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Hobbies

Dad made a large Loco for my younger brother, I remember watching him roll out the tinplate and soldering on the chimney and all the joints, making the axles and fitting the heavy duty wheels and tyres, then painting it red with gold lines, it was pretty indestructible and might be still around somewhere.
 
Airfix are still going strong despite rival company’s making super model kits too. Its seems the model making fraternity like the base kits and then buy and add a load of modifications like photo etched parts of very fine detail. There is also a whole market of high quality paints for model kits that is a real step up from the junk we had as kids. Airbrushing now seems the norm for Airfix models.

I did this Spitfire last year and built it to show the Merlin engine and guns. You realize the whole Spitfire is a small airframe bolted onto a massive engine with just room for the pilot and guns.

Spitfire.jpg
 
Morturn said:
Airfix are still going strong despite rival company’s making super model kits too. Its seems the model making fraternity like the base kits and then buy and add a load of modifications like photo etched parts of very fine detail. There is also a whole market of high quality paints for model kits that is a real step up from the junk we had as kids. Airbrushing now seems the norm for Airfix models.

I did this Spitfire last year and built it to show the Merlin engine and guns. You realize the whole Spitfire is a small airframe bolted onto a massive engine with just room for the pilot and guns.

View attachment 198812
Click to expand...
You have done atop job on that Spit
i have a clock that came out of a Spit 9
will post pics when it shows its self
 
Morturn said:
Airfix are still going strong despite rival company’s making super model kits too. Its seems the model making fraternity like the base kits and then buy and add a load of modifications like photo etched parts of very fine detail. There is also a whole market of high quality paints for model kits that is a real step up from the junk we had as kids. Airbrushing now seems the norm for Airfix models.

I did this Spitfire last year and built it to show the Merlin engine and guns. You realize the whole Spitfire is a small airframe bolted onto a massive engine with just room for the pilot and guns.

View attachment 198812
Click to expand...
Is it true that a Spitty only had enough ammo for 15 seconds?
 
Morturn said:
Airfix are still going strong despite rival company’s making super model kits too. Its seems the model making fraternity like the base kits and then buy and add a load of modifications like photo etched parts of very fine detail. There is also a whole market of high quality paints for model kits that is a real step up from the junk we had as kids. Airbrushing now seems the norm for Airfix models.

I did this Spitfire last year and built it to show the Merlin engine and guns. You realize the whole Spitfire is a small airframe bolted onto a massive engine with just room for the pilot and guns.

View attachment 198812
Click to expand...
Superb work Mort!
A little Spitfire trivia: when it first came out it was thought to be underpowered so they re engined it taking just few weeks! Could you imagine today?
 
Smudger said:
Is it true that a Spitty only had enough ammo for 15 seconds?
Click to expand...
I think it was around about that yes. It was a schoolgirl call Hazel Hill who calculated the spray pattern and proved that the original gun configuration would not work. Apparently, the Spitfire had to hit an enemy with at least 300 rounds. With the pilot only having a 2 second window to do this the Spitfire guns would have to put out 800 rounds.
 
Morturn said:
I think it was around about that yes. It was a schoolgirl call Hazel Hill who calculated the spray pattern and proved that the original gun configuration would not work. Apparently, the Spitfire had to hit an enemy with at least 300 rounds. With the pilot only having a 2 second window to do this the Spitfire guns would have to put out 800 rounds.
Click to expand...
Spit and Hurri Guns were zeroed to converge at about 350/400m later on it was reduced to about 250m
8 .303s when they converge punch a hole size of a fist there is a very slight difference between each gun dischargeing
some guns will also jam
the first 20mm cannons had to be installed on there side because of the narrow wing on a Spit
 
Donbogen said:
Spit and Hurri Guns were zeroed to converge at about 350/400m later on it was reduced to about 250m
8 .303s when they converge punch a hole size of a fist there is a very slight difference between each gun dischargeing
some guns will also jam
the first 20mm cannons had to be installed on there side because of the narrow wing on a Spit
Click to expand...
i like using the .303 round a .303 British cartridge is not considered a black powder cartridge today; while the original version of the .303 cartridge used black powder as its propellant when it was first introduced, modern .303 ammunition uses smokeless powder instead:)

Gun harmonisation - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org en.wikipedia.org
 
Morturn said:
Airfix are still going strong despite rival company’s making super model kits too. Its seems the model making fraternity like the base kits and then buy and add a load of modifications like photo etched parts of very fine detail. There is also a whole market of high quality paints for model kits that is a real step up from the junk we had as kids. Airbrushing now seems the norm for Airfix models.

I did this Spitfire last year and built it to show the Merlin engine and guns. You realize the whole Spitfire is a small airframe bolted onto a massive engine with just room for the pilot and guns.

View attachment 198812
Click to expand...
Super job on this - it is model show quality!!!
 
Mark Tooze said:
Super job on this - it is model show quality!!!
Click to expand...
Thanks Mark, much appreciated. I am not a regular modeler; I just do the occasional kit that has an underlying interest I would like to study. This one it was really all about the Merlin engine. There used to be one in the Newhall Street science museum that I would admire as a kid with an open mouth.

I also built this one with the gun covers open, again because of my interest with what Hazel Hill did. She lived in Lichfield, a friend of mine knew her when she was still teaching.

I have done a couple of steam engines in Airfix too.

I worked with a guy who was a Hurricane pilot, he was shot down over Greece and badly burned. So I may do that one next.
 
Morturn said:
Thanks Mark, much appreciated. I am not a regular modeler; I just do the occasional kit that has an underlying interest I would like to study. This one it was really all about the Merlin engine. There used to be one in the Newhall Street science museum that I would admire as a kid with an open mouth.

I also built this one with the gun covers open, again because of my interest with what Hazel Hill did. She lived in Lichfield, a friend of mine knew her when she was still teaching.

I have done a couple of steam engines in Airfix too.

I worked with a guy who was a Hurricane pilot, he was shot down over Greece and badly burned. So I may do that one next.
Click to expand...
If you have not already got the kit - they did re-issue the 1970's Airfix 1:24 Hurricane kit as a Vintage Classic a while ago (I assume your Spitfire is one of the new kits based on the detailing). Parabellum in Vyse St Hockley may have one - worth a visit if only to answer the question "how many model kits can you fit into the front room of an old back-to-back type house? (Answer is thousands.....)
 
Mark Tooze said:
If you have not already got the kit - they did re-issue the 1970's Airfix 1:24 Hurricane kit as a Vintage Classic a while ago (I assume your Spitfire is one of the new kits based on the detailing). Parabellum in Vyse St Hockley may have one - worth a visit if only to answer the question "how many model kits can you fit into the front room of an old back-to-back type house? (Answer is thousands.....)
Click to expand...
Mark Tooze said:
(I assume your Spitfire is one of the new kits based on the detailing)
Click to expand...
Yes its a super kits. Thanks also, ill pop along later in the week and have a look.
 
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