Spitfire mk xiv...

[Butler]

I've still got loads to go on my Typhoon project, but i'm already planning the next project in advance. I bought Revell's mk22/24 Spit kit ages ago without realising it was a post-WW2 plane, which for me loses most of the attraction. To make matters worse, it has a bubble canopy and low back which in my opinion ruins the classic spitfire lines.

 

However, I don't have much spare cash and I can't really justify buying another kit when I have this one sitting here. I like the idea of converting this back to another Griffon engined mark, the mk xiv. This involves loads and loads of work which, for me, is the attraction of messing about with a kit. I realise that this project would be far far easier with a donor kit of an earlier mark but remember, the idea is the project to make use of this kit with little other outlay.

 

Anyway, there's two purposes to this post:

 

1. Does anyone know of a mk xiv Spit in a UK museum that i could visit for reference purposes?

 

2. Does anyone know where I can buy a normal Spitfire canopy in 1:32 (i.e. non-bubble shaped)?

 

[Edgar Brooks]

You could cut out a little work, by doing a bubble-canopy F.R.XIVE, but you'll need a lot of work on, or a new set of, wings, since the 22/24 had the "new" wing, while the XIV had the original elliptical wing. The fin, rudder, tailplane, and elevators will need to be completely reshaped, also the radiators. For some reason the Matchbpx kit made the wingroot too wide, at the trailing edge, so it'll need trimming back. You'll need four-spoke wheels, instead of three, and the u/c legs will need attention. The Museum of Science and Industry, in Manchester, has a preserved XIV, and there are XIXs with the BoB flight (same basic shape,) which can be viewed by appointment

Edgar

[LSP Dan]

It will be a major conversion. Kind of like back-dating a P-51D to an A-36 dive bomber !! Way too much to get it anywhere near accurate if that's what you are shooting for.

 

Dan

[D Bellis]

Ruzlkampf has/had a nice Mk.XIV conversion going here on LSP's build forum. Maybe run a search for it?

 

HTH,

D

[Allok]

The bubble canopy sure looks odd on a Spit, but I like it.

I looked at trying to make a XIVe out of this kit. Then rapidly changed my mind.

 

The Matchbox kit I have has also been started, so I think I'll just accept my losses and make it OOB.

Maybe I can sell it at an exhibition some time.

 

Good luck,

Keith.

[Butler]

Cheers guys. There's a lot of work, but I think the only really difficult part will be building the rear fuselage back up. The rest should be time consuming but fairly simple hopefully!

 

I don't have any real worries about the wings - it seems I only need the remove material and not add any on to re-establish the wing shape. I hope the drawing below is clear: these are schematic drawings i've found layered onto each other. The red lines are a MK 21 wing (like I have with the kit), and the blue lines are a MK XIV E wing. The shape is almost identical until the end of the wing, then I just need to trim some off.

 

Of course, the layout of the wing is totally different and will need a complete rescribe and new control surfaces, cannon bay, wheel wells etc marking/cutting out.

 

Edgar - you're right about the wing root. Hopefully I can remedy this by filling in the join and rescribing in the right place. Of course, this is a problem that I would experience with the box kit and not just with the conversion i guess

 

D Bellis - i've seen Ruzlkampf's conversion and I can't hope to get anywhere near that quality, but will be brilliant for reference purposes

 

[Butler]

It will be a major conversion. Kind of like back-dating a P-51D to an A-36 dive bomber !! Way too much to get it anywhere near accurate if that's what you are shooting for.

 

Dan

 

Why did you have to type that? Now i'm going to have to go for a perfect replica! :angry:

[LSP Dan]

Your wing drawing appears to be a bit of alright. The reshaping won't be too much of a task. It's the re-scribing of everything as well as reshaping the control surfaces. The tail is another major redo. The Mk 22/24 had a completely different fin & rudder unit. You may want to try an overlapped drawing as you did with the wings to check it out.

 

Good luck !!

[Butler]

I'm already with you here - i spent my lunch hour rastering these plans into AutoCAD and resizing them to 1:1 scale in modelspace, then scaling them to 1:32 in paperspace and printing on our handy A3 printer. The more modelling work the better as far as i'm concerned

 

I'm not too bothered about the rescribing - probably i'd have to do this to a donor plane anyway. At least scribing new lines will be more interesting than going over existing raised ones!

 

[Butler]

Would a mod be kind enough to move this into the member build area please? It started with a question and now i've got plastic shavings all around me!

[Derek B]

Interesting way to go Butler (I am effectively doing the opposite to you with my Spitfire F.21/22/24 wing patterns!)...you'll probably have lots of fun with the undercarriage bay. Good luck with this project, I shall stay tuned with interest.

 

Regards

 

Derek

[Edgar Brooks]

I've been digging through my spares box(es,) and I've found a few bits, which you might find useful. There are two Hasegawa fuselage halves, minus cowlings and fin, but intact spine, which were going to be a XIV, but I have Radu's item on order, so the PCM kit will be used. There's a set of wings, u/c, wheels, plus some cockpit parts, which will give you hours of fun shoehorning them into the Matchbox fuselage. There's also a complete canopy. If you would like them, PM me, with an address, and I'll get them away.

Edgar

[Butler]

That's incredibly kind. I've sent you a PM

[Butler]

I've done some basic trimming work to one wing today, pictured next to the original wing.

 

This is the top:

I've removed the bump over the top of the wheel well and covered this and the cannon openings with styrene card, reinforced from inside to i can sand them down and rescribe on top.

 

 

[Butler]

And this is the bottom:

 

Here i've removed an entire panel containing the wheel well, radiator cutout and shell ejection holes, replaced with styrene card.

 

I've then used my template to mark out the new wheel well and larger radiator location. This I have cut out, then backed with more card, leaving a recess for the radiator to sit in. From looking through Ruzlkampf's thread it seems that the radiator was set into the wing slightly so hopefully this will do the job.

 

I'm quite impressed with this kit. It includes some strengthening structure inside the wing to exactly line up the wing root pieces with the main fuselage. Hopefully i can get a filler-less join here!