Pete's Spitfire Vc

[stillp]

Now the Hunter is off the bench I need to try something that hopefully will be a bit better, so here's my next build:

Yes, I've been extravagant again - £4 from a charity shop. All parts still in the sealed bags, but the brush was missing - no great loss.
Nice fine engraved detail, and an interesting display stand shaped like a smaller Spitfire.

Nice use of colour in the instructions to show where to apply cement:

No colour suggested or provided for the interior, but I think I know what to use... The pilot is to be painted Dark Green, and the underside in light grey, which seems odd for a plane in the Day Fighter scheme. Makes a change from Sky I suppose.


The cockpit is rather lacking in detail - there's no control column, rudder pedals or IP. Perhaps this is the little-know Bluetooth Spitfire, and the pilot controls it with his smartphone.
Pete

 

[Andy T]

Or it's flown via "The Force"

 

[papa 695]

Looks like a nice little kit though Pete.

 

[Jim R]

Nice choice. Who doesn't love a Spitfire. A bargain as well. Should build up nicely if it's typical of the recent Airfix kits.

 

[stillp]

It's a bit different from the last Airfix Spitfire I built: fewer parts, different display stand, simpler (much simpler!) cockpit, and it looks as though the canopy just snaps into place without glue. The undercarriage legs are integral with the bay doors too, so it's been designed to be a simple build for a first-timer.
Pete

 

[stillp]

I haven't done much on this (or anything else) recently as I've got the shakes again, quite badly. I have a doctor's appointment for the 29th of December to check it out, but I expect that will result in a referral to a neurologist which could take a few months.

I've also been a bit tied up with a new phone - SWMBO's 5 year old phone has been playing up, and I have to have the same model so I know where the settings are for when she demands I help her with it, so we now have two new phones and a new contract. I must round up all the old phones and make a trip to CEX, who apparently are the best buyers of old phones. The new one has a good camera, but after spending ages trying to find how to set the USB for data transfer, I can't find the photos to copy them onto the PC! Back to Tesco for some help next week I think.

I picked out some of the detail on the cockpit sides, which would have been a lot easier if I'd done it before I joined the two sides, but I wanted to check the fit before spending too much time on it, and got carried away! There's no instrument panel provided, so I stuck a bit of ice cream carton in there and found an IP decal I could cut to fit. Nothing like a Spit IP but better than having the join between the two halves visible. I also checked the canopy fit, which is very good - it clips into place without cement, but I'll probably glue it anyway to stop any overspray getting into the cockpit.
I've also fitted the seat, which is the only cockpit detail in the kit, and painted up the pilot, which Airfix have as one of the last pieces to be fitted, but I'll fit him earlier than instructed.

I need to file his bum a bit so he leans back in the seat more. I found a joystick in the spares box but it's too short, so I've stuck it on a strip of plastic card, which I'll paint silver to look a little more like the rudder linkage. Can't fit it until the pilot's in. Again, it's nothing like a Spit stick but better than nothing. I might see if I can make the ring to go at the top, but that depends on the shakes as well as finding something suitable.
The wing looks as if the fit will be OK. The upper parts of the wing will have a little movement so I can make sure they're butted up against the fuselage sides.

I won't make any progress tomorrow as the great-grandkids are visiting, so I won't have much energy after they've gone. Hopefully I can get some more done on Monday, unless the weather's dry in which case I'll be clearing up leaves on the lawn.

Pete

 

[stillp]

Made a little more progress:

Wing and tail fit was good, as expected, and the canopy clicked into place as it should - it fits pretty well but I put a bead of Formula 560 around the cockpit sides to reduce the chance of overspray on the inside of the canopy.

Had an encounter with the dentist yesterday - I've been having trouble with a rear molar for a few years now, and we decided it's time has come, so I now have a large gap in my back teeth and a rapidly depleting stock of paracetamol. Oh, and a new filling on the other side of my mouth. The biggest problem now is that I can't eat very easily, and I'm starving!

