Spitfire MK Vlll 145 Squadron. San Severo, Italy, 1943 Flown by Lance Wade
American Lance Wade was a true Yank in the RAF. Near the end of his combat career Squadron Leader "Wildcat" Wade flew a Spitfire VIII with the serial JF472 and the codes ZX-J. Wade made his final claims in ZX-J; 2 Fw190s destroyed on 2 October and 3 more FW.190s damaged on 3 November.. Before the year was out Wade was promoted to Wing Commander and appointed to Desert Air Force Staff HQ. However, the appointment was short lived. Wade was killed 12 January 1944 when his Spitfire crashed on take-off from Foggia.
I built the out of the box except for the decals. They are from Fundekals and are excellent. I would suggest if you have not explored their site that you do so. This was built for a gentleman and the only thing he insisted upon were the rounded wing tips. This does not comply with the information supplied by Fundekals but he was paying for it so he got rounded wing tips. This kit extraordinary except for the fact that I could not make the magnets work that held the front cowl on. Plus the fact that the cowls would not cover over the engine like they were suppose to. My customer agreed to have the cowling closed permanently and thus it made the build easier. I thought it was me that was only me that had this problem. I read Tom's review of his build and he said he had the same problem. So I don't feel so bad now and am in good company with this problem.
I am really enjoying the photos of the models you have made. Do you know the number of kits you have been hired to build? Also, what company made the model?
Alan,
Overall I have no idea. I have done work for a number of people. I photographed most of them but I can't seem to get some of those old photos to come out in some of my articles. For a number of years I and a few others did work for one person. He is a sculptor and artist that has placed the models into his artwork. I have photos of between 85 and 90 models I did for him. With few exceptions these are the photos I can't make come out. A number of years ago he displayed his art work, which included some of my models, at the SAC museum in Nebraska. I have photos of this also. Aside from that I have no idea how many I have done. Most of the articles I have posted are models that I have done for other people. Can't get rich doing this though.
Another nice looking Spitfire, Frank.
absolutely...another beauty
Another wonderful build there Frank.
Weel done sir.
I really enjoy your stuff Frank. It gives me something to shoot for
Absolutely Killer. I did a bunch of commission modeling in the past and you are absolutely right, you ain't gonna get rich. Still, it is nice to know that people appreciate your work so much that they will display it in their home or office.
Ditto, ditto, and ditto ! I'm lovin' it all, Frank !
Thank you all for your kind comments.
Happy New Year
Frank, are you part of some scale "United Aircraft" company? So many perfect builds, posted like you have a night shift at the work bench, very impressive!
Very nice Spit, not only was wade a Yank in the RAF he was a fellow Texan in the RAF.
very nice looking Spitfire, Frank!
Great model, Frank. There's a whole lot more people have had the problem with those fershlugginah cowling panels. More of the models I've seen have been done with them glued on. I am not a fan of the "everything including the kitchen sink" approach Tamiya did. If they had done this to the Hasegawa standard, with the fuselage closed up, the kit would be about $80, and people wouldn't be sitting around with so much scrap parts to throw away.
Hi looks great. Is this the 1/32 Tamiya kit?
Yes it is. Very nice kit except for the problem I and others found with the front cowl as mentioned above.
She's a beaut, Frank.
Frank, beautiful job on a beautiful aircraft, and in an unusual color scheme. I am probably showing my lack of knowledge, but is this the Tamiya 1/32 kit? Many thanks for posting.
Bob,
Yes it is. Overall an excellent kit.