Steve 1602 Posted January 12, 2022 Share Posted January 12, 2022 Second build for 2022 will be Wing commander Johnnie Johnson’s Spitfire IXc EN398 whilst commanding the Kenley wing. I think this is one of the first Spitfire schemes I ever built from the old Airfix 1/72 Mk IX. This is a very famous scheme, but there’s always been debate about the colour of the maple leaf (I’m going red, although the old Airfix one was green) and there’s some comment about whether a Wing Commanders pennant was carried on the port side - I’m tempted. The Spit was originally flown by a 402 Sqn RCAF pilot - F/O Ian Keltie- and this scheme is included in the new Airfix 1/24 Spitfire. I’m using a weekend edition of the Eduard Spitfire MkIXc with decals from the Victory productions ‘Aces of the Empire’ sheet. The only other extra ‘so far’ will be PE seatbelts. This site has been very useful in helping me formulate what my version of EN398 should look like in terms of bulges and bumps http://spitfiresite.com/2010/04/johnnie-johnsons-spitfire-revisited.html Steve 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valleyforge Posted January 12, 2022 Share Posted January 12, 2022 56 minutes ago, Steve 1602 said: there’s always been debate about the colour of the maple leaf (I’m going red, although the old Airfix one was green) On the 1/72 AZ model, that I have, the maple leaf is red. This was when it was flown by Ian Keltie’s as AE - B EN398. Ive also picked up a set of decals for when Johnny Johnson was flying the aircraft marked as JE - J 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve 1602 Posted January 12, 2022 Author Share Posted January 12, 2022 30 minutes ago, Valleyforge said: On the 1/72 AZ model, that I have, the maple leaf is red. This was when it was flown by Ian Keltie’s as AE - B EN398. Ive also picked up a set of decals for when Johnny Johnson was flying the aircraft marked as JE - J From what I can gather VF, the green came from Johnson’s recollections, but it does seem odd that he would have a green maple leaf when the rest of the wing had red - it seems they were decals as well so it seems odd to overpaint it. I’m sticking with red as well Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valleyforge Posted January 12, 2022 Share Posted January 12, 2022 (edited) 12 minutes ago, Steve 1602 said: I’m sticking with red as well I would do the same thing. Cant really argue as the national flag seems to have a great big red maple leaf on it, so I think that would be a good indication. However, I would like to know the story behind the green maple leaf if that is the case. Think it needs a little research. Edited January 12, 2022 by Valleyforge Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valleyforge Posted January 12, 2022 Share Posted January 12, 2022 12 minutes ago, Steve 1602 said: green maple leaf I see what you have been reading "Johnson stated that the the leaf on his aircraft was green. However, all the Canadian squadrons of the Kenley wing had this national symbol painted in red. Was green the conscious decision on the part of Johnnie to underline his British origin, or did the memory fail him on this rather small detail? Perhaps we will never know. I have chosen red for my profiles". That looks like a good little site. I shall have to look on here as Iam doing a Spit at the moment VF - D ER 120 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve 1602 Posted January 12, 2022 Author Share Posted January 12, 2022 Just googled VF-D - nice choice 👏 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve 1602 Posted January 14, 2022 Author Share Posted January 14, 2022 Got things started this evening and most of the cockpit sub-assemblies are complete. I’ve drilled out the lightening holes in the frames - I always think this is worthwhile when posing the canopy open. I’ll get some paint on it tomorrow hopefully and will try to get the fuselage together. Steve 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stever219 Posted January 14, 2022 Share Posted January 14, 2022 19 minutes ago, Steve 1602 said: Got things started this evening and most of the cockpit sub-assemblies are complete. I’ve drilled out the lightening holes in the frames - I always think this is worthwhile when posing the canopy open. I’ll get some paint on it tomorrow hopefully and will try to get the fuselage together. Steve It’s fun cutting the slot for the harness in the head armour isn’t it? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve 1602 Posted January 15, 2022 Author Share Posted January 15, 2022 8 hours ago, stever219 said: It’s fun cutting the slot for the harness in the head armour isn’t it? It’s the most fun you can have with a scalpel blade…. Definitely one of those “slowly, slowly” moments! 