SPITFIRE XIV "High Back"- Build Log Pt. 1

 HOBBYCRAFY 1/48 SPITFIRE XIV

I got this open-bag kit recently on ebay for $0.99 USD.... I joke that it cost more to mail it than to purchase! 😄
And while I see the purchase as a win, myself, Hobbycraft kits have a reputation as dogs in the scale modeling world. For me, it will mark my re-entry into scale modeling, the old fashioned way.

KIT NOTES

This Hobbycraft kit is pretty basic, with only about 40 parts, total...typical of Hobbycraft. It is also long out of production, and hails from the 1990's, about 3 decades behind today's kits. It was part of the early tooling efforts from the Korean manufacturers, and so it lacks the super fine detail of today’s kits. 
Scale modelers in 2026 enjoy an truly amazing glut of 3rd and 4th generation kits from Airfix, Eduard, ICM, Tamiya, Arma Hobby, etc., and they have come to expect two things....

• To spend a lot of money on a kit

• To get a lot of microscopic detail for the money. 

Therefore, this kit is inevitably compared in an unfavorable light againt modern tooled kits. Frankly, those have more parts in the cockpit, than this one has in the whole box!

The basic layout of the kit, as received. 

But, I'm positive about something: it is not a terrible kit.
It has acceptable shape overall, and many say it captures the shape of the Spitfire Mk XIV better than some newer attempts. It also sports 1st generation engraved surface detail and panel lines. This detail is not done to the nth degree, but its workable. I've built other Hobbycraft kits in the past and they build up into good shelf sitters, which is what matters in the end.
The build philosophy on this one will focus on fit and finish, with just a few prominent details to be highlighted. I cover that below.
For me, it's a chance to revive and tune-up my modeling skills - not a fall into place assembly project.

The kit decals

Decals

With any kit, decals are my favorite part. But the kit decals with this one are mostly unsuitable. They ARE there, so that's good. But there's no stenciling, on a bird that had plenty of it. Secondly, there are more profound problems.
The colors are strong with no yellowing of the carrier film, BUT the squadron and aircraft code letters are the WRONG color and their shape is way off. I could use the roundels, but this decal sheet is probably headed for the, "decal dungeon."

The Important Things
All that said, there is a checklist of things that will matter when finished:

1. The cockpit will be given a sense of busy-ness under the closed canopy, but thats it.
   Unlike the majority of my fellow modelers, I’m not in love with super-detailing cockpits in these smaller scales. This one plays to that, since there is little cockpit detail included. It will be a “simple” project…not a rivet counting exercise. 

2. The fit and appearance of the unique 5 blade prop and massive spinner are crucial. This part of the aircraft juts out in front, and cannot be overlooked, so it needs to be just right. The prop seems a little small, but I’m running with it.

3. The exhaust stacks of the brutish Griffon engine stand out, too, and the kit pieces are crap. I’ve sourced some aftermarket versions.

4. Next in line are the XIV's engine rocker covers. They also stick out like the proverbial sore thumb, and the Hobbycraft kit needs some extra definition in this area.
   

3. The landing gear are out front, of course, and they're soft on detail. They will get as much detailing treatment as I can manage.

4. The guns in this kit need attention, as well…both their root fairings at the wing, and the cannon muzzles. Like everything else on this plane, from the cockpit forward, the guns catch ones attention.

5. Paint scheme is to be 1944 RAF spec, "Day Fighter" scheme:
   Disruptive, Ocean Grey + Dark Green on upper surfaces, Medium Sea Grey undersides, Sky spinner and empennage band.
   Fortunately, the instructions call out FS numbers to get me started. The plan is to depict an Air Defense of Great Britain (ADGB) fighter, based in the south of England.

6. The markings I want are for a V-1 defender during June-July, 1944.
   The kit decal aircraft codes depict such a bird (even if they're wrong in other ways), and that started me learning about the RAF’s V-1 defense program (Operation Diver).
   It’s a fascinating, poignant story and I want to honor the suffering Brits and those pilots with this model.
   But I have to find some proper decals! The chase is on…

7. Weathering is planned to be mild, depicting active, in-service wear, not a ragged, worn out hack.

8. I wish to mount the bird to a base and add a pilot or maintenance figure for scale and the “human element.”

This kit will take some doing, as I regroup my modeling tools and skills. But I used to do this stuff on the regular, back a few decades.
And amid the crowded field of Mustangs, P-47’s, and Messerchmidts, these late-model Spits stand alone as the most elegant, “total package” combat birds of WWII!

Thanks for reading, and Part 2 is forthcoming, so stay tuned!

Sincerely,
David

South Carolina, USA

I recently got a Hobbycraft Spitfire XIV and the previous owner had made some “modifications”….

1. The ailerons and the flaps were both cut from the wing halves, elevators untouched.
2. Various cockpit bits are started-ish.

Well, the Spit XIV isnt seen in period fotos with the flaps down, and almost never will you see the ailerons in anything but a neutral position. So the other person was trying to do something that was uncharacteristic for Spitfires
That it because the ailerons were balanced to rest at neutral. Rarely will you see them in another position.
Meanwhile, the flaps were ONLY used for landing and were immediately retracted once the wheels were in firm ground contact. SO they should be posed in the retracted position.
Why?
Because the flaps were pnuematically actuated and there was only two positions - fully retracted and 85% OPEN!
This means they were a bit of hazard for ground crews and subject to damage while on the ground, so they were immediately retracted upon landing.
By contrast, they were NOT used to take off….flaps weren’t needed on take off, as the excellent lift generated at take off speed by the Spitfire wingform was enough. In short, there was more than enough lift without the flaps. In reality, they were more of a drag brake than a lift augmentation, and their main purpose was to help the Spitfire come in hot and fast on the short, congested runways of the time.
It went something like this:

1. Steep approach
2. Drop flaps once over the wire
3. Descend rapidly on the flaps, touch down
4. Start rollout and retract flaps right away

So the flaps on a display model, wheels down and on the ground, should be up, ailerons at neutral. That means I have to reattach the parts the other person cut off and then fill and rescribe as necessary.
ELEVATORS
The elevators on Spits are usually seen drooped, on the other hand, because theyre mass balanced to be neutral inflight… and they tended to droop down when on the ground. So Ill have to cut them away to pose them drooped, as the next step.

PS The cockpit bits will be for another day.