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Supermarine Spitfire XIV


Beard

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I often dream of Spitfires myself. Lately, that I've made a decent job of the Sword XIV.

Having made two, one of which was reduced to spares after suffering Cat E damage, and making a half-decent stab at the other, I think it's time for another go.

 

First of all, I have to locate one in the stash, which has recently been moved (for the sixth time in six months):

 

2017-04-13_01-08-17

 

(To the left is my extensive modelling area. To the right is my hiding place, if family or other unwelcome visitors arrive.)

 

We're having some carpet laid today and I'm sorting-out my home studio, so I'll be making a start later this afternoon.

 

Here's the start of the studio:

 

2017-04-13_03-05-19

 

I'll be installing a desk at some point.

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3 minutes ago, Spookytooth said:

And room for an auxiliary bench above the keyboard.

 

That's the space for this:

 

2017-04-13_03-12-26

 

4 minutes ago, Spookytooth said:

Good luck with the Spitfire. 

 

Thank you, I'll need it, the Sword Spitfire is tricky.

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Nifty!

So the keyboard becomes the cutting mat when you are modelling. And beside the fact that I am disappointed that it was not a grand piano you hoisted to the attic, it will be lighter to turn upside down and shake when a small undercarriage part falls in between two keys!

The piano monster is born...

I like the Spit left negligently on the edge, as an after thought... Oh! There you are!

 

Nice place though!

JR

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I'll follow along if I may :) 

The man cave is coming along nicely... good choice of carpet - not sprue coloured, not too much pile - should be easier to locate pinged parts (he said, hopefully).

I hope you're looking forward to choosing a desk / workbench - I assume your choice is limited by the size of the hatch but it'll be nice to browse the furniture stores for man stuff for a change :) 

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2 hours ago, Spookytooth said:

Where do you put the coal in LOL.

Nice bit of old kit mate.

 

Simon.

 

I bought it, 30-odd years ago, and I wish I'd had the money to buy the all the other analogue synths that were going cheap when people flogged them to buy DX7s.

 

2 hours ago, jean said:

Nifty!

So the keyboard becomes the cutting mat when you are modelling. And beside the fact that I am disappointed that it was not a grand piano you hoisted to the attic, it will be lighter to turn upside down and shake when a small undercarriage part falls in between two keys!

The piano monster is born...

I like the Spit left negligently on the edge, as an after thought... Oh! There you are!

 

Nice place though!

JR

 

It ain't that light, I almost gave myself a hernia lugging it up the loft-ladder.

 

2 hours ago, Graham Boak said:

Nice neat, clean and tidy.   New, in other words.

 

All man-caves start that way.

 

2 hours ago, Procopius said:

Quite eager to see how you get on with this one, Beard. 

 

I know the traps Sword have set for the unwary model-maker (e.g. the wheelwell sidewalls stop the wings from closing properly and the cockpit parts are too wide for the fuselage) but I'm sure I can still make a mess of it.

 

1 hour ago, Cookenbacher said:

Ooooh, looking forward to this one Simon. Which version are you doing, high back, low back, FR? 

 

It'll be the FR but I haven't decided which one.

 

1 hour ago, CedB said:

I'll follow along if I may :) 

The man cave is coming along nicely... good choice of carpet - not sprue coloured, not too much pile - should be easier to locate pinged parts (he said, hopefully).

I hope you're looking forward to choosing a desk / workbench - I assume your choice is limited by the size of the hatch but it'll be nice to browse the furniture stores for man stuff for a change :) 

 

Of course Ced, it wouldn't be the same without you. I'm hoping that dropped parts will be easily found too, I have some left-over vinyl which will protect the carpet from paint spills. 

Furniture is an issue. I have an old kitchen table that might fit through the loft-hatch (of course getting it up the loft-ladder is a whole different matter), that I'll use for modelling and, you're right, it'll be nice to browse for things I want... things like a pair of Yamaha HS7s, a new keyboard, a rack-mount and some outboard gear.

Edited by Beard
to correct grammar and spelling.
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This is the boxing I'm going to use:

 

15_fs.jpg

 

Now to have a look for some references.

 

After a brief search, I can't find any photographs for RN113 or MV348 (I did find something for but it's a bit too unclear as it was from an Aviology decal sheet).

Search for MV363, on the other hand, reveals this:

 

10442369165_8268981e41_b.jpg

 

https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5499/10442369165_8268981e41_b.jpg

 

and this:

 

http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p78/larumivi/Mary.jpg

(I've no idea why the photograph does show.)

