Spitfire Mk.XVIII [Mk.18] photos of wing panelling, differences confirmed

[Troy Smith]

After debate on here regarding the Spitfire Mk.XVIII (or Mk.18, for clarity, it will use Mk.18 in rest of post)

the late Edgar  Brooks started this quest when he posted this diagram from the manual

 

Spitfire XVII access hatches PICT0119_zpsb6ff0585 by losethekibble, on Flickr

which  shows the deletion of the outer 0.303 gun access panels,  and new upper wing panels added for the  provision of desert survival equipment.

this came up in this thread

http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/235013933-spitfire-mk-21-kitbash/&do=findComment&comment=2580541

 

as a result  I contacted Peter Arnold, who has been salvaging Spitfires and Seafires for many years to see if he  has any clear photos of the panels in the mk.18 wing, and if the differ from the standard E  wing,  which is how the Mk.18 wing has usually been described.

 

All photos kindly provided by Peter Arnold.

 

the below are Spitfire Mk.18 recovered in India.

 

18- wings OAHB India Spitfire expedition Peter Arnold Collection 01 by losethekibble, on Flickr

photo from  ‘Peter Arnold Collection '

 

18- wings OAHB India Spitfire expedition Peter Arnold Collection 03 by losethekibble, on Flickr

 photo from  ‘Peter Arnold Collection '

 

18- wings OAHB India Spitfire expedition Peter Arnold Collection 02 by losethekibble, on Flickr

photo from  ‘Peter Arnold Collection '

 

18-TP367 Recovery from India002 by losethekibble, on Flickr

photo above by Peter Arnold.

 

 

18-TZ219 Chandigargh 4 June 1991 Image by Peter R Arnold   003 by losethekibble, on Flickr

photo from  ‘Peter Arnold Collection '

 

18-TZ219 Chandigarh 26 June 2015 Polly Singh 23062015017 (2) by losethekibble, on Flickr

photo from  ‘Peter Arnold Collection '

 

18-TP276 July2009 S2dsc00369-small by losethekibble, on Flickr

photo from  ‘Peter Arnold Collection '

 

as can be seen the outer wing has been revised,  of note is the survival equipment  bays use the same wing space as formerly used by the 0.303 ammunition boxes, except the access hatch was in the lower wing.

this is a Mk.XIVc (14c) wing diagram.

 

Here's the E wing gun layout

 

Quote

The Type C and E wings were structurally identical, differing only in armament installation.
This diagram shows the layout of cannon and .5″ M2 Browning installation in the latter.
[Crown Copyright]

 

the other area  of Mk.18 confusion is the rudder

here's John Adams on this matter

Quote

 On 01/07/2007 at 23:22, John Aero said:

There is some confusion with the rudders fitted to the Mk.14 and 18 Spitfires. I find that the Morgan/Shacklady "bible" is often less than helpful and sometimes irritating. As Edgar mentioned in a previous post (on contra props) the 14/18 fin/rudders areas are given as the same. This is not so and this "red herring"is the cause of some confusion. The 14 fin went through a considerable change in area and the only real reference given in the"bible" is a sketch showing an interim straight leading edge modification and it omits to mention that the height at the rudder post was increased by almost 3". The standard rudder post height of all the earlier Spits was 58".

The extra 2.75" fin height increase was achieved by fitting a "block false tip". The Mk.18 had a broader chord rudder and a deeper horn balance. This rudder was also fitted to other Mk.14 based airframes,( by the simple expedient of "removing the block") such as FR14e, 19, and the Mk.21 when fitted with a contra prop.

This illustration I have cobbled up might help. It is the tail of an FR.14e and I have superimposed the outlines of the Mk.14 and Mk.18 rudders on to it, the white area is the "block" . The blue outline is the 14 and the red 18.

The join line (lower edge of the block) seldom shows up on photos and is often shown as a panel line in drawings but too low down, a mistake repeated on my own Mk.21 conversion as this was made originally to the Cook drawings.

John

 

This information is not in any of "the books" AFAIK,  so  hence reposting it here again.

John Adams posted the tail/rudder comparison drawing a few years ago, but  I  have not seen clear photos of the revised wing panels and skinning before, so thanks again to Peter Arnold.

 

HNY

T

 

EDIT - to re host photos

 

 

[Cookenbacher]

Thanks so much for posting this Troy, it's come in the nick of time.