Airfix Supermarine Spitfire F Mk.IXc 1/24 Scale A17001 Build – Part 3
In this next step of my Airfix 1/24 scale Spitfire build, David will continue construction with the Rolls Royce Merlin Engine and the gun bays housing the 2 20mm Hispano Cannons and 4 .303 inch Machine Guns of this large kit- the Airfix Supermarine Spitfire F – Item 17001
If you choose to build your model with all access hatches closed you have every right to do so and the instructions show you which parts of the engine do have to be assembled for proper construction. If you are like me and prefer to show your work then you can skip to step 136 and begin putting that baby together.
Construction starts with the crankshaft and cylinder valves which form the main body of the power plant and basically you’re just adding on all the additional components such as the crankcase, turbocharger, heating jacket, and air intake. 95 percent of the engine is semi gloss black so you can assemble most of it and paint it all in one go.
Next comes the tubular framework which the engine sits on which is only a few parts to be painted in interior gray green. The part that I thought would be a nightmare; weaving the coolant pipes through the frames, but this actually turned out not bad, I would recommend you paint these brass pipes after they are glued on the frame as painting them first would just result in the paint scratching off as you try and squeeze them in. I want this Spitfire to look quite weathered when complete so I painted the exhaust stacks in several colors including dark gray, chocolate brown and tan to really make those pipes look burnt, but those will be glued to the engine later. Attaching the framework to the firewall was a little tricky and you can’t screw this up or the access panels will never fit on properly, but they did fit in well and I can rest knowing the engine is complete.
Now on to the gun bays, as I stated before in my past articles this kit has some sink marks in inconvenient places including inside the visible section of the gun bays, thus they need to be filled with putty and sanded smooth. Next I assemble the wing spars and wheel wells which act as the skeleton of the wings. The machine guns have flat ends which would ruin the realism so they had to be drilled out with a pin vice improving their look. Like with the engine you can glue the access panels shut which I will do for the port side as I don’t see the need to display both sides. Also one friendly reminder, if you decide to place the landing flaps in the down position later on, remember to glue the flap position indicator up on it’s side facing the fuselage (I personally am not deploying the landing flaps so these will be glued down). I painted the guns Vallejo Model Air NATO Black 71251 as I feel gunmetal is too shiny and the inner structure is to be all silver. After applying some clear coats and metal varnish, the wings are sealed up and attached to the fuselage.
It is by this point when you truly realize just how large this model will be, so start thinking up your valid argument to the wife as to why this needs to be displayed on the wall unit. Join me again for the final part of my build as I will finish up construction, begin painting and applying decals.
David works at our location. He has built scale models since he was 12, specializing largely on military aircraft. He is a makeup artist and background actor for films and TV. He enjoys watching hockey and of course, movies. He has an excellent knowledge of hobby products and if you have questions concerning scale model airplanes.
French