😆 Steve 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigbadbadge Posted January 15, 2022 Share Posted January 15, 2022 I will tag along if okay always love a Spitfire znd you can never have too many. Parts look good and great job cutting the belt slot too . Chris 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve 1602 Posted January 15, 2022 Author Share Posted January 15, 2022 10 minutes ago, bigbadbadge said: I will tag along if okay always love a Spitfire znd you can never have too many. Parts look good and great job cutting the belt slot too . Chris Welcome along Chris and I agree with your theory on Spits - if I can steal from perfect bike number theory; the perfect number of Spitfires is n+1, where n= the number of Spitfires you currently own 😆 Steve 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigbadbadge Posted January 15, 2022 Share Posted January 15, 2022 Just now, Steve 1602 said: Welcome along Chris and I agree with your theory on Spits - if I can steal from perfect bike number theory; the perfect number of Spitfires is n+1, where n= the number of Spitfires you currently own 😆 Steve 😄 I like that, agreed. Chris 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark.au Posted January 16, 2022 Share Posted January 16, 2022 On 1/13/2022 at 7:36 AM, Steve 1602 said: The Spit was originally flown by a 402 Sqn RCAF pilot - F/O Ian Keltie I had the great fortune to have met Ian Keltie once, and was able to give him my model of his EN398 which I built back in the early 2000’s from the ICM kit, with decals I printed up myself. Ian was generous with his time and was happy to tell stories of his wartime flying over dinner. There’s a piece up on my site about him and the model. I think it’s great the scheme is in the new Airfix kit, it may even tempt me to get one! I’m looking forward to following along. FWIW, I’m also in the Red Maple Leaf camp. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve 1602 Posted January 16, 2022 Author Share Posted January 16, 2022 2 hours ago, mark.au said: I had the great fortune to have met Ian Keltie once, and was able to give him my model of his EN398 which I built back in the early 2000’s from the ICM kit, with decals I printed up myself. Ian was generous with his time and was happy to tell stories of his wartime flying over dinner. There’s a piece up on my site about him and the model. I think it’s great the scheme is in the new Airfix kit, it may even tempt me to get one! I’m looking forward to following along. FWIW, I’m also in the Red Maple Leaf camp. Wow! That’s amazing - that must have been an incredible experience to spend some time with him. A lovely touch to present him with a model of his Spit. I think it’s great that Airfix have included EN398 - it’s a sort of heritage aircraft for them; including it as AE-B rather than JE-J is a nice touch. I’ll definitely be getting one. Steve 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve 1602 Posted January 16, 2022 Author Share Posted January 16, 2022 Not as much progress as I would have liked this weekend, but at least I’ve got the base colours down for the cockpit. Hopefully I will get some time this week for some detail painting and assembly. Steve 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scooby Posted January 17, 2022 Share Posted January 17, 2022 2 hours ago, Steve 1602 said: Wow! That’s amazing - that must have been an incredible experience to spend some time with him. A lovely touch to present him with a model of his Spit. I think it’s great that Airfix have included EN398 - it’s a sort of heritage aircraft for them; including it as AE-B rather than JE-J is a nice touch. I’ll definitely be getting one. Steve I met JEJ and his son at an airshow in Canada, bought a signed Nicolas Trudgian print off of him too. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scooby Posted January 17, 2022 Share Posted January 17, 2022 On 1/12/2022 at 3:27 PM, Valleyforge said: I would do the same thing. Cant really argue as the national flag seems to have a great big red maple leaf on it, so I think that would be a good indication. However, I would like to know the story behind the green maple leaf if that is the case. Think it needs a little research. I think the leafs were green. During WWII the Canadian Army used green leafs on their tank markings. A squadron I served in, 416, flew Spits in WWII. One Spit had a giant green leaf on the nose with a Lynx . Makes sense to me as the Maple Leaf is green. RCAF Vets are split on the color in the roundel on wartime Spits, some said red, others said green. A friend of mine researched the subject for IPMS Canada and he swears it was red. I don’t agree with him. The Canadian Red Ensign, which we fought under in WWII, had three green leafs in it. Our current Canada flag, was first officially flown in 1965. So your theory about our national flag doesn’t hold true in WWII. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve 1602 Posted January 17, 2022 Author Share Posted January 17, 2022 8 hours ago, Scooby said: I think the leafs were green. During WWII the Canadian Army used green leafs on their tank markings. A squadron I served in, 416, flew Spits in WWII. One Spit had a giant green leaf on the nose with a Lynx . Makes sense to me as the Maple Leaf is green. RCAF Vets are split on the color in the roundel on wartime Spits, some said red, others said green. A friend of mine researched the subject for IPMS Canada and he swears it was red. I don’t agree with him. The Canadian Red Ensign, which we fought under in WWII, had three green leafs in it. Our current Canada flag, was first officially flown in 1965. So your theory about our national flag doesn’t hold true in WWII. That’s interesting and I hadn’t really considered the green leaves on the Canadian red ensign - but you are of course quite correct. Part of me wants to use the green leaves - for nostalgia reasons if nothing else, and also for this oft quoted (but never seen AFAIK) letter from Johnson confirming the leaf as green. A few questions back though - I thought the Canadian Divisional patches in WW2 used a gold rather than green maple leaf (certainly that’s what I found on a couple of sites)? There are references to an ‘official’ aircraft disc marking of a red leaf on a blue background with a navy border ( this I think is reproduced in one of the avieology decal sets). It seems that red was in circulation there, so is it reasonable to assume the same for the Kenley Wing? The RCAF ensign at the time contained a defaced roundel with a red maple leaf, so that would have been familiar to the Air Force folk I would guess? it’s an interesting point of debate - if everyone could thoroughly check their attics for colour photos of EN398 that would be very much appreciated…. 😉 perhaps I should do one side green and one red so I am at least 50% correct 😆 Steve 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tail-Dragon Posted January 17, 2022 Share Posted January 17, 2022 This might help, from an IPMS Canada article .... The real thing. Colin 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve 1602 Posted January 17, 2022 Author Share Posted January 17, 2022 40 minutes ago, Tail-Dragon said: This might help, from an IPMS Canada article .... Thanks Colin - that the one I had seen from Avieology - which makes me think that red on the Kenley wing badge is a good assumption. Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul J Posted January 17, 2022 Share Posted January 17, 2022 Bare in mind the red maple leaf flag of current times did not exist during the last war. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve 1602 Posted January 17, 2022 Author Share Posted January 17, 2022 14 minutes ago, Paul J said: Bare in mind the red maple leaf flag of current times did not exist during the last war. Understood Paul - but the RCAF ensign carried a red maple leaf and the decal posted by @Tail-Dragon Colin above was a wartime RCAF emblem. It’s an interesting and long standing debate I think. Steve 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve 1602 Posted January 17, 2022 Author Share Posted January 17, 2022 A little more progress this evening and the internals are ready to be fitted together. I need to fit some harness straps to the seat - hopefully get that done tomorrow and get the fuselage joined. Steve 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tail-Dragon Posted January 17, 2022 Share Posted January 17, 2022 Great marking choice - one of the most iconic Spit IXc's out there. Here's a question. Would EN398 have a Sutton, or a Quick release harness? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve 1602 Posted January 18, 2022 Author Share Posted January 18, 2022 7 hours ago, Tail-Dragon said: Great marking choice - one of the most iconic Spit IXc's out there. Here's a question. Would EN398 have a Sutton, or a Quick release harness? I think it should be a Sutton - but I don’t think I have one of those left so will be using a later harness (QK I think…. shhhh don’t tell anyone!). I may be able to steal one from another kit so I’ll have to have a dig around in the stash. Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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