AT A GLANCE
Model: Spitfire 50 EP/GP ARF
Manufacturer: Legend Hobby (legendhobby.com)
Type: ARF sport scale
Wingspan: 60.6 in.
Pilot skill level: Intermediate
Assembly time: 12 hoursRadio req’d: 6-channel w/ 6 or 7 servos
Power req’d: .50 2-stroke, .70 4-stroke, or electric equivalent
Price: $159.99
The Supermarine Spitfire was a high-performance, short-range single-seat fighter plane operated by the Royal Air Force (RAF) during and after World War II and along with the Hawker Hurricane comprised the was a primary fighter for the RAF during WW II. The Spitfires had a higher victory to loss ratio than the Hurricane and eventually superseded the Hurricanes as the primary fighter/ interceptor of the RAF.
Many variants were built as lessons were learned and improvements were incorporated quickly into production models. When my P-3 crew toured the Battle of Britain museum in England, I struck up a conversation with a docent and found myself sitting in a beautifully restored Spitfire, wondering what it was like to fly one in combat. Legend Hobby has brought to market an array of unusual designs that are not often modeled but they could not resist the temptation of producing a gorgeous model of the legendary Spitfire. This model is constructed mainly of laser cut balsa and light plywood. The covering is an awesome looking heat shrink with the markings printed right on the covering material. The Spitfire is equipped with flaps and fixed landing gear is included. If you want retracting landing gear, a set of electric retracts with working oleo struts is available as an option from Legend Hobby for $109.99.
UNIQUE FEATURES
The ailerons and flaps come installed and hinged at the factory using CA style hinges. The elevators and rudder all require hinge installation and use CA hinges that I installed using thin Zap CA. (I used a thin tip extension on the CA bottle to avoid getting excess glue on the pretty covering.)
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IT'S ALL IN THE DETAILS
2020 TOP GUN SCALE INVITATIONAL
TOP GUN SCALE INVITATIONAL
THE 32ND YEAR OF EXCELLENCE!
THE COMPETITION CONTINUES
Every spring, Frank Tiano’s Top Gun Scale Invitational has heralded the beginning of the flying season, offering builders an opportunity to show off their projects in Lakeland, Florida after a winter spent finishing them in their workshops.
BUILDING BENCH & WORKSHOP TIPS
I have built countless RC models, from kits, plans and even my own scratch designs.
TOP GUN FAVORITE MARK CHAPMAN'S 1/3-SCALE ALBATROS D.VA
When I told Model Airplane News executive editor Debra Cleghorn that I was attending the Top Gun Scale Invitational for the first time, she asked me if I would interview the pilot of one of my favorite planes at the event. As a WW I fan (and a Balsa USA builder), I chose Mark Chapman’s beautifully detailed 1/3-scale Balsa USA Albatros D.Va, flown by Marvin Alvarez in Team Scale.
HEAVY-DUTY SCALE FLAPS
FUNCTIONAL CONTROL SURFACES WITH ADDED DETAIL
SEAGULL MODELS/LEGEND HOBBY SAVAGE SHOCK CUB
A short takeoff and landing wonder!
GETTING STARTED IN FPV
BetaFPV makes getting a bird’s-eye-view easier than ever!
AILERON/RUDDER MIXING EXPLAINED
Build good habits now and fly better tomorrow
BRITTEN-NORMAN - DEFENDER 2000
An electric-powered Islander on steroids
Spitfire 4 & Spitfire 1500
The first Spitfire was somewhat confusingly called the Spitfire 4, though most people refer to it today as the MkI. The 1500 was the last of the line and would logically have been called the MkV, but Triumph were keen to draw attention to its bigger 1493cc engine. That – and the other changes wrought along the way from first to last – make the two cars very different in character, as Iain Ayre explains.