WiP - 1/72 AZ Spitfire multi-build

[ArabJazzie]

Hello all,
When i started this whole project, i did hope to stay with Airfix for all of the builds. I thought at the start there would be a new tool Spitfire every year in 1/72, and that some of the less well covered marks would be sorted out soon! This was not to be, but as we seem to be in the golden age for kits, other manufacturers filled some gaps.

AZ Model in my mind are one of the drivers of this golden age and provide a line of Spits they refer to as Limited run and High Quality from which i bought the MkIXc Joy pack of 3 HQ kits. A set of wings helped complete an Aeroclub Mk14e, the BBMF MkIXe came from this set which left one for the future. In the meantime, other projects took over, but research still continued and new AZ kits like the T9 made the stash. Recently i unashamedly hijacked someones thread on Britmodeller and was pointed towards the limited run Mk14e boxing to built the next missing mark.

So these are the last 2 boxings bought.
AZSpit9T91821 by Geoff Duke, on Flickr
And the sprues that should see 4 Spits rise.
AZSpit9T918212 by Geoff Duke, on Flickr

At the end of this, i should have a French MkIXe with Carpena decals, a T9 finished as one of the UK show circuit regulars and one ive had hands on, a Mk18 with Freightdog decals and finally, the remaining Mk.XIV fuselage halfs should find their way to the Xtrakit Mk22 wings in the pic to make 1 sqns Mk21. Hope to have some progress during the week but taking my time on these!
Arabest,
Geoff.

[ArabJazzie]

Hello again peeps,
Well i didnt think i would have any progress on this until midweek but Eurovision was rank last night!!! Then after the local Derby, the good mood after the win meant progress was guaranteed!

The spares box was useful with this one as a cockpit was required for the 21. This was sourced from the previously sacrificed Xtrakit Mk.22 that the wings came from. A resin prop should also come from this, but ive broke a blade off it so an Airfix example is waiting in reserve! So here is the T9, the Mk.XVIII and the Mk.21.
AZSpit9T918221 by Geoff Duke, on Flickr

Up next is get the Mk.IX to the same stage, marry the fuselage to the wings and fit some butt-fitted tails with reinforcement.
Arabest,
Geoff.

[Fumbles]

Like I said in your other Spitfire post... Good to see you back at your project and it looks like you'll be busy for some time to come yet. Nice work.

[Big Eric]

"Only for experienced modellers or colectors"

[ArabJazzie]

Like I said in your other Spitfire post... Good to see you back at your project and it looks like you'll be busy for some time to come yet. Nice work.

Not as busy as i would have thought!

"Only for experienced modellers or colectors"

The Mk.XVIII out the box actually fits better than the supposed high quality Mk.IXs. There will be a proper update tomorrow, but the XVIII is ready for a filler/primer session and the 21 should be along side it by that time. On the down side, i now have 2 Mk.IX fuselages that need wings which i dont have. I have though discovered i have an option on the Carpena sheet to make a Mk.IXb which may see me rescribe a set of old Spit Vb wings!
Arabest,
Geoff.

[Takamota]

Nice to see this project up and running again. Well done mate.

[ArabJazzie]

Well, research, research and more research!

I was 100% sure that a batch of Spit IX went into service with b-wings! However, i think i am nearer the truth and on the lookout for a c-wing so the possible addition to this thread from the Carpena sheet has been put on hold. I did look at switching, but i do want a French post war Spit in the collection!