Pete

 

[Si Benson]

Spit is coming on nicely Pete

You have my sympathy on dental work, I avoided them for over 10 yrs after having a tooth pulled that didn’t come out well at all.
Hope you feel better soon

 

[Tworrs]

Sorry I'm late to the party on this one Pete, she is coming along very well though, and looking good.

 

[papa 695]

Sorry to hear about the teeth, but on a pleasant note, the Spitfire is looking very good.

 

[Waspie]

Made a little more progress:
View attachment 498042
Wing and tail fit was good, as expected, and the canopy clicked into place as it should - it fits pretty well but I put a bead of Formula 560 around the cockpit sides to reduce the chance of overspray on the inside of the canopy.

Had an encounter with the dentist yesterday - I've been having trouble with a rear molar for a few years now, and we decided it's time has come, so I now have a large gap in my back teeth and a rapidly depleting stock of paracetamol. Oh, and a new filling on the other side of my mouth. The biggest problem now is that I can't eat very easily, and I'm starving!

Pete

I gave a 'wow' as I was torn. Remarkable 'Spitfire' progress vs dentist!! Had my annual visit to the fang farrier earlier in the month. Luckily an all clear! Every year he seams to find something to comment on. This year - nothing!!! Worth a bar of cadburys alone!!

 

[Tim Marlow]

Looking good Pete. Tooth will soon be fine as well. Had a pre molar taken out a few years ago and heard the dentist give the memorable instruction ”nurse, please apply traction to the head”. They then both pulled in opposite directions until the tooth came out! It was like being the rope in a tug of war competition LOL. The root was a good couple of centimetres long. It was sore for a day or so then was fine. They recover very quickly.

 

[JR]

Hope you get the shakes sorted Pete in the new year.

 

[adt70hk]

Very late to the party Pete. Sorry to hear about the health woes.

Keep up the good work.

Andrew

 

[stillp]

Looking good Pete. Tooth will soon be fine as well. Had a pre molar taken out a few years ago and heard the dentist give the memorable instruction ”nurse, please apply traction to the head”. They then both pulled in opposite directions until the tooth came out! It was like being the rope in a tug of war competition LOL. The root was a good couple of centimetres long. It was sore for a day or so then was fine. They recover very quickly.

I needed an emergency extraction 53 years ago because of an abscess. Didn't have a regular dentist at the time so after a sleepless night I was leaning on the door of the local dental hospital when they opened - I fell in when they switched the power on and the doors opened. Once in the chair, they asked if I minded some students watching as it was a teaching hospital, which I agreed to. Then about 15 students crowded in, and the guy in charge invited them to take turns inspecting my gob and to suggest how best to remove it. Apparently the techniques are more complicated than "grab it with the pliers and pull". Eventually the tutor decided the best answer was "the hammer and bevel method", which is exactly what it sounds like - they put a blunt chisel under the tooth, then wacked it with a hammer! I later found out that's how they takes horses' teeth out!
Later that morning I had an interview with the Building Society manager to confirm a mortgage on my first house, my mouth still numb and bleeding. Went through a box of tissues while arguing with him that his surveyor had been to the wrong house, a Victorian terrace in Garden Street instead of my 4 year old semi-detached in Garden Close. Eventually relented and offered me a mortgage, but £100 less than I needed, which was our furniture budget! (This was 1970, my modern 2-bed semi with a garage was £3300).
In those days, the survey was commissioned and owned by the lender, and the buyer was expected to agree with a report he hadn't seen in full. But of course "our surveyor doesn't make mistakes".
Pete

 

[stillp]

I'm now on some medication to try to control my shakiness, and it seems to be having some effect. I've managed to get the canopy and wheel wells masked and have started some painting:

Pete

 

[Lee Drennen]

Looks good Pete hope you are feeling well.

 

[flyjoe180]

Looking good Pete

 

[stillp]

Thanks guys.
Pete

 

[BattleshipBob]

Hope your feeling better Pete, sound like you had fun in the Health dental school. Glad they sorted it. Now get better!

Oh and lovely build sir