I really love your videos, and I am building the Kotare Mk 1 early Spit, and I have found that if you trim the landing gear as per instructions and you use tweezers to push them in place, they pop right in and you don't even need glue. It really is a great model. Keep 'em coming Will.
I admire the engineering, accuracy and importance put into the build experience Kotare developed for this kit. With several 1/32 Tamiya Spitfires built I made the decision to instead do four, 1/24 Airfix Mk.IXc, knowing there would be many corrections and modifications to perform that are the common challenges modellers are presented with and if successfully accomplished provides more build time and enjoyment. Kotare has done all of what I would want in a Mk.1 Spitfire kit if asked. The lack of an engine is not important because I would pose the model in flight or cowls on, landed. The absence of rivets on the leading, D section of the wings is correct for, RAF, High Speed aircraft. A official wartime training film on preparing/ painting is posted on my channel if interested, Will. It proves the use of putty and primer/filler.
Sticky- outy- rivets Haha thats cool. In the aviation industry the rivets heads that stick out are called “universal type” The ones that lay flat are called “flush mount” 😊👍
I have the Early and the Mid - really looking forward to getting into them. As with the elevator droop being a thing on Spitfires, so is the offset rudder - with the stance of the fuselage being 'downhill' to the rear when on it's wheels, the weight of one of the rudder pedals would invariably end up overcoming the friction of the pivot and result in it falling to the rear; hence the rudder would be offset.
Having finished this kit a couple months ago were I to do it again, (and I will be, I have a 2nd one) I'd sand off all those raised rivets and replace them with 3d decal ones. When it's all said and done the molded raised rivets are too big, especially if you do an all over sludge wash like I tend to do. As for that gap you got on the belly where the wing meets the fuselage, I didn't get a gap, but I did get a step, a pretty noticeable step that I couldn't figure out what caused it or really be able to fix it completely. The rear most part of the canopy was also a really bad fit. I had a gap between the rear edge of the clear part and the fuselage, and it wouldn't sit properly on the fuselage either.
Hi Will, hey I'm just partway thru this video, but can I suggest perhaps putting your criticisms/comments in an email to Kotare models. I'm guessing the feedback would be most welcome.😁
Cool video. Just to say the single-piece tail plane elevator idea has been around for a long time (Eduard 1/48 Spitfires since 2013, and Airfix 1/48 since at least 2011...I'm sure there are others...)
G’day Will, I’ve been a scale modeller since age 9. This coming Feb. I’ll be 70. I served in the RAAF and after that I became a journalist. In retirement, for the last 16-years I’ve been a military historian. I was lucky enough to interview an older gentleman who worked at Supermarine and was involved in assembling the various finished sections of their Spitfires. He told me that the difficulties of fitting R.J. Mitchell’s design together properly were legendary; particularly around the wing root and tail planes up into the vertical stabiliser. He said there were so many ‘trouble spots’ there were too many for him to list or remember. He said they loved the Spit. as much as the next person. He had it explained to him that these difficult areas were a crucial part of the overall aerodynamics of the design; meaning it had to be like that to get the performance out of the finished airframe. I’ve seen five different Mks of the Spitfire, up close and my memory is that some of the rivets stuck out like sore thumbs. Overall, Kotare, in my opinion, has produced a stunning recreation of a model that, probably, is the most reproduced WW2 aircraft model of all time. Every single key employee of Kotare, including the General Manager, Richard, are amazingly easy to contact personally. Try talking to the ‘big wigs’ at Airfix or Tamiya etc., who hide behind a corporate ‘firewall’ for the very reason they don’t want to talk to their customers. I’ve built 3 of Kotare’s Spits. and there’s another one on the way. Any and all fitment issues I easily solved with gentle, graduated abrasive sticks etc. I can see why modellers have problems as they approach Kotare kits like they have done, ‘forever’ on lesser kits from manufacturers purely interested in pumping out volume instead of accuracy and quality. I believe the panel indentations in the 1/32 Kotare moulds are as close to correct as I’ve ever seen them on any of their competitors’ models and when compared to the real aircraft we have left. Your comparison between this kit on your bench and a 1/72 scale Spit. kit doesn’t hold water; it’s chalk and cheese. I’ve never seen a 1/72 kit of any warbird from any company that has correctly scaled dimensions and surface details... it just isn’t possible until the day comes when entire kits are produced via 3D printing on a commercial basis, in large numbers. I have no financial connection to Kotare and I only ever contacted them to heap