpit.
First they received
a sprayed coat
of Tamiya Metal
Primer, followed by Grey Primer,
and finally XF-71 Cockpit Green.
Continuing on its quest for Spitfire per-

fection, Barracuda Studios offers a cockpit
upgrade set with replacement throttle
quadrant, landing gear quadrant, control
column and a curved length of resin
oxygen hose. This last item is not included
at all in the Tamiya kit, so it is especially
welcome. This set also includes cockpit
placard decals.
The final item from BarracudaCast used
for this project is a set of four-slot resin
main wheels. The wheels in the kit are
beautifully detailed, but many modellers Cockpit sub-assemblies are attached to a small box using Blu-Tack
for additional painting and weathering. Note the Barracuda Studios
are not fond of vinyl tyres. The new resin replacement seat with the padded backrest moulded in place. This
wheels are presented as one piece each, will look more authentic after a coat of flat varnish.
with subtle bulging and flattening, and no
centreline seam.
Not surprisingly, Eduard from the
Czech Republic has released a number
of accessories for the Spitfire Mk.IXc kit,
in both early and late production guise.
Eduard’s instrument panel is made up
Although specific sets for the Mk.VIII had from layers of photo-etched parts. These
not been released by the time I built this were glued together using Gator’s
kit, the parts included in the late version Glue, an acrylic adhesive, before
being attached to the kit’s
Mk.IXc sets would do the job equally well. plastic panel (sanded suitably
I decided to use the self-adhesive Eduard flat). The frosty residue
around the dials is from a
Zoom Interior set for the late Spitfire IXc. bad coat of Flat Clear.
Eduard’s 1:32 scale pre-painted harness
straps were used too.
Armed with the kit and the accessories,
I set about construction.
UPDATING THE FRONT OFFICE

Tamiya’s Spitfires are fabulous kits, but
you need to stay focused and pay atten-
tion to the instructions during assembly.
One of the beauties of this model, though,
is that most of the interior detail parts may
be completely painted and weathered
The two main cockpit
before they are even cut from the sprue. sub-assemblies are
This makes handling much easier, and it is taking shape.
less likely that small parts will be lost.
My first deviation from the Mk.VIII build
was to drill out all the lightening holes in
the cockpit bulkhead frames (parts F11
and F19). I used a fine drill fitted to a pin
vice for this job. It did not take long, and
it does make a visual difference from
certain angles.
The BarracudaCast seat was painted in
a dull red shade representing the Paxolin The Eduard instrument panel
composite material, then I picked out the features beautifully pre-printed
detail, including fine coloured
bezels in the appropriate places.
p 42-51 CH08 Spit3.indd 44 04/02/2015 14:49

The starboard lower sidewall is still attached to the sprue. Cables have been added to the The port lower sidewall, with the jumble of a throttle quadrant at the front and the
undercarriage control quadrant. Decals are from Barracuda Studio’s detail set. compressed air bottles at the back.
backrest cushion in black. I did not fit the

flare rack, Part F48, to the front of the seat.
My early sample BarracudaCast did
not include the control column, and I
managed to drop and consequently lose
the lovely delicate resin throttle quadrant.
The lower sidewalls
As the odds seemed stacked against me, have finally been freed
I decided just to use the oxygen hose, from the sprues and
compass and placard decals from this set. attached to the fuselage
interior.
The oxygen hose was a particularly
welcome enhancement. This was painted
Gunze H71 Middle Stone and carefully
set aside.
While I was still working on resin
The port cockpit
parts, I cleaned up and assembled the sidewall completed.
BarracudaCast entry door. The fuselage remains
All the interior parts were painted attached to the sprues
to make handling easier.
using Tamiya’s XF-71 Cockpit Green.
Detail parts such as panels, switches
and handles were picked out with acrylic
white, yellow, red and black applied with
a fine brush; and the tip of a toothpick
for tiny spots. This time around, I painted
the compressed air bottles silver and the
oxygen bottle black per the instructions.
Next up was a coat of Tamiya acrylic
Barracuda Studio’s
X-22 Clear. This was the first time I had replacement resin cockpit
used Tamiya’s acrylic clear as a gloss entry door with its separate
pinch bar is a noticeable
coat, and it seemed to work very well. improvement over the
With the cockpit parts nicely glossed up, I kit part.
added the cockpit placard decals. These
are quite small, but I think they have a big
impact on the authenticity of the interior.
While the parts were still glossy, I
applied a wash of black and brown
enamel paint thinned heavily with Pure
Gum Turpentine. This lent depth to areas
of natural shadow, and also added a bit
of welcome grime to this working cockpit.
Two thin coats of Gunze H20 Flat Clear
were applied after the wash had thor-
oughly dried,
The instrument panel was next on the
agenda. Although Tamiya’s instrument The cockpit interior is a
tight, accurate fit between
panel is very nice indeed, Eduard offers a the fuselage halves.
pre-painted photo-etched version in sev-
eral of their detail sets. I used the Spitfire
Mk.IX Late Interior Self Adhesive Set
p 42-51 CH08 Spit3.indd 45 04/02/2015 14:49

CHAPTER 8 SPITFIRE Mk.VIII,
.VIII, 457 SQUADRON RAAF
No. 33 064. This is in Eduard’s “Zoom”
series, which contains just one colour
The tail wheel bay insert No putty was required,
photo-etched fret. It is simpler than the full fits perfectly in the lower as the joins all lie on
set, but provides all the extra detail I was fuselage. natural panel lines.
looking for.
The instrument panel is made up from
a sandwich of three main photo-etched
parts. The base part has the instrument
faces printed in place. The next layer up
is the main panel itself. The final layer
is the panel for the flying instruments. A
few smaller printed parts complete the
instrument panel. Prior to assembling the
instrument panel, I brush painted several
coats of Future floor polish onto the base
layer to represent glass on the dials. Make
sure that each layer of Future is properly
dry before painting on the next coat. Tape and clamps were used
to hold the fuselage halves in
As the panels featured a satin finish, place while the cement dried.
I decided to spray a flat coat prior to
assembly. This turned out to be a mistake,
as the Gunze Flat Clear imparted a fine
chalky white residue on the photo-etched
parts. Although the worst of this effect was
removed with a damp fingertip, some of
the frosty residue still remains. Even so,
the printed panel looks very impressive.
The photo-etched parts are self-adhesive.
The adhesive is not very strong, so careful
handling is required to avoid neutralising AIRFRAME ASSEMBLY
it altogether during handling but the adhe- The fuselage in this kit is the same as
sive worked well on my panel. Tamiya’s Mk.IXc parts. The new retractable
The kit instrument panel, Part R3, needs tail wheel assembly is delivered via a
to be sanded flat to act as a mount for different insert below the fuselage empen-
the photo-etched parts. This was quickly nage. This has been cleverly done via accurately revised panel arrangement of
achieved with a coarse MasterCasters two removable assemblies that are fitted the wet wing. Panel lines for the leading
sanding stick. The photo-etched panel to the main insert panels – one for the edge fuel tank are scribed in place.
was secured to the plastic part with lowered tail wheel with open doors, and A few other subtle changes have been
Gator’s grip acrylic glue. one with closed doors for the retracted made too, but the modeller is not troubled
I used Eduard’s Mk.IX Harness , Set No. undercarriage. These are held in place to do any filling or scribing for the Mk.VIII
32 669. This is also a pre-painted colour with a plastic plug, a polythene cap and wing. Other differences to the wing include
photo-etched product. Maddeningly, I a magnet, so they may be switched even revised upper aileron parts plus the option
had the same problem with the frosted after assembly if you want to retract the of the long pointed HF wing tips. In this
flat coat on these parts too. The impact undercarriage. case, however, the standard wing tips
was worse here, as the frosting obscured The joins of the main insert panels, Parts were used.
much of the subtle printed stitching detail. HH4 and HH5, fall on natural panel lines. As the flaps were rarely seen deployed
The balance of the cockpit was assem- Fit is perfect and no filler was required. except during landing, these were fixed in
bled per the Spitfire IX build. The wing is a new part that provides the the closed position.
The kinked elevators are attached to the

stabilisers via steel hinges. These permit all the
control surfaces to move after assembly.
These later Spitfires were fitted with

Care is required when removing the wide sprue attachments cranked mass balances. The ends of
from the leading edges of the wings. I cut the sprue off higher the horizontal stabilisers must be cut off
before cleaning up the attachment point. along the scored internal line. This is a
very simple piece of surgery.
p 42-51 CH08 Spit3.indd 46 04/02/2015 14:50

Taking no chances – clamps hold the top
wing halves in place over the main wheel
bays and wing spar.
The bigger clamps are useful

for holding the wing in place
at the wing root.
Many Pacific Spitfires were pressed into the end, I wound up assembling more of The completed engine sub-assembly
service as ground attack aircraft due to the engine than I really needed too, but at was glued to the fuselage firewall, then the
the absence of Japanese aircraft in the least I know it is there! engine cowling panels were persuaded
last few years of the war. I therefore fitted I took a bit more time and care cleaning to fit. I started with the port side cowling,
the bomb racks and sway braces to the up the exhaust stubs for this build. On followed by the bottom and the starboard
bottom of the wings. the Mk.IXc, I managed to gouge out a side. These were secured with Tamiya
As I had already built one Tamiya Spitfire hunk from each stub when attempting Extra Thin Liquid Cement, then taped until
with the engine on display, I decided to to remove the sprue attachment. I did the glue had set.
finish this one with the cowlings sealed not even notice this until the model was Finally, the top cowl part was added
shut. I figured that this would be helpful assembled and painted. This time, I made and similarly cemented in place. A little
when aligning the big shark mouth decal sure I had plenty of light on the parts, squeezing was necessary, but a perfect fit
too. This being the case, I did not need and a defter touch with a sharp hobby was eventually achieved.
to add all the detail parts to the engine knife. The shallow attachment points for My final little construction job was to
as they would never be seen. The basic the stubs presented a few challenges assemble the 90 gallon centreline slipper
engine and cylinder blocks plus the though. I applied liquid glue sparingly to tank. This is a new addition to the Mk.VIII
engine mounts and cowling frame are all both mating surfaces and waited plenty of kit, and these tanks were often seen fitted
still required though, as there is nowhere time for the parts to dry, but three stubs to RAAF Spitfires in the Pacific. The extra
else to mount the exhaust stubs. Likewise, still dropped off shortly after assembly. I range would have come in handy for all
the splined propeller shaft and reduction replaced them with super glue. Next time, those long over water flights and above
gear have to be installed I will drill and pin all the stubs for a more the unforgiving jungles of New Guinea and
for the propeller. In robust connection. the Pacific islands.
The engine is still required to attach the exhaust Tamiya Extra Thin Liquid Cement was used to
This model was destined to have a closed cowling, stubs and the propeller, but I could have gotten secure the cowlings. Tamiya tape held the panels in
so not all the details were added to the engine. away with leaving off quite a few of the other parts. place as the glue set.
The large 90 gallon centreline fuel tank was frequently

The exhausts feature deeply hollowed ends for an authentic The upper cowl was added after the glue had set the side used by RAAF Spitfires to provide longer time over the vast
appearance. and lower covers in place. distances of the waters and jungle of the Pacific.
p 42-51 CH08 Spit3.indd 47 04/02/2015 14:50

The subject of this

build is ZP Y of 457
Squadron RAAF.
Note the heavily
weathered and
uneven paintwork.
Of particular note
is the overpainting
of the wing
markings resulting
in a dark circle
surrounding the Basic colours are Gunze and Tamiya acrylics. The spinner
roundels. The backplate has been painted to represent bare metal.
port side roundel
is particularly
malformed.
aircraft were repainted with much larg-

TAG TEAM TIME – er shark’s mouths and small upper
PAINTING AND MARKINGS wing roundels. On some of the
At this point, I handed over the later aircraft, the old eyes could
nearly-complete Spitfire for Chris be seen partially painted over
Wauchop to paint. by the new mouths. The dark overpainted circle has been sprayed on the port wing here.
Chris and I dug up as much The Australian War
reference as we could find on Memorial website
this aircraft in particular, and had a fascinating in-
other 457 Sqn. RAAF Spitfire flight photo of ZP Y,
Mk.VIIIs in general. It would serial number A58-672.
appear that the aircraft were Weatherbeaten hardly
delivered in two batches, describes the condi-
and quite a few aircraft tion of the paintwork.
shared the same codes. It was positively
For example, there were at pulverised!
least two ZP Ys. The earlier Of particular inter-
aircraft featured smaller est are the dark cir-
shark’s mouths and cles on the upper
large wing wings indicating The wartime photos show extensive chipping of the wing root area
on this aircraft. This effect was achieved with a Prismacolor silver
roundels. the overpainting pencil.
In fact, of the old large
these are most likely roundels, and
simply RAF roundels with the incomplete
the red circle in the centre painting of the
overpainted with white. port side upper
Some time later, these wing roundel.
The landing gear is
finished in Medium
Sea Grey – the
factory lower surface
colour. The landing
gear legs and covers
have been weathered
using the same mix
of Tamiya XF-1 Flat
Black and XF-64 Red
Brown.
Weathering is underway on the

lower surfaces. The port side has
already received streaky weathering
using a mix of Tamiya XF-64 Red
Brown and XF-1 Flat Black.
p 42-51 CH08 Spit3.indd 48 04/02/2015 14:50

