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I think this is my first time posting in this forum, I'm usually over in the AFV section. Recently though I have suffered with a lack of enthusiasm and have found a number of builds are just stalling, usually at the weathering stage, and so I felt it was time to try something different. I was struggling to come up with ideas when I stumbled upon an old photo of me holding the original Airfix 1/24th scale Spitfire Mk Ia. My dad had built it for me, presumably for a birthday present, and I remember being in awe of it. At that time I was building the type of kits that came in a plastic bag with a header card and could only dream of owning one of those kits that came in massive boxes and sat on the top shelves in the shop. I was aware of the new tool Airfix 1/24th Spitfire Mk.IX and it did look like an impressive kit, but it didn't fit in with my build plans and it's size means I that I haven't got the room to display it, however the more I looked into it the more I found myself getting excited at the prospect of building one myself. So here I am. I have seen a number of builds and reviews of the kit online and I'm pretty sure it must have been featured in this forum a few times, so I will try not to repeat the basic kit assembly but rather show how I have gone about adding any detail and correcting any issues that I find. In fact I wasn't going to do a WIP for this build but I don't really know that much about Spitfires so I'm hoping that the more knowledgeable members of this forum maybe able to help me out if I get stuck. The first stage of the assembly deals with the cockpit and specifically the pilots seat. I scoured the internet for reference photos of both and it soon became clear that in this scale there will be a number of details that I feel will need to be added or kit parts embellished. The kit seat itself is fine, all I added was a seam around the edge of the seatback cover from some stretched sprue. The seatbelts in the kit are plastic and too thick for my liking, they could be thinned but I decided to go with the Airscale Sutton harness. I also bought their cockpit upgrade set which apart from the instrument panel gives you some etched detail parts for the seat support frame and bulkhead. I felt that the armoured plate that sits behind the pilots seat was too thick so using the kit part as a template I made a new one from sheet brass. The seat was painted with a mid tan colour and I tried to represent the look of the composite material used in the original by stippling on some oil paint. I brushed some of the same oil onto the seat back cover to represent worn leather. In the photos it looks more like wood but in reality it looks fine. I have used MRP's WWII RAF - Interior Grey-Green ( MRP-111) for the metal parts. I am really impressed with the look of the Airscale seat belts but I will add a little weathering later on. The cockpit tub sides were assembled and painted as per kit instructions and I added the placards included in the Airscale upgrade set. I have used Mr Color Super Metallic 2 Super Duralumin for the silver areas and a very dark satin gray for the various fittings. I again used the Airscale set to detail the undercarriage control quadrant and the rudder peddles. I discovered too late that the decals on the tanks are incorrect for those particular tanks but felt that as they are barely seen I will live with it. A few of the frames needed to have the lightening holes drilled out and the instrument panel was assembled. Unfortunately I didn't take any decent photos. The cockpit tub was then assembled and then fitted to the port fuselage half. I left out the seat and port tub side for access. In the photo above you can see where I have replaced all of the kit plumbing with brass wire. I have also added some additional plumbing that was missing from the kit. It appears that at one time Airfix were going to add the link rod that goes between the control column and the elevators as there is an attachment point on the control column. For whatever reason they didn't so I made one from some brass tubing and also made a pivoting arm to attach it to. Cables were added to this and to the rudder pedals, I doubt much of this will be seen will be seen with the seat in place. The port cockpit tub side was added to the port fuselage side and a few more details added. I then added the seat and attached the wires to the back of the seat harness. I wasn't sure as to whether the harness should go over or under the roller before passing through the armoured plate but under seemed more logical. Finally after many hours work I closed up the fuselage. There was a little fettling to do around the front of the cockpit area to get it to close up nicely, this mostly involved trimming the bulkhead behind the instrument panel. There is still a small seem to fill but nothing too drastic. There are two moulded lines , arrowed in the photo, that I have seen left on a few builds of this kit. I can't see these in any reference photos so I assume they were just part of the moulding process and so have removed them. I'm actually a little further on than this but don't want to upload it all at once. Sorry about the quality of some of the photos, I have been using my phone for most of them as I hadn't intended to do a WIP. The next part of the build is the wings which I shall hopefully post shortly. Wayne

