Spitfire: Their history and how to model them

Classic Aircraft: Their history and how to model them #1

by Roy Cross, Gerald Scarborough

HISTORY OF THE SPITFIRE AND HOW TO MODEL THEM.105 PAGES.

104 pages, Hardcover

First published November 1, 1971

About the author

Roy Cross RSMA GAvA learned his craft at the Camberwell School of Art and as a technical illustrator for training manuals at Fairey Aviation during World War Two. Over the next 30 years he progressed from line illustration via colour artwork to top-class advertising art and posters for the aircraft industry and other companies including Airfix for whom he produced many hundred of artworks to decorate model kit boxes over a ten year period.
He also illustrated for The Aeroplane and the Eagle comic.

Reviews

[Robert Hepple · Rating 4 out of 5]

Published in 1971, 'Spitfire - Classic Aircraft No. 1 - Their history and how to model them' is a companion volume published to coincide with the release in 1971 of a 1/24 scale plastic model kit of the VS Spitfire Ia - at the time a new departure for Airfix as it was seen to be a very large aircraft model for the time. The book actually provides a very good technical history of the early models of the Spitfire, with some excellent supporting photographs. A modelling guide that follows give basic ideas about improving detailing, as well as converting the kit parts to allow the construction of other similar variants to the one supplied. Unfortunately, the modelling guides are a bit of a let-down; not just by modern standards, but surely by the standards of 1971 as well. The terribly inaccurate canopy is not mentioned at all, along with scant mention of the difficulties in achieving the distinctive dihedral with this model. To be fair, some brief mention is made of the need to add walls to the wheel wells. The conversion work demonstrated to the spinner is laughable, although the methodology is sound. A mixed bag, but I did enjoy the technical detail.

[Mark Polles · Rating 5 out of 5]

A bit dated now,but still one of the best books to help modelling early marks of Spitfire and how
to improve the old Airfix 1/24 scale Mk.1.