**** DONE: 1/48 Tamiya Spitfire Mk.I DW-O 610 Sqdn BoB GB

[Crimea_River]

Username: Crimea River
Name: Andy
Category 1 Advanced
Model: Spitrire Mk 1
Scale: 1:48
Manufacturer: Tamiya
Aftermarket addons: OOB except for Eduard seat belts, minor scratch built details

This will be my second entry into the BoB Group Build. My subject aircraft, R6595 DW-O was flown by Pilot Officer Frank Kinnersley Webster who joined the RAFVR prior to the Second World War, and joined 610 Sqn at RAF Biggin Hill on the 28th July 1940. While flying a mission on August 26, 1940 Webster's aircraft was severely damaged by a Bf109E at 12.40 hours over Folkestone. Struggling with his plane, Webster crashed in flames while attempting to land at Hawkinge and was killed. He was 26.

The kit's decals do not supply the aircraft serial number for this machine. After Webster's crash, another DW-O arrived on the scene, s/n X4011. This aircraft, flown by Sgt SC Baker, crash landed at Gatwick on August 29, 1940. Baker survived and so did the aircraft. X4011, still with DW-O markings, met its demise on Nov 5, 1940 when it crashed at RAF Acklington, killing P/O Macintosh Gray. Yet another DW-O, X4063, was flown by P/O Bernard Walter Brown and was shot down in combat over Gravesend on September 23, 1940. Brown survived.

There may be others but I stopped looking! You would think that Tamiya could pick at least one of these so I guess I will end up making my own R6595 decals.

I found this profile that Karl posted back in 2008. There's also the one on this page Aircraft illustration but the yellow wing leading edges degrades confidence in its accuracy so if anyone has more pics/profiles/info on this aircraft, I'd love to see more!

 

[vikingBerserker]

Nice choice Andy, can't wait to see whatyou do with her.

 

[T Bolt]

Nice one Andy Its a wonderful kit!

 

[Crimea_River]

Thanks David and Glenn.

I'm a little suspicious of the decals though. The squadron codes are a wierd brownish blue clour.

 

[Airframes]

Good choice Andy, especially as it's 'County of Chester' Squadron - the county (Cheshire) I now live in ! RAF Acklington, where one of them also crashed, was my 'local' station when I was a youngster, so a couple of points of interest for me !
The profile you posted, although a bit 'amateurish', looks more or less correct, although the code letters are a bit pale. Not quite sure about the fin flash either, but I'll check it out. Most pics of 610 sqn were taken around May or July 1940, the formation shot being the most well known, hence DW-K being a favourite for decals in kits.
I'll have a look through my stuff, and see if I can find anything for you. I know i have a good profile of DW-K, I think in the N serial range, but I might have more, and possibly a pic of one of the 'O's.

 

[Crimea_River]

Thanks Terry. There are a few pics in the 610 Squadron website here: New Front Page although I saw none of a DW-O. Interestingly, this website seems to have some errors in it, notably that Webster crashed in Spitfire R6965, contradicting several other sources. Records of R6965 have it in 602 Squadron in August 1940, moving on to training squadrons and the FAA and ultimately surviving the entire war to be struck off in 1945.

 

[Vic Balshaw]

Nice to see another Spit on the board. Can't help with profile on this one though Andy, but I do note that the tail stripes may not be correct. Most Mk.I I've seen seem to have the red/white/blue right up to the rudder hinge.

 

[ozhawk40]

Good to see another RAF entry and a spitty at that. Here's a photo for you, from the Aircam book on the early spitfires. Profile looks about right. Could be that the censor has taken out the serial number on this pic.
Medium sea grey for the codes by the looks, definately not white. Fin Flash is unusual. Are my eyes playing tricks - what's the order of colours on the flash compared to DW-K?

Anyway heres a profile of DW-K also, which may assist. This is from the 'On Target' profiles number 4.

Cheers

Peter

 

[Vic Balshaw]

Went back to my books and also found a similar photo, probably take about the same time judging by the same formation. Taken from Ospray 'Legendary Spitfire Mk I/II 1939-41'.

 

[Crimea_River]

Great pics guys, thanks! Any idea why a sensor would remove s/n's but not sqaudron codes?

 

[Airframes]

Seems daft, but the serials were nearly always removed in the first couple of years of the war, sometimes just scratched through, and still partly legible. It was a routine security measure, and it was probably thought that the 'enemy' already knew which codes were who (which they did), even though they'd been changed at the outbreak of war, so why obliterate them.
I might have one copy of the formation shot, one of about four in a series, which shows the serial numbers.
There can often be confusion as to which squadron operated a particular airframe at a particular time, as these were often exchanged with a rotating squadron during the Battle, especially when VHF radio came in, and the relieving squadron, probably 'coming south', still had the HF sets. It was about August when 610 exchanged, I think with 222 Sqn, but I'd need to check the details.

 

[Crimea_River]

Interestingly, I discovered today that the kit scheme for DW-O refers to s/n L1043. I looked up L1043 and discovered that this plane served with 610 squadron from Dec 6 1939 to June 18, 1940 and then went on to 266 Squadron fro a short stint before going to a traing unit and ultimatley hitting a tree in 1941. So it didn't see the BoB with 610. The caption on the pic above says the picture was taken in early June so it could in fact be L1043. That could expain why the kit did not supply the s/n decal as it does not appear in the photo.

Anyway, work on R6595 has started with painting and a bit of assembly in the cockpit area. The kit seat does not have the flare cartridge rack included and, correct me if I'm wrong, I believe all Mark I's would have had it so I'm going to try to scratch build one. The lightening holes in the frame behind the seat were drilled out. Other than that, it's OOB so far.

 

[ozhawk40]

Neat start CR 8)

 

[Peebs]

Hey Andy,
Great choice, I built the Tamiya Mk VB just a few weeks or so ago, went together really well, was suitably impressed!

cheers
pete

 

[Wayne Little]

 

[Crimea_River]

Thanks guys.

Pete, I anticipate the same for this one based on others' feedback. This should go togther reasonably quick if I don't dick around with too much detail.

 

[rochie]

good start Andy, ordering the same kit myself on payday !

 

[Airframes]

Looking good so far mate. As far as I know, the flare rack was fitted to the early metal seat, which also had a recess on the port side, to allow the parachute waist strap and rip cord cable to fit without kinking. These seats were often bare metal, painted 'Aluminium', or painted Cockpit Grey Green.
So far, I haven't definitely established if the first of the 'composite' seats in the Mk1 had the rack, but I think it might have been discontinued by then, and had gone by the time of the MkII in most cases. Of course, there were exceptions due to stocks etc.

 

[Crimea_River]

Thanks Terry. My reference is here: Supermarine Spitfire MKIa [EDIT - Oops, wrong link. This one didn't show the seat. Not sure where I saw it now.] Although it's a modern restoration, they've tried to be authentic. I assume the composite seats are those reddish brown coloured ones. The referenced seat has this coulr and also the rack.

Terry, when did the composite seats come out, do you know? R6595 first flew on May 7, 1940. Also, to make the rack build easier, I was thinking of, rather than drill the tiny holes, punching out the actual Very cartridge discs and gluing these on, assuming those would have been stored in the parked aircraft. Any idea what colour they were?

 

[Crimea_River]

OK, here's the seat I was thinking of, albeit taken from a restored Spitfire V: