Super MC Spitfire Mk.Vb Trop.
Item #61035

Product Description

About the Supermarine Spitfire Mk.Vb Trop.
The Supermarine Spitfire is regarded by many as the most
beautifully designed single seat fighter to appear during WWII.
The Spitfire went through numerous major and minor changes
throughout its long production life. Early improvements resulted
in the Mk.V series of Spitfires which became the most widely
produced versions of all Mk's. The main improvements was the
furnishing of three wing armament configurations, and the use of
the more powerful Merlin type 45 engine. The most numerous Mk.V
was the "b" winged version which had a mixed armament of two
7.7mm machine guns and on 20mm cannon in each wing.
The Spitfire that demonstrated such superb performance over its
homeland, was also urgently required for operations overseas. One
of the better known versions was the North African prepared
Spitfire designated "TROP", for Tropical. The biggest problem in
desert operations was the intake of abrasive sands into the
engine, which quickly wore out moving parts. To overcome this
difficulty a Vokes air filter was affixed over the carburetor
intake.

Although the filter was successful, its large mass reduced the
aircraft's speed. The problem was solved by the local maintenance
unit stationed at Aboukir, who designated a smaller more
streamlined unit that was equally effective. The clipped wing
versions, which had better low altitude maneuverability, were
commonly seen in North Africa.