Completed: Tamiya 1:48 Scale Spitfire Mk 1a of George "Grumpy" Unwin

[plheure2]

https://onedrive.live.com/?cid=9789ad5fda6dd165#cid=9789AD5FDA6DD165&id=9789AD5FDA6DD165%211734Greetings everyone:

I really enjoy reading about the exploits of Flt. Sgt. George Unwin of No. 19 Squadron while he was posted to RAF Fowlmere. I have included many pictures of the "in process" portion of the build, as well as the finished products, included in a mini-diorama, which captured a 3rd place in last year's GraniteCon in New Hampshire, here in the good ol' US of A. Hope you enjoy them. The pilot figure comes from the kit, and has arms and legs reposed. The dog is from Andrea. The chair I scratched from cloth, toothpicks, and basswood. The Tamiya Spitty was a joy to build! And I hope everyone can open the link above. My little contribution in advance to the upcoming 75th Anniversary of The Battle of Britain. Just discovered noboday can open OneDrive without login and password. Will rectify tomorrow on my mainframe.

Pete

 

[plheure2]

Same dumb bone-headed mistake as with my B-25H pics. Will rectify with my mainframe computer tomorrow.

 

[plheure2]

Let's try this again.....

 

[Wurger]

 

[Airframes]

Nice one. Is there a reason for the lack of back and head armour?
I have a couple of interviews with George, on DVD, made for the IWM before he passed away. The airfield at Fowlmere is still in use as a small, civilian airstrip for flight and gliding instruction, although only part of the original field is now used. It became the base for the 339th FG, with P-51 Mustangs, in 1944, and is only 3 or 4 miles from Duxford.
The camp site we use when we go to DX is right on the edge of the original airfield at Fowlmere, and I'll be there again over the weekend of 23rd to 25th August.

 

[plheure2]

Terry, could you please enlighten me about the head and back armor. As for camping out at Fowlmere, I envy you, sir! Wish I was there. Right now, I'm trying to recover from melanoma cancer surgery, and have some whopping lymphedema in my right leg. Not conducive to modeling at this point in time.

 

[Airframes]

The frame which supports the seat frame had a triangular sheet of armour plate at the top, onto which the head rest was attached. A slot below the headrest allowed the straps of the seat harness to pass through, where they were attached to twin Bowden cables, which ran back to the anchor/pulley in the rear fuselage.
A rectangular sheet of armour plate was attached, behind the seat, to the seat frame and fuselage frame, the top of which sat just below the lower edge of the head armour. These are clearly visible in all wartime pics of all Marks of Spitfire, although there are minor differences in the head armour, Mark to Mark.
I haven't looked at the Tamiya kits in my stash for some time, but, from memory, these parts should be included - certainly the head armour at least.
Many kits are modelled from preserved, often airworthy examples, and this can lead to errors, where details are missed, or sometimes added (!), to duplicate the original subject. The new Revell 1/32nd scale Spitfire MkII is a good example, being modelled from an example at Duxford, and lacks the back armour, just like the full-sized example used as a pattern, which lacks the armour to save weight, and allow easier acces behind the seat. This kit also duplicates other features of the 'donor', and is more like a MkVa than a MkIIa !!
If only the researchers would ask a few questions when measuring the original, it would save a lot of hassle. The canopy on the Bf109 E4 is another prime example where errors very often occur, most being modelled on the RAF Museum example, which has a replacement canopy from a Buchon !!

 

[javlin]

Pete your painting is getting better Sir

 

[Wildcat]

Nice little diorama mate!

 

[Gnomey]

Good work!

 

[Lucky13]

Doing good Pete!

 

[Jeff Hunt]

Spectacular job on a wonderful aircraft. Hard to find a better looking aircraft than the earliest Spitfire and you have captured her good looks very nicely.

Cheers,

Jeff

 

[plheure2]

I built the kit mostly OOB, Terry, so that armor plate was included with this Tamiya Spitty.

 

[plheure2]

Thanks to all on the kind words. Hard to go wrong with a Tamiya kit!

 

[parsifal]

nice work

 

[Airframes]

I built the kit mostly OOB, Terry, so that armor plate was included with this Tamiya Spitty.

Just checked the two Tamiya Spits in my stash Pete.
They got it wrong!
The kit doesn't include the head armour, or the back armour, unlike their MkV kit. These were definitely fitted by that period.
It also shows a crow bar on the cockpit hatch cover, which shouldn't be there for a BoB period aircraft, and the gun heating duct outlets under the wings aren't there either !
Looks like another example of basing a kit on a preserved example, without asking questions - same as the new Revell 1/32nd scale Spitfire MkIIa - which isn't!

 

[plheure2]

Hi Terry:

If you take a close look at my model, you will see that I eliminated the crowbar from the cockpit hatch cover, and scratchbuilt the gun heating ducts under the wings. Thanks for checking on the pilot's armor for the head and back. Could you provide illustrations/drawings please for when I go to build a Mk1a again, this time in divine scale? Thanks again, and why are you sometimes known as Dogsbody? Just curious.... It sounds like that head and back armor plate would be a job to do.....guess I better get myself a contour gage, and soon!

 

[Airframes]

Hi Pete, yes, I noticed you removed the crow bar.
If you mean 1/32nd scale, then both armour plates should be fairly easy to make from plastic card - they were easy enough to do in 1/48th scale, when I've replaced thick kit parts with more 'to scale' examples.
I'll be making a drawing/template for the armour for the Revell 1/32nd scale MkIIa, so I'll send you a copy, although with photos of the real thing. Drop me a PM with your e-mail address, and I'll get it sorted when I get back from the air show next week.
It was Karl (Rochie) who started the 'Dogsbody' nick name. It was the call sign of Douglas Bader, the legless WW2 RAF fighter ace, and as I now have severe Rheumatoid Arthritis, which has made my legs somewhat bent, and I walk like DB, he thought it was appropriate.
Since then, we've 'latched on' to the Biggles thing, and have given a few of us Biggles-based nick names, Karl being 'Red Two' (sometimes 'Ginger'), Jan being 'Bertie', and so on. And, of course, we use the ridiculous 'banter' of the period, don't you know old chap, what !