Spitfire XIV (oz5142)

About this Plan

Spitfire Mk XIV. Rubber scale model fighter. Scale is 1/20.

Note this Spitfire XIV plan appeared along with Yak-3 (oz5145) both in the same article. The text covers both models, together.

Quote (google translated): "The Spitfire Mk XIV does not differ structurally from the YAK-3 model, only the camouflage is different.

For the most accurate surface imitation of the pattern, the following procedure can be recommended: coat the entire model with gray Modelspan from above, paint it twice with a thin release varnish, stick the spots cut out of the green Modelspan and paint again twice with release varnish. It is best to make decals on signs and markings.

Aircraft of the Spitfire Mk XIV type flew in RAF livery and RAAF perhaps also in Canadian and Egyptian colors. Standard RAF coloring: the lower surfaces were the color of duck eggshells (white-gray-blue-pink-green), the upper and side surfaces of irregular gray and dark green spots, the vertical stripe at the end of the fuselage and the letters white, the circular insignia red -white-blue (from the center), yellow-lined on the body, only red-blue on the upper side of the wings. Vertical red-white-blue stripes on the keel surface (from the front), black propeller blades. The leading edge of the wing tip and the tip of the propeller blade are yellow.

A little known fact is that the photographic versions of the aircraft also had an all-blue paintwork with markings without a white intermediate circle. This color-pleasing surface treatment is especially suitable for more comfortable model makers or for those who want to have a very light model."

Direct submission to Outerzone.

Update 23/6/2024: Added article, thanks to Monty.

Update 23/6/2024: Added later article written by Bill Henn, thanks to JeffGreen. This is from a posting on HPA by 'stupid' see https://www.hippocketaeronautics.com/hpa.... This includes type history, then full build notes on the model, trimming and flying.

Quote: "Since childhood I have been enamoured with the elegance of the Spitfire and I built a solid model of one in 1941 at age 10, mounting it on top of a deactivated .50 calibre machine gun bullet. I have observed that many FF rubber scale modellers are wary of the Spitfire and believe it to be inherently unstable. Models of the Spitfire rarely appear in the winner's circle at major contests here in the USA. After achieving success with my Reggiane 2005 (FFQ No. 5) I decided to build a late-Mk Spitfire because they had a similar configuration.

The Italian fighter also had an elliptical wing and the area of the tail surfaces was almost the same. The Spitfire has a shorter nose and longer tail, which I believed, would make it even more stable.

I chose for my subject the Mk XIV, JEJ MV268, which is the aircraft that Spitfire Ace Johnnie Johnson flew in the final months of the War. Johnson flew all variants of the Spitfire, starting with a Mk I in December 1940. He ended up with a total of 34 victories, 27 of them while flying a Mk IX, but none with the Mk XIV.

The Griffon Spitfire model: There is a scarcity of Griffon powered Spitfire rubber scale plans here in the USA and I did not want to spend the time drawing one myself. Fortunately I succeeded in acquiring an excellent 23 inch wingspan Mk XIV plan from Mike Woodhouse in the UK, drawn by Lubomir Koutny. Mike has great variety of wonderful Czech scale model plans by Koutny and Pavel Stranik on his website: https://www.freeflightsupplies.net/. Those plans that I have purchased in the past were very accurate, the outlines and especially the fuselage cross-sections being true to scale. They tend to be rather heavily built but that is easy to correct by reducing wood sizes and eliminating parts of the structures that I feel are not necessary.

The Spitfire plan was for the version with the conventional fuselage so I cut down the rear formers so as to form the teardrop canopy configuration. I increased the area of the stabilizer about 10% over that shown on the plan.

The only firm wood used in the construction of this model was for the wing spars with all the rest being 4-6 lb balsa. The wing ribs and fuselage formers were made of 1/20 sheet. The fuselage is constructed using the half shell procedure and I found that a nice rounded contour could be achieved by using only 12 stringers, including the upper and lower spine. The stringers are made from 1/20 sq stripwood and the spine from two laminations of the same wood.

I used a 10% Neelmeier section for the wing with the trailing edge and tips made by laminating 1/16 sq and 1/16 x 1/20 strips together (see note at end of article). Two spars are located on the top of the wing, the main spar, 1/8 x 1/16, at 35% chord and the front spar, 1/16 x 3/32 at about 15% chord. The leading edge was made from 1/8 square, set on a 45° angle. The outlines of the fin and stab were made from 1/16 sq, soaked in water overnight and worked around a cardboard form. The stab is not flat as on the plan but has a flat bottom 6 % section. The ribs are made of 1/32 sheet..."

Supplementary file notes

Article.
Article (Bill Henn).

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