GB-37 1/48th Spitfire M k1a - Helicopters / Military aircraft of BoB 1940

[Airframes]

Spitfire Mk1a, 72 Squadron RAF, August 15th 1940.


Username - Airframes.
Name - Terry.
Category - Judge - non competing.
Aircraft - Supermarine Spitfire Mk1a
Scale - 1/48th.
Kit - Tamiya.
Accessories - Decals from Xtradecal and spares files, maybe a little scratch-building, otherwise OOB.


Another for my 'BoB - Hardest Days' collection, the aim being to cover specific battles during the approximate period of August 12th to September 7th 1940, and in attempting to represent key units for those days for both Luftwaffe and RAF,
I'm intending to have at least one of each type of aircraft operated by the four Groups of Fighter Command during the Battle, these being 10, 11,12 and 13 Groups.
Each subject will be relevant to a specific day and combat and, where possible, will be linked to the opposing forces.
The details for this entry will follow in the next post.
The Tamiya kit dates from 1993, and whilst it can provide a fairly good replica 'OOB', it does have a couple of inaccuracies or omissions, such as the lack of gun heating exit ducts, and no part for the cockpit armour plate, which is most probably a reflection of the actual (restored) airframe used as a pattern at the time.
I have yet to decide whether or not to correct these areas, as the build will be mainly 'OOB' apart from the addition of items such as seat harness and antenna wires etc.
I hope to start on this just as soon as the He-111 is finished, which should be fairly soon.

 

[Airframes]

Thursday, August 15th, 1940 was the day the Luftwaffe launched a concerted attack on Britain, in an attempt to swamp Fighter Command, with raids against the south west, south east and north of England, the latter graphically portrayed in the 1969 movie 'Battle of Britain'.
The Luftwaffe operations against the north east of England were in the form of a two-pronged attack, with the Ju-88s of KG30, operating from Aalborg, Denmark, tasked with attacking airfields in north Yorkshire, including Driffield, a Bomber Command station, which was heavily damaged and remained non-operational for the remainder of the year, and the He-111s of KG26, from Stavanger, Norway, escorted by Bf110Ds of ZG76, targeting airfields in County Durham and Northumberland, with secondary targets at Newcastle, Sunderland and Middlesborough.
Representative aircraft from both of the latter units were the subject of my other build in this GB (He-111), and the previous GB36 (Bf110D), and as the details of the raids were covered there, I will not go into much detail here.
Having been involved covering the Dunkirk evacuation for a few days in June, 72 Squadron moved back north to Acklington, in Northumberland, approximately 30 miles north of Newcastle upon Tyne, on June 6th, remaining there until returning south, to Biggin Hill, at the end of August.
The Squadron was equipped with the Spitfire Mk1a, with the Squadron codes at this period being 'RN'.
The northernmost raid, with the Heinkels of KG 26 and the Bf110Ds of ZG76, was detected by the RDF chain at some distance across the North Sea, giving plenty of time to assemble a defence and, as this formation suffered a navigational error, and were too far north, before turning south towards their intended targets, it was the Spitfires of 72 Sqn that made the first contact, east of the Farne Islands, off the Northumberland coast.
Bf110s were shot down into the sea by Flg Off. Oswald Pigg and P.O. Douglas Winter, whilst Flg. Off. Desmond Sheen attacked another, which exploded in mid air. A Heinkel was shot down by P.O. C.H. Robson, who saw it crash into the sea.
As the air battle drifted south, the Luftwaffe formation came under further attack from 79 Sqn from Acklington, 607 Sqn from Usworth, on the outskirts of Sunderland, 41 Sqn from Catterick, north Yorkshire, and 605 Sqn from Drem, Scotland.
Eight Heinkels were lost, along with six Bf110Ds, with another two Messerschmitts returning to Stavanger with wounded aboard.
The surviving aircraft did not hit their intended targets, bombing secondary targets where possible, and the raid was a failure.

Photographs and details of 72 Sqn for this period are fairly scarce, and information on the individual aircraft is somewhat contradictory, with lists and profiles depicting serial numbers of Spitfires which were either not on Squadron strength at the time, or had never been with the Squadron.
Having studied the available information, and cross-referenced serial numbers with Aircraft Record Cards, my chosen subject will be Spitfire Mk1a, serial number K9938, code RN-H, which was on strength with the Squadron at the time of this air battle. The aircraft was later lost, over Herne Bay, on 2nd September 1940, with the pilot, Sgt. Norfolk, safe.
I have been unable to establish who flew this aircraft at the time of the above combat, if indeed it actually took part, and therefore this will be a representative model.
As this was an early Spitfire, it's very possible, if not probable, that it had the early 'pole' type of antenna mast, and possibly the hand pump for the undercarriage, although the latter is of little consequence, as the model will be built with a closed canopy, for simplicity and 'speed' of build.

