1:72 Supermarine Spitfire F Mk. 22 of the Fuerza Aérea de Chile, 1956

[Dizzyfugu]

Inspired by this - another PantherG profile:


Supermarine Spitfire F Mk. 22 (Type 356), aircraft "213" of the Fuerza Aérea de Chile (FACh/Chilean Air Force) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

And this became of it within a week:

1:72 Supermarine Spitfire F Mk. 22 (Type 356), aircraft "217" of the Grupo de Aviacion 8, Fuerza Aérea de Chile (FACh/Chilean Air Force); Cerro Moreno AB/Antofagasta, Northern Chile, 1956 (Whif/Special Hobby kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Supermarine Spitfire F Mk. 22 (Type 356), aircraft "217" of the Grupo de Aviacion 8, Fuerza Aérea de Chile (FACh/Chilean Air Force); Cerro Moreno AB/Antofagasta, Northern Chile, 1956 (Whif/Special Hobby kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr



Some background:
The Supermarine Spitfire became the backbone of RAF Fighter Command, and saw action in the European, Mediterranean, Pacific and the South-East Asian theatres during World War II. Much loved by its pilots, the Spitfire served in several roles, including interceptor, photo-reconnaissance, fighter-bomber, carrier-based fighter, and trainer. It was built in many variants, using several wing configurations. Although the original airframe was designed to be powered by a Rolls-Royce Merlin engine producing 1,030 hp (768 kW), it was adaptable enough to use increasingly powerful Merlin and later Rolls-Royce Griffon engines producing up to 2,035 hp (1,520 kW). It was exported and used by many countries, even after WWII, including Chile.

The first step towards the current Chliean Air Force was taken by Teniente Coronel Pedro Pablo Dartnell, when he founded the Servicio de Aviación Militar de Chile (Military Aviation Service of Chile) on December 20, 1910, being trained as a pilot in France. In those early years many aviation milestones were achieved; conquering the height of the Andes was one of the main targets as well as long distance flights. On 21 March 1930, the existing aviation elements of the army and navy were amalgamated into a dedicated department: the Subsecretaria de Aviación (Department of the Air Force) effectively creating the current independent Air Force. Its baptism of fire was in the 1931 sailors' rebellion in Coquimbo, where Air Force attack aircraft and bombers and 2 transport planes converted into bombers contributed to its failure.


1:72 Supermarine Spitfire F Mk. 22 (Type 356), aircraft "217" of the Grupo de Aviacion 8, Fuerza Aérea de Chile (FACh/Chilean Air Force); Cerro Moreno AB/Antofagasta, Northern Chile, 1956 (Whif/Special Hobby kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Supermarine Spitfire F Mk. 22 (Type 356), aircraft "217" of the Grupo de Aviacion 8, Fuerza Aérea de Chile (FACh/Chilean Air Force); Cerro Moreno AB/Antofagasta, Northern Chile, 1956 (Whif/Special Hobby kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Supermarine Spitfire F Mk. 22 (Type 356), aircraft "217" of the Grupo de Aviacion 8, Fuerza Aérea de Chile (FACh/Chilean Air Force); Cerro Moreno AB/Antofagasta, Northern Chile, 1956 (Whif/Special Hobby kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


The first outlines of the organization of the current air force were visible in 1945 with the inception of Grupo de Transporte No.1 (First Transport Group), later renumbered Grupo 10, with two C-45s and a single T-6 Texan at Los Cerrillos. Beyond that, Chile also sought the modernization of its fighter fleet, and turned towards the USA and overseas for supplies and assistance, primarily in the form of surplus aircraft from WWII.

