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These were two of the finest kits i have ever built. They are beautiful kits. They are both built straight from the box with the exeption of belts in the hurricane. The undersides and earth were airbrushed but the green was brush painted. That was a pain. The Tamiya paints airbrush beautifully , but not so good on the brush painting side i n my experience. I wish i could take better photos , they really dont do the complete models justice. My only small bugbear was the undercarriage on the spitfire. They could have been mounted better. Cue the Battle of Britain music!

AZmodel new "Joy Pack" - ref. AZ07705 - Supermarine Spitfire Mk. IB, IIB, VB, VI. 3 kits in 1 box & no decal Source: http://www.azmodel.cz/product_info.php?products_id=766 V.P.

Hi, Got back into modelling recently and I decided I couldn't help but get Airfix's Spitfire Mk.22. I'll be building it basically out of the box and also plan to make a diorama for it. I hope to make it so that it's landed on an airfield with various people from the WWII RAF Personnel, having the pilot running over. After buying it I was slightly nervous about the canopy, as I want to have the canopy open, but I was relieved to find that the canopy comes separated. I'm going to have to cut the door from the one piece to have it open. Haven't done it before but I think I know how to do it, or at least, how I plan to do it. I'll be getting started on it soon, just waiting for a few things for it that are in the post. Thanks for reading.

Hi everyone, a few of my photos from Cosford are below. It was a bit dark at times, but had a great day seeing some really enjoyable displays. Steve

Hi gang, Does anyone have any images clearly showing the fuel filler on Spitfires please? I'm building Revell's 1/32nd scale recent release but the fuel filler cap opening looks like it might be too small in diameter to my eyes. If I can get an image or two showing that area clearly I might be able to gauge how well the kit replicates the offending item. Cheers.

Hi all, I'm back from uni now and I have had the opportunity to take a few pictures of the last model I built at uni. Airfix's 1/72 Mk I; the Mk I obviously being by far the prettiest Spitfire ever built. Built OOB with the addition of Tamiya tape seatbelts a fishing line aerial and tin foil rear view mirror. WIP Built wheels up, pilot in, as the great RJ Mitchell had planned, the Spitfire looks so much better in flight than she does with the undercarriage out. No more explanation needed. IMGP1028_zpsfqquv3t5 by Ben Standen, on Flickr IMGP1029_zpsgdhrh9ui by Ben Standen, on Flickr IMGP1030_zpshxgjdfsq by Ben Standen, on Flickr IMGP1031_zpssqhts9cd by Ben Standen, on Flickr IMGP1032_zpshor6fuhx by Ben Standen, on Flickr IMGP1033_zps9jal1snp by Ben Standen, on Flickr IMGP1035_zps4fvledzp by Ben Standen, on Flickr IMGP1037_zpsexujgwq7 by Ben Standen, on Flickr Cheers, Ben

Hi folks,as a diversion from a couple of other larger builds over the last week or two I have built another little 1/72 scale Airfix Spitfire one of a few flown by Kiwi flyer Al Deere over the period of Operation Dynamo seventy five years ago this week.As usual with any build of a specific aircraft of a well known flyer a large can of worms needs to be opened as far as colours and markings are concerned and the discussion leading to this scheme can be found here, http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234981609-dunkirk-spitfires/ So from the best information suggested I have settled on this scheme,the decals were let down by the codes which were from an ancient mk1 Hasegawa boxing so many apologies,but I hope you like this tribute to those flyer,s trying to stem the tide of the Luftwaffe,s advances in those desperate day,s seventy five year,s ago.

Getting rather wet! Kicked off my airshow season in damp style at Abingdon, where massive downpours throughout the afternoon obliterated the flying programme, with the sun making only a fleeting appearance. Despite the general disappointment, we were treated to the RAF's new Spitfire and Typhoon synchro display, which is one of the finest examples of aerial ballet I've seen, pure poetry. Conditions were pretty rubbish throughout the display, making it hard going from a photogrpahy point of view, but I thought I'd share a handful of quick and dirty edits. Abingdon_2015_100 by Shaun Schofield, on Flickr Abingdon_2015_101 by Shaun Schofield, on Flickr Abingdon_2015_102 by Shaun Schofield, on Flickr A more complete set of images from the show may or may not follow in due course... Hope they're of interest! Shaun

