1.	FUSELAGE  While you can still get into the Fus, need to put in pegs and holes to locate bottom cowl, prepare mast and support behind Cockpit and glue in support, to fit mast later-.would be nice if the mast were able to fit with a `click' or even screw in. Build and fit exhaust boxes and trim front former to suit.I know of another model that has brass tubes angled as stubs and these are open at the base to allow cooling. Prepare formers 1&2 and connecting pieces (inc servo cross members) and dry fit.  Drill all holes for fuel lines, throttle etc and test fit fuel tank including clearance for servos. before putting in.   Add engine bearers and temporarily fit engine to determine exact location for spinner clearance, Epoxy in and fuel proof whole area
2.	I think the area behind the spinner needs a little glass reinforcement. Mick does not agree.
3.	No down or side thrust on plan although M.R says this is SCALE, put some in if you prefer- but it throws out line of spinner
4.	I use the time when glues/ epoxy drying to fabricate bits like tail wheel assembly, cockpit dash, Metal trim to canopy, Tailplane & rudder assembly, 1/8" brass rod cockpit slides with tinplate soldered on, and other cockpit detail.   Paint the formers that will be visible from the cockpit area.
5.	There is no help on the shape or size of inlet air holes front of lower cowl; they do not appear on full size. Be prepared to open out considerably if you have cooling problems
6.	Trim out cockpit slide slots,  I fixed brass tube assembly with soldered on tinplate backing, with contact adhesive +4 countersunk M2 bolts& nuts. Fill any gaps with car filler.
7.	The Carb air intake fooled me for ages, couldn't work out how to make mouldings into correct shape. Easy when you know how, - there is a faint oblique line on the larger moulding, - cut to this, and the smaller moulding inverts onto this line with the flat part to the fus, - although you may have to grind this away to make a good fit to the under -cowl. Need to line with epoxy cloth.
8.	If making cockpit drop down door to open, suggest reinforce fus with carbon tows+1/32 ply framing and rebate, any place the fus is a bit thin could be reinforced with a few carbon tows.  Cockpit hatch spring catch is bolted and glued. Hinge started off as a piece of glass cloth but ended up as plastic pinned hinges let into the space between outer fus and an inner ply lining
9.	The hatch under the tail, (access to the tail wheel steering arm) I fitted with a small spring hinge from a jewel box or cufflink box and fixed it with epoxy +small bolts  .its a bit small.
10.	The tailplane cut out of fus has to be bigger than anticipated, and removes the thickening or re-inforcement, didn't want to cut out to rear of fibreglass -but how else to get centre of elevators inside `cut out, better to make elevators separate and use two servos? I am using mini servos (HitecHS81 MGs)- link elevators with a piece of threaded bar with two nuts on either end
11.	Don't put the mid fus former (3) in until you make up wing centre section and can relate position on wing to the position on former. Ditto don't put in the servo to rudder linkage in too early as it passes through former 3
13.	Pilot supplied was not to my liking, bought a 1/6th full figure from A&H Designs.
14.	TAILPLANE: -  Note that plan does not relate to pre cut balsa set. i.e., no core is required, Robart hinges seem more appropriate than those supplied .the forward counter balances don't seem to fit to line of tailplane without some additional balsa. Not happy with the joint of tailplane with the sharp edge of fibreglass (the tailplane cut-out) so added balsa strip for strength, eventually the epoxy fillet helps.
15.	The hinge 'centre- line' on tailplane needs to be moved towards the moving surface.
16.	Vertical Rudder hinge line on plan is `angled', real aircraft has no such angle -nor does pre-cut set.
17.	Query need to put in aluminium tube edge to rudder? No sheeting to rear of elevators or rudder, cover in white solartex
18.	Tried the `detachable' square hinges to rudder, don't work too well, go to robart.
19.	Rudder, have decided on a Flair closed loop compensator, with a direct snake with external balsa strengtheners from forward central servo to say just behind cockpit- but needs to be accessible in case wires go slack or need re-threading.
