Spitfires

[arun 0]

Hi chaps - I've asked this elsewhere, but there's nowhere like "home". Any recommendations for Spitfire kits? Am looking for plan build or kit. Worth noting the aim of this is a long term build project to a high standard, so not scared how hard the kit is, if I have to stop and learn other skills along the way I will Haven't decided on a size yet, but probably would like to run a petrol engine in it.

 

I've looked at the following so far TopFlite, Ziroli, Warbird Replicas, Mick Reeves, DB Sport & Scale, Nijhuis, Brian Taylor. Is there anything I've missed? Anyone know what kit/plan Roger's spit is?

[Trevor 25]

I believe rogers current spit is a Kyosho 90 size artf. The Brian Taylor is a classic kit but quite big for the Fickleshole field. There is also a Dennis Bryant plan on Traplet which is about 63in span

 

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[arun 0]

Thanks Trevor, wasn't aware of the Dennis Bryant one - any idea of its flying credentials? Doubt this one will be for Fickleshole so I'm not too worried about size during the selection process...

[Peter 0]

I think the Dennis Bryant is a Spitfire mk24so has the bubble canopy and a longer nose.

The D B sport and scale has a goodflying pedigree and is suitable for petrol

Peter

[Trevor 25]

As Peter says, the Dennis Bryant one is a Mk22 and too small for petrol. If size is no object and you enjoy building then the DB Sport one is the one I personally would go for. The Mick Reeves 1/4 scale is big and needs 60-100cc petrol, probably too big. His 1/6 scale one is probably a bit too small for petrol. The next choice would be the Brian Taylor 83" span. The Kyosho artf 90 size is a good plane and flies well but probably a bit small for petrol.

[arun 0]

Love building, but I'll have to chip away at it slowly due to other commitments an probably less ambitious builds along the way. Inception to airworthiness likely to be measured in years but my lifetime objective for the hobby has always been a 1/4 scale model of a Spitfire ... so I need to get practicing to make that a reality many years from now

[YellowAlert 0]

I was talking to a warbird expert about this kindof subject recently.. He always said smaller Spritfires aren't so good, best start with 1/6th scale (around 72" span). The Kyosho and Dennis Bryant models are no doubt good but 1/6th scale+ models have far more 'presence' in the air anyway.

 

Adding another mere 10-15 inches to the windspan adds an amazing amount more to presence too, but this is apparently where a lot of warbird newbies go wrong - an 88" warbird can weigh twice that of a 72" model and demands far more from the pilot.. I can tell you flying a 72" warbird is a big enough step up from .60-size models - just don't ask how the Wycombe MFC BBQ got bent last year!

 

Consequently I think the smart thing to do is start with a 72" ARTF - which is why I'm building a YT FW-190 right now (build thread to come). Even though it's "only" an ARTF there is plenty more complexity to make the build lengthy and interesting. The idea is to learn the typical warbird mistakes on an ARTF I'm not emotionally attached too. Then perhaps after many (50+) incident-free flights I'll put the time and effort into building a 'proper' 1/5+ scale model (plenty of good choices in the OP).

 

One thing I will say however is please, please don't put a 2-stroke petrol in it - one way to ruin a nice scale model is to make it sound like a cheap lawnmower! I don't know what the larger 4-stroke petrols sound like (all I know is they're expensive!), but you can't beat a 4-stroke glow in the 20-25cc range..

 

Sam

[YellowAlert 0]

In answer to my own question (4-st petrol sound), this doesn't sound too bad:

 

Still not as nice as glow 4-st mind..