1/48 Occidental Spitfire PR XI Conversion

Gallery Article by Bruce Bell

 

I was, like everybody else, fooled by the release of the Occidental Spitfire Mk IX, it did look good in the box, but what a letdown when it came to building it. I then returned to the old Otaki Mk. VIII that’s been around for some 20+ years, it too is no prize but the engine and tail are more accurate than the "Accidental" kit.

 

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I therefore decided to do some surgery and lop the engine and tail off the Otaki kit and graft them to the Occidental kit. The tail on the Occidental kit is about 1/8" too long and is noticeable, if you cut at the diagonal line on the fuselage of both kits you will fix that. The engine we all know about, cut these at the panel separations and graft the nose on, it does require a bit of filling and four letter words, but the result is worth it.

The bottom deepened oil cooler is from the Falcon Mk. XI conversion as well as the windscreen. The wing gun panels were of such poor fit that it made me decide to do the XI. All wing seams were filled and re-scribed.

This aircraft is featured in the Jeff Ethell book, War Eagles in Original Color, from the 7th Photo Group in the UK 1944.

Bruce Bell

      

Photos and text © by Bruce Bell