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Colin Latta
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1/48 Spitfire Vc, 249 Squadron, Malta, June/July 1942

June 2, 2022 · in Aviation · · 14 · 1.3K

Mk Vc, BP966, was originally manufactured in the desert scheme, then routed to Renfrew, Scotland for shipment to . While there, it was refinished in the temperate sea scheme (as per a misunderstood Malta request), and shipped to Malta on operation Calendar, to serve with 249 Squadron.

The kit is the Spit Vc, "Yankee Spitfires", which is the same plastic as the Special Hobbies Spit Vc.

The kit is quite nice, with a good cockpit, photo etch, but with a few small problems ... the wrong prop and spinner, the fuselage is too short, the wings are in the wrong place, and the tail is canted up at a strange angle - so - a challenge!

The fuselage was cut forward of the windscreen and extended .060" (moving the wings forward at the same time), and the rear fuselage cut and repositioned. A spare DeHavilland prop was sourced, and the spinner chucked onto a bur in a drill and machined down to the proper DeHavilland short spinner.

Extra details added to the cockpit, a vac canopy, and Ultracast exhaust and entry door readied it for the paint shop.

It is finished in Tamiya acrylics, and weathered in oils and pastels.

It is one of 3 (a triple Malta build) and the first ready to be shown, hope you like.

Colin

Reader reactions:
19  Awesome

16 additional images. Click to enlarge.


14 responses

  1. I like it a lot Colin. Remarkable Spitfire model

  2. Nice job, Colin (@tail-dragon). Camo and weathering are really well done. They had some interesting paint schemes in Malta.

  3. And the much easier way to do it will be to get hold of the to-be-released-in-July Eduard "Double CombO of the Spitfire Vc, which includes this marking option. All you'll have to do is assemble it correctly and paint it right.

    That said, you certainly turned this sow's ear into a respectable cloth (if not silk) purse, @coling. Having built that kit in the SH variety, Ah Feeeell! Yo' Pain! 🙂

  4. Amazing result, Colin! Your improvements definitely paid off!

  5. Nice work, Colin!

  6. Very nice work, Colin @tail-dragon
    The applied scheme and the weathering is excellent done.

  7. Beautiful work Colin - love everything about it.

  8. Hii Colin,

    Great work and I LOVE the Malta Spits. How did you do the camo? Looks like you overpainted the desert colors if I am correct? Finally, did you do the underside in Sky Blue as it looks like you did?

    I built the kit several years ago and had some fit issues with it. If by chance you want more SH Spits I can offer you some at a very good price.

    Cheers,
    Kevin

    • Thanks! According to the latest research by Paul Lucas, this particular airframe was refinished in Renfrew, Scotland by the AMU (Aircraft Maintenance Unit) in the standard 'Temperate Sea Scheme' of Ocean Grey, Slate Grey, and Sky type 'S' in what is know as the 'Renfrew' scheme - the camo colors being carried down the side of the air filter.

      This kit was painted these colors from scratch with full stencils as the original was refinished at a proper maintenance unit. The other two kits shown (that are in the process of being completed) were finished in desert colors with stencils, then over painted with the final colors (UF-S being over-sprayed with thinned USN blue-grey on the USN Wasp, and GN-H having the Sand color only being over-sprayed with some type of grey in Malta), overpainting some or all of the stencils.

      That's what makes Malta schemes so fascinating, every shipment (or parts of each shipment) were finished differently!

      1 attached image. Click to enlarge.

  9. Impressive workmanship making all those corrections and in the painting you are doing on those spitfires .

  10. Great work on your Spitfires. .

  11. great work! Love Malta's Spits!

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