 

and a search for NH903 brings up one photograph which, for some reason, I can't post a link to.

 

Anyhow, I'm going to go for NH903. Why? Because I like the red spinner and the large C1-type roundels on the upper wings.

 

I believe Sword when they show it without a Sky fuselage band, is my faith misplaced? Also, if I do it in the time-frame Sword suggest (May 1945) would it have lost it's yellow leading edges?

 

There's no rush to those answers as painting is a few days away.

 

Let's get started. Here are the sprues:

 

20170413_193852

 

20170413_193824

 

20170413_191800

 

and the decals:

 

20170413_191702

 

Here's the F.XIV I finished a couple of weeks ago:

 

2017-04-13_07-39-30

 

I've made a start painting and cutting but that's all for now, I'm going to watch Top of the Pops.

 

Edited by Beard
to insert photos.
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Vol 4 of Shores and Thomas' 2nd Tactical Air Force has a couple pics of Prendergast's Lazy Lady V (along with the original [a Mustang I], and Lazy Lady IV [another XIV]). It's quoted as being NH902 rather than 903, but the serial is illegible in the photo where it's visible. Definitely no Sky band, and pics are inconclusive regarding the yellow leading edges. It definitely had the silver canopy* framing.

 

*edited - I said 'cockpit' originally.

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Very cool choice simon. your studio appears to be coming along as well, I would say some sort of table for modelling is a priority though... you may have other priorities mind.

 

looking forward to this being put together!

 

Rob

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54 minutes ago, Beard said:

 

I believe Sword when they show it without a Sky fuselage band, is my faith misplaced? Also, if I do it in the time-frame Sword suggest (May 1945) would it have lost it's yellow leading edges?

This photo seems to show NH903 (if it's the same aircraft) as having a Sky band.  It's obviously Lazy Lady V...other details seem to indicate it's the same aircraft.

 

After 1 January 1945 (Bowyer says 3 January), the Sky band and spinner were painted out, the upper wing roundels were changed to C1 type..  NH903 History: 6MU 26-3-45 414S 5-4-45 2S 9-8-45 Celle 18-7-46 1BRSD 28-6-48 u/c leg collapsed on landing swung off runway Wunstorf 19-5-50 SOC 31-5-50.  Given dates, she should have had the Sky band/spinner painted out prior to delivery.  No 414 Squadron few Spitfire XIV's from April to August, when they disbanded; all in Germany.  

 

It's possible the MU did not paint out the Sky band, per the photo, and it was retained given the war was nearly over; or they were repainted as per the kit profile shortly after the photo.  But it should still have yellow wing LE markings either way.  The photo isn't clear enough but note there is no demarkation between upper/lower wings, like there is inboard of the guns.  My money would be on yellow LE, Sky band and spinner, per the photo.  Not sure if the kit instructions direct, but the wingtips are clipped, a feature of the FR XIV.

 

Edit: I see @Cookenbacher found a photo without the Sky band and spinner.  So you have choices!

Edited by Greenshirt
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59 minutes ago, Miggers said:

I like low back Griffons,they look like they're going very fast even when they're not.

 

I know what you mean. Low-back Merlin Spitfires, on the other hand, look odd. (Which reminds me, I was going to do this as a double build with a Sword MkXVI.)

 

50 minutes ago, rob85 said:

Very cool choice simon. your studio appears to be coming along as well, I would say some sort of table for modelling is a priority though... you may have other priorities mind.

 

looking forward to this being put together!

 

Rob

 

Thanks Rob.

Getting a table into the loft might be a problem, I might get some form of office workstation instead.

The set-up at the moment is just so I can tinker with some songs I'm working on. Eventually, there'll be  bit of worktop for the music stuff.

 

53 minutes ago, Cookenbacher said:

Vol 4 of Shores and Thomas' 2nd Tactical Air Force has a couple pics of Prendergast's Lazy Lady V (along with the original [a Mustang I], and Lazy Lady IV [another XIV]). It's quoted as being NH902 rather than 903, but the serial is illegible in the photo where it's visible. Definitely no Sky band, and pics are inconclusive regarding the yellow leading edges. It definitely had the silver canopy* framing.

 

*edited - I said 'cockpit' originally.

 

33 minutes ago, Greenshirt said:

This photo seems to show NH903 (if it's the same aircraft) as having a Sky band.  It's obviously Lazy Lady V...other details seem to indicate it's the same aircraft.

