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Vol 2 All the Spitfire questions here


Sean_M

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does any company do stencils for a 1/72 Mk1? picked up the airfix starter one not knowing it lacked the walkway lines and gun patches

I should say that both the walkway lines and gun patches come out better when masked/painted anyway, especially the walkway lines. where the decals have to interact with panel lines.

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I should say that both the walkway lines and gun patches come out better when masked/painted anyway, especially the walkway lines. where the decals have to interact with panel lines.

true, might be beyond my skills, but will have ago, only gun patches I've done are the hurricane ones, which is easy as all 4 are together, and the finest line I've masked was a few mm, not <1mm like a walkway line is, then again still would be without the lettering bit

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true, might be beyond my skills, but will have ago, only gun patches I've done are the hurricane ones, which is easy as all 4 are together, and the finest line I've masked was a few mm, not <1mm like a walkway line is, then again still would be without the lettering bit

I hadn't considered the lettering. But the lines themselves are pretty easy to mask -- just cut clean edges on your tape and lay pieces down with a very narrow gap between using your Mk. 1 eyeball to measure.

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If your Mk.I is early enough (about mid-Battle of Britain) it's unlikely to have had the fabric patches. You could, quite legitimately, have just the holes, or covers, which were shaped discs (filler would suffice on a model.)

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true, might be beyond my skills, but will have ago, only gun patches I've done are the hurricane ones, which is easy as all 4 are together, and the finest line I've masked was a few mm, not <1mm like a walkway line is, then again still would be without the lettering bit

I you want to do black decal lines; use the black outline round the edge of most decal sheets, especially older ones, or which separate options. Usually they are printed as 'decal' too.

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Try Kemco decal stripes

http://www.modelmasterdecals.com/GP_Straight.php

I've successfully used h for years. Cut the desired length, tack onto the surface (no wetting necessary) and reposition as necessary, then wet the backing with a brush and peel the paper off.

Simples!

Trevor

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I do believe that the 11' 10'' figure is a misprint. When they designed the new wing for the 21 they also added longer legs which allowed the prop diameter to be extended 7 inches from 10' 5'' on the XIV/XVIII/XIX to 11' 0'' for the 21. Given that the 22 was essentially a low-back 21, and that there is no mention anywhere of giving the 24 even longer legs than the 22 to allow a full extra 10 inches for the propeller diameter, I'm tempted to believe that the real difference between 11' 0'' for the 21/22 and 11' 10'' for the 24 is a typing/printing error. But I'd be happy to see this hypothesis debunked. Justin

According to A.P.2816 B & C, the 22 & 24 both used the 11' diameter Rotol R.14/5F5/2 propeller (stores ref 25A/578.)
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anyone got the instructions for the airfix mk1 early/mkii 1/72 kit to hand, need to know the percentage they receommending mixing for the blue spinner on Borough of Lambeth

EDIT: a change of search times found a good image of the paint guide, answer 85/15

Edited by PhantomBigStu
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Changing course a bit, a question about 19 Squadron Spitfires in the iconic photos taken in the autumn of 1938. I understand the large number "19" on the fins of these aircraft was only temporary, perhaps only painted on for the photo session.

Given this, what would the tails "normally" have looked like? Would they simply have the standard DE/DG camouflage with nothing additional on them?

Thanks for your help.

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Another question, the new xtradecal has 2 with a note to say that they have the early style aerial and canopy with less of a bulge (one is Sailor Milan's K9953, the other is unknown serial) I know the aerial is the early type included in the Airfix Series II boxing, but is the canopy the early type also included? or is a different one?

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Without the squadron number the tails would have had the normal camouflage - as indeed they did under the number. The number didn't last long but was not intended to be temporary as it can also be seen on at least one Hurricane squadron. For some aircraft slightly later the serial was added to the tail.

It should be checked I know, but I'm sure that the kit includes the flat-topped canopy as this is required for the 19 Sq aircraft in the "standard" boxing, and the raised-top canopy is provided as an option.

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Very early Spitfires had a flat to and sides canopy

like this

spit1-6.jpg

Then they added a bulged top, late 1939?

spit1-2.jpg

later on, there was a slight bulge overall, introduced on the Mk V? This became the standard Spitfire hood though.

Edgar will be able to give chapter and verse on what was when, but I hope the above explains the basic difference.

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I understand the large number "19" on the fins of these aircraft was only temporary, perhaps only painted on for the photo session.

It was meant to be permanent, because it was Dowding's original idea to paint the Squadron number as a recognition method, also with the numerals being in the colour of the Flight, with those of the Flight's second Section having the bottom half of the numbers in white. It's a fairly safe bet that the eventual letters system was seen as a far simpler method, especially if an airframe swapped Flights. As the idea was for the numbers to be in Flight colours, the, apparently conflicting, reports of the "19" being red and yellow could be perfectly true, with blue and green also somewhere in the mix.

There is evidence that the canopy went through several evolutions, with "increased headroom" 22-9-38, a "pilot's domed hood" 20-12-38, "Spitfire III windscreen and hood" 26-4-41 (though this seems to have remained flat-sided, so was possibly more to do with how the two items met,) "delete break-out panel" 3-11-41, and provide for balloon type hood as a retrospective mod 21-8-42

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Apologies if this has been asked before (and I have trawled the thread) but can anyone tell me when the switch was made from fabric to metal ailerons please? I thought about building the new Airfix Spitfire as P7966 as the Coffman starter is included but the ailerons in the kit look more like fabric than metal to me. Thanks in advance.

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Metal ailerons were first requested in November 1940 but some aircraft were still coming off the production line with fabric ones in May 1941. P7966 was delivered in February 1941 so it is fairly safe to say that it had fabric ailerons.

Edited by Graham Boak
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The first trials of metal-covered ailerons were carried out by the Aerodynamics Flight on R6718; they reported favourably, and Farnborough asked for a set, to try them out on "their" Spitfire.

266 Squadron's P9505 was having problems with incurable aileron "snatch," so had metal ailerons fitted, which drew a glowing report from the Squadron 5-1-41.

Quite what caused the delay isn't clear, (at that time Supermarine had problems with "blind" riveting, though,) but metal-covered ailerons weren't introduced onto the production line until 17-7-41.

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