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Vol 2 All the Spitfire questions here


Sean_M

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Some had fabric ailerons ex factory, but would have been retrofitted when in service. It's my understanding that Va's were built with fabric ones, Vc's with metal and that the changeover happened during Vb production. However that's just my understanding.

 

as for rudders I thought they all had fabric?

 

Trevor 

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19 hours ago, Bailes said:

Does the MK Vb have fabric covered elevators and rudder? 

 

 

Yes, it did at time of manufacture. Obviously anything that survived long enough can and may have been modified. Metal covered elevators were first seen on the XVI and have been reported as sometimes seen on the IX.

 

While I have no evidence of a V being retrofitted thus, there's no reason in principle why such elevators and the accompanying late tailplanes could not have been fitted to the odd surviving V, especially in the 1960s and 1970s when all sorts of mix & match went on to keep Spitfires flying in private hands.

 

There are two types of metal covered elevators, as leading Spitfire authority Peter Arnold (Mark12) pointed out a while ago over on the Key historic forum:

"I have noted two types of metal elevators.
"1) A metal covered version of the fabric type, with multiple angle plates attached to the tubular ribs and structure on which to rivet the skinning.
"2) A conventional structure of sheet metal ribs rearward of the main spar, with blind rivets on the closing skin. This latter types seems to have been fitted at factory to the bulk of the Mk XVI fleet that survive.
"An interesting aside, ML427 a Mk IX, has a wooden construction elevator with the later extended horn...and it is not a mock up."

 

Post #7 on http://forum.keypublishing.com/showthread.php?81128-Spitfire-IX-XVI

Edited by Work In Progress
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  • 4 months later...
On 13/10/2016 at 4:08 PM, PhantomBigStu said:

Building the new airfix Va rebox, assumed the new exhausts on the D sprue were for the Va,but cleary not, which begs the question what are they for? 

 

Still curios on this, but also now I have (or rather my supplier has atm) ordered 2 lots of the new Eduard 1/72 MkIX weekend, I've also ordered myself the one piece cowling for the XVI, is there anything else I would need to add to do myself a high backed XVI using one of the weekends? 

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On 10/13/2016 at 11:08 AM, PhantomBigStu said:

Building the new airfix Va rebox, assumed the new exhausts on the D sprue were for the Va,but cleary not, which begs the question what are they for? 

 

The exhausts on sprue D are the later "fishtail" stacks.  Can be found on later I/II/V Spitfires, so it depends on the markings and/or timeframe for the subject.

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4 hours ago, PhantomBigStu said:

 

Still curios on this, but also now I have (or rather my supplier has atm) ordered 2 lots of the new Eduard 1/72 MkIX weekend, I've also ordered myself the one piece cowling for the XVI, is there anything else I would need to add to do myself a high backed XVI using one of the weekends? 

 

The high backed XVI would need sprues A, B, C, D, E, and I.  The XVI and IXe shared the same wing format "e" with a cannon outboard and a .50 cal gun inboard; no .303 guns.  According to Eduard's site, there is no weekend edition IXe, yet, but Eduard do sell IXe overtrees, which are the same set of sprues.

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20 minutes ago, Greenshirt said:

 

The high backed XVI would need sprues A, B, C, D, E, and I.  The XVI and IXe shared the same wing format "e" with a cannon outboard and a .50 cal gun inboard; no .303 guns.  According to Eduard's site, there is no weekend edition IXe, yet, but Eduard do sell IXe overtrees, which are the same set of sprues.

 

Ah so I can't do one straight away? Oh well better order them overtreees....

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  • 2 weeks later...

Does the 1/72 Eduard kit of the Mk.VIII. or for that matter the Mk.IX, include the option of broad upperwing fairing that allowed the fitting of four cannon?  I've a memory that this has been said not to be an option available on the Mk.IX, but then there are other differences in the F Mk.IX as opposed to the LF, which Eduard may have chosen not to model.

