Some magic fairy dust urgently needed!! (1 Viewer)

Ad: This forum contains affiliate links to products on Amazon and eBay. More information in Terms and rules

Airframes

Benevolens Magister
62,349
11,466
Aug 24, 2008
Cheshire, UK
Failing that, or a sure-fire formula for resurrecting the dead!
I've destroyed the only scale drawing of the Spitfire MkXIV that I had!
It's a short story, a stupid accident, and entirely my own fault - I won't go in to detail, but it had something to do with a hot grill, spilled coffee and dissolving paper!
So has anyone got a scale drawing of the Spitfire MkXIV, side view, any scale, highback or low back?
All I need is the fin and rudder, so that I can profile the new one on my conversion, and the scale is unimportant, as I can re-scale the drawing, as long as I know what scale it is.
If anyone can post one, or e-mail it to me, I will be eternally grateful !
If not, I'll have to work off photographs, a non-scale line drawing, and an inaccurate 1/48th scale model, and cut the shape by eye.
Thanks in humble anticpation.
Terry.
PS., Jan, you can stop rolling around on the floor now, and dry your eyes!
 
Terry, this is all I have, hope these are of some help!

(*oops...it's kind of large, want me to resize?*)
 

Attachments

  • SpitfireXIV_3view.jpg
    SpitfireXIV_3view.jpg
    162.3 KB · Views: 412
  • Spitfire1a_3veiw.jpg
    Spitfire1a_3veiw.jpg
    127.6 KB · Views: 259
Thanks Wojtek and Dave! That will do nicely, as the 'American Express' advert used to say!
Brilliant work guys, I can get back to work now, thank you both VERY much indeed!
This forum never ceases to amaze me! I post a vague question, and not only do I get a reply, but I get a positive result, within minutes! Fantastic!
Thanks again, you've saved me a lot of what could have been wasted work!
 
THX GG yours drawings sheet is nice too.But I'm still wondering why the Spit drawings were so close to the grill or maybe a girl.;)

Terry, Terry.....:)
 
