Kotare 1/32 Spitfire Mk.Ia (Mid), with Mk.I (Early) and Mk.Va announced

[RadBaron]

48 minutes ago, nmayhew said:

the market for that version has to be tiny

 

 

I can't say you're wrong, but that's precisely the appeal to me (and probably the other fans of the early version ) 

[quang]

I also have a soft spot for the earlier versions of fighter planes. They show the original intent and innovation of their designer.
That was before they were turned into mechanized and ruthless killers. Of course, these later versions are what the general public wants.

[Dpgsbody55]

4 hours ago, RadBaron said:

I can't say you're wrong, but that's precisely the appeal to me (and probably the other fans of the early version ) 

 

Of which I am also one.  The normal MkI or MkIa is OK, but I've never built a two blade Watts prop/flat canopy Spitfire, so that's the one I will put my money towards.

 

If they also do a MkVc, I'll be in on that one too and do it in RAAF 1943 defense of Darwin colours.

 

 

Cheers,

Michael

[mozart]

Yep, I’m also a fan of the very early Spit with the Watts prop. I have very happy memories as a young lad in the 1950s looking at my Dad’s aircraft books and the one picture that always held my attention was of a two-blade Spitfire, so elegant and graceful. This is the picture:

 

 

As a child I wasn't sure whether the pilot was wearing a diver's mask or not!!  Look at that pitot tube under the port wing. 

Edited September 19, 2022 by mozart

[ade rowlands]

I don’t know at what point the ‘mid’ came in to service but I have a real hankering for one of those Spitfires that had the Black/White wings but the rest of the Underside in Aluminium/Silver. 

[cbk57]

23 hours ago, RadBaron said:

I really want to pre-order one of these and show Kōtare some support, but I'd much prefer an early Mk I, flat canopy and that monster 2-blade prop, which I hope will be a down-stream release.

 

First world problems! 

 

 

Why can:t the after market resolve this issue?  Is this a new canopy and a prop?  

[thierry laurent]

To me, it is fully obvious they will milk the cow. So a very early Spit will come later.

[Out2gtcha]

I wonder how early they will go...

 

 

I would suppose that if the kit is as good as we all hope it is, a prototype boxing may even sell well, who knows. 

[Dpgsbody55]

10 hours ago, mozart said:

Yep, I’m also a fan of the very early Spit with the Watts prop. I have very happy memories as a young lad in the 1950s looking at my Dad’s aircraft books and the one picture that always held my attention was of a two-blade Spitfire, so elegant and graceful. This is the picture:

 

 

As a child I wasn't sure whether the pilot was wearing a diver's mask or not!!  Look at that pitot tube under the port wing. 

 

I haven't seen that pic in years, and seeing it again has disappointed me.  So I started some research.  Like you, I remember being very inspired by that picture too.  When I turned 13, a friend gave me a biography of Robert Stanford Tuck with a picture of him leading a flight of Spitfires.  The picture was taken in May of 1939 when he was attached to 65 Squadron.  This is that picture.

 

 

I can't make out the aircraft serial number, but likely it's the same plane.  Both your picture and this also clearly show the plane has been refitted with the blown canopy and a DeHavilland three blade bracket prop.  I wanted to do a Kotare Spitfire MkI in this scheme, and this pic was my inspiration.  DISAPPOINTED!!!!

 

Very few Spitfires actually had the flat canopy.  Spitfire production got off to a very slow start.  By 31st December 1938, only 49 Spitfires had been produced, and the blown canopy had started to be fitted by August 1938, as this picture of 19 Squadron aircraft shows.

 

 

These planes have the two blade Watts prop, and probably had Merlin II's fitted. 

 

One more point.  These pictures above all show the early windscreen.  The bullet proof windscreens did not start to to be retrofitted in the field until May of 1940.  Tuck's Spitfire was fitted with one right at the start of his first op over Dunkirk on 23rd May.

 

So it will be possible to build a Watts prop flat canopy model, but the choice of markings would be very limited.  Kotare could offer such a model, but hopefully they'll also give the modeller a choice of three blade DH prop, Watts two blade prop, as well as a choice of canopy so we could build any early MkI.

 

 

Cheers,

Michael

 

PS.  I still have that biography, fifty four years later.  It's one of my most treasured books.

Edited September 19, 2022 by Dpgsbody55

[mozart]

At one point during the Battle of France Michael, in a very confusing period in terms of markings, camouflage and identification symbols, serial numbers were scrubbed out so this could be why none of those Spits have them.

[geedubelyer]

27 minutes ago, Dpgsbody55 said:

 

 

I can't make out the aircraft serial number,

Cheers,

Michael

 

 

K9906?

[npb748r]

1 hour ago, Out2gtcha said:

I would suppose that if the kit is as good as we all hope it is, a prototype boxing may even sell well, who knows.

that looks better than I would have expected - I can see this on my shelf of Spits

[Archimedes]

3 hours ago, Out2gtcha said:

I wonder how early they will go...

 

 

I would suppose that if the kit is as good as we all hope it is, a prototype boxing may even sell well, who knows. 

I would buy that in a heartbeat in 1/32. I have done the prototype in 1/48 (I used the Tamiya kit). That was where I discovered that the K5054 prototype and even the Mk1 had entirely different panel lines - this is particularly true on the wings. Jennings Heilig also very kindly did a set of markings for it! 

 

So though I would be thrilled for Kotare to do a prototype boxing, unless they do a completely different set of panel lines (i.e. a new mold) this would involve a full rescribe....

[Pete Roberts]

Some observations re: early production Spitfire Mk I’s. These planes were equipped with a ring and bead gunsight. The canopy was flat topped and sided, and the windscreen was unarmoured. No armour plate in the cockpit. The cockpit door lock was operated by a wire and ring pull. There was no deflection plate over the fuel tanks. It had a two bladed prop and twin prong pitot tube. Note the pole type antenna. Some very early aircraft had an anti-fouling structure at the top of the fin, but this was later removed. Some of the gun muzzles protruded from the wing leading edge. The guys at Kotare are also investigating the stencils, which may have also evolved over the course of production. THAT is the level of detail these guys are going to. I don’t have any info on this.

 

In the photo of the 65 Squadron aircraft Tuck is in K9906, FZ-L, and further back Gordon Olive is flying K9903, FZ-A. The serial on the fuselage has been overpainted, but you can just make it out on Tucks plane if you look carefully. You can also see the new placement of the serial, in 2” characters, on the fin where the fin flash would later be placed. Note the fuselage roundels have also been modified to Type B. No lower wing roundels, lower surfaces painted white/black split down the centre line. When first manufactured these planes would have had aluminium lower surfaces with the serial repeated under the wings.

 

The fact that Kotare have identified ‘early’, ‘mid’ and ‘late’ production Spitfire Mk I’s has me thinking they’ll do kitsets of all three types. May be a case of patience… yeah, I know. 

 

Edited September 19, 2022 by Pete Roberts

[Juggernut]

Well, I was just able to pre-order my kit with shipping under $30 to me here in the East Coast of the USA.  IF you're interested (and know there's a lot of us who are) here's the link to the pre-order page: Kotare Spitfire I Mid Pre-Order Web Page.