20.	Cut or mark out trim tabs and then glue in again -non functional .but neeeds adjustment to basic balsa construction.
22.	WINGS.  Straight forward but watch tips construction and placing - match up wings back to back as a pair as a check.If you are going to add cannons, then its a good idea to put in a block behind the leading edge as support.
23.	Centre section has to be put together in the order on the plan notes (see item24 below), the retract plates are at an angle -so may need a little filing to fit well, advisable to put in wing joining aluminium tubes (ease to sliding fit) for alignment, [I made the wings to separate, and thus needed tubes and twin dowels] and put the lot together `dry' first to avoid stresses. Even when together, I had problems with making the centre-section fit the fus, - the opening front to rear on the fibreglass shell fus is 24 mm-smaller than the length of the centre-section ribs, (395mm opposed to 419mm) and so I had to take out most of the assembly behind W17, except for a 'centring slot.' and rebuild when in position. (But it gets a bit thin towards the rear. The inner flap projects beyond.
24.	wing building sequence: - from plan PANELS, Build tips flat on plan, then remove. Pin down lower spar over 3/32" packing. Fit rib4, lower rear spar, ribs 5 to 15, fit top spars, and fill space between rear spars.       Allow spars to extend inwards CENTRE SECTION, Pin down bottom spar over packing, fit W3/W16, W2, bolt plates, retract plates, W3 inner, top spar, leading edge, middle spar, lift from plan and then fit W17, W18, W19, w20, W21, W22,  [see note 24 above] main spar webs, dowel(s), bottom leading edge sheet, pin down and fit W3 outer. L ASSEMBLY. Trim main spars to fit, glue main panels to centre section at 4" dihedral, Lift from plan and fit lower leading edge sheet to main panels overlapping half the main spars. Trim to front of ribs and sand to curve. Pin down one wing panel and fit top leading edge sheet, spar webbing, then complete top sheeting, Fit all bell cranks and linkages before completing bottom sheeting
25.	When you prepare ply doublers for W2&W3 (wings) it is preferable not to glue in until u/c plate built in. it because of angle with adjoining rib
26.	For some reason ribs 7 (W9) from tip are about 4-5mm shorter (in the front) than they should be??
27.	RETRACTING U/C- There is very little leeway or tolerance in the fitting of the retracts -so be careful. Put the servo deep enough into the wing that the mount is level with the top of the wing (screw down to a mounting block) and as far forward as it will go. I was surprised at the amount of wood that had to be removed to allow access to the face of the retract disk, to allow movement of the Phillips screw and to allow retract unit to sit and then the legs to precisely centre the wheels -as per the plan. It was not exactly central in the angled ply cut out mount.  The wheels supplied were 11mm (3/8") oversize (diameter) and could not be used, without additional trimming out of the ribs and an adjustment to the wheel well. They are  balloon type@ 34mm wide and would be a tight fit to available depth. Robart scale 4" are preferred which are less than 30mm wide which will retract without cutting through the top skin..  Access to the retract disc is from the underside of the aircraft and I put in a double hatch to cover area between servo and retracts ( hinged at the front and Velcroed ,so that you can reach the ball socket & separate the wings.   There is a new and different shape servo to that shown on the plan, [See separate sketch plan and instructions], and the output disk is oversize by 5mm. Prepare the ply holder for servo, which is not in the obvious place in relation to the servo,so you may have to demount the micro switches to re-route the wires over the mount.  These two switches are activated by the head of a long Phillips screw head, and thus it is necessary to set up the servo in its mount,  attach a battery, close the micro-switch pair, and test movement to determine precisely where to drill the holes for the ball heads. (Needs to be more than 10mm to clear the output disk central core).  Pure Geometry demands the distance from the central spindle to the ball sockets must be identical. This is a case of measure several times before you drill the disk, (my first disk was like a colander). I put a 4mm bar through the disc and measured with a vernier from that. The wood around the servo outlet disk and its screw needs opening out, but the servo needs to be held very securely as it exerts a lot of push -and will move. Do yourself a favour and look closely at the operation of the retracts before you fit them - and then ensure that you have an achievable locked position at the end of each movement. It may well be that you end up taking an amount of wood from the top of the ribs within the wheel wells or even going through the top skin to cover with the ABS blister. You will need to access the fixing onto the flat of the output shaft. I found the clevises& ball joints need a larger size than normal( try M3 type) to fit a the recommended 12g wire,- but even this will bend if anything sticks Be careful to attach the retract clevises to the correct side of the unit. I needed to grind the corner off the retract main steel bar to avoid its catching on the trimmed clevis.  You can marginally influence the micro switch operation by ensuring that the disk sits down fully or by bending the micro switch arm.  Remember that the weight of the wheels will assist the operation when the model is the right way up.   On the second servo which moves the double micro switch, a small bolt onto a circular output disk can achieve the on/off.
