The Spitfire F Mk 24 is a rank IV British fighter with a battle rating of 6.0 (AB), 6.7 (RB), and 6.3 (SB). Late versions of the Spitfire Mk.24 were also fitted with the short barrel Hispano Mk.V 20mm cannon. The only drawback is the cockpit detail is found wanting and would be best supplemented with the Aires cockpit set for expediency.Having such a fine kit as the basis to work from, I couldn’t resist torturing myself by embellishing it with all the aftermarket resin that I could get my hands on. The fit-up of the parts and panel line details are Tamiya quality. The larger diameter four-spoke main wheels were strengthened to cope with the greater weights; post-war these were replaced by wider, reinforced three spoke wheels to allow Spitfires to operate from hard concrete or asphalt runways. The pilot should always use his climb rate to his advantage in combat, using his altitude to dictate the terms of an engagement. These field-converted aircraft were allocated to 430 squadron RCAF.In total, 957 Mk XIVs were built, over 430 of which were FR Mk XIVs.The mark numbers XV and XVII (15 and 17) were reserved for the naval version, the The Mk 18 was a refinement of the Mk XIV. Tamiya Tami60319 Supermarine Spitfire Mk.IXc 1/32. Spitfire F.Mk.24, VN485, seen here at Kai Tak Airport around early to mid-1980, dressed in its final colour of Silver paint in service of the Royal Hong Kong Auxiliary Air Force. 80 Squadron.For this project, I am building a No. As usual, I spent another hour to scrape and sand the kit fuselage and the resin parts thin enough so that they all fit together.The Aires instructions imply I should assemble the tub before putting it into the fuselage, but I built enough Aires cockpit set to know better. Starting in early 1945 most Spitfire Mk XIVs also used clipped wingtips, mainly in an effort to reduce wrinkling of the wing's skin; again the LF prefix was not applied to these aircraft. Better VHF radio equipment allowed for the aerial mast to be removed and replaced by a "whip" aerial further aft on the fuselage spine. 22/424 kit is an excellent kit that build together nicely. Once I painted the engine and attached the engine mounting frame, I trial fitted the assembly to the firewall. An AFDU report on The Mk 22 was identical to the Mk 21 in all respects except for the cut-back rear fuselage, with the tear-drop canopy, and a more powerful 24 volt electrical system in place of the 12 volt system of all earlier Spitfires. VN485 was the last Spitfire to land in Kai Tak Airport during the Queen’s birthday celebration flyby on April 21 1955. The only time-consuming aspect to assembling this set is cutting the resin parts from the pour stubs and sanding them square to fit. 80 Squadron (Squadron Code ‘W2’) with their Spitfire F.Mk. Mk.IV bomb + 2 x 250 lb G.P. It is always better to fit and glue the resin cockpit sides into the fuselage halves first, taking care to align the resin cockpit sil with the kit fuselage. When the Mk.24 cannot make use of its Griffon engine it is highly vulnerable, so pilots should take care to avoid situations where speed and acceleration is a non-fact… Stronger undercarriage legs were raked 2 inches (5.08 cm) forward, making the Spitfire more stable on the ground and reducing the likelihood of the aircraft tipping onto its nose.The Hispano Mk.II cannons were now belt fed from box magazines allowing for 120 rpg (the "Chattellerault" system). The Griffon 61 engine is distinguished by the large box (the two stage supercharger) behind the engine.

The RAF left Kai Tak and moved over to the Shek Kong  (石崗) Airfield where it remained the last bastion of the RAF in Hong Kong until 1997.As the Chinese Civil War came to a climax in the summer of 1949, it was decided that the Crown Colony of Hong Kong needed an air defence unit to keep mainland Chinese forces at bay.