Tag: Spitfire

Posted on by

First Look: Tamiya’s New Tool 1/48 Spitfire Mk.1 Model

Tamiya has provided the first look at their upcoming new tool Spitfire Mk. 1 model kit in 1/48 scale.

The kit (61119) will reportedly benefit from “new information to make this new release many times more historically accurate.” It will also include parts to recreate various specifications of the Mk. 1 while providing open and closed canopy options, realistic cockpit detailing, photo-etched parts, seated pilot figure and three marking options.

The newly released images, which can be seen below, show a full build along with cockpit details and sprues. Additional details, including a possible release date, have not yet been announced.

Continue reading First Look: Tamiya’s New Tool 1/48 Spitfire Mk.1 Model

Posted on by

Airfix Announces New Tool 1/48 Spitfire Mk.XIV Model Kit

Airfix has announced its first new tool kit for 2019 in the form of a 1/48 Spitfire FR Mk.XIV.

The kit (A05135) is being developed with the aid of “a vast collection of research materials, original drawings and photographs relating to Spitfire production” as well as computer base model shape data from their Spitfire Mk.1 kit released in 2014.

The kit is currently slated for release sometime in the new year, although the company hopes to have a prototype sample model of the kit on display at November’s Scale ModelWorld Show at Telford.

Click below to check out additional renderings.

Continue reading Airfix Announces New Tool 1/48 Spitfire Mk.XIV Model Kit

Posted on by

Tamiya Announces Development of New Tool Spitfire Mk. 1 Model Kit

Tamiya has announced the development of a new tool Spitfire Mk. 1 model kit in 1/48 scale.

The kit (61119) will reportedly include parts to recreate various specifications of the Mk. 1, open and closed canopy options, realistic cockpit detailing, photo-etched parts, seated pilot figure and three marking options.

Additional details, including a possible release date, have not yet been announced. Click below to check out a recently released rendering.

Continue reading Tamiya Announces Development of New Tool Spitfire Mk. 1 Model Kit

Posted on by

Blue Sky FS Releases New Images, Details on Upcoming Spitfire Mk. XIV for P3D V.4 [Video]

Blue Sky Flight Simulations has released new images and details for their upcoming Rolls Royce Griffon 65-powered Spitfire Mk. XIV.

As previously reported, Blue Sky initially began developing the aircraft for Dovetail Games’ Flight Sim World (FSW), however, with FSW’s closure in May, the team is now working to prepare the Spitfire for P3D v.4.

Additional work is focused on getting the flight dynamics ready and fixing animation errors. This will be followed by “major internal testing to make sure all systems and flight functions are working” as well as external beta testing.

It is hoped that the aircraft will be ready by the end of September. Click below to check out additional screenshots, as well as a recent live stream showing “gauge animation development in 3D Max and a quick aerobatic test flight around Duxford.”

Continue reading Blue Sky FS Releases New Images, Details on Upcoming Spitfire Mk. XIV for P3D V.4 [Video]

Posted on by

Full-Scale Wooden Spitfire Reproduction Project Offered For Sale

Please Note: This is an archived post. The information presented here may not be current and the associated listing may no longer be active.

A wooden Spitfire project has hit the market.

The unfinished reproduction is described as incorporating the “same design as the Mosquito with ply/balsawood/ply skins.” It was reportedly “built to fly for a Merlin engine to be fitted,” although approval for the build could not be obtained.

The project is touted as “a great static or taxing full size replica” and can reportedly be supplied with “fibreglass skins, FG wings, and all other parts to finish at extra cost.” It is based in Newquay, UK and is currently available for bidding here.

Please Note: This post contains an eBay affiliate link. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Posted on by

Recently Unearthed Spitfire Wreck To Be Displayed For First Time In Ireland

The remains of a Spitfire unearthed last year in County Monaghan, Ireland will reportedly be displayed for the first time as part of a new exhibition at the Monaghan Museum.

As previously reported, the aircraft (Mk Ia R6992) had served in the Battle of Britain before being reassigned to a weather-monitoring squadron at RAF Aldergrove in Antrim. On November 20, 1942 it suffered an in-flight engine failure, prompting pilot Gordon Hayter Proctor to bail out before it crashed in a meadow in Figullar, Emyvale. Although much of the wreckage was removed by the Irish Army shortly thereafter, 21st century ground surveys revealed that additional artifacts were still present about four meters underground, prompting the 2017 excavation that unearthed components such as the aircraft’s Rolls Royce engine and cockpit door.