I managed to complete my Christmas holiday Spitfire double build inside the two-week period I allocated to it! I started this build as distraction from a difficult kit I've been working on for over a year, and as such I wanted an easy kit. I made it a double build when I realized I couldn't pick which kit to do, and as I expected them to be pretty much shake'n bake. I was also quite interested to see which one would be my favourite. The Airfix kit is built as the early Mk.I that's included in the box, I just love the white/black wing scheme. This also allowed me to do a tiny bit of a conversion on the Tamiya and build it as a MkIIa, using the spares from the Airfix kit: Coffman starter, Rotol prop and fishtail exhausts. This MkIIa was the personal plane of Prince Bernhard of The Netherlands, husband to Crown Princess Juliana. When Holland was occupied by the Germans in May 1940, the royal family fled to Britain, where both Juliana and Bernhard, as well as Queen Wilhelmina, worked tirelessly to support the war effort against the Axis. Bernhard took a great interest in military matters and involved himself with soldiers and pilots that had fled to Britain as well, and he played a large part in creating the 322 (Dutch) squadron. He also had a reputation for being a playboy and he enjoyed driving sports cars and flying aeroplanes. As for my verdict on the kits: Very, very difficult to pick a favorite. The Tamiya has the best surface detail, the Airfix is (apparently) more accurate, Tamiya has slightly better fit, Airfix is considerably cheaper and in the series 2 boxing gives you lots of useful spares. Bottom line, it depends on what you value most. For me, the Tamiya's better surface detail puts it slightly ahead of the Airfix. Apologies for the quality of the pictures, there wasn't as much light as I really needed.

Hello guys, finaly i have finished my next kit - this time i did build Eduard´s new tool Spitfire Mk.VIII (overtrees edition - only plastic sprues, no decals, no PE, no resin, ... ) I have to say it is realy great kit, it goes together realy well!! Aftermarket used here - Eduard Bras-in gun bay, Rob Taurus vacu canopy, fabric seat belts, Bras-in wheels and mainly Montex set of masks for SEAC Spitfire Mk.VIII. WIP for anyone interested http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234980544-spitfire-mkviii-seac-148-eduard-montex/ And here are the final shots Enjoy and thanks for watching guys EDIT: i forgot to add shots of the underside, so here we go Once again, thanks for watching guys

Hello guys, after some time i m again going for some "normal" (non-GB related) WIP here on BM This time it ll be the new Eduard´s Spitfire Mk.VIII. It should be birthday gift for my relative, so lets see how this ll go I got the overtrees version of this nice kit (only plastic sprues, no PE, no decals, not even instructions included - you can get these from Eduard´s web page though). I m going to scratch some details + i ll be using little bit of PE parts i have left over from their Mk.IX spitfire Next i ll be using Ultracast resin wheels and Rob Taurus acetate canopy (at least the middle moving part). The seat belts are Eduard´s RAF WWII fabric belts. First time i m using these, but i see with some practice these are AMAZING addition to the kits! For camouflage i decided to give a try to Montex masks, namely their Super Masks for Spitfire VIII MT557, codes UM E, from Burma 1944. The kit is nicely moulded (maybe even better then the IX!), only the canopy parts ll need some polishing, as there are some scratches (not too visible though). I started to work on the cockpit over the last days and now i have finaly some extra time to make first building post I made new armour plates behind the seat, made some instruments and details on the sidewalls and added some wiring there. I also adjusted the fabric seatbelts and made their holder behind the seat (leading back to the fuselage). So far the cockpit is almost completed, just need to add the pedals and glass to the gunsight. So here are few shots from the progress : Hope you like it so far guys, any comments or tips are welcome I know it is not the most clean work but some areas ll be barely visible after the fuselage ll be joint..