I have managed to get some progress and have used some Mr Surfacer 1000 as filler to see how it goes. The T9 was first for the treatment with the wing joins needing some plastic strip on the rh wing root then both sides painted with the Mr S.
SpitT901 by Geoff Duke, on Flickr
The XVIII didnt need much Mr S.
SpitXVIII01 by Geoff Duke, on Flickr
With the 21 having been trimmed to fit, not much here either.
Spit2101 by Geoff Duke, on Flickr

I mentioned above how i was going to pin the butt fitting tailplanes, so here is the MkIXe getting those done. First is obviously drill a hole the right size, and hopefully the right place.
SpitIXeFAF1 by Geoff Duke, on Flickr
Cut a bit of the paperclip off and watch that it doesnt disappear into your thumb as you push it into place!
SpitIXeFAF2 by Geoff Duke, on Flickr
Then match up the surfaces and mark the surface with the drill. Drill out the tail properly, taking into account if your cant drill straight!!! Fettle it into the right position.
SpitIXeFAF3 by Geoff Duke, on Flickr
Repeat for the other side, trim the supporting pin, ensure all lines up correctly then commit to glue!
SpitIXeFAF4 by Geoff Duke, on Flickr

A few things to be done and im back to work on Saturday so painting time may have to wait!
Arabest,
Geoff.

[ArabJazzie]

Hello all,
Didnt plan an update any time this week but put too much effort into something at work and overdid it a bit! Nothing a few days rest isnt sorting.

In the meantime, i bought 2 Sword Seafires to add to the project. Main reason is in the sprue pic.
SeafireIIcIII002 by Geoff Duke, on Flickr

The redundant C-wing has been removed from the sprue and taped up to see if they fit the AZ IX fuselage like this,
SpitIXcBS by Geoff Duke, on Flickr

Good enough for me but there is the obvious differences on the underside to be sorted. Hopefully the spares box has enough stock left!
Arabest,
Geoff.

[ArabJazzie]

Hello again,
Managed a fair bit on getting the 5th build up to speed with the rest of the thread. As i thought, the cross-kitted wings didnt need too much filler which meant that all had their coat of Halfords plastic primer. So earlier this afternoon having had Sky bands painted as required, all made their way to the spray booth for some belly painting.

Spitspraytime by Geoff Duke, on Flickr

A wee while later and all Spits had their belly paint on with one taking a while to dry!

Spitspraytime2 by Geoff Duke, on Flickr

The late addition is at the front in Humbrol PRU blue. To get to this stage, it required a pair of new radiators that i think have come from the Airfix IX, the Aboukir air filter is a reworked Italeri Vb item and the aux fuel tank probably from the same kit. The Hu230 is thinned using Humbrols own thinners but im not too happy at the way it laid down and the time it has taken to dry.

Im sure you also notice that some of the shelf of doom are finally making their way to the finish line. KC-10A just needs some Draw decals, the Tornado F3 needs finishing and the GR1/4 has just been primed.
Arabest,
Geoff.

[DOUGHNUT]

Just complete two AZ Spitfire T9, one Dutch, one Irish. Couple of words of warning with the AZ kits.

The butt jointing on the full span wing tips are prone to break off.
The engine exhausts did not fit in the recess provided, it is not deep enough.
Test fit the rear canopy and thin down the inside lip as it looks to wide.

This last one may be down to me but the AZ decals did not want to stick, they seem all right at first but soon dried out and lifted, cracked and fell off.
Managed to save the Dutch one but the Irish one was a complete loss.

Paul

[ArabJazzie]

Cheers Paul,
I built the BBMF IXe out of the Joy pack and think the only thing i broke were the butt-jointed tails, hence they have been pinned on these builds. I also approach these from the view point that, although they say the T9 and Joy pack comes from "High Quality" tooling, they are not shake n bake.

Thankfully it will be aftermarket decals all the way on these, 2 of them fully marked using generic sheets.

I have to say though, the KC-10 is currently in the decal bay having some Draw Decals applied. They must be the best decals ive ever used!
Arabest,
Geoff.

[ArabJazzie]

Hello again all,
I wanted to have some of these finished but some other issues are getting in the way. Some of these are now out the road, but still not got too much done. Once back into the groove, the undersides were masked, the Ocean Grey or MS Grey was sprayed and left to cure a bit, then a bit more, and a bit more....... I am back down to 4 builds again as new research showed the French machine required clipped wings that had been cut off and replaced. No fear though as i should be buying a new Freightdog sheet to provide a new subject.