D-Day Fighters Gift Set (A50192) Messerschmitt Bf.109G-6, Focke-Wulf Fw.190A-8, North American P-51D Mustang, Spitfire Mk.IXc, Hawker Tempest Mk.V 1:72 Airfix D-Day 6th of June 1944 was one of the major turning points of WWII, when the western Allies opened a second front that comrade Stalin of the Soviet Union had been asking for at meetings for some time. The land operation was named Overlord, and was timed to take place when the Allies were at maximum readiness in an attempt to secure success, although in war there is no such thing as a 100% guarantee. Southern England became the staging ground for millions of troops, their equipment, backup staff, and the aircraft that would provide critical air cover during the operation, in addition to heavy around-the-clock bombing that took place in before and after the big day. During a break in the poor weather that summer, a massive seaborne force undertook Operation Neptune, which transported them across the Channel/La manche to Normandy through the night of the 5th, landing early on the morning of the 6th of June. Many air raids were scheduled at other locations to confuse and distract the Germans into expecting the main attack elsewhere, which along with the acts of some very devious psyops under the banner of Operation Bodyguard were very successful, as Mr Hitler took several days to come around to the fact that Normandy was the main attack and not a diversion, giving the Allies some leeway to establish a beachhead, although the battle to get ashore was still intense, especially Omaha beach, where the American troops suffered horrific casualties. Overhead, a huge effort was expended by Allied fighters and bombers of every class. The fighters accompanied bombers to support their attacks, also seeking out targets of opportunity to weaken the enemy’s defences to ease the impending arrival of Allied troops and armour as they moved inland after the initial day’s assault, heading for crucial locations such as Caen. The Luftwaffe put up what defence they could, but their numbers and skill-base had been substantially eroded over the preceding years of warfare, losing many of their experienced pilots and manufacturing capability, which coupled with fuel and equipment shortages kept the skies from being filled with enemy fighters, although the pilots of the RAF and USAAF would probably beg to differ, as these things are always relative. The British fighters fielded were Spitfires, Hurricanes, Typhoons and its successor the Tempest amongst others, while America’s primary fighters were the P-51 Mustang and P-47 Thunderbolts, all facing off against Bf.109s, Bf.110s and Fw.190s of various marks and sub-variants. To minimise friendly-fire incidents between air-assets and ground-to-air assets, ‘special markings’ were mandated for Allied aircraft, which became colloquially known as ‘invasion stripes’ or ‘D-Day Stripes’, consisting of black and white bands on the wings and fuselage, using prescribed widths that were adhered to with varying levels of accuracy and tidiness depending on the individual unit’s available manpower and time before take-off, which has caused many disagreements between modellers over the years. The Set The kits arrive in a sturdy end-opening box, and each is separately bagged, with a bag for the included multi-kit stand, and another with seventeen thumb-pots of Humbrol acrylic paint, two 5ml tubes of cement, and two paint brushes (#0 and #4) in plastic sleeves to protect their synthetic bristles. The instruction booklet is thick because it covers all five kits, as does the decal sheet, which is slightly longer than the box, so is slightly curled at one end. Decals are by Cartograf, which is a guarantee of good registration, sharpness and colour density, with a thin gloss carrier film cut close to the printed areas. It would be easy to cut the sheet in half along one of the dividing lines on receipt to prevent further damage to the sheet, which could cause deterioration and cracking of the decals over time. All the kits are moulded in Airfix’s darker grey styrene, which shows off the detail and has been popular with modellers since its introduction. We’ll cover each kit individually, starting with the opposition. Messerschmitt Bf.109G-6 (A02029W) With almost 34,000 examples constructed over a 10-year period, the Messerschmitt Bf.109 is one of the most widely produced aircraft in history and it saw active service in every theatre in which German armed forces were engaged. Designed in the mid-1930s, the Bf.109 shared a similar configuration to the Spitfire, employing monocoque construction and V12 engine, albeit an inverted V with fuel injection rather than a carburettor used by the opposition. Initially designed as a lightweight interceptor, like many German types during WWII, the Bf.109 evolved beyond its original brief into a bomber escort, fighter bomber, night fighter, ground-attack and reconnaissance platform. The Bf.109G series, colloquially known as the Gustav, was first produced in 1942. The airframe and wing were extensively modified to accommodate a more powerful engine, greater internal fuel capacity and additional armour. In contrast to early 109s, which were powered by engines delivering less than 700hp, some of the later Gustavs could output almost 2000hp with water injection and high-performance superchargers. The Gustav series accounted for a dizzying array of sub-variants, some of which featured a larger tail of wooden construction. Odd number suffixed aircraft had pressurised cockpits for high altitude operation, Erla Haube clear view canopy with clear rear head armour, underwing points for tanks, cannon or rockets and larger main wheels resulting in square fairings on the inner upper wings to accommodate them. The Kit Airfix's Bf.109G-6 dates back to 2009, and as such is one of the earlier kits released under Hornby's ownership. The kit bears all the hallmarks of that era, with a low part count and strong panel lines, although the new plastic improves the look somewhat. Inside the bag are three sprues of grey styrene, and a small clear sprue. It includes details in the cockpit, wheel bays, and some weapons options for under the wings. There is also a pilot figure included, but the helmet seems to be of a later hard-domed type, so could use a little sanding back to represent a leather helmet of the time. Construction begins with closing of the fuselage around the pilot on his simple seat, trapping the prop and its pin at the same time, fitting the spinner over the prop, which you may wish to leave off until later if you don’t mind a non-spinning propeller. The bulges for the 13mm MG 131s on the upper fuselage in front of the cockpit are inaccurate as they are represented by a single large bulge rather than two separate bulges on each side of the fuselage with a depression between them, but if this bothers you, some careful sanding would resolve matters quickly. The wings follow the usual format for a model of this type, with a single span lower wing and separate port and starboard upper wings. Flaps and control surfaces are moulded in place, and bay details have been moulded onto the roof of the main landing gear bays. The horizontals stabilisers are moulded as solid parts that slot into the tail, and the rudder is moulded into the fuselage halves. There are different parts provided for you to use if you wish to pose your model with landing gear up or down. The landing gear legs provided for the down option are moulded integrally with the bay doors, which is a plus point for strength and ease of assembly, adding the wheel to the stub axle, and single part flush gear inserts for in-flight. A drop tank and two under wing gun pods are provided, along with a choice of canopies, including the Erla Haube canopy, although the gun pods and Erla canopy aren’t used in this boxing. The canopies are single parts, with a short aerial mast fitted into the rear, adding the supercharger intake on the starboard cowling, plus the chin-mounted oil cooler underneath. Markings From the box/bag you can build the following: W.Nr.162707, Yellow 15+1, Gefr. Heinz Liennich, 11./JG26, Villacoublay-Nord, June 1944 Focke-Wulf Fw.190A-8 (A01020W) Introduced in 1941 to combat the ever-improving Spitfire, the Fw.190 was intended to supplant the Bf.109 if it reached a plateau in development, or run alongside it as a stablemate. Its powerful twin-bank radial engine was installed with a close-fitting cowling and was initially equipped with an oversized, ducted prop-spinner to keep the engine cool, which was discarded early in development in favour of a fan that ran on the prop's drive-shaft to push air through, over and between the cylinder heads, which also facilitated oil cooling. It was also given a wide-track landing gear, which reduced the likelihood of a nose-over, a problem afflicting both the 109 and Spitfire, due to their narrow track and poor forward visibility. When it first encountered Spitfires, it gave the RAF pilots a shock, as they were expecting 109s, not these small, agile new aircraft. It caused a