Seafire FR.47 tamiya 1/32 Seafire FR.47 english part-2

Seafire FR.47 tamiya 1/32 part-2

The wing
The new wing of the Super Spitfire was re-designed, and the internal structure was upgraded. However, the outline shape was basically unchanged. The Super Spitfire wing (black) is almost identical to the high altitude wing of normal Spitfire (Blue).

So basically, I used the kit wing parts. The wing tip, aileron and flap were made of styrene sheet.

The darker color portions are kit wing parts. The lighter portions are styrene sheet.

The carbon fiber reinforcement was glued on the inside to hold 6 degrees of dihedral.

The gear bay was scratchbuilt with styrene sheet. I didn't know details of the gear bay of Mk.47. So I figured it was basically the same as Mk.22.

The ceiling of tire house was made of styrene sheet.

Navigation lights were lit up by colored LED. Each LED was connected with nylon fiber. g.

The tail navigation light is lit up as well.

Then the upper and lower wing parts were glued. At first, the leading edge was glued. Then the trailing edge was carefully glued to keep correct washout.

Lighting test.

Wing navigation light covers were made of colored acrylic plate.

This photo is a restored aircraft. See the sharp edge of the wing tip. The clear light cover is not original.

The windshield and canopy
The drawing of the canopy was made from the factory drawing of Mk.17's canopy. The late production canopy may be basically the same as Mk.17's canopy.

The canopy was scratch-built with heat forming of acrylic sheet. Small size (6" x 6") of 0.5mm (0.02") acrylic sheet was heated on the kitchen gas grill. When acrylic sheet become soft, it was pressed and wrapped on the wooden mold. Heat formed sheet was cut with rotary tool. Each window of the windshield was made of clear styrene sheet. Clear styrene sheet is more difficult for heat forming. But, styrene sheet is easy to glue together.

The wooden mold was made from chemical wood. After that, CA glued was applied on the surface of the wooden mold. Then the surface was polished.

Then acrylic sheet was heat formed. The outer and inner surface were sanded with 800 to 2000 grit sandpaper and polished with rubbing compound.

Each window of the windshield was made of clear styrene sheet. The curved front and upper windows were heat pressed, and side windows were not heat pressed.

The fringe of the slide canopy was 0.2mm (0.008") styrene sheet. Styrene sheet was temporarily fixed on the fuselage, then the canopy part was glued with CA glue.

After that, unwanted part was trimmed.

Other frames were 0.14mm (0.005") styrene sheet. The inside of the frame was painted in black.

The front window frame was made of 0.3mm (0,01") aluminum sheet.

The aluminum frame was glued with epoxy glue.

The bullet proof grass was made of 1mm (0.04") thick clear plastic from a DVD case.

Then the windshield was glued on the fuselage.

The horizontal fin
The kit horizontal fin and elevator were widened by 14mm (0.55"). Tamiya kit contained two sets of elevator. So these two sets were effectively used. Note the portion of elevator mass balance was enlarged.

The radiator
The radiator cowl was scratch-built as well.

The bottom portion was made of 1mm (0.04") styrene sheet and the side portion was 0.5mm. Styrene sheet was cut and bent.

Then each part was glued together. The inner sidewall and radiator box were glued for reinforcement.

The fringe was added on the radiator cowl.

The radiator mesh was cut from 1/24 car model.

Wing blisters
The plan shape of cannon blisters were not simple spindle shape but rather complicate shape. They were the composition of central cylindrical shape and two cone shapes. See the top view drawing.

Wing blisters for the 20mm cannons and tire were made of heat pressing 0.5mm (0.02") styrene sheet.

The fringe was 0.14mm (0.006") styrene sheet.

Small blisters were made of styrene sheet.

Rivets and fasteners
Rivets were engraved with #1 (0.3mm = 0.012") beading tool. Access panel fasteners were #3 (0.4mm = 0.016") and nose cowl fasteners were #6 (0.5mm = 0.022").

The propeller blade
The propeller blades were basically made of two pieces of styrene sheet. Each styrene sheet was twisted to correct pitch, then they were glued together with CA glue. A single piece of styrene sheet may lose its pitch afterward, but glued two pieces of sheet hold their pitch permanently. The developed drawing of the blade was printed out, cut and glued on styrene sheet. Then styrene sheet was trimmed. The airfoil of the propeller is Clark Y.

Left; 1mm (0.04") styrene sheet was milled to tapered thickness. Center; Styrene sheet was cut and twisted. Right; Glued sheet was trimmed and sanded.

The left three are front line blades and the right are rear blades.

The shape and pitch are checked with the spinner.

I found that the thickness of the blade root was insufficient. So, small pieces of styrene sheet were glued and sanded again. The left is before and right is after.

Details of the wing
The flap was made of styrene sheet. The ceiling of the flap is of modular constructing. Tamiya kit doesn't depict correct ceiling under wing filet. The modular depicted it correctly.

These are flaps and ceilings. The ceiling is made of 0.2mm (0.008") clear styrene sheet.

The ceiling was glued to the wing.

The landing gear
The landing gear was extended by 3mm (0.12") using two sets of kit parts. Reinforcement brass rod was glued in the center of the gear shaft. The torque link was moved to rear side. The gear cover was extended using two kit parts as well.

The center is the original kit part. Upper and lower are extended parts.

Exact details of the gear cover of Mk.47 were unknown. I referred to Mk.22.

The three slot wheel was from Barracuda Studios. Details are excellent. Unfortunately, the block tread tire is not released.

Exact details of the wheel cover were unknown as well. The wheel cover was made of two pieces of 0.5mm (0.02") styrene sheet. Each piece was bent first then glued together in order to fix its curved shape.

The exhaust pipe
The exhaust pipe of the Griffon engine is larger than Merlin. So kit parts couldn't be used. The master was made of sprue. Then the actual parts were duplicated with silicon mold and polyester putty. The trailing edge was replaced with styrene pipe.