Another Spitfire...Hobbyboss Mk.VB (Trop)

[stona]

It's been a while since I built a Spitfire and that was the PCM Mk. XIV. Hopefully this one will be a bit more straight forward.

The box.



The contents have been well covered elsewhere and the well known issues high lighted. I've invested in a 'correction' set of bits from HpH Models, another one of those Czech outfits.



More on this as we go along. I don't usually invest in after market bits (apart from decals) these days but the windscreen in the kit was a deal breaker for me. I was forced to bite the bullet on this one.

I probably won't get going with it until the new year, so it will be my first of 2014

Cheers

Steve

 

[Ziper_it]

Hi Steve,

I will follow you (and catch some of your secrets

Francesco

 

[Ian M]

It's not a bad kit at all the few mistakes they made, I can see you have got covered. I will look forward to seeing you work your magic with this as i am rather close to buying one my self!

Ian M

 

[stona]

Cheers fellas. I'm going to do Ian Gleed's well known and much photographed mount. The upside is that there are plenty of photos, the downside is that I'll have to get it right as everyone else has seen them too

I quite like the clipped wing 'hot rod' Spitfires in tropical camo.

Steve

 

[stona]

Every journey starts with a first step, or in this case more of a stumble!

Here's a picture of Gleed sat in the cockpit.I've added a big red arrow pointing to......errrr.....nothing. There is no head rest. Unfortunately Hobby Boss have molded one onto the armour plate.



I had to remove it which left a big hole. I dug out the thinnest bit of card I could find and glued that onto the armour to give something like the flat piece I want.



Once cleaned up and painted I reckon this will do the job. Next the incredibly fiddly seat assembly

Cheers

Steve

 

[papa 695]

Nice start Steve I will watch this one unfold

 

[Ziper_it]

Sitting, watching, learning

 

[Vaughan]

Looks interesting Steve.

 

[Andy Mac]

Excellent, looking forward to seeing this one progress.

 

[stona]

I've pressed on with the cockpit sub-assemblies.

The seat and it's mounting.



The rudder pedal and control column assembly. The Spitfire didn't have a cockpit floor.



I'll be honest here. I don't think that these are particularly good or accurate (look at those rudder pedals) but it doesn't bother me. Most of this will be virtually invisible inside the fuselage. If you want a mind boggling interior then buy one of the Tamiya Spitfires, I know, I've built one. It will cost you a lot more though

Cheers

Steve

 

[AJay]

Look forward to seeing this develop!

 

[hey]

Fantastic Job

 

[stona]

I've made a start on the interior and got the basic painting done.



This will look okay in the model but I suspect that the Spitfire enthusiasts might find some issues with it

The seat is horrible, but it will be going in once the paint dries on the harness (which is like a Sutton but with some bits missing) and I can glue it together.

I won't be showing the Merlin (which is also a bit approximate) so I've built the minimum to attach exhausts and propeller and will leave it unpainted.

The wings come with clear panels to reveal the armament. I won't be doing that either! The panels are nice and clear unless, like me, you attach them with Tamiya cement and then give them a rub down to accept paint.



I'm not sure what I think of this. I suppose some people will use them clear and it's not exactly difficult to paint them if you prefer a more realistic pose.

Cheers

Steve

 

[The Migrant]

Looks convincing enough Steve, even if it's not 100% accurate. The clear gun panels are just weird (I think you should paint curtains on the inside and leave them clear). Good progress so far.

 

[Ziper_it]

For sure better than mine

Francesco

 

[flyjoe180]

Yeah, I'd be inclined to paint over those gun covers too. Nice work Steve, coming along nicely sir.

 

[Kressy_13]

Looking good so far mate. Not sure about those clear bits, I would be painting them too.

 

[stona]

Cheers fellas. Those clear bits are strange. I though maybe they were an alternative, as in some Trumpeter kits, but there is no 'solid' option on the sprues. They'll be okay once painted. If you did want to keep them clear you'd want to use an acrylic cement (like Gator's Grip) and be very careful with it.

Cheers

Steve

 

[stona]

I thought I'd show you what comes in the kit from HpH models. Most of you know I'm not some kind of modelling guru and nobody pays me for my opinion, so I promise you it will be honest. It might help someone decide whether to make the significant investment in these bits......or not.

First the bits I won't use, a set of landing flaps.



These look good to me. They are very well cast, there's no sign of any bubbles or other nasties. They look like they will separate very easily from the casting block. I will never know if they will fit well

If anyone build a Hobbyboss Spitfire, flaps down, and wants these you know where I am.

These parts I will use most if not all of.



The horizontal stabilisers look good and address a well know issue with the kit parts. You could fix the issue easily enough but if you've invested in the correction parts you might as well use them. They too look very good indeed.

I'll be having the cockpit door open and will use this resin part too. It is better than the kit part.

Not sure about the wheels. I need to see what was on my victim at the time.

Next is a part which will help fit the replacement canopy to the kit fuselage.



It's sat on the instructions (which, incidentally are also good) to show the rather optimistic way that is suggested to fit this. We'll see how I get on later. I doubt that I'll be attempting this method.

To be honest anyone could figure out a way of fairing in the windscreen without resorting to the resin part at all.

Next the clear parts. These are cast in clear resin. They look a bit thick to me. I'll use the windscreen because the kit part is just wrong and see about the rest. With the door open the hood will also be slid back, so I might get away with the kit parts for the hood and rear canopy.

Finally you get a set of masks.



I'm not familiar with the material so I'll reserve judgement until I've had a go with them.

Overall I reckon you get some nice parts for your money. Is it worth it? That depends how bothered you are about the problem with the kit's windscreen. For me that was a serious and obvious problem, so it is. You do get a lot of other nice stuff for your money. A lot of people will just go with the kit parts and not think it's worth effectively doubling the price of the kit which is fair enough too.

Alternatively chuck in another 40-50 quid and buy a Tamiya Spitfire

Cheers

Steve

 

[stona]

Close of play today, bad light stopped play at two o'clock in the afternoon for heaven's sake! I don't really like working, particularly painting, under artificial light. The two halves of the fuselage, including a bizarre tail wheel attachment system, are done and ready to be joined.



As I am 'resting' at the moment and probably for another week or so at this quiet (for those in the entertainment industry) time of year progress should be swift. The wings amount to about six parts as I won't fit the machine guns but will 'tape' over the ports. The cannon barrels will be removed from the rest of the weapon and added much later.

Cheers

Steve