Supermarine Spitfire and Seafire

[nev]

I've had for a while now a hasegawa 1/48 Spit V with an MDC floatplane conversion.

3 MkVs were converted during the war - they were meant to operatate from uninhabited
Greek Islands, attcking German Ju-52 transports from a secret location (all very boys own).
However, we ended up abandoning the idea, along with the 12 other spits that were in line for
conversion - they were going to be sent to the pacific.

so guys, what would these spits have looked like?  Any other bright ideas?  

I was thinking maybe that they would be operated from RN ships in place of whatever floatplanes
they used as scouts (help me out here someone).  I'm particulary leaning towards Dk sea grey/slate grey
with D-Day stripes.

[Radish]

:p The idea of the Floatplane Spit sounds great, but I favour the central float option, like on a Rufe or Rex. Ken Wheeler made one a few years ago which surfaces (like most of his stuff)again, and again, etc.. As for colours, us Brits seem fairly unimaginative/boring, but I suppose it's possible that on an island somewhere, a bit of latitude could follow. The basic dark sea grey with slate grey, over sky. SEAC markings would be nice, with nose art and a sharkmouth?
I'd considered doing something similar to both a P-40E/N and a P-47D bubbletop. Lots of possible Far East markings.....how about one operating from a Chinese river in Nationalist Chinese markings? Or a remnant left over for French use in Indo-China postwar?
if you had a Greek Spit floatplane operating from the Greek islands, would there be a corresponding Turk one?
A floatplane version of the Fw-190A-3?
How about a Finnish floatplane Bf-109G or P-36?
Floatplanes are a great idea. I've considered putting the floats from something on a Stuka. Now that would look interesting! In Italian markings for the Med, or even Vichi French?
:l

:p Great Seafires matey! Wonderful ideas!1 I've started a Seafire 47 in, dare I say it, French colours, fully loaded with rockets, over-large belly tank and 500lb bombs under the wings. I'll have it land-based as the runway needed to get the beast off the ground would probably use most of the fuel in the extra tank! They didn't build carriers that big, and jato rockets might be too much? Should look nice in a well-weathered Sea Blue Gloss, though.
:l I've built an Americam production P-53 Spitfire, based on their re-engineering of the design to include more fuel, so that it had a range approaching that of the P-51. I had the standard P-51B armament of 4x0.5inch guns and underwing tanks like on the Mustang. I finished it as Don Gentile's VF-T in OD/NG. If the US produced P-53s, would the US production Spits, say the XIV, have had 6x0.5 inch guns? Lots of 8th Air Force options?
I'm getting a bit tired of the Zwilling concept (a bit old hat now) but I saw a very nice Aussie twin Spit VIII done all-over Foliage Green built as an F-82 clone. One for the future? :l

[Captain Canada]

Mmmm...a floating, shipboard Spitfire ! Sounds too cool !

I once built an Airfix 72nd scale Supermarine S.6B in dark over light sea greys, with the pre war three colour roundels, as a fleet spotter type. It looked sweet !

How about a Spit on floats in the late war gloss sea blue ( like USN Corsairs ) with the star and bar type RN roundels ? Now that I'd like to see...or maybe even build !

Cheers

[Radish]

:0 Oh my word!! Jungle Book characters flying WW2 aircraft?!? How wonderful!!!
How about "Bananaman" flying, of course , a H-21, in all yellow , sponsored by Fyffes!
"Spiderman" in his Black Widow P-61......enough, some saddo will think of Snow White and the Seven Dwarves next!! Good idea, though!! (Should Balloo have flown a Tu-95?)I like the idea of the S6B in wartime colours. Does anyone do a 1/48th model? I've been trying to think of aircraft with fixed u/c that I can make into floatplanes, swapping the wheels with the floats on say a Rufe or Rex. Then, I could build a wheeled American Kingfisher and use the spare float on something else. The South Koreans actually built a floatplane version of the T-6 using a Rufe central float and two P-80 fuel tanks as the underwing floats. I wonder what a flying boat version of a Buccaneer would be like? I've toyed with the idea of turning the aft-fuselage of an Italeri F-14 upside down and trying to build a seaplane version with overwing intakes. I haven't got very far yet.....too many other projects, but it's something I'll persevere with. Especially in either US Marines colours, or even the Royal Navy? I've seen the Stuka floatplane on ARC, but fancy a Nationalist Chinese version, or one from Paraguay?

[Martin H]

Hmm I did the Mk V with floats using the PM kit with floats from a Frog Blackburn Shark. Using an artical in a 1960's issue of the old Airfix mag. Only to find PM issueing a kit of the same #### conversion a week after i finished it!

As for cammo. I did it in the standard green/grey dy fighter scheme. and the squadron codes were made from my inishals.
A total lack of imagination on my part.

SEAC sounds like a good idea, as does one attached to one of the home fleets battle wagons. Althou for a SEAC one i would use a Mk IX or maybe even a Mk XIV with a Griffon, Gloss dark blue would look great on one of those as far as im concerned.........Now were did I put that acadamy Mk XIV. 