The harried modeller, while waiting in frustration for aftermarket resin to arrive for two of his current projects, decides to fill the time with a quick little project. Jumping from the top of the stash heap came a small, shiny red box from the new Airfix. "Build me," the red box shouted. The cover artwork by the esteemed Mr Tooby reminded the modeller that he did not have an early Spitfire in his collection, an omission that must be rectified! The Mk I Spitfire! The progenitor of the world's finest propeller driven fighter aircraft, with its quaint two-bladed prop. The unusual night/white underside, designed to serve as the prototype for a future episode of Star Trek ("your Spitfire is black on the wrong side!"). The box was right, it must be built! "Let's build this completely out-of-the-box," declares the modeller, remembering the halcyon days before cottage industry resin casting, brass photoetching, at-home decal printing, and endless forum debates over the exact number of fasteners on the pilot's "range extender." And so the box is opened, and the sprues are handled with the same delicacy one would afford to the family heirlooms. But wait! The kit has no oxygen hose! The rudder pedals are solid! No harnesses! There are no endless varieties of fiddly things on the cockpit walls! No wires, and dials, and switches, or buttons! The instrument panel is a (gasp!) two-dimensional decal! The modeller's vision of out-of-the-box-ness is in jeopardy. A decision must be made quickly, before arteries burst. He reaches into his box of secret delights and a thin, clear envelope emerges. On its surfaces are the letters "E-d-u-a-r-d." And so the madness begins... Here we go! The photoetched pieces are added to the cockpit walls after removal of a few of the kit's moulded-in parts. The interior representations of the framework look quite heavy in the photos, but not so much in the flesh. Eduard provided a nice PE instrument panel which I replaced the kit version with. Film instruments were provided, which I first painted white on the back side. Although there are just a few layers of PE on the panel, just this little bit of 3-D really helps. Next up is the seat. Since I had only the inexpensive Eduard "zoom" set, I don't have a nice PE seat to fold up, and I'll use the kit seat. The seat was painted Gunze H47 Red Brown to represent the plastic seat, and the cushion received a coat of black as did the headrest. I did some dry-fitting earlier to see if I had to remove the prominent ejector pin marks. Luckily, none of them can be seen when everything is assembled! I had a lot of "fun" with the seat harnesses. I installed these as instructed in the Eduard package, not knowing if this is correct or not. I think it looks pretty good, though. I then added the oxygen tanks: After finishing the detail work, I added a light wash to provide some shadows, and I highlighted some edges with lighter version of the base colour. Following that with a coat or two of Alclad Klear Flat lacquer, here are a couple of shots to show the result: Next, we'll get everything mounted to the fuselage walls and we'll close 'er up. I will leave the gunsight cross-hairs off until after the model is finished, because I know if I add it now, it will end up going "Ping!" and that will be that. That's it for now, be back soon. Cheers, Bill PS. Am I the only one who thinks the new Photobucket interface stinks?

Here is my tribute to Sailor Malan. The kit formed the test subject for developing my vinyl masks. It saw some rough handling, a few drops to the floor and numerous strip downs and resprays. I had borrow the from windscreen from my spares box as I cracked the original. Not my best build but here it is. All markings were sprayed using my own masks as well as the camo pattern The base is part of a set of bases that a friend and I are now making to order. Comments good and bad welcome. P.S glued the top signalling light on after the pics were taken I finally got around to fixing the aerial and put the signal lam[p on (top). Thanks for pointing out the error. I also noticed a smudge on the inside of the canopy hood which I removed - thank goodness it was on the inside

Hi folks,can anyone tell me what codes Spitfire Mk1a of 72 squadron was wearing when it crashed on September 1st 1940 with P/O Oswald Pigg at the controls,he is buried a couple of miles from me in Durham city and I,d love to model this aircraft. regards Steve.

My daughter bought me the new tool 1:48 Spitfire Vb at Christmas time and last year I picked up cheap at a swap and sell the Malta Defender's boxing of the Special Hobby Spitfire Vc. I thought it would be instructive to build both of them "side by side". The Special Hobby kit was a bit trickier than the Airfix kit (no surprise really), although the Airfix kit did have its moments (the landing gear legs were particularly troublesome). I also did not make use of all of the photo etch in the Special Hobby kit - not being a great fan of it. Rather than use CA glue I used Humbrol Clearfix, which worked pretty well. I also tried a few extra bits of weathering that I haven'r tried before, some exhaust staining using dry brushed acrylics (may be a little overdone on the Vb?), cordite stains using some pencil graphite and some minor paint chipping using some flat aluminium acrylic. Both were completed as Malta Spitfires, although I know that colour schemes for these are a bit of a can of worms. First, the Airfix Vb finished as the aircraft flown by PO "Buck" McNair DFC RCAF with 249 (Gold Coast) Squadron RAF, Ta'Qali, Malta, March 1942. Brush painted Tamiya Acrylics, using XF53 Neutral Grey for the locally mixed grey colour. I almost regretted that because the paint was quite old and went on a bit "claggy" even when thinned. Decals were fine but needed some help to sink down into the detail using some brushed on Tamiya Acrylic thinner. Made grubby with some watercolours and finished with a couple of coats of brushed on Italeri Acrylic Flat Clear. Second one is the Special Hobby Vc finished as the aircraft of Sgt Claude Weaver of 185 Squadron RAF, who was shot down on September 9th 1942. There is a well known image of this aircraft crashed on a beach. I chose to go with Extra Dark Sea Grey over Azure, which from reading around on the forums is not completely unreasonable. I used Italeri Acryl Azure Blue for the undersides, the first time I have used this brand of paint on a larger canvas, and I am very happy with the results. It went on beautifully in thin coats using water to thin it without obscuring the fine engraved detail. While fragile it also touches up really well. Decals were a bit fragile, and I had some trouble getting them to settle over the lumpy detail on the underside. Had to resort to a coat or two of the Tamiya Acrylic thinner. Again some water colour to make it a bit grubby and highlight the detail, and Italeri Acryl Flat Clear to finish. And finally both of them together. Thanks for looking.

