I just returned from the US visiting my son and brought back my new 1/4 scale Spitfire from CARF. Normally I would have waited until October to start the build, but because I will be having some extensive health treatments soon, I decided that starting the build now would help keep my mine well occupied and not let me dwell on the negatives.

There are several Carf Spitfire builds out there and I will post links to them for anyone wanting to also go down this trip. I will be adding some extra scale items to make it stand out from some of the other builds.

Here is what I envisioned for my Spitfire.

A great sound in the air, so I got a Kolm 77cc 4 stroke engine for it. Carf suggests a DA 50 plus 4 pounds of lead to achieve the proper balance. Many others have opted for the DA 85 engine. This engine is heavy but I won't need much lead if I am careful during the build.

There are lots of versions to pick from, but I wanted one with a 3 bladed prop. The best examples of this are the Mk. V versions. This ARF also has the standard wing tips, standard rudder tip shape, early version of the elevators and the normal cockpit canopy. This then also limits the versions that you can choose from if your goal is to have it look semi scale.

With the choice of the Mk. V version comes with the option of 3 different wing armament (machine guns and cannons) and I will probably go with the "B" wing shape.

The nose shape is also up in the air but I probably will opt for the Volkes nose as this will allow me to get good cooling into the engine and still keep it's scale look.

Here is the paint scheme I plan to use.