Join me on my final build video on the Airfix 1/24th scale Supermarine Spitfire Mk IXc, watch live and join in the conversation as I'll be watching with you and be answering any questions you have. Also remember that my monthly giveaway for Patreons and Channel Members in March will not only give you a chance of winning the 1/72nd Airfix Commonwealth Boomerang, but also give double entry tickets to the April giveaway, which is the enormous 1/32nd scale Eurofighter Typhoon twin-seater. A basic £2 Channel membership in March and April would give you SIX entries into the raffle,.Other benefits of membership can include access to my private Discord server with sneak peaks, bonus content and loyalty merchandise - so come and join us!
Thank you for uploading this series of videos, without which I would have been totally lost. I returned to model-building in 2022 after a thirty-year break and I was bought the kit as a present by my wife and in-laws, who clearly have more faith in my abilities than I do! Out of the box it looked way beyond anything I'd built before, so I was quite intimidated by it and terrified of making mistakes. Your methodical approach and calm delivery mean that I have settled into the build and I'm really enjoying it. Thanks again!
Great build! I am an oldtimer that just returned to the hobby, after some 35 years absence. I am building four 1/32 Spits for hanging in the ceiling, and I still call airbrush cheating (it is a bad way to say I am jealous of it). :) Since I have watched so many videos and photos now, I am fascinated over two things: 1. How dirty the planes where/could be during the war. I have seen some model builds where I think "THAT is dirt overkill!". And it is not. They where used, for real. 2. How perfect many models fit together, when the originals (from the war) often didn´t. There are more "mistakes" in the pictures from the actual war planes than many modellers would accept. I am not talking about right and wrong here, it is simply interesting. It is also about the scale and "visual tricks" in building models. Also, thank you for the reference for the tolerance in the actual painting of these planes. I won´t make it, since I am painting with brushes and after a bad experiment with templates/masking now paint "with my eyes". All of my friends will still say "WOW!" when they see a squadron of big Spits in the ceiling, I will be satisfied enough and no expert modellers will ever see them. :D
Informative, well made and enjoyable build series Alex. I agree with your conclusions. I have four kits being worked on with two close to being completed. As you point out, it has potential to allow a modeller to enhance. There is more than sixty hours put into refining the outer plastic surfaces of the two models that are almost done and will be in the markings of Johnnie E Johnson, 'EN398' and George Beurling, 'MA585', displayed in flight together on custom stainless steel stands with pilot figures and motorized propellers. EN398, first flight February 2, 1943. Repainted JE-J March 16, 1943. There is an Official RAF training film on the practices of preparing and painting, High Speed, aircraft posted on my channel. It proves the use of putty and primer filler to make the leading, D box section of the wings smooth so for anyone wanting to build this model as a wartime, in service Spitfire the rivet detail in those areas should be filled in.
Thanks for making it so interesting and easy to follow, as after going through the instructions I thought it was going to be a very difficult build cant wait to get started on mine once I've finished my 1/24 Hawker Siddeley Harrier GR.1. Only just started building again after 45 years and this will be my 6th build!!!!
I've thoroughly enjoyed following this build, and what a great result - well done! Mine will also be Johnnie Johnson's aeroplane, I hope it turns out this well.
i stumbled across this build series in my recommendations today after watching some other diorama/wargaming channels and I am simply in awe at the level of detail and skill you showcase. fantastic mate! definitely earned a new sub, I look forward to more from you in the future!
Hi! This is is a nice build, and I've enjoyed watching the series. I would just point out one little thing that I've noticed while watching, in case you do another in future - on a Mk IXc, there is no antenna cable along the top (I'm pretty sure). But - there is still an IFF antenna running from a point on the sides of the fuselage to the very outermost point of the horizontal stabilisers.
I have worked on a Spitfire Mk IXc and a a Spitfire Mk XVI since 1976. You did a wonderful job on the Airfix Mk IXc . I suggest that you replicate the Anti Chaffing tape on the cowl frames. This is easily done with brown paint. Mk IX's had a TR1133 VHF radio and no aerial wire was seen. The actual aerial was a rod up the middle of the radio mast. The wheel wells were the same colour as the underside as were the oleo fairings. The oleo legs were aluminum. The tires and wheels would have creep marks on them which would be easy to do in this scale. I have the Mk IXc kit from Airfix and look forward to building it with Mann's Model Moments as reference. Cheers...Bob Swaddling
@@johnmclean6498 This is correct regarding the top aerial - but there still should be IFF wires running from both side of the fuselage to the stabilisers.
Beautiful. A lot of valuable tips, thanks. One question though, you mention using "Pledge" in the decal process. Where I live ""Pledge" is a lemon scented furniture polish. I don't imagine this is what you're using. Could you elaborate on what product use actually used?
Great looking build. I really want to pick up one of these at some point, but my model budget ain't what it used to be ( darn kids and their needs 😂). It's kind of crazy how versatile oils are for weathering. One of the oldest ( if not the oldest ) form of paint, and still can do so much so easily. They're about all I use for weathering anymore except for pin washes.
Yes they are! It was a very fluid time - for instance, control surfaces were upgraded during Johnson's tenure at Kenley, so even during that short period of 6 months the aircraft were not "static"!
That's a classy looking Spit' and a really interesting series, great fun to watch. I would mention that from the Mk V (I think) the arials didn't have a wire as the VHF sets were introduced and the arial was contained within the mast itself. I stand to be corrected, of course. I thoroughly enjoyed all of that build; congratulations.....she's a beauty.
