I have decided to conduct a build log of the Eduard 1/48th scale MK. IX Spitfire, early version. The MK IX is one of my favorite prop driven fighters and I am really looking forward to this build. The moldings look very crisp and the detail is superb. I began work on the front office of the kit today and a coat of Acryl British Interior Green was applied. Following that, I added a wash to the cockpit of Testors black CreateFX which had been diluted with water. Then, an additional pin-wash of Raw Umber oil paint thinned with mineral spirits was applied to supplement the detail. A color PE fret comes with the kit so the instrument panel will be next.

Best wishes,

Ian

Ian , I will be following this build closely , got the late version in the stash but before I tackle it . Hasegawa's will be built first which really isn't all that bad .

I do like your weathering in the interior especially the rudder control area , very nicely done !




Terri

Thanks Terri! I must say the Eduard rendering of the MK IX cockpit is absolutely superb. The seat is complete and now installed. The instrument panel will be next.

Best wishes,

Ian

Very nice so far Ian!

I have the Royal boxing of this kit along with all the Brassin and three sets of Overtrees.

So will be watching with interest.

Cheers Rob.

Thanks Rob! I will be interested to see how Eduard's cockpit squeezes into the fuselage halves. I did notice that the Eduard offering has complete recessed rivet detailing on the skin which ICM and Hasegawa do not have on their IX's.


Best wishes,


Ian

If anything does not fit perfectly then you have done something wrong. There's no wriggling out of it. There's no room left for the glue.

The only problem I encountered was the top cowling. Even though the join between the two parts looked perfect and the seam polished, as soon as a coat of paint went on a shadow of the seam appeared as a thin dark line. Spent ages on it, stripped the paint off several times and repolished the seam but never entirely solved the problem. Still do not know what I did wrong but apparently I am not the only one to have this problem. The fit is so good that you can hold it in place with Blutac while you paint the model and then fit the exhausts and cowling permanently afterwards.

Antoni, thanks for the photo and the info on the cowling. I will note that when I get to that part of the build. Thanks for the input and I will let you know how it goes. Hopefully I will have the fuselage together this weekend.

Best wishes,

Ian

I got the instrument panel installed in the cockpit today so I am ready to move on to the fuselage. I thought the design of the cockpit area was very well designed on the part of Eduard.

Best wishes,

Ian

Ian,
I've built but still haven't finished painting my Spitfire IX early ver.

Your cockpit came out quite well. There really isn't much else you can add to it. Once the fuselage is closed up, you see very little of it. Parts fit is excellent. I did have an issue with the wing roots, but I'm sure that it was my screwing up of the cockpit installation that caused it.

Antoni's issue with the engine cowl also was an issue for me. It just doesn't seat right.

Will be following your build with interest.
Joel

Watching with interest, as I have a few of these in the stash.

Thanks, Joel and Darren. I got the cockpit installed in the fuselage last night. Antoni's assessment was right on the money. If everything is fitted and placed correctly in the cockpit tub, it will fit perfectly in the fuselage halves. Hat's off to Eduard thus far because the way they designed the cockpit is outstanding.

Best wishes,

Ian

Won't belong now to reach the painting stage. Take care with the wheel well segments and make sure they are aligned properly. I found drilling out the holes for fuel cooler intake and gun camera a bit awkward and I think it would be easier to do after the part is assembled into the wing root.

Ian , I'm really impressed with how Eduard have engineered this kit with the cockpit assembly . Looking forward on your next installment





Terri

Thanks Terri! Being a MK IX addict, I believe I will have to get a few more Eduard's for the stack.

Regards,

Ian

Ian,
Nice job getting the fuselage glued up. Just take your time with matting the wing assembly to it. I found it easier to glue the top wings to the lower 1 pc wing, then the wing assembly to the fuselage. I did have a slight issue with the wing fuselage seams, which I'm pretty sure was my fault.
Joel

Well, I got back to some modeling this weekend. The fuselage is closed up. The fit of everything was absolutely superb, especially at the wing root. I noticed that if you sand off the small round protrusion on part B3, which is the wing undersides, the cockpit floor will fit much better and everything just snaps in.

Best wishes,

Ian

I had some time to get back to work on the Spitfire. So far the overall fit has been great. I added a vacu-form slipper tank from the spares box and then primed the model with Model Master Lacquer Primer. Just a couple of spots to touch up and it will be ready for camo.


Best wishes,

Ian










And with primer.........

Nice build!
How did it go with the seam on the upper cowling? Is it all gone?

/Fredrik

Fredrick,

As my fellow modelers indicated in this thread, that cowling seam is kind of persistent. It is almost gone now but I will apply some Mr.Surfacer 500 and steel wool that to get it completely blended. Almost there.

Best wishes,

Ian

Ian,
I've never used steel wool to blend in paint or filler on a model. After using it on wood varnish projects, the steel wool pieces went everywhere, and were a real pain to completely clean up. I would be concerned with some pieces just showing up in the clear coats.
Joel

Joel, I sand it wet and have no issues with the fibers. I just apply water as I am sanding and that cuts down on the debris.

Best wishes,

Ian

Slight update on the MK IX. The primer has been applied and that pesky cowling seam has been worked down. I applied the yellow leading edge trim and the Sky band on the fuselage. Medium Sea Grey is next.

Best wishes,

Ian

Many years ago, I went on a fire safety course, and one of the items we were shown was how steel wool is flammable, and can be extremely dangerous. The demonstrator touched a ball of the wool onto the open terminals of an ordinary household battery of low voltage, and the wire reacted like fusewire. shorting out and bursting into flame; since then I've made sure to use (wet) wet-and-dry, like Micromesh.
Edgar

Well, that should mix well with the Methyl Ethyl Ketone, Toluene, Acetone, Lacquer, and Butyl Alcohol on my work bench.

Best wishes,

Ian

Especially if you have them open, while stretching sprue over a candle.
Edgar