My second attempt to make something beautiful out of the unruly stainless steel. Note the bulge canopy of real blown glass
It also has two landing wheels which can jump out.
Finished in May 2012
The scale of this model is approximately 1/33 of the original size. ( L35cm,H14cm,D28cm )
History of the Spitfire MK1
The Supermarine Spitfire is surely one of the all-time great aircraft. Its brilliant design allowed it to be improved beyond all recognition during its service life. It remained a viable front line fighter from its inception in the mid thirties until well after World War 2. It was a thoroughbred...beautiful to look at, a joy to fly, and a deadly adversary. It performed numerous roles.....fighter/interceptor, photo reconnaissance, fighter/bomber, and shipboard fighter being merely some of them.
It is almost deified in Britain (along with "The Few" who flew it) for its part in saving that country during her darkest hours of the Battle of Britain (An honour which must be shared with the Hawker Hurricane, to be sure, and the British possession of a radar early-warning system).
Today they are always among the most popular warbird attractions at shows and, half a century after production ceased, the numbers of flyable examples is actually increasing. This isdue to the restoration of airframes previously considered to be derelicts - gate guardians at airfields etc.
- Lance Russwurm
HISTORY OF THE SPITFIRE
The story of the illustrious Spitfire begins back in the 1920's when nations competed for enormous international prestige in the Schneider Trophy races for seaplanes.
Reginald Mitchell was the young chief designer for the Supermarine Aviation Works which specialized in making amphibious biplanes. Mitchell set himself the task of creating a winner for Britain as this race was becoming a matter of one-upmanship on a grand scale....rather like yacht racing today.
Born in 1895, Mitchell was fascinated from a very young age by all things mechanical. He was apprenticed at a locomotive works, where he soon became assistant engineer. In 1917 he left to pursue his love of the fledgling aviation industry and joined Supermarine as a draughtsman. By 1920, he was their number one designer. His superior, Hubert Paine, financed an entry by the company for Britain in 1922 in the Schneider Race. These races had been run since 1913 by the International Aeronautical Federation. The rules stated that the first country to win the trophy three times in succession (or four times overall) would get to permanently keep the coveted prize. It would be all or nothing for Britain as the Italians had won in the two preceding years.
Mitchell's design was the heavily streamlined SEA LION II Flying boat. Unusual for the day, it was a monoplane. It won the race easily and set a new speed record of 145.7 mph.
In 1923 and 1924, the Americans won. In 1926, the Italians took it with a Macchi 39.
In 1927, the Brits were winners again with a new Mitchell design, the Supermarine S5, in Venice. In '28, Mitchell produced a more powerful version, the S6....this time with a Rolls Royce 12 cylinder power plant. It won at 328.63 mph.
The following year disaster struck. The government decided to discontinue all support for the event. The aviation industry seemingly wasn't interested either. For two years, there was no contest at all. Then salvation arrived in the person of an eccentric millionairess, Lady Lucy Houston. She donated 100,000 pounds to finance a new entry
It also has two landing wheels which can jump out.
Finished in May 2012
The scale of this model is approximately 1/33 of the original size. ( L35cm,H14cm,D28cm )
History of the Spitfire MK1
The Supermarine Spitfire is surely one of the all-time great aircraft. Its brilliant design allowed it to be improved beyond all recognition during its service life. It remained a viable front line fighter from its inception in the mid thirties until well after World War 2. It was a thoroughbred...beautiful to look at, a joy to fly, and a deadly adversary. It performed numerous roles.....fighter/interceptor, photo reconnaissance, fighter/bomber, and shipboard fighter being merely some of them.
It is almost deified in Britain (along with "The Few" who flew it) for its part in saving that country during her darkest hours of the Battle of Britain (An honour which must be shared with the Hawker Hurricane, to be sure, and the British possession of a radar early-warning system).
Today they are always among the most popular warbird attractions at shows and, half a century after production ceased, the numbers of flyable examples is actually increasing. This isdue to the restoration of airframes previously considered to be derelicts - gate guardians at airfields etc.
- Lance Russwurm
HISTORY OF THE SPITFIRE
The story of the illustrious Spitfire begins back in the 1920's when nations competed for enormous international prestige in the Schneider Trophy races for seaplanes.
Reginald Mitchell was the young chief designer for the Supermarine Aviation Works which specialized in making amphibious biplanes. Mitchell set himself the task of creating a winner for Britain as this race was becoming a matter of one-upmanship on a grand scale....rather like yacht racing today.
Born in 1895, Mitchell was fascinated from a very young age by all things mechanical. He was apprenticed at a locomotive works, where he soon became assistant engineer. In 1917 he left to pursue his love of the fledgling aviation industry and joined Supermarine as a draughtsman. By 1920, he was their number one designer. His superior, Hubert Paine, financed an entry by the company for Britain in 1922 in the Schneider Race. These races had been run since 1913 by the International Aeronautical Federation. The rules stated that the first country to win the trophy three times in succession (or four times overall) would get to permanently keep the coveted prize. It would be all or nothing for Britain as the Italians had won in the two preceding years.
Mitchell's design was the heavily streamlined SEA LION II Flying boat. Unusual for the day, it was a monoplane. It won the race easily and set a new speed record of 145.7 mph.
In 1923 and 1924, the Americans won. In 1926, the Italians took it with a Macchi 39.
In 1927, the Brits were winners again with a new Mitchell design, the Supermarine S5, in Venice. In '28, Mitchell produced a more powerful version, the S6....this time with a Rolls Royce 12 cylinder power plant. It won at 328.63 mph.
The following year disaster struck. The government decided to discontinue all support for the event. The aviation industry seemingly wasn't interested either. For two years, there was no contest at all. Then salvation arrived in the person of an eccentric millionairess, Lady Lucy Houston. She donated 100,000 pounds to finance a new entry