I want to know how hard it would be to convert a MKIX to a MKIII. I want to build Bill Skinner’s “Lonesome Polecat” and I have a MKIXc. From all I can tell he flew a MKIII.
Thanks in advance!
It’s not too difficult (by the way, it’s VIII, not III.) The VIII had the same “C” armament, as the IX, and the same basic shape; the only major difference being the pointed, broad-chord, rudder of the VIII.
Edgar
Plus, the Mk. VIII had a retractable tailwheel, while the Mk. IX didn’t. This picture of an ICM Spitfire VII shows the arrangement - it’s easy enough to modify a Spit IX to this configuration:
Also, some Mk. IXs had the broad-chord rudder. Check your references.
Cheers,
Chris.
Oops! Never noticed I left out the “V”. Thanks for the info guys. I guess I won’t need to buy another kit after all.
Interesting sidenote… I was just reading this in a Spitfire 70th Anniversary magazine.
The first prototype Spitfire IX was actually built on a Mk. III frame. The Mk. III was not ready for production, and the IX was a stop gap measure to try and restore the Spitfire’s ability to fight on par after the Fw-190 emerged. They paired the newer Merlin with the III airframe, and the next thing you know, you have the IX.
The first few batches of IX’s were actually in-production V’s with some changes to bring them up to IX’s.
What ended up happening was the two most built variants- the V and the IX, were stop gap measures that other marks of Spits were supposed to fulfill. Weird, huh?