All of the elements have now
been brought together. Tamiya
has delivered another truly
outstanding kit.
In fact, the outer gun cover on the port present elsewhere on the airframe. camouflage pattern.
wing appears to be a replacement from A chalky exhaust stain, petrol spills from The black wing walkway lines were
an aircraft with the large roundel, as the the fuel filler and heavy walkway chipping masked and sprayed black. Decals are
white section covers most of this panel. complete the picture of a Spitfire that has supplied for this job, but spraying entirely
A remnant of the blue surround can be experienced a hard operational life. precludes the risk of silvering.
seen at the rear of this panel too, but the All camouflage paints were applied with The spinner, the thin leading edge
blue surround to the small white centre the Testor Aztek A470 airbrush. stripes and the rear fuselage band were
does not seem to have been applied yet. Chris kicked off the paint job with his masked and sprayed Tamiya XF-2 Flat
The small white circle also seems to be custom blend of Medium Sea Grey. 60% White. The spinner backplate was painted
located too far back. of Gunze Sangyo H307 FS36320 Grey was a bare metal shade.
The rest of the paintwork is heavily mixed with 40% Tamiya XF-2 Flat White. Gun dust, panel highlights and the dark
weathered. Several patches of paler Ocean The upper surfaces were painted Gunze areas representing the old overpainted
Grey may be seen on the rudder and the H330 Dark Green BSC381C/641, and roundels were sprayed with a thin mix of
other control surfaces. H75 Dark Sea Grey to represent RAF Tamiya XF-1 Flat Black and XF-64 Red
Similarly, darker Ocean Grey. All the colours were sprayed Brown.
patches of Dark freehand in a tight demarcation, using The exhaust marks, fuel stains and fad-
Green are the reference photos as a guide for the ing were achieved with Tamiya XF-57 Buff,
It would appear that the outermost top machine gun access

panel was sourced from an aircraft with the large blue and
white roundels. The small partial white circle seems too far
back in the reference photo, but the camera does not lie! The outboard machine gun has been fired recently, as The resin replacement pilot’s entry door by Barracuda
It seems likely that the roundel is incomplete on the real indicated by the torn red doped fabric patch. Studios hangs open.
aircraft, and this was our interpretation in scale.
The characteristic shark’s mouth of 457 Squadron RAAF. The exhaust and fuel stains are a thinly sprayed mix of The white fuselage band was sprayed. The serial numbers
Tamiya XF-57 Buff. were sourced from Aussie Decals set no. 703, ‘A’ Numbers.
p 42-51 CH08 Spit3.indd 49 04/02/2015 14:50

CHAPTER 8 SPITFIRE Mk.VIII,
.VIII, 457 SQUADRON RAAF
once again thinned heavily and sprayed
freehand.
With the airbrush weathering complete,
a very thin water wash of Tamiya X-18
Semi-Gloss Black was applied with a fine
brush to all panel lines and fasteners.
The prominent scratches to the paint on
the wing root walkways and various pan-
els were added with careful application of
a Prismacolor silver pencil.
Decals were applied following a gloss The redundant fuselage for the aerial wire was drilled and
surrounded by a spot of grey paint.
coat of Future floor polish. The national
markings, shark mouth, stencils and
Grey Nurse decals were sourced from
the Tamiya kit. These performed perfectly,
even the shark’s mouth over the com-
pound curves of the lower cowling. Tamiya includes underwing shackles and bombs. Many
The white ZP Y codes were ALPS-print- Pacific Spitfires were pressed into service as ground
ed decals from Aero Imageworks’ set no. attack aircraft due to the absence of aerial targets.
A13202, “Shark Attack”. The thin carrier

film disappeared completely and the white
was pleasingly opaque, but the markings
The small roundel is completely painted on the starboard
remained delicate even when completely wing, but the position of the early, larger roundel is still
dry. Chris gripped the decals while lifting obvious.
the model prior to applying a topcoat
and part of one of the codes practically
dissolved. We would suggest applying a
flat clear coat as soon as possible after
applying these decals.
The grey serial number was not in my
decal package. I am not sure if it is a small
separate sheet that I lost or if it was never
included in the first place. Regardless,
Aussie Decals offer the correct style of The chalky stain on the fuselage sides is also applied to
grey codes with their waterslide decal set the ends of the exhaust stacks.
no. 703. These were cut out of the sheet
and applied individually.
The canopy was masked and sprayed
with the help of the self-adhesive sheet
included with the kit.
Although these Pacific Spitfires were not
fitted with aerial wires, the mast was still
in place. Some of the reference photos Tamiya’s 1:32 scale Spitfire Mk.VIII kit is
every bit as good as its Mk.IXc predecessor.
also showed the fuselage aerial lead-in
hole in the white section of the roundel,
surrounded by a spot of paint or primer.
Chris depicted this as a grey spot over a
drilled hole.
The model was finished off with a coat
of Polly Scale Flat Clear.
THE BEST – AGAIN

All that we have declared about Tamiya’s
1:32 scale Spitfire IXc kit is equally true of
the new Spitfire VIII.
It is beautifully detailed, cleverly engi-
neered, an education to build and looks
magnificent when finished.
With a growing number of marking The shark’s mouth, “Grey Nurse” script and national
markings all came from the Tamiya kit. “ZP-Y” codes
options, conversions and detail sets, will were sourced from Aero Imageworks “Shark Attack”
you be able to stop at just one? set no. A013202.
p 42-51 CH08 Spit3.indd 50 04/02/2015 14:50

The tight camouflage demarcation was sprayed
freehand with a Testor Aztek A470 airbrush.
With a growing number of marking

options, conversions and detail sets,
will you be able to stop at just one?
The four-slot wheels are resin replacements from

Barracuda Studios. They are subtly weighted.
The tail wheel assembly is

a clever “plug in / unplug”
configuration that permits
an insert with closed
doors to be fitted when
the main gear is retracted.
p 42-51 CH08 Spit3.indd 51 04/02/2015 14:50

CHAPTER 9 SPITFIRE HF Mk.VII, 131 SQN RAF
HIGH ALTITUDE
FIGHTER
Roy Sutherland converts his 1:32 scale Tamiya Spitfire Mk.IXc
to the refined high altitude fighter variant, the HF Mk.VII.
T
he Mk. VII was the first two-stage predecessor, the HF VI, and a pressurised had their high altitude wingtips replaced
Merlin powered Spitfire to be cockpit with the new Lobelle sliding hood, with standard tips, and were repainted by
designed and built. Unlike the which was a big improvement over the old late August of 1944 in the standard day
Mk. IX, which was rushed into non-sliding hood as fitted to the Mk VI. fighter camouflage.
production to counter the new threat This hood, which needed to be removed
posed by the Fw 190, the VII incorporated and replaced by ground crew to allow MODELLING THE HF VII
all the refinements to the airframe, the pilot access, was unpopular with the When Brett sent me the new Tamiya
including a fully retractable tailwheel, pilots, who felt trapped inside. Spitfire Mk. IX and asked me to write a
short span ailerons as well as leading The HF VII was designed to counter chapter for this book, I decided to do
edge wing tanks that added 25 gallons the high altitude bombing threat from the something a little different. As far back
of onboard fuel. It was also designed Luftwaffe that was never to materialise. as I can remember as a modeller, there
with the high altitude wingtips fitted to its Just after D-Day, most HF VII airframes is one two stage Merlin Spitfire that has
52 Chapter 9 - Spitfire HF Mk.VII. 131 Sqn RAF
p 52-65 CH09 Spit3.indd 52 04/02/2015 14:51

The first step in the
conversion was to cut back
the fuselage for the deeper
rear fixed canopy fitted to the
Mark VII Spitfire. A new rear
canopy section will have to
be created.
I have built a lot of models in my life,

but I think it is safe to say that this is
the best aircraft model I’ve ever had the
pleasure to build. It is labour intensive
and a little fiddly here and there, but in
the end, it is a stunning piece of work.
The resin plug that replaces the cockpit door is shown installed. The door was deleted on the HF VI and VII due to the
pressurisation of the cockpit. Note the repositioned crowbar.
always held a special place in my heart;

MD111, an HF VII of 131 Squadron, in the
high altitude scheme of Medium Sea Grey
over PRU Blue. I am not sure where I first
saw the photo, possibly in the old Arco-
Aircam on the Merlin engined Spitfires. I
have always wanted to build this particular
aircraft, so when the opportunity came up
to build this model, it seemed like the time
had come to scratch that itch.
In hindsight, it might have not been the The lower cockpit sidewalls were attached to the fuselage halves to allow adding the wiring and plumbing that was
prevalent on every Spitfire from the prototype to the last Seafire 47. The square tank at the bottom of the sidewall is
best decision. The scope of the conversion for windscreen deicing fluid.
p 52-65 CH09 Spit3.indd 53 04/02/2015 14:51

CHAPTER 9 SPITFIRE HF M
Mk.VII, 131 SQN RAF
The seat mounting bracket is a complex affair, and Tamiya have

done a nice job representing it. I added detail by drilling out the
lightening holes, but it’s not really necessary as it is very hard
to see once the seat is installed.
I drilled out the lightening holes in the cockpit bulkhead to add
depth. Again it is not really necessary, but it’s an easy upgrade and
looks good to my eye. I brushed the drilled out holes with liquid
cement to clean up the fuzzy edges.
I scratchbuilt the rear pressure bulkhead

for the Spitfire HF VII. It required a lot of
clever engineering to create seals for the
flying controls that would keep pressure
from escaping, while allowing unrestricted
movement of the control cables.
The scratchbuilt patterns for the upper sidewall for the MK VII,
as well as the oxygen hose, made from a carefully bent wound
guitar string with mounting bracket made from styrene. The seat mounting bulkhead with seat mounting bracket
installed. I also opted to drill out the holes on the bulkhead.
The moulded in detail on the bulkhead is very impressive.
Controlled chaos! I am deep into work on the interior,

and the inevitable encroachment of the workspace with
tools and paints should look familiar to most modellers.
Evident in this image is the exhaustive nature of the kit
cockpit.
p 52-65 CH09 Spit3.indd 54 04/02/2015 14:51

The starboard cockpit sidewall with basic painting completed. A wash will soon be The port sidewall painted Interior Grey Green. Tamiya have you paint the ribbed chain
applied to help pop out the detail. It is a good idea to not be too subtle with washes and guards black, but they are painted green in the sole surviving Spitfire HF VII, on display at
drybrushing in cockpits. They are small and dark, and detail easily gets lost under these the Smithsonian. The cockpit on this aircraft is completely original.
conditions.
in this scale turned out to be more work The conversion work comprised the following: MD111 is an odd mix of features. While
than I bargained for, especially given that • Fabricate retractable tailwheel and doors it has the late style gun bay blisters,
this chapter had to be done to a deadline. • Shorten ailerons by 8 scale inches four-slot main wheels and double cutaway
The work necessary to make a Spitfire IX • Seal up cockpit door and move crowbar elevators of a later production aircraft,
into a VII is, in itself, not that complex, and • Fabricate rear pressure bulkhead it has the early style carburetor intake.
could be done quickly on a simpler kit in a • Fabricate other variant specific cockpit At the time the only known photo was
smaller scale. Doing the conversion in 1:32 details taken, sometime shortly after D-Day, the
required more detail, and parts that could • Fabricate pressurisation intake high altitude wingtips had already been
have been robbed from other kits in a 1:48 • Scribe wing tanks and filler caps replaced with standard elliptical tips,
or 1:72 build, needed to be scratch built. • Create external canopy rails which was fine with me as they look better
This is only a problem when you have to • Vacform deeper rear fixed canopy on the Spit.
make a deadline! section
The reworked and cast copies of the throttle and gear quadrants are The Compass mount was moved to the starboard wall, so a new
shown painted in this view. Careful painting really adds to the look. mount had to be scratchbuilt. Thankfully, I made resin copies of
A Winsor-Newton Series Seven 000 brush was used to paint the this part, as this one flew off into the ether, never to be seen again.
white stenciling in the cockpit.
The kit instrument

panel built mostly out
of the box. The engine
priming pump was The retract quadrant with its hydraulic hoses attached.
moved to the lower
right hand side of the
instrument panel on
the HF VII, next to
the red ringed gauge.
Careful painting brings
this part to life.
My reworked control column casting with pneumatic hoses added from fine wire.
p 52-65 CH09 Spit3.indd 55 04/02/2015 14:52

