Information about Plastic Model Kit
| Model kit: | Supermarine Spitfire Mk.I |
| Finished: | 2011 |
| Manufacturer: | Airfix |
| Camouflage version: | No.19(F) Squadron, Royal Air Force Duxford, Uk, August 1938 |
| Scale: | 1/72 |
| Number of parts: | 36 |
| Size of the model: | 4.7 inches x 6.3 inches (12 cm x 16 cm) |
| Difficulty: |  |
| Quality of the model kit: |  |
| Brief description of the model kit: | I was really surprised with quality of the model kit. I always thought that Airfix kits are very cheap and of poorer quality, although I do not know why. In spite of the fact that the cocpit canopy is rather thick and engraving is rough I do not have anything else to criticize. There is a very interesting pre-war color scheme included in the manual. Decals are nice and thin enough. The kit is on the level of kits produced by large companies such as Academy or Tamyia. Also, notable fact is that the price was very low, ranging from €5 to €7. |
| Brief description of construction: | I used the model of Spitfire as an example how to build plastic model kit. Description of the building procedure is described in several articles which can be found in Tips and Tricks section (link to the first article). |
History
Supermarine Spitfire was a British single-seat fighter aircraft serving in the Royal Air Force and also in other air forces of the Allied armies during World War II. Spitfire and Hurricane formed the foundation of British fighter aircrafts.
In 1934 the Ministry of Aviation commissioned a request for a new fighter. Supermarine company introduced Type 224th. It was a low-wing monoplane with its wing shaped in W. This type had failed, and aircraft Gloster SS.37 won the contract. Aeronautical engineer Reginald J. Mitchell worked for the Supermarine, decided to continue to develop and create a new plane. He designed Type 300th Staffed aircraft with four machine guns and a new Rolls-Royce engine. The Ministry approved production of this new aircraft. The first serial made Spitfire Mk.I took off on May 14, 1938 and was assigned to 19th Fighter Squadron at RAF Duxford.
This version of Spitfire had twelve-cylinder, liquid-cooled engine Merlin II with a maximum output of 1,015 hp (757 kW). Weight of the aircraft was 4,517 pounds (2,049 kg). Its maximum speed was 346 mph (557 km/h) and a maximum altitude was about 30,500 ft (9,296 m). Armament of aircraft consisted of eight 0.303 in (7.7 mm) Browning machine guns.
Source of information:
- Supermarine Spitfire - Wikipedia. Link to the source: en.wikipedia.org.
- Aircrafts between years 1939 and 1945. Jaroslav Schmid. Fraus 1992, Pilsen.
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