The Spitfire PRXI(T), the conversion that doesn't need a conversion......

[Freightdog862]

Ah! And I've just put an order in with you Colin! 

Could I add the Brigade conversion to my order and you invoice me for it please?

Certainly. I found it deep in the shed (which was the hardest part), and will add to the box. No charge for the Brigade set, I know it's going to a good home.

I've also included a white metal contra prop for the MB.5.

Thanks,
Colin

[PR19_Kit]

Colin, you're one GREAT guy, thanks very much.         

[Wardukw]

Why don't ppl make contra props in 48th ?
Would make my wiffy ideas a damn site easier to come to life I can tell ya .

[PR19_Kit]

Thanks to the wonderful Mr. Freightdog I now have a Brigade Models Tr.9 conversion kit. 

It's not perfect but it's a whole order better than the M&E one, lovely panel lines, and accurate shape too.



The fuselage halves needed a bit of fettling, but what low production kits don't? It came out looking pretty good once I'd done with the filing and sanding, and here it is compared to the KP PRXI fuselage.



You can see in this case they pretty well are the same, correct length, and the panel lines align with each other nicely, so it was out with the razor saw!



I didn't want to lose the superb wing/fuselage alignment of the KP kit, so sawed just the upper part of the fuselage out in both cases, and they fit pretty well. Nothing that a tad PSR won't sort out anyway. The big difference is the thickness of the mouldings, the Brigade one being almost THREE times as thick as the KP one! 

I'll probably have to chop chunks off the KP cockpit interior to get it to fit, but it's a small canopy anyway, so no-one will notice that I'm sure. The Brigade conversion comes with a complete rear cockpit assembly, floor, panel and seat, but moulded in clear, along with the rear canopy, that's a bit different.

All in all, I'm quite pleased with the progress on this project so far, mostly thanks to Colin Freightdog!         

[Diamondback]

Coincidence that Airfix Model World's June issue has a cover story about an Irish TR.9 build from their new kit?

[PR19_Kit]

Yeah, and it's 1/48 of course.

I've very little hope they'll do it in 1/72 as well, they just don't think like that any more.

[PR19_Kit]

Hmmm, it sort of works, or it will do once I've fettled the various bits of the Brigade conversion that don't match each other...........



Overall the Brigade parts are too wide for the KP fuselage, but it was designed to fit the Italeri Mk. IX so I guess I can't complain too much. I've filed down the inboard edges of the Brigade parts and it's almost there now, but the various connection parts of the two cockpits don't match each other fore and aft, so they'll need a little trimming. The all important fit of the aft canopy is OK though, a big relief.

Trying to build the cockpit is trying, even SEEING the clear parts is difficult, but so far I have the KP seat and rudder bars matched with the Brigade floor OK. The clear rear panel will need painting before I can get it in place, now I just look right through it!

It's getting there, slowly.............

[PR19_Kit]

Assembling the cockpit of this one is really difficult, not helped by the thickness of the Brigade Models conversion's fuselage. I've mixed-and-matched the KP and Brigade cockpit parts as well as I can, with the KP parts severely narrowed, and the Brigade floor cracked and bent up to position the rear seat somewhere sensible. Built their way he'd not be able to see over the cockpit coaming, let alone instruct the pupil in the front seat! 

I've got half a backstory written, explaining why they built a 2 seater AGES before Supermarine put them into production post-WWII, but I've been stymied in trying to find a suitable serial number for the PRXI(T). There are loads of lists available, but most of them totally ignore which Mark of Spitfire applies to which serial, showing just 'Spitfire' alongside the number. Totally useless. 

I've got Bruce Robertson's book on the subject at home, but that's 120 miles away just now. The book is wonderful, full of all sorts of handy blank sections in the serial lists, just the thing for whiffing. 

[Gondor]

Assembling the cockpit of this one is really difficult, not helped by the thickness of the Brigade Models conversion's fuselage. I've mixed-and-matched the KP and Brigade cockpit parts as well as I can, with the KP parts severely narrowed, and the Brigade floor cracked and bent up to position the rear seat somewhere sensible. Built their way he'd not be able to see over the cockpit coaming, let alone instruct the pupil in the front seat! 

I've got half a backstory written, explaining why they built a 2 seater AGES before Supermarine put them into production post-WWII, but I've been stymied in trying to find a suitable serial number for the PRXI(T). There are loads of lists available, but most of them totally ignore which Mark of Spitfire applies to which serial, showing just 'Spitfire' alongside the number. Totally useless. 

I've got Bruce Robertson's book on the subject at home, but that's 120 miles away just now. The book is wonderful, full of all sorts of handy blank sections in the serial lists, just the thing for whiffing. 

I have the Morgan & Shacklady book. What type of serial are you looking for? A Mk. IX converted to a XI, A straight build, or some other type of conversion?

Gondor

[PR19_Kit]

I have the Morgan & Shacklady book. What type of serial are you looking for? A Mk. IX converted to a XI, A straight build, or some other type of conversion?

I've got 'The Book' too Alastair, but it's at home and I won't be there until the 10th.

I'm thinking of an early PRXI that had an accident and the 'wreckage' was converted to the PRXI(T) as an experiment. It ought to be in the EN series I reckon, but I'm not sure which of those were converted Mk XVIII airframes or built from scratch. IIRC the Mk IX conversions were early/middle period PRXIs, weren't they?

[Gondor]

The Mk.XI was intended to be the PR version of the Mk.VIII but emerged as a version of the Mk.IX instead. The initial Mk.XI production was bolstered by converting former Mk.IX's with Merlin 61, 63 and 63A engines. The first converted aircraft was BS497, with EN343 and EN419 following.
From what I understand of the data given, the first pure build Mk.XI's were from a contract in 1940, they had serials from BS497-499 and 501-502. A couple of orders later, there were more Mk.XI's, serials EN149-151, 153-154, 260, 263, 330-332, 337-338, 341-343, 346-348, 385, 391, 395-396, 407-430, 503-504, 507-508 and 652-685.

Hope that helps you until you get to your references.

Gondor

[PR19_Kit]

Hmm, that's quit1e a bit different from what I've read on the Net, but I'd be inclined to believe 'The Book', it's the fount of all Spitfire knowledge really.

Lots of gaps in the EN ranges, which would suit my purpose nicely. 

Thanks for looking Alastair. 

[Gondor]

Hmm, that's quit1e a bit different from what I've read on the Net, but I'd be inclined to believe 'The Book', it's the fount of all Spitfire knowledge really.

Lots of gaps in the EN ranges, which would suit my purpose nicely. 

Thanks for looking Alastair. 

I would take care when picking a number that appears blank from the above list. It is possible that another aircraft type or types were allocated the numbers in my previous post.

Gondor

[PR19_Kit]

I'll check with Brian Robertson's book as well, just to make sure.

Here's the cockpit stuff all crammed into the fuselage side at last. It took a LOTS of filing to get the various seats, bulkheads etc. to get the port fuselage side to fit. There's NO way the rear seat for the Brigade conversion would fit inside their own fuselage halves, it's much too wide. But not any more. 



Quite how I'm going to paint that lot I'm not sure, and I KNOW the back seater has no joystick, but there's nowhere to put it anyway, and he'll have to have his feet amputated as well as the rear panel goes right down to the floor! But no-one will be able to see it, so I don't care.