GETTING STARTED
Deviating from the instructions, I started
by building the engine, which is superb.
With over 50 parts going into the engine
alone, it takes some time to clean up
all those parts, and to figure out how all
those parts go together. I left the engine
in four subassemblies as shown in the
accompanying image to allow painting of
all the various nooks and crannies. Fully
assembled, it would not be possible to
do this.
Next is the firewall and all of the
accessories, to which are added some
very detailed bearer arms. Take your time
here. Removing the mould parting lines
from those bearer arms and the various
hoses and braces requires patience. This
is certainly not a quick weekend build.
Be prepared to spend some time on this
kit. Everything fits well and looks great.
The floorboards and rudder pedal One note of caution; take your time and
mechanism almost stock from the
kit. I did cut little wedges out of the read and follow the instructions carefully. I
raised rings to create star wheel assembled the oil tank and forgot to install
adjusters for the rudder pedals.
A little fussy, but it looks cool! the little magnets that help hold the lower
cowling on. By the time I had discovered
my mistake, the glue had fully cured. I
had to grind large holes in the top of the
tank with a motor tool in order to glue the
magnets in. These holes were then filled
and sanded out.
With this stage behind me, it was time
to get down to the business of converting
the cockpit to a pressurised Mk VII office.
A new rear pressure bulkhead, port
upper sidewall and crowbar, silica gel
canister and revised compass mount were
scratchbuilt using cockpit photos of the
Smithsonian’s sole surviving Spitfire Mk.
VII, EN474.
I again deviated from the instructions
and attached the lower cockpit sidewalls
to the fuselage halves, as I would be
adding a lot of the wiring and plumbing
to the sidewalls. Careful study of photos
and especially pilot’s notes helped to
sort out what lines went where. Be
careful using modern Warbirds
for reference. Some of the
equipment may be modern,
and other non-essential
systems may be left out.
Overall, the Tamiya cockpit
is very accurate. I am glad
they chose to ignore the wiring, as
moulded in wiring looks cheesy and
is very difficult to paint cleanly. The wiring
was added from wire of different gauges
The Sutton harness, painted and tacked in place. as well as fine solder for the bigger hoses.
I created a backpad from scribed thick lead foil The belts were made from heavy canvas and More detail was added from styrene rod
from a wine bottle. The beading was created with each had a series of large grommets on it. The
very fine solder bent and glued into position. The harness was secured by feeding the belts over the and strip, as well as discs punched out
kit seatbelts are OK, but I would have preferred center pin, then locked with a large clip that was using Waldron punches. The stick, throttle
separate buckles in this scale. attached to one of the belts by a cord.
quadrant and gear quadrant were detailed
p 52-65 CH09 Spit3.indd 56 04/02/2015 14:52

The starboard sidewall with all painting completed. You can see how much visual interest The port sidewall fully painted. The compressed air bottles are called out as steel color, but
the wash adds by comparing this photo to the earlier one. The large diameter tube that they could also be painted cockpit green or black as well. The crowbar has yet to be installed.
snakes up the sidewall is part of the cockpit pressurization system.
One little odd point on this beautiful model. You will note the bottom left instrument seems The cockpit is now coming together. with the lower sidewalls glued to the fuselage halves,
to be glowing. With the fuselage halves together, this effect was even more pronounced. you need to take care lining everything up when you put the fuselage halves together, but it
I resolved this by running some thinned black paint around the edge of this instrument’s does work. Note compass position and installed gear quadrant hoses.
clear glass.
This view shows the installation of the rear bulkhead to good effect. Note the correct Normally, I like to install seats and belts after the model is assembled and painted, but
oxygen hose installation and the rudder and elevator cable runs added from wire. it would be very difficult to install this seat with the fuselage halves together. Tamiya’s
excellent cockpit is starting to look finished.
p 52-65 CH09 Spit3.indd 57 04/02/2015 14:52

The tailwheel doors are cut away using a fine razor saw with a photoetched blade. The tailwheel well blocked out with sheet styrene drilled for later installation of the
The blades are extremely thin and sharp, so use with care. They also tend to break scratchbuilt retractable tailwheel strut. This bay would be painted Interior Grey Green
if you use too much pressure, but they are a very useful tool. in wartime service to prevent corrosion.
The tailwheel doors with small cutout backed with Tamiya tape and the cutout filled with CA glue. Once set, the CA glue can be sanded to shape. The cured CA glue allows you to build up
missing areas, and can be sanded to a thin, sharp edge, unlike solvent based putties.
and reworked, and resin castings were scribed to simulate the ribbed look of a while bending and posing each belt to
made. These will be available soon, along the pad. I simulated the beading using give it a natural sit when installed. When I
with other resin upgrade parts for this kit, fine solder. Painted very dark brown, it was satisfied, the belts were primed with
from BarracudaCast.com. Plug inserted? looks the part. The etched belts are a little Tamiya grey primer, then painted a canvas
Check! two-dimensional for my tastes, but I used colour.
The seat on the Spitfire has a ribbed them anyway. I added character to them All cockpit parts were then painted
leather backpad. Tamiya chose not to by bending them up and flattening them Interior Grey Green. Detail painting was
replicate this feature, probably due to again to make them look more like cloth. done using Polly Scale acrylic and Testor’s
moulding limitations. I made mine from I rolled a fine rat-tail file over the belts to enamel paints using various paintbrushes.
thick wine bottle foil cut to shape and give them a fabric pattern. I spent quite After this was complete, a wash of heavily
The kit engine is a wonderful little model on its own. I recommend painting it in The 60 series Merlin was fitted with a two stage supercharger, and Tamiya have gone to
subassemblies as shown. Otherwise there will be many inaccessible areas that will extremes to reproduce every aspect of this engine in amazing detail. All you need to add
be almost impossible to reach with paint. are ignition harnesses, some wiring and plumbing to make this engine really stand out.
p 52-65 CH09 Spit3.indd 58 04/02/2015 14:52

thinned scale black was applied to all the
parts to pop out all the detail. Stenciling
was simulated with fine dots of Testor’s
white paint applied with a Winsor &
Newton Series Seven 000 paintbrush. Not
a cheap brush, but worth every penny.
When painting was completed, the cockpit
was carefully assembled.
The Mk. VII had a retractable tailwheel, The Mk VII’s pressurised
so the doors were marked out using cockpit had a unique sliding
scale drawings of the Mark VIII. The hood that was locked
down with external locking
doors were cut out, and the roof and canopy rails that allowed
forward bulkhead of the tailwheel bay the hood to be slid back,
instead of being clamped
was fabricated from styrene sheet. down like on the Mk VI.
The tailwheel strut was also scratch
built and cast in resin with a steel pin
inserted for strength. It will be available,
along with the doors and rear fuselage
inserts, shortly from BarracudaCast.
With this done, it was time to close up
the fuselage. I took my time fitting the
fuselage halves together, making sure the MD111 was fitted with the
lower cockpit sidewalls cleared the floor early carburetor intake.
It’s a nice moulding, but
as they should. When I was confident I chose to grind off the
that everything fit, I assembled the halves internal bump for the
using Tamiya liquid cement. locator pin and socket,
which is visible when you
look up inside the intake.
Winging It Careful sanding with small
scraps of sandpaper glued
The wings went together with no to the end of toothpicks
surprises, although the parts count is finished the job.
higher than any single-engined fighter I’ve
ever built! I cut the outer 8 scale inches
off the ailerons and attached them to the
wings as shown. The gaps were filled and
sanded out. I also scribed the access
panels and filler caps for the 12.5 gallon
leading edge fuel tanks specific to the
Mk. VII and the Mk. VIII. Tamiya is just
about the first manufacturer to correctly
portray the wingtips as flat bottomed, with
the top surface curving down to meet Don’t forget to paint the
at the tip. Note that the leading edge inside of the upper wing
black so that you don’t
inserts with the machine gun openings see bare plastic when
and the cannon barrel mounts should be you look up inside the
filled and sanded to remove any trace of shell ejector slots on the
underside of the wing.
seams. There are no panel lines around
these parts on the real wing. Flaps were
attached in the up position, as they
were rarely ever deployed on the ground
unless the aircraft had just landed and
not yet shut down the engine. I painted
the inside of the radiator fairings, the
entrance and exit ramps, and the radiator
faces before attaching these parts to the
lower wing. It greatly simplifies painting
this area later on.
Attention then turned to assembling the The HF VII had short span
horizontal stabilisers, as well as all the ailerons like the Mk VIII.
I cut off a scale 8 inches
flying surfaces. The hinge mechanisms from the outer end of
consist of sturdy photo-etched tabs and the aileron and glued it
steel pins. They are a bit floppy for my to the wing. Filling was
accomplished with CA
tastes, but they work prototypically and glue and sanded out.
allow you to pose them if that kind of thing
p 52-65 CH09 Spit3.indd 59 04/02/2015 14:52

CHAPTER 9 Spitfire HF Mk.VII, 131 Sqn RAF
There are some prominent ejector pin marks on the inside of the radiator exit doors. If they are going to be closed, they will not be easily seen. Mine are displayed open, so I filled the
depressions and sanded them flush.
The beast takes shape. With so many parts in the cockpit,

wings and engine, it takes surprisingly long to get to this
stage. The wait is worth it, as the resulting model looks
every bit the two stage Merlin powered Spitfire.
The intake for the cockpit

pressurization pump is
fabricated from strip styrene
sanded to shape and cemented
in place on the starboard
engine cowling panel.
p 52-65 CH09 Spit3.indd 60 04/02/2015 14:52

After masking off the cockpit and canopies (the supplied masks are excellent) the With the undersides masked off, the upper surfaces were sprayed in Medium Sea Grey.
undersides were sprayed with PRU Blue. I mixed mine from Tamiya paint, but this Don’t forget to paint all the other uppersurface parts at the same time, such as the spinner,
color is available in a number of aircraft model paint lines. engine cowlings, antenna mast, mirror, and the like. Ask me how many times I’ve forgotten
to paint some small parts and had to go back and load the airbrush up again!
turns you on. The wings and tailplanes

were attached using liquid cement and
the fit was excellent. The fuselage is very
tail heavy, and I noticed that the glue joint
was beginning to pull open after a few
minutes. I recommend leaning a small
book on top of the forward fuselage while
the wing to fuselage joint sets, preferably
overnight. Some filling and sanding is
necessary on the rear underside fuselage
to wing joint, but this was minimal and to
be expected.
The airframe was now mostly together
and painting could start soon. The
design of the engine assembly is such
that it can be attached after painting and
decaling, if you prefer. The canopies were
masked using the preprinted tape masks.
I cut carefully along the lines and was
rewarded with great fitting masks. This is
a great masking medium. I wish they sold
The undersides are masked off in preparation for painting the narrow invasion stripes. Don’t skimp on the masking.
this stuff in sheets! The windscreen and Overspray can travel quite a way and mess up your other color applications.
rear canopy section were attached and
any gaps filled with thinned white glue.
Painting and Decaling

The cockpit and tailwheel bay were
masked off with tape and facial tissue in
preparation for painting. I wiped the model
down with 70% alcohol to remove finger
oils. The undersurfaces were painted PRU
Blue using custom mixed Tamiya paints.
A number of commercially available
model paint ranges feature this colour,
but I like working with Tamiya paints. I
added a few drops of white to the base
colour and went back and painted small
random areas to break up the monotone.
I repeated the process with the blue
darkened a bit with black paint.
The undersurfaces were masked off and
the Medium Sea Grey was applied using
my trusty Paasche H airbrush. Again, I always mask and spray the upperwing walkway lines on my Spitfire models. It takes a bit longer, but it looks great, and its
a number of shades of the grey were easier than fighting with very long and very thin decal strips.
p 52-65 CH09 Spit3.indd 61 04/02/2015 14:52

