Hobby Master Archive

Hobby Master 1/48 Air Power Series HA7111 Spitfire XIV “NH700/VL-P” Major K C Kuhlmann, No. 322 (Dutch) Sqn., Acklington, March 1944

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 gun covers. Propeller is metal. Extremely sought after by collectors.

Spitfire XIV specifications Basic information: Country of origin: Britain Classification: single-engine fighter Crew: 1 Production: first produced in 1943 Number produced: 957 of all XIV variants Dimensions: Wingspan: 36ft 10in (11.23m) Length: 32ft 8in (9.96m)

Performance: Powerplant: 1 X Rolls-Royce Griffon 65 12 cylinder liquid-cooled engine 2,035hp (1,517kW) Speed max: 447mph (720km/h) Range: 460 miles (740 km) on internal tanks Ceiling max: 42,978ft (13,100m)

Weight: Empty: 6,603lb (2,995kg) Maximum: 10,285lb (4,665kg)

Armament: 2 X 20mm (.078in) Hispano cannons 4 X Browning 7.7mm (0.303in) machine guns Up to a 1,000lb (454kg) payload with other options possible

Probably one of the best-known fighters of WWII the Spitfire had a big psychological effect at home and in Germany. With its great performance the British were given hope of surviving the Battle of Britain and the German pilots learned to respect its fighting capabilities. The name Spitfire came from a nickname the director of Vickers-Armstrongs had for his spirited daughter. There were 24 marks of the Spitfire and many sub-variants. The Mk. XIV was only an interim variant until the Mk. XVIII could be produced. The Spitfire was the only Allied aircraft in continuous production throughout WWII with 957 Mk. XIVs being produced. The Mk. XIV received several modifications such as a bubble canopy and a modified rear fuselage.

The No.322 Squadron was formed on June 12, 1943 at RAF Woodvale. It would be staffed with Dutch personnel from within RAF No.167 Squadron. The squadron was assigned the code-letters VL until late 1944 when it was changed to 3W. In September 1943 Major K.C. Kuhlman, a South African became the No.322 C/O until September 1, 1944 when he was shot down by German flak and spent the remainder of WWII as a POW. From March 1944 until August 1944 No.322 Squadron flew the Spitfire XIV. During a one month period from June 20, 1944 to July 21, 1944 No.322 was tasked with intercepting V-1 Flying Bombs “doodlebugs”. During this one month period one squadron pilot destroyed 5 V-1’s in a single day giving them a total of 108.5 V-1’s.