1/48 Tamiya Spitfire Mk.Vb

Gallery Article by David Mielke - "VMFA314Knights" on Sept 2 2016

 

      

Here is another of my 1/48th WWII "Canadian Aces" Spitfire Mk.Vs built up out of the box (with the exception of the custom markings). The Tamiya kit is a simple build and goes together quickly...which just makes you want to build more. :)

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I selected RCAF F/L Al Harley's Spitfire based on its non-standard RAF paint finish of Ocean Gray / Dk. Earth over Medium Sea Gray camouflage, which makes it stand out a bit from my other Spitfire models. Subtle weathering was applied during painting by varying the shade of paint during spraying. I used decals from an old set of "Canadian Spitfires" however the ID lettering was sprayed using paint masks cut using a Silhouette Portrait plotter cutter as I could then match the letter colour to the fuselage band. The kit was further weathered with panel washes for a "used" look. 

W3131 was Al Harley's Spitfire Vb when he was assigned to RCAF 401 Squadron around April 1942 based at Biggin Hill, Kent.  This was one of several aircraft named "DO" after his wife Dorothy.  As a note of interest, Al Harley was flying with Robert Stanford Tuck the day Tuck was shot down over France on a "Rhubarb" mission 28JA42 when they flew into a hornet's nest of Flak on the way back to England around Boulogne.  

Happy Modelling,

David Mielke

Photos and text © by David Mielke - "VMFA314Knights"