frenzy of development at Supermarine, which was just part of the leapfrog game played by both sides throughout the conflict. The initial A-1 production version was equipped with a BMW 801 engine, and by the time the A-8 was signed off, it had two 13mm guns in the cowling, a pair of 20mm MG151 cannons in the wing root, all of which were synchronised with the prop's motion, and another pair of MG151s mid-wing. The airframe was mated to a more powerful version of the BMW 801D-2 engine. The wings were also lightened whilst improving their strength, leaving space for extra ammunition for the two wing-mounted cannons, in an effort to increase their success in thinning the bomber streams that were attacking German industry on a daily basis. The Kit This kit was originally released in 2013, and reboxed in 2019, and consists of three sprues of grey styrene, plus a clear sprue. Detail is good, and is of a more modern standard than the earliest kit in the box. Construction begins with the cockpit, adding a rudder pedal insert to the tub, then fitting a seat and control column before inserting the instrument panel and clear gunsight to the front, then seating the optional pilot who has more in-keeping clothing and helmet than the 109. The cockpit and an exhaust insert are trapped between the fuselage halves after completing detail painting of the moulded-in interior. The forward fuselage has two inserts applied to the top, creating the two cannon troughs, painting the barrels a dark metallic or black colour, then the elevators plug into sockets in the side of the tail, inserting the rudder to the rear of the fin, which can be posed deflected if you wish. Upper and lower wings are full-span, and the uppers have a good representation of the dimpled gear bays moulded-in, adding another exhaust insert between the gear bays in the lower wings, opening flashed-over holes in the lower if you are using the stand in preparation. Two insert panels are fixed to the lower wings, and the uppers have long cannon barrels that travel through the gear bays, so must be painted, and the two short stubs for the outer pair at mid-wing, bringing the upper and lower wing halves together, and fitting the fuselage in the space between, which also includes a small section of the lower engine cowling. To build the model in-flight, shallow main gear bay inserts are included, painting the moulded-in wheels, and adding the fixed tail wheel under the fuselage, in addition to a representation of the integral crew-step in the retracted position under the port side of the cockpit, which is achieved by cutting the vertical sections from the exposed ladder. The ground-side option builds the main gear legs from two parts each, adding captive gear bay doors to the outer face, and the wheels to the axles. The tail-wheel is inserted under the fin, and the un-shortened crew-step is glued into position under the cockpit on the port side. Righting the model allows fitting of the canopy, which is supplied in two parts, the windscreen glued into position at the front, and a choice of posing the rear open or closed. The instructions show the pilot’s head armour and roll-over support fitted on the deck behind the pilot in the closed, position, but if you study the scrap diagrams carefully, you will notice that these parts move with the canopy, so remember to offset these according to the drawings. The engine insert at the front of the cowling is made from a backing part with cooling fan fitted in the centre, sliding a pin through from behind that secures the three-bladed prop in position, mounting a spinner over the centre boss. The completed assembly slides into the hollow cowling at the front of the fuselage, using two lugs to secure it at the right angle of rotation. An external fuel tank is made from two halves and mounted under the belly on a long tapering pylon that has a sway-brace insert fixed to the forward end, locating on four pins moulded into the braces. Markings From the decal sheet you can depict W.Nr.170346, Black 13-+-, Geschwader Kommodore, Obstlt. Josef Priller, Stab/JG26, Lille-Nord Command Post, June 1944 P-51D Mustang (A01004W) The North American P-51 Mustang is one of the most famous and easily-recognisable of Allied types to have served during WWII. It was originally designed to a British requirement for a low-altitude fighter, and because it was designed around the Alison V-1710 engine, it had limited performance at higher altitudes. This shortcoming was famously addressed by the marriage of North American’s airframe to Rolls Royce’s legendary Merlin engine. Once so equipped, the Mustang was able to take on Luftwaffe fighters on equal or better terms up to 15,000 feet. In common with later Spitfires, the D model of the Mustang employed a cut-down rear fuselage and a bubble canopy, giving pilots superb