CAC CA-21 Spiteful

[KiwiZac]

As the campaign against the Japanese wore on through 1944, the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) sought a new fighter to keep up with the radical new designs emerging from the Home Islands. In light of the success of the Royal Air Force's newest fighter deployed in the region, the RAAF decided to ask for tenders to licence-produce the aircraft.

The Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation (CAC), headed by designer Lawrence Wackett, ceased development of their troubled CA-15 fighter – a machine resembling the P-51D Mustang – in favour of licence production of the Vickers-Supermarine Spiteful XIV. For use as a pattern and initial pilot familiarisation tool, RB516 (the fifth production aircraft) was flown to CAC's Fisherman's Bend, Melbourne, facility by Vickers test pilot Lt Patrick Shea-Simonds. Shea, as he was known to all, remained in Australia to oversee the completion of the first prototype CAC CA-21 Spiteful and to fly it for the first time on April 12, 1945. A production order for 150 CA-21s was signed soon after, and all former Spitfire VIII and many Mustang squadrons soon began to phase out their mounts in favour of the new Griffon-powered machine.



The CA-21 differed from the original Vickers-Supermarine Spiteful only in that the Griffon engine was licence-built by General Motors Holden within Australia, freeing up the Rolls-Royce production lines for British use. GMH engineers managed to tweak even more out of the monster V-12, their Griffon 61A developing a maximum 2150hp (compared to a British/"stock" 61 developing 2035hp). A handful of RAAF pilots reported breaking the 500mph barrier in their CA-21s, but this was never officially confirmed (the official top speed attained by a CA-21/Spiteful remained at 494mph, set by Spiteful XVI RB518 early in its test programme, flown by Shea).



A second order for 100 aircraft was eventually whittled down to 75 after the success of the invasion of Japan in late 1945, and by war's end in June 1946 the remaining CA-21s ordered had been delivered. Two squadrons were kept in Japan as part of the occupation force, with the remainder returned to Australia. Once there the majority of the CA-21 squadrons were disbanded and their aircraft put up for disposal. Only a handful escaped the smelter, being bought cheaply for use as playthings. All of the J-Force aircraft were eventually replaced by the Hawker/CAC CA-24 Sydney jet, and were disposed of in situ by bulldozer and bonfire.



Today seven CA-21 Spitefuls survive:
-   prototype A62-101 miraculously escaped the scrapper's torch and is with the RAAF Museum at Point Cook
-   with a private collector in New South Wales is A62-167
-   after being mounted on a pole in Toowoomba, Queensland for some years, A62-158 has been acquired for static display by the Australian National Aviation Museum at Moorabbin
-   A62-172 was owned by Ansett Airlines pilot John Rickards at Brisbane for several years (civil registration VH-BUA), and after his death in 1992 was sold to the USA. It remains airworthy with Planes Of Fame, Chino, Ca
-   A62-160 is with Precision Aerospace in Australia under active restoration to fly for an anonymous owner
-   A62-137 has had an on-off restoration process with a succession of owners: it is currently at Duxford, Cambridgeshire with Historic Flying Ltd and is set to fly by 2011
-   A62-108 today flies with Judy Pay at Point Cook, Vic. It has flown since 1985 with the civil registration VH-JPS ("Judy Pay's Spiteful")
In addition to these aircraft, two CA-21s were used as part of British nuclear tests during the 1960s, and A62-130 was flown for some years by film actor Garth Jeffries until lost in a fatal accident in 1989. There is also speculation that one of the J-Force aircraft survives in Japan but this is unlikely. Several unidentified wrecks can also be found around Japan.



This was the AZ Models 1:72 kit with some decals from the spares box, roo roundels from a whiffer whose name I can't recall (sorry!) Will make a nice addition to the Spitfire display:

[Tophe]

Unusual! Nice one and great collection...

[Barry Krell]

Hmmn, don't see many silk purses made from sow's ears.  For a rotten kit, that looks really good.

I take it that the RAF squadron badges are zaps?

[apophenia]

Nice! Thanks for building a personal favorite 'Zac.

Is the alt CA-24 Sydney the same as the RW Hawker P.1081? If so, will you build??? 

