Dim_Thessalonica Posted March 9, 2017 Share Posted March 9, 2017 (edited) Hi to everybody! First posting for me at Britmodeller, a kind of symbolic, I may say. This is a recently built 1/48 Italeri (Special Hobby reboxing) Spitfire Vc , representing a Royal Hellenic Air Force Sharkmouth Spitfire, immediately after the return of the RAF Greek squadrons to Greece (hence the mixed-bag markings - fuselage Greek, wings still RAF). It wasn't exactly a problem-free build, but with the help of Eduard photo-ethed and the recently published RHAF decals from our native LM decals, I tried to do my best. Hope you like it. Dimitris K. Edited April 29, 2021 by Dim_Thessalonica 43 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keefr22 Posted March 9, 2017 Share Posted March 9, 2017 That's a superb Spit! Really like the mix of markings, & your paint & weathering is excellent! Lovely job! Keith 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
85sqn Posted March 9, 2017 Share Posted March 9, 2017 Very nice! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevej60 Posted March 9, 2017 Share Posted March 9, 2017 Beautiful build and finish,never seen that scheme before,look's great. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyot Posted March 9, 2017 Share Posted March 9, 2017 (edited) Wow,...... you`ve done a beautiful job and I love the colour scheme,...... I would like to do this one myself. I`ll have to lookout for some of those decals myself. Cheers Tony Edited March 9, 2017 by tonyot 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaffajake Posted March 9, 2017 Share Posted March 9, 2017 Lovely job. I love the mishmash of greek/raf decaling! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
airbus320 Posted March 9, 2017 Share Posted March 9, 2017 Great job on an interesting scheme! Getting that shark mouth to fit the Volkes filter can't have been easy but it looks flawless! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ali62 Posted March 9, 2017 Share Posted March 9, 2017 Oh wow that is some really interesting scheme, well done, I love models that are just a little different, this is one of them. Ali 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheLurker Posted March 9, 2017 Share Posted March 9, 2017 Θαυμάσιο αεροπλάνο! Μια εξαίρετική δουλειά! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darby Posted March 9, 2017 Share Posted March 9, 2017 Always nice to see something different on one of those. Never seen Greek before. A welcome variation. Nice one. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cngaero Posted March 9, 2017 Share Posted March 9, 2017 That's a superb Spitfire topped off with very attractive markings. That's another one on my never ending to do list!!! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dim_Thessalonica Posted March 10, 2017 Author Share Posted March 10, 2017 Gentlemen, Thank you very much for your kind words! 22 hours ago, tonyot said: I would like to do this one myself. I`ll have to lookout for some of those decals myself. Cheers Tony Tony, in case you haven't found it already, you can check below for the decals: http://www.lmdecals.gr/index.php/en/1-48-scale-decals/186-royal-hellenic-air-force-spitfire-mkv-greek-lm-48003 Dimitrios 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyot Posted March 10, 2017 Share Posted March 10, 2017 49 minutes ago, Dim_Thessalonica said: Gentlemen, Thank you very much for your kind words! Tony, in case you haven't found it already, you can check below for the decals: http://www.lmdecals.gr/index.php/en/1-48-scale-decals/186-royal-hellenic-air-force-spitfire-mkv-greek-lm-48003 Dimitrios Thanks Dimitrios, I`ve orded the sets in 48ths and 72nd scales,......a bit expensive,.....but they should keep me busy for a while! All the best Tony Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skyradial51 Posted March 10, 2017 Share Posted March 10, 2017 nice looking Spit ' you got there ! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bangor Lad Posted March 10, 2017 Share Posted March 10, 2017 Very nice. You'll have to show us more now! Cheers 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buzby061 Posted March 10, 2017 Share Posted March 10, 2017 Superbly painted & weathered, the shark mouth suits the Vokes filter. Pete 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
turnerdad Posted March 10, 2017 Share Posted March 10, 2017 Loving that! Superb. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reini78 Posted March 10, 2017 Share Posted March 10, 2017 nice work! haven´t seen that scheme before 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woody37 Posted March 10, 2017 Share Posted March 10, 2017 Great introduction, lovely build and an unusual scheme 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christer A Posted March 11, 2017 Share Posted March 11, 2017 Sharkmouth on a pretty Spit!? Excellent way to intruduce yourself! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JWM Posted March 12, 2017 Share Posted March 12, 2017 Nice build :). Very colourful Spt. Can you tell more about the history, please? When exactly they returned back to Grece? Where those squadrons involve in action against Germans or it was when war was already over? Cheers J-W Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dim_Thessalonica Posted March 12, 2017 Author Share Posted March 12, 2017 (edited) 3 hours ago, JWM said: Nice build :). Very colourful Spt. Can you tell more about the history, please? When exactly they returned back to Grece? Where those squadrons involve in action against Germans or it was when war was already over? Cheers J-W Sure J-W, After the German attack and the tripartite occupation of Greece in spring 1941, part of the Greek armed forces managed to escape, and joined the British and other Allied forces in Egypt. Among them there were a number of RHAF Avro Ansons and other planes. Greek pilots were numerous enough to allow for the formation of two RAF fighter squadrons - 335 (Greek) and 336 (Greek) – and a light bombardment one (13th LB Sq). Equipped initially with Hurricanes, the 335 and 336 Sqns got their first Spitfires Mk. V in 1943. They saw service against Axis forces in North Africa (most famously El Alamein) and later in Italy, while also performing attacks against German forces in occupied Greece. They arrived at the liberated homeland in October 1944, where they were hastily painted with Greek markings, initially the fuselage and later the wings ones. At these early times, there was no homogeneous and simultaneous change of markings, with many colorful and strange results. By the end of 1945 they all wore RHAF markings. The plane I tried to represent, arrived from Italy to Greece in 16/11/1944, where it got the Greek fuselage markings. It was damaged beyond repair after a forced landing in 27/2/1945. There are a couple of photos of this nice sharkmouth-bearing plane, some of them I think appeared in this very website, like this below one: There is very interesting article on RHAF Spitifires and their markings in IPMS Hellas magazine no 20 , October 2009 (needless to say, in Greek). Some of the info, I think, is reproduced in the LM decals instructions. Best, Dimitrios Edited March 12, 2017 by Dim_Thessalonica 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JWM Posted March 12, 2017 Share Posted March 12, 2017 Hi Dimitrios, Thank you very much for enlightning me on the RHAF brief history. Just to be sure - It was November '44 when they came to Grece (you wrote '45, but then airplane crashed in Feb 45, as you said - so I think it was '44). As far as I remember it is usually said that Germans phased out of Greece not defending too much due to strategic losses in Balkans (Bulgaria, Rumunia...) sometime in late Autumn '44. Am I right? Or I mixed something? It was sad, but soon kind of civil war started... Regarding RHAF from 1941 I constructed some models of this period some more than 10 years ago. Two of them I posted already on BM in recent years: I have also Avia 534 and PZL 24 G - but did them in my school time - some 43-44 years ago, so they are not planned to be post here...At least without serious refershing. I am thinking on Breguet XIX from Greece, 1941 but the one of Republican Spain painting is perhaps more likely... Congrats for very nice Spit again and greetings from Krakow! Jerzy-Wojtek Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dim_Thessalonica Posted March 12, 2017 Author Share Posted March 12, 2017 (edited) Oups, date corrected. Edited March 12, 2017 by Dim_Thessalonica 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
batcode Posted March 13, 2017 Share Posted March 13, 2017 nice looking spit 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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