all-round vision, but soon requiring a fillet to the tail to return some of the lost stability. Other improvements included adding extra .50cal machine guns to the wings, giving the pilot three guns per wing with a commensurate increase in firepower. Over 8,000 P-51Ds were produced before it was superseded by the next variant, more than any other Mustang type. The outstanding feature of the aircraft was its range, which enabled Mustangs to escort bombers all the way to Berlin and back, reducing bomber losses, and diminishing the number of enemy fighters available to fight them off with every successive mission. This prompted the famous quote from Herr Reichmarshall Herman Göring: "When I saw Mustangs over Berlin, I knew the jig was up." In German, of course. Its successor, the P-51H had a lengthened fuselage with additional fuel tank in the new space, a more powerful Merlin engine with broader props to use the 2,270hp of raw power, all thanks to the weight savings found during development of the intervening unsuccessful variants, although it didn’t see service during WWII. This was the airframe that became the basis of the F-82 Twin Mustang, which is another story entirely. The Kit Airfix's Mustang has been around now since 2012 and is a great little kit. It is part of Airfix's series one range and as such as a straight-forward kit, made with just fifty-three parts spread across two sprues of grey plastic and a single small clear sprue, with shared instructions and decals. The mouldings are clean and crisp and detail looks good, the panel lines are finely engraved, and once primed they should look just right. Construction begins with the cockpit, which is assembled on top of a large floor piece that also acts as the roof of the radiator tunnel. Onto this are added an instrument panel (with a decal for detail), a gun sight, control column and seat. Sidewall ribbing, other details and radio kit are all moulded in place, the former on the inner sides of the fuselage, showing some nicely raised and recessed detail which helps to add a sense of realism to the cockpit. The radiator box is fixed under the cockpit floor above the fuel tank and radio block, and a scrap diagram shows that it should be tilted slightly forward once glued in place. If you want the airscrew to be moveable, you will have to assemble it before the fuselage halves have been joined and glue the plastic washer onto the axle, which will make painting more complex, so speaking personally, I would add it later and fix it in place with glue. Whichever route you choose, once the fuselage halves are joined the intake lip under the nose can be fixed in the gap, taking care to locate it for minimal clean-up. The lower wing is moulded as single span, which will help you achieve the correct dihedral, and you should drill out two flashed-over holes in each side if you are fitting the drop-tanks later, plus holes for the stand if you need them. The main gear bays are boxed in on the underside, and feature some convincing structural details that are moulded into the upper wing undersides, joining the fuselage to the gap in the centre once the glue is cured and seams have been dealt with. The elevators are moulded as solid parts that slot into the sides of the fin, but the rudder is a separate part, so you can pose it deflected if you so desire. There are separate flaps that can be posed up or down by using different parts that have their tabs set at the appropriate angle, which is a bonus. The mouth of the radiator inlet is moulded as a separate part, saving you the trouble of cleaning up a visible seam, and the cooling air exhaust is also a separate part and can be posed in either open or closed position. The undercarriage doors are detailed on the inside and the landing gear itself is also well done. The tyres have a cross-cut tread and subtle flat spots moulded in place. To build your model wheel up, you re-use the main bay doors and replace the tail wheel doors with a single part, gluing them all in the closed position over the bays. Two drop tanks are provided to hang under the wings in two halves each, with a short pylon joining them to the holes you drilled earlier. Two canopies are provided, but only the non-blown version is used for the decal option supplied with this kit. The frame of the rear canopy is a separate part too, and of course the canopy can be posed in open or closed position, simply by sliding it back along the rails. An optional pilot with his hands on his lap is included, although the drawing has him in a more interesting pose, finishing off the model with the exhaust stubs on each side of the nose, and an aerial fixed into a hole in the spine near the tail. Markings From the box you can build 44-13321, HO-P, Maj. George Preddy Jr., 487th FS, 352nd FG, 8th AF, USAAF, RAF Bodney, England 1944 