Got back to the table last weekend and masked up the 18 for some dark green. Once the masking was ripped off, a bit of a touch up was done then a Klear coat was added to this and the early 9.
Spitspainted by Geoff Duke, on Flickr

The masking that adorns the table was recycled to mask the 21 for its green coat which is now painted touched up and will be Kleared later this evening.
SpitF21 by Geoff Duke, on Flickr

Some more pics to show the progress using my new, smaller camera.
Spitspainted02 by Geoff Duke, on Flickr

SpitXVIIIe by Geoff Duke, on Flickr

BSQSpitIXc by Geoff Duke, on Flickr

Might actually have one of these finished next week but then its crazy time for us at home and work!
Arabest,
Geoff.

[Fumbles]

Looking great Geoff! You must have a fairly large workspace to handle that many builds going on? If I get more then two going.... I get the Mrs moaning about plastic parts all over the tables..

[ArabJazzie]

Trouble is Fumbles, i use a small dining table for the tools store and spray booth and a small hobby table for the building. Then there is the issue of where Ikea stores 250+ kits in a small 2 bedroom flat with 6 occupants! Wifes given up moaning!
Arabest,
Geoff.

[ArabJazzie]

Cant believe its 3 months since i updated this thread!

I cant say things have got gotten anywhere yet either! Since my last update, the Mk.IX has had some decals added, but that was before the family adventure to Orlando the first 2 weeks in July! Had a few things good and bad happen along the way as well, but nothing too serious but i just cant muster up any enthusiasm to get these over the finish line!

However, seen as i have been able to work on my cars again, i might just be able to kick start things again. Oh and the hankering i have to get a future classic Ford! Its between a Mondeo ST24 and Focus ST170.
Arabest,
Geoff.

[Irishaernut]

I own a Subaru Impreza wagon which needs buckets of work, but right now it's warmer building models.
Keep going on the spits

[Fumbles]

Cant believe its 3 months since i updated this thread!

I cant say things have got gotten anywhere yet either! Since my last update, the Mk.IX has had some decals added, but that was before the family adventure to Orlando the first 2 weeks in July! Had a few things good and bad happen along the way as well, but nothing too serious but i just cant muster up any enthusiasm to get these over the finish line!

However, seen as i have been able to work on my cars again, i might just be able to kick start things again. Oh and the hankering i have to get a future classic Ford! Its between a Mondeo ST24 and Focus ST170.
Arabest,
Geoff.

Ahh it happens Geoff... We all loose the wanting to build once and a while. Hopefully when the GB's get up and running you'll be back at it again.

[ArabJazzie]

Well yet again im here with a bit of a tale of woe!

The bad for 2015 is......
Coming off painkillers after about 6+ years then the same time, something happened at work!
Got a loan that i didnt really want to do.
Having to get the finger out in the flat and causing more work/expense!
Only finishing 14 kits.
My team in dire straits!

The good for 2015,
Getting off painkillers after 6+ years.
Florida!
Back working on my cars.
Some lovely for a first attempt tile work in the bathroom.
Getting the central heating done which freed up my new stash storage!

And i think i may have just got my mojo back as ive built the Airfix RAF Bomber equipment and related Vehicle sets and a Swift. They would have been primed as well but i cant really open the window to let the fumes out with the weather the way it is!

To continue the subject of this thread, ive had to evaluate exactly where i am with them and, as above, i dont think they will progress until the weather improves. So it is more likely i will build up a bit of an in progress pile before i can throw paint about!
Arabest,
Geoff.

[ArabJazzie]

Hello again all,
I really dont think i want this one to drag on that long that its will have taken a year by the time i bring this thread to a finish! So with that in mind, i managed to get some more work done on the Spits but i have a 1/1 scale distraction!

GhiaXMondeo by Geoff Duke, on Flickr

Thankfully for a 16 year old car it doesnt need too much mechanically, but i do want to bring it a bit closer to standard.