praise on them for fixing shocking assembly issues that have been around since moulded plastic kits have been in existence. I’ve had email exchanges with Richard at Kotare to ask questions and he’s always been most helpful. Many modellers have been trying to figure out what kits will be coming up next, so I just asked Richard. He said he couldn’t tell me because he didn’t know but that I was welcome to make suggestions that would be looked at seriously if I could back up my suggestions. I thought I heard you say you are doing a different Mk Spit. to the one out of the Kotare box. Why not just get on the Kotare website and select the person who you think could help you out and, you never know, they might be thinking about the Mk you’re doing a conversion on, if I heard right. Anyway, for any problems you’re having with a Kotare build; they are just as far away as your computer keyboard. They do answer their emails and in quick order too. I suggested two aircraft I’d like to see them do. One, a de Havilland Mosquito because it was the most versatile warbird ever made and, two, a P-51D or K Mustang because my Air Force built them, under license, during the second half of WW2. Please don’t bother with any cracks about the length of this comment. I’m just trying to help out and, besides, I’m a writer... it’s what I do.😉 On one final matter, and I hope you don’t mind a ‘crack’ here; you remind me of my Uncle Luigi, he’s physically incapable of keeping his hands still while he’s talking. Will, those hands moving your model around, in and out of focus made me vertiginous, I had to look away and just listen for a while. 😵💫 Cheers and all the best, Bill H. Tasmania
You completely missed the point. I literally never said that the panel lines on the Arma 1/72 scale mustang were the correct size. I simply said that they are very nicely done because they are crisp, deep, and have a good rectangular cross-section. Because they do. And I would like to see that on every aircraft model.
I really love your videos, and I am building the Kotare Mk
1 early Spit, and I have found that if you trim the landing gear as per instructions and you use tweezers to push them in place, they pop right in and you don't even need glue. It really is a great model. Keep 'em coming Will.
It is ALWAYS a good day when Will uploads! Thank you for the rantings and ravings sir! :DD
Great Wall Hobby's 1/32 P-40 had separate wing fillets. I believe they were the first to employ this method of assembly.
I admire the engineering, accuracy and importance put into the build experience Kotare developed for this kit.
With several 1/32 Tamiya Spitfires built I made the decision to instead do four, 1/24 Airfix Mk.IXc, knowing there would be many corrections and modifications to perform that are the common challenges modellers are presented with and if successfully accomplished provides more build time and enjoyment.
Kotare has done all of what I would want in a Mk.1 Spitfire kit if asked. The lack of an engine is not important because I would pose the model in flight or cowls on, landed. The absence of rivets on the leading, D section of the wings is correct for, RAF, High Speed aircraft. A official wartime training film on preparing/ painting is posted on my channel if interested, Will. It proves the use of putty and primer/filler.
Sticky- outy- rivets Haha thats cool. In the aviation industry the rivets heads that stick out are called “universal type”
The ones that lay flat are called “flush mount” 😊👍
Whatever is correct terminology, I do prefer sticky-outy.
I have the Early and the Mid - really looking forward to getting into them. As with the elevator droop being a thing on Spitfires, so is the offset rudder - with the stance of the fuselage being 'downhill' to the rear when on it's wheels, the weight of one of the rudder pedals would invariably end up overcoming the friction of the pivot and result in it falling to the rear; hence the rudder would be offset.
Having finished this kit a couple months ago were I to do it again, (and I will be, I have a 2nd one) I'd sand off all those raised rivets and replace them with 3d decal ones. When it's all said and done the molded raised rivets are too big, especially if you do an all over sludge wash like I tend to do.
As for that gap you got on the belly where the wing meets the fuselage, I didn't get a gap, but I did get a step, a pretty noticeable step that I couldn't figure out what caused it or really be able to fix it completely.
The rear most part of the canopy was also a really bad fit. I had a gap between the rear edge of the clear part and the fuselage, and it wouldn't sit properly on the fuselage either.
Looking forward to thus build!
Wing roots - agree - ZM does that on a few of their kits... it's a great solution.
Always pays to check landing gear on models pre build. The 1/24th Airfix is a pain to fit if you don't Prep it first, looks like this is the same
Great insight
Very useful, thank you. 🙂🙏🏻
Hi Will, hey I'm just partway thru this video, but can I suggest perhaps putting your criticisms/comments in an email to Kotare models. I'm guessing the feedback would be most welcome.😁
What makes you think I haven't? Or that they haven't watched these videos?