Small parts painted and ready for weathering. I always paint the prop tips white first, With the panel line wash finished, and the final satin coat applied, it’s time for final
then yellow. Note that RAF Identity Yellow has a orange cast to it. Once cured, the tips are assembly. Due to a tight deadline, the engine on my model was painted but not detailed.
masked off and the blades are sprayed scale black. I may come back to this later.
sprayed at random to give the paint a Wax (Johnson’s Clear in some parts of measurements, I discovered that both the
subtle blotchy look. A look at real vehicles the world) thinned with a few drops of fuselage and wing roundels were actually
and surfaces will show that few colours are water. Left to dry overnight, the model 32” in diameter. Decidedly non-standard.
even and unaffected by the environment. is now ready to be decalled. One of As time was short, I started searching
The more they are exposed to the the reasons I decided to model MD111 desperately for replacements. As luck
elements, the more organic and visually was that I had included this scheme on would have it, the upper wing roundels for
textured they become. Even one night the BarracudaCals Spitfire Part 1 sheet a 1:48 scale Typhoon are exactly the right
of dew and dust kicked up by passing (BC32004 for 1:32 scale), and was looking size. I used 4 of these roundels from an
vehicles or even the wind will dull down an forward to using them to build one of my Aeromaster roundel sheet and they worked
aircraft, and impart a subtle visual texture. all-time favorite Spitfires. perfectly. The only trouble was that the
The invasion stripes and wing walks were Now, I have an embarrassing admission roundel red that Aeromaster used was too
next masked off, and sprayed with Tamiya to make. When I started to apply these red. The real colour is very close to Model
Flat White. The white areas were masked decals to the model using photographic Master Rust. The centers were masked
off, and scale black was applied to the references of NX-Q and other aircraft off and later repainted, after the decals
invasion stripes and the wing walks. With from 131 Squadron, I discovered that had dried. The balance of the decals was
all painting completed, all masking was these reference photos showed that now applied and everything looked great.
pulled off, revealing the finished basic this Squadron did not use the standard The next day, the model was washed to
scheme. roundel sizes called out for high altitude remove excess decal adhesive and the
At this point, there is usually RAF fighters at this point in the war. decals were sealed with a coat of Future.
some touchup work to do to They should be 30” diameter for the The panel lines were highlighted with
make the scheme as clean fuselage and 40” for the wings. Neither a thin dark grey enamel wash. A few
and complete as possible. looked right when applied, so I removed minutes later, I wiped off the excess with a
The entire model is then them before they started to stick. Some cotton rag lightly moistened with mineral
sprayed with Future Floor deeper research and taking careful spirits. Done properly, this leaves the wash
My Spitfire HF VII completed. I am pretty fussy about Spitfires. Tamiya have

done a terrific job of capturing the subtle shapes of the Spitfire. The shape of
the prop and spinner has eluded many manufacturers, but they have nailed it.
p 52-65 CH09 Spit3.indd 62 04/02/2015 14:52

The undersides, showing the non-standard narrow
invasion stripes and the lack of underwing roundels
typical of the high altitude scheme. Note that both
ailerons are up in this photo; A function of the
somewhat loose hinges on the posable flying surfaces.
This image shows well the subtle variations of paint colours as discussed in the text,
the medium grey wash applied to the panel lines, and the fuel stains and dirt I applied
to make the airframe looked “lived in”. Subtlety is the key for weathering most aircraft.
p 52-65 CH09 Spit3.indd 63 04/02/2015 14:52

This shot of the tail shows the finished effect of the work done to recreate the retractable This view of the upperwing shows the leading edge fuel tank access panel and filler cap
tailwheel. Note also the rudder with its nice depiction of fabric covering. Tamiya thankfully just inboard of the cannon barrels that I scribed into both the port and starboard wing.
avoided the heavy scalloping that other manufactures apply to fabric flying surfaces. Note also the fabric patches doped over the machine gun ports to keep out dirt and debris.
in the panel lines but cleans the excess contributed to getting this job done with CONCLUSION
off the surface. Once this process was minimum fuss. I unmasked the canopies That pretty much brings this build to a
finished, the model was oversprayed with and cockpit. A careful study of the model close. I have been building models for
a satin coat. I do not like dead flat finishes at this point will help you find any areas some 34 years now, and I have to say that
on aircraft. It makes them look lifeless. I that need touchup. I was sure that the this kit represents the pinnacle of plastic
use Testors Dullcoat mixed with Glosscoat removable cowling panels would not aircraft models. It is a truly awe-inspiring
to make a light satin sheen. fit, but they do surprisingly well. Getting kit that is as close to flawless as it gets. If I
Two tips for applying clear coats: First, the cowlings on and positioned properly have one concern regarding the accuracy,
thin them enough so they will go on wet takes some care, but the final effect looks it would be that the model seems to sit a
and not orange peel on you. I tend to thin almost like they are not removable. Earlier, little low on the main gear. It’s subtle, but
with as much as 40% Testors Thinner and I had ground out an ice cream scoop when viewed from some angles, it strikes
Brush Cleaner. The second tip is to apply shaped area from each wingtip nav light me. That said, this is far and away the
the clear coats liberally. Some modellers and cut off the blister for the nav light most accurate and detailed Spitfire kit ever
tend to jut mist them on, but this leads to on the trailing edge of the rudder. These produced. I thoroughly enjoyed building
uneven coverage and a spotty finish. I lay depressions were painted silver. I then it, and once the memory of the late
it on almost wet. mixed some 5 minute epoxy and filled the night marathons I put in getting this
All that remained now was some further scooped out areas until they were nice model, photo and article finished
weathering and final assembly. All small and round. I also built up a new in time to make the publishing
parts had been previously painted and lens for the tail light. When set, I deadline fades, I will look forward
finished and only needed to be attached. painted the port tip light clear red to building another one.
The excellent engineering of this kit and the starboard one clear green.
Tamiya really paid attention to the details. The subtly raised cover over
the fuel tank in front of the cockpit, the amazingly clear and distortion
free blown sliding hood, and the lack of upperwing wheel bulges show the
research and clever engineering that went into the design of this kit.
p 52-65 CH09 Spit3.indd 64 04/02/2015 14:52

The removable cowling panels are impressively thin, and fit pretty well with a little The individual exhaust stubs are labour intensive to clean up, but look very good with some
tweaking and prodding. Still, I’d love it if Tamiya would release a version with no engine careful painting. The camera port in the wingroot should have a glass lens, the one part
and a simple 4 part nose. Note the incorrect rear fixed canopy section. Later on, I will that seems to be missing from this otherwise very complete kit.
replace it with a vac formed clear part.
This is far and away the most accurate

and detailed Spitfire kit ever produced...
The sideview shot recreates the wartime photo of

MD111 that originally inspired me to want to build
this model. I really like the high altitude scheme,
and it makes a nice change from the disruptive
camouflage scheme worn by most Spitfires.
p 52-65 CH09 Spit3.indd 65 04/02/2015 14:52

CHAPTER 10 TAMIYA 1:32 SUPERMARINE SPITFIRE Mk
A
lthough initially conceived as a
stop-gap measure, the Spitfire
Mk.IX and the essentially similar
Mk.XVI (powered by a Packard
Merlin engine) eventually became the
most numerous of all Spitfire variants with
more than 7,000 delivered to the RAF, the
VVS and other Allied air forces.
The Packard Merlin Mk.XVI was fitted
with revised armament where the 20mm
cannon was relocated to the outboard
position. This was known as the E wing,
and was also fitted to some Mk.IX variants.
During the production run of the Spitfire
Mk.XVI, a low-back "bubble" canopy
version was introduced.
The camber of the main wheels was
changed on the Mk.XVI, necessitating
a shallow bulge on the top of the wing
to accommodate the tilted wheel in the
undercarriage bay.
The Spitfire Mk.XVI continued in front
line service until the end of the Second
World War.
LOW BACK SPITFIRE
IN THE BOX
IN THE BOX
Tamiya released this Mk.XVIe, their third
Supermarine Spitfire kit, in early 2011.
Tamiya’s 1:32 scale Spitfire Mk.XVIe
comprises around 360 parts in grey The third and most recent in Tamiya’s
plastic, 18 parts in clear, two nickel-plated
photo-etched frets, six parts in flexible extraordinary family of 1:32 scale Spitfires
black vinyl, eight steel pins, seven is the bubble top Mk.XVIe.
miniature magnets, various small screws
and metal parts, a self-adhesive masking The cockpit is fully equipped with a moulded the inverse part of this new bulge
sheet for the canopy parts, two metallic multi-media sandwich for the instrument on the inside of the wheel well ceiling.
self-adhesive name plates and two decal panel, photo-etched harness and an Bombs, alternate cannon styles, slipper
sheets with markings for three aircraft. optional seated pilot. You won't need to tanks and two versions of exhausts are
Not surprisingly, most of the parts attach the flare rack (Part F47) to the front provided as options. Five spoke wheel
are common with the initial Mk.IXc kit, of the seat for this variant though. hubs are included too, but they are not
including the main wing parts, the engine, The E Wing configuration is delivered by used for this variant. There will be a few
cowling, undercarriage and cockpit. alternate inserts for the upper and lower other leftover bits for your spares box too.
The unique attributes of the Mk.XVIe have gun bay covers and ejector ports. As with Tamiya's other 1:32 scale
been thoroughly covered in this new boxing. The biggest change on the wing is Spitfire releases, surface detail is some
The most obvious difference in this the relocation of the narrow blister to the of the best I have ever seen on a plastic
version is the low-back fuselage. This is outboard position, but the shape of the model kit. The recessed panel lines are
moulded in one piece from the firewall blister itself is also different and there are supplemented with beautifully restrained
back with no inserts required. This time some subtle changes on the surfaces of lines of rivets and raised hinges as
around, the fixed tail wheel is the only the panels. appropriate. There are no giant divots here
option, so the tail wheel bay insert is The new bulges on top of the wheel - the surface detail really looks the goods.
omitted from this set of fuselage parts. bays and small blisters are supplied as Transparencies are thin and totally
Cockpit bulkheads and some other separate parts. free of distortion. These sprues are
details have been revised too. To their great credit, Tamiya has dominated by the new bubble top canopy.
Markings for the

two Grey and Green
machines are supplied
on one decal sheet.
The second sheet

The other two colour schemes are printed on the side of the box.
includes bright markings
for the later machine,
plus common stencils.
66 Chapter 10 - Spitfire Mk.XVIe In the Box
p 66-67 CH10 Spit3B.indd 66 04/02/2015 14:54

re Mk.XVIe. Kit No. 60321
The new low-back fuselage does not have the cutout below Surface detail is magnificent – fine, crisp and in all the right New bulkheads have been supplied for the Mk. XVIe.
the empennage of the previous kits, as this variant was only places.
ever fitted with the early-style fixed tail wheel.
The inboard blisters are supplied as separate parts. These Tamiya has moulded the inside of the bulge to the ceiling of E Wing bulges and guns are supplied on the same new sprue.
accommodate the increased camber of the main wheels. the main wheel wells.
This is beautifully thin, but does have a engine cowing plastic meant that the Conclusion
faint raised seam line running along the powerplant was undersized. In this case, Tamiya’s 1:32 scale Spitfire Mk.XVIe
centreline. This will be easy to remove Tamiya’s cowl panels are a fraction of a continues the tradition of these
with the back of a hobby blade and some millimetre in thickness. Another innovation is extraordinary kits.
Micro Mesh cloth. the use of tiny magnets to permit the cowl Will we see more variants in this
The clear sprue also includes the panels to be fitted and removed with ease. series? Logically, the last version that
clipped wing tips, making it a simple The cockpit door is poseable too. might be wrung from this set of golden
matter to ensure nice, smear-free wing The tyres are presented in flexible moulds might be the Spitfire Mk.VII, the
tip navigation lights on the LF version. vinyl. Two alternatives are provided - one pressurised version of the Mk.VIII. We can
Instrument lenses are also supplied as for extended undercarriage and one for only hope!
clear parts. These are backed with decal retracted. Highly Recommended.
dials, and then inserted into the main Three varied marking options are Thanks to Tamiya Japan for the sample.
plastic and metal instrument panel. Quite supplied on the two decal sheets:
clever really. • D GE, No.349 Sqn RAF, Germany,
Self-adhesive masks for the canopy Summer 1945. Day Fighter camouflage of
parts are also included. The outline is Ocean Grey and Dark Green over Medium
printed on the yellow masking material, Sea Grey.
and the modeller cuts them out before • OU V, No.485 Sqn RNZAF, Fassberg
applying them to the clear parts. Germany, Summer 1945 finished in the
The photo-etched frets provide the Day Fighter Scheme. According to the
aforementioned instrument panel (two pilot Murray Lind's logbook, the serial
versions), plus a Sutton Harness, pilot's number is actually TB675. TB625 was
armour and smaller details. transferred with TB675 on the same day
The list of kit features is equally from 74 Squadron to 485 Squadron. Also,
impressive. All control surfaces are the spinner appears to be Black and White The bubble top canopy is a beautifully clear moulding.
separate. The ailerons, elevators and not Red and White, as 74 Squadrons
rudder are fitted with metal hinges, while Spitfires had black spinners.*
the flaps may be posed open or closed. • FD AA, No.1 (Pilots) Refresher Flying
Alternate parts are supplied to display the Unit, Finningley UK, March 1949. This
undercarriage retracted or extended. This aircraft is finished in overall silver.
may be changed even after the model has The decals are well printed and in
been built thanks to removable fairings on perfect register.
the lower wings. In addition to the instructions and a
A display stand is supplied for in-flight separate marking guide, this package
display. includes an A5 sized, 16 page full-colour
A beautifully detailed Rolls-Royce booklet containing reference photos. This
Merlin engine is also included. One of the will be especially helpful for painting and The remaining 17 clear parts include instrument panel
components and the clipped wing tips.
problems of earlier models with detailed detailing the engine.
engines was that the thickness of the
p 66-67 CH10 Spit3B.indd 67 04/02/2015 14:54

