Well,,,the beast has arrived!
Thankfully the postie didnt try and cram it through the letterbox.
It really is huge..Good job I didnt get a Lancaster in this scale :-)
Ive been searching the net over the weekend and I cant find a single aftermarket set for this Spit,which I find surprising with it being such a popular subject and having been on the market for so long.Does anyone know of anything available?
I also noticed that the same seller had another 3 of these which went onto Ebay at the same time and price.All 3 went within 2 days,,what a surprise
Did any of these go to members of the Big A?
Not sure when Im going to get around to making a start on this.Im very tempted to make some attempt at extra detailing.Looks like a trip to Cosford could be on the cards to do a walkround of their Mk1 and get some close up shots of a Merlin,,(not you Rowan :-) )
Off to continue with a lot smaller Spitfire,,If I can find a way round the box for this one :-) :-)

never mind aftermarket parts nigel, you need to sort out a two foot wide shelf :-)
on a serious note i maybe would'nt worry about a/m stuff for this kit, the cockpit and engine are already there and i'm sure you could lift the kit with only good references and minor scratchbuilding. this might even be the reason there is no a/m available, because the kit has a lot in the box to start with. have you checked out the engine covers btw? they have little spikes that fit into holes in the fusalage frames so you can display them on or off

Hi Phil.
Ive opened it up and had a good drool over the parts!
It really is a monster kit.
Nice bit of forward planning on Airfixs part that you can put the engine panels on and off
Definately going to scratch build a Sutton harness for it as the seatbelts are part of the pilot mould.Thats going to be a challenge in itself.
Looks like its going to fit on top of the display cabinet but Id really like it to be covered up instead of gathering dust.If the worst comes to the worst I'll keep in a box (large,,haha),for protection and just bring it out for special occasions and visits to model shows etc.
Nige

good point about the dust, theres a lot of wing area there! as well as the engine panels being removeable, the undercarrige will retract, and i'm sure the canopy can slide open and shut and the door opens, lots of stuff to play with!

Phil, you make it sound like a toy :-) . I can just picture Nige taking off, landing, recreating the BOB in the front room and doing engine maintenance on his Spit now :-) .
On a serious note, you could build a perspex case to go over the top of it .
Andy (++)

If you think the Airfix 1/24 Spitfire is big, take a look at the Airfix 1/24 Stuka!

Hi guys.




hahaha,,your not that far off the truth actually guys.
After a very kind offer from my dad,I will shortly be taking to the skies in a Harvard! I'll be taking my dads log book along to get the flight entered.
Father and sons Harvard flights,61 years apart:)
I shall be dissapointed if I dont find myself hanging upside down in the harness at least once!
"Tally Ho Velvet Leader!,,,Bandits,,swarms of them!"
:-)

Hi Nigel:

That´s really a big one. What´s the size ? Is it a Mk Ia or a Mk Vb ?
I like big kits but I don´t have room in my shelf for that size.
I believe that the kit has good details so maybe AM items will not be so necesary. Here you have some related articles:

http://www.fortunecity.com/meltingpot/portland/971/Inbox/q-s/spit-1a_24-i.htm

http://www.aircraftresourcecenter.com/Gal5/4401-4500/gal4442_Spitfire_Brown/gal4442.htm

http://www.aircraftresourcecenter.com/Gal5/4101-4200/gal4136_Spitfire_Hevesi/gal4136.htm

Enjoy it

Hi all.
Thanks for the links Carlos,I will check them out.
I bet the Stuka is immense,lol,,,no match for a Mk1 Spit though



This is my MkX in 1/72 for a size comparrison



Its the MK1A

Happy Days

I envy you Nige, I must get one of these soon. I still have the original base, that was made in the workshop at RAF Wildenrath, for the presentation Spitfire Mk I that I built for the Sgts mess. They then made me a better one with a loverly glass and wood frame cover, so I kept the original. The model looked awsome in the case, although I'd blush if I ever re-discovered it The base I have measures 560mm x 460mm, it's big
Mal

i have both this spitfire and the 1/24 109 up in my mums loft, and i recently fetched back 3 boxes of old models including a never finished 1/24 heller FW190 that my other half doesnt know have come back! i had no choice my parents were talking about throwing them out! blasphemy! btw i took some nice close up pics of a merlin at newark air museum last year nigel, only one side though, enjoy!

I guess the pic of the Merlin is of a Mk IX, VII or VIII, or a Moosie ?. It has 6 exhausts in each side.

NIgel,
As they have been re-released at a ridiculously high price, I called into my local shop and had a look as they have the Stuka. The wingspan is stated as 56 cms. Now I'd need a new lounge for that.

John

Hi All.
Cheers for the photos Phil. Looks like Im going to have buy a roll of copper wire,,,OH,,so many pipes,,,lol.
As for the Stuka,,I reckon the best display cabinet for that beast would be a walk in one,,a garden shed for example.
Like to see Matrixone build a hanger for that
Nige
All this talk of finding places to display something this size is reminding me of the Colditz glider story

airfix did make a flying model of that............
:-)

Hi Nigel, if you check out Model Design Construction website they have some accessories for the 1/24 spitfire. Here's some links:

Sutton Harness
Cockpit controls
Seat with mounting

Hi Martin.
They are great links,,thanks very much.
That Sutton harness looks the business,and even better,they are just up the road from my folks.
I shall be contacting them very soon and spending some more money
Nige