Spitfires, what else?

My queue is sitting pretty big right now. Before the batch build I’ve got 3 Spitfires, a Swordfish, Wildcat, Walrus, Fortress, Tomahawk and a Saturn V in the works. I’ve agreed to build out of scale and make the Monogram He-111 for a local museum as part of a “Bomber Bash” challenge with the club. I’m liking the new Eduard Fw-190A kits, so loaded up on the A-8 and have some A-5s headed my way. I probably won’t start the Luftwaffe stuff anytime soon, certainly not until my queue gets smaller. So what’s a guy to do? Add more Spitfires to his queue!

The Spitfire XVI

The Spitfire XVI was delivered beginning Summer 1944 to maintenance units. By the time they received all their necessary modifications and upgrades they started showing up in combat units just before Christmas 1944. Most modelers (I was one) simply assumed the XVI was a bubble top Spitfire IX, but that’s technically not true. The XVI was a IXe that had the Packard built low altitude rated Merlin 66, technically referred to as a Merlin 266. The engine was configured just different enough such the top cowling need a slight bulge to it. This was standardized on all IX and XVI to ease manufacture, so a late IX looks identical to the XVI.

The IX was developing fast and by Summer 1944 it was being delivered with a Volkes tropicalized filter (originated on the Mk VIII) as well as “e” wing armament of 2x cannons and 2x .50 machine guns (the guns replacing the 4x .303 guns), the armament enabled by the gyroscopic gunsight.

The IXe was supplanted on the production line by the XVI. Of note, the XVI was never referred to as the “XVIe” because all XVI had the ‘e’ wing configuration. Shortly after installation of the Merlin 266 commenced, the production line introduced the rear view, or ‘bubble top’ to the XVI. The low altitude performance of the type quickly showed too much stress on the wing spar, especially if carrying a bomb load (which was typical for all fighters by late 1944) so the wing tips were clipped, and required to be so on all rear view types until the redesigned (strengthened) wing of the XVIII was introduced.

To the modeler-historian, all Spitfire LF.XVI RV (Spitfire Low altitude optimized Fighter, Mark XVI, Rear View) had the Merlin 266 with ‘bubble top’ canopy and ‘e’ wing armament. The LF.IXe was similar, but none were delivered with the ‘bubble top’. So it’s possible to see both the LF.XVI and LF.XVI RV in units from 1945, including post-war as the type was quickly becoming obsolescent in RAF service, but served well in the last few months of the war in Europe.

Heller’s XVI

The Heller kit is ancient by modern standards, being from the 1970’s. It has raised panel lines but decent cockpit detail for its time. It’s only real flaw is the too large radiators under the wing, the kit’s radiators are more appropriate for a Griffon engined XIV or XVIII, not smaller Merlin.

Fixing the flaw is quite easy. Just take a razor saw that is about 0.5mm thick and cut each radiator off, then literally glue it right back on. The plugs used to replicate the actual radiators need to be filed down to ensure the wing top fits, but that’s it really. All other construction goes as the kit instructions recommend.

Summary

I’ve got 5 of these in my batch build going. After week 2 I’m almost ready to paint. Details are done, such as the props and the cockpits. This is a very relaxing build session and when I’m done all my Heller XVI kits will be on my shelf. I do have Sword XVI on the go as well, and frankly its construction is just as easy as the Heller but without the flaw in the radiators. And lots more detail to boot!

Thanks for looking…