Reading more on this it was during the introduction of the MkIX this seemed to happen, as well as the IFF changes. Johnnie Johnson's aircraft was an early variant and still carried the old IFF light etc, so I"m going to assume EN398 was not fitted with upgraded gear 😁
And we're still waiting here in Australia for our kits to arrive....I have heard sometime this month we may be blessed with their presence. I honestly think the hype and excitement surrounding this kit will be gone by the time we see ours and people will have moved on to other new releases.......lol.
With your red underpainting for the control surfaces, is that just to give a different shade of paint on the final product, or do also you let it come through in your weathering? I couldn't quite tell sorry. Amazing build and series! Can't wait to get my own soon.
A bit of both, though in the end I didn't weather heavily, but i didn't want aluminium showing through if I rubbed the paint too much or something...it's just sometimes where ideas start isn't where they end up!
Thanks! I have the old Airfix 1/24th Messerschmitt Bf 109...it's a product of its time - much like the Revell 1/32nd Corsair....the difference being that I picked my 109 up many years ago, and didn't pay much for it....!
If you do not allow the oil paints to dry before covering with a protective top coat, you will get a paint error called 'crazing'. Its where the paint cracks as it shrinks at a different rate the the drying of the paint below it. Letting oil paint dry is a huge variable - to me its the only downside of using that medium.
Diluting them with white spirit gets rid of most of that issue, breaking down the carrier medium and drying them out much more rapidly - but yes, of course you should always ensure any paint is dry before applying a differential medium
Ooof...that's a hard one. From start to finish, it took 4 months, but of course building was limited in that time. Each video was made from about 8 hours of total footage - so about 40 hours? Then again some things I didn't film, some I did took more time than they should because I was filming...it's hard to be precise! Of course there's a lot of time for things to dry as well, which you need to include if you're actually counting it in the total time from start to finish.
The Tamiya is a far superior kit albeit more expensive. no gaps around engine cowls ,thinner more in scale held by magnets and second to none surface detail. dont get me wrong I cut my teeth on Airfix kits way back in the 60`s but when ur shelling out close to a hundred pound I plump for a few more to get the game changing Tamiya kit. That`s just my opinion@@MannsModelMomentsAnd if I wanted a MK 1 it would have to be the Kotare. Airfix have come along way but they are not a triple A manufacturer rather double A. Again just my opinion. Also Tamiya kits are designed and manufactured in Japan not peddled off to China or India
Looks great Alex. Can I just add though that there would be no antenna wire on this aircraft - it had the VHF radio which had the antenna within the mast. I'm planning to tackle this kit towards the end of the year and will certainly be referencing back to your videos. Do you have the Kotare Mk.I on order?
@@miraclepaintmasks4791 I don't think you can say that definitively, given that 5,656 were built, and the early ones had a mess of mixed equipment in order to get them into production. I've seen illustrations both online and in books I have that show Mk IXc with aerial wires, though they could be inaccurate as well, of course. These would, of course, only be early production airframes with transitional equipment as EN398 was.
@@MannsModelMoments The VHF radio was equipping Mk Vs and the Mk IX had the VHF radio, none of them had the HF radio which is the equipment that required the antenna wire. You can tell that the model doesn't require the antenna wire because it is missing the triangular bracket which houses a pully wheel over which the wire went to turn into the fuselage, so it wasn't a separate piece either. When the VHF radio came into service the antenna was retained as was but the triangular bracket was left off. The bumps at the top, which should have rivet fixing holes in them, were still part of the manufacturing process. The very much shorter antenna wire is now inside the antenna. Any illustration that you have seen showing them is wrong and they probably also show a headrest, which was removed during the production of the Mk V.
Some very interesting techniques you’ve shared here. Will give them a try. Is there a reason you use Pledge in place of the usual decal setting solutions? Cheers. 😊
Yes, it's a single solution that acts as a gloss coat,setting and confirming solution, and I've always had better results than with things like microset/sol, as well as it being cheaper. In short, why wouldn't you? 😁
@@MannsModelMoments yes I will try it. I still have a bottle of Future (Pledge) from awhile back. I’ve used it before as a satin coat on the model before laying down decals, but never as a decal-setting solution. 👍🏻🙂
@@MannsModelMoments Holloway House’s Quick Shine Floor Finish has been recommended as a good substitute. If you can find it, I’d love to know what you think of it.
@@TotallyScaleModels Not so - check out Part 3 of this build (appropriately entitled "Mighty Merlin!) where you can see me put the entire engine in the aircraft. I actually magnetised my panels (shown in Part 4) so I could display them open or closed. Also, it you want one before Telford or can't find it there, I've one in my shop both physically and on-line!)
Hi Alex. I've just watched the latest episode of "Hornby: A Model World" and they showcased two brilliant Airfix plane models which I think would be a perfect project for you - the 1/24 Hellcat and the 1/72 Vulcan. Do you have those in your stash? Cheers, Mike
The Hellcat I do not, but I have both the original and new tooling Vulcans (another favourite of my father, and a common sight over my home in Lincolnshire as a child) so expect to see those in the future!
The Vulcan is such a cool looking little plane. The lines on it are just oddly elegant for such a basic shape. For some reason my favorite British jet is still the Sea Vixen though. I can't even say why, just love the way it looks.
@@jameshall1300 It's such a bizarre aircraft too, and the navigator's position was a dreadful place to be...but yeah, cool to look at! I have one in the stash, so I'll get to it at some point....
I pre ordered my Spitfire back in November,arrived on the 7th Feb,when I opened the damaged box,I had a cracked and incomplete clear sprue,I reported the problems to airfix on the 8th feb,it is now 18th April and I have still not had the replacement parts,been waiting over 2 months for them,they told me to chase royal mail up,they never had anything from airfix,in the end I gave up,and have binned the kit.