CHAPTER 10 TAMIYA 1:32 SUPERMARINE SPITFIRE M
Mk
SWEET KIWI SIXTEEN

Dave Johnson builds and details Tamiya’s most
recent addition to their benchmark 1:32 scale
Spitfire family - the bubbletop Mk.XVI.
p 68-79 CH11 Spit3B.indd 68 04/02/2015 14:55

RE M
Mk.XVIe.
k.XVI
.XVIee. KIT NO. 60321
N
ew Zealand has a proud and
rich military history, with many
men and women volunteering
to serve their country in times of
war. During World War II there were a few
Kiwis (New Zealanders) that were involved
with important missions and outstanding
feats. Charles Upham was awarded the
Victoria Cross and Bar in North Africa, Sir
Keith Park defended the skies against the
Luftwaffe over England during the Battle of
Britain. 487 (NZ) Squadron flew missions
during Operation Jericho (Amiens prison)
and destroyed the Gestapo headquarters
twice, at Arhus and Copenhagen. Johnnie
Houlton, a Kiwi pilot from 485 (NZ)
squadron, recorded the first aircraft kill
on D-Day when he shot down a Junkers
Ju-88 over Omaha Beach. When Tamiya
released its box work for the Mk.XVI
Spitfire, which included RNZAF markings
for 485 Squadron in Germany, there was
no choice... I knew that this kit had to be
built with Kiwi markings!
485 (NZ) Squadron was formed at RAF
Driffield in Yorkshire on 1 March 1941 and
was equipped with Spitfire Mk Is. 485 (NZ)
Squadron was the first RNZAF squadron
formed under Article XV of the Empire Air
Training Scheme. 485’s main task was as
a day fighter squadron until March 1944
when the unit was transitioned to a fighter
bombing role. 485 Squadron flew 10,717
sorties totalling 14,494 hours. During this
time they achieved 63 enemy aircraft
destroyed, 25 probably destroyed and 32
damaged. During the short period that the
squadron was employed against ground
targets, pilots destroyed some 70 motor
vehicles and blew up 5 railway engines. A
total of 27 decorations were presented
to Kiwi pilots serving with the Squadron.
485’s last patrol was on the 7 May 1945
and the squadron was disbanded in
October 1945.
Rongotea at Fassberg,
Germany 1945
Murray Lind from

485 Squadron Murray sitting in
posing in front of the cockpit of his
his Spitfire Mk.XVI Mk.XVI Spitfire.
p 68-79 CH11 Spit3B.indd 69 04/02/2015 14:56

Dots from a marker pen are placed on the visible pins that Mr Surface 500 is applied to the pin holes that Pin Holes are filled and sanded back with sandpaper.
need to be filled. need to be filled.
A DAY AT THE OFFICE

Most instructions these days commence
in the cockpit area, and this is where
I would make my start on this build.
I started off with the interior cockpit
fuselage halves, as they have some
injector pins marks in the cockpit area.
Some of these pin-marks are hidden
behind the interior side-framing, but some
are some still visible once these parts
are attached to the fuselage. I started Cockpit Frame detail is excellent, but could be improved by Ah, thats better! A small task can improve the look of
off by dry-fitting the side framing, and by drilling out the lightening holes. a part.
marking the pins with a black marker pen
so that I could determine which marks
would be exposed and would require
filling. I used Mr. Surfacer 500 to fill the
pin marks, and repeated this process
several times as the filler shrank after it
dried. Once the pin marks were fully filled,
I used a Hasegawa Micro Mark Chisel
and scraped the Mr. Surfacer until it was
nearly flush with the plastic. I finished Added cockpit detail, done using various grades of wire The copper wire was purchased from an electrical store.
the surface by sanding it with 1000 and and Barracuda’s Cockpit Upgrade set.
1500 grit sandpaper. I deviated from
the instructions here and attached the
cockpit sidewalls to the fuselage halves
using Tamiya Extra Fine cement. The
main reason I chose this route instead of
following the instructions was to facilitate
the addition of details. Tamiya’s cockpit
detail is fantastic straight from the box
and would please 99% of the modellers
out there, but I chose to add extra wiring
and hydraulic lines that were omitted
from the cockpit area. I used 0.3 mm
copper wire that I sourced from a local
electrical supply store and fine wire that
I stripped from a one of my son's broken
radio-controlled toys. After referring to all
the reference photos that I had of Mk. IX
and XVI cockpits, the wiring ran slightly
different on each airframe, which gave me
a bit of freedom. Using a 0.3 mm drill bit Cockpit parts ready to be painted.
in a pin vise, I drilled small holes at each
end point where the wire was attached to
the cockpit parts. Then the wire was bent Roy Sutherland from Barracuda Studios that will receive this excellent addition in
into the desired shapes and attached announced that he was releasing a new the future.
with CA/Superglue at each end. This was sidewall that will feature all this detail that I Before I started the painting process, the
a lengthy process but the results were just added! To make matters worse, there cockpit received a few extra aftermarket
worth it. Unfortunately for me, once I had was a sample in the mail for me... oh well! items from Barracuda Studios’ Cockpit
completed the wiring in the cockpit area, I have a Mk. IX that is sitting in the stash Upgrade set and Padded Seat, and
p 68-79 CH11 Spit3B.indd 70 04/02/2015 14:56

RE Mk.XVIe. KIT NO. 60321
Eduard’s Late Interior Mk. IX sets.
Since Mk. IX and Mk. XVI aircraft were
manufactured on the same production
lines, there are a few items in Eduard’s
Late Interior set that are applicable to the
Mk. XVI kit. The nickel-plated photo-etched
parts that required painting were glued into
place with CA/Superglue prior to painting.
The cockpit then received a coat of Gunze
Mr Color H312 Interior Green and Mr.
Color Super Metallic SM01 , thinned to a
40/60 ratio with PPG Two-way thinners that
I purchased through my local automotive The extra aftermarket items included Barracuda Studios’ I attached the pre-coloured photo-etched parts then sprayed
Cockpit Upgrade set and Padded Seat, and Eduard’s Late a gloss coat of Tamiya X-22 Clear to prep the cockpit area for
body shop. I have read/heard many Interior Mk. IX sets. decals.
people stating that the Mr. Color lacquer
paints can only successfully be thinned The instrument
panel looks great.
with Mr. Color thinner. I have found that this
is not the case, and PPG thinners that I I used the Eduard
currently use does a fantastic job. Late seat harness for
Details in the cockpit and hydraulic line the Spitfire Mk.IX.
were picked out with a fine brush and
Tamiya and Citadel acrylic colours.
I attached the pre-coloured photo-etched
parts then sprayed a gloss coat of
Tamiya X-22 Clear to prep the cockpit
area for decals. Once the clear was dry,
the Barracuda Placards from the cockpit
upgrade set were added. Most of these
of these are two-part decals that went The cockpit received a coat of Gunze
Mr Color H312 Interior Green and
down beautifully and caused no troubles Mr. Color Super Metallic SM01
at all. I suspected this was to be the case,
as they are printed by Cartograf in Italy,
The Barracuda seat was painted with Tamiya XF-9 Hull Red.
a company noted for high-quality decals.
To finish off the cockpit, the Barracuda
seat was painted with Tamiya XF-9 Hull
Red to achieve the red-brown seat found
on most Spitfires. The seat padding was
finished with Tamiya XF-64 Red Brown
and weathered down with Tamiya XF-57
Buff to achieve a worn look. Then the
seat received a black oil wash mixed with
brown and thinned with mineral turpentine
to tone the colours together. Before the
seat and framing assembly was attached
to the rest of the cockpit, I attached the
seat harness seat back. I opted to ditch
the photo-etched harness from Tamiya
straight away, as I had problems getting
it sit nicely on a Mk. VIII kit that I built
Details in the cockpit and hydraulic line were picked out I applied an oil wash of Burnt Umber and Raw Umber mixed A coat of Testor’s Dullcote to tone down the shine.
with a fine brush and Tamiya and Citadel acrylic colours. together.
Placard decals from the Barracuda cockpit upgrade set
were added.
p 68-79 CH11 Spit3B.indd 71 04/02/2015 14:56

previously. I addressed that challenge
by fitting a replacement harness from
Eduard. I used the Eduard Late seat
harness for the Spitfire Mk.IX, as it seems
right for the time period for this airframe. I
found that this harness had colour printing
only on one side of the harness, and once
it was fitted into place it had an unwanted
silver side facing out! To solve this small
problem, I decided to cut the harness off
at the point as it hung over the rail (part
MM8), then I just flipped over the harness.
The cut line is hidden by the rail, and my
problem was solved!
Before I closed up the fuselage halves
to encase the cockpit assembly forever, I
applied an oil wash of Burnt Umber and
Raw Umber mixed together, and a coat of
Testor's Dullcote to tone down the shine.
Tamiya has done a wonderful job
Subtle paint chipping was done with a with the cockpit, even without any
Faber Castell Silver pencil on the flat coat further enhancements.
once it dried.
Scratches were made using a silver pencil and applied in area of the cockpit to show wear. Kristal Klear is applied to the clear faces of each instrument face.
THAT SMOOTH BODY

The fuselage halves were mated up and
glued together with Tamiya Extra Fine
Liquid Cement.
The tooling of this kit is outstanding,
From here, everything clicks into place
beautifully when the parts are dry fitted.
Glue was applied to set everything in
place, and no filler was required on any
of the seams once it had dried, except
for a couple of small areas that I failed to
clean up properly. I planned to correct this
oversight later on in the build once the
wings, horizontal tail stabilisers and rudder
were fitted. The horizontal tail stabilisers
and rudder were built up as per Tamiya’s
instructions with the photo-etched parts
to make them moveable. Moveable
control surfaces are a nice addition to
include in any kit, as it gives modellers
the opportunity to change them when they
see fit, and no major surgery is required to
adjust them from the natural position that Control surfaces were glued into position to prevent
some companies tool on their parts. Once parts moving and getting damaged in the future.
p 68-79 CH11 Spit3B.indd 72 04/02/2015 14:56

these parts were attached, I referred to a
photo of the aircraft that I was modelling
and positioned the rudder and elevators
according to the photo. I glued them into
place with Tamiya extra fine cement.
The wings were next parts to be built.
Initially, I decided to leave the bomb racks
off, as the time period of this aircraft
was just after Germany surrendered,
and I thought these racks would not be
installed. But then I found a larger, clearer
version of a photo that I already had and
it clearly shows them fitted. Tamiya’s
instructions call for holes to be
drilled in the lower wings halves for
the bomb racks. Of course, I didn’t
do this before sandwiching the
wheel wells together in the wing
halves. I quickly raided my stash
and borrowed the lower wing half
from my unbuilt Mk.IXc kit. The CA/super glue is applied to Mr Surfacer 500 is sprayed on to show any
lower wing section mated up to areas that need filling. flaws that I may missed during construction.
the other lower wing that was
fitted to the fuselage and the holes The area is sanded
were marked out and drilled. Here smooth, and damaged
rivet detail was replaced
I deviated from the instructions with small pin.
again, as the next step was to add
the tailwheel and landing gear. I
always leave these off until the end
of the build as I inevitably damage Panel and rivet lines
them. Once everything was dry are pre-shaded prior
to painting.
and set into place, the exterior
received a coat of Mr. Surfacer 1200
thinned down to a 40/60 ratio with PPG
Two-Way thinner. After the Mr. Surfacer
dried, which didn’t take much time at all,
I noticed a couple more
areas I neglected
to clean up.
These areas were Pre-shading looks
filled with CA/ messy but the dark
Superglue and once lines are toned down
once the top colours
dried were sanded are applied.
with various grits of
paper and buffed to
smooth finish with an old
piece of 2000 grit sandpaper.
The re-worked areas were
primed again to ensure I hadn’t The pre-shaded coat may
still be glimpsed under the
missed anything. At this stage camouflage colour.
I attached the front windscreen in
place with Tamiya extra thin cement and
masked the clear parts with the sheet that
Tamiya provides in the kit. This was also
done with the rear part of the canopy. The
rear section of the canopy was then fit
into place with Blue Tack, as this would
provide protection for the cockpit during
painting at later stages. I used Krystal
Klear to glue the kit’s cockpit door in
place to aid in protecting the cockpit area.
This is only temporary, as I plan to display
the door in the open position.
p 68-79 CH11 Spit3B.indd 73 04/02/2015 14:56

