Personalised Spitfire!

I’m still debating it! lol

1/48 sounds like a better idea than 1/72 now – I can give the larger model much more detail.

I wonder if I can get pilot figures sitting down, and suitably-sized deckchairs….! 😉

Daz,
Are you going to continue with your plans to do ‘The dark Blue World’? in 1/48 th scale.
If so ICM have put out a similar RAF ground personnel set like the Airfix kit I mentioned.I think it has more possibilities than the 1/72 scale kit you were trying to go before.(my opinion).
Try your local or some internet sources to get the kit.Good Luck .

Battle of Britain/Dark Blue World Spitfire VB

Ok, there are no Czech markings or kill marks on it, but I still reckon it looks good! 🙂

Spitfire models

One for Ken – the resin Spitfire F24 model from the Czechmaster kit. One of my fave planes now!

Just to be pedantic,the Target Tug Beau was the TT.10 rather than TT.20.I’m probably alone,but I reckon the TT scheme was the best a Beau ever wore.

There are folks better qualified to comment, but IIRC, up to 1947 or so, Roman numerals were used – eg Spitfire Mk.VIII; and Spitfire PR.XIX. However, in ’47, they were all meant to change as someone finally noticed that the Romans had finally abandoned Britain – too cold – and shifted to Arabic (i.e. numbers – don’t even start) so any a/c in the RAF were meant to change to the numeral / arabic equivalent. So – a Spitfire PR .XIX before 47; a Spitfire PR .19 after; even if it’s the same machine! If you think about it you can see where the confusion comes from – and with a load of the mob having used XIX for several years, they weren’t going to change overnight!

The real difficulty of course was II for 2 not 11.

Over to our Spitfire authorities for chapter, verse and corrections…

Cheers.

Spitfire 21

Ken – Hannants supplied me with a resin Spitfire 22/24 kit a few months back. Damn nightmare to build ‘cos even with ordinary poly cement it wouldn’t hold together – had to break out the superglue!!!

The wings were also flat – by that I mean no dihedral on them at all! One of them broke off when I tried to bend it and stick it (bad idea), but I managed to reattach it at the right angle and sand down the join – can’t even see where it broke now.

Finished it in ‘gear down’ mode, in the markings of VN318 – looks very nice, and complete with pilot! Will try to get pics.

I imagine the Spitfire 21 will be just as nice when finished.

Thanks Daz and dhfan

It was official policy by whoever makes official policy

that explains everything 😉 official policy being something that no-one ever owns up to setting we will probably never know. Tis just one of these things that intrigues me.

Ken

Originally posted by ken_murray
As an aside i notice that most marks of spitfire are referred to in roman numeral form except the later marks (21 and later), can some kind sole tell me why?

It was official policy by whoever makes official policy (Air Ministry, RAF, somebody). I’ve got it in a book somewhere but haven’t a clue which one.
Roman numerals up to and including XIX, I’m fairly sure, and normal numbering from 20 onwards. The only other aeroplane with that number of marks I can think of offhand is the Mossie and that’s the same. Was the target-tug Beau the TT20? That may have ben post-war.
Roman numerals were abandoned completely around the end of the war but exactly when I don’t know. Hornets, for example, were the F1 and F3.
Edit.
If the Beau was the TT20 it must have been before the system changed as 20 and upwards was reserved for the Fleet Air Arm.

Not sure why, but one of the books will say!

Will take a look at “Spitfire – The History” and “Spitfire Story” tonight.

(had a look – still can’t find it!!)

Thanks Daz, just checked the Hannants site, they have a resin kit of a F21 listed as a future release. I’ll probably wait for that since I have quite a backlog of kits just now.

As an aside i notice that most marks of spitfire are referred to in roman numeral form except the later marks (21 and later), can some kind sole tell me why?

enk

Ken – you could “cross-kit” a couple of models. Academy do a nice 1/48 Spitfire XIVc which, if you could get the Airfix Spitfire 24 kit, would make a good 21 given the right treatment. Alternatively you could get a conversion kit which would probably have the wings.

You might get the bits you need from the Aeroclub website. Alternatively you could do it 1/72 – might be easier?

http://www.aeroclub-models.com/index.html

while we are on plastic spitfires, does anyone know of a model of the F21? 1/48 preferred but would do 1/72. i’d like to model a certain 602 sqn one sitting about 400 yards away from me at work.

re initials, what happens if you don’t have any middle initials 🙁

Ken

Good tip, thanks.

I’ve just tried a search on Hannants’ website, and couldn’t find anything in 1/72 scale for canopies, however have just found the Aeroclub page, and they have a set of 1/72 canopies for various Spitfire/Seafire marks…! 😀

If your still interested in working in 1:72 scale try Aeroclub, they do excellent vacform spitfire canopies, which I guess would be easy to cut and display open, also check out their other white metal detail bits. Be warned that the RAF personnel set is moulded in a very soft ‘polythene’ type material, this is both differicult to cut, lacks detail and will not accept paint. the best 1:72 figures are with the Airfix airfield vehicle sets, or maybe try the model railway suppliers for figures. The Airfix Stirling has a excellent bomb tractor which would look good.

DOUGHNUT

Thanks for that, OFMC. It’s been my experience that the Airfix MkVB is a bit hard to find at present, as is the MkVIII, but I imagine I can get at least one on mail-order from Hannants in the UK. If I can’t find the Airfix ones, I can probably find another.

The model shop just up the road is a good stockist of all three Spitfire variants, too.

If it is on the cheap.Airfix have what you want for Spitfire V, VIII and so forth.Then there are the Hasegawa and Tamiya kitsets that are better but need more ££There is a MPM 1/48 scale kit ..very good ,has some resin parts and comes out very nice .But may cost more than you bargained for.
Check the galleries on http://www.aircraftresourcecenter.com/ and you might get a better idea.A nice web site too.

OFMC Fan

I’m reconsidering my whole diorama project – 1/72 scale’s a bit of a nightmare to work with, having to try and cut canopies into bits and having no spares available (even from Hannants!)

Sooooo…. a 1/48 Spitfire Ia, VB and VIII/IX must be out there somewhere….!

Originally posted by DazDaMan
I’m pretty sure the till-monkies will know what I’m on about! 😉

Don’t bank on it mate half of them wouldn’t know their arse from a hole in the ground when it comes to modelling

I’m pretty sure the till-monkies will know what I’m on about! 😉