Airframes
Benevolens Magister
Great stuff mate. Glad you had a good day out!
My Spitfire factory
- Thread starter 36feet10inches
- Start date
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- Thread starter
- #122
36feet10inches
Staff Sergeant
Again the lovely Airfix kit, this time with decals from the Freightdog Models "Postwar Spitfires" sheet (the Freightdog decs are great - beautifully printed and very forgiving!)
This kite flew with 541 Squadron out of RAF Benson in 1948.
I like this one, the clean all-over PRU blue and lack of sticky-outy bits shows off the lines of the Spit very nicely, and there are those lovely bright postwar roundels.
Cheers!
This kite flew with 541 Squadron out of RAF Benson in 1948.
I like this one, the clean all-over PRU blue and lack of sticky-outy bits shows off the lines of the Spit very nicely, and there are those lovely bright postwar roundels.
Cheers!
Airframes
Benevolens Magister
Very nicely done! I agree, the PR19 looks much better in overall PRU Blue - beaut shape.
Nice work Conk. Very well done.
I look at that Spit, the length of the nose and the 5 bladed prop and figure that thing must've been a bear to fly. Lots of trim changes and torque must've been murder. When trimmed out, it probably flew very nicely, but getting there is a handful.
I look at that Spit, the length of the nose and the 5 bladed prop and figure that thing must've been a bear to fly. Lots of trim changes and torque must've been murder. When trimmed out, it probably flew very nicely, but getting there is a handful.
Airframes
Benevolens Magister
Yep, looking out across the nose, it goes on forever. The torque on take off was/is a bit of a handful, so I'm told, and the Griffon, rotating in the opposite direction to the Merlin, caught out the unwary!
- Thread starter
- #127
36feet10inches
Staff Sergeant
I don't know much about flying planes, next to nothing in fact, but I gather the torque on that narrow undercarriage could be a handful, particularly for Seafire pilots with not a lot of deck to play with.
I heard a story, possibly apocryphal, about a Spit pilot who was shot down and bailed out over France. With the help of the resistance, he eventually made it back to friendly territory and turned up out of the blue at his squadron's base. Rather than go through the "proper channels" he was just given a new kite and off he went. Thing is, in his absence his unit had given to up their Merlin-powered Mk. IX's and re-equipped with Griffon-powered Mk. XIV's. He didn't notice the reversed pitch of the prop blades and nobody thought to tell him that the torque on the new 'planes went the other way, and he promptly trimmed in the wrong direction, taxied staright into another plane and wrecked both aircraft.
I heard a story, possibly apocryphal, about a Spit pilot who was shot down and bailed out over France. With the help of the resistance, he eventually made it back to friendly territory and turned up out of the blue at his squadron's base. Rather than go through the "proper channels" he was just given a new kite and off he went. Thing is, in his absence his unit had given to up their Merlin-powered Mk. IX's and re-equipped with Griffon-powered Mk. XIV's. He didn't notice the reversed pitch of the prop blades and nobody thought to tell him that the torque on the new 'planes went the other way, and he promptly trimmed in the wrong direction, taxied staright into another plane and wrecked both aircraft.
Good story Cork. I could see a guy screwing up with the torque on coming from something like a Mark 9 and going to a Mark 14 (or whatever the Mark was that used the Griffon).
Torgue is dicey. The bigger the engine, the more torque you get. Not sure if it because of enging power or prop power. I've flow a radial with a large wooden prop and the thing does kick to the side when you open the throttle. If I recall right, it torqued to the right. It just swings the nose in the direction the prop is turning towards. Kind of embarressing to hit the throttle and all of the sudden be sitting sideways (more likely on a 45 degree angle) in the center of the runway. You think to yourself "Wow, that was fast" (it was) and "I hope nobody saw that" (they did).
The trick is to ease the throttle on and push it full foward when you're already moving. Less torque then. Oh, and it also kicks back the other way when you chop the throttle. Not as much though.
But ya' know, you forget. Few drinks the night before, some random blonde standing on the side of the runway to distract ya' and...
Torgue is dicey. The bigger the engine, the more torque you get. Not sure if it because of enging power or prop power. I've flow a radial with a large wooden prop and the thing does kick to the side when you open the throttle. If I recall right, it torqued to the right. It just swings the nose in the direction the prop is turning towards. Kind of embarressing to hit the throttle and all of the sudden be sitting sideways (more likely on a 45 degree angle) in the center of the runway. You think to yourself "Wow, that was fast" (it was) and "I hope nobody saw that" (they did).
