Spitfires question

[Geoff]

I want to make a Spitfire IX LE, I do have the ICM kit and a Rev D Spit XVI. In the Rev kit it says the XVI and the IXE were "externaly identical". As this is a real world build I want it to be "right" so is this correct??

Thanks, GeoffP.

[Radish]

Is you Spitfire (the one you want to build) a high back or low back/bubble. Many XVIs were low-backed, a few were high-backed.
A XVI was designated by the engine it used...a Packard-Merlin. The British Merlin and its American brother were NOT interchangeable.
There might have been some minor cowling shape differences, but the ICM Lf-IXe has a good reputation, so I'd go with that.
Good luck.

[PR19_Kit]

... and there were some low back IXEs as well, just to confuse the issue, but not as many as there were low back XVIs.

[B777LR]

Both kits are full of faults. Most important is the faulty placement of the wings. It should feature the canards mounted just in front of the cockpit, with the wings mounted on the rear fuselage. You must also replace the RR Merlin with a P&W PT-6A. Finally you must fit the canopy of a MiG-29

[Geoff]

Rad - high backed.

787 - Nah, it's got to be a Dart engine! lol.

[B777LR]

Rad - high backed.

787 - Nah, it's got to be a Dart engine! lol.

Sorry my bad, of course it's the Dart. The French version uses Astazous.

[Geoff]

Rad - high backed.

787 - Nah, it's got to be a Dart engine! lol.

Sorry my bad, of course it's the Dart. The French version uses Astazous.

Now there is an idea!

[Radish]

BUILD IT REAL.
Unless you're rivet counting, the ICM kit is fine

[Geoff]

Hi Rad - Yes I am going to do a Czech S-89, ie a Spit IX LE as either an early post war Czech AF or Air Police plane.
If the XVI is usable to do this then I think I can do both versions without buying another kit - hence the question.

[Jennings]

... and there were some low back IXEs as well, just to confuse the issue, but not as many as there were low back XVIs.

Huh?  Where'd you hear that?  I've never heard of any wartime bubble top Spit being anything other than a Mk.XVI.  I don't think the Morgan & Shacklady bible has any ref to a Mk.IX (with a Rolls Royce engine) that has a bubble top.  For sure none of the major group of Spitfire boffins I've worked with over the years has ever said anything about their being such an animal (and that includes Robert Bracken and Bob Swaddling among others)

J

[Geoff]

I don't know about the low backed IX's I'm afraid. But a member of our local club has just sent me a photostat of info on the Spits sent to the USSR. These are put as "Spitfire LF IXe (Merlin 66)". OK I may be being a bit autistic here but isn't that the same as a Spitfire XVI? I realise the two odels are virtually identical externally.

[kitnut617]

... and there were some low back IXEs as well, just to confuse the issue, but not as many as there were low back XVIs.

Huh?  Where'd you hear that?  I've never heard of any wartime bubble top Spit being anything other than a Mk.XVI.  I don't think the Morgan & Shacklady bible has any ref to a Mk.IX (with a Rolls Royce engine) that has a bubble top.  For sure none of the major group of Spitfire boffins I've worked with over the years has ever said anything about their being such an animal (and that includes Robert Bracken and Bob Swaddling among others)

J

I've read somewhere that there were Mk.IX's with bubble tops too, I'll see if I can find where I read it.  The only difference was the engine ----

[jcf]

The Morgan & Shacklady bible does in fact show both the "rear-view" fuselage late MK IXE and standard "high-back" early MK XVI.