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Bader's Spitfire Va Code size + ?


DavHo

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Hi Everyone,

I'm building the Hasegawa/Revell 1/32 Spitfire I/II kit as Bader's Va.

Since I couldn't get the Hasegawa release with the actual markings I have to source them from elsewhere.

Hannants have Colorado Decals 1/32 codes in a variety of sizes and colours. I think they have to be sky but what size in inches??

20", 27" ???

I have the black aircraft codes covered with the Ventura sheet and the "Hitler's bum kicking"decal from the PacModels Hurricane.

I have searched the forum and will make the following changes:

1. Mk V canopy

2. Mk V prop and spinner(not sure which)

3. Mk V exhausts (all in the kit)

4. Oil cooler?? Some say the earlier "U" and others the "O" shape. This is attached to the wing and no separate V cooler is given.

5. Metal ailerons .

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Dave H.

Australia

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Not sure what you mean by Mk.V canopy- it would be the same as Mk.I (not bulged sides, but domed top). Technically it was probably the Martin-Baker jettisonable hood, if you can tell the difference. External armor, not internal on windscreen.

Prop/Spinner same as Mk.I- DH (No Coffman blister on starboard cowl)

Exhausts like Mk.I, not the 'fishtails'.

Oil cooler would be the round one of the Mk.V (although his airframe may have been originally delivered with the earlier style, but they were refitted).

Metal ailerons I'd say yes.

Ah, but what about the codes?

bob

p.s. Look at how the fuselage parts meet the windscreen, and compare to a photo. You may be able to shave a bit to be more accurate, but check how the two fit to each other. (Hase makes the fuselage to fit the later windscreen, but in fact the cut remained the shape for the earlier one.)

Edited by gingerbob
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Hi Bob,

Thanks for the reply. I did just mean the domed top canopy.

Mk1 prop exhausts....hmmmmm......I just ordered resin fish tails. I would have thought new engine new exhausts and prop???

The oil intake front is actually included in the kit so I'll use this.

.......but still the codes.....?

Dave

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Hi Dave,

I don't know 100% but I would guess that the codes would have been 24"

Mal

Judging by the photo in the previous post, and by the one in Alfred Price's 'Spitfire Story' (p.131), I'd say the codes were close to the width of the blue ring in the fuselage roundel - which should have been 35 inches I believe.

CT

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Not wanting to contradict someone as eminent in this area as Chris (typo was it Chris?) but looking at tha pic in the above link to the PWM forum which shows both a period pic of Bader getting out of his DB & also the Airfix boxart, the roundel appears to be the standard 35" A1 type of the era which should make the blue ring at 25" diameter. A rough scaling of the fuselage codes from that would suggest 24" to me, maybe 25 at most. I'm taking my info from the Spitfire issue of the old Camouflage & Markings.

Steve.

Edited by stevehnz
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Just as an extra to this, & probably to confuse things a bit, in THIS set, Aces of the Empire the forward codes are shown at a slightly different size to the rear ones on both sides as on This Sheet Studying the pic from the PWM site shows this could indeed be so, so maybe 24/25" forward,28/20" at the rear.

Life wasn't meant to be easy. ;)

Steve.

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the roundel appears to be the standard 35" A1 type of the era which should make the blue ring at 25" diameter. A rough scaling of the fuselage codes from that would suggest 24" to me, maybe 25 at most. I'm taking my info from the Spitfire issue of the old Camouflage & Markings.

Steve.

Call it a senior moment Steve. I looked at the same drawing (by James Goulding who lived just up the road from me and, sadly, died not so long ago) as yourself and read off the wrong dimension ....

Chris

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Call it a senior moment Steve. I looked at the same drawing (by James Goulding who lived just up the road from me and, sadly, died not so long ago)

Sorry to hear that, I treasure my Camouflage & Markings. Must be a sign over my own increasing years. :(

as yourself and read off the wrong dimension ....

Chris

I Knew that..... :lol:

Steve.

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Looking at my post #8 above, I now realise that these links refered to Bader's IIa P7966, not his Va W3185, most pics seem to show the IIa. After some more looking around, I'm keen to do one of these too, I've come across THIS on the Airfix Tribute Forum looking at the 1/48 Airfix Bader kit. THIS review on ARC looking at some 1/48 decals from Lifelike in Japan which include Bader's Va. It includes a page with references on it which concludes that pics of W3185 are few & far between. There is also THISthe AZ kit at Modelimex . From the research these outfits (Airfix,AZ & Lifelike) have done I'm happy to conclude that the codes were the same size front & rear of the roundel & about 24-25", the Airfix scale about 24",Lifelike about 25", AZ also scales at about 25", maybe slightly more. I think from this it is easy to conclude that you pays your money & takes your chances,BUT, Airfix colours them Sky, AZ & Lifelike are lightgrey, whats correct? :unsure: Anyone know where there are any 1/72 decals for Bader's Va? :huh:

Steve.

Edited by stevehnz
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Anyone know where there are any 1/72 decals for Bader's Va?

Steve

Generic sheets such as Model Decal for the codes and serial... Once you decide which color of course. Without looking anything up for confirmation, wasnt Bader lost before the conversion to the Day Fighter Scheme became standard, making grey, not Sky, codes more likely?

A couple of years ago I swapped wings with Tamiya's Spitfire I and Spitfire Vb kits to make a cannon armed Spitfire I. I eventually plan to use the machine gun only Spit I wings on the Spit V fuselage to make Bader's V and will be using ModelDecal codes and serial numbers.

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Sounds a bit like the way I'll go too for Codes & serials. I can see one of the new Airfix Mk Is being updated with the correct canopy & oil cooler into a Va. As I believe Bader only had this machine for a couple of weeks before he got shot down so the 242 squadron Booting Hitler nose art may well not have been carried, in any case I reckon that will have to wait till I can print my own.

Steve.

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... As I believe Bader only had this machine for a couple of weeks before he got shot down so the 242 squadron Booting Hitler nose art may well not have been carried, in any case I reckon that will have to wait till I can print my own.

Steve.

FWIW, AZ did not include any nose art in the decals for Bader's Spitfire II either.

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