Ultimate Spitfire/Seafire Modeller Chart - (open-source - expert help needed)

[P-3s rule]

I seem to recall the August 1974 issue of Airfix Magazine  containing the following article and table - "Spitfire/Seafire variants – tabulations of variant features and various other data + 1:72 scale sketches of variant difference". Not sure how accurate this info is now  though as maybe it is now outdated with more modern research since that article was written?

[warhawk]

Thanks for the info. I'll try to source it and see.

[P-3s rule]

[P-3s rule]

[P-3s rule]

Here is the third scanned page from Airfix mag article Aug 1974.

[P-3s rule]

[P-3s rule]

[P-3s rule]

[Jackson Duvalier]

Thanks for posting that, P-3.  That's an incredible resource. 

[P-3s rule]

Those old Airfix magazines contain some absolute gems, and this article was one. I can't vouch for it's accuracy and it is 45 years old, BUT the author Richard Shearer appears to know what he is talking about. Hope these scanned pages help Warhawk.There is a 7th page which I did not post as it dealt with the 1/72 Spitfire kits available at that time and conversions so is not really relevant anymore in my opinion.

Edited November 21, 2019 by P-3s rule
spelling mistake

[warhawk]

3 minutes ago, P-3s rule said:

Hope these scanned pages help Warhawk.

 

They do. I like how someone had the exact same approach to this topic as me, but almost half a century ago 🤪

 

At least, I can take a look at his Spitfire variants and see if it makes sense to organize it that way. 

I can also copy data directly from there for variants less known to me - e.g. Griffon Seafires

 

Regards,

Aleksandar

[P-3s rule]

Good luck Warhawk. Glad I could help. Would love to see a copy of your work when you've finished this project!

[Jeff.K]

ooh this is brilliant. thanks. 

[warhawk]

While I get round to revising my table, 

Here's a cropped-to-page PDF of the article above, that I made for easier viewing

 

Regards,

Aleksandar

 

 

[anj4de]

Hello all

I am a bit in the Spitfire building mode mayself right now. I have a new 48 scale Tamiya Mk.I on the desk and some older shelf queens are now progressing as well. I also have the new Airfix Mk. XIV on order that I want to convert to a Mk. XVIII. The aim is to have a double display of an IAF Spitfire and the RAF couterpart that were shot down at the end of the war of independence in 1949. I think those were Mk.XVIIIs. Now above I read that the extended rudder was not originally on the Mk. XVIII but was added at some time later. Would those ill-fated RAF Spitfires at that time, 1949, already have had the larger rudder?

 

thanks

Uwe

Edited January 6, 2020 by anj4de

[Troy Smith]

9 hours ago, anj4de said:

Would those ill-fated RAF Spitefires at that time, 1949, already have had the larger rudder?

yes.  These are in the unique desert scheme, Light Slate Grey/Dark Earth uppers

 

Also, AFAIK, all Spitfire 18's had the larger rudder, but as always.  try to work from a photo

[gingerbob]

1 hour ago, Troy Smith said:

Also, AFAIK, all Spitfire 18's had the larger rudder

 

Not when built, but probably while in operational service.

[warhawk]

I have finally taken the time to update the table.

Expanded with the info from the Airfix magazine chart, but left me with a conundrum:

 

I'm not sure what 'Integral air intake' is (Seafire Mk.47 is the only one to have it acc. to the table)

 

Thanks for comments and looking!

[Graham Boak]

It presumably means the one taken to the nose and faired into (integral with) the cowling rather than a bit sticking out into the airstream below it.  The same could be said for the early tropical cowling... perhaps.

[anj4de]

Hello all

 

My Mk.XIV kit has arrived and I have started with filling and sanding the outer two gun ports on each wing top and bottum. Later I will scribe in the panels for the survival kits as the pics of all the Indian wings show. For the cockpit I will for the 1st time use a Löök IP, I recieved it and it looks fantastic. Is that cheating already? 😉 A question I have on the seat. With the Mk.XVIII being all post war, did Supermarine go back to metal seats or did they stick with the red-brown paper ones? Last question, the camera arrangement for the FR XIV and the FR XVIII were the same? So no additional cameras pointing downward through windows in the lower fuselage?

 

thanks

Uwe

 

PS: Paint...the light slay gray...I only found the one from Xtracolor. Any other brands around, preferbaly stinky laqueur... 😉

[Work In Progress]

One error in that Airfix Magazine piece is the author describes the T.8 as "as T.IX but with retractable tailwheel". This is wrong in many subtle ways as the one and only T.8 , G-AIDN / MT818, is a proper VIII airframe whereas the other trainers were all converted IX, so all the differences between the two types apply. The most visible sign of this is the short span ailerons on G-AIDN whereas all the other trainers have the longer span ones.

 

Ironically the tailwheel is nowadays fixed down on G-AIDN.

[warhawk]

Thanks for the input, 

I have already allocated the 'T' (or 'Trainer' type) wing as a possibility to both Mk.VIII and Mk.IX respectively;

So, if I'm not mistaken, nothing needs to change.

[Work In Progress]

They are different trainer wings though

[warhawk]

54 minutes ago, Work In Progress said:

They are different trainer wings though

Could You please specify?

Should they be variants of their respective 'armed' counterparts ('c' and 'e')?

[Graham Boak]

The Mk.VIII wing has shorter-span ailerons and leading edge fuel tanks in the wing root.  The Mk.IX has the standard ailerons and no provision for tanks.  There's no such thing as a "Trainer wing", just unarmed versions of fighter wings.  The Mk.VIII generally also has a larger fuel tank in the forward fuselage - I don't know how these tanks were affected by the changes to a trainer - and a revised rear fuselage structure with flush riveting.  As did the Mk.XII, if you've missed that.