Author Topic: Spit plans book? (Read 693 times)

TDeacon · « **on:** October 01, 2005, 09:55:16 AM »

Hi all,

I'd like to try my hand at a Spit skin, when the new models come out. Anyone know of a good source of plans, showing rivets? The Osprey "Aircraft of the Aces" series doesn't show rivets for Spits, just panel lines. (Actually the Spit I/II book shows rivets; I suppose I could use those for later models too, but that's not ideal in terms of accuracy).

Thanks in advance.

Greebo · « **Reply #1 on:** October 01, 2005, 12:43:36 PM »

Try this site Airmess and Cit put me on to, lots of three view drawings with panel line and rivets: http://www.airwar.ru/other/drawe.html

TDeacon · « **Reply #2 on:** October 01, 2005, 02:36:25 PM »

Thanks Greebo, but no Spit rivet plans evident on site; just panel line plans. Am I overlooking something?

Krusty · « **Reply #3 on:** October 01, 2005, 02:42:50 PM »

Well, my question would be "Which spit?"

SELECTOR · « **Reply #4 on:** October 01, 2005, 03:06:53 PM »

not to be a doom merchant , but that russian site has really dodgy plans...
problem with sites like this is you get a few skinners using it as a resource sight, they make a few skins with bad errors because of the origional drawings being wrong, other people start to use the new skins as templates, the errors are compounded, new errors occour, before you know it we have planes being made with dodgy panel lines and rivits where they should be none..
many many skins in the game have this problem. im not saying they are bad , many are really good works of art, just wrong..
one thing that sticks in my mind stright away is the numbers above the p47 guns.i have never seen this in any photographs from ww2.. first time i saw it was in the il2 game...( im sure im gonna be proven wrong now)
but be careful with what you take a complete plan..

Krusty · « **Reply #5 on:** October 01, 2005, 03:28:27 PM »

Excellent point. However, sometimes plan-form sketches are scarce, and one must take what one can get. It's not as if the panel lines and rivets were visible in real life, so if the panel lines are a little off my philosophy is to let it be.

Re: P47 gun numbers: I don't think I've seen them before either, not until AH skins started carrying them.

TDeacon · « **Reply #6 on:** October 01, 2005, 04:17:34 PM »

Well, I have rivets in the Osprey "Aircraft of the Aces" Spit I/II book, which are good enough for the game. I could get away with using the same rivet patterns for Spit V, Spit IX, etc., because rivets are barely visible on a properly done skin, even up close, and most of them were probably the same anyway. My conscience would be fairly clear.

I guess I was looking for a sanity check for Spit I/II rivets on later models are said to be under development by HTC.

On the Russian site, I guess I would trust the Osprey books a bit more, if there was conflicting info. I remember their claim of "all new drawings" and "extensive research", last time I visited my bridge in Brooklyn (only $500.).

Kev367th · « **Reply #7 on:** October 01, 2005, 08:14:43 PM »

Main diff will be the wing panel layouts between an a, b, improved b (commonly called c), c (true c was 4 x20mm) or e wing.

There will prob be some overlaps eg a Mk II with cannons will need to go on a Mk V skin.

Greebo · « **Reply #8 on:** October 02, 2005, 04:59:31 AM »

Errr.....sorry about that, got my sources mixed up somewhere. I've uploaded some files to this link: Spitfire drawings. Hopefully it should work.

Generally I try to avoid using one source for anything. I've got the Osprey and Squadron Spitfire books plus a few others. There are usually just a few areas where sources disagree and if possible I check these against photos etc.

Kev367th · « **Reply #9 on:** October 02, 2005, 08:43:01 AM »

Thanks Greebo.
Got a small problem though.
There never really was a Spit IXc despite what all the model manufacturers would have us believe. It was more properly a IXb, same goes for the early Mk VIIIs.
Later on the large cannon blister on the wings was replaced by a much smaller more streamlined version.

Was all due to a redesign of the b wing, was more properly referred to as an improved b wing rather than a c wing. The original c wing carried 4x20mms.

TDeacon · « **Reply #10 on:** October 02, 2005, 12:45:43 PM »

Thanks for the plans, Greebo.

Additionally, I just bought "Spitfire, Flying Legend" (Dibbs/Holmes), which has lots of very large color photos of present-day restored spits.

Guppy35 · « **Reply #11 on:** October 02, 2005, 12:57:08 PM »

Quote

Originally posted by Kev367th
Thanks Greebo.
Got a small problem though.
There never really was a Spit IXc despite what all the model manufacturers would have us believe. It was more properly a IXb, same goes for the early Mk VIIIs.
Later on the large cannon blister on the wings was replaced by a much smaller more streamlined version.

Was all due to a redesign of the b wing, was more properly referred to as an improved b wing rather than a c wing. The original c wing carried 4x20mms.

Nope, not accurate Kev. Gotta lose the A,B,C, wing designations unless you are talking specifically about the Spitfire V. (The few cannon armed Spit Is and IIs were called IBs and IIBs)

The IX had the universal wing from the outset. This was what was called the C wing on the Spit V. But as the Spit IX was only going to have the Universal wing, there were not seperate designations.

The Spitfire IXB was how the Spit drivers unoffically referred to the Spitfire LFIX. Nothing to do with wing design. The first Spit IXs were called IXAs. These were officially Spitfire FIX

Only when the wing was redesigned to take the 2 20mm and 2 .5MGs was there a seperate wing designation for the Spitfire IX which is why you will see officially the LFIXE but you won't see the C designation officially anywhere for the IX.

That is purely the historians mistake.

Kev367th · « **Reply #12 on:** October 02, 2005, 01:38:23 PM »

Yeah I really should have mentioned Mk numbers in my original post.

Was really trying to point out really the only main diffs will be the wing panel layouts depending on a,b,c, or e wings. (of course dependant on Mk number).

But as you correctly mentioned about the IX, still surprising to see the amount of references to a Mk IXc.

Greebo · « **Reply #13 on:** October 07, 2005, 01:19:25 PM »

I've just got hold of a Spitfire book from Amazon which has rivet line drawings in it. It is The Supermarine Spitfire, Modellers Datafile No3 by Robert Humphreys. Published by SAM Publications, its ISBN number is 0-9533465-2-8.

This book is written for plastic kit and R/C modellers. The panel and rivet line drawings cover every Merlin powered Spitfire and Seafire. It includes lots of closeup photos of Spits, inside and out. Also it has a load of internal structure drawings, cockpit paintings and colour profiles. There is coverage of RAF marking and colour scheme variations too. This is the best book on the Spit for skinners I've come across, although there are better books if you just want to read about Spitfires in general.

I wish I'd found this book earlier. Apparently they also do similar books on the Mossie and Hurricane.

TDeacon · « **Reply #14 on:** October 07, 2005, 10:25:29 PM »

Thanks for the info; I just ordered it. BTW, there seem to be 2 books, with volume 1 for the Merlin and volume 2 for the Griffin-engined variants.