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The KP 1/72 Spitfire PR.XI will be my build. This particular one will wear the markings of PM142 of 400 Squadron in 1945. 400 Squadron, 09 May 1945, Supermarine Spitfire PR.XI PM 142 Pilot: Lawrence McMillan RCAF DFC AM (US) On 09 May 1945, F/Lt P.G. Wigle (No.1) and F/Lt Lawrence McMillan RCAF (No.2) were on a shipping recce over the Danish waters. The Spitfires were heading south when they at 16:56 hrs observed a convoy of four German ships in the Langelandsbælt 1 mile off Spodsbjerg on the island of Langeland. F/Lt Wigle led the two Spitfires down to sea level and passed within 100 yards of the ships on the port side. All four ships were flying the Nazi flag and three of the ships were loaded with troops. Wigle noticed the name “Ubena” on the second ship in line. The Spitfires continued around to the starboard side of the ships still flying at about 50 feet. At 17:00 hrs Wigle saw his No. 2 (McMillan) explode in mid-air in a large sheet of flames and plunge into the sea. At the same time Wigle observed machine gun strikes in the sea. He climbed to 4500 feet and circled the position but could not observe any debris whatsoever. Only an oil slick could be seen on the water. Danish fishermen sailed to the site but all that could be seen was an oil slick on the surface. The German version of events was “After (the convoy) entered Langelands Bælt at 17:00 hrs two Spitfires were seen flying around the convoy at very low level. Suddenly one Spitfire touched the water and exploded while the other immediately started climbing and disappeared. The incident was reported to the bridge who in turn reported to the Naval command via radio. At the same time light flak was manned just in case the other Spitfire pilot might believe that his comrade had been shot down.” (1) The Squadron circumstantial report stated that “Due to the sudden nature of the attack it is in my opinion that F/Lt McMillan was killed outright and in any event, because of the low height, would be unable to get out of his aircraft before it plunged into the sea/” (2) Neither the aircraft nor Pilot F/Lt Lawrence McMillan has ever been found. McMillan is commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial. Burial details: J/10231 Flight Lieutenant Lawrence McMillan. Aged 23. Son of Frederick and Mary Alice McMillan, of Miami, Manitoba. Runnymede Memorial Panel 278 (3) Sources as quoted below: 1. Spitfire XI PM142 crashed in Langelandsbælt 9/5 1945 (flensted.eu.com) 2. Circumstantial Report on https://www.veterans.gc.ca 3. Commonwealth War Graves Commission, www.cwgc.org 4. RAFWEB, RAF Casualties Index 1940-1949, www.Rafweb.org This aircraft and its pilot has been in my head as a build for years ever since I first read the details of the incident.

Hello all. I know this topic has been discussed before in this forum, so I will try to be specific. I want to build a Spitfire PR Mk. XI (1:48) that served in the Royal Norwegian Air Force after WW2. To be more precise I will make the AZ-C (PL994). Here is a link to The Spitfire Site that have a nice drawing and description of the similar AZ-B. Reconnaissance Spitfires PR Mk. XI in Norway I have the Quickboost conversion kit and camera, and I have Vingtor decals. What I don´t have is the proper kit to use, and what kit to use has been discussed in here in the past. I am not a Spitfire expert, but I understand that both Mk. VIII and IX will work. Questions: Quickboost recommends Hasegawa for the resin conversion kits, but I wonder if this Eduard Mk. VIII kit will do the trick? If yes, what are the things I need to change other then using the Quickboost kits? Best regards, Eirik Berger

Hi all, With a tip of the hat and a heartfelt Thank You to Mr. John Adams, I am starting this build diary of my conversion of the Airfix 1/48 scale PR XIX to the earlier PR XI. Please note that this build is now finished, hence the term "build diary" instead of a day to day record of where the process stands. Back before the turn of century (and I have been waiting a while to use that phrase) I converted the Academy Mk XIV into the PR XIX and started a long journey through what is now a collection of five Spitfire PR projects, all conversions. By the way, if a Spitfire PR XI kit in 1/48 scale makes the scene in the near future, you're welcome! 🙂 From the start I wanted to use the Airfix PR XIX kit since it would make up the wings, horizontal tails, and two thirds or so the fuselage, making the work of doing the "recce" mods much easier. I began by making up a list of things to be changed: 1. I went through my references before starting and selected EN343-E from May 1943. She was one of the first PR XI's built, and the first to take damage assessment pictures the morning after the Dams raid. 2. Replace the Griffon engine nose with a Merlin nose 3. Replace the later, deeper radiators with shallower units. 4. Cut down the vertical fin and fit the earlier “standard” rudder (rounded or pointed, depending upon the airframe). 5. Change the PR XIX clear pieces with a vacformed PR XI windshield, sliding section, and rear fixed canopy. 6. Check the camera fit for your specific airframe. On my project, EN343-E, the side oblique camera was not installed initially, and pics of her early in her career show that the oblique opening was either not used initially, plated over, or painted over. Whichever way, the plane did not carry the side oblique window in the pictures I’ve seen. 7. A deeper lower cowl can be fitted from available resin sets. 8. Add an antenna mast on the fuselage spine. So Step 2 was to find and install a replacement nose, swapping the Griffon configuration with a Merlin. I went through my small-ish Spitfire stash, checked measurements for likely ways to do this swap and settled on an old Aeroclub Mk XVI conversion set. I always liked the look of the Aeroclub Merlin nose, so I determined where to make the cuts to swap out these nose parts. I have trouble making conversion joints and then adding a new panel line in the same spot, so after some head-scratching I chose the point at which the forward wing fairing kinks outward for a cut line. That put me roughly 3/16" back from the front edge of the fuselage fuel tank panel line on both the kit fuselage and the Aeroclub fuselage as seen below. Once I did one pair of fuselage parts, I knew I could manage the rest of the work ahead. In the image below the straight, dark, vertical line is the joint; not perfect initially but filled with super glue and sanded smooth. I sanded off some of the Aeroclub engine panel fasteners, so I had to replace them by hand; more on that later. I had also deepened the engine cowling panel lines as well as reshaping the vertical fin. Enough for now, I think. Tune in soon for another thrilling adventure in conversions! Cheers, Jim