Warbird Replicas Spitfire LF mk IXc

[RICHARD WILLS]

Good stuff Andy . I am doing similar , Have also taken 15mm off the front , battery in from the top as I wanted to fit a speaker in the base of the "tank bay " . The top of the cowl is just held on with magnets . 

My battery is at 30 degrees as it is over the speaker at the back , but under the motor at the front . 

If we compare notes at the end , I can come up with a variation on the original MkIX kit that will include the changes that are worth doing . Balance is looking good for us both at this stage . 

I will be using a more rounded spinner , 3 outlet exhaust stacks and outside armour plate canopy . 

Should be able to duplicate that lot if required . 

It would be nice to produce a bespoke BOB Spitfire kit with lots of detail at some point . 

[Eric Robson]

Would that include bullet holes from 109's? Careful Richard I can see the queue forming now.

[RICHARD WILLS]

No Eric , but it would include a handlebar moustache and a phrase book including period words and sayings . 

Tally ho , cabbage crates over the briney , yellow nosed blighters . Undercarriage lever a bit sticky sir ? 

You can teach Monkeys to fly better than that . But of course , there would have to be some updates , 

For example . Beware the Hun in the Sun ,  Would become , " Keep an eye out for our European Partners " ( just in case you want to by a VolksWagon at some time in the future) .

Edited March 19, 2021 by john stones 1 Moderator
Bandits at 3 O'Clock (Swearing)

[RICHARD WILLS]

Oh . I forgot to say also, that in modern parlance it would be best to point out that in no way was the Battle of Britain a competition between nations and that nobody won . All of the participants attended and did their best , 

Hence the medals .    ( I think that brings the whole saga up to date nicely ) .

[Eric Robson]

Hi Richard, I have stopped buying things from Europe until they get their differences sorted out on duties . Trouble is the only true English car you can buy now is a Morgan. And another thing,  I was looking for glow plugs for a four stroke and Leeds model shop have no stock of OS type F bit the price on their list is £14.99  you can almost buy a 3s 2200 battery for that. I hope it is a misprint and not the sign of things to come. Although a Saito plug cost me £12. So are we under attack from the Japanese again. 

[RICHARD WILLS]

Banzai !!

[Ace]

1 hour ago, Eric Robson said:

. Trouble is the only true English car you can buy now is a Morgan. 

 

Who's engines to they use ?

[Eric Robson]

1 hour ago, Ace said:

 

Who's engines to they use ?

Unfortunately despite brexit we still have to look to the Continent for a lot of things as the latest Morgan's have BMW engines and transmissions. In fact I would not be surprised to find Morgan cars are foreign owned. 

[David P Williams]

Owned by an Italian investment group ?

[john stones 1 - Moderator]

No swearing please chaps, the C.O don't like it.

[David Hazell 1]

In case anyone is interested, I'm adding a photo album and the odd comment here and there:

 

https://photos.app.goo.gl/ShLRzp7XHEDxGUHS6 - it's a google photo's album

 

Will keep updating it, I don't have the energy to create a proper build blog on here just now...

[Paul Johnson 4]

Colour of an unspecified origin Nose illegitimate just does not work....?

[David Hazell 1]

31 minutes ago, Paul Johnson 4 said:

Colour of an unspecified origin Nose illegitimate just does not work....?

 

Huh? Oh never mind - I realise I'm not up to date with the thread... Will circle back!!

 

Edited March 19, 2021 by David Hazell 1
Hadn't read the entire thread!

[Colin Leighfield]

Jaguars and Land Rovers are wholly designed and production engineered in the UK, most are also made here in Birmingham, Solihull, Coventry and Speke. The EPace and IPace are assembled in Graz, Austria and the new Defender in the Czech Republic. Some cars are assembled in China because if you don’t agree to do that, you can’t sell there.  All (very good) engines are made at the specialised plant in Wolverhampton, they stopped using the (very good) Ford built engines from Bridgend some time ago. There are German components in there, particularly electronic, that helps to balance the effects of differing international exchange rates. I made my mind up, particularly after a bad experience with a lousy BMW 520, that if I was going to spend thousands on new cars I’d keep our blokes in jobs, not Germans (no disrespect) any more than I can help it. After half a million great miles in Jaguars and Land Rovers over twenty years I have no regrets at all. Must get around to building the Spitfire, it’s been in the queue for two years and I’ll get to it eventually. 

[Andy Gates]

Just checked out your photo gallery David.

Nice work.

 

[David Hazell 1]

@RICHARD WILLS I got no grubscrews in either the Spitfire retracts or the P51 retracts. Were they meant to be included?