Howdy all. Hopefully you will not mind someone from over the pond joining you in this build. I plan to make one of Eduard's little gems in the form of Mk.IXe, MK329, flown by W/Cdr J. E. Johnson, CO of No. 144 Wing, June, 1944. Yes this is the one from the Eduard Royal Class with the beer kegs, who does not like the idea of inflight beverages! I will be using the Mk.IXe over-trees, with bits from the royal class box as needed. I like this one, and it will be my second spitfire with invasion stripes. The first one was...,not good, so hopefully I am a little more experienced. I have already built one in Czech markings from the Eduard "Boys are Back' edition and it went together wonderfully, so I do not see any problems. I am sure everyone is aware of this kit, as a few others are building them, so forgive me for not posting shots of the sprue trees. More photos of the build to follow. Thanks.

Just a quick question! I'm building a Mk.IIa out of the new Airfix 1/48 Spitfire. Which of the sliding section canopy parts would I use for this? Did this have the bulged sides or flat sides to the canopy? Can't really tell from the photo. Thanks Martin

Hi all, Been working on Revell's new Spitfire over on Large Scale Planes and it's suddenly dawned on me it might be of interest over here. OK - before I wade in - I won't pretend this is in any way definitive - it will include some mods I'll make following reference to photos/drawings/published dimensions/other kits - but my aim is to make a nice looking Spitfire - something I think easily achievable with this kit. What's more - it cost me the princely sum of £18 and I'd hate to waste it! For anyone that followed my He219 build I'd like to keep this thread on a similar - and positive - note throughout. Please chip in if you spot anything - and feel free to throw in discussion points. So - before I start... Kit fuselage: Top Hasegawa, middle new Revell, bottom Tamiya: Kit with Hasegawa Vb/Revell Hasegawa IIa fuselage (note difference in length from firewall (almost line-up perfectly - to front of cowl - don't ask which is right just yet): Hasegawa Vb/Revell Hasegawa IIa and Tamiya fuselage: Tamiya and Revell IIa fuselage: Comparison has already been made between the Tamiya kit and the new Revell one in Jen's excellent post on LSP, along with Derek Bradshaw's ongoing appraisal - nothing further to add. Interesting to note that the nose is quite a lot longer than the Hasegawa Vb - more investigation needed - but otherwise it matches quite closely in profile - if not cross section. Right oh - now to start... One of the first things I spotted were the fuselage sides - around the cockpit - appear to bulge out a little when viewed from above (or finger run along the sides) - and will need sanding back. Area is marked in red on photos - but actually are that needs modding extends further towards the firewall too. Likewise there is additional material on the wing roots that could do with removing - again as marked below. Not sure if I'll need to pack the area behind to prevent sanding all the way through - we'll see: And this is the relevant area inside the fuselage - not spotted before - but not conducive to getting the outer shapes right: Port side wing root in progress... Using the power tool and round grinding bit to remove most of the excess plastic: Before wading in with 280/400/600/1200 grit wet and dry wrapped around a pen: Looking better - still a little more to go methinks - but looks like there's enough 'meat' there to avoid any backfilling (modified left - kit right): Total time so far - about 20 mins. Back soon... Iain

Hi folks,fourth and final entry for this GB combines the classic British Spitfire in a superb French scheme of GC 1/7 Provence. Another nice example of "new" airfix molds although the cockpit is a bit of a joke I have two of these kits built in the original kit,s schemes so I don,t expect major issues.Box top for now.