One of Chile's initial procurements were 32 Supermarine Spitfire Mk 22 directly from Great Britain, a post-war, Griffon-powered variant of the British fighter.
By early 1942, it was evident that Spitfires powered by the new two-stage supercharged Griffon 61 engine would need a much stronger airframe and wings. The proposed new design was called the Mk 21, which at first displayed poor flight qualities that damaged the excellent Spitfire reputation. The wings were redesigned with a new structure and thicker-gauge light alloy skinning. The new wing was torsionally 47 per cent stiffer, allowing an increased theoretical aileron reversal speed of 825 mph (1,328 km/h). The ailerons were 5 per cent larger and the Frise balanced type were dispensed with, the ailerons being attached by continuous piano-hinges. They were extended by eight inches, meaning that with a straighter trailing edge, the wings were not the same elliptical shape as previous Spitfires. The Mk 21 armament was standardized as four long-barreled 20mm Hispano II cannon with 150 rpg and no machine guns.


1:72 Supermarine Spitfire F Mk. 22 (Type 356), aircraft "217" of the Grupo de Aviacion 8, Fuerza Aérea de Chile (FACh/Chilean Air Force); Cerro Moreno AB/Antofagasta, Northern Chile, 1956 (Whif/Special Hobby kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Supermarine Spitfire F Mk. 22 (Type 356), aircraft "217" of the Grupo de Aviacion 8, Fuerza Aérea de Chile (FACh/Chilean Air Force); Cerro Moreno AB/Antofagasta, Northern Chile, 1956 (Whif/Special Hobby kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Supermarine Spitfire F Mk. 22 (Type 356), aircraft "217" of the Grupo de Aviacion 8, Fuerza Aérea de Chile (FACh/Chilean Air Force); Cerro Moreno AB/Antofagasta, Northern Chile, 1956 (Whif/Special Hobby kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


The Griffon engine drove an 11 ft (3.4 m)-diameter five-bladed propeller, some 7 in (18 cm) larger than that fitted to the Mk XIV. To ensure sufficient ground clearance for the new propeller, the undercarriage legs were lengthened by 4.5 in (11 cm). The undercarriage legs also had a 7.75 in (19.7 cm) wider track to help improve ground handling. The designers used a system of levers to shorten the undercarriage legs by about 8 in (20 cm) as they retracted, because the longer legs did not have enough space in which to retract; the levers extended the legs as they came down. The larger diameter four-spoke main wheels were strengthened to cope with the greater weights; post-war these were replaced by wider, reinforced three spoke wheels to allow Spitfires to operate from hard concrete or asphalt runways. When retracted the wheels were fully enclosed by triangular doors which were hinged to the outer edge of the wheel wells.

After intensive test flying, the most serious problems were solved by changing the gearing to the trim tabs and other subtle control modifications, such that the Mk 21 was cleared for instrument flying and low level flight during trials in March 1945. Spitfire 21s became operational on 91 Squadron in January 1945, but the squadron had little opportunity to engage the Luftwaffe before the war ended.


1:72 Supermarine Spitfire F Mk. 22 (Type 356), aircraft "217" of the Grupo de Aviacion 8, Fuerza Aérea de Chile (FACh/Chilean Air Force); Cerro Moreno AB/Antofagasta, Northern Chile, 1956 (Whif/Special Hobby kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Supermarine Spitfire F Mk. 22 (Type 356), aircraft "217" of the Grupo de Aviacion 8, Fuerza Aérea de Chile (FACh/Chilean Air Force); Cerro Moreno AB/Antofagasta, Northern Chile, 1956 (Whif/Special Hobby kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


The Mk 22 was identical to the Mk 21 in all respects except for the cut-back rear fuselage, with a tear-drop canopy, and a more powerful 24 volt electrical system in place of the 12 volt system of all earlier Spitfires. Most of the Mk 22s were built with enlarged tail surfaces, similar to those of the Supermarine Spiteful, and a few were outfitted with six blade contraprops, too. A total of 287 Mk 22s were built after WWII: 260 at Castle Bromwich and 27 by Supermarine at South Marston.

The Mk 22 was used by only one regular RAF unit, 73 Squadron based on Malta, but twelve squadrons of the Royal Auxiliary Air Force used the variant and continued to do so until March 1951, when they were gradually retired. Many of these Mk 22s were sold back to Vickers-Armstrongs for refurbishment and then sold to foreign air forces including Southern Rhodesia, Egypt and Syria from 1955 onward.

