Free French! Spifire Mk. IX
This is MJ966, flown by Denys Boudard of No. 340 Free French Squadron (code GW), 1944. The squadron was moved from England – where it provided covering fire for the Normandy landings – to France, Belgium and back again. Apart from all its wear and tear, another distinguishing feature of this Spit was the 50 gallon drop tank it sported.
This is Eduard's 1/48 tooling of the Spitfire Mk. IX, and it's hard to imagine a better version at this scale. Eduard attempt a 1/32 level of detail in a smaller kit, minus the engine. Perhaps some sub-assemblies do seem more complicated than they need to be; the exhaust stubs and wheel wells, for instance. But it seems as though Eduard want you to get involved - to problem solve and build at the same time. The smallness, delicacy and precision of fit makes you slow down and appreciate not only this version of the plane, but the plane itself. The Mk IX is a thing of beauty, and this kit does it justice on both a small and large level, from rivets to elliptical wings.
I added an Eduard harness - this being the weekend edition - plus their resin/ PE drop tank, and I used Tamiya paints throughout. The roundels and codes were applied using Montex masks, and the stencils are all decals. Thanks for looking!
Very nice looking aircraft Tim
Sharp looking build, good job on the weathering.
I love the way you weathered the aircraft. Very nice.
Thanks George, Dale and Brayden - much appreciated!
Outstanding model with extremely Good paintjob..
What Tamiya paints did You use?
All the best / Johan
Hi Jonah - thanks for your feedback. For the upper fuselage, it's XF 82 and XF 73 (with variations), and the underside is XF 83. There's plenty of black and red brown as pre- and post-shading, thinned down and built in layers.
Beautiful work! I like this a lot, Tim.
Much appreciated, Tom. I read your reviews and have always found them really useful, and I certainly agree with your thoughts on this kit. Thanks for leaving a comment.
Yes, a real beauty.Great looking Spit.!
Thanks, Robert!
Great looking Spit. Can’t say much more than that. All-around top-notch work.
Beautiful Spitfire, the painting is superb
That's a real beauty - love the weathering and paint work. Well done.
Superb build! Great weathering, specially the exhaust stains.
Fantastic build
Astonishingly good!