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Showing results for tags 'Tamyas big Spitfire Mk.IX'.
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Hello all! Since as long as I can remember I have had an enduring love for one particular Spitfire. MH434. Built at Castle Bromwich in 1943 she saw combat with 222 Sqn. RAF and retired in March 1945. From there, she served with the Royal Netherlands Air Force and later, the Belgian Air Force. MH434 returned to England in 1956 and was given a full overhaul and civilian markings. She was then flown purely for pleasure, but made her first silver screen appearence in the film Operation Crossbow..........shen has since gone on to feature in other film and television work, including the films A Bridge Too Far and the Battle of Britain. In April 1983, MH434 was sold at auction to Ray Hanna, who founded the Old Flying Machine Company based at Duxford. MH434 has been based there ever since and is one of the most famous still airworthy Spitfire's in the world today. I first saw her being displayed in the 90's when I was still at school. But that first time she roared at low level right past my eyes, I felt the pure joy of seeing and hearing such an aircraft, the power and beauty of a Supermarine Spitfire. Since that day, I have caught up with 434 at many an airshow and had craved to build a model of her for quite some time. My chance came when a good friend bought me Tamiya's 1/32 Mk.IX Spitfire. By now we have all seen how great this kit is, to my mind it's the best money can buy. So I don't need to give a description of the kit here. My intention is to build the modern day version of 434, so my kit will have to be tweeked just a little bit and I'll be relying on tons of reference pics. Here is what I am aiming for................. P.S. Here is how I want my finished build to look like: This is how MH434 looked just after her 1995 rebuild and how she appeared in the film "A Spitfire's Story" I will attempt to depict the scene when 434 is having her first engine run's in May 1995: I have started work on the cockpit, here is what I did: