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Vol 2 All the Spitfire questions here


Sean_M

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The fuselage bomb carrier is just a shortened form of the standard one, available in a lot of kits (eg Revell Halifax) but etched brass sets are available from Marabu - see Hannants. There are or have been others, but I can't pin them down at the moment.

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Hi Guys and Girls,

Going round in circles here - been asked by a friend to do a desert camo. (Dk. Earth/Mid Stone) Spit. Vc trop. from the Special Hobby 1/48 kit. His original choice was for BR566 T-M of 249 Sqn. as the Caruana profile in Model Airplane International April 2012.

Problem is, according to Air Britain, BR566 did not serve with 249 Sqn. I have seen photos of a Spitfire coded T-M but it is one of the darker (over-painted) ones - is there any evidence to support a 249 Sqn a/c coded T-M in the desert scheme?

Thanks in advance for your help.

PH

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This has undoubtedly been asked before but I'll ask anyway.

Regarding Spitfire seats, they started metal and ended resin. I also think that resin seats went hand in hand with black leather back padding - not used with the metal seat? Can anyone say when the metal seat was replaced by the resin one? I assume it was a certain mark? In practice I am wondering what type was fitted to the Mark VII?

I look forward to your replies!

Thanks

Simon

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249 Sq seems to have been the prime mover in the recamouflaging on Spitfires on Malta. The T code was only carried well after the establishment of the darker camouflage. There may well have been such an aircraft but it is likely to have been either only briefly in the Desert scheme, or perhaps belonging to 1943 after the siege? Other Malta Spitfires squadrons did use the desert scheme, but you'd perhaps be better changing to a North African unit.

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249 Sq seems to have been the prime mover in the recamouflaging on Spitfires on Malta. The T code was only carried well after the establishment of the darker camouflage. There may well have been such an aircraft but it is likely to have been either only briefly in the Desert scheme, or perhaps belonging to 1943 after the siege? Other Malta Spitfires squadrons did use the desert scheme, but you'd perhaps be better changing to a North African unit.

Thanks for the reply Graham, I was starting to think North Africa units might be a better option as well.

This 92 Sqn a/c looks possible http://www.92sqdn.brushhouse.co.uk/planes.html (might even have a red spinner?)

This one also is said to be 249 Sqn but I have also seen it quoted as belonging to "a Middle East OTU"? http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205211268

Thanks again for your help - I did not realise just how big a "can of worms" the Malta Spitfires were.

PH

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Yes, that's an OTU aircraft: also seen is an F.x coded example. It would be good to know a bit more about the ME OTUs.

North African aircraft should have red spinners. Malta did not follow ME rules.

For Malta Spitfires, Paul Lucas's recent articles for SAM are very good and can be assumed to supersede all (or at least most) previous work on the early deliveries, as delivered. For a fuller story they can be combined with Brian Cauchi's book for the best story for 1942. Steve Nichols' work for Osprey is pretty good if a bit biased to the blue-grey version. From other work, you need to pick and choose good information from misunderstandings based on wrong assumptions. You will need a wide pocket to get all the work on the subject.

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I'm sitting here about to apply the masks for the code letters on my model of Don Gentile's Spitfire Vb, but I'm unsure about the Montex profile showing T*MD on the starboard side rather than the normal MD*T, the available photos that I have do not show the codes so I could go either way. As far as I know the aircraft had the RAF roundels and fin flashes painted out and replaced with US stars only with no change to the codes, so they would have been applied that way when the aircraft was assigned not mistakenly changed during the transfer to the US forces, any ideas ?

Cheers

Dennis

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I'm sitting here about to apply the masks for the code letters on my model of Don Gentile's Spitfire Vb, but I'm unsure about the Montex profile showing T*MD on the starboard side rather than the normal MD*T, the available photos that I have do not show the codes so I could go either way. As far as I know the aircraft had the RAF roundels and fin flashes painted out and replaced with US stars only with no change to the codes, so they would have been applied that way when the aircraft was assigned not mistakenly changed during the transfer to the US forces, any ideas ?

Cheers

Dennis

there is no 'normal' placement could and did vary, it wasn't specified!

placing codes XoXX on the starbord of Spitfires is not uncommon, slighly more space available in fact...

but, a qiick google finds Gentile was with the 336 FS, and that gets this

media-14190.jpeg?itok=Kuk-UGbI

So, sounds like Montex are wrong, but others may know more.

HTH

TT

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there is no 'normal' placement could and did vary, it wasn't specified!

placing codes XoXX on the starbord of Spitfires is not uncommon, slighly more space available in fact...

So, sounds like Montex are wrong, but others may know more.

HTH

TT

Thanks for that Troy, I did find that photo which is what started the confusion, but then I hit the books and found lots of examples of Spitfire V's with squadron codes as per the Montex instructions, in the end it may be a case of doing the codes as space permits ! As you say the instructions only called for the grouping of the letters not the actual sequence.

Cheers

Dennis

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Hi Guys and Girls,

Going round in circles here - been asked by a friend to do a desert camo. (Dk. Earth/Mid Stone) Spit. Vc trop. from the Special Hobby 1/48 kit. His original choice was for BR566 T-M of 249 Sqn. as the Caruana profile in Model Airplane International April 2012.

Problem is, according to Air Britain, BR566 did not serve with 249 Sqn. I have seen photos of a Spitfire coded T-M but it is one of the darker (over-painted) ones - is there any evidence to support a 249 Sqn a/c coded T-M in the desert scheme?

Thanks in advance for your help.

PH

Yup BR566 did not serve with 249 Sqn but was with 126 Sqn - here is the relevant bits from the Spit Seriels DB:

26-5-42 Malta 126S Shot down in sea off Malta 7-7-42

If you want a Desert Camo SPitfire Vc, try 81 Sqn :)

Edited by Kallisti
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  • 3 weeks later...

Another question about Spit bomb racks,

I have the Airfix 1/72 Hawker Typhoon, and am planning on doing it with rockets, so could I use the bombs+bomb racks for underwings on a Spitfire? Also could I use the bomb racks from the Lanc, or even the old Hampden racks, for centrelines?

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The Spitfire would only carry 250lb bombs underwing, smaller than those in the Typhoon kit. The fairings would be similar in shape but smaller than those on the Typhoon.

The centreline carrier was a modified version of the standard carrier, with a smaller extension forward, and capable of carrying up to a 500lb bomb. It should be possible to modify parts from bomber kits, though the Hampden one may be too crude by modern standards.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Quick question.

I've got the newish Airfix 1/48 Spitfire I. I'm doing it as AR212 from 57 OTU, partly because it's got a yellow nose, but mainly because it's local to me.

Now then which oil cooler type do I use? All three kit options would have you use the original type (part G28) but given that this was a late built mk.1 and its from 1941, would I be more accurate if I used the Vb option (parts C29 and C 37)? After all it's twin sister AR213 has it?

Ta in advance

Trevor

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