Advice please , Tamiya 1/32 Spitfire IX c

R

Richy C

Guest
Hello and happy Christmas , I`ve just ordered this kit as a present from my wife and kids , I`ve also ordered some IX c after market Xtradecals as the Tamiya decals are a bit thick from the reviews I`ve read ,

I`m not an experienced aircraft builder and very much out of my comfort zone , so a couple of questions , I know you get a little PE but does it come with cockpit masks , also would a eduard interior pe set or eduards fabric harness set or even a resin pilot enhance this kit , or is the kit good straight out of the box ?

Any advice would be very much welcome.
Cheers
Richy
 

BarryW

SMF Supporter
Joined
Jul 23, 2011
Messages
5,014
Points
113
Location
Dover
First Name
Barry
Richard. Take a look at my recent Mk XVI build thread as it is essentially the same kit but with alternative sprue for the later mk.
http://www.scale-models.co.uk/threads/tamiya-1-32-spitfire-mk-xvie.27087/

Some pointers:
There is a canopy mask set in the box but it is not pre-cut and I would suggest an aftermarket set would be good.
The kit has a superb level of detail and the pe sets are very much gilding the lily and is mostly a waste of time in my opinion
What I would suggest getting:
... a resin door with seperate crow bar
...if you are displaying the engine then some resin 'rocker covers' with the Rolls Royce logo
...You could get a replacement seat if so inclined and aftermarket seat belts.
... resin wheels to replace the rubber ones

That is about it really, its a great kit. Superb engineering and fit.

That said I would ignore the toyish bits and not worry about the swapping of panels or switching between in flight or on the ground. Too gimmicky and it would just give you a lot of headaches. Decide how you want to display it and build it that way from the start.
 

stona

SMF Supporter
Joined
Jul 22, 2008
Messages
11,455
Points
113
First Name
Steve
I agree with Barry.
Barracuda Studios (Roy Sutherland) do some resin upgrades for the Tamiya Spitfires, but, with the addition of a harness (assuming the kit still contains a rather nasty P-E affair) and some replacement decals it makes a superb Spitfire right out of the box.

http://barracudacals.com/products.php?cat=13

You might consider masking and spraying markings rather than uses decals at this scale, you are guaranteed that 'painted on' look :smiling3:

http://shop.maketar.com/?product=132-supermarine-spitfire-mk-ixc-for-tamiya-kit-60319

I tend to use vinyl masks as I don't re-use them, but the kabuki ones are just as good and theoretically will last for a while. Canopy masks are included in most Maketar sets, including this one.

I also agree about deciding how you are going to pose the model and then building it that way.

Cheers

Steve
 

colin m

Moderator
Staff member
Moderator
SMF Supporter
Joined
Dec 26, 2008
Messages
8,572
Points
113
Location
Stafford, UK
First Name
Colin
It's a great kit and you won't be disappointed. I would only add to the above, if something doesn't fit, you've gone wrong. I had a layer of paint give me trouble when building the undercarriage. Just a layer of paint.
 
R

Richy C

Guest
Hi gents , some great info , masks seem a good way to go and a harness set seems a must have , kit will be displayed with panels off as it would be a shame to cover up the engine .

Thankyou
Richy
 
Top