In contrast to this, Chile was an early buyer of the Mk 22, sealing the contract with Vickers Supermarine already in 1946 when production was still running. The first original Mk 22s for Chile arrived, disassembled and transported via ship, in April 1947, and deliveries lasted until late 1948.


1:72 Supermarine Spitfire F Mk. 22 (Type 356), aircraft "217" of the Grupo de Aviacion 8, Fuerza Aérea de Chile (FACh/Chilean Air Force); Cerro Moreno AB/Antofagasta, Northern Chile, 1956 (Whif/Special Hobby kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Supermarine Spitfire F Mk. 22 (Type 356), aircraft "217" of the Grupo de Aviacion 8, Fuerza Aérea de Chile (FACh/Chilean Air Force); Cerro Moreno AB/Antofagasta, Northern Chile, 1956 (Whif/Special Hobby kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Supermarine Spitfire F Mk. 22 (Type 356), aircraft "217" of the Grupo de Aviacion 8, Fuerza Aérea de Chile (FACh/Chilean Air Force); Cerro Moreno AB/Antofagasta, Northern Chile, 1956 (Whif/Special Hobby kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


In service, the machines received tactical codes in the range from 200 to 230, but there were exceptions. Upon delivery and during their relatively short career, the FACh Spitfires carried the standard RAF livery of Dark Green and Ocean Grey, with Medium Sea Grey undersides. The only exception were two pairs of machines which were painted with different, experimental schemes back at the British factory: two Spitfires (in service carrying the tactical codes "152" and "212") carried the RAF Tropical scheme (Dark Earth/Mid Stone with Azure Blue undersides) and another pair ("213" and "217") was delivered in a unique, modified variant in which Dark Earth was replaced with Ocean Grey, inofficially dubbed "Cordillera" or "Desert Mountain" scheme. Neither of these proposals was adopted for service, but, strangely, these four machines retained their unique liveries throughout their service life, even after overhauls and re-paintings.

The fifties meant entry into the jet age for the FACh, and Grupo 7 was the first unit to receive them in 1954. As a consequence, the Chilean Spitfires were soon replaced by Lockheed F-80 fighters, procured from the United States of America, and the last Chilean Spitfire Mk 22s were retired in 1963.


1:72 Supermarine Spitfire F Mk. 22 (Type 356), aircraft "217" of the Grupo de Aviacion 8, Fuerza Aérea de Chile (FACh/Chilean Air Force); Cerro Moreno AB/Antofagasta, Northern Chile, 1956 (Whif/Special Hobby kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr



General characteristics:
    Crew: 1
    Length: 32 ft 11 in (10.04 m)
    Wingspan: 36ft 11 in (11.26 m)
    Height: 10 ft 0 in (3.05 m)
    Wing area: 243.6 sq ft (22.63 m2)
    Empty weight: 6,900 lb (3.132 kg)
    Gross weight: 8.500 lb (3,860 kg)
    Max takeoff weight: 9.200 lb (4,176 kg)

Powerplant:
    1× Rolls-Royce Griffon 61 supercharged V12 with 2,050 hp (1,530 kW) at 8,000 ft (2,438 m), driving a 5-bladed Jablo-Rotol propeller

Performance:
    Maximum speed: 454 mph (730 km/h; 395 kn.) at 26.000 ft.
                      420 mph (676 km/h; 365 kn.) at 12.000 ft.
    Combat range: 490 mi (788 km; 426 nmi) with internal fuel only
    Ferry range: 880 mi (1.417; 766 nmi) with three drop tanks
    Service ceiling: 43,500 ft. (13,300 m)
    Initial climb: 4,850 ft./min (24.79 m/sec.)
    Time to 20.000 ft.: 8 min (at max. weight)
    Wing loading: 32.72 lb/ft² (159.8 kg/m²)
    Power/mass: 0.24

Armament:
    4× 20 mm (0.787-in) Hispano Mk II cannon, 175 RPG inboard, 150 RPG outboard
    1× underfuselage and 2× underwing hardpoints for 1.000 lb (454 kg) and 500 lb (227 kg), respectively;
       alternatively 6× underwing launch rails for unguided 60 lbs missiles



The kit and its assembly:
This build was inspired by a series of South American what-if profiles created by fellow member PantherG at whatifmodelers.com, posted there in February 2019. These included, among others, several Chilean Supermarine Spitfire Mk 22s, including exotic livery variants. I found one of them very attractive (yet ugly...), and when I found an appropriate Special Hobby kit in my stash I decided spontaneously to turn the profile into (model) hardware.

