1/48 Airfix Seafire FR.46

Gallery Article by Dominique Dubusse on June 6 2016

D-Day - Allied Landings in France in 1944

 

      

Bonjour from Normandy France. This is my Seafire FR 46. A good kit which necessitated some easy work to get something more realistic.

The fuselage aft of the seat is too wide and too rounded. To correct this, I compared it with the excellent Eduard Spitfire Mk XVI bubble canopy fuselage. I sanded and rescribed the fuselage. I also opened the rail gap for the sliding canopy.

Click on images below to see larger images

The bulges above the engine have the wrong shape. The front part is too rounded and too wide, almost like the shape of a spoon. (Look at the picture of an old Airfix Spitfire Mk 22 I joined to this article). I compared with the very good Airfix Spitfire Mk XIX and sanded them to the correct shape. (As you can see, I realised this after gluing the bulges. I had to remove them to correct the shape ...)

Elevators, ailerons and rudder were cut.

Harness is scratchbuilt. 

Canopy is Rob Taurus for the Eduard Spitfire Mk XVI (not expensive, easy to work on, and of excellent quality).

Everything there can be applied to Seafire Fr 47 and the Spitfire Mk 22/24 Airfix.

Happy modelling!

Dominique Dubusse

Photos and text © by Dominique Dubusse