Matchbox Spitfire Mk 24
By Chris Novak
After converting my first of this old MATCHBOX kits into a SEAFIRE FR 47 I decided to take the second one out of the closet and finish the "last-production-Spit-project" with this "normal" MK 24. Beside my well-known cutaway modifications there was a lot of additional work to do with this bad, bad old kit (it´s from the seventies of the last millennium, right?) like rescribing panel-lines, correcting the wrong-shaped "griffon-bulges", scratchbuilding the wheels and the gear-bays and and and...
After having practised with the SEAFIRE before the progress went on good, fuselage and wing construction / interior as usual made from plywood and aluminium, the griffon exhausts were replaced by short brass tubings and a bit wiring were added.
Also modified: the gun barrels and the cooler intakes which are too small, they were corrected by adding some aluminium parts and also cooler flaps were modified to "down" position. Also the landing gear was scratched by using alu-and brass tubings.
Although I´m an "airbrush-owner" since earlier this year this bird was brush-painted using my normal mix of REVELL and artist oil colours, markings of Tremletts MK 24 are selfprinted decals, corrected by hand with a 000-brush.
The only aftermarket parts I used were the correct spinner and five-blade-prop from Warbird Productions UK, thanks also to Vasco Barbic for sending me a bubbletop canopy.
And last but not least the "sisters" side by side.....
That's it, next Spit-project maybe (if I can find two more of these old MATCHBOX kits) the same pair in MK 21 / FR 46 version, means no bubbletop canopy.
Enjoy, thanks for your nice comments and help while the online-build at LSP.
© Chris Novak 2005
This article was published on Wednesday, July 20 2011; Last modified on Saturday, May 14 2016