There is a vague connection, for me, with this subject, as RAF Acklington was only three miles from where I spent most of the summer during my childhood, youth, and until not that many years ago, and I had visited the airfield a number of times during the late 1950s and up to the mid 1960s, when Hunters, Javelins and Meteors could be seen just off the coast, live firing at towed drogues. Sadly, the airfield is now long gone, with what was once the main 'tech' site now a prison.
The other 'connection' is with 72 Squadron itself, as my brother-in-law, now retired from the RAF with very senior rank, started his operational career flying Wessex helicopters with 72 Squadron.

I'll make a start on this when the Heinkel is finished, probably within the next week, if not sooner.

 

[T Bolt]

Should be another great build Terry
I love the Tamiya spitfire I kit, I've built a couple of them and I think I have another one in the stash

 

[fubar57]

Good story Terry. This was one of the first kits I build when I returned to modelling.

 

[Airframes]

Thanks Glenn and Geo.
I'm looking forward to building it, the first of the RAF models for this collection. Compared to the Luftwaffe subjects (19 or 20 models), there will not be many RAF subjects - just four Spits, four Hurricanes, a Defiant and (when it's released by Airfix) a Blenheim Mk1f, which partly reflects the ratio of RAF v Luftwaffe during the actual battle.
If I'm able to complete all of the models in time, I'm considering having a local exhibition event to commemorate the 80th Anniversary of the Battle, in 2020.
There's a good chance I may have the Heinkel finished over the weekend, in which case I'll make a start on this build.

 

[Wurger]

 

[Airframes]

With the Heinkel almost done, it's about time I made a start on this one.
First jobs are to correct omissions and / or errors in the kit, and these are shown below.

PIC 1. The rudder pedals provided are the 'twin step' type, but as this particular aircraft is an early Mk1, it's more than likely the pedals were the earlier type, so these will be modified accordingly.
PIC 2. The rear frame for the cockpit, to which the seat is attached, lacks parts for both the head armour, and the armour plate behind the seat, so these will be scratch-built.
PICS 3 and 4. The yellow patches shown here are where the gun heating exits ducts should be, which will need to be added, using split plastic tube, carved and sanded to shape.
PICS 5 and 6. The cockpit entrance flap includes the crow bar, an emergency item that was not fitted until some time after the Battle of Britain, with lessons learned due to canopies jamming either due to damage, or from air pressure. The oval 'knock out' panel on the port side of the 'flat' canopy was designed to counter-act outside pressure, but even this often failed to allow the canopy to be opened in an emergency, hence the addition of the crow bar and, eventually, the canopy jettison system designed by Martin Baker.
Even though the model will be built with a closed canopy, the moulded crow bar has been removed, and awaits final sanding. (the kit includes a separate entrance hatch, with crow bar, if the model is to be built with open canopy and hatch.).

There are a couple of other cockpit areas that need a little modification - the instrument panel is not quite right for a Mk1, but will suffice with the canopy closed, and the radio remote control will need to be re-positioned into a more accurate location and angle. The radiator shutter control lever is not included, and will be added from plastic rod, and the earlier hand-pump lever and selector for the undercart will be scratch-built. The gun sight reflector screen as provided is the later, rectangular version, and will be replaced with a disc of clear plastic.
I should get the Heinkel finished some time tomorrow (Wednesday), and then get to work on this.

 

[parsifal]

Hi terry. I have the 1/72 version by Tamiya. I wonder if the two kits are similar?

 

[Airframes]

I would guess they'll be quite similar Michael - as far as I know, the 1/72nd scale kit is a 'down-sized' version of the 1/48th scale kit, and from what I've seen of the parts sprues, they look the same, but obviously smaller.

 

[Wurger]

 

[Wayne Little]

Look forward to this Terry...

 

[Crimea_River]

Maybe consider adding those gun heating exits after the roundels are in place Terry. I've always had trouble getting the decals to stretch over those.

 

[Airframes]

Been thinking about that Andy. But I think they'll have to be fitted first, as they'll need to be blended-in and sanded etc.

 

[Airframes]

Got the first stages of the gun heating ducts done.

PICS 1 and 2. Short lengths of plastic tube were cut down the middle and roughly trimmed to shape before cementing in place on the undersides of the wing. Once set, they were then trimmed, filed, and sanded, and the surrounding area cleaned and polished.
PICS 3 and 4. A heavy primer coat was then applied, by brush, to check the joints and overall shape. This will be sanded smooth when set.
PICS 5 and 6. The electrical socket on the port wing root fillet shouldn't be there on the Mk1, so this was roughly filled with a coat of primer mixed with a little talcum powder, and will be sanded when set.

Once the Heinkel is finished, I'll continue with this build over the weekend, moving on to the cockpit modifications and additions.

 

[fubar57]

Nice start with a few things I never knew about the Mk.I thrown in.

 

[parsifal]

ditto.

 

[Wurger]

 

[Airframes]

Thanks chaps, more to come soon.

 

[Crimea_River]

Nice work Terry. Why was the port one larger?

 

[Airframes]

Thanks Andy. That's something I've wondered about for many years, and haven't yet found the answer. It may be that the heating came off the port side exhausts, with possibly a bigger build-up in the wing requiring a larger duct, with more distance to travel on the starboard wing only needing a smaller duct.
I must remember to ask, at DX, next time I get the chance to talk to someone from TFC or ARC.