CHAPTER 10 TAMIYA 1:32 SUPERMARINE SPITFIRE M
Mk
Small sink marks in the

propeller blades were
filled with Tamiya Basic
Putty and sanded smooth.
Blu Tack was rolled into long

snakes to mask the lines required
for the camouflage.
THE ROAR OF THE MERLIN

One of the highlights of this kit, as well
as Tamiya’s previous releases, is the
fantastic-looking Rolls-Royce Merlin
engine. The same base parts for the
The landing gear in painting
Merlin are include in this kit, but newly process. Barracuda resin
tooled components are included to build wheels where used and
hubs were masked off with
it as the Packard Merlin that is required Tamiya tape.
for the Mk.XVI version. These components
were assembled as per Tamiya’s
instructions. Once the engine is built and
fit into place, it is a very nice display piece
when you leave the engine cowls off the
completed model. I decided that I would
Cabling detail was applied to the
include a little more detail in this area with engine with various sized wire.
the addition of the wiring and plumbing. I
found that working in three stages would
be the easiest to add this extra detail.
Stage 1 would be things that were only
attached to places on the engine, Stage
2 would be the engine bulkhead in the
engine bay and the final stage would be
items that attached to the both the engine,
the bulkhead and/or engine cradle.
After referring to lots of photos in Spark plugs were
reference books and photos on the removed from a spare
Internet, I have a fair idea of lines/wiring rotary engine of Wingnut
Wings’ Sopwith Pup Kit.
that I was going to add to enhance this
area. I eventually had to draw a line with
some things. I could easily spend a few
days adding everything required in that
area, but my main goal was to make
the engine bay look like an engine bay.
Starting with the engine block, I used the
same variety of wiring that I used in the
cockpit area. With the ignition lines/pipes I
used .9 mm copper pipe and fed 0.8 mm
wire through the pipe and .4 mm copper
wire for the leads going to the spark
plugs. The cylinder blocks do not feature
any spark plug detail, so I cut off the
spark plugs from a rotary engine cylinder
p 68-79 CH11 Spit3B.indd 74 04/02/2015 14:56

RE M
Mk.XVIe.
k.XVI
.XVIee. KIT NO. 60321
The rear engine bulkhead

is painted and weathered,
which makes this area
look much busier.
Engine cradle awaiting fitment
of the finished engine.
Missing pipe lines

were added using
reference photos.
that is included in a Wingnut Wings Tamiya colours. These components were straight from the bottle to paint each stack.
Sopwith Pup kit, as these were the perfect sprayed with Tamiya X-22 Clear to protect Once it dried, it provided a nice flat finish to
size for what I needed. everything from the oil wash that was adhere weathering pigments. Natural Black
Once I was happy with the look of the going to be applied later in the process. and Faded Panzer Grey Warpigs pigments
wiring on the engine it received a coat of With this area being a hard working area I were mixed together to get a sooty-looking
Mr. Color Black and then was dry-brushed used black oil wash and applied it heavily colour and were brushed over each
with Tamiya XF-54 Dark Sea Gray to bring in the corners of the parts. The wash was exhaust stack. Each received a coat of
out the details. The ignition wiring was toned down by rubbing a Q-tip cotton Testors Dullcote to seal the pigments in
painted with Tamiya XF-57 Buff and then a swab over the parts to get the weathered before they were handled again.
black oil wash was applied to get the look look I was seeking. This was sealed with a
of the material that is used for the wiring coat of Testor's Dullcote Lacquer. All the MARKINGS ISSUES
sleeve. The same method for the wiring painted components were glued together Tamiya includes markings for a 485 (NZ)
was applied for the engine bulkhead and the final wiring and plumbing was Squadron Mk.XVIe machine within the
and engine cradle. The only area I held added and painted. box, which was piloted by Warrant Officer
in doubt was the starboard side of the The exhaust stacks were cleaned up Murray J. C. Lind, at Fassberg, Germany,
engine bulkhead, as none of my reference after removing them from the sprue. 1945. The aircraft carries his personal
books or photos clearly showed where I drilled a .5 mm hole just under the marking of “Rongotea”, which is a small
all the lines went. The engine cradle, mounting tab and pushed a cocktail stick farming district outside of Palmerston
framing and bulkhead were painted with into the hole to make things easier to North on the North Island of New Zealand
Mr Color H312 Interior Green and the handle during the painting and weathering where Murray came from, and a black and
rest of the details were picked out using process. Tamiya XF-9 Hull Red was used white shield containing the letters "NZ" and
the Silver Fern. This emblem was used on
several No. 485 (NZ) Squadron Spitfires,
which was copied from the logo of a tin of
Silver Fern tobacco, a popular kiwi brand
with the New Zealand pilots during the
war. This was my choice for this model.
Before I start any build, I always look
into the history of the aircraft and the pilot.
I found a couple items that didn’t seem to
match up to the profile art in the Tamiya
kit and couple of other profiles that have
been published. During my research, I
was lucky and was able to contact Murray
Lind’s son, Alan, who was happy to pass
on information on his father’s Spitfire
to me. The first thing that came to my
The engine was painted attention was the serial number of TB625.
overall Mr Color Black.
The only known photo of “Rongotea”
showing a serial is from the port side,
Each exhaust stack which is partly painted over and is not
is attached to a
toothpick to make fully visible. All profiles that have been
The finished
handing easier.
result after
published to date have used this serial
The white spinner removing the number. I was able to ascertain that this
stripe has been masking tape - Mk.XVI was transferred from 74 Squadron
masked off prior to so much better
coat of black paint. than a decal. during May 1945 along with another
Mk.XVI with serial number TB675. Looking
p 68-79 CH11 Spit3B.indd 75 04/02/2015 14:57

CHAPTER 10 Tamiya 1:32 Supermarine Spitfire Mk
Paint masks are applied to fuselage. The white part of the roundel has been sprayed. An oversized masked dot has been applied to protect the
inner parts of the roundel, and the blue area of the mask
has been removed.
Mr Color C326 Blue (FS15044) is sprayed from the bottle. The paint mask is reapplied over the blue area prior to Final stages of painting the roundel.
the yellow.
at a very high resolution scan of the

photo, the serial could have been TB675
or TB625. At this stage I had not made
contact with Alan Lind, Murray’s son.
When I did, he confirmed my findings, as
his father’s logbook states that it was in
fact TB675 that he flew!
The other item that I found that didn’t
seem right was the spinner. In From
D-Day to Victory! Fighters in Europe
1944-45 – by Malcolm Laird, Ventura
Publications, the profile art depicts the
spinner painted red with a white band.
Lifelike decal sheet #32-011, Supermarine
Spitfire Mk.XVIe Part 2, shows the spinner
is again Red, but this time a Sky band.
I believe both are incorrect, as Fighter
Command issued orders in early January The roundel mask is removed. A couple of small touch ups are required, which may be done with a fine brush.
1945 to paint spinners black instead of
Sky. I found more evidence in a photo of
another 485 Squadron Mk.XVI Spitfire that the decal sheet supplied with the kit. The only started using these paints in the last
shows a black spinner on the aircraft. Alan last small detail was the “Rongotea” decal 18 months, and the results I’ve achieved
Lind provided a photo of TB675 during on the Tamiya sheet. For some reason are fantastic. The paint dries quickly and
its time with 74 Squadron (coded 4D-V), Tamiya depicted a black outline around gives a smooth even finish.
and this photo also shows it with a black the lettering on the decal. Unfortunately, I started the painting process with the
spinner. So my logical conclusion is that this is incorrect, as there is a fantastic underside colour, Mr. Color C363 Medium
the spinner was indeed black with a white close-up photo of this area which clearly Seagray. After the lower colour was dry,
band, as these colours are the national shows no outline. Lifelike Decals sheet the camouflage demarcation line was
colours for New Zealand and would be has the correct artwork for “Rongotea” on masked off with 6mm Tamiya tape and
most fitting for a Kiwi pilot and his Spitfire. their sheet. masked off with an paper mask to prevent
The other two small details that I any over spray from landing on the freshly-
questioned was the shield underneath Painting painted lower surface. The complete
the prop, and again the colour question With the marking questions answered, upper surface received its first colour of
arises... Red or Black? I chose the black I moved along with the part that I enjoy C362 Ocean Gray sprayed through a
option as it matches the colour of the most during building - painting and Tamiya HG-III airbrush. Once the Ocean
spinner in the photo of Murray Lind weathering. This is where the model start Gray was dry, I rolled out Blue Tack
standing in front of his Spitfire. Luckily, to come to life. My chosen brand for this snakes to mask off the camouflage lines.
Tamiya provides both colour options on task is Mr. Color Lacquers range. I have Using the paint guide, I tacked the blue
p 68-79 CH11 Spit3B.indd 76 04/02/2015 14:57

All the paint masks are
finally removed and reveal
the fresh markings.
tack snakes on the required surfaces and The same method was used for the
Wing walk lines were masked off with Tamiya tape and
masked off the gray areas with 3M 40mm code letters on the fuselage, and Mr. Color sprayed.
masking tape those areas that needed C368 Sky was used for the OU letters and
protection from C364 Gray Green. C62 Flat White was used for the V. The
Just recently, I started using paint next task I had to tackle was the painting
masks for markings. This gives the of the roundels on wings and fuselage
painted-on look better than decals. Funny and the fin flash on the tail. These were
that! In the early stages of the build I multi-part masks, so each part that was
contacted the team at Miracle Masks removed had to be kept for the next stage
(http://www.freewebs.com/miraclemasks/) in the process. The first step was to paint
to produce the mask set required for my the centre of each roundel white. I did this
build. I supplied photos that I had and while I was painting the code letter V to
a scan of the decal sheet to help them save time and paint. Each mask was then
with the process and advised them that I reapplied to protect the colour that was Exhaust stains were achieved by applying Soot from the
was working to a deadline, and they were just sprayed. I used Mr. Color C326 Blue, Tamiya Weathering Master set.
more than happy to oblige. Approximately (FS15044) and C329 Yellow (FS13538)
eight days later, I had a set of masks in straight from the bottle, but the C327 Red dried, the masks were removed.
my hand, well before I required them for (FS11136) that I decided use was a tad A couple of small areas required
the painting stage! too bright from the bottle. So three or four touch ups, and this was done with the
After reading the instructions provided drops of black were added to my airbrush relevant colour, a fine tip brush, and a
with the masks, I started applying the cup to darken the red. Once everything very steady hand.
masks to the model. I decided that the
easiest way was to apply all the mask to
the model, and work my way around the
model starting with the masks that needed
the fewest colours to complete. I started
with the serial numbers on the fuselage,
and the outside of the paint masks were
masked off with 18mm Tamiya Tape.
With low air pressure running through my
airbrush, I slowly started to mist on small
coats of Mr Color C2 Gloss Black over the
mask for the serial number. The main trick
with using a paint mask is to slowly mist
on the paint over the area and slowly build
up the colour. You don’t want to flood
the area with a thick coat of paint. Most
masking materials are very thin, around
80 microns thick, and if you apply a heavy
coat of paint you’ll end up with a raised
ridge of paint around the outline of the
mask after its removed. Stains and streaking were achieved by using oil paint washes.
p 68-79 CH11 Spit3B.indd 77 04/02/2015 14:56

FINISHING AND WEATHERING red option. The decals settled down nicely each blade. To finish off the propeller, the
After the paint cured overnight, I started without any setting solution, but I did apply spinner was sprayed with C62 Flat White
to apply the decals. Most of the colours a small amount of heat to the decal with and the middle stripe was masked off with
in the Mr Color range are semi-gloss or a hairdryer on a low setting and rolled a Aizu 1mm Mircon Masking Tape.
gloss, so the surface is normally smooth Q-tip with a small amount of pressure over The landing gear was assembled
enough to apply decals without adding the decal to get it to conform around the according to the instructions, but the vinyl
an additional gloss coat. This was a quick surface where it was placed. tires supplied with the kit were replaced with
task, as there were only a few stencils on Prior to weathering, all the small BarracudaCast four spoke resin wheels.
the underside that I applied. The couple of components needed to be finished and Once the landing gear was attached,
the close up photos I had of “Rongotea” attached to the model. everything was glued into place, as I had no
didn’t show any signs of stencils on Propeller blades were sprayed with Mr. plans to display it with the gear up.
the upper surfaces. This aircraft had Surfacer 1200, which revealed a sink mark Before weathering, the entire model was
previously been in the hands of four other at the base of each blade. These were sprayed with Mr. Color C181 Super Semi-
squadrons prior its arrival at 485, and filled with Tamiya Basic Putty and sanded Gloss Clear to seal in the decals that were
would have been repainted and touched to a smooth finish and Mr. Surfacer was applied earlier. A wash was mixed up with
up a few times. re-sprayed to confirm that it was filled Raw Umber and Burnt Umber oil paints
I decided to use the decals from the sufficiently. The tip of each blade was and Mineral Turpentine. This mixture was
Lifelike sheet for Murray’s personal painted with Mr. Colour C329 Yellow then brushed on with a wide brush and left on
markings on the side of the fuselage, as masked off with 6mm Tamiya Tape prior the surface for 10-15 minutes until it was
they are more accurate than the ones that to being sprayed with Mr. Color C2 Black. semi-dry, and was wiped off with a paper
Tamiya supplied on their sheet. I used the My next step was to tone down the gloss towel in the direction of airflow.
black option from the Tamiya sheet for finish on the blades, so I used Testor's Looking at a few period photographs,
the shield underneath the propeller on the Dullcote Lacquer and then a Faber all the different marks of Spitfires seem
lower front cowl, as Lifelike only supply the Castell Silver pencil to apply chipping to to have dirty streaking in the centre of the
Glue was applied to set

