two more Spitfire questions.

[Spit Fan]

Hi all, back again with some more questions on the MK.I My apology if these have already been asked and answered. 1. What was the factory color of the insides of the oil cooler and radiator? Silver, RAF Grey-Green or the under surface color? 2. I am converting a Tamiya MK.Vb to a MK.I (cannon) and I am wondering if the two gun heating ducts found on the Mk.Vb wings would have been on the Mk.I wings and if so would these have been removed on the Mk.I (cannon) aircraft? I can see an argument for either view. Things are moving a lot at a very fast pace on my three Spits build at least for me. Did I mention I am a very slow modeller? As always all input is greatly appreciated. John R.

[Tailwheel]

Hi all, back again with some more questions on the MK.I My apology if these have already been asked and answered. 1. What was the factory color of the insides of the oil cooler and radiator? Silver, RAF Grey-Green or the under surface color? 2. I am converting a Tamiya MK.Vb to a MK.I (cannon) and I am wondering if the two gun heating ducts found on the Mk.Vb wings would have been on the Mk.I wings and if so would these have been removed on the Mk.I (cannon) aircraft? I can see an argument for either view. Things are moving a lot at a very fast pace on my three Spits build at least for me. Did I mention I am a very slow modeller? As always all input is greatly appreciated. John R.

Hi Spit Fan

May I suggest you treat yourself to the IWM DVD 'Spitfire -Frontline Fighter'.This features a trade training film of a D.I.on a Sitfire I of 609 Squadron at RAF Abingdon in May 1940, and then judge for yourself. Alternatively ,some may be available on Youtube.

Cheers

Dave

[Edgar]

I've never seen green radiator, or oil cooler, interiors; the housings were made by outside contractors, so were likely to have been painted silver (I guess - admittedly,) like the flap and u/c door interiors. I doubt that this would have changed, during assembly, and, if repainting was necessary (for black and white or sky,) with the radiator/oil cooler cores in place, the groundcrew would not have risked getting paint on them.

I assume that, by "ducts," you mean the cone-shaped heat exhausts? These were found on the m/g-armed Mk.I (there's a photo of K5054 sporting them,) and it was stated that the fittings, for the outer guns, would remain in place, when the first cannon were tried. In that case, it's likely that the plumbing would also have stayed in place (there were cases where the bays, and the ammunition, got too hot.) The cannon-only wings that followed, might have had them plated over, but I'd doubt that.

Edgar

[Spit Fan]

I've never seen green radiator, or oil cooler, interiors; the housings were made by outside contractors, so were likely to have been painted silver (I guess - admittedly,) like the flap and u/c door interiors. I doubt that this would have changed, during assembly, and, if repainting was necessary (for black and white or sky,) with the radiator/oil cooler cores in place, the groundcrew would not have risked getting paint on them.

I assume that, by "ducts," you mean the cone-shaped heat exhausts? These were found on the m/g-armed Mk.I (there's a photo of K5054 sporting them,) and it was stated that the fittings, for the outer guns, would remain in place, when the first cannon were tried. In that case, it's likely that the plumbing would also have stayed in place (there were cases where the bays, and the ammunition, got too hot.) The cannon-only wings that followed, might have had them plated over, but I'd doubt that.

Edgar

Many thanks for your response. Silver it is for those items. I will leave the two ducts in place on my Mk.I (cannon). The machine gun opennings for the outer two .303s will be filled and the carriridge chute closed but can still be made out if you look closely. Oddly enough the Tamyia MK.I wing does not have the two gun heating ducts and from your post these ducts should be present. I will have to come up with a set for the MK.IIa (LR) that is also a WIP on my bench. Hopefully by the time I finish them I will have figured out how to post photos on site and will put them in the "Crtique" section for comment. John R.

[Spit Fan]

Hi Spit Fan

May I suggest you treat yourself to the IWM DVD 'Spitfire -Frontline Fighter'.This features a trade training film of a D.I.on a Sitfire I of 609 Squadron at RAF Abingdon in May 1940, and then judge for yourself. Alternatively ,some may be available on Youtube.

Cheers

Dave

Dave: Thanks for the info on this film I will see if I can find it on U-Tube. I suspect that it will be a gold mine of material. John R.

[gingerbob]

Many thanks for your response. Silver it is for those items. I will leave the two ducts in place on my Mk.I (cannon). The machine gun opennings for the outer two .303s will be filled and the carriridge chute closed but can still be made out if you look closely. Oddly enough the Tamyia MK.I wing does not have the two gun heating ducts and from your post these ducts should be present. I will have to come up with a set for the MK.IIa (LR) that is also a WIP on my bench. Hopefully by the time I finish them I will have figured out how to post photos on site and will put them in the "Crtique" section for comment. John R.

Those heat exits were added very early on in Mk.I production, and once the cannon I's became Mk.Vs they were present, so I think you're safe to leave them on.

As for the IILR, check which prop was fitted- I don't know offhand, but some IIb's, and probably some late IIa's, had DH props instead of the usual Rotol.

bob

p.s. You get a gold star for not calling it a "Mk.Ib"- by the time the suffixes were introduced the surviving cannon I's had mutated into the first Mk.V's and so no suffix was (officially) applied to the Mk.I.

p.p.s. I'd like to get my hands on that DVD!