1/48 Tamiya Supermarine Spitfire

Gallery Article by David Walker on Oct 26 2012

 

 

This article pays tribute to one of the most famous aircraft featured in the Battle of Britain, the Supermarine Spitfire.  On June 18 1940, aware of Hitler’s plan for the invasion of Britain, Winston Churchill made his “Finest Hour” speech calling to arms his fellow countrymen: “The Battle of France is over, the Battle of Britain is about to begin, upon this battle depends the survival of Christian civilization, upon it depends our own British life and the long continuity of our institution and our empire”.  Historians often argue as to the exact dates that the Battle of Britain was fought, however it is generally agreed that July 10 through 31 October 1940 are the most appropriate dates.

The Battle of Britain was significant in many ways, not the least of which, is that it was the first major battle to be fought entirely in the air. The best book to read on this Battle is the paperback

THEIR FINEST HOUR by Edward Bishop ( Pan/Ballantine 1972)

 

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The kit that I used was the Tamiya 1:48 Spitfire Mk I (KIT Number 61032), and nothing more needs to be said as this is an absolutely fantastic kit !  It looks like a Spitfire and that’s good enough for me.  The Tamiya kit was built with no problems, aside from the rear fuselage/wing join that feature a slight step that needs to be filled and sanded smooth.

I used the full set of the Eduard photo-etch ED48356 throughout and added the Resin Ultracast (of Canada) Exhausts and 3 Bladed propellor (much better than the kit examples)

I chose to model the aircraft flown by the British 610 Squadron.

I decided for simplicity to have the canopy shut.

I also drilled open the machine gun barrels which made a big difference to the look, and added the full antenna wire set including the stringers from the tailplane to the fuselage.

The aircraft is in the early British day fighter scheme of Dark Green over Dark Earth with Sky undersides.

I used Gunze paint throughout. After letting the paint dry overnight, I airbrushed a light coat of Future to prepare the surface for decaling. The decals went on very well and responded to Microsol without any permanent wrinkling.

After drying overnight, I wiped the decals off with a moist cloth with Pollys Plastic Prep to remove any residue and after drying I shot a light coat of Future over the decals to seal them.

Next, a light coat of Gunze Flat Finish was shot to provide a surface for pastels.  I used a oil wash of sepia to highlight the engraved detail such as the panel lines.  I then used pastels applied with a soft brush to simulate the dirt staining that is commonly seen on these aircraft that were operated from grass fields.  I made the diorama myself using the Green-Line Grass set.

It was only after completing the model, I realised the aircraft has the same initials as myself!

This model is highly recommended and is trouble-free.

(note that Hasegawa doesn’t make the 1/48 Spitfire as a Mk.1)

David Walker

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Photos and text © by David Walker