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1 hour ago, Graham Boak said:

Does the 1/72 Eduard kit of the Mk.VIII. or for that matter the Mk.IX, include the option of broad upperwing fairing that allowed the fitting of four cannon?  I've a memory that this has been said not to be an option available on the Mk.IX, but then there are other differences in the F Mk.IX as opposed to the LF, which Eduard may have chosen not to model.

 

Hi Graham,

 

i answered your similar question over on 1/72nd Aircraft, but I'll repeat it here for completeness:

 

Quote

The Aussie VIII box does not. 

One of the IX boxings do...going downstairs to look...sprue G which comes in the Mk IXc "early" boxing, kit number 70122. 

A fault of these kits is that some details are molded into the wing or fuselage, and these are then what sets the kits apart. Eduard would have to design a VIII wing with the wide bulge as a new sprue/offering. It's obvious to me after having purchased each offering that the basic wing/fuselage sprue changes by switching out a panel in the mold, common fuselages can be used with different wings, common wings used with different fuselages. It is why I initially thought a VII could be in the offing until I realized a new canopy would be needed. 

Unfortunately our AM brethren will have to release the wide bulges and we will need to conduct some surgery. Not difficult but it's an opportunity lost and I would have preferred the option in the kit.

 

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Color question

 

The Eduard 1/72 Spitfire IX kits indicate Interior Grey-Green for the entire cockpit area and this is what I have always thought was correct. However I just started their VIII kit and the instructions with the 'Aussie Eight' boxing indicate side walls/fuselage aft of the seat bulkhead should be aluminium. Is this correct?

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17 minutes ago, Chuck1945 said:

So presumably the XIV would also be aluminium aft of the seat bulkhead too ...?

 

Yes. 

 

I'm not 100% clear on the timing, but I believe the majority of Spitfires (if not all) were delivered with aluminum paint on all interiors, but the cockpit area forward of the seat bulkhead, and aft of the IP, to include both bulkheads, were painted grey-green.

 

Later Spitfire/Seafire had the upper half of the cockpit painted Night, but that was post war.   Mk 20/40 series. 

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  • 3 weeks later...

Quick question, where are, and how did the landing lights work on early Spitfires?

Had a chance to look over a Ia over the weekend and noticed the controls for the landing lights in the cockpit, and I believe they extend from the wing underside, but couldn't see any sign of the lights themselves. 

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44 minutes ago, 71chally said:

Quick question, where are, and how did the landing lights work on early Spitfires?

Position on A & B wings is shown here it's labelled on the B wing, and is the same shaped panel on the A wing just aft of the magazine boxes for the inboard guns.

It was hinged on the aft edge, and the panel swung down below the wing to reveal the landing light mounted on it's top surface. Perspex front and sides. Two lights, one each side.

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Phantom Stu...  If you're going for one of the high back 16s, make sure it's one of the wartime ones  - post war ones had the heart shaped blister inboard of the cannon bays.  Eduard are currently out of stock of the post war High back 16 overtrees.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Not directly- the Mk.XII had the same radiator/oil cooler setup of the Mk.V (Trop), so if you can find a Vc(Trop) you can stick the new cowling on that.  If doing a later XII you'll need the retracting tailwheel as well, and the pointy rudder for any.

 

Oops, having read your question again, the Mk.22 has a longer 2-stage cowling, so not right for a XII anyway.

Edited by gingerbob
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58 minutes ago, Bonhoff said:

Kitbashing Query.

 

Is it possible to make a 1/72 MkXII by nailing a Griffon engine to a MkIX? Thinking Airfix 22 and IX here...

 

TIA

the front end of the Spit 22 is the same,  the Griffon 60 series have a two stage supercharger, so the added length is at the back, so you could just take out a section,  but the 4 blade prop would be a PITA to do,  along with  the other mods

 

Very few kits are that rare,  try asking in the wanted section for the Xtrakit XII

 

HTH

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