1/24 Airfix Spitfire Vb

Gallery Article by Gregor de Ste Croix on Oct 8 2012

 

 

Here is my attempt on the Airfix “big” Spitfire in its Vb guise.  I was keen to build the 1/24 Spit to emulate the one built by my Dad for me when I was a kid.  He got me the original Mk Ia back in the early 70’s for my Christmas one year and built it with the electric motor and all the moveable parts.  It was a fantastic model, and inspired me through my early modelling years.  So this build is/was something of a nostalgia trip as the Vb kit is essentially the Mk 1a with some new bits.  The new parts are somewhat basic even compared to the original moulds but do the job if you are not too fussy.  The kit itself built up very well as long as you take your time and do lots of test/dry fitting.  It is pretty much built OOTB except I lined out the wheel wells with plastic sheet, added plastic card seat belts, milliput seat cushion, and lined out some of the gun bays.  It’s all finished with Humbrol acrylic paints (spray cans for the upper camouflage) with homemade paper masks/blu tak.  Weathering is from cheap watercolour paints I got at a high street newsagents, all sealed with Humbrol varnish, again from aerosol.

 

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The whole thing took about 6 months to complete. The markings/decals are the cartograph ones which came with the kit and went on well with microsol/set, and depict the well-known aircraft of Jan Zumbach of 303 (Polish) Squadron.  Talking of the markings it was only at the end of the decal stage that I realised that Airfix chose to present the aircraft as one from the Battle of Britain Memorial flight with Zumbach’s markings, which meant it should have had a pristine finish.  Dohhh!!!, and that is why you will have noted there is no serial number on the sky fuselage band!! All the photos I’ve seen of Zumbach’s wartime aircraft showed it to be well worn, and I tried to reproduce that finish for my model. 

Anyway there you have it, my attempt at the “big Spitfire” as it was known many moons ago. Hope you like it!! 

Gregor

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Photos and text © by Gregor de Ste Croix