Thanks guys ---
Brian, one day I'll just build a model OOB, not this year or even next year but ---
Anyway, been doing a bit of reading --- the Spiteful Mk.14 was powered by the Griffon 61, the Mk.15 powered by either a Griffon 89 or 90 and the Mk.16 was powered by a Griffon 101, which seems to go along with what Spitfires and Seafires were powered by (except the 101 but I'm sure I'll discover that was installed in a Spitfire at some point). The fuselage fronts are very close to being the same for all types using the same engine mounting brackets too, plus the cowling underside being the same with the standard and extended air intake being swapped around on all versions (there's some photos which show this). So the rocker cover fairings should be the same throughout ---
I was curious to why the Spitefuls wing was positioned where it is, the leading edge lines up about the center of the fifth exhaust stub as it comes out of the engine, whereas the Spitfires wing leading edge starts about 6" (RW) behind the sixth exhaust stub (last one to the rear). I was thinking about it last night just before I dropped off to sleep and this morning when I woke up I think I have the answer (sub-conscious problem solving), I've read somewhere that both the Spitfire's and Spiteful's wings are single spar, the difference is where the spar is. The Spiteful has a laminar flow wing similar to a P-51 and the u/c is mounted in front of the spar and folds away in front of the spar, the Spitfire's u/c is mounted behind the spar and so folds away behind it too (top pic). By looking at the panel lines on the wings you can determine where the spars are and the Spiteful's is more to the middle of the wing even though the chord lengths for both types of wing are about the same. But the spars attach to the fuselages in the same position -----
This discovery has created another problem --- I've got another project to fix
Many years ago I wanted a Spiteful in 1/72 scale but at that time I had no idea what was available (even if one was available). I had got from my wife one of the best books I've ever got, The Complete Book of Fighters by Green and Swansborough. There is a photo of the first Spiteful which was basically a Spitfire Mk.XIV with the new wing, which I thought was an easy conversion to do, a Mk.XIV with an Attacker wing. So I built one (second/third pic), but now I've realized I built it wrong. The wing is in the wrong position as all I did was mount it where the Spitefire wing fitted, so I'll have to correct it (I'll probably just build another one
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