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Here inscribed the names of friends we knew,
Young men with whom we often flew.
Scrambled to many angels high, 
They knew that they or friends might die. 
Many were very scarcely trained, 
And many badly burnt or maimed. 
Behind each name a story lies 
Of bravery in summer skies; 
Though many brave unwritten tales 
Were simply told in vapour trails. 
Many now lie in sacred graves 
And many rest beneath the waves. 
Outnumbered every day they flew, 
Remembered here as just 'The Few'.

 

’Our Wall’ by Battle of Britain pilot, Flt Lt William Walker, inscribed on the Memorial Wall at Capel-Le-Ferne. What it may lack in lyrical quality compared to, say, High Flight, it makes up for in brutal honesty.

 

This then, is my tribute to the men memorialised in that poem, and on that wall, for they truly were ‘our wall’ in 1940. 
 

Nothing remarkable in my choice, although friends may cavil at the choice of scale, the relatively recent Tamiya tooling of the icon of the Battle, the Spitfire.
 

50082975898_96eb685e3d_b.jpgSpitfire by Tamiya by Jon Gwinnett, on Flickr

 

 

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The subject of the box art and kit markings is of course this well known image:

 

mid_000000.jpg?action=e&cat=Photographs THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN 1940. © IWM (CH 740) IWM Non Commercial License

 

Five days later a photographer (sadly uncredited) captured the pilots of 610 on the ground:

 

mid_000000.jpg?action=e&cat=Photographs THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN 1940. © IWM (HU 1062) IWM Non Commercial License

 

 

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A brave man that follows me, I bodge!

 

Conveniently the IWM image can be blown up hugely onscreen without losing too much resolution, which helps with deciding on detail fit. Curiously, the IWM catalogue record has N3289 as DW-K, but other sources suggest that airframe “Failed to Return” from Ops over Dunkirk, and the pilot, Flying Officer John Kerr Wilson, RAF (AAF) 90338, age 32, was sadly posted as missing, presumed dead on 29 May 1940.

 

A more likely candidate for a photo taken on 24 July, is therefore N3029, also coded DW-K which, according to the 610 Squadron Association website, was maintained by AC J. Heaps and flown by Sgt P.H. Willcocks during the Battle of Britain.

 

(This airframe survived the battle, having passed to 66 Squadron on 15 September. Later rebuilt as a Mk.V and apparently lost at sea while being transported from Birkenhead to Port Sudan in the winter of 1942-43!)

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Hello Jon, it's really good to see you. We'll even gloss over the 1/48-ness of your entry :lol:

 

If it lives up to Tamiya's usual reputation for quality you should have a good build B)

 

Cheers,

 

Stew

 

 

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I partially blame Airfix, since none of the readily available boxings of their 1/72 Spitfire feature markings for the Battle. This seems like a missed opportunity, but they’re managing to launch a Top Gun Maverick boxing of the Mustang, so they clearly have their priorities sorted!
 

(I jest, at least a little, since the Maverick tie in is an excellent piece of marketing, but no BOB Spitfire? Come on Airfix, don’t just stand there, get one up!)

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Further digging suggests the airframe in the photo could also be P9495, which might be even more likely, although this particular set of markings seems to be a bit of a minefield.

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11 hours ago, 06/24 said:

... no BOB Spitfire? Come on Airfix, don’t just stand there, get one up!

 

Unless they are planning to spring a surprise in the next few days they are too late now, given the time it would take to produce new box-art, transfers etc. It's not like anyone at Airfix could have seen the 80th Anniversary of the Battle of Britain coming... hey, wait a minute!

 

Fortunately there is no shortage of aftermarket transfers for 1/72 Mk.I Spitfires :D 

 

Cheers,

 

Stew

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I'm in!

Jon building a Spitfire - is this 'the new normal'?

 

Like Stew, I'll excuse the scale… as you're a friend of mine! :popcorn:

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I hope @CedB and @Procopius will forgive me, but I think all three of us are somewhat Spitfire obsessed. So with air show season effectively cancelled, at least in Scotland, allow me a little reminiscence of the 75th anniversary of the battle, when three Amigos converged on Duxford... 
 

21667554272_7092afacc2_b.jpgDuxford by Jon Gwinnett, on Flickr
 

21678956505_072f52efb0_b.jpgDuxford by Jon Gwinnett, on Flickr
 

21495210290_bce9071b30_b.jpgSpitfire by Jon Gwinnett, on Flickr
 

21705408031_9024c28bb0_b.jpgUntitled by Jon Gwinnett, on Flickr

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I referenced “High Flight” in my opening post. Possibly the greatest aviation poem ever written, by John Gillespie Magee Jr. a Canadian pilot who’s life was tragically cut short by the war.  
 

The opening lines stir my soul:

 

“Oh! I have slipped the surly bonds of Earth
And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings;“

 

21060335134_94a969206c_b.jpgUntitled by Jon Gwinnett, on Flickr

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3 hours ago, CedB said:

What a day that was… thanks Jon, great memories :) 

Indeed they are! Except for the part where I drank too much Dr Pepper on the way back and we had to make an emergency pit stop. I'm not very smart.

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‘ALL CLEAR’? 
 

50097157921_905ec8ee1e_b.jpgTamiya Spitfire by Jon Gwinnett, on Flickr


Flick MAGNETO SWITCHES UP for ON.
Call ‘CONTACT’
Press STARTER BUTTON then Push PRIMING PUMP HANDLE.
Hold buttons until the Merlin engine fires up.
If flames are spotted at the exhaust stubs, hold the Starter Button IN until flames have disappeared.

 

50097157896_48148f89ae_b.jpgTamiya Spitfire by Jon Gwinnett, on Flickr
 

if flames are spotted on workbench, use adjacent beer to extinguish...

 

 

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I’m thinking open? I’m doing it wheels down I think, so open, and maybe try and droop the elevators too.

 

I’ve given the interior parts a waft of aluminium from a rattle can as primer & base coat for the aft sections.

 

50097281583_cffa9b1c28_b.jpgPrimed by Jon Gwinnett, on Flickr

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Will watch this with interest, mines going to get started later today.

 

Flames on the workbench means scratch building doesn't it? Or is that just me?

 

Geoff 

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  • 3 months later...

Sorry folks, inertia, four wheeled distractions, a model railroad and other similar excuses mean this one hasn’t progressed and I’m afraid I’ve rather lost interest, which is a terrible thing to admit, but there we are. 

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