SEAC Spitfire XIV
This is one of my oldest Spitfires. It is a 1/48 Hobbycraft kit constructed in 1991. It was made from the original boxing that came with really bad ETO decals. I clipped the wings, opened the canopy and replaced the sliding section with one cut from an Otaki Mk. VIII kit. I scratchbuilt a bit more detail to the cockpit too. Humbrol enamels were used throughout. The hardest part of this was the markings which I cobbled together as follows: The roundels and flash came from a Testors P-47 kit, I handpainted the panther, and all codes and serial numbers came from model railroad dry transfer sheets. As luck would have it, this kit was re-released with a decent quality decal sheet featuring these markings several years later! I still think the Hobbycraft Mk.XIV fuselage looks better then Academy's too deep rendition.
Don't take this as a criticism, since back in 1991 "everyone knew" that all SEAC Spitfire XIVs came in the Tropical Land Scheme (Dark Earth/Dark Green/Sea Grey Medium). However, for anyone wanting to emulate this very nice model today, do know that all the "high-back" Spitfire XIVs were in the Temperate Day Scheme (Dark Green/Ocean Grey/Sea Grey Medium) since they were sent quickly from Europe and didn't go thru the maintenance depots in India.
That said, darn nice model from a not-so darn nice kit.
Isn't it how this model is painted?
I wasn't sure then, and I'm still not convinced that it was an either/or proposition. I used an old Osprey Airwar book that was published in the late 70s as inspiration. It featured this a/c on the cover in gray/green with no theater stripes. I'm of the opinion today that some shipments were repainted and some weren't. At least that gives me an excuse to do a low-back in dark earth/green!