Ratch Posted August 2 Share Posted August 2 History: One of the most impressive features associated with the enduring legacy of the Spitfire is how its basic design was able to be adapted and upgraded so effectively throughout the Second World War and how the final variants of this magnificent aircraft were far more capable that the ones which first arrived at RAF Duxford during the summer of 1938. With the Spitfire undergoing almost constant development to enable it to stay at the forefront of fighter technology during WWII, this vital work was interrupted by the introduction of the Luftwaffe's fearsome new Focke Wulf Fw190 in 1941, an aircraft which was superior to the Spitfire Mk.V which was in widespread service at the time. A new Spitfire variant, the Mk.VIII, was at an advanced stage of development at the time, however, actual production was still some way off, as manufacturing jigs had not been installed in factories at that time. A stop-gap solution proved to be the introduction of the hybrid Mk.IX, an aircraft which fortunately proved to be something of a revelation and more than a match for the Focke Wulf. The planned Spitfire Mk.VIII would continue into production and was essentially a fighter intentionally designed and engineered from the outset to be the next version of the fighter and a major production variant. Powered by the latest variants of Merlin engine, the Mk.VIII featured a strengthened fuselage, retractable tail wheel and the adoption of a new broad-chord rudder, with versions optimised for high, medium and low altitude operations. This variant of Spitfire served primarily with units based overseas, with the RAF in the Mediterranean, Middle and Far East and the RAAF in the South West Pacific. Many pilots who flew several marks of this famous fighter regarded the Mk.VIII as the best flying Spitfire of them all. Grey Nurse History No. 457 Squadron Royal Australian Air Force became known as ‘Grey Nurse Squadron’ after repainting their newly arrived Spitfire Mk.VIIIs with distinctive shark mouths. Originally tasked with the air defence of Darwin, the squadron was soon moved northwards to Morotai and eventually Labuan to primarily conduct ground attack missions against the Japanese forces. The aircraft portrayed is that of 457’s commanding officer, Sqn. Ldr. Bruce Watson DFC. Link to A17001 In-Box Review, In-Box Review: Scale `1/24 Dimensions: Length 402mm Width 469mm Parts count 452 Designed and manufactured in the U.K. Instructions come in a 44 page, A4 booklet. The first two pages give a pocket history of the aircraft in five languages. Page three shows Assembly Instructions in 12 languages, An Icon legend and coloured chips of all paints specified. Page 4 illustrates the placement of cockpit decals. The assembly sequence starts at page 5 with the usual exploded diagrams, advising paint colours too. There are 243 steps illustrated. Skill Level 4 with 4 Flying Hours printed on the box. This variation of the 2022 super-kit features several new parts to enable the accurate creation of a Mk.VIII, using the Spitfire Mk.IX.c as the base kit. The new parts include; Upper and lower wing surface, including leading edge fuel tanks and gun camera position. Short span ailerons Retractable tailwheel section Revised instrument panel Repositioned fuselage light The parts are moulded in grey and clear styrene on 13 frames. Detail is nicely refined and there are no blemishes in the canopy mouldings. Paints advised: 11 Metallic Silver 24 Matt Trainer Yellow 26 Matt Khaki 27 Matt Sea Grey 29 Matt Dark Earth 30 Matt Dark Green 33 Matt Black 34 Matt White 53 Metallic Gunmetal 54 Metallic Brass 56 Metallic Aluminium 60 Matt Scarlet 62 Matt Leather 74 Matt Linen 78 Matt Cockpit Green 85 Satin Coal Black 100 Matt Red Brown 106 Matt Ocean Grey 110 Matt Natural Wood 127 Satin US Ghost Grey 149 Matt Dark Green 153 Matt Insignia Red 165 Satin Medium Sea Grey 186 Matt Brown These are not included in the kit Two full colour reference sheets illustrate three decal options and stencil placements. Cartograf produce the decals to the highest quality. The markings offered are for: Sqn Ldr Bruce Watson, No. 457 ‘Grey Nurse’ Squadron, Royal Australian Air Force, Morotai, 1945. No. 152 (Hyderabad) Squadron, Sinthe, Burma, 1945. 307th Fighter Squadron, 31st Fighter Group, USAAF, Italy 1944. RRP is £99.99, due for issue late August 2024. Thanks to Airfix for providing this sample. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valhalla Posted August 2 Share Posted August 2 Hmm, I've turned a peculiar shade of green I think it's Humbrol Envy 🙂 Ian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sailorman Posted August 2 Share Posted August 2 Will be following this build! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john redman Posted August 4 Share Posted August 4 Can it be motorised? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Squidgy Posted August 21 Share Posted August 21 now thats a nice kit. can't wait to see a build log 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ratch Posted August 21 Author Share Posted August 21 I'm posting one! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A J Rimmer Posted August 21 Share Posted August 21 6 hours ago, Squidgy said: now thats a nice kit. can't wait to see a build log Here you go - Ratch's build log (It' on the same page in the aircraft forum as this thread) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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