Spitfire Part I : Dogsbody's Spitfire

Historical Background

In 1931, Reginald J. Mitchell, the aeronautical engineer for Supermarine Aviation Works (Vickers) Ltd (later Vickers-Armstrong (Aircraft) Ltd) began working on a monoplane aircraft designed Type 300. The proposal was submitted to the British Air Ministry in July 1934 but was not accepted. Mitchell then revised the design, incorporating a faired, enclosed cockpit, oxygen-breathing apparatus, smaller, thinner wings and a new engine, Rolls-Royce PV-XII inline engine, soon to be known as the Merlin. In November 1934, detailed design work for the improved Type 300 was begun and in January 1935, the Air Ministry formalised the contract with Vickers-Armstrong and Specification F10/35 was issued around the aircraft. In April 1935, the original two 7.7mm Vickers machine guns in each wing was increased to four upon recommendation by Squadron Leader Ralph Sorley of the Operational Requirement section at the Air Ministry.

On 5 March 1936, the prototype, registered K5054 flew for the first time. The subsequent test flights found that the aircraft was good, but suffered from over-sensitive rudder and with a top speed of just 330mph. The latter was cured by using a better-shaped propeller, allowing K5054 to reach 348mph during its delivery flight to the Aeroplane & Armament Experimental Establishment at Boscombe Down in mid-May 1936. Based on raw reports by test pilots, the Air Ministry placed an order for 310 aircraft on 3 June 1936. The aircraft was named 'Spitfire' by Vickers-Armstrong's chairman, Sir Robert McLean after the affectionate name he gave to his spirited elder daughter, Annie Penrose. The name was actually opposed by the Air Ministry and Mitchell himself, who favoured the name 'Shrew' but eventually Sir Robert's choice prevail. The first production Spitfire however only left the production line at Woolston, Southampton in mid-1938,as the Supermarine factory was working at full capacity producing Walrus amphibians and Stanraer flying-boats.

The Spitfire's fuselage was of streamlined, semi-monocoque design. The skins were secured by rivets: flush headed where uninterrupted airflow was required, and dome-headed elsewhere. But the most distinctive part of the Spitfire was its elliptical wings. The shape was chosen as it offered the best compromise between thinness (to avoid creating excessive drag) and the need to house a retractable undercarriage and armament and its ammunition. The wing tips were detachable, allowing it to be fitted with extended wingtips for the high-altitude fighter role (such as the Mark VI and VII) or fitted with fairings to create the 'clipped wing' versions for low-altitude work. Armament was eight .303 Browning machine guns, four in each wing. While they worked perfectly at low altitudes, they tended to freeze higher up, especially the outer two guns. The problem was not solved until 1938 when Supermarine added hot air ducts from the engine radiators to gun bays. Fabric patches were also doped on the gun ports to protect them from the cold, moisture and dirt until they were fired. Despite their numbers, the .303 machine guns were really too light to destroy enemy aircraft, especially larger bomber-type aircraft. Power for the Spitfire was provided by a Rolls-Royce Merlin V12 inline engine delivering 1,030 hp at 5,500 ft (Merlin II) or 1,310 hp at 9,000 ft (Merlin III). Subsequent variants of the Spitfire were fitted with more powerful versions of the Merlin and were then replaced with a Rolls-Royce Griffon for the later marks.

In the last summer before World War 2 erupted, a Spitfire I was fitted with a Merlin XII engine. It was a success and it was decided to use the engine in the Mark II version, to be built exclusively at Castle Bromwich. The Mark II is basically similar to the Mark I. The major difference was that it was powered by the 1,175hp Merlin XII which included a Coffman engine starter, instead of the electric system. This resulted in a small teardrop-shaped bulge on the forward starboard cowling. In early 1940 a decision was made that the Rotol wide-blade propeller characterised by a bigger, more rounded spinner would be exclusively fitted to the Mark II. The new engine/prop combination increased the rate of climb and made the Mark II 6-7mph faster than the Mark I at altitudes below 17,000 feet. The Mark II entered service in June 1940 and was fully pulled out of front line service in August 1942 . 921 Mark IIs were built.