Supermarine Spitfire Mk.IXc(A02065W) The Supermarine Spitfire was the mainstay of British Fighter Command for the majority of WWII, in conjunction with the Hurricane during the Battle of Britain, with the Mk.IX being the most popular (with many) throughout the war, seeing extended periods of production with only minor alterations for the role for which it was intended that differentiated between the sub-variants. Originally requested to counter the superiority of the then-new Fw.190, a two-stage supercharged Merlin designated type 61 provided performance in spades, and the fitting of twin wing-mounted cannons with blisters necessary to accommodate the ammo feed gave it enough punch to take down its diminutive Butcher-Bird prey. The suffix following the mark number relates to the wings fitted to the aircraft, as they could vary. The C wing was also known as the Universal Wing, and saw extensive use because it mounted two 20mm cannon in each wing, the outer barrel usually covered by a rubber plug. The main gear was adjusted in an effort to give it more stable landing characteristics, and bowed gear bays removed the need for blisters on the upper wing surface, helping aerodynamics. The gun mounts were redesigned to need smaller blisters in the wing tops to accommodate the feeder motors, and there was even more room for fuel than earlier wings. Lastly, the wings were able to have longer elliptical or shorter clipped tips fitted, the resulting shorter wingspan giving the aircraft a faster roll-rate that would be especially useful in low-altitude combat. The Kit The kit consists of two sprues of dark grey styrene, a separately bagged clear sprue, with shared decals and instructions with the other kits. Detail on the sprues is good, with crisp panel lines that won’t be lost under paint, detail inside the wheel bays and cockpit, a choice of raised or lowered landing gear, plus a three-part pilot figure to fill the spartan cockpit if you prefer. Construction begins with the cockpit, which is a simple floor to which a seat and back armour are fitted, plus the pilot, who has separate arms. The prop is also made up at this point, trapping the four-bladed part between the spinner and back-plate, which will be held inside the fuselage halves when a hollow cylinder is glued to its shaft during fuselage closure, painting the interior details first, adding the cockpit, then gluing the two halves together, being careful not to get glue on the prop if you want it to spin freely. The lower wing is full span minus the tips and flying surfaces, and is painted interior green in the area under the cockpit, as it could be seen dimly through the floor. If you plan on posing your model in-flight, the wheel bay inserts are fitted now, painting the tyres a suitable rubber colour, and drilling out two holes under the belly if you are using the stand. The upper wings are glued in place, and the fuselage is fitted into the centre , the uppers have the flying surfaces and tips moulded-in to give the trailing edges a sharper lip, which also moves the seams to panel lines and flying surface breaks that will require less work. The elevators slot into the sides of the tail, with the rudder is moulded into the fin. The one-part canopy is placed over the pilot, with an aerial mast behind it, plus the exhaust stacks on either side of the engine cowling, and the cannon barrel inserts are fitted into holes in the wings’ leading edges. Flipping the model over, twin radiator housings are inserted into their recesses in the lower wing, adding a chin intake, plus the tail-wheel at the rear, and an L-shaped pitot under the port wing. If you have chosen to deploy the landing gear the combined landing gear struts and bay doors have wheels added to the axles, then they are inserted into the bays, referring to scrap diagrams at the bottom of the page for the correct angle in both axes. If you’re feeling adventurous, you can add some wire, thread or stretched sprue to the aerial mast for a little extra realism, and check your references for the locations of the diagonal wires from the fuselage to the elevators if you wish to add those too. Markings From the box you can model Spitfire LF Mk.IXc MJ840, DU-L, Flt.lt. Ladislav Světlík, No.312 (Czechoslovak) Sqn., RFAF Appledram, England 1944 Hawker Tempest Mk.V (A02109W) The Hawker Tempest was a development of the Typhoon, originally called the Typhoon II, it was envisioned to solve all of the issues that bothered its designer Sidney Camm. The main difference was a much thinner wing which reduced drag and improved aerodynamics of the laminar airflow. The wings could accommodate 20mm Hispano cannons that packed a substantial punch, and this lent it to the low-level attack role that it was designed for. The engines intended to power the aircraft were the Centaurus, Griffon