Subject: Re: Tamiya 1/72 Spitfire article submission
From: "Steve Bamford ARC" <[email-masked]>
To: "Joe Youngerman" <[email-masked]>
Date: Sat, 7 Aug 2004 02:14:31 -0700

Hi Joe,
I just wanted to let you know your article went on ARC today.  Thanks for sending it in.   

Steve Bamford
Aircraft Resource Center
http://www.aircraftresourcecenter.com
 
Live like there is no tomorrow;
Love like you've never been hurt.
Work like you don't need the money.
Dance like nobody's watching.
Sing like nobody's listening.
Live like it's Heaven on Earth.

  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Joe Youngerman 
  To: Steve Banford 
  Sent: Monday, July 19, 2004 9:21 PM
  Subject: Tamiya 1/72 Spitfire article submission

  Gallery Template #06

  Tamiya 1/72 Spitfire Mk Vc

  by Joe Youngerman

        Steve Bamford will insert full sized version of photo 01.jpg here 

  We all know the beautifully familiar look of the Supermarine Spitfire but what some folks don't realize is that the USAAF flew them during World War Two in a reverse lend lease arrangement with England. The Mk Vc was one of the variants operated by the USAAF during the conflict and the aircraft I modeled was flown by the 307th Fighter Squadron, 31st Fighter group in Sicily during the Summer of 1943. The Mk Vc had the new "C" wing installed which eliminated the upper surface blisters for the landing gear found on earlier marks. There was also a provision for two 20mm cannons on each wing instead of just one. Later airframes had the M-series Merlin engine installed which required wing stiffeners to be added on the upper surface over the wheel wells. My aircraft did not have this so these and the blisters Tamiya molded onto the wing had to be removed...more about that later.

        Click on images below to see larger images
       
        Steve Bamford will insert a click-able smaller version of photo 03.jpg here.  Clicking on that photo will bring up the full sized version of photo 03.jpg 

        Steve Bamford will insert a click-able smaller version of photo 04.jpg here.  Clicking on that photo will bring up the full sized version of photo 04.jpg 

  Tamiya's Spitfire kits were eagerly awaited and were a bit of a disapointment when they arrived, having some accuracy issues with the shape of the canopy as well as other parts. I for one like them except for the canopy...here I believe the Hasegawa kits a clearly better and most will agree that the old Airfix kits still have the best shape, if not good detailing. The build started with the cockpit, not suprisingly, and its quite good for this scale though a bit heavy handed. I would replace it with an Eduard set if your thinking of having the canopy opened. Since that was not my plan I used the kit interior. The fit was good overall during construction with the usual work required around the fuselage to wing joint. The kit offers a choice of wing tips and special care is required when installing them. The Spitfire's outer wing is very thin and great care must be taken to align the wing and the tips evenly. There is no extra plastic out here to sacrifice should you get a wingtip a bit out of line! The kit was pre-shaded and sprayed with Modelmaster Dark Earth and Azure Blue with Pollyscale being selected for the Middlestone color. I used the Aeromaster painting guide that came with the decals as I never did find an actual photo of this aircraft, (though I did find a few of others in the unit).

        Steve Bamford will insert full sized version of photo 02.jpg here 

  It was only after painting that I realized the changes I needed to make on the wing to represent the Mk Vc. I had already installed the outer cannon stubs but learned through the help of the online modeling community that the wheel blisters and wing stiffeners needed to go...out came the sanding sticks and off they went. After re-applying the camo in those areas and adding the decals I did a little post shading and added exhaust stains using a black/rust 50/50 mix with lots of thinner. I accentuated the panel lines with a sharp drafting pencil and then added the flat coat. No ADF radio wire was added as these aircraft did not have them. This fact also required the removal of the tail attachment point for the wire found on top of the rudder. I should also note that the blister and access panels over the wing cannons are also slightly different on the Vc but not enough for me to bother with them on this build. I loved the crazy looking sharkmouth and the unusual USSAF markings on this aircraft and am very pleased with the final outcome. I've wanted to build both a US operated Spitfire and a tropicalized Spitfire for some time and this project covered both. I hope you enjoyed the Brit in the USAAF!

        Click on images below to see larger images
       
        Steve Bamford will insert a click-able smaller version of photo 05.jpg here.  Clicking on that photo will bring up the full sized version of photo 05.jpg 

        Steve Bamford will insert a click-able smaller version of photo 06.jpg here.  Clicking on that photo will bring up the full sized version of photo 06.jpg 

  Photos and text © 2004 by Joe Youngerman

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