Hobby Master Archive

Hobby Master 1/48 Air Power Series HA7108 Supermarine Spitfire Mk. XIVe, IQ-V/SG-108 Ecole de Chasse (Fighter School) Belgian Air Force, 1950s LIMITED EDITION

1/48 scale pre-finished Die-cast metal with a minimum of plastic. Professionally painted. All markings pad applied for superb results. Cockpit slides open. Cockpit side door opens. Comes with a pilot that can be removed. Comes with display stand. Landing gear is fully retractable and can be displayed up or down. Removable wing ammo bay covers. Propeller is metal. Extremely sought after by collectors.

Specifications Spitfire Mk.XIVe Type: fighter Powerplant: 1x Griffon 65 or 66, 2,050 hp, Rolls Royce, 12 cylinder V, liquid cooled Max Speed (Sea Level): 309 mph (499 kph) Max speed: 448 mph (721 km/h) at 26,000ft (7,925 m). Climbing Rate: 4,700 ft (1,432 m) / min Time to 20,000 ft: (6,100 m), 7 min.

Service ceiling: 44,500 ft (13,564 m). Max range: 850 mi. (1,368 km).

Empty weight: 6,600 Ib (2,994 kg). Gross weight: 8,500 Ib (3,856 kg).

Wing span: 36ft 10 in (11.23 m) Wing area: 242 sq ft (22.48 m2) Length: 32 ft 8 in (9.96 m). Height: 12 ft 8in (3.85 m)

Armament: 4x .303 in (7.7 mm) BSA or 2x 12.7 mm (.50 in) Browning machine guns 2x 20 mm Hispano Mk.II cannon, wings

The early versions of the Spitfire Mk.XIV used the “C” wing but the “E” wing soon became standard. The bubble canopy used on the photo-recon version for better pilot visibility replaced the early step-type canopy on the fighter version. The enormous power of the Griffon engine required the addition of a 5-bladed propeller and a 13-gallon tank in the leading edge of each wing. Also placed in each wing were two .50 caliber machine guns and two 20mm cannons. The Mk.XIV was also stressed to carry 1,000 pounds of bombs.

In November 1950 former RAF Mk. XIVe Spitfire NH-904 was acquired by the Belgium military and marked as B2-K/SG-108. In April 1951 it was transferred to Belgium Fighters' School at Koksijde (Coxyde in French) and remarked IQ-V/SG-108. It was retired in 1954, sold for scrap in 1957. The dealer chopped the wings off and placed the fuselage on his shop roof. Bought in 1966 and brought to the UK it received the wings from Mk. XIVc RM694. In 1968 purchased for the film “Battle of Britain”. Next owners were Jeff Hawks 1969-71, Sir Roberts 1971-79, Spencer Flack 1979-88 painted red and white registered as G-FIRE. Planes of Fame East, Minnesota 1988-1991 as N8118J, Robert Pond, Minnesota 1991-1997 as N1148P, Palm Springs Air Museum 1997 to present marked as W2-P.

THESE ARE PRE-PRODUCTION PICTURES NOT THE FINISHED MODEL