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Supermarine Spitfire Mk. XIV - Kings Cup Race, 1946.


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Great take-off scene! The model really gives an evocative impression of a Spitfire taking to the air.

 

Excellent finish, along with the typical asymmetric landning gear retraction.

 

Personally I consider the Mk XIV and the Mk XIX the best looking of the breed, QED. 😉

 

Kind regards,

 

Joachim

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I thought this was just a flying example of the Spitfire from the first set of pictures.  The head on shot showing the gears either retracting or extending gives it a life and visual impact entirely different.  The kit looks great, but the display really sets it off by its representation.  Thanks for sharing.

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6 hours ago, Courageous said:

Here is my recently completed build of a Supermarine Spitfire Mk. XIV in 1/72 using the Fujimi kit for the 'Prototypes, Racers, Research...GB'.

Build thread here: 

20221108-121913.jpg

 

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20221108-121858.jpg

 

20221108-121814.jpg

 

Stuart

Nice.

 

Alain

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@Spitfire31 @georgeusa @mick @MACALAIN @Winded Penguin Cheers guys, much appreciated. I wanted to do a different in-flight pose but wasn't sure about the undercarriage operation...asymmetric, glad I got that right. It was handy that I watched a recent 'Warplane Workshop' episode on TV and it featured the Mk. XIV Spit that confirmed the asymmetric operation.

 

Stuart

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I like this. I think it's very smart. The retracting undercarriage is a nice touch. I also like that way of doing the turning propeller. Better than those prop blurs any day. 

 

On the other hand, I'm not so keen on the offset stand to my mind. It makes the composition look a little awkward. That's only a minor observation though

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You can almost hear the snarl of the Griffon, as the pilot pushes the throttle as far as it goes after leaving the ground…

 

That's right. Take-off power in a Griffon Spit (2,000+ hp) isn't full throttle, in order to avoid a hard-to-correct swing to the right and also to protect the prop tips from hitting the ground. 😉

 

Once upon a time in the early 1950s, a fledgling Swedish pilot, fresh from the 600hp NA Texan (Sk 16 in the Sw Air Force), was told the above by his flight instructor, lt Ingemar Wängström, before his first take-off in an S 31 (Spitfire PR Mk XIX).

 

However, sergeant pilot Lars Cranning thought that 3/4 throttle was for old ladies, so he promptly pushed the quadrant 'through the gate'.

 

He managed to more or less correct the swing, but he shaved about 10" from each of the wooden prop tips. By the grace of some higher power, he managed to take off, while lt Wängström kept yelling in the radio:

– Come back, you bl…y stupid f...ing kid! (lt Wängström was known for his coarse language, as well as for his superb flying skills).

 

Sgt plt Cranning appeared not to hear the frantic radio calls and completed his circuit before making a reasonable landing.

 

He promptly received a bawling out by Wängström, who then asked:

 

– Didn't you hear me calling you back?

 

– No Sir, I didn't hear a thing in the wireless. (It later transpired that the radio had been shaken to pieces by the vibrations of the 'cropped' airscrew.)

 

– But didn't you notice the plane shaking like hell?

 

– Yes Sir, but I thought it was supposed to be like that.

 

A true story, confirmed by witnesses.

 

---

Sorry for the rant – I was inspired by the model…

 

Kind regards,

 

Joachim

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