28.	Aileron construction - it is better to drill and fit ball before assembly also advise fitting plastic socket head, as it will be difficult later
29.	I like the leading edge in two layers of 1/8" sheet - cut generously to size of flat fronting ribs, and then trimmed /sanded carefully in line with angle of ribs-over which you can lay the top and bottom sheets-and then sand to shape. Be prepared to be worried by the frailty of the tip end of the leading edge -before top and bottom sheets applied. I trimmed both top and bottom sheets flush with the front face of sanded leading edge, and then planted on a 1/8" strip and sanded to shape..
30.	The servo for operating the flaps needs to be positioned before the opening up of new holes in some of the ribs, I found the better positioning was with the output disk facing the back of the wing, which allows the socket head to the distant flap bell crank to be removed via the top of the wing, if separating the wings.
31.	Mick Reeves says the radiators have the front and rear faces removed and then a piece of perforated or similar metal baffle introduced, I allowed air to circulate from fus to radiator by cutting a hole in the  bottom of wing. MR says the secret of airflow and cooling is the size of forward openings This proved to be true and I had to cut a substantial cooling hole in the lower cowl.
32.	I think it's worth making a ply pilots seat and support as per the plan as the cockpit is an important centre for detail.
33.	SHEET COVERING. Advise selection of medium/soft stock3/32 trimmed and glued together into a large sheet. Affix with white glue to span of top wing along main spar, rear spar +intervening ribs, whilst wing is pinned or clamped to flat surface - to ensure no twists. When dry pin and fix to leading edge and trim to shape. When top sheet is in place and the wing `fixed' as far as warping concerned, bottom `tabs' for lining up wing can be removed.
34.	FLAPS seem straight forward - but cut slots for ribs and before gluing hardwood dowel to base,  cut slots for hinges with small diam' Dremel disk. I offset flap ribs to side of corresponding wing ribs, and notched underside of wing ribs with a circular file to allow flaps to sit closer to wing. As I prefer to ensure the mechanics of the moving parts work - (before they are under a skin of sheet and glass), I set the hinges to a strip of 3/32"sheet-about 25mm wide and discovered that you need at least 3/32"space on the hinge line to get an 85degree drop, thus a thin filling of ply (behind) the hinge line is justified.    The `extra `piece of flap inboard can be connected via a slot and wire. I put a1-2mm circular bar of carbon fibre at the trailing edge of the flap for strength.
35.	Canopy.  I felt it worth preparing a template for the canopy trim and cutting it from a sheet of metal; I made up the mirror with a dolls house circular mirror and attached it to a mini spring catch which in turn was epoxied above the windscreen to form a catch for the sliding canopy section. a  small brass plate soldered on engages into a brass female section on the moving part of the canopy and locks mirror in an upright position. The trim for the canopy is made from tin sheet.  K&B 0.1.0mm?  cut with shears and scoring. I was unsure of the `captive ` capabilities of the cockpit front end so put in a bar behind the canopy to ensure it locked into place whilst flying.