and Sabre IV, and initially the Rolls-Royce Vulture, which was terminated early in the design phase, leaving the three options going forward and necessitating substantially different cowlings to accommodate their varied shapes. The Mark V was split into two series, with the Series 1 having the Sabre II that had a similar chin intake to the Typhoon and many Typhoon parts, while the later Series 2 used fewer Typhoon parts and had their cannon barrels shortened so they fitted flush with the leading edge of the wings. A few of the early Mk.Vs were used as test beds, while other marks were developed alongside it, such as the Mk.IIs with Centaurus engines and a cylindrical cowl; Mk.VIs which had a very short production run; the Mk.III and Mk.IV that used two types of Griffon engine and didn't see service, and later the TT.Mk.5, which is where a lot of Mk.Vs ended their days towing targets. The Kit This is a recent 2022 tooling from Airfix, and now it’s back in this box set. Inside the bag are four sprues in Airfix’s new darker grey styrene, a separately bagged sprue of clear parts, plus common decal sheet and instruction booklet. The sprues are filled with well-detailed parts and some clever engineering, which should please anyone in the market for a 1:72 Tempest V or anyone that appreciates a nicely crafted kit. Construction begins with the seat, which has a slightly soft quilted rear cushion and is attached to the head armour, with lateral tubular mouldings, which sets the tone for the cockpit being made in sub-assemblies. In order to close up the fuselage however, there are a number of other sections that need completing first. The simple two-part L-shaped tail-wheel bay is first; The instrument panel with clear gunsight/compass and instrument decal; then the three-part intake grille is made up with its circular centre. Two 0.6mm holes are made in the fuselage halves before all four assemblies are added to the starboard fuselage half after painting the cockpit walls, so the fuselage can be closed. The cockpit sill insert is inserted into the oversize aperture later. The lower wings are full-span, and are stiffened by adding the spar/wheel bay walls and the cannon barrels, plus the closed-up main bay doors if you’re going for a gear-up model, opening two flashed-over holes for the stand. Clear landing lights slot into the holes, and another is added into the belly, and a few more holes are drilled. Surprisingly, the upper wings are full-span too, and has the cockpit floor moulded in with the foot trays ready for the rudder pedals and control column to be added once the wings are closed. Rudder pedals at 1:72 are good to see, although only until you close up the fuselage and consign them to darkness, most likely. This is made more likely when the cockpit surround is installed in the top of the fuselage, painting the sills and coaming as you see fit. The completed wing assembly is joined to the fuselage by inserting the leading edge into the back of the chin bulge, and dropping the trailing edge into place, gluing it all closed once done. The elevators are each single parts with P & S on their tabs, but you get a separate rudder to add to the tail fin, which you can offset for a more candid look. Beneath the tail you can close the tail-wheel bay for in-flight, or pop a two-part anti-shimmy tail wheel into the bay with a pair of doors installed at an angle on either side. The main gear is a single strut with retraction mechanism and captive door, and a short ancillary door that is fixed to the outer edge of the bay before inserting the main legs. A retraction jack and triangular inner bay door is then inserted into the two inner edges and the 5-spoke wheels are placed on the axles, with another 4-spoke set left on the sprues. Both sets have some sag engineered into the bottom of the tyres to give the impression of weight. Behind the chin take is an outlet ramp with a cooling flap that is added while the underside is completed by fitting L-shaped pitot; crew step and aerial, the latter having scrap diagrams to show their correct orientation. The six exhaust stubs are each made from two parts that are interleaved to create the stacks for each side, so they can be slotted into the sides of the engine cowling, then the single-part 4-bladed prop is fitted with a spinners and back-plate, before it is placed against a tubular insert that has the axle pushed through to join the prop carefully with as little glue as necessary. Once the glue is dry the tubular insert is pushed into the front of the fuselage and cemented in place, leaving you with a spinning prop if you’re careful with the glue again. There’s a pilot figure included on the sprues, with moulded-in hands-on-lap pose if you wish to use him, and you also have a choice of open or closed canopies, fixing the windscreen