1/18 Spitfire Mk. XIVe - Race #80

[LSP_Ray]

Graham would be the one to verify this, but as I understand it, the Spiteful has a standard XIV scoop on it and I found a decent pic of it:

[LSP_Ray]

Found this one of a XIV:

[Cees Broere]

That's a Mk 22.

Cees

[airscale]

thanks chaps

 

I have started to look for pics - unfortunately plans and sectional diagrams are real thin in the ground..

 

this is a good one, and there are a few more of this XIV..

 

 

..also the PE just arrived - I am pleased with how it has come out and is in nickel silver so should chip nicely if needed..

 

 

this is one of the bulkheads - i part etched the edges of the lightening holes in the hope I can push from the other side and give a 'stamped out' effect..

 

 

..about 10 parts in the throttle & pitch control...

 

 

front and back of IP and lots of little bits - there must be 300 parts on here...

 

 

the IP is a revision of the 1/24 one I will be bringing out soon..

 

 

..PPD are just fabulous - turned this around in 3 days from getting the artwork

 

back soon

 

TTFN
Peter

[Rainer Hoffmann]

Wow, that PE looks splendid. That must have been hours and hours to create that artwork!

 

Ah, do I spot the prototype rivet templates at the bottom of the fret???

 

I need to find a company here in Germany that does this stuff.

 

Cheers

Rainer

[dodgem37]

You're a machine, Peter!  Plus doing artwork for 300 PE parts.  Did some looking for you and found these:

Mk XVIII Intake.  SAM Publications, Pg. 101.

 

 

 

Drawings from Aero Detail 30, Griffon Spitfires, Pgs. 68 & 69, F.R.Mk. XIVe

 

Hope this helps.

Sincerely,

Mark

 

 

[LSP_Ray]

That's a Mk 22.

Cees

Crap! Didn't notice the wings first off. That is what I get when I do a google search for XIV images...

[airscale]

thanks guys

 

Mark - that is a really useful pic and drawing - thank you ....  you may be right about being a machine - this build has got me running around all over the place!

 

Ray - thanks and no snags it's the wrong mark of Spit in the pic - I have been making that mistake repeatedly and am bound to build something wrong soon

 

so onto the butchery seminar...

 

..as the nose was cut wide open, I thought I better open out the exhaust areas and fix something to mount the exhaust pipes to later. There will be no engine so this is a bit of fakery.. I folded up some litho and slotted it to represent the framework that surrounds the pipes - the slots are not where the pipes will go, but rather a structural feature below them... the flat mounting areas are at the angle of the Griffon cylinder banks..

 

 

 

..then I could fix the lower cowl shape matrix thingy into place as a basis for forming the new nose.. lots of CA and bits of shim to lock it in tight..

 

 

..then sprayed it all black so as to hide the lack of engine...

 

 

--I needed some thick plastic to fill the gaps and my inner hoarder paid off... I had saved a bit of a roller blind I threw out - it's a plastic weight that holds the blind in shape and as it was a sort of aerofoil shape I thought I would keep it about 3 years ago..

 

well it made for some nice thick and best of all curved sheet panels..

 

 

..lots of them fitted in all the gaps...

 

 

..and sanded to the black lines of the shape structure below...

 

 

..with a quick shot of primer, I think I am getting there - good job I don't need a flawless surface as this will all be covered in metal..

 

 

 

..having a ball with this one as you can probably tell...

 

TTFN
Peter

[Shoggz]

And we're having a ball following along Peter!

[Fooesboy]

Atta Boy!

 

(yep, that's all I've got)

[Ironwing]

Does Aldus Dumbledor know you're lose?

 

[brahman104]

 

[Hubert Boillot]

Doeas not make the Tigercat any closer to completion, but the show is definitely worth it

 

Hubert

[dodgem37]

Good job.

 

'I don't need a flawless surface as this will all be covered in metal.'

I don't know if this is so!  I don't know the properties of the litho, but an unsupported base could cause an irregularity in the surface uniformity.

 

Just my observation, Peter.  No experience with the subject material.

Sincerely,

Mark

[airscale]

evening folks

 

daily blog update - I Iove being on a roll - and knew I needed a kick in the pants to get going so glad I started this venture

 

umm - there is a big hole in my aeroplane...

 

 

..I cut the cockpit away with a slitting tool in a dremel for a nice clean cut - the fuselage & wings are still very rigid so no worries about compromising strength..

 

the first thing I wanted to do was check the PE against the inner dimensions - in places the walls of this 'kit' are pretty thick fiberglass, plusI designed the PE from the Monforton book so thought they may not match...

 

started with the seat bulkhead (Frame 11) and the Instrument panel..

 

 

..thankfully both fitted really well - I thinned the walls of the 'pod' but was pretty careful as the glass mat gives the shape strength and I worried if I went too hard it would just crumble in my hands..

 

no issues though and it turned out ok.. certainly good enough for government work...

 

 

 

..with frame 11 off the fret I started to fiddle about with some assembly to make a change from the hackathon I have been on... the frame starts with a main part and a rivet outline...

 

 

..with a strip of card added around the inner circumference to give depth and some brackets or fishplates found on the real thing..

 

 

made up the seat mountings from brass stock and more PE parts - there are a couple of seat quick release latches that figure on the horizontal cross brace so included them.. now I have figured out my dremel workstation I also drilled all the parts to bolt together...

 

 

..and the two main sub-assemblies start to come together..

 

 

..and dry fitted,,

 

 

..couldn't resist trying it with the seat..

 

 

..much more to do, but this is turning out to be a very rewarding build - just hope it stays that way..

 

TTFN
Peter