OK, I'm calling this one done. Back in February I posted pics of my Tamiya Spitfire Mk.Vb (link), and now I've finished off it's Airfix sibling. Whereas the Tamiya kit was basically OOB with a few minor shape corrections, this one has a few additions to it (but no shape corrections): - Master brass cannon barrels - Wing trailing edges thinned and surface detail added to ailerons - Sutton harness from Tamiya tape - Added missing fasteners on the engine cowls - Added wing root fillet fastener detail - Prop, spinner and main wheels from the old Hasegawa Mk.Vb - Tail wheel from the Hasegawa Mk.IXc - Kit exhausts drilled out and detailed with weld seams - Main markings/insignia painted with home-made masks - Barracudacals airframe stencils - Added the sliding hood knockout panel cut from an old "Fast Frames" sheet Questions and constructive criticism are always welcome! The markings I chose are for a 402 Sqdn (RCAF) aircraft flown by Flight Lieutenant Henry Percy Duval of Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec. F/Lt. Percy was shot down near Dunkirk in late May 1940 during the Battle of France and managed to return to fight in the Battle of Britain. Later, on 27 April 1942, he was flying AA834 on a "Rodeo" to Lille and collided with another Spitfire over Le Touquet and was KIA. F/Lt. Percy was not famous, nor was he an ace, but to me he is representative of the thousands of airmen who gave their lives. Cheers, Tony

Well, 2014 was a bit of a bust for me modelling-wise, as I didn't actually finish a single thing. Fortunately 2015 is shaping up to be a bit more productive (actually infinitely more, if you're a stickler for math.) Hot off the bench is the good old Tamiya Spitfire Mk.Vb, pretty much OOB. The only things I did to it were: - Refined the wing trailing edge a bit to fix the well known shape issue - Refined the shape of the nose a bit to make the rocker covers a bit less "broad shouldered" looking - Drilled out the canon barrels - Drilled out the exhausts And that's it. I didn't even add a seat harness, although I still have the option since the canopy hood is only tacked on. Paints are Gunze Mr Colour for the Dark Earth, Tamiya 75% XF81 Dark Green plus 25% XF49 Khaki for the Dark Green and 75% Tamiya XF21 Sky plus about 25% X2 White for the Sky. The roundels and fuselage codes were masked and painted, while the rest of the decals came from the new Airfix Mk.Vb kit (which will be next off the bench, as it happens.) The markings themselves are neither fish nor fowl, BM597 having never actually been painted in this camouflage scheme during her service career, although she did wear the codes JHoC while flying with 317 Sqdn. As a restored warbird, BM597 does indeed wear these colours, but there are several airframe details that are post-war modifications that the Tamiya kit does not include (obviously). So I've painted the model up in the restored colours, but weathered it as if it were in service, just because I felt like it. Questions and constructive criticism are always welcome! Cheers, Tony

Spitfire Mk.V Resin Enhancement Sets (for Airfix 1:48) Eduard Brassin The new 1/48 Airfix Spitfire Vb kit has been made to feel very welcome in the market for 1/48 Spitfires and that's no mean feat! It's considered an accurate representation and stands up well against the Tamiya kit that's been out for some time. It's not surprising then that it will get plenty of attention from the aftermarket manufacturers creating a win/win/win scenario for Airfix, modellers and the aftermarket producers. Eduard has established itself as a leading supplier of resin upgrades with typically excellent fit under the brand of it's Brassin range. Looking at the quality of these sets, I expect them to follow that tradition. Spitfire Mk.V 'Fishtail' Exhaust Stacks (648 182) Offered as direct replacement parts for the kit, these resin parts are beautifully detailed. Most Mk.V's were fitted with this type of exhaust as it offered a slight thrust improvement over the earlier types. The outlets of the exhausts are hollowed out with stunningly thin edges and the welded sections are faithfully reproduced as you would expect. Spitfire Mk.V Exhaust Stacks (648 179) These exhausts are the type that was phased out early in the Spitfire V development and replaced with the fishtail type provided above. I would recommend doing your research to ensure you purchase the correct type for your build if planning to use these given the rarity of their use in Mk.V service. Again, they are superbly cast with accurate weld joins and hollowed outlets. Spitfire Mk.V Radio Compartment (648 184) The radio for the Spitfire was carried aft of the cockpit and access was through a door on the port side of the rear fuselage. If you're wanting to build a diorama or super detailed Spitfire, then this option is worth considering. The fuselage interior is provided as cast parts that simply mate to the inside faces of the kit fuselage. An etch radio mount is then added to support the resin radio stack centrally. You will need to cut out the access door in the fuselage to view this extra detail, but a replacement door is provided for this purpose. Again, the detail is top notch, however visibility of this fine work is going to be quite limited once the kit is built, so this should be considered before committing. Spitfire Mk.V Wheels (648 178) Again, making full use of the casting ability of high quality resin, Eduard have produced these rather stunning wheels. The detail is incredibly sharp with the tyres showing off the 'Dunlop' text and mould lines around the circumference of the side walls. Separate 5 spoke outer hubs are provided giving the added benefit of making painting much easier. The inner hubs are slotted to allow direct replacement of the kit wheels on to the gear legs. Spitfire Mk.V Cockpit (648 183) This set necessitates a larger box such is the quantity of parts contained in the set. The complete cockpit interior is beautifully recreated in this set with nothing left out. Some of the parts are delicate and given the nature of them being cast to blocks, considerable care should be taken when cutting them free. An example of this is the control column. A hasty removal could leave you with several parts to glue back together. Assembly starts with the control panel being built up and mounted to the front bulkhead and the compass fitted. The rear bulkhead then follows with etch armour plate being fitted. The intricately moulded floor pan is then used to mount the forward bulk head assembly on along with the rudder pedals and control column. Next comes the seat assembly which includes rear framework and etch rear armour and perforated front lower lip. Finally, all the remaining main parts are fitted on to the floor pan creating an entire cockpit sub assembly. The Airfix kit has separate cockpit internal side walls. This is a great benefit to the Eduard set as it means that they have been able to replace the kit parts with far sharper and more detailed resin parts without the need for the modeller to go on a cutting and sanding spree to shoehorn the detail in there! The etch sheet is put to further use with various controls and seatbelts giving a comprehensively detailed result. As you would expect with such an aftermarket makeover, plenty of dry fitting should be done to make sure you are able to close the fuselage up afterwards. Given the intricate detailing including in this set, it is target towards more experienced builders who are used to using etch and resin. Conclusion These sets allow a 1/48 Airfix Mk.V to be turned in to a masterpiece either as a stand alone model or as part of a period diorama. The detail & quality is second to none and the range provides a modular way to enhance your Spitfire to suit a range of budgets and skill levels. If using the more intricate sets, a good set of modelling tools will make the job much easier such as an etch former and tweezers as a minimum. Review sample courtesy of

