1/144 "Messerspit"

[Texman]

In Nov 1942, Spitfire Vb EN830, accidentally landed in German occupied territory.
The aircraft was flown to Rechlin, where some modifications were made.
First, its 12v elect system was replaced with the Luftwaffe 24v system. This necessitated
changes in instrumentation, including the pitot tube.

Noting that the fuselage had a similar shape to the -109/-110 family, the Merlin 45 engine
was replaced with the Daimler Benz DB 605 engine and cowlings. The spinner and propeller
from a Bf-109 G were also installed.
The aircraft was destroyed in a bombing attack in 1944.

I have wanted to add this aircraft to my collection for a long time. One Friday, I wondered if it
could be done with the Scissor and Plane kits.
Finding a suitable Spitfire Vb, and the Bf-109G, I printed out the applicable fuselage parts to make
the kit bash. My first run proved it was feasible. The second printing was a b/w version to verify/modify
the locations of the lines I needed to modify, and the location of the DB605 carburetor intake.

I modified the parts in Inkscape, with the coloring and markings to follow.
By Monday afternoon, I had a buildable print out.

I found I was able to shape the spinner to an acceptable shape using my dapping block set.
I added a set of simple exhausts to the kit. These work out well for 1/144 scale, but can
be cut out separately and added individually for the 1/100 and larger set.

Also added were the 20mm
cannon bulges on the wings. The cannons and machine guns were removed from the
actual aircraft, but the bulges remained.
This is my first repaint/mod done completely in vector format. I have not tested it in a larger scale,
so it is hopeful it would scale up well.

And now, the pic to show it is possible. Some little uglies do remain, but that is all on me.



This kit should be available on Ecardmodels this weekend.

[René]

just awesome, congrats to you !

[chaparral2d]

Nicely done! This will definitely be purchased.

Dave

[rifleman]

thats a great job on your build

[Yale]

As I read somewhere, the Merlin engine was only 60% the size of the Me's engine. (The Germans had to use low-octane fuel, so needed bigger engines to get the necessary power.) This must have meant lots of center-of-gravity adjustments for the re-engined Spit -- such as changing the angle of the landing gear. It's hard to believe that this composite aircraft would have been such an improvement over the standard 109 as to justify all this effort. Still, it's a great story. And, as always, real-world failures can become great models.

[Don Boose]

I think the Messerspit was a good-looking airplane, whatever its performance might have been. And the model looks great.

Don

[dhanners]

A Spit in German markings? That just looks wrong.

Once again, Ray, you come through with a miniature masterpiece. Your work inspires.

[rockpaperscissor]

Terrific mods and build. It's a beauty with a very interesting backstory.

[cardist]

Another little cracker Ray. I am having a go at some smaller scale stuff myself (1/400 scale), so having to train the fingers for this.
All the best.

[Texman]

Thank you all. I do appreciate your taking time to visit,
and your comments and input!