New Airfix 1/72 Spitfire 1a

[Nigel Bunker]

I have just made two of these and I have a question. Should the windscreen section sidepanels be deeper than the sliding section on the canopy?

Airfix have made it so, and it looks wrong to me.

So if any of you Spitfire experts have built this kit, what do you think?

[Edgar]

The bottom apex of the windshield fairing is below the level of the bottom of the sliding portion; the bottoms of the clear sections are (by eye, anyway) dead level.

Edgar

[lufbramatt]

The bottom apex of the windshield fairing is below the level of the bottom of the sliding portion; the bottoms of the clear sections are (by eye, anyway) dead level.

Edgar

yep the faring drops down below the sliding section:

[Nigel Bunker]

I checked in some books and hadn't realised before that on Mks I & II, the boyttom edge of the widscreen sides were convex whilst on the mark V & later, they were concave. Hopefully this drawing will show what I mean.

[davidelvy]

I checked in some books and hadn't realised before that on Mks I & II, the boyttom edge of the widscreen sides were convex whilst on the mark V & later, they were concave.

Actually I think the change to the fairing came with the internal armoured windscreen. Early Mk Vbs with an internal armoured windscreen would have looked the same as the Mx I&II.

[Work In Progress]

Actually I think the change to the fairing came with the internal armoured windscreen. Early Mk Vbs with an internal armoured windscreen would have looked the same as the Mx I&II.

Quite correct. At the same time the internal armour was developed they took the opportunity to lose the compound curves in the side panel of the windscreen and replace then with flat panels. The orginal windscreen introduces some visual distortion which is unhelpful at any time, and especially unhelpful when on or very near to the ground with a whacking great nose up in the air blocking the straight-ahead view of what's in front.

In lubbramat's pic below you can see that the original curved-sides windscreen flows pretty organically into the contours of the fuselage. In contrast the superimposition of the flat-panel-sides windscreen meant it had to be bodged to fit the fuselage, hence the fillet that is visible on the later sort, interfacing the lower edge of windscreen side panel with the curved fuselage.

There is a good pic of it here, sa fitted to MH434:

http://www.speedmerchants.co.uk/images/DCP_1732.JPG

It is too big a picture to post direct on the forum so you will have to click through.

The new Airfix Spit 1a windscreen seems a good representation of the proper early shape based on the one I've built so far and other ones I've seen built.

[Nigel Bunker]

As my mother used to say, you live and learn. Thanks guys.

[gingerbob]

The flat-sided windscreen was developed on (for) the Mk.III- if you look at the photos taken when the first prototype (yes, there were two) was brand new, you'll see a different windscreen. The new type was fitted to that prototype fairly quickly. In addition to the advantages mentioned already, it was credited with about 5 mph on the Spit V.

It showed up on Supermarine Vs fairly early, and also early for Westland production. Castle Brom took a while to get it into theirs, supposedly due in part to supply issues.

Notice- you can see in that big image- that the skinning of the fuselage continued to be the right shape for the original windscreen, which is part of the reason for the odd strips on the bottom (side panel) edges.

bob

[Edgar]

Actually I think the change to the fairing came with the internal armoured windscreen. Early Mk Vbs with an internal armoured windscreen would have looked the same as the Mx I&II.

Probably not; although I don't have definite proof, I suspect that the front edge of the windshield had to be drawn forward, to ensure that the rear of the armoured glass didn't impinge on the gunsight/mounting/sunscreen. As Bob said, this was first fitted to the III, and was fitted, as mod 283, to I & II airframes, from 26-4-41.

Beamont was able to use the glass as a reflector, on his Typhoons, and got a rollicking plus "put it back" order for his pains, but eventually won the day, and glassless sights became standard on Tempests, but never on Spitfires.

Edgar

[davidelvy]

On reading Edgar's comment I realise I made a typo. What I meant to say was "Early Mk Vbs with an external armoured windscreen would have looked the same as the Mk I&II."

[Edgar]

[Steve N]

Fascinating thread, gentlemen. I had always wondered about the windscreen issues. The Tamiya 1/72 Mk.I has the later type windscreen, but the Squadron (Falcon) vac replacement canopy is the proper curved type. I had never noticed there was a difference until buying the vac replacement canopy.

SN