Anderson Spitfires

getback wrote:Ian are those all 049s of larger some appear to have larger cyl./ heads ? Eric  Nice bunch!!

The Baby Spitfires are .045, the Royal Spitfire is .065 and the Royal Baby Spitfire is .049. Not much between them but the Baby Spitfires (.045) look to be the largest.

Ian, you always surprise us with the little goodies you display, engines now considered obscure, and not just one or two for show but a whole multitude, I'm impressed. You certainly got quite a collection there.

The Baby Spitfire was Mel Anderson's entry into the then new 1/2A market, just after the K&B Infant and just about with the OK Cub. The Infant was out at the end of 1948, the Baby Spit and Cub in mid 1949. The original engine had a K&B plug, Mel wasn't yet making his own.


Mel Anderson and Bill Atwood had designed the Baby Cyclone back in the 30s; it had a .750" x .812" bore and stroke. The Baby Spit had 1/2 of these numbers, .375" x .406" bore and stroke; that's where the .045 displacement came from. The Baby was hard to mount with its rear tank. In December of 1949, he came out with a package with a prop and an aluminum engine mount and the next month his own glow plug and a glow plug clip.



Mel was a business man and got Jim Walker and Wen Mac to use the Baby Spit in their RTFs at Christmas time 1950.


The 1/2As were extremely popular. To make a more compact design, Mel made the Spitzy in late 1950 and the Spitzy Sr in 1951

Also in 1951 he introduced the Royal Spitfire .065, shown with rare accessory beam mounts. The Royal was also used by Jim Walker on his Firebaby Bipe.

Finally in the fall of 1952 Mel sold the exquisite Royal Baby Spitfire .049.

That was all we heard from Mel Anderson until 1956 when Veco introduced their new Series 100 .19; my first "big" engine.


That's all folks!

Cool stuff, thanks for posting! ! ! !

You dad had nice planes Roddie. Veco did make a 35 Combat Special and it came with the crankcase pressure fitting. That could be what's in the Warrior.

roddie wrote:He stopped building years ago after finishing a Sterling Monocoupe. My brother has that one.. but recently asked me to "store it" for him... That Warrior was built sometime in the late 60's/early 70's. (My mother will tell you about the pin holes and Ambroid "patina" that gave character to her dining-room table..)

That's a very nice CL plane of your dad's, and a real treasure he entrusted you with. With a little clean up and polishing, that engine can be restored to its former glory. You're very fortunate to have a mother who patiently and lovingly put up with your father's model building on her dining room table. Nary do you see such exemplary traits in folk these days.