1:72 Supermarine Spitfire Vb - Hispano 20mm cannons in fairings

Supermarine Spitfire Vb - Hispano 20 mm Cannon Barrels, 1:72

Turned metal barrels for the 20 mm Hispano cannon including the fairings in the leading edge of the wing, for models of the Supermarine Spitfire Mk.Vb fighter in 1:72 scale from the Polish company MASTER. It is a detail accessory for a model, not an aircraft kit.

The real subject

The Spitfire Mk.Vb carried a pair of 20 mm cannon in the wing complemented by machine guns. The cannon barrels projected ahead of the leading edge and were covered at the root by an aerodynamic fairing, a pair that gives away at once from the front which version of the Spitfire it is. On a model in 1:72 scale they are at the same time the thinnest projecting parts of the whole wing.

Building and painting tips

At this scale a plastic barrel has a solid, rounded muzzle; drilling it out with a micro drill is possible, but the hole readily runs off the axis and the material around it weakens. A turned barrel has the bore on the axis and a thin wall all the way around. Cut the plastic part off, widen the hole in the leading edge to the diameter of the pin and glue the metal part in with super glue; while the glue sets, keep checking that both barrels are parallel as seen from the front. For painting, degrease the metal first and spray a primer for metal. The barrel itself looks best if, instead of a flat coat of paint, you oxidize or blue it and only dust it lightly with a dark pigment; the metal sheen then stays but loses its newness. The fairings at the root, on the other hand, are painted in the camouflage scheme along with the wing.

Who the set is for

• Builders of British fighters of the Second World War in 1:72 scale
• Modelers who do not want to drill gun muzzles by hand
• Those who work with bluing and patina on metal parts
• Competition builds judged from the front

This is an accessory for further work on a model. The base kit, glue and paints are not included in the package.