Spitfire, seafire variants/Marks

I think, at my peak, I had about 100 models hanging from the ceiling. None of them especially well-made etc, but they looked good to me at the time! 😮

Exactly the same for me! A lot of them have long since been thrown out

but I still have my very first one that I made with my dad =D an F16 I think it is

I think, at my peak, I had about 100 models hanging from the ceiling. None of them especially well-made etc, but they looked good to me at the time! 😮

Amazing collection! there’s a guy that displays his 1/72 models at Model World, Brighton, and they’re ALL battle of britain era, there must be nearly 200 at least both english & german

and every single plane has a little card with the pilot(s) who flew it and the squadron and airfieldand year.

Incredible.

Holyyyyyy *insert inanimate object here*

One can only imagine the hassle of keeping that lot dust-free 😉

amazing! I don’t know if I’d have the will power to do THAT many especially in that small fiddly scale, kudos! I wonder if he built them like a production line

Raul and his son Santiago post on this forum – he has a fantastic collection of British WW2 aircraft, and he has some nice glass fronted shelves!

Early Spitfire XIs also had rounded rudders….

I’m not mark12, but here’s a clipped winged VIII:

http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205209416

Many thanks for the correction Collis

I knew I was tempting fate :rolleyes:

I don’t think that we’ve ever had it so good for modelling the Spitfire, I had a quick look at what is available recently and I was amazed, especially in 1:48th. Some of the more recent Airfix releases, especially of the Seafire and later marks has helped, and sit nicely with the established Tamiya etc kits.
As someone else has mentioned, the Trumpeter Spiteful and Seafang round the lineage of well.

Apart from the variants listed above, don’t forget the obligatory ‘what ifs’!

To add to the confusion, the Spitfire VII was often fitted with normal rounded wingtips in service. Both the VI and VII had a pressurised cockpit, with an intake for the blower located on the engine cowling (port-side, I think).

Also, I haven’t looked at my Spitfire books for a while, but I *think* the differences between the Spitfire 22 and 24 were the amount of fuel carried by the 24, as well as the electrical system.

Hi Chris

Good luck with the 1:48 Spitfire quest, I started out on the same road nearly five years ago and I certainly agree with your list showing the main visual characteristics of the various Spitfire and Seafire marks.

I set out to have a collection that showed as many of those features as possible, so at least one has a 2-blade prop., at least one has a tropical filter, at least one has extended wing tips, etc. I decided to complicate things by planning to model at least one of each air arm that operated the type. ( I make that 27 by the way, when counting naval arms such as the FAA and Aeronavale separately).

Five years on I have 48 completed models in a showcase and at least 9 more to go!

Holyyyyyy *insert inanimate object here*

One can only imagine the hassle of keeping that lot dust-free 😉

amazing! I don’t know if I’d have the will power to do THAT many especially in that small fiddly scale, kudos! I wonder if he built them like a production line

Well thanks for the help people. The original information came from looking at this web site http://freespace.virgin.net/john.dell/index.htm
further looking around i found this chap http://www.ipmsstockholm.org/magazine/2003/11/stuff_eng_hrubisko_spitfire.htm he has made it 111 😮 mmmmmmmmmm me thinks ile just do one of each mark ? :rolleyes:

Another thought,

Mk.VIII – did not have clipped wings (unless Mark12 tells me differently!!)

Mk.VIII – JF299 – had a low back fuselage

I’m not mark12, but here’s a clipped winged VIII:

http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205209416

I think you’ll find the Mk.23 Valiant was produced, albeit in only prototype form (PP139).
.

If you want to make a kit version you’ll be best to start with the Mk 21 (like they did with the real thing). Raise the leading edge of the wings two scale inches (if you want). Add a bigger tail (thanks Dave) and finally add extended wingtips. Been pondering this as a model for a while. Just the surprising lack of affordable starter Spitfire kits out there has been a stumbling block.

I have often seen Mk XII conversion kits on Ebay. And also you are forgetting Trumpeter’s new Spiteful and Seafang kits.

Another thought,

Mk.VIII – did not have clipped wings (unless Mark12 tells me differently!!)

Mk.VIII – JF299 – had a low back fuselage

When I was bulding model Aircraft regulary I started Collecting 1/48 Model Spitfires to try and do as many variations as possible

It’s difficult because NEARLY every model spitfire made is a I, V, IX or XVI

i know there others around

I do plan on returning to it one day, don’t have the space in my current shared house

I think my current colleciton stands at

Early 2 bladed Mk. I
Late Mk. I
Vb
Vc
Seafire (III?)
VIII
IX
A PR Blue…. IX? I think
XVI
an all black with gold nose (XVI ?)
F.24

and One other that I forget, they live at my parents’ house , I know there’s 12 of them aha

Having considered this several times in the past, it’s a grand project! There is often a lot of differences within marks, so the mk I and II could have machine gun (a) or (b) cannon wings

You also have the Recce Spits, which started as variants of the mk I (Type A, B, C , D, G etc) but also later had the mk IV designation applied.

There was also a mk IX floatplane

And don’t forget the two seaters!

A couple of comments on your points:

SPITFIRE VII added a retractable tail-wheel. Many had a pointed tail-fin The new Merlin introduced two equal sized radiators

And a longer nose

SPITFIRE IX The IX came in versions for low altitude combat with clipped wings and for high altitude with extended wing-tips as well as the mass-produced normal fighter version

You also had high/low back aircraft and aircraft with blunt and pointed fins.

SPITFIRE XVI Teardrop cockpit canopies or extended wings. A four bladed airscrew was fitted

Early XVIs had high backed fuselages

SPITFIRE 22. Mk 21 with teardrop hood and cut back rear fuselage

SPITFIRE 24 24 had the big “Spiteful” tail

I’m pretty sure both the 23 and 24 had the big fin – main difference between the two was the cannon barrel lengths and teh size of the prop IIRC

SEAFIRE XV retracting tailwheel and larger tail of the Spitfire VIII It had folding wings The XV could carry a 500lb bomb
SEAFIRE XVII or MK17. The XVII was very similar to the XV

The 17 had the teardrop canopy and low back.

I can recommend the following site:

http://spitfiresite.com/

Off the top of mine,

Early Mk.I (wooden 2-bladed fixed-pitch prop, straight cockpit hood, long aerial mast, ee.)

Late Mk.I (metal 3-bladed variable-pitch DH or Rotol prop, bulged hood)

Cannon-armed Mk.I (two 20mm cannon, no .303 brownings)

Early high-back Mk. IX (short intake fairing, early rudder, C-type armament)

Late high-back Mk. IX (long filter intake fairing, broad-chord rudder, e-type armament, i.e. 2x 20mm Hispanos in the outboard gunbay, 2x .50 Browning in inner bay)

Off the top of my head,

Mk.IX – High and Low back versions
Mk.XIV – High and Low back versions