The Spitfire entered service with the RAF on 4 August 1938 when the first Mk.I was delivered to No.19 Squadron based at Duxford. The first batch of Spitfires were delivered at the rate of one per week to the two Duxford-based squadrons: No.19 and No.66. The next unit to be equipped was No.41 Squadron at Catterick and this was followed by squadrons based at Hornchurch. At the outbreak of World War 2, 306 Spitfires were in service with the RAF. The Spitfire first saw 'action' on 6 September 1939 in a friendly fire incident known as the 'Battle of Barking Creek', where two Hurricanes of No.56 Squadron was shot down by Spitfires of No.74 Squadron over River Medway, Kent. The first true combat action Spitfires was on 16 October 1939 when aircraft from No.602 and 603 Squadrons intercepted nine Junkers Ju 88 bombers of I./KG 30 over Rosyth, Scotland. The six Spits managed to shot two of the attackers and damaging another. Spitfires also flew cover for Operation Dynamo, the Allied evacuation from Dunkirk. 

Undoubtedly, the Spitfire's finest hour was during the Battle of Britain (officially from 10 July 1940 to 31 October 1940), where it faced its major test. It was also during the battle that the Spitfire's capabilities and drawbacks were learned. Its counterpart in the Fighter Command, the Hawker Hurricane, had a thicker wing, allowing the Brownings to be grouped closely together, concentrating its firepower. The Spitfire had a more dispersed gun arrangement, diluting the firepower. Therefore, whenever possible, Hurricanes were used to attack bombers while Spitfires dealt with the fighter escorts. The armament for both fighters however were too weak for effective killing of enemy planes. Many Luftwaffe planes managed to get back to their bases with numerous .303 bullet holes but none were critical as the bomber especially were protected by armour over critical areas and were equipped with self-sealing fuel tanks. The one advantage the RAF had was that pilots who survived their shooting down and crashes with no or just minor injuries can quickly return to action. At the end of the battle, despite its reputation, the Spitfire actually shot less aircraft the Hurricanes. This was not due to problems with the aircraft, but mainly because of the larger numbers of Hurricanes taking part. In 1941, Spitfires took part in fighter sweep (codenamed Rhubarb) and bomber escort missions ('Circus') over occupied Europe. Spitfires of various Marks continue to fly and fight until the end of hostilities in 1945.

The Kit

The Tamiya 1/48 kit of Spitfire Mk.I was released in 1993, heralding their return to the world of 1/48 aircraft kits. The kit came in 50 parts, spread among two medium grey and one clear sprues. The low parts count bode well as they mean Tamiya's simple, quick build ahead; in fact, this kit was the first of the so-called 'shake and bake' kits. While many manufacturers sacrifice detail for buildability, this was not the case with the Spitfire (apart from the usual hard-to-capture-in-plastic shapes). There isn't any display option in the kit, save for the opened or closed canopy and entry door. There are two marking options: The first is DW-O from No.610 Squadron in the standard Dark Earth/Dark Green upper camouflage and Sky bottom. The second QJ-B of No.92 Squadron with the same upper colours but with the left-hand bottom half in Flat Black and also a Sky band on the rear fuselage. Tamiya also included a 1/48 scale drawing of the aircraft to be used as a template for colouring. The decals are well printed, and have white backing for the roundels to avoid colour bleed-through.

The Revell Spitfire Mk.II was an earlier product, dating from 1978 and  was re-tooled in 1994. Despite that, the outer details are pretty good for a 1970s kit. The panel lines are all of the raised type with just the canopy rail and control surface hinges being engraved. The interior was simple as befits a 1970s kit. The radio aerial was moulded together with one half of the fuselage, posing a risk during assembly. Decals provided markings for two aircraft: P7966/D-B which was the mount of ace Wing Commander Douglas Bader in November 1940 and P8088/NK-K of No.118 Squadron, flown by Pilot Officer ASC Lumsden in 1941. The particular kit used here was re-released in 2004.