The Special Hobby kits for Griffon-powered Spitfires are excellent, and they all actually contain a vast collection of optional parts that allow LOTS of land- and sea-based late Spitfires to be built, including subtle fictional combinations. The parts are crisply molded, the styrene is easy to work with, fit is very good and surface details are just great – the kit almost falls together. The thing is pricy, but you get good value and lots of spares for future projects. In my case it is a proper Mk 22 kit, and this one even came with resin wheels and exhaust stubs as extras, plus a masking set for the canopy.


1:72 Supermarine Spitfire F Mk. 22 (Type 356), aircraft "217" of the Grupo de Aviacion 8, Fuerza Aérea de Chile (FACh/Chilean Air Force); Cerro Moreno AB/Antofagasta, Northern Chile, 1956 (Whif/Special Hobby kit) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Supermarine Spitfire F Mk. 22 (Type 356), aircraft "217" of the Grupo de Aviacion 8, Fuerza Aérea de Chile (FACh/Chilean Air Force); Cerro Moreno AB/Antofagasta, Northern Chile, 1956 (Whif/Special Hobby kit) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Supermarine Spitfire F Mk. 22 (Type 356), aircraft "217" of the Grupo de Aviacion 8, Fuerza Aérea de Chile (FACh/Chilean Air Force); Cerro Moreno AB/Antofagasta, Northern Chile, 1956 (Whif/Special Hobby kit) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Supermarine Spitfire F Mk. 22 (Type 356), aircraft "217" of the Grupo de Aviacion 8, Fuerza Aérea de Chile (FACh/Chilean Air Force); Cerro Moreno AB/Antofagasta, Northern Chile, 1956 (Whif/Special Hobby kit) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


The kit was built almost 100% OOB as a Mk 22, I just modified the propeller with an axis so that it can spin freely (for the pictures). The drop tank comes from the kit, but otherwise I left the aircraft in clean condition, leaving away optional rocket attachment points under the wings or slipper tanks.


Painting and markings:
As mentioned above, this build was inspired by a profile drawing, and I stuck as close as possible to this benchmark, even though I changed some details or filled some gaps.
The most striking feature of the specific profile (aircraft "213") I chose was/is the experimental choice of colors: RAF Mid Stone and Ocean Grey on the upper surfaces, and Azure Blue underneath. I just slightly tweaked the pattern on the model, staying closer to the original RAF scheme and resulting in a slightly different pattern on the fuselage. Consequently, I gave the aircraft a different tactical code and "217" was born.

The basic tones I used are Humbrol 106, Modelmaster 2052 and Humbrol 157. The cockpit interior was painted in a post-WWII black (Revell 9) instead of the former pale green-grey. The interior of the landing gear wells became Medium Sea Grey (Humbrol 165); the idea behind this choice is that the late Spitfire types had their landing gear wells painted in the same color as the wings' undersides. In the case of this specific aircraft I thought that it originally carried the standard RAF scheme, but received a superficial overspray in the experimental Chilean colors at the UK workshop. For the same reason, some Dark Green shines through under the Mid Stone on the leading edges and around the cockpit, created through dry-brushing and thinned paint (acrylic Revell 65, Bronze Green). The propeller spinner became black - very simple, and in line with the benchmark profile.