A floatplane version of the Fw-190A-3?
How about a Finnish floatplane Bf-109G or P-36?
Floatplanes are a great idea. I've considered putting the floats from something on a Stuka

The Stuka has already been done, just have a look on the Aircraft resourse centre site. Mind you I have toyed with the idea my self.
The 109 has already been done as well, and has appeared in the Wooksta's own little publcation.  But a 190 on floats would look interesting.

Hmm looks like I may have to clear the work bench for a mad rush on What ifs at this rate

[Radish]

Yep, Cubans flew F-47Ds at first, then At-33s and Sea Furys. The latter were kept flying by a Hawker team during and after the revolution, and in fact, kept Castro's air force up in the air. The Cubans wanted to buy Hunters, but although I think we wanted to sell, the US blocked the deal. It was only after several attempts by Castro's bunch to buy WESTERN equipment that they turned to Russia.
The Cuban FR.XIV was bought by Castro's predecessor, Batista, but damaged before it could be delivered....sabotage. It's apparantly STILL flying after passing through many owners in Canada/US.
I did an article a while back in the \"What If?\" newsletter about the North American P-53 Spitfire (the US production varient originally based on the IX but later on the XIV.) The idea was the Mustang never happened, or was never fitted with a Merlin, and after the US rebuilt a couple of Spit lXs with extra fuel-tanks etc., with the long-range built in, they took on the P-51 role with the 8th AF, etc.
My P-53 (Don Gentille's VF-T) was photographed by Martin at the Nats. 4x0.5inch guns, underwing tanks, etc.
Details of the REAL modifications made by the US to the 2 Spits are from the Ventura book \"American Spitfires\", of which there are 2 excellent volumes.

Santa came down the chimney and left a lovely tome entitled \"Spitfire International\" about the uses (proposed/rumoured/actual) of Spitfires/Seafires abroad.
:h Only a brief glance so far (between stuffing turkey, etc) but how about Commie Chinese Mk IXs supplied by Russia? And the Chinese wanted to produce them?
:-/ The Cuban FR.XIVe?
:/ The Brazilian F.XIV used in a VTOL project!!!!
:Ss Lots of food for thought and stimulating models to come!!!!

[Captain Canada]

Academy do a 72nd scale Spitfire, with the Griffon engine that can be easily made to look like a Seafire.

Hobbycrap also do one in 48th scale, and both should be readily available over at D @ Bs.

Cheers !

[lancer]

Airfix do a damm good 48th scale Seafire that can be modelled with folded wings and such.

[Mossie]

Ahem.



         

[Chris707]

Nice one, Mossie!



Chris
------------------------
http://paperofthepast.ecrater.com

[GTX]

I tip my hat to you sir!

What engine type have you installed?  I was planning to install a Bristol Hercules 14-cylinder radial (i.e. the same as on the Bristol Beaufighter.  When I finally do it in plastic, the associated back story will essentially involve it being a one-off prototype conversion of a Mk I.  The engine change would result from a fear that there would not be enough Merlins to go around and therefore there was a need to possibly utilise other engine types.  

To tell the truth, I'm possibly even interested in doing this as a 1/32nd whiff!!!

Regards,

Greg

[Mossie]

Yeah, it's a Hercules.  I had a look at what it'd take to add a Hecrules onto a Spitfire, I took a cowling from an Airfix Beau TF.X & offered it up to an Airfix Spit Mk.I.  Looked like it would need a bit a creativity to get it to fit (I'm not 100% convinced that the size of the Beau cowl is correct though), but if it could be done with the Hurricane, it should be possible with the Spit.  I think the forward fuse of the Hurricane is deeper than the Spit too but I haven't got any drawings of the two that are good enough to check it.

[Jeffry Fontaine]

Now how about a kit-bashing sessions between the Spitfire and a P-40?  Use the Allison engine cowling on the Spitfire.  

A possible backstory would be the demand for aircraft production outstripped Supermarine and Rolls-Royce so a second production line was set up to produce the Spitfire in Canada with engines provided by Allison.  Now what Mark Number would that create?  

[kitbasher]

Now how about a kit-bashing sessions between the Spitfire and a P-40?  Use the Allison engine cowling on the Spitfire.  

A possible backstory would be the demand for aircraft production outstripped Supermarine and Rolls-Royce so a second production line was set up to produce the Spitfire in Canada with engines provided by Allison.  Now what Mark Number would that create?

....after all, the Kittyhawk III had a Merlin (check nose contours - no intake at the top of the cowling)    

[Jetfixer]

Ayup, I've got an almost complete Radial Spit on the bench, I'll get piccies up as soon as.
as for the links on the first post the title says it all. Spitfire ontwerpen    twerp for our collonial friends means something akin to fool or idiot, these are flights of fancy that in the main wouldn't fly.

all the best.

Greg