Hello everyone,

This is my first time posting my model, a 1:48 Hasegawa Spitfire Mk.Vb. I built OOB except for the seat belts.



















Comments welcome. I hope you enjoy it. Thanks.

Nice work. Beautifuly shaded panel lines and interesting stripes on nose. Looks great.
BTW I love aircrafts with white-red chessboard

Hi David!

Great Spitfire! I like the simple but effective vignette as well... is the oil bowser from the Revell box?
The markings where carried during Operation "Jubilee" in 1942 I think... it was some sort of test for D-Day that ended with the loss of 107 aircraft for the RAF!

Again... great looking model! Bravo!

Jean-Luc

Excellent model!

Thanks guys!

Jean-Luc, the oil bowser is from Revell. I'm not sure if the white stripes nose markings are used for Operation Jubilee. Many aircraft participated in the operation don't have it. Thanks.

Those markings were indeed put on for "Jubilee". There was some variation, the Whirlwind having the whole nose in white!

Well David I certainly hope it ain’t the last, 'cos as everyone knows, "You just can't have too many Spitfires" and this is a beaut. I hope that you will consider entering this for the Model of the Month (MOM) (see the thread for October MOM)
These are just a couple of nit picks but certainly do not detract from a great model, I also hope that by "comments welcome" this is what you ment
The Mk V spitfire had a different radio to the Mk 1, which didn't require the antenna wire. You can usually tell by the missing triangular shaped pully missing from the aerial (it retained the fitting lugs). For this reason the MkV would not have the fin mounted antenna post either.
The racetrack shaped window in the port side of the sliding canopy is a knock out panel (for fresh air I think I'll have to double check that) and was not painted. Painting this is not easy (I have done it myself before finding out it shouldn't be) and you have done a great job on it.
OK that's the nit picks outa the way, the weathering is very well done, I am particularly impressed by the prototypical worn paint at the port wing root and the heavey oil staining on the underside.
I do like the simple base and the pictures are very well done..................Love it
Can you give us some info on the paints and decals used?
Mal

Hi Olivier!

Operation Jubilee is certainly something special for you as many canadians lost their life or were injured during this "battle"... I was in Dieppe some years ago and people still do remember the soldiers who fought in their town.

Jean-Luc

Nice work David. Great pics of a well built model, hope to see more, Wingman out.

I have been to Dieppe too, and the feeling you get as a Canadian is not too nice. A mix of frustration, revolt and thankness, surrounded with humility...

Thanks again guys. I appreciate your comments.

Mal, thanks for tip. I'll check my reference on the antenna again. As for the circular opening on the canopy, I used the decals provided in the kit. Next time I'll probably not use it. As for the paint, I use Model Master enamels and I used the kit decals.

About the opening in the canopy, there might be a gasket of some sort between the canopy and the little door, at least all the planes I flew with such a window had it.

Your decal might just be OK.

Hello Olivier,

I have read that the white stripes nose markings applied to no. 302 (Polish) sqn and no 331 (Norwegian) sqn are for Operation Rutter. The markings were removed for Operation Jubilee.

Thanks for the info on the canopy.

David

Oh, really?

Interesting tidbit!

Hi all!

According to Squadron's Spitfire in action, this plane was used over Dieppe... Also note (it"s barely visible on the pics but it's definitely on the profile in the book) that there is an aerial wire going from the antenna mast to the fin (!?...) You can also notice... David did a great job!



Jean-Luc

The antenna wire was used with HF radios I believe (could be totally wrong here but I do know that the signallers in my various units, throughout my army career, would rig up antenna wires from HF sets to talk across the globe). Although the profile does indeed show a wire the aerial mast is missing the pulley, depicted here on the Tamiya Mk 1 as a triangular piece. In reality it is bracket with a pulley wheel.


Later marks of Spitfire and other British aircraft had different radio equipment fitted (I'm guessing VHF, which didn't require the aerial wire). On the Spitfire and Hurricane the same aerial was used but the bracket and pully were discarded, but the fixing lugs remained. They are the double protrusions on the the profile and can be seen on the Hasegawa kit, although not very clearly, here:

I will have to see if I can dig up some references.
So the profile is not quite correct. If this Mk V did have an HF radio fitted (unlikely, but possible?) then the aerial should have the pully. If the aerial is correct then the aircraft is fitted with a VHF radio and doesn't require the wire. The fin post was also deleted. There is also no sign of IFF (Identification, Friend or Foe) wires ( ones that run from the ends of the tail planes to the fuselage), which definitely suggests a later equipment fit.

Which were also deleted when newer equipment was installed on the later marks.
Mal

Mal,

I went back and looked at more pics of the aerial wires. It's difficult to see the aerial wires but I looked at the antenna mast where the attachment points for the "triangular" pulley and found that most Mk.V's don't have the pulleys. A few have them like the Russian Spitfires. You are correct. I thought the protrusion was an attachment points for the aerial wires. Next time I build another Spitfire, I'll pay more attention to my references.

I appreciated your comments. Thank you.

Hi all!

This aerial wire discussion shows us that unless we have a picture of the model we are building, we can trust nothing! No profiles, no drawing, no kit instructions etc... Even with a picture, interpretation is possible (colours). The morality of that story could be: no matter how far you go in your references search, you will always have inaccuracies! It's just how you live with them wich matters at the end...
I prefer an inaccurate but beautiful model rather than an accurate ugly one! Of course the best would be a beautiful accurate model! :-)

Jean-Luc

David that's a great looking Spitfire you've got there, very subtly weathered, nice job

Darren

I am always a little wary of plans and profiles, but if you have nothing else to go on then you are bound to use them.
Something else I always, now, like to include on a Spitfire model are drooped elevators. This is how they were usually found on a Spitfire at rest. I guess this is because the pilot would push the stick forward, when exiting the aircraft, to give him more room. On later marks the elevators tilted up (From the Mk XIV I think). This would have been due to the way in which the controls were balanced, I think. Props spun the opposite way on the late marks as well.

None of this detracts from David’s excellent model though, I see it is entered in the MOM great.

Mal