Suppose I want to build an early Mk. I Spitfire

[Tnarg]

I really like the looks of a very early Spitfire, Mk.I, with a two blade prop and the flat windscreen and straight pole antenna instead of the blade. Put a "WZ - something" on the side and make it black and white underneath, and aluminum control surfaces if they had it. That look really fascinates me.

 

I'd also like one of the foreign pilots' Battle of Britain machines ("knock off that Polish chatter", as he said to those other heroes in the movie), but that's yet another machine.

 

I have several planes that I obsess about, collect references for and dig deep. The Spitfire isn't one that I have done the deep dive for, so I am depending upon your suggestions, especially from those who have that extremely deep knowledge.

 

So... the real question I have is:

 

What kit or kits can we build or bash and what aftermarket do we use to make such a beauty in 1/32 scale?

 

I'm more interested in the quality and execution of the plastic, metal and resin parts that we could use to make a superb model of this plane than in their cost or who designed and fabricated them. If the fuselage of one kit looks good and could fit with another or use an interior from another or the wings from one can fix another, what can be done? That's the intent of this topic.

 

Thanks for any ideas or information you can suggest.

 

Tnarg

[Kagemusha]

GreyMatter make quite a few Spitfire sets, and MDC make a Mk.I correction set which I assume is for the earlier Revell Mk.I, many am companies may well hold back producing any Mk.I sets as Revell will probably release such a kit, probably better off holding back the desire until the required kit comes along...

 

I read recently Barracuda are releasing some sets, so maybe.

Edited June 24, 2014 by Kagemusha

[DougN]

I'm thinking the new Revell kit should be easy enough to backdate to an early Mk.1.  I plan to do this one (FLoZ) with one of my forthcoming Revell Spits, as I believe one could build this one OOB as it seems to have the early straight aerial mast and rudder aerial attachment.  I think I can use the kit windscreen without the armor attachment and along with some correction parts for the oil cooler, fabric control surfaces and prop as mentioned elsewhere.  

 

 

 

Any experts please weight in on any other changes to the new Revell kit needed

 

Doug 

 

 

 

 

[Brad-M]

Doug,

 

You are well on your way, you'll also have to scratch a new pitot tube, leave off the coffman starter on the right side lower part of the nose (that's for the Mk II) and maybe add the blast tubes/ports for the 2 outer most guns per wing?

 

Brad

Edited June 24, 2014 by Brad-M

[Bill Cross]

Hmmm, seems to me if someone put together a to-do list for

1. Correcting the current RoG kit
2. Backdating it to a Mk.I

that some of us would even pay for it....

 

Just sayin'.

[Artful69]

Hmmm, seems to me if someone put together a to-do list for

1. Correcting the current RoG kit
2. Backdating it to a Mk.I

that some of us would even pay for it....

 

Just sayin'.

 

lol ... I'd imagine Edgar or someone will get onto one soon ... much more welcome than the other trite going on!

 

Rog

[Brad-M]

Quite Trite!

 

Brad

[Pete Roberts]

Early Spitfire I's we're a little different to BoB Spitfire I's

 

From what I have found, a couple of points:

 

Cockpit - ring and bead gunsight, early undercarriage retraction mechanism, pump type. Lack of armor behind pilot, no IFF mechanism. The voltage thingy behind the head rest seems to be missing on some early Mk I's too - relocated?

 

In the posted photo, note the taller, pole type aerial and two pronged pitot tube. Also, as mentioned, lack of windscreen armour and clear vision panel in canopy.

 

Someone has mentioned rivets (another post?) - if you look at close ups of Spitfire fuselages, they have many lines of raised rivets - your call there if you want to replicate that.

 

Fabric ailerons, five spoke wheels. Very early Spitfire Is had a device on the fin to prevent fouling of a stall recovery device.

 

Cam/markings are a bit different too. Note the serial number has been removed from the fuselage ofthe Spits in the posted pic and appear on the fin in 2" (?) characters.

 

Roundels went through an evolution, as did lower surface colors. Many of the aircraft in the posted pic have black/white halved lower surfaces. Note the mix of A and B scheme upper surfaces, and overpainted outer rings on some of the roundels on some of the aircraft (eg FZ-A) I believe FZ-A was flown by Gordon Olive.

 

If anything else comes to mind, or I realize I have missed something, I'll add in another post.

 

I'm sure Edgar will have some comments too, so I'll be watching this one with great interest!

 

In terms of kits, personally, I'd combine the old Revell Mk I fuselage with the Hasegawa Mk I wings. The new Revall kit has issues, as described in other posts, before you look at back dating. The Hasegawa Mk I may be a good choice if you are looking for an out of box build, but you may want to add scribed panel lines to the fuselage to match the wings (?)

HTH

 

Cheers

 

PR

Edited June 25, 2014 by Pete Roberts

[Alburymodeler]

I think those in the pic have three blade props, but I would go with a two blader and the flat sliding canopy. Maybe even upper wing roundels with yellow surrounds, or roundel on only one wing.

[Edgar Brooks]

The biggest drawback is trying to keep up with the various modifications, as the airframe evolved, which means that you (almost) need to think of a date, and work from there.

2-blade props were dead-and-gone by the Battle; head armour wasn't seen until February 1940, and seat armour not until June 1940; black & white undersides started in January 1939, prior to that they were silver.

Early two-position "V.P." de Havilland propellers need a push-pull mechanism fitted beside the throttle; rudder pedals had only a single bar until 1941; there were no I.F.F. destructor buttons fitted until the end of 1940; there were no plastic seats until mid-May 1940; Mk.I & II airframes had no oxygen hose, since it was "fitted" to the pilot, and plugged into a socket on the starboard wall (probably caused several deaths, due to broken necks, when a pilot forgot to disconnect it, as he baled out.)

The voltage regulator probably (I'm not an electrician) dates from November 1939, when a modification was introduced, "To render electrical system suitable for V.H.F. and to include a carbon pile regulator." Use of V.H.F. radios was extremely patchy, and the early control, with a circular knob, was often seen, rather than the oblong case with push-buttons; from December 1938 aerial wires were stainless steel.

There was no crowbar until 1942; metal seat bottoms undulated slightly, and did not have the lozenge-shaped depression (that came with the plastic seat.)

And that's without even touching on camouflage............

Edgar

[Bill Cross]

Edgar, when you get your hands on this kit, I am not kidding: I would pay for a tweak sheet that says what's needed to make it BoB-ready. If you want to throw in early Mk.I, too, that's fine. But it's a CRIME there is no BoB Spitfire kit in our scale currently readily-available (Ken Lawrence, are you listening?).

[Scrodes]

While we're talking about accuracy, I think he said 'Polish chit-chat' ;-)

[JamesHatch]

Is it correct that very early Spit I's had BROWN cockpit interiors, and not green?

[LSP_Ron]

Is it correct that very early Spit I's had BROWN cockpit interiors, and not green?

 

I think that was a factor linked to how badly the pilot scared himself on his first flight!

[Guest Clunkmeister]

I think that was a factor linked to how badly the pilot scared himself on his first flight!

Buhdump ching!