I will be away from the forum until Sunday evening...

[Rob17896]

….i can almost smell the Airfix glue.

Spot on...with the glue. My favourite Airfix was the English Electric Lighting which sounded like the most powerful thing in the world at Liverpool Airshows when I was very much younger. Also had a Junkers Ju I think it was called for balance.

 

[Old Blue 2]

So the Merlin that was introduced (after development) in 33 and was then refined by 36 superseded what the americans could dream up nearly a decade later.

What a piece of kit!

I think you've got your dates a bit askew...

 

[Old Blue 2]

I ended up looking at a bit of posting history off the back of this thread and found a thread where @emir, @Old Blue 2 and @AndyC were communicating with each other, what a magical time.

Explain. You appear to have bungled...

 

[Cecil]

I once bought a scale model Spitfire from the Aldi, was only about 6 quid, @tommye wrote the word “nerd” on the inside of the box. Never built it.

 

[tommye]

I once bought a scale model Spitfire from the Aldi, was only about 6 quid, @tommye SECRETLY wrote the word “nerd” on the inside of the box. Never built it.

 

[Kurt.]

I once bought a scale model Spitfire from the Aldi, was only about 6 quid, @tommye wrote the word “nerd” on the inside of the box. Never built it.

I bet you’d have loved the chance to show it to the local WI in piddleton on the mill or somewhere.

 

[Cecil]

I bet you’d have loved the chance to show it to the local WI in piddleton on the mill or somewhere.

The model or my penis?

 

[Kurt.]

The model or my penis?

It’s wartime son …. Your country needs you …. Do what must be done

 

[Swartzy]

The model or my penis?

The model won't 'Stand to Attention'

 

[Brett Angell Delight]

What's your favourite war, Jim?

I'm all about the Seven Years War, top conflict. Had posters of it, all the panini albums as a kid. Getting back into it lately.

Is it classed as a war when the red car and the blue car had a race for a Milky Way? If so that’s defo mine.

 

[JimmyJeffers]

Morning troops

 

[Brett Angell Delight]

Morning troops

Morning mate. You ready for today's rampage? Strap yourself in for some more witty repartee.

 

[JimmyJeffers]

Morning mate. You ready for today's rampage? Strap yourself in for some more witty repartee.

I am mate but I have to draw the line at urine extraction. Mucky business.

 

[degsy]

Spot on...with the glue. My favourite Airfix was the English Electric Lighting which sounded like the most powerful thing in the world at Liverpool Airshows when I was very much younger. Also had a Junkers Ju I think it was called for balance.

I was a big fan of the Me 262

 

[degsy]

I think you've got your dates a bit askew...

A brief but essentially true summation


A longer version;
The Merlin engine's history begins with Rolls-Royce developing the PV-12 in 1933, later dubbed the Merlin after the bird of prey convention. It became one of the most successful aero engines of World War II, powering aircraft like the Spitfire and Hurricane. Development led to over 50 variants, with significant performance increases, especially after mathematician Stanley Hooker's improvements to the supercharger, which improved low-altitude performance. By the end of the war, over 168,000 engines had been produced by Rolls-Royce and licensees like Packard, which manufactured over 55,000 units using American mass production methods. The engine's lineage continued into the Rolls-Royce Meteor tank engine.
Early Development (1933-1936):
The engine started as a private venture, the PV-12, funded by Rolls-Royce in 1931 and first run in October 1933.
It drew on features from earlier engines like the Rolls-Royce R, which powered Schneider Trophy racing seaplanes.
After several modifications, the first production variants were completed in 1936.
Wartime Production and Refinements:
The engine was first used operationally in the Fairey Battle, Hawker Hurricane, and Supermarine Spitfire.
Initial versions had some shortcomings, particularly a problem with the engine cutting out during negative-G maneuvers, which was fixed by adding a diaphragm across the float chambers.
Stanley Hooker's redesigned supercharger significantly boosted performance, making the engine more competitive with its German counterparts.
The Merlin was produced in large numbers, with over 168,000 built by the end of the war.
Mass Production and International Collaboration:
To meet the immense demand, particularly for the four-engined Avro Lancaster bomber, Rolls-Royce licensed the design to Packard in the United States, which built over 55,000 engines using American mass production techniques.
The partnership was crucial for the war effort; for example, fitting a Merlin engine to the American-built P-51 Mustang transformed it into one of the war's most effective fighters.