[RICHARD WILLS]

Oh ! How strange . panic not old chap . In the post tomorrow . 

I can assume that the problem has been as you are aware , that items like the units have been difficult to source all over the place. Consequently I had six from one place , three from another etc  .  Like you , assumed they all had the little grub screws of colour hidden inside .   ( I am trying to be more PC you notice ) .

Richard 

[David Hazell 1]

3 minutes ago, RICHARD WILLS said:

Oh ! How strange . panic not old chap . In the post tomorrow . 

I can assume that the problem has been as you are aware , that items like the units have been difficult to source all over the place. Consequently I had six from one place , three from another etc  .  Like you , assumed they all had the little grub screws of colour hidden inside .   ( I am trying to be more PC you notice ) .

Richard 

 

Huzzahhhh, How's that for service?! I willl put a beer in the post to thank you. Not sure the bottle will survive the journey so I'll just pour it straight in the jiffy bag. It might have lost a bit of fizz by the time it arrives, but it's the best compromise, I think.

 

Thanks old bean.

 

[RICHARD WILLS]

We aim to please at WR? central . 

[David Hazell 1]

On 20/03/2021 at 11:22, Andy Gates said:

Just checked out your photo gallery David.

Nice work.

 

 

Just checked out _your_ photo gallery too Andy. Exceptionally nice work. I'm toying with the idea of flaps, but not 100% decided. I seem to spend a lot of time procrastinating  planning and not so much doing... Your progress is light years ahead of mine!

 

Anyhoo, back to it.

Edited March 22, 2021 by David Hazell 1
grammar auto-police

[David Hazell 1]

On 21/03/2021 at 16:34, RICHARD WILLS said:

We aim to please at WR? central . 

 

Thank you so much Richard. Above and beyond sir. Received just now.

[Andy Gates]

David,

 

I decided to go for flaps as the field I fly at has a distinct gradient going from one corner to the opposite corner.

This works great when landing up hill, however landing down hill normally results in more of an arrival rather than a landing. 

With my lighter planes, I have trouble with the glide slope being less than the field gradient so they gain altitude as they go across the field.

 

Believe me I do a lot of thinking too when I am building, but I find if I do a little bit every evening / day then progress is quite rapid.

Sometimes a bit of extra thought is required which is why I find working on several areas at the same time helps move things along.

 

I have paint coming on thursday, I have some milling bits to help me sort the undercarriage coming in a week or so, springs for the same due before the weekend, new 5000mAH 4S batteries and some wiring coming.

I already have my roll of laminating film for covering, and I have to teach myself to use an airbrush soon too.

 

Always something new to tax the grey matter.

 

Photo of the balsa exhausts attached, 1 shaped the other not.

 

[David Hazell 1]

I've done a tiny bit of sanding and an awful lot of procrastinating tonight. I've spent an inordinate amount of time trying to decide whether to fit flaps, their appropriate scale size, whether to add the inboard extra ones, how to link them up internally. My brain! Argh! I know my model isn't even going to be close to very scale, yet I'm bleating inside my own head about this!

 

Out of interest, how big did others calculate "scale flaps" should be for this model? By extrapolating from a 1/32 kit, I have come up with them being 238mm wide from the aileron end before splitting and there being another 57mm of inboard flap that pivots up slightly differently. Then getting the depth, I am coming up with about 31mm deep at each end of the flap.

 

I need whisky, but I'm on the wagon. 

[Paul Johnson 4]

But are the waggons in a dither... eerrr circle and are they equally spaced?

The model flies well without them, as you have decided to fit them and the kit is a sports 'scale' a single flap each side will save you a whole lot of heartache.... and weight.

OR you can head down the rabbit hole shouting "I'm late....."

?

 

[RICHARD WILLS]

Right so lets get down to brass tacks . Ive flown three of these Spitfires since 2006 . One is still flying . Most had no flaps and at 6lb and if flown properly , they dont need them or benefit from them . All spitfires have a pronounced tendency to nose over on landing . The Flaps definitely make this worse . A clean smooth landing without pulling the model around too much will result in a very realistic touch down , without flaps.

The extra work , parts , servos and linkages will add weight . So it can be a catch 22 in that you add all the features to overcome a heavier model . 

This is where we need to consider each modellers position in the journey .  I did not start out being able to fly the high end Spitfire that you are building . My early Fighters were simpler semi scale and light . If you are somebody like Ron Gray , who has a lot of experience in building and flying , then by all means fit everything , as it will only tickle the envelope you already have . If this is your first scale model , then dial it back and keep it simple and light . 

If you go back to page 13 (I think ) you can see how Glynn did his flaps in a very simple way .

Richard