1:72 Supermarine Spitfire F Mk. 22 (Type 356), aircraft "217" of the Grupo de Aviacion 8, Fuerza Aérea de Chile (FACh/Chilean Air Force); Cerro Moreno AB/Antofagasta, Northern Chile, 1956 (Whif/Special Hobby kit) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Supermarine Spitfire F Mk. 22 (Type 356), aircraft "217" of the Grupo de Aviacion 8, Fuerza Aérea de Chile (FACh/Chilean Air Force); Cerro Moreno AB/Antofagasta, Northern Chile, 1956 (Whif/Special Hobby kit) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


The decals were puzzled together. The Chilean roundels on the wings actually belong to an EE/BAC Canberra, the tactical code was created with black RAF code numbers from an Xtradecal Lightning sheet and another post-war Spitfire (a Special Hobby Mk. 24, IIRC).
The flash on the rudder was created with paint (the blue tone was mixed to match the wing roundels) and a single, white star decal. The squadron emblem, which was not featured on the inspiring profile, was taken from an Xtradecal sheet for D.H. Vampire T.55s, which features two FACh options, one of them operated by Grupo 7. Most stencils come from the Mk 22's OOB sheet.

Some soot stains were added around the exhaust stubs and very little dry-brushing with light grey was done to the wings' leading edges, the propeller (spinner tip and blades) and around the cockpit hatch. And, finally, everything was sealed with matt acrylic varnish (Italeri).




1:72 Supermarine Spitfire F Mk. 22 (Type 356), aircraft "217" of the Grupo de Aviacion 8, Fuerza Aérea de Chile (FACh/Chilean Air Force); Cerro Moreno AB/Antofagasta, Northern Chile, 1956 (Whif/Special Hobby kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Supermarine Spitfire F Mk. 22 (Type 356), aircraft "217" of the Grupo de Aviacion 8, Fuerza Aérea de Chile (FACh/Chilean Air Force); Cerro Moreno AB/Antofagasta, Northern Chile, 1956 (Whif/Special Hobby kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Supermarine Spitfire F Mk. 22 (Type 356), aircraft "217" of the Grupo de Aviacion 8, Fuerza Aérea de Chile (FACh/Chilean Air Force); Cerro Moreno AB/Antofagasta, Northern Chile, 1956 (Whif/Special Hobby kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Supermarine Spitfire F Mk. 22 (Type 356), aircraft "217" of the Grupo de Aviacion 8, Fuerza Aérea de Chile (FACh/Chilean Air Force); Cerro Moreno AB/Antofagasta, Northern Chile, 1956 (Whif/Special Hobby kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Supermarine Spitfire F Mk. 22 (Type 356), aircraft "217" of the Grupo de Aviacion 8, Fuerza Aérea de Chile (FACh/Chilean Air Force); Cerro Moreno AB/Antofagasta, Northern Chile, 1956 (Whif/Special Hobby kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Supermarine Spitfire F Mk. 22 (Type 356), aircraft "217" of the Grupo de Aviacion 8, Fuerza Aérea de Chile (FACh/Chilean Air Force); Cerro Moreno AB/Antofagasta, Northern Chile, 1956 (Whif/Special Hobby kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


A simple project, and just an "operator travesty" whif. The kit went together easily, and the result is pretty exotic - but not unbelievalbe, despite the weird choice of colors.

[TomZ]

Looks great in that scheme

TomZ

[Old Wombat]

 

[DogfighterZen]

Yup, nice scheme on that beauty.

[Dizzyfugu]

Thank you!

[zenrat]

Very good, although your middle stone looks a bit too yellow/green to me.  But that's prolly my eyes or my monitor and anyway colours are entirely subjective.

[Dizzyfugu]

Well, your eyes don't deceive you - the mid stone is really very yellow-ish, and I also have currently some trouble with my own monitor - tuning colors, intensity and contrast is at the moment a gamble, and the pictures unfortunately reflect this. Already tried to mend this, but the issue persists. 

[comrade harps]

That is weird.  it!

[TheChronicOne]

I love it! Nothing better than a good collaboration.      Great work, I'm impressed all to hell. 

[Dizzyfugu]

Thank you. Another of PantherG's recent designs, the Brazilian P-38J is also earmarked for hardware rendition. Already dug out a Matchbox kit from the pile. 

[NARSES2]

Looks great in that scheme

TomZ

It certainly does 

[Hotte]

Looks nice 

Hotte