everything in place, and no
filler was required on any of the
seams once it had dried...
p 68-79 CH11 Spit3B.indd 78 04/02/2015 14:57

wing going down the fuselage. This effect undercuts on parts. Unfortunately this
was achieved by applying a small amount
of oil paint directly from the tube to the
process usually leaves a faint mould line.
On most parts, this line is easy to remove
MODELSPEC
underside of the model, and then running and cover with a coat of paint but this Accessories Used:
a brush dipped in Mineral Turpentine can be a tricky task on clear parts. To Barracuda Studios - Spitfire Seat
along the area where the streaking was remove this line on the rear section of with Leather Backpad (BCR32001);
required. This was repeated in areas the canopy I used a 7-sided nail buffer Spitfire Cockpit Door with Separate
that would catch dirt and grime. Sand that I liberated from my wife’s cosmetics Crowbar (BR32002); Cockpit
and Soot pigments were used from the draw in the bathroom! Working through Upgrade set (BCR32003); Spitfire
4-Slot Main Wheels (BR32006)
Tamiya Weathering Master A and B sets the different sides of the buffer, the line
Miracle Mask – Custom made paint
for exhausts stains, and Soot was applied was slowly polished out of the clear part. masks
around the shell casing chutes. Once complete, I used Tamiya polishing Eduard - Late Interior Mk. IX Set
Testor’s Dullcote Lacquer was sprayed compound to remove the small amount of (ED32670), Eduard Spitfire Mk.IX
to seal in the weathering, protecting it from the fogging left over from buffing the line Late seat harness (ED32667)
future handling. out. With the model nearly complete, the
Chipping the paintwork around the only part to attach was the cockpit door. I Tools and Materials Used:
airframe was done using the silver pencil that opted to use the replacement door from
Tamiya Extra Fine Cement, Tamiya
Basic Putty, Copper Wire, Fine
I used earlier on the propeller blades. The Barracuda as the detail is fantastic, and Electrical Wire, Hot Stuff Super T
only task preventing me from completing the the crowbar is cast separately and simply Super Glue, Stretched Sprue, Tamiya
build was removing the mould-line from the clips into place. The door was painted HG-III Airbrush, 7 Sided Nail Buffer,
rear canopy part and attaching the cockpit and weathered with the same colours that Tamiya Compound,
door in an open position. were used on the cockpit, and the crowbar Aizu 1mm and 3mm Mircon Masking
With modern tooling technology, was painted with Citadel Mithril Silver and Tape, Wave Brass Pipe 1.1mm, Mirco
manufacturers are able to achieve attached in place using Super T super glue. Kristal Klear, Hasagawa Tritool Chisel,
Hasegawa Punch 1mm and 1.5mm,
Blue Tack, 3M 40mm Masking Tape
Paints and Finishing Products Used:

Tamiya Acrylic Paints – X-7 Red, X-18
Semi Gloss Black, X-22 Clear, X-25
Clear Green, X-27 Clear Red, XF-9
Hull Red, XF-24 Dark Gray, XF-52
Flat Earth, XF-64 Red Brown, XF-69
Nato Black.
Mr Color Lacquer – C2 Gloss Black,
C62 Flat White, C181 Super Semi-
Gloss Clear, C326 Blue FS15044,
C327 Red FS11136, C329 Yellow
FS13538, C361 Dark Green BS641,
C362 Ocean Gray, C363 Medium
Seagray, C364 Gray Green BS283,
C368 Sky.
Mr Hobby Super Metallic Range –
SM01 Super Fine Silver, SM03 Super
Iron, SM05 Super Titanium.
Citadel Mithril Silver, Burnished Gold
Maries Oil Paint – 687 Burnt Umber,
688 Raw Umber, 793 Black
Faber Castell Silver pencil
Testors Dullcote Lacquer
Isopropyl Alcohol
PPG Two Way Thinners
Mineral Turpentine
References:
From D-Day to Victory! Fighters in
Europe 1944-45 – by Malcolm Laird,
Ventura Publictions
No.485 (N.Z) Squadron 1941-1945
Spitfire – by Paul Sortehaug & Phil
Listemann
Murray Lind’s Flight Log Book.
Acknowledgements:
Thanks to Alan Lind, for the informa-
tion and photos of his father’s aircraft
provided to me.
p 68-79 CH11 Spit3B.indd 79 04/02/2015 14:57

APPENDIX References, ACCESSORIES & DECALS
References
The Spitfire Mk.VIII, Mk.IX and XVI in Print
n ‘Spitfire: The Canadians’ n ‘Czechoslovak Spitfires in Detail’
Bracken Rajlich:
(Stoddart / Boston Mills Press [Canada], 1995; 160 pages) (History Profile series, No. 2; Wings & Wheels Publications [Czech
Republic], 2002; in Czech and English; 48 pages)
n ‘The Supermarine Spitfire — Part 1: Merlin-Powered’
Humphreys n ‘Spitfire in Action’
(Modellers Datafile series, No. 3; SAM Publications [UK], 2000; Scutts
184 pages) (Aircraft in Action series, No. 39; Squadron/Signal [USA], 1980;
58 pages)
n ‘Spitfire LF.Mk.IX in Detail’
Koran, Danda, Martinek and Khol n ‘Spitfire in Blue’
(Special Museum Line series, No. 26; Wings & Wheels Smallwood
Publications [Czech Republic], 2002; in English; 153 pages) (Osprey [UK], 1996; 158 pages)
n ‘Spitfire IX & XVI of Polish Airmen, Vol. I’ n ‘Dutch Spitfires: A Technical Study’
Matusiak van der Meer and Melchers
(Wojny - Bitwy - Kampanie series, No. 3; Mirage Hobby [Poland], (Repro Holland [Netherlands], 1988; in Dutch and English;
2002; in Polish and English; 96 pages) 116 pages)
n ‘Spitfire Mk. IX & XVI Engineered’ n ‘Vickers-Supermarine Spitfire Mk.VI-XVI’
Monforton: Yamada and Ohasato
(Monforton Press [Canada], 2007; 423 pages) (Aero Detail series, No. 27; Dai-Nippon Kaiga Co., Ltd. [Japan],
2000; in Japanese and English; 84 pages)
n ‘Spitfire: The History’
Morgan and Shacklady n ‘Spitfire - Star of Israel’
(Key Publishing [UK], 1987; 634 pages) Yofe
(Classic Warbirds series, No. 1; Ventura [New Zealand], 1996;
n ‘Spitfires and Polished Metal: Restoring the Classic 48 pages)
Fighter’: Moss and McKee
(MBI [USA], 1999; 144 pages)
ACCESSORIES AND DECALS

FOR TAMIYA’S 1:32 SPITFIRES
After-market companies have been quick to launch
an interesting selection of accessories and decals for
Tamiya’s 1:32 scale Spitfire Mk.IXc, VIII & XVIe kits.
T
amiya’s 1:32 scale Spitfires are pensive accessory that represents a big photo-etched accessories for the interior
undoubtedly beautiful kits, but improvement over the kit part. The separate and exterior of Tamiya’s Spitfires, in both
there is always room for some pinch bar is a nice touch. early and late production configurations. In
more detailing and customisation. Barracuda Studios’ also offers subtly my opinion, the self-adhesive interior sets,
The most ambitious accessory released weighted resin replacement wheels with their precisely pre-painted instrument
was a conversion to the low-back bubble- (choice of four or five slot) for those panels, are a wonderful boost to the kit’s
top Spitfire Mk.IX or Mk.XVI. This is a resin who do not like vinyl tyres, wide upper gorgeous cockpit.
conversion from Alley Cat that provides new gun blisters with a more conventional There is no shortage of marking options
fuselage halves, E Wing blisters and a new rounded shape at the front, and an excel- either. Whether you are building a Mk.VII,
clear resin bubble top canopy. Of course, lent cockpit upgrade set that includes VIII, IX, XVIe or even low back conversions
this has been made redundant since placard decals. A new pilot’s seat with the or a Mk.XIV, you will find a good selection
Tamiya’s subsequent Mk.XVIe release. cushioned backrest moulded in place is of screen printed and ALPS markings, as
Roy Sutherland’s Barracuda Studios has another upgrade worthy of consideration. well as masks.
been quick to produce a number of update Replacement wheels are available from The lists of available accessories
sets, some of which have been used in the MasterCasters and True Details too. and decals on these pages may not be
Spitfire VII and VIII builds in this book. The The prolific Eduard from the Czech exhaustive, but they will give you a good
replacement pilot’s entry door is an inex- Republic has released a good selection of idea of what is currently available.
80 Appendix - References, Accessories & Decals
p 80-82 Appendix Spit3B.indd 80 04/02/2015 14:59

ACCESSORIES FOR TAMIYA 1:32 SCALE SPITFIRE VIII, IX & XVIe
Brand Item No. Description
Alley Cat AC32010C Spitfire Mk.IX and XVI Bubbletop Conversion
Barracuda Studios BCR32001 Seat with padded backrest
Barracuda Studios BCR32002 Cockpit entry door with separate crowbar
Barracuda Studios BCR32003 Cockpit upgrade set
Barracuda Studios BCR32004 Merlin engine rocker covers with Rolls-Royce
logos
Barracuda Studios BCR32005 Main wheels - five slot Eduard has a big range of photo-etched accessories and masks for
Tamiya’s Spitfire kits.
Barracuda Studios BCR32006 Main wheels - four slot
Barracuda Studios BCR32007 Wide upper wing gun blisters (rounded at the
front)
Barracuda Studios BCR32008 Starboard sidewall with plumbing
Barracuda Studios BCR32009 Australian treaded tyres
Eduard EBIG3283 Big Ed set for early version Spitfire Mk.IX,
including photo-etch for interior and exterior
plus masks
Eduard EBIG3286 Big Ed set for late version Spitfire Mk.IX, BarracudaCast’s range of Spitfire accessories.
including photo-etch for interior and exterior
plus masks
Eduard ED32246 Supermarine Spitfire Mk.IX landing flaps
Eduard ED32249 Supermarine Spitfire Mk.IX exterior
Eduard ED32666 Supermarine Spitfire Mk.IX early interior (self
adhesive)
Eduard ED32667 Supermarine Spitfire Mk.IX late seatbelts
Eduard ED32669 Supermarine Spitfire Mk.IX early seatbelts Some of the contents from Barracuda Studios cockpit update set,
including placard decals.
Eduard ED32670 Supermarine Spitfire Mk.IX late interior
Eduard ED33064 Supermarine Spitfire Mk.IX late interior
Eduard ED33066 Supermarine Spitfire Mk.IX early interior (self
adhesive)
Eduard EDJX103 Supermarine Spitfire Mk.IX
G-factor GFAC3212 Supermarine Spitfire Mk.IX Undercarriage legs
Above: Four-slot weighted wheels
Master Model MR32016 Supermarine Spitfire C wing - Hispano 20mm from Barracuda.
cannons in fairings Top Right: Barracuda’s replacement
seat includes the frequently-fitted
Master Model MR32018 Supermarine Spitfire B wing - Hispano 20mm padded backrest cast in place.
Right: This resin pilot’s entry door
cannons in fairings from Barracuda Studios will have a
big impact on this highly visible area.
Master Model MR32019 Supermarine Spitfire E wing early - Hispano
20mm & .50cal in fairings
Master Model MR32020 Supermarine Spitfire E wing late - Hispano
20mm & .50cal in fairings
Mastercasters MST32050 Supermarine Spitfire 20mm Cannon Barrels
Mastercasters MST32053 Supermarine Spitfire Mk.IX 4 spoke weighted
wheels The Alley Cat resin parts include Master Model offers a good
new fuselage halves. selection of C and E wing
Mastercasters MST32054 Supermarine Spitfire Mk.IX 5 spoke weighted armament.
wheels
True Details TD32007 Supermarine Spitfire Mk.I/IX main wheels