first, and either butting the canopy up to the screen or leaving it open as far back as the head armour. An aerial is fixed to the fuselage spine at an angle, and another pair of scrap diagrams help with its unusual orientation. There are a pair of clear fuel tanks included on the clear sprue, but they aren’t needed for this boxing, and there are no stencils for the clear pylons on the sheet. Markings Using the decals supplied you can build JN751, R-B, Wing Commander Roland Prosper Beamont, No.150 Wing, Newchurch, Kent, England, June 1944 The Stand (AF1005) The Penta-stand (Copyright me 2024) can display all five kits in this box, and is bagged separately, containing seventeen parts in tough black styrene. There are no instructions included, but there is a photograph of the completed stand with models on the back of the box, which should help with arranging the five curved supports that hold each model. What isn’t quite as clear is the use of the small parts, but it’s not too difficult to divine their use, fitting the short cylinders to the tops of each support with the cup holding the ball of the two-pronged parts that are pushed into the models. This will allow freedom of movement of the different models, and while their distance apart isn’t realistic, it should result in a striking display, ignoring the likelihood of several air-to-air collisions. The sixth X-shaped socket receives the circular ‘button’ that has the Airfix logo moulded into it in bas-relief. Careful painting of the logo should bring an attractive highlight to the otherwise black base. Conclusion Whilst I’m not a 1:72 modeller, the scale of this gift set and the inclusion of a stand adds to the appeal, and the detail of the more modern kits is good enough to stand (excuse pun) front and centre in the display. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

Stage 3. Resuming the story after the events in December 1944, MJ271 underwent repairs and on June 21st 1945 was delivered to 29 Maintenance Unit at High Ercall. By that time, negotiations were already underway with the Air Ministry to buy surplus aircraft in accordance with 'Plan Target One' - the reconstruction of the Dutch Air Force, or LSK (LuchtStrijdKrachten). Starting mid 1946, twentyone low-hour Mk.IXc Spitfires were tested from RAF airfields by Dutch pilots, and when accepted, transfered to the Netherlands for use with the Fighter Training School (JachtVliegerSchool) at Twente AB. Amongst which, in November 1946, MJ271. Initially the new arrivals were kept in the familiar RAF scheme, although with (mostly) Dutch markings and a plethora of spare parts exchanged between airframes: In August 1947 she would receive the registration code H-8, but major overhauls at Fokker (Schiphol) would see her wings clipped, redone in all-aluminium and with the code 3W-8. By the early 1950s however it was clear that the Mk.IX was no longer suitable for first line use and was succeeded by the Gloster Meteor Mk.4. MJ271 did not get sold to Belgium, pushed on the scrapheap, or as target on the shooting range (as was the fate of many former Dutch Spits) - rather she was used for a time as a decoy on Volkel AB, then ended up on a playground and a rooftop, looking worse for wear. tattered and forlorn, dressed up as TA-26 'Opa'. Images courtesy of Collection Netherlands Institute of Military History.

Hello everyone... I would like to present my second of four builds from the Spitfire group build. It is Eduards fine Mk.IXc late 1/72 kit and my very first Eduard Spitfire. I enjoyed it enough that I went and bought two more kits right away, both Mk.VIII’s. I am also planning on at least five more Eduard builds by the way as I like the kits so much. My Build represents a P.R.Pink “Dicing” Spitfire, used at the time just after June 6th thus the title. A link to the actual build in case you're curious or interested. A photo with the four squadron mates in formation. Please feel free to ask questions, post comments, and or add thoughts. Dennis

Hello everyone, My name is Ales and this is my very first contribution on this forum. The Britmodeller website is the reason I have started building models again, after 20 years break, and the work that can be found here has been a great inspiration to me, I dare to say The Spitfire model shown below is my ninth model since the comeback. It is from the Eduards limited edition 'Nasi se vraceji' (Boys are coming home) and represents version Mk.IXc, BS461, flown by many pilots from the 222.squadron based in Hornchurch mid 1943. From the book that was a part of the limited edition, the plane appeared to be a quite worn. I have used Airbrush IWATA Neo TRN1, Tamiya acrylic paints, ALCLAD Aqua gloss varnish, Vallejo sating varnish, Abteilung Oil paints and pigments. The photos were taken by an old Canon compact digital camera. Enjoy