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This build was inspired by a good friend and Army colleague of 25 years + (he is actually serving, still must be in his 36th year!). He posted that PO Crelin Bodie was his childhood hero, turns out he was my mates Bob's mothers cousin. I decide to look into his story, which was quite interesting. He was a Suffolk lad, so has a local connection too. He became an ace and was gazetted for the DFC on 8 Nov 1940. He has a chapter in 10 Fighter Boys by Jimmy Corbin. Apparently he had a habit of belly landings....hence I plan to model Spitfire X4321 Coded LZ-F, 66 Sqn RAF, based at RAF Kenley. He belly landed the Spitfire after being damaged in a dogfight on either the 5th Sept or 7 Sept 1940, anyone who can confirm please do! X4321 Ia 1085 EA MIII FF 29-8-40 8MU 30-8-40 66S ‘LZ-F’ 5-9-40 damaged by Bf109 over Norfolk force-landed P/O Bodie safe C3 7-9-40 Weathering will be minimal as it appears it was only about a week old! Some date the forced landing as 7 Sept 1940. Can't find any actual ref pics (probably as it only lasted a week!) , but anything I do find points to a black spinner rather than the red sometimes seen with 66 Sqn? Any advice welcomed.... So Port LZ - F and Std F-LZ would seem correct from other references? @nimrod54 - been looking at your build as a reference, did you go for the standard Sky underneath, xtradecal seem to show a more Blue sky which I can't read? Bodie in the Battle of Britain On 8th July 1940, he claimed his first kill; a Heinkel HE111. A second Heinkel followed on 19th August and two Messerschmitt ME110 the following day. He rounded off August 1940 with a hit on a Dornier DO17 on 31st. Pilot Officer Bodie was a respected ace in the Battle of Britain, registering the destruction of the following planes. Destroyed HE111 (2nd September) Probable destroyed ME109 (4th September) Damaged two ME109s (6th September) Destroyed HE111 (11th September) Destroyed two DO17s (15th September) Destroyed HE111 (18th September) Probable destroyed ME109 (24th September) Damaged JU88 (5th October) Destroyed ME109 (11th October) Probable destroyed two ME109s (12th October) Probable damaged two ME109s (12th October) Destroyed ME109 (13th October) Destroyed ME109 (25th October) Destroyed ME109 (14th November) Kit: Has anyone used P Masks? Could only get them as others sold out... Also have some B Scheme camo masks and various codes/serial decals to help with my RAF builds. My own quick notes He was promoted and posted a couple of times, sadly he died later in the war at RNAS Eglington (now City of Derry airport) in Northern Ireland. Again, I flew out this airport regularly when posted to Ballykelly camp in the late 90's.... A fatal accident in Northern Ireland At the age of only twenty-one, Bodie was involved in a fatal incident in Northern Ireland. On 24th February 1942, his Spitfire Mk IIA P8077 spun out of control near RNAS Eglinton. By this time, Bodie was Flight Commander of B Flight. He had been practicing aerobatics over RNAS Eglinton when he lost control of the Spitfire. The plane came down near the airfield and Bodie was instantaneously killed and the aircraft was written off. Crelin Arthur Walford Bodie’s grave is in St. Canice’s Church of Ireland Churchyard, Faughanvale, Eglinton, Co. Londonderry. I plan to build this with the pilot inside, but on the ground ready to go. I will mount on some sort of surface (never done before but have the base of an old cat scratching post to use!) with some model grass surface etc.... I will just need to wrap it well and post it safely to Hereford for Bob, who hopefully like it! Any historical/build advice etc be much appreciated!