APPENDIX References, ACCESSORIES & DECALS
DECALS FOR TAMIYA 1:32 SCALE SPITFIRE VIII AND IX

Brand Item No. Description
Aero Imageworks A013201 Pacific Spitfires “Caldwell”. Spitfire Mk.VIII, CR-C A58-484
Aero Imageworks A013202 Pacific Spitfires “Shark Attack”. Spitfire Mk.VIII, ZP-Y A58-672
Aero Imageworks A013203 Pacific Spitfires “Shark Attack”. Spitfire Mk.VIII, ZP-Q A58-672
Aero Imageworks C013201 “Ramrod” Part One. Spitfire Mk.IX and XVI from 453 Sqn. RAAF.
Aero Imageworks C013202 “Ramrod” Part Two. Spitfire Mk.IX from 453 Sqn. RAAF.
Aussie Decals A32048 Australian Spitfire Mk.VIII (Four options – ALPS printed sheet)
BarracudaCals BC32004 Supermarine Spitfire Mk.IX Series Pt. 1 (4) HF Mk. VII MD111 NX-Q 131 Sqn RAF Culmhead Med Sea Grey/PRU
Blue 1944; MB820 ON-E 124 Sqn RAF Northolt 1943; FR.IX MK716/X 16 Sqn Overall PRU Pink 1944; MB883
VZ-B 412 Sqn RCAF Fl.Lt Buzz Beurling RAF Biggin Hill 1944
BarracudaCals BC32008 Supermarine Spitfire Mk.VIII Pt. 1 (4)
Berna Decals BER32006 Supermarine Spitfire LF Mk.IX (3 d,corations)
Kit at War DDK3203 Supermarine Spitfire/Mustang (4) Spit Mk IX MJ238/X 73 Sqn Malta 1946; RB185 FT-C 43 Sqn Austria
1946; MA454 UM-V 152 Sqn Italy 1942; Mustang Mk 4 KM272 QV-V 19 Sqn RAF Acklington F/Lt A.S.Doley
`Dooleybird’.
EagleCals EC32114 Supermarine Spitfire Mk.IX (3) MA585 KH-B 403 Sqn RCAF P/O Buzz Beurling; EN354 WD-W 52nd FG Lt
Leonard V. Helton N.Africa camouflage; MH454 FU-N 453 Sqn RAAF F/O J.Boulton Full D-Day stripes
EagleCals EC32115 Supermarine Spitfire Mk.IX (3) BS104 YO-R 401 Sqn RCAF F/O T.K.Ibbotson Nose art 1942; MK636 2I-E 443
Sqn RCAF S/L Wally McLeod Full D-Day stripes; EN459 ZX-1 145 Sqn RAF Polish Fighting Team N.Africa camo
EagleCals EC32116 Supermarine Spitfire Mk.IX (3) BS152 AE-W 402 Sqn RCAF S/L L.M.Cameron; MK826 GC-K 412 Sqn RCAF W/C
George Keefer; EN398 AE-B 402 Sqn RCAF Ian Keltie. All 1943
Montex Mask MM32105 Supermarine Spitfire Mk.IXc (Masks to replace kit decal options)
Montex Mask K32174 Supermarine Spitfire Mk.IXc (2)
Montex Mask K32181 Supermarine Spitfire Mk. VIII (2)
PT Decal PT3201 French Miscellany (7) Supermarine Spitfire Mk.IXc (3) MJ897 GR 2/33 Savoie `Curieux’ 1945; PL159 U6-V GC
3/3 Corse 1945; BL993/W GCB 2/18 Saintonge 1945. Ju 88A-4 50-AAB-1 EPS 1/81; No 12 GB 131 1945; No 5
Groupe Dor 1944; No 22 AAB-1 1945
Sky’s Decals SD32031 IAF Supermarine Spitfire Mk.IX. D-130 the First Israeli; Velveta I and Velveta II and other aircraft from The First
Fighter Sqn, The Scorpion Sqn and 107 Sqn, No 58 Silver Supermarine Spitfire and No 57 Ezer Weizman’s Black
Supermarine Spitfire
SuperScale SS32254 Supermarine Spitfire Mk.IX USAAF 52nd Fighter Group (2)EN354 WD-W ‘Doris Jean II’ 1st Lt Leonard Helton
4th FS, La Sebala, Tunisia 06/1943; EN447 WD-L ‘Kay III’ Lt Victor Cabas, 4th FS 1943. Includes color profiles,
upper plan views, painting reference, stencils and detailed placement guide.
Techmod TM32001 Supermarine Spitfire Mk.Vb (5) RM144 RF-D 303 Polish Sqn 3 versions; W3902 WX-T 302 Polish Sqn; EE781
ZX-A 145 Sqn Desert camouflage.
Techmod TM32019 Supermarine Spitfire Mk.Vb (4) EP594 RF-D 303 Polish Sqn Lt Jan Zumbach 1942; P8742 WX-A 302 Polish Sqn
Lt Glowczynski 1941; AB968 ZF-H 308 Polish Sqn Sgt Schiele 1941; W3207 JH-M 317 Polish Sqn 1943
Tally Ho TM32043 Supermarine Spitfire Mk.IX
Tally Ho TY32010 Post War Czech Supermarine Spitfire Mk.IX (9) SL628/HL; SL654 DU-G 312 Sqn; TE563 NN-O 310 Sqn; TE954
RY-K 313 Sqn; All RAF Manston 1945. SL662 KR-7; TE524 JT-5; TE561 LS-6; MH758 A-717; TE554 A-708. All
based in Czechoslovakia. Double sheet
Victory Productions VP32001 Spitfire – Aces of Empire
Victory Productions VP32004 Supermarine Spitfire Mk.VIII and Supermarine Spitfire Mk.IX
Vingtor VTH32108 Supermarine Spitfire Mk.IXc RAF 132 North Weald Wing (6) EN177 AH-Z or LZ919 AH-T 332 Sqn 1943; MJ462
RAB Wing/Co Rolf Arne Berg; MA225 FN-S or MA756 FN-W 331 Sqn; BS458 KB Wing/Co Kaj Birksted;
Xtradecal X32025 Supermarine Spitfire Mk.IXe/Mk.XVIe (3) RK855 FT-C 43 Sqn Zeltweg Austria Sept 1945; TB890 ZF-M
308(Polish) Sqn Germany 1945, Both with clipped wing tips; PV303 ON-B 124 Sqn RAF Hutton Cranwick 20
June 1945, all with pointed rudders
Zotz ZTZ32033 Supermarine Spitfire Mk.IXs and Supermarine Spitfire Mk.XIV (8) Mk.IXc MK210 `Hello Tolly’ Boscombe Down;
ML214 5J-K 126 Sqn `Muscat/Kay’ S/Ldr John Plagis; ML296 DU-N Flt.Lt Otto Smik; MK227 5 Stormo Italian
Air Force 1946; Georgios Smyrniotopoulos Greek Air Force Pointed fin and clipped tips; Mk.XIVe RB188 DL-K 91
Sqn West Malling Flt.Lt Johnny Johnson;RN133 FF-B 132 Sqn Sqn.Ldr K.L.Charney Hong Kong 1946; RN135
YB-A 17 Sqn ...
82 Appendix - References, Accessories & Decals

The ‘HOW TO BUILD...’ series
Visit www.adhbooks.com
p 83 IBC Spit3.indd 8 04/02/2015 15:00
Tamiya’s 1:32 scale
Supermarine Spitfire is truly a
superb kit in terms of level of
detail, engineering innovation,
fit and presentation...
SPITFIRE Mk.IXc, Mk.VIII

& Mk.XVIe
Although initially conceived as a stop-gap measure,
the Spitfire Mk.IX (and the essentially similar
Mk.XVI) eventually became the most numerous of
all Spitfire variants with more than 7,000 delivered
to the RAF, the VVS and other Allied air forces.
Premier Japanese model company Tamiya has

released Spitfire Mk.IXc, Mk.VIII and Mk.XVIe kits
in 1:32 scale. These three kits are simply superb
in terms of detail, engineering innovation, fit
and presentation. In the warm afterglow of their
release, many modellers have declared Tamiya’s
1:32 scale late model Spitfires to be the some of
the best scale model aircraft kits of all time.
This book details the construction of all three kits in

step-by-step illustrated guides, and also suggests
how Tamiya’s kit may be improved and describes
the after market decals and accessories that are
available for these magnificent models.
Published by:
ADH Publishing Ltd., Doolittle Mill, Doolittle Lane, Totternhoe, Bedfordshire, LU6 1QX
Telephone: 44 (0) 1525 222573 • Fax: 44 (0) 1525 222574
Website: www.adhpublishing.com
p 84 OBC Spit3B.indd 1 05/02/2015 14:42

How To Build Tamiya's 1-32 Spitfire

Загружено:

Сведения о документе

Оригинальное название

Авторское право

Доступные форматы

Поделиться этим документом

Поделиться или встроить документ

Параметры публикации

Этот документ был вам полезен?

Это неприемлемый материал?

Авторское право:

Доступные форматы

How To Build Tamiya's 1-32 Spitfire

Загружено:

Авторское право:

Доступные форматы

HOW TO REVISED EDITION INCLUDES THE NEW SPITFIRE Mk.

SPITFIRE Mk.IXc, Mk.VIII and Mk.XVIe

FEATURING THE WORK OF

p 01 Cover Spit3B.indd 1 04/02/2015 14:20

p 02-03 Foreword Spit3B.indd 2 04/02/2015 14:21

Designed by Alex Hall Page 82 References

How to Build... Tamiya’s 1:32 Spitfire Mk.IXc, Mk.VIII & Mk.XVIe 3

p 02-03 Foreword Spit3B.indd 3 04/02/2015 14:21

BACKGROUND YOU TAKE THE HIGH ROAD

p 04-05 Intro Spit3B.indd 4 04/02/2015 14:22

How to Build... Tamiya’s 1:32 Spitfire Mk.IXc, Mk.VIII and Mk.XVIe 5

p 04-05 Intro Spit3B.indd 5 04/02/2015 14:23

LATE MERLIN SPITFIRES

6 Chapter 1 - Late Merlin Spitfires Close-up

p 06-11 CH01 Spit3.indd 6 04/02/2015 14:28

A closer view of the instrument panel.

How to Build... Tamiya’s 1:32 Spitfire Mk.IXc, Mk.VIII and Mk.XVIe 7

p 06-11 CH01 Spit3.indd 7 04/02/2015 14:29

8 Chapter 1 - Late Merlin Spitfires Close-up

p 06-11 CH01 Spit3.indd 8 04/02/2015 14:29

How to Build... Tamiya’s 1:32 Spitfire Mk.IXc, Mk.VIII and Mk.XVIe 9

p 06-11 CH01 Spit3.indd 9 04/02/2015 14:29

The large supercharger intake was common to the Mk.VIII

p 06-11 CH01 Spit3.indd 10 04/02/2015 14:29

Note the different size and location of the E Wing

How to Build... Tamiya’s 1:32 Spitfire Mk.IXc, Mk.VIII and Mk.XVIe 11

p 06-11 CH01 Spit3.indd 11 04/02/2015 14:29

12 Chapter 2 - Spitfire Mk.IXc in Profile

p 12 CH02 Spit3.indd 12 04/02/2015 14:30

TAMIYA’S 1:32 SCALE

How to Build... Tamiya’s 1:32 Spitfire Mk.IXc, Mk.VIII and Mk.XVIe 13

p 13-15 CH03 Spit3.indd 13 04/02/2015 14:33

Decals are well printed. The kit includes self-adhesive

14 Chapter 3 - In the Box

p 13-15 CH03 Spit3.indd 14 04/02/2015 14:33

A standing RAF figure

The seated pilot

How to Build... Tamiya’s 1:32 Spitfire Mk.IXc, Mk.VIII and Mk.XVIe 15

p 13-15 CH03 Spit3.indd 15 04/02/2015 14:33

BUILDING TAMIYA’S 1:32 SCALE

16 Chapter 4 - Step by Step

p 16-31 CH04 Spit3.indd 16 04/02/2015 14:37

The photo-etched frets

The interior of the fuselage

How to Build... Tamiya’s 1:32 Spitfire Mk.IXc, Mk.VIII and Mk.XVIe 17

p 16-31 CH04 Spit3.indd 17 04/02/2015 14:37

I am grateful to Bob Swaddling for many

18 Chapter 4 - Step by Step

p 16-31 CH04 Spit3.indd 18 04/02/2015 14:37

The photo-etched harness straps

How to Build... Tamiya’s 1:32 Spitfire Mk.IXc, Mk.VIII and Mk.XVIe 19

p 16-31 CH04 Spit3.indd 19 04/02/2015 14:38

The Front Office

20 Chapter 4 - Step by Step

p 16-31 CH04 Spit3.indd 20 04/02/2015 14:38

How to Build... Tamiya’s 1:32 Spitfire Mk.IXc, Mk.VIII and Mk.XVIe 21

p 16-31 CH04 Spit3.indd 21 04/02/2015 14:38

and you will use a different shoulder

22 Chapter 4 - Step by Step

p 16-31 CH04 Spit3.indd 22 04/02/2015 14:38

The control surfaces are secured with

How to Build... Tamiya’s 1:32 Spitfire Mk.IXc, Mk.VIII and Mk.XVIe 23

p 16-31 CH04 Spit3.indd 23 04/02/2015 14:38