The trick is to ease the throttle on and push it full foward when you're already moving. Less torque then. Oh, and it also kicks back the other way when you chop the throttle. Not as much though.
But ya' know, you forget. Few drinks the night before, some random blonde standing on the side of the runway to distract ya' and...
djos
Airman 1st Class
Very very ...very nice finished Spitfire.
You right regarding overall PRU blue. On the first look two color paint scheme (original suggested by Airfix) was more interesting for me and i done my example like that. But now i think i will do another one overall PRU blue.
Best regards
You right regarding overall PRU blue. On the first look two color paint scheme (original suggested by Airfix) was more interesting for me and i done my example like that. But now i think i will do another one overall PRU blue.
Best regards
A4K
Brigadier General
Great work again Tony, she looks great!
About the torque: NZ's Sir Tim Wallace (founder of the Alpine Fighter Collection, and the Warbirds Over Wanaka airshows) suffered a major accident in 1996 for that very reason. He had a Spitfire Mk.XIV and Mk.XVI, both of which he flew regularly. Well, one day it had to happen - forgot which one he was in and trimmed it the wrong way. Flipped the aircraft on take-off and was so badly injured he hasn't been able to fly since...
About the torque: NZ's Sir Tim Wallace (founder of the Alpine Fighter Collection, and the Warbirds Over Wanaka airshows) suffered a major accident in 1996 for that very reason. He had a Spitfire Mk.XIV and Mk.XVI, both of which he flew regularly. Well, one day it had to happen - forgot which one he was in and trimmed it the wrong way. Flipped the aircraft on take-off and was so badly injured he hasn't been able to fly since...
- Thread starter
- #131
36feet10inches
Staff Sergeant
Ouch, nasty...
Airframes
Benevolens Magister
Another little foible of the MkXIV and PR19 is the prop clearance when the tail comes up. It's only around six inches (150mm), so open the throttle too quickly and BANG! Prop hits the deck, engine seriously damaged or wrecked, and one red-faced pilot in front of an angry CO !
A4K
Brigadier General
As someone once wrote about the Bf109G: 'she dosen't suffer fools gladly' then Terry!
B-17engineer
Colonel
That's a sweet clean look there!
- Thread starter
- #135
36feet10inches
Staff Sergeant
It's about time I added a classic Battle of Britain Spit, so going back in time... Spitfire Mk IIa flown by Sqn. Ldr. Brian "Sandy" Lane, CO of 19 Squadron at Duxford. Notable for its yellow spinner.
This is the Tamiya kit, which builds like a dream, with Xtradecal markings.
I've read a bit about Brian Lane. He is portrayed in (to me) one of the most evocative images from the Battle of Britain and there isn't a plane in sight. Here he is (in the middle) between sorties at Duxford. At the time this picture was taken he would have been 23 or 24. Just a kid really. The picture captures what the experience of fighting in the battle must really have been like, away from all the (alleged) romance and derring-do of being a fighter boy... he looks exhausted and under a great deal of stress. Look at the black rings under his eyes. He wrote a memoir of his experiences that is still I believe in print and which I really should track down.
Lane was shot down and killed at the age of 25.
This is the Tamiya kit, which builds like a dream, with Xtradecal markings.
I've read a bit about Brian Lane. He is portrayed in (to me) one of the most evocative images from the Battle of Britain and there isn't a plane in sight. Here he is (in the middle) between sorties at Duxford. At the time this picture was taken he would have been 23 or 24. Just a kid really. The picture captures what the experience of fighting in the battle must really have been like, away from all the (alleged) romance and derring-do of being a fighter boy... he looks exhausted and under a great deal of stress. Look at the black rings under his eyes. He wrote a memoir of his experiences that is still I believe in print and which I really should track down.
Lane was shot down and killed at the age of 25.
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A4K
Brigadier General
Great model and great idea putting a personal perspective on the man himself. You're absolutely right, and it was an experience for me reading Guy Gibson's book 'Enemy Coast Ahead', written in 1944 as a kind of moral booster for the bomber crews originally. All the things he describes and experienced, and then to reread the preface that he was lost circling an obliterated target, congratulating his crews on a job well done...he was a whole 24 years of age...
ryan-spitfire-lover
Recruit
- 8
- Jan 16, 2010
nice little collection of spitfires there conkerking i liked the build of the spit mk. I to mk. IIB.