Construction

Before assembling the cockpit interior, I first painted the parts and the cockpit sidewalls British Interior Green using the recommended Tamiya mixture of 1 part XF-5 Flat Green, 3 parts XF-21 Sky and one part XF-65 Field Grey. The details were painted X-18 Semi-Gloss Black with the raised detail of the instrument faces dry-brushed silver. The pilot's office was then assembled and the scars were cleaned up and retouched. Things to be attached to the cockpit sidewalls were cemented and the fuselage halves were mated. There is a slight gap on the forward fuselage but I believe that was just due to my carelessness. The cockpit assembly and a bulkhead was then inserted from below. Although the tailwheel are to be inserted at this time according to the instructions, I chose not to. The tailplanes however were cemented onto the fuselage.

Rather than continuing with canopy assembly as per the instructions, I jumped to wing assembly first. The two separate upper wing halves were cemented to the one-piece lower half. Fit was again excellent. The engine radiator, oil cooler and carburettor intake were then cemented. There is a bit of a fit problem however with the carburettor intake inlet and the main body. The wing assembly was then mated to the fuselage. This was followed by the lower nose cowling, finishing the initial build.

Painting and Decaling

Early mark Spitfires were painted the day fighter scheme of Dark Green/Dark Earth upper camouflage colours and Sky undersides. The bottom colour was painted using Tamiya XF-21 Sky while the upper colours were painted according to the Tamiya instructions: the Dark Green was a mixture of five parts XF-62 Olive Drab and one part XF-58 Olive Green while the Dark Earth was a 50/50 mixture of XF-52 Flat Earth and XF-64 Red Brown. I decided to finish my Spitfire in the markings of No. 92 Squadron so the bottom of left wing was painted XF-1 Flat Black. The markings were then applied in the usual manner.

Finishing

The rest of the parts can now be cemented onto the model. I started by assembling the landing gear and then cementing them onto the model and was followed by the tailwheel to allow the model to stand on its own. This was followed by the exhausts, aerial, pitot and ID lights on the top and the bottom of the fuselage. The gunsight was cemented into place before the canopy was added. I however lost the rear-view mirror to the carpet monster, which greedily devoured it. Finally, the propeller assembly was fitted but since Tamiya did not include the ubiquitous polycaps, the assembly was rather loose. The model however met an untimely end when at the hands of a visiting relative.... Several months ago, I bought a Revell Spitfire II with the intention to build it as it is. However, having recalled that basically, the most recognisable external difference between the Mk.I and the Mk.II was that the latter had a fairing on the starboard nose covering the Coffman starter and had the blunter Rotol spinner and wider prop blades, I decided to use the relevant parts and decals from the Revell kit to turn the Tamiya Mk.I into a Mk.II.

I started by stripping the decals and paints off using Kiwi Window Cleaner and denatured alcohol. The model was then washed with soap to remove the residue. To turn the Mark I into a Mark II, I first sliced off the fairing for the Coffman starter off the Revell kit and transplanted it onto the Tamiya kit. This inevitably resulted in some deformation of the fairing and I used Tamiya epoxy putty to re-form the shape (more or less). The original Tamiya kit exhausts were removed (easily, as I only apply just a bit of cement during the original construction). The Revell kit exhausts are slightly too wide for the opening so they were sanded down. Dry-fitting also showed a gap between the exhausts and the front of the recess, so putty was used to cover the gap. The Mk.II also had extra armour behind the pilot seat. This time I can't pull out the original seat and had to scratchbuild the armour using sheet styrene and cemented it onto the seat back. Also at this time, I found out that Tamiya got certain things wrong with their Spitfire kit, most notably the projecting barrels for the outer two machine guns. So, the barrels were cut and I drilled new ports for them.

