Spitfire Mk. Vb, BM124, LO-D, 602 Sqn, as flown by Sqn. Ldr. ‘Paddy’ Finucane, 1942.

This is the Hobby Boss kit; supplied as the 'trop' version but with box contents inconsistent with the box artwork. I elected to modify some parts to produce a British (Kenley) based, early Mk. Vb as the sole windscreen in the kit restricted my choices somewhat. Test fitting showed fit to be excellent, in fact no filler was used at all! The main correction needed was to flatten the sides of the fuselage behind the cockpit, which I did quite successfully, although this resulted in the transparencies being useless as they were 2 mm too wide now!

Hasegawa provided suitable alternatives. The wing chord was reduced, again by 2-3 mm at mid span for a rather more elegant outline. The anaemic prop blades were broadened, the 'fabric' ribs on the tailplane sanded out, a few minor tweaks, paint & new decals from Extradecal. I hope you enjoy the pics.

6 additional images. Click to enlarge.