So I
think my questions about BR126 have been answered... today the postie delivered a copy of the wondrously detailed
Malta: The Spitfire Year 1942 by Shores
et al., wherein it is stated that BR126 still carried the codes "3-X" when Jerry Smith flew her of HMS
Eagle, nine days after his abortive takeoff from USS
Wasp.
View attachment 712166
This, together with the fact that Smith doesn't mention a repaint of "his" aircraft in his logbook, suggests to me that BR126 was repainted in Malta, not Gibraltar.
Furthermore, Spitfire BR294 also carried yellow "GL-E" codes; this Spit came in on Operation Bowery, that is to say it flew to Malta from Wasp the same day as BR126 didn't. BR294 crash landed at Hal Far on 2/7/42 and was struck off charge the next day. BR126 clearly carried "GL-E" codes but these can only have been applied
after the demise of BR294, they can't have been there when Smith took off from
Eagle. As I want to build BR126 as she appeared during takeoff (either will do!), with 90 gallon slipper tank and four cannon, "3-X"/TSS it is. Decals for this scheme aren't available at present (AFAIK), however Eduard are launching Malta Vc "Dual Combo" in a couple of months which features this scheme (and will no doubt be the catalyst for some, er, "healthy debate" on internet modelling forums
). Better start saving up then!
View attachment 712168
Source:
SPITFIRE STORY: MALTA DUAL COMBO Limited Edition | HLJ.com
I feel I'm on thin ice contradicting Mr Lucas's highly regarded work, but there you go!
2996 Victor
- fyi mate!