To repaint the model, I used Tamiya XF-21 Sky, XF-81 Dark Green 2 (RAF) and Gunze Aqueous H72 Dark Earth. For markings, I'm quite at a dilemma. The No.118 Squadron option is more 'busy' while the other is the mount of one of the more notable pilots of the RAF. In the end, I chose Wing Commander Douglas Bader's aircraft. The reason? He was one of only a few of front-line pilots with a permanent disability. He joined the RAF in 1928 and was commissioned as a pilot officer into No.23 Squadron in 1930. On 14 December 1931, he attempted a low-level aerobatics in a No.23 Squadron Bristol Bulldog IIA at Woodley Aerodrome. The aircraft crashed and he was rushed to the hospital where both his legs were amputated at knee level. Following the crash and after receiving a pair of artificial legs, he fought hard to regain his former abilities. Although he was declared fit to fly, he was invalided out of the RAF in May 1933. With increasing tension in Europe in the late 1930s, he repeatedly requested that the Air Ministry gave him a posting and eventually on 27 November 1939 he flew solo again and in January 1940 he was posted to No.19 Squadron.

Bader got his first victory (with No.222 Squadron) on 1 June 1940 when he shot down a Bf 109 over Dunkirk, Following the Battle of France, Bader was selected to command No.242 Squadron, flying Hawker Hurricanes during the Battle of Britain and on 12 December 1940 he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for his services during the battle. On 18 March 1941, he was promoted to acting Wing Commander and stationed at Tangmere with Nos.145, 610 and 615 Squadrons under his command. One of the wing commander's perks was permission to have his initials marked on his aircraft as personal identification. Thus 'D-B' was painted on the side of Bader's Spitfire (Mk.II and later Mk.Va), giving rise to his radio call-sign 'Dogsbody'. On 9 August 1941, while carrying out a 'Rhubarb' fighter sweep patrol over the French coast, he either collided with an enemy Bf 109, shot down by the Germans or became a victim of friendly fire. In any case, he baled out and was taken prisoner. During the escape, his right prosthetic leg was trapped inside the aircraft and was severed when he pulled the ripcord of his parachute. On 19 August 1941, a replacement leg was flown to St. Omer airfield, after Adolf Galland, with Hermann Goering's approval, offered a safe passage for the RAF aircraft to deliver it (the mission was part of a Circus operation, and the aircraft involved then proceeded on its bombing mission). He attempted a number of escapes from POW camps until incarcerated at the 'escape-proof' Oflag IV-C at Colditz Castle. He remained there until Colditz Castle was liberated on 15 April 1945.

I have read about Revell decals, none of them good. The stories were substantiated when I saw that the aircraft code decals are pixelated and the stencils are quite oversized, especially when compared with the (now gone) Tamiya decals. The final 'attribute', not conforming to panel lines was dispelled when I found that they settle nicely into the panel lines (although not as good as many aftermarket ones). Apart from the issues mentioned above, there was another problem: I believe Revell got their instructions wrong regarding the walkway decals. The instructions have the chord-wise port wing walkway further inward toward the fuselage than the actual location. This in turn affected the span-wise walkway with the 'walkway inboard' stenciling partly obscured by the roundel. The starboard span-wise walkway decal was well, span-wide, (but with the stenciling in the right place) plus there was no chord-wise walkway decals. I cut off part of the span-wise decals and used decals from my spares box to create the chord-wise walkway. Needless to say, there is no 'Walkway Inboard' stenciling for it. At least it looked better! Revell also included decals to pose as the tapes used by ground crew to seal the machine gun ports, but they were too small to cover the Tamiya gun ports. So, I ended up using painted strips of Tamiya tapes. They looked slightly overscale however because of the paint I used to colour the tapes. I then subjected the model to a sludge wash, and finally, a spray of Flat Clear finishes the build.

Conclusion

An absolutely 'easy' kit to build (the Tamiya kit that is). Almost everything falls in place together with no fuss. Although there are areas having fit problems, I guess that was all because of me. As for the Revell kit, I am now left with a Coffman starter bulge-less cowling and the original Tamiya propeller assembly....maybe I'll finish it as a Mark I, pending availability of decals.....(am I crazy or what?). Oh one other thing, I found that apparently Revell missed a number of markings pertaining to P7666 - Bader's personal insignia on the left nose and 'Manxman' on the right fuselage.