Did Spitefuls ever wear desert camo?

[gooberliberation]

I've got a Pegasus Spiteful F.14 and I'm allergic to real-world subjects and I think RAF desert camoflage looks damned spiffy.

Also wondering if an Academy Spitfire XIV's prop and spinner would be an okay substitute for the white metal prop blades and plastic spinner included in the kit. I'll probably use the cockpit from the academy kit as well, even though its probably not accurate. Better than nothing!

[kitnut617]

I think you'll find that the five blade prop was the same from the Spitfire XIV all the way through to the Spiteful XVI.  You could use the main wheels too.  I could see them being used in Palestine at the time of the creation of Israel so why not a desert camo job or even a temperate camo.

[kitbasher]

In real life the tiny number of prototypes were either natural metal (very briefly, pending painting I'd guess) or the WW2 Day Fighter Scheme.  If you go fro a desert finish I wouldn't recommend the WW2 desert scheme (Middle Stone/Dark Eart/Azure Blue), instead I think the 'desert' scheme worn by Spitfires and Tempests in Palestine as described in Camouflage and Markings No 5 'RAF Fighters 1945-1950 Overseas Based would be more appropriate.
See also The Feb 2008 Model Aircraft Monthly, Freightdog Models decal sheets FSD72-002, 72-004 and RAFDEC sheet 7212.  A good 'google' should throw up details of these - try the Hannants site for Freightdog 72-004.  The Freightdog site itself should help, of course.

[P1127]

That alleged Desert scheme was never applied by all accounts.

No?

The nose panels on this aircraft came from TZ210, TP385, TP278 recovered from Israel in the 70s

[gooberliberation]

The Pegasus Spiteful is only applicable to one or two of the early Spiteful F.14s (it's got the Spitfire style Griffon engine cowl whereas the "production" Spiteful F.14 would have had a Seafire 47 style cowling) and he made a reet bollocks of the tail surfaces as the tailplanes are too short and the fin/rudder is totally the wrong shape and size - it seems to be a halfway house between the late mk18 Spit and the Spiteful fin proper as used on the Spitfire Mk 22/24

Yeah I was looking at that cowling thinking "dammit!" and was trying to think of ways to correct it. I've decided to more or less leave it as is as I dont think fixing it is worth while.

[gooberliberation]

I had my own minor blunder(no damage, just wasted time) today. I've been meticulously sanding and carving out the fuselage to make room for a cockpit and turns out I could barely see through the canopy anyway! 

How close is a Spitfire bubble canopy to that of a spiteful?

[kitnut617]

How close is a Spitfire bubble canopy to that of a spiteful?

They're close, but there is a difference, the bubble top Spitfire' rear fuselage is slightly higher than the forward fuselage, the step occurring jut behind the pilot' seat, on a Spiteful both forward and rear fuselage are level with each other.  Looking at photos the Spiteful canopy looks more like a Tempest/Sea Fury one to me., or possibly a late Meteor Mk.8 canopy.

[Nigel Bunker]

That alleged Desert scheme was never applied by all accounts.

Ah - Paul Lucas strikes again.

I am curious with his colours that people like Mike Bowyer and Ian Huntley did not log them.