Desperately needing a break from the ZM Skyraider, what better time to change gears and work on something quite different: a Tamiya 1/48th scale Spitfire built OOB and straight from the box – no add ons just build what's in the box. Normally I would have purchased a few resin and PE add-ons but this was a last minute, late night decision after just losing interest and desire in the Skyraider for the time being. Diving into my small stash, the Spitfire was there, eager for it's time at the bench. My goal was to just enjoy the kit, build what Tamiya produced and see consistent progress without being consumed by loads of sub assemblies and details
The kit nearly 20 years old and from what I read, the first of the second generation models to take advantage of newly developing technologies. All I can say after 11 hours of work: Thank you Papa Tamiya. Fit and part crispness is everywhere; no flash, mold seams and nothing over engineered. Just a nicely fitting kit. Of course, a lot of the details we come to expect from today's kits isn't there but it can be added without much fuss. Missing and of course, being a large scale builder, I'ver never given this much thought before: no instrument faces for the IP, no seatbelts and no gunsights. All that's left for me to scratch-out is the gunsight, the other two items have been taken care of. Yes, I know, I cheated a bit on the seatbelts as it isn't really a Sutton harness but for my purposes, it's just fine.
The front office was built up as per kit instructions, painted with Tamiya acrylics, a pinwash was added to bring out the details and then a bit of dry brushing with Apple Barrel Dove Gray for a touch more of weathering.
I also assembled the wings and right now, all the major parts are taped together and fit wonderfully. As of now: what a joy to build.
Thanks for checking in

Before you start scratchbuilding your gunsight, look for it on the clear sprue because unless it's fallen off, that's where Tamiya-San puts gunsights.

Bro, Welcome back to Aeroscale and 1/48 scale modeling. Your Spit Mk1 looks really good to this point. Interior looks busy enough and nicely weathered. Your Harness and belts look spot on to me. I wouldn't worry about your IP as it looks fine. Did you dry brush the raised instrument faces?
Will be subscribing and following your build.
Bro

Jessie
Just checked and sure enough, it's part C7. Should have read the instructions a bit more carefully.
Thanks
Peter

JA
Instrument bezels were dry brushed, dials added with a fine needle and glass lens added with Gallery Glass.
Bro

Before you close up the fuselage, one thing you must do is put the stick forward. Spitfires' elevators always go full nose down on the ground unless there's a control locking bar in the cockpit (which is a rather large piece of ironmongery designed to prevent the pilot from sitting down until it's removed). This of course means that you'll need to separate the elevators and droop them later on in the build.

Oh, and a bit of touching up is needed. The crowbar on the door should be bare metal (they weren't red until post-war) and the throttle handle ought to be orangeish. this site ought to be required reading for any Spitfire modeller
(It's a Mk.V, but the differences between that and a Mk.I are minimal).

There was no crow bar on a Mk I or Mk II. That's why Ultracast have replacement doors with or without a crowbar. They arrived with the Mk V. Steel or grey green, sometimes black.

Jessica
Thank you for the information but I already glued up the fuselage earlier. I'll try repainting the crowbar and fixing the control column if possible. The best route might be to replace the door with the Ultracast door and do the corrections if possible.
Peter

Antoni
Holy Smokes, Papa Tamiya is in error. It seems my only choice would be to cut out the door and replace it with the Ultracast door and while I'm at it, order the Rotol spinner and prop as well.
Thank you for the information
Peter

Well, it seems as if my OOB.Out of the Box build as taken a slight detour. Order placed with Ultracast for:
48040 exhaust
48113 Prop and Spinner
48215 Door with and without crowbar

Peter

Bro, Smart move. Those are AMs that are necessary for a correct build.

Joel

Pete sent me a picture of a restored Spitfire cockpit. I also looked at the resource pictures that Jessica's link is to. Pete pointed out that it's not orange gloss paint, but rather a wood varnish or shellac since it's an opaque finish. Shellac usually has an orange huge to it's finish.

Joel

Hi Peter,
You also need to remove the protruding flash hider in the wings. These were only seen on the very earliest Spitfires.

Mal
Thanks for the info; shall do.
Peter

You are welcome Peter and I forgot to say:
"You just can't have too many Spitfires".

Mal
Absolutely true
Peter

Mal, I object. My brother is just being polite. He's a Yank. For us it should be P51s & P47s.

Joel

Object away Joel but the fact still remains that:
"You just can't have too many Spitfires".

Read "Spitfire Icon of a Nation" by Ivan Rendall.

Unless you work for Hawker

But the Hunter was too late for WWII.

Mal, excellent point.

Joel