36.	As I put in separate aileron servos, I needed to access these to remove and refit ailerons after glassing, so inserted a rectangular hatch over each servo - glassed over it and re-cut through the glass. Watch for any slop in movement via too large a hole in servo arm.
37.	If you have spent considerable time in constructing this model, you will  obviously fibreglass the flying surfaces?. I used Fibretech products, with' fibre50' cloth  using about 30 ml of 5:1 mixed epoxy to each side of each wing via the credit card method.
38.	Before adding a layer of high build primer to the top surface of the wings, a fillet of `fibretech' laminate epoxy  with a good helping of lightweight filler improves the fus/ wing joint, try using a stretched piece of cling film to stop the joint sticking.
39.	I am advised by another who has built and flown the same model that the C0fG should be between 4½" & 4 5/8" behind former 2 ( is that the front edge /Middle /or rear of) and that throws should be : elevators. ½" each way, ailerons 11/8" up and 7/8" down and rudder 1¼" each way.  Until of course -you know better,
40.	An amount of lead can be obtained from your local roofing contractor, and I put in a damp newspaper / plaster of paris mould into the area above the motor and then transferred the shape to a container of damp sand as a recepticle for the molten lead weight. This was epoxied in and fixed with heavyweight cloth
41	Finishing /painting is only as good as your preparation and I decided on Spectrum paints over Spectrum high Build primer. I first used dark green matt but soon decided that I preferred the Olive drab with dark grey matt for upper surfaces with light grey matt for the underside. The battle of Britain black & white stripes take a bit of masking but are worthwhile for contrast in the air.Once the decals were in place I finished off  with a coat of flair Satin fuel proofer. I followed the finishing for the Duxford (Hanna ) Spit with ZDB - mh434 registration
42	The engine will dictate where you place the throttle control, but the 0n- board glow remote and fuel filler have to be accomodated and obvious places suggest themselves. I put in a fuel filler in the scale position on front of the cockpit but eventually abandoned it to a more convenient position (but left it in-situ )because of the length of fuel tube involved.
43	The finishing touches created more problems than the whole building programme ,but I eventually put in a switch under the wing that controlled the separate retract battery, and another battery (2x1.2 AA) in parallel, for the on board glow.
44	I  fixed the silencer ( Mick Reeves ) with a silicone link from engine  but the silicone did not survive so had to go to a flexible metal pipe.
45	FLYING.  June 02, a reasonable day with a bit of a breeze, and Scale day at our club. A combination of  prudence mixed with a little  aprehension and cowardice passed the job of checking out it's first flight to Andy Johnson, who flies the 18'span B17and can fly modes 1 or 2 without thinking about it. Take off after a longish run with tail up, wheels up very quickly and a rapid adjustment of trims, the flight was very successfully completed with landing on full flaps with a good three pointer.  Trims were out particually on the ailerons and I needed to increase the elevator movement as when flaps are applied you need the extra `up.' A tendency to pull to the left is because the engine is not offset but is easily held.   Well Done Mick Reeves, after months of building I was certainly anxious about flying it.
46	SUMMARY The model looks good,and is admired by others, but there are several aspects that I could have done without. 1) Now that a semi-kit is available with pre cut ribs,formers etc,the plan supplied should reflect the modifications-,it does not,- it shows the origional  type of construction with a few annotated notes. 2) The Mechanical retracts are very fussy and a pneumatic system may well be simpler. 3) the tailwheel needs? to be steerable. 4) In retrospect some detail of cannon would have been welcome, and I would make the mast (and any other protuberance) to screw in and be demountable -as they are the first to break off in a stored situation. 5)A moulding for wing navigation lights would have been welcome
47	I have a couple of books of Spitfire photographs, ` Spitfire -flying legend' by Dibbs & Holmes and' Spitfire' by Jeremy Flack, both have proved invaluable in looking at detail of the various existing aircraft and I also have a small plastic kit that is usefu lto use for reference .I do hope  that these notes have assisted in quite a complex building programme, and wish you luck with your model. Ron Shone 5/02
	Finished and looking great   Nice one Ron