 

After 1 January 1945 (Bowyer says 3 January), the Sky band and spinner were painted out, the upper wing roundels were changed to C1 type..  NH903 History: 6MU 26-3-45 414S 5-4-45 2S 9-8-45 Celle 18-7-46 1BRSD 28-6-48 u/c leg collapsed on landing swung off runway Wunstorf 19-5-50 SOC 31-5-50.  Given dates, she should have had the Sky band/spinner painted out prior to delivery.  No 414 Squadron few Spitfire XIV's from April to August, when they disbanded; all in Germany.  

 

It's possible the MU did not paint out the Sky band, per the photo, and it was retained given the war was nearly over; or they were repainted as per the kit profile shortly after the photo.  But it should still have yellow wing LE markings either way.  The photo isn't clear enough but note there is no demarkation between upper/lower wings, like there is inboard of the guns.  My money would be on yellow LE, Sky band and spinner, per the photo.  Not sure if the kit instructions direct, but the wingtips are clipped, a feature of the FR XIV.

 

Edit: I see @Cookenbacher found a photo without the Sky band and spinner.  So you have choices!

 

Thanks to both of you gentlemen. I'm going to read your posts, several times, and come to a decision.

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2 minutes ago, rob85 said:

I have an architects table in the shed that is in bits (and can be re assembled!) if you want it... I am pretty sure it will go flat.... and should fit through the hatch. 

 

Rob  

 

Thanks for the offer Rob. The problem there is that you're in Herefordshire and I'm in Kent... I hate to even think what the postage would be.😀

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2 minutes ago, Beard said:

 

Thanks for the offer Rob. The problem there is that you're in Herefordshire and I'm in Kent... I hate to even think what the postage would be.😀

Ha, or the size of the envelop! I could drop it off, I have time on my hands at the mo, let me know if you run out of options.... always liked the Kent countryside

 

Rob  

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the other option would be to enlarge the hatch. It is a matter of drilling your fire holes in the right place and making sure you insert the right charges.

I have a few sticks left here, so let me know, if everything else has failed. You can send Mrs. B to the movies, my treat!

 

Re the Spitfire, I am impressed that you actually get two fuselages in the box. Plus there is no denying that a Griffon engine and a five blade prop are the sexiest things when found together at the front end of a Spit.

Have a lot of fun!
JR

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10 hours ago, jean said:

the other option would be to enlarge the hatch. It is a matter of drilling your fire holes in the right place and making sure you insert the right charges.

I have a few sticks left here, so let me know, if everything else has failed. You can send Mrs. B to the movies, my treat!

 

Re the Spitfire, I am impressed that you actually get two fuselages in the box. Plus there is no denying that a Griffon engine and a five blade prop are the sexiest things when found together at the front end of a Spit.

Have a lot of fun!
JR

 

Pop them in the post Jean, I'm sure they'll be delivered.

 

You get the high and low-back fuselages and two lower wings (one for the c-type armament and one for the e).

 

6 hours ago, stevehnz said:

Great choice for a build Simon, I've got one of these so I'll be looking on in full poaching for ideas mode.

Steve.

 

Thanks Steve, you'll certainly learn how not to assemble one.

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I bit of cutting and glueing done.

 

I drilled out the holes in the frame the seat is attached to:

 

20170413_201900

 

and glued the armour plate to it (it's since been repositioned):

 

20170413_202315

 

I then dropped it:

 

20170413_202350

 

(Things can be seen on the carpet.)

 

Painted the cockpit with Colourcoats RAF Interior Green:

 

20170413_203728

 

As it's got clipped wings, I marked the bits to remove (made an error cutting one of them, nothing a bit of filler won't solve):

 

20170413_204743

 

Painted some bits, that will be aluminium, black and some bits, that will be mostly black, yellow:

 

20170414_133852

 

Dry-brushed the instrument panel:

 

20170414_133903

 

and dry-fitted the fuselage and wings:

 

20170414_134003

 

The fuselage has since been glued together. Next up is attaching these:

 

20170414_134024

 

my nemesis. Wish me luck.

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33 minutes ago, Procopius said:

Say Beard, do you have an overtree handy where you could compare the Eduard and the Sword wing? I have a terrible idea. 

 

Here you go.

 

Eduard late MkIX upper wing:

20170414_155008

 

Lower wing:

20170414_155012

 

Sword XIV upper wing:

20170414_155137

 

Lower (e-type) wing:

20170414_155157

 

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