Cool video. Just to say the single-piece tail plane elevator idea has been around for a long time (Eduard 1/48 Spitfires since 2013, and Airfix 1/48 since at least 2011...I'm sure there are others...)
2011 was a long time ago 🤣 Started in the 1960's but not touched a plastic kit since the 1980's, now getting back into the groove.
That's true, but it's still the exception.
Lots of clever design, wouldn't expect anything less for the ex-Wingut crew.
G’day Will, I’ve been a scale modeller since age 9. This coming Feb. I’ll be 70. I served in the RAAF and after that I became a journalist. In retirement, for the last 16-years I’ve been a military historian. I was lucky enough to interview an older gentleman who worked at Supermarine and was involved in assembling the various finished sections of their Spitfires.
He told me that the difficulties of fitting R.J. Mitchell’s design together properly were legendary; particularly around the wing root and tail planes up into the vertical stabiliser. He said there were so many ‘trouble spots’ there were too many for him to list or remember.
He said they loved the Spit. as much as the next person. He had it explained to him that these difficult areas were a crucial part of the overall aerodynamics of the design; meaning it had to be like that to get the performance out of the finished airframe.
I’ve seen five different Mks of the Spitfire, up close and my memory is that some of the rivets stuck out like sore thumbs.
Overall, Kotare, in my opinion, has produced a stunning recreation of a model that, probably, is the most reproduced WW2 aircraft model of all time. Every single key employee of Kotare, including the General Manager, Richard, are amazingly easy to contact personally.
Try talking to the ‘big wigs’ at Airfix or Tamiya etc., who hide behind a corporate ‘firewall’ for the very reason they don’t want to talk to their customers.
I’ve built 3 of Kotare’s Spits. and there’s another one on the way. Any and all fitment issues I easily solved with gentle, graduated abrasive sticks etc. I can see why modellers have problems as they approach Kotare kits like they have done, ‘forever’ on lesser kits from manufacturers purely interested in pumping out volume instead of accuracy and quality.
I believe the panel indentations in the 1/32 Kotare moulds are as close to correct as I’ve ever seen them on any of their competitors’ models and when compared to the real aircraft we have left.
Your comparison between this kit on your bench and a 1/72 scale Spit. kit doesn’t hold water; it’s chalk and cheese. I’ve never seen a 1/72 kit of any warbird from any company that has correctly scaled dimensions and surface details... it just isn’t possible until the day comes when entire kits are produced via 3D printing on a commercial basis, in large numbers.
I have no financial connection to Kotare and I only ever contacted them to heap praise on them for fixing shocking assembly issues that have been around since moulded plastic kits have been in existence.
I’ve had email exchanges with Richard at Kotare to ask questions and he’s always been most helpful. Many modellers have been trying to figure out what kits will be coming up next, so I just asked Richard. He said he couldn’t tell me because he didn’t know but that I was welcome to make suggestions that would be looked at seriously if I could back up my suggestions.
I thought I heard you say you are doing a different Mk Spit. to the one out of the Kotare box.
Why not just get on the Kotare website and select the person who you think could help you out and, you never know, they might be thinking about the Mk you’re doing a conversion on, if I heard right. Anyway, for any problems you’re having with a Kotare build; they are just as far away as your computer keyboard. They do answer their emails and in quick order too.
I suggested two aircraft I’d like to see them do. One, a de Havilland Mosquito because it was the most versatile warbird ever made and, two, a P-51D or K Mustang because my Air Force built them, under license, during the second half of WW2.
Please don’t bother with any cracks about the length of this comment. I’m just trying to help out and, besides, I’m a writer... it’s what I do.😉
On one final matter, and I hope you don’t mind a ‘crack’ here; you remind me of my Uncle Luigi, he’s physically incapable of keeping his hands still while he’s talking. Will, those hands moving your model around, in and out of focus made me vertiginous, I had to look away and just listen for a while. 😵💫
Cheers and all the best, Bill H. Tasmania
You completely missed the point. I literally never said that the panel lines on the Arma 1/72 scale mustang were the correct size. I simply said that they are very nicely done because they are crisp, deep, and have a good rectangular cross-section. Because they do. And I would like to see that on every aircraft model.
The tail stabilizer comment is why I don't enter any model aircraft in any contest. I build for me , not you.
I was interested in Kotare, until i watched hours of this. No kit over $100 should require a battle or struggle.
Hello, with the landing gear, you just need to sand the studs a bit. Look at a guy called the model shep he built the spitfire as well.
No dude, it’s actually a bit more involved than that. I had to sand the slots down quite a bit to fit