Spitfire Mk IId

NARSES2 · June 13, 2022, 07:43:00 AM

Right I've started this project and managed to get some of the interior assembled before I disappeared up to Elstree for the weekend. Now for various reasons I've got now't done today and this week is doctors, hospital and "Young Nick" so I know I'm not going to get it finished in time. However I am using the GB to get myself out of my current state of inertia, so it is serving a positive purpose

and I aim to get the build finished by the end of June. May not sound that optimistic, but it will be serving a very good purpose

I'll try and post some pictures tomorrow.

PR19_Kit · June 13, 2022, 09:21:47 AM

IId?

Does that mean it carries two socking great 40mm Vickers S guns under the wings?

NARSES2 · June 14, 2022, 05:55:24 AM

Quote from: PR19_Kit on June 13, 2022, 09:21:47 AM
IId?

Does that mean it carries two socking great 40mm Vickers S guns under the wings?

It might do

NARSES2 · June 14, 2022, 06:19:50 AM

Couple of pic's just to prove I have good intentions.

What I started with

Where I'm at

kitbasher · June 14, 2022, 06:30:34 AM

Oooh!

PR19_Kit · June 14, 2022, 06:31:53 AM

Ahah, I see a Huricane IID conversion lurking there.

And of course it has the lovely 40 mm cannon sets too............

NARSES2 · June 19, 2022, 06:39:15 AM

Well I surprised myself and actually got a completed airframe by the end of the week, which is much greater progress than I'd expected. Especially happy bearing in mind I only really managed to get 5 days work at it

So my joining the One Week GB achieved the aim I'd set it, which was to get my motivation back up and running

I'll now move this build to the regular build board and hopefully get it finished in the next couple of weeks. One "benefit" of not trying to finish it today is that it will get a slightly more complicated camouflage scheme than that originally intended, but only slightly.

royabulgaf · June 19, 2022, 05:34:29 PM

I don't know offhand if it was an official RAF designation, but in SPitfire nomenclature the "d" wing was without armament, used for PR aircraft.

Rick Lowe · June 19, 2022, 10:03:07 PM

Quote from: royabulgaf on June 19, 2022, 05:34:29 PM
I don't know offhand if it was an official RAF designation, but in SPitfire nomenclature the "d" wing was without armament, used for PR aircraft.

I think you're correct, but I don't know if the wing-type was ever part of the aircraft's designation?

As a Capital-D denoted a 40mm-armed Hurricane, maybe it's simply a matter of changing the case?

kitbasher · June 19, 2022, 11:05:49 PM

Quote from: royabulgaf on June 19, 2022, 05:34:29 PM
I don't know offhand if it was an official RAF designation, but in SPitfire nomenclature the "d" wing was without armament, used for PR aircraft.

I don't think that's quite correct. There undoubtedly was a Spitfire PR.D, but there was also a PR.A, PR.B, etc, through to PR.G. The letters indicated the version of early single-stage Merlin Spitfire PR variants, which differed in camera fits and fuel cell configurations. All were all based on Spitfire Is and Vs, PR.A to C being conversions of Mk I fighters.

Just to confuse matters, the PR.C onwards were later redesignated PR.III to PR.VIII but were unrelated to the similarly-designated fighter variants.

So I'd say 'Spitfire IId' would work fine as a Spitfire fighter designation, fitting in nicely with the Ia, Ib, etc.

PR19_Kit · June 20, 2022, 04:02:46 AM

IIRC the early Spitfire PR versions had lower case suffixes after their Mark no. as WELL as upper case suffixes after the PR bit, just to totally confuse matters.

I'm not 100% sure that the upper and lower case suffixes matched either, so that a PR.F might not have been the same as a PR1f. $:-\$

Dad's old log book used both versions at various times.

kitbasher · June 20, 2022, 04:20:31 AM

Quote from: PR19_Kit on June 20, 2022, 04:02:46 AM
IIRC the early Spitfire PR versions had lower case suffixes after their Mark no. as WELL as upper case suffixes after the PR bit, just to totally confuse matters.

I'm not 100% sure that the upper and lower case suffixes matched either, so that a PR.F might not have been the same as a PR1f. $:-\$

Dad's old log book used both versions at various times.

A PR.If and a PR.F are the same cab, and they were later referred to as PR.VIIs. But the Mk VII fighter is unrelated!

PR19_Kit · June 20, 2022, 04:22:49 AM

The whole thing was done in an attempt to confuse 21st Century modellers I'm sure.

And to give HOURS of speculation to JMNs then world over...............

kitbasher · June 20, 2022, 04:56:17 AM

And I confused myself earlier! The Mk I PR Type F (to give it it's proper name) of course became the Mk I PR Type VI.

It entered service before the PR.D!

NARSES2 · June 20, 2022, 05:52:03 AM

I was aware of the early Spitfire designations, mainly because I've got the Legato kit of the early PR Spitfires in the stash, but must admit hadn't really thought it through. I just rather naively stuck with lower case referring to the armament layout. Having spent most of my working life dealing with Civil Servants/Nationalised Industries I should of known better I know, but if I start to overthink it now I'll park the build and I want to maintain my progress, so IId it is

Just a little bit of PSR needed on the underside wing/fuselage join (as with every Spitfire I've ever built I think) and then I can prime it. Rather unusual for me to prime I'm sorry to say, but this time it will help with the final finish and I'm trying to turn over some new leaves as well