[Brian da Basher]

It's great to see you posting again Zacster and your CA Spiteful is as sharp and clean as they come! I love the roos and the NMF and I'm really impressed at your paintwork on the anti-glare panel which appears flawless!

A winner all the way!

Brian da Basher

[KiwiZac]

Nice! Thanks for building a personal favorite 'Zac.

Is the alt CA-24 Sydney the same as the RW Hawker P.1081? If so, will you build??? 

give me a kit and I will!

Thanks Brian, Tamiya tape wins again! I'm quite pleased with the coverage three coats of Tamiya Chrome Aluminium brushed on gets.

Barry, thanks! I can;t think of any problems with this kit....aside from I still haven't got the undercarriage to fit! Time to bring a drill home from work, methinks. And I just thought the badges would spice things up a bit

[gunfighter]

Great build! Indeed, I had never put my attention on this late supermarine designs (spiteful and seafang), until last week. I was looking for some info about WW2 era aircraft to be converted into racers, when I came up to discover that these fighters where even faster than a sea fury. It´s a beautiful and sleek fighter too, and a pity it didn´t find orders.
BUT the BEAST is this one: the supermarine type 391 
Has anyone done a model of it?

[Barry Krell]

Offhand, the AZ Spiteful is too short, the span is short, the canopy completely the wrong shape, the fuselage skinny if not downright anaemic.  The spinner is the right size but compared to the fuselage, it's massive.  The cockpit interior is totally fictious and doesn't fit.

IMO, the kit is a copy of the Czechmaster one and that had it's own flaws.  The cockpit interior is a direct lift from the Eduard boxing of the Aeroteam Spitfire F21.  There's few shot of the Spiteful interior and what's in both is nothing like the real thing.

It's an awful kit and I was pleased to get shot of the three unstarted ones I had, even at a loss.

Still, you've made a cracking job of it.  Nice NM finish.  What's it sprayed with? 

[KiwiZac]

Spray? Surely you jest! I brushpaint Tamiya X-11 Chrome Silver, three coats plus touch ups.

[comrade harps]

Nice. Good back story too.

Offhand, the AZ Spiteful is too short, the span is short, the canopy completely the wrong shape, the fuselage skinny if not downright anaemic.  The spinner is the right size but compared to the fuselage, it's massive.  The cockpit interior is totally fictious and doesn't fit.

Hmmn, don't see many silk purses made from sow's ears.  For a rotten kit, that looks really good

The only real problem I found with my AZ Spiteful was that the propella hub was way too big for the fuselage nose. But remember, we're whiffing it, so exactitudes don't necessarill count and so I visited some spares boxes and whiffed around the engorged prop base. So, if your'e whiifed up Spiteful isn't exactly a Spiteful (like my Bobcat http://www.whatifmodelers.com/index.php/topic,25065.msg362804.html#msg362804), then there's no real prob. As for the cockpit interior, I can't really comment, as the Bobcat used P-51D bits anyway.

[Barry Krell]

Spray? Surely you jest! I brushpaint Tamiya X-11 Chrome Silver, three coats plus touch ups.

Brushpainting metallics?  Good job as it looks sprayed!

[Barry Krell]

The only real problem I found with my AZ Spiteful was that the propella hub was way too big for the fuselage nose. But remember, we're whiffing it, so exactitudes don't necessarill count and so I visited some spares boxes and whiffed around the engorged prop base. So, if your'e whiifed up Spiteful isn't exactly a Spiteful (like my Bobcat http://www.whatifmodelers.com/index.php/topic,25065.msg362804.html#msg362804), then there's no real prob. As for the cockpit interior, I can't really comment, as the Bobcat used P-51D bits anyway.

Whiffing or no, I still want accurate base to start from.  The AZ Spiteful isn't.  The spinner is the most accurate bit of the kit...  Looks like the best basis for a decent Spiteful is still the old Pegasus one, and that had it's own problems in both it's incarnations.

[sotoolslinger]

Great looking model Zac.

[comrade harps]

Sorry, but I don't model with a ruler.

[KiwiZac]

Spray? Surely you jest! I brushpaint Tamiya X-11 Chrome Silver, three coats plus touch ups.

Brushpainting metallics?  Good job as it looks sprayed!

*blushes* Thanks! And no undercoat, just the three coats of X-11. Comes out nice. I appreciate the kind words!