Lancfan's Spitfire 19 ***FINISHED ***

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lancfan
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Lancfan's Spitfire 19 ***FINISHED ***

Post by lancfan »

I'm going to build an imagined Police Spitfire 19 in racing colours. The post-war air races were very popular with R aux AF Squadrons and it seems logical that were the Special air police of the Biggles books real they would also enter an aircraft for these races, this also gives me the opportunity to properly assign a Spitfire to Biggles instead of making just another Spitfire.


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Re: Lancfan's Spitfire 19

Post by Stuart »

That's a great idea David - looking forward to seeing it.

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Re: Lancfan's Spitfire 19

Post by VickersVandal »

This is the best kind of crazy 8-) 8-)

Great concept. Can't wait to see it executed!
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Re: Lancfan's Spitfire 19

Post by lancfan »

Biggles is often associated with the Spitfire but to build a wartime Spitfire would have left me with "just another" wartime Spitfire so I have decided to build an imagined Police racing Spitfire using this Airfix spifire 19 kit using both DIY and spare decals.
Image

The Story-
Following a conversation between Commissioner Raymond and the RAF CAS at a formal reunion dinner it was decided to enter a police aircraft in the air races which were popular with the R aux. AF at that time. This was during the time when the team was involved in the hunt for the pirate U-boat U-517 and remembering the unrest at the inactivity before that case Raymond felt that air racing would be a useful outlet whenever the case load dropped. A Spitfire PR19 was selected for this as it could also be used for photographic surveillance and high speed pursuit when not needed for air sports. When Biggles and the team returned they were taken to the Supermarine works and shown their new aircraft and told of its' purpose- Biggles was picked as Police pilot for the races but he suggested that a suitable outsider should be picked as reserve pilot so that practice flights for two police pilots would not disrupt duty air operations too much, to this end Raymond recruited a pilot who had worked behind enemy lines in intelligence duties for him during the war, a Joan Worralson who now operated her own air charter business and who felt she could free herself for this activity if she left her deputy Betty Lovell to run the office in her absence. The rest of that year the two pilots (and on occasion, Ginger, Bertie & Algy) took turns to practice with the aircraft when their work allowed and at the year end both Biggles and Worrals felt that they were ready for the following season. The aeroplane had also been prepared for both sports and work operations, the vertical cameras had been removed and ASR dinghy chutes had been fitted in their place, a high definition 16mm film camera had been adapted to fit on the standard F24 mountings and the aeroplane had been painted in a high gloss white, blue and silver civilian finish. In 1949 the mark 19 was retired to full time Police operations in an overall light blue finish and was replaced in the racing role by a mark 22.

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Re: Lancfan's Spitfire 19

Post by VickersVandal »

Hmmmm.....the plot thickens.... 8-) :mrgreen:
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Re: Lancfan's Spitfire 19

Post by Stuart »

Nice Back story David!
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Re: Lancfan's Spitfire 19

Post by lancfan »

Thanks Stuart, this will be started later today by repositioning the camera door and detailing the cockpit.

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Re: Lancfan's Spitfire 19

Post by lancfan »

Time to begin, the first thing I had to do to this model was to lower the camera port, I prefer to do this by cutting free a square around the aperture and then trim the lower edge, glueing it back in it's new position and then filling the gap and the seams. Finally sanding the repositioned hatchway smooth and flush with the surface of the fuselage.
Image
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Next I added a few small details to the cockpit and glued the camera hatch in place. The cockpit can now be pre-painted and the fuselage assembled.
Image

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Re: Lancfan's Spitfire 19

Post by lancfan »

The cockpit is now being painted and I have also expanded the back story slightly.


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Re: Lancfan's Spitfire 19

Post by lancfan »

With the cockpit assembled and painted the fuselage can be built up.
Image

The wing and fuselage are now assembled, here the coarse panel lines are being reduced or removed. The half of the wing on the left of the picture shows the panel lines filled in a thick variety of Revell Aqua paint and the opposite side shows the surplus of this filler coat rubbed away, the fuselage has already been treated in this way and is primed in grey.
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Re: Lancfan's Spitfire 19

Post by VickersVandal »

Oh I say! Great progress! Love the back story too, old boy.
Must.....build....ALL the Sopwith Camels!...

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Re: Lancfan's Spitfire 19

Post by lancfan »

Thanks VV, I have to say I am enjoying working on the back story as much as the model and intend to complete this as a short story.


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Re: Lancfan's Spitfire 19

Post by VickersVandal »

Nice one. If you post it on the Biggles forum in the writing section, they will go nuts for it. 8-)
Must.....build....ALL the Sopwith Camels!...

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Re: Lancfan's Spitfire 19

Post by lancfan »

The fuselage and wing have been joined together, the tailplanes, radiators and air intake go on next and the model can then be painted.
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Re: Lancfan's Spitfire 19

Post by lancfan »

With the airframe complete I then painted on the allumniium and white sections.
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Masking up for and painting on the blue came next to complete the basic colour scheme, varnish and decals can now be applied.
Image
Image

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