SUPERMARINE SPITFIRE NIGHTFIGHTER - THE ORIGINAL STEALTH AIRCRAFT
or was it?
This black version Night Fighter that is illustrated by the VMC Night Fighter kit is the Spitfire covered in Black Tissue to emulate it's night flying camouflage , if you wanted to have an air Reconnaissance model you could cover the model blue or Camouflage for a famous Battle of Britain version . What your Spitfire is or becomes is up to you. You build it, you paint it /or cover it. The Night Fighter can be what ever you want it to be. We have included a few other pictures of models, you could build, simply by making a minor change in the colouring , markings or whatever.
You are the builder, the finisher, its up o you what Spitfire you end up with . But rest assured that if you build it light a true and there is no reason you should not - this model with fly!
Free Flight - Is more skillful than the name suggests. You test glide and trim the model. if you get it right
The REAL Spitfire was a Terrible Night Fighter.
Good job this is a model then! Not what you expect to read?
Douglas Warren Veteran from the 2nd World War stated : Only three Spitfire squadrons were trained to fly at night. At the same we did daytime flying. But the Spitfire was a terrible airplane to fly at night. The flames from the exhaust, you'd sit around with dark glasses on, go out to the airplane, start up, taxi out. You'd have, I won't say good night vision, but some night vision. You'd open the throttle, the flames would just come back and all your night vision was lost. Then you'd fly around, up in that sky why it wasn't too bad because you'd throttle back and it was just little blue lights, sort of wasn't too bad. But you'd come in to land and it's awkward to land a Spitfire anyhow because the nose is so big and high. She comes up. And you'd throttle back and it would would go pop, pop, pop and all the flames would shoot out and you would lose all your night vision again.
It was just a terrible airplane for night flying.
There are lots of other Spitfire colour schemes including some civilian ones.
See the photo's at of G Fire the Red Spitfire. That's modelled from a West Wings Kit of a Spitfire which was similar to the Vintage Model Company Night Fighter Spitfire.
The Spitfire was designed by Reginald Mitchell of The Supermarine Aviation Works and is arguably the most elegant but deadly aircraft of World War 2. The beautiful fuselage curves, the distinctive elliptical wings, plus its legendary service in action, make it one of the most recognisable and loved aircraft in the world. The prototype first flew from Eastleigh Aerodrome, near Southampton, England in March 1936.
The Spitfire was an advanced aircraft when first designed and unlike its similarly Merlin-engined stablemate the Hawker Hurricane, used new complicated monocoque construction techniques. As a result of these complexities and production difficulties at Supermarine, the move from prototype to full production was slow and problematic. However, once this was overcome, the Spitfire was produced in huge numbers. This is in part due to the more advanced initial design, which was able to be constantly developed and improved to increase performance, ironically the very thing that hindered it in the early days.
Production only ceased in 1948, making it the only allied aircraft to be manufactured for the entirety of the war.
YOUR KIT
This kit is designed for you to build a traditionally constructed, rubber powered, free flight model of a Spitfire Night fighter. This kit includes the materials (other than paints) to complete the authentic scheme of an all black night fighter Spitfire that served in the 111 Squadron that flew from RAF Debden in 1941.
Construction of the model from this kit uses the traditional method of "stick and tissue", that consists of a built up balsa wood skeleton (framework), covered with a tissue skin. The balsa frameworks are built over a plan that is printed at the exact scale of the model, which is in essence a real engineering drawing. Power is provided by rubber strip motor that is wound up before flight.
Free flight means just that - once the model is launched, it is on its own. It must follow a predetermined flight path established when the model is initially adjusted for flight or "trimmed". This type of traditional building technique and flying requires a degree of patience and skill, but is extremely rewarding. Typically for a small model and in the spirit of the traditional kits, profiles are simplified and adjusted from the original and a relatively large propeller is used. This is done so that the model is light and stable enough to fly on its own, is simple in construction and can work with the rubber motor. These adjustments have been done with care and sensitivity so that the shape and spirit of the original aircraft is preserved as much as possible.
Also in the spirit of the traditional kits, additional items required to build the model are things that can be found in the kitchen drawer or are easily available on the high street.
KIT CONTENTS
Three balsa sheets with precise laser cut parts and strip wood.
PVA glue for building the wooden frames.
One 150mm diameter plastic propeller.
One pre-bent motor hook and shaft.
Three low friction plastic nose bushings - one for the propeller and two for the undercarriage wheels.
One vacuum formed canopy and spinner.
Piano wire for the main undercarriage and tail wheel legs.
One motor peg (cocktail stick or toothpick).
Rubber motor strip.
Tissue to cover the model.
Parts reference sheet (W), full size summary plan sheet (X), scheme diagram sheet (Y) and scheme markings (Z) printed on lightweight paper.