Back to the Spits and last Tuesday i had the green camo on another one so just the T9 to go to finish the painting, then me internet broke! Nearly a week later and here is the pic.
FiveSpits by Geoff Duke, on Flickr

Again, the weather has been against me for painting and ive opened a few other boxes that used to contain Airfix kits! I did manage to prime the previously mentioned Swift and RAF set so have a marathon painting session to come!
All the very best,
Geoff.

[ArabJazzie]

Hello all,
Trying to get back into things in a year that so far has seen alot happen so far, some bad but all will im sure sort itself out by the end of the year. 1/1 scale things are 2 cars have been added to the collection i seem to have now and phase 1 looks to be complete on the Mondeo project. On the down side, ive had to sell some kits that i decided i would rather cash in on than build and there will be more being sold to fund painting of parts i am accumulating for the Mondeo.

Having had a storage boiler removed from a cupboard in the living room, the project to build a wee hobby area was accelerated as we will need space for other things. That was completed using the old hobby table over the last couple of days and i now have this.

workspace by Geoff Duke, on Flickr

Need to sort out exactly how and where things will sit to eek out just a wee bit more space. That means that the subject of this thread should be back on track very soon and to that end, i have assessed where i am with these 5, plus the addition of another Vickers-Supermarine product.

Vickersset by Geoff Duke, on Flickr

Fingers crossed, a fair wind should see these brought to a finish quite soon.
Arabest,
Geoff.

[dazdaman]

Nice work.

[ArabJazzie]

Thanks Daz,
Hope to have a bit of an update very soon as there is less in the decal pile now!
Arabest,
Geoff.

[ArabJazzie]

Hello all,
Seems to be a bit of a Spitfire love in on here just now and i can guarantee, i aint gonna change that!

This part of my own Spitfire project has been making some trips out the box and some decals even found their place on 2 of the kits. However, soon one of my daughters will make me a grandad, which has meant 6 months of upheaval which has seen me condense my stash, modelling tools and WiP pile into fewer cupboards. This, along with being on a downer generally, has just added another thing to prevent me from getting back to the table to get on with kits.

Having been off this week, i managed to get some silly wee jobs out the road, then bought an interior light to modify the lighting in the Mondeo. This required the mounting to be modified by cutting away some plastic and as it turned out to be quite a neat job in the end, i left the scalpel and files on the table, added a cutting mat and some glue, paint and other associated equipment. On evaluating this project, it soon became apparent that the 21 could be completed! So 2 slow sessions later......

LA255JXU1sqn by Geoff Duke, on Flickr

So this is LA255/JX-U which is 1 sqns mascot that spent a short time at Leuchars with the squadron. Its built using the spare fuselage halfs from an AZ model XVIIIe boxing. The wings, undercart and cockpit are from a scrapped Xtrakit Mk22 with decals from Aeromaster, Freightdog and Xtradecal. The canopy is a Falcon vac Spitfire Special item. Happy with the kit, but not the photography, but then the batteries ran oot!

Should have a pair of Mark 9s ready later in the week, although i will be looking at some real aeroplanes this week!
Arabest,
Geoff.

[dazdaman]

Nice work. I thought I recognised that Spit from somewhere!

[ArabJazzie]

Hello all,
Resurrecting this thread to an extent as im probably not gonna be updating it too much. Its more to see if i have gotten over what Photobucket has done to most people for which i have jumped over to Flickr.

172SpitBQS by Geoff Duke, on Flickr

So now that i see a photo in the preview function for posts, all i can say is that i dont think ive touched a kit with the intention of building/finishing since the B-17 was put to the side. I have looked in the cupboard several times, ive even sorted things out with the intention of a kick start, but i just cant get going.

One of the sort outs got the shelf of doom kits into drawers with the bits to finish em, then the tidy space in the cupboard was filled with the detritus of a busy family doing an emergency tidy up!

But i have managed to get the lamp fitted to the wee table and will see where i get tomorrow. Im at the stage where, with 2 weeks to go i am looking down the barrel of a nil return for this year, and i really cant have that!
Arabest,
Geoff.