Sorry chaps, I lost the bl**dy internet connection again!!
Anyway, as Dave and Wojtek were so kind to come to my rescue, and extremely quickly, I might add, by providing Mk.XIV plans which I was able to enlarge to 1/32nd scale, I think it's only fair to explain what happened!
BUT! I will not be held responsible for any injuries sustained whilst thrashing about rolling on the floor in hysterical bulk laughter - and no, there wasn't a tasty woman involved, unfortunately!!
So, I had spread out the original scale plans on the old, 'Formica' topped kitchen table, in order to be able to tape them down so as to make a trace of the tail area, from which I could then profile the fin insert and new rudder. Now, these old plans were at least 30 years old, a dye-line print on thin, yellowing and somewhat fragile 'Diazo' paper. (Yes, I know, I should have copied the original onto a more stable substrate - lesson learned!)
With the plans taped down securely, and tracing paper and pencil at the ready, I put down the fresh mug of hot coffe, on the table, alongside the plans, whilst I placed a couple of crumpets under the grill. (can't beat buttered crumpets and fresh coffee when feeling just a smidgin peckish!)
Then I sat down and studied the plans, calculating which way to cut and fit the fin extension fillet before putting pencil to tracing paper. This took a few minutes, and I was just about to commence work on the tracing, when a slight burning smell assailed my nostrils. Realising that the last of my crumpets could very soon turn into lumps of charcoal, I jumped up and, still with one eye on the plans, bent forward to pull out the grill shelf.
It was definitely one of those 'blonde' moments!
Being distracted by thoughts of the work ahead of me, I reached out for the extremely hot shelf and, just as my fingers were about to make contact I realised I was not using an oven glove or other suitable protection. This realisation flashed into my brain approximately .000257 of a second before my fingers, commited on their course like an AIM9 Sidewinder locked on to its target, made contact with aforementioned red-hot grill shelf.
As a new aroma, this time one of singed human flesh, drifted into the kitchen, I uttered a very feint and polite cry of 'Oh Dear! What a silly billy I am.' (that's what I'll admit to in Court, if the neighbours ever do press charges for disturbing the peace, abusive language, and upsetting children in the lawful persuit of their play.)
Before my bare fingers became welded to the grill shelf, and well before the receptors in what passes for my brain received the signal indicating 'PAIN', my hand shot backwards faster than the ignition sequence of a .50 calibre round, whilst at the same time, the upper half of my body rotated through approximately 90 degrees.
For the second time in as many seconds, another avoidable action took place, seeming to unfold before my now slightly blurred vision in slow motion. Just as the brain registered the fact that my now somewhat toasted fingers were about to make fleeting, but positive contact with the brim-full coffee mug, the cycle of action was completed, and said mug altered its position in less than .025 of a second, transitting from the vertical, firmly under the pressure of gravity where it had been sitting on the table, to the horizontal, where the laws of physics of course took control.
Aided by the inertia created by the movement from vertical to horizontal, which also included forward movement of approximately 200 mm, the hot coffee was ejected from the mug, looking for all the world just like the muzzle flash from an L7 GPMG, although of course a totally different colour. The hot liquid, finding the nearest target, successfully hit said target, creating a Mean Point of Impact (M.P.I.) some 40 or 50 cms across, the centre of this M.P.I. being squarely in the middle of the fragile, 30 year old scale plans of the Spitfire Mk.XIV, which, of course, being securley taped to the table, were imovable.
This, of course, immediately and irevocably caused catastrophic failure of the dye-line image, which rapidly diffused and spread across the now dissolving 'Diazo' paper upon which the plans had been printed.
With lightning fast reactions (OK, after hopping about the kitchen cursing and shouting like a demented Dervish!), I reached for the tea towel I should have used to pull out the grill shelf, and attempted to mop-up the spreading poo of finest Brazilian export which, of course, only accelerated the destruction of what little remained of the plan drawings!
So, with another polite utterance, which I think was something like 'Oh, well. I suppose these plans aren't much use now - I'd better put them in the bin.' I continued to clean-up the spilled coffee, and the soggy mash that has been an A2 sized drawing.
It was then when I noticed the haze of smoke drifting serenely across the kitchen.
'Oh Dear!' Thought I. 'That's my crumpets ruined!'
Well. I was partly correct. The crumpets were, indeed, burnt to cinders. And so was the tea towel which I had thrown away in disgust at its lack of competence in preventing the plan drawings from dissolving!
It would seem that said towel had travelled on a trajectory which culminated with it impacting directly onto the edge of the partly extracted grill shelf, and the inevetiable had occured.
So, not only had I lost my only copy of scale plans for the Spitfire Mk.XIV, I had also lost my delicious snack of crumpets, and a tea towel!
Thinking that things could only get better, I repaired to the lounge, where I immediately typed a plea for help, entering this in the appropriate threads of the Modelling Section of this fine forum.
Thankfully, and most kindly, the response was rapid and positive, and I was able to obtain suitable plans which I could then enlarge to the required scale.
And then I lost Internet connection for around 24 hours!
That is the sad, but true, story of the 'Plans Debacle' - perhaps not as 'juicy' as the possible involvement of some stunning young lady, but perhaps it has at least brought a smile to a few faces!
 
Last edited:
GG, I've some drawings going spare if she needs anything..! :D :D :D (Great pic! :) )



Terry...!!!! LMAO!!!!! Sorry about the incident itself, but the telling is on par with 'The Plank' !!!!!

(..and ONCE AGAIN A4k learns to read all posts before replying..!!)
 
Last edited:
Oh Geez !! Terry could you write shorter texts, please. Going thorugh a half of a such post my inner translator is always overheated. :lol: :lol: :lol:
 
Last edited:

Users who are viewing this thread

Back