I've had an urge to build one of these for many years after seeing one built up in the Malta War Museum as a kid. Finally took the plunge and here it is. Initially, it was a little daunting with it's industrial qualities as I'm sure you understand if you've built one of these, but despite getting RSI from all the sanding and filling, I'm quite pleased with it! I purposely used the external armoured windscreen as I wasn't too happy with the shape of the correct part, but I never noticed the reversed camo scheme on a picture of the real aircraft as I followed the Airfix instructions which are wrong (Thanks for TonyOT for pointing this out, but I decided to leave it as it is). I also made a boo boo on the alignment of the wing roundel, but Theanorak73 has kindly offered to help me out with a replacement as it is too obvious to leave as it is. The only real issue I came across was the fitting of the tropical intake as rather than replacing the original part, its designed to fit over the top of it. Much filling was necessary to tidy this area up. Paint was Gunze Dark Earth & Mid Stone with Xtracylic Azure underneath. Weathering is a combination of a panel wash, oils and pastels. No aftermarket was used, any extras were scratch built. You can see the build HERE. The aircraft: ER120 / VF-D was an aircraft operating with the 5th GS / 52FG over Tunisia. It suffered flak damage on the 9th april 1943 whilst in combat over Kairouan, Tunisia with Eugene Steinbrenner at the controls, and force landed. Fortunately it was recovered and repaired Hope you like the old beast! Edit - fin flash overpaint and new decal applied to the upper wing, thanks to Crag (theanorak73) Thanks for looking Neil

I tend to have a number of posts and was about to start another. Edgar is great with his answers so maybe we can all use one place for our Q and A, I just received Hayes owners manual and I noticed that the cutaway depicts both TR9 (Top) and side antenna. Interestingly none of the restored spits have any wires showing. I am doing and early MKIX so was wondering what the low down was on when to use both, none, only one type? Next (stupid questions - I am doing one of the desert polish MK IX's Eduards paint ref show no walk lines. I looked at a poor quality photo, to no avail. I know that the early Vb's were rushed out and repainted on arrival. I would have thought that by the time the MK IX's were dispatched they would have come in desert cammo with all the bells and whistle i.e. "no step" etc.

Here's my take on the the Airfix 1/72 Spitfire Mk22 - finished off as SR65 of 1 Squadron Southern Rhodesian Air Force (early 1950s) Built for a recent club competition, where by the grace of my peers, it came in second..........behind Keefr's plane crash !!! (Wait till I learn how to build bases mate ) Best Regards mike