R6992 is the only Spitfire ever found in Ireland that had been involved in the Battle of Britain, and the new exhibition will be built around its remains. Titled “The Monaghan Spitfire: Life on the Border with a World at War,” The exhibition is described as exploring “the deadly experience of a county, which existed on the border between two worlds, one tearing itself apart and another, trying desperately to stay out of a global conflict which had almost engulfed it.”

The exhibition is set to open on June 28th and will reportedly run for one year.

(via Monaghan County Museum and thejournal.ie)

Posted on by

Spitfire RW388 Undergoes Trial Wing Fitting As Restoration Progresses [Video]

Spitfire LF Mk. XVIe RW388 has undergone a trial wing fitting at Medway Aircraft Preservation Society as work progresses to restore the iconic aircraft to its former glory.

As previously reported, the machine was built by Vickers-Armstrongs, Ltd. in 1945 and was used for training and towing targets for Navy ships during WW2. Following the war it was used as a gate guard at RAF Benson and RAF Andover before being officially presented to the city of Stoke-on-Trent by the Royal Air Force in 1972. It was installed at the Potteries Museum and Art Gallery in Hanley, Staffordshire in 1985 and has taken a place of honor in their Spitfire gallery, which is dedicated to the type’s locally-born designer, Reginald Mitchell.

In addition to the successful wing fitting, work on RW388’s Merlin engine is also said to be nearing completion. In 2019, the restored Spitfire is slated to return to the museum for display in a new, £6 million glass-fronted extension that will also include a new cafe and city square.

Click below to check out photos and videos of the recent work.

Continue reading Spitfire RW388 Undergoes Trial Wing Fitting As Restoration Progresses [Video]

Posted on by

A2A Simulations Releases Accu-Sim Spitfire Mk I/II For P3Dv4

The latest offering from A2A Simulations sees their Accu-Sim Spitfire MkI-II released for Prepar3D Version 4.

Described as “gorgeously constructed” and “superbly accurate” the model represents the Mk IA, Mk IIA (machine guns), and Mk IIB (cannons). Its lengthy list of features reportedly includes custom cockpit systems and gauges, an animated pilot, an “immersive in-cockpit, physics-driven sound environment from A2A-engineered Spitfire recordings” and the developer’s Accu-Sim feature, which is touted as providing “an outstanding level of authenticity and accuracy in the aircraft systems and functionality.”

The new P3Dv4 Spitfire is available in academic and professional versions and is also available as a bundle with the FSX version. Click here to learn more.

Posted on by

Spitfire AR501 Performs Post-Restoration Debut Display [Video]

During their May Evening Airshow on Saturday, the Shuttleworth Collection’s Spitfire Mk VC AR501 returned to the air for its first post-restoration public display.

As previously reported, the aircraft was originally built by Westland Aircraft at Yeovil and was issued to No. 310 (Czech) Squadron in 1942, where it escorted USAAF B-17 and B-24 bombers. Later, it would serve with RAF’s Central Gunnery School before finding use as an instructional airframe at Loughborough College.

AR501 was acquired by the Shuttleworth Collection in 1961 and restored to airworthy condition for the 1968 film The Battle of Britain. It entered the shop once again in 1973 for restoration to its authentic wartime condition, eventually returning to flight in in 1975. The most recent work was initially expected to last only 18 months, but eventually expanded into an extensive overhaul that has seen the aircraft completely dismantled and rebuilt. The result is said to be “95% original.”

Saturday’s flight was performed by pilot Stu Goldspink and marked AR501’s first airshow appearance since 2007. Click below to check it out.

Continue reading Spitfire AR501 Performs Post-Restoration Debut Display [Video]

Posted on by

Spitfire SL721 Makes History Performing First Flight as Belgian Registered Aircraft

Yesterday, Spitfire XVI SL721 completed its first flight since arriving in Belgium earlier this year.

As previously reported, SL721 was built in August 1945 and delivered to the RAF, where it became the personal aircraft of Air Chief Marshall Sir James Milne Robb, a WW1 pilot who served as Commander-In-Chief – Air Forces Europe following WW2. The Packard Merlin 266/R55-powered machine was sold in 1967 and transported to the US, where it would stay until 2002, when it was acquired by Vintage Wings of Canada. After being sold to an enthusiast in Belgium earlier this year, the machine was shipped and reassembled in the FAST Aero workshop in Brasschaat.

The successful flight reportedly consisted of five circuits of the airfield and a smooth landing. In the process, SL721 (OO-XVI) made history, becoming the first Belgian registered Spitfire to fly in over half a century, and the first ever to depart from Brasschaat airfield.

Click below to check out additional images.

Continue reading Spitfire SL721 Makes History Performing First Flight as Belgian Registered Aircraft