1/48 Spitfire Vc, "Buzz" Beurling, 249 Squadron, Malta,1942
Beurling was recognized as "Canada's most famous hero of the Second World War", as "The Falcon of Malta" and the "Knight of Malta", having been credited with shooting down 27 Axis aircraft in just 14 days over the besieged Mediterranean island. In this aircraft he destroyed 5 enemy aircraft and damaged 2 more, in just 2 days.
On 27.7.42, flying BR301 over Malta, destroyed 2 Mc202's, a Bf 109, with a Bf 109 damaged, and 3 miles South of Grand Harbour, a Bf 109 destroyed, and a Bf 109 damaged, and on 29.7.42 flying BR301,8 miles SW of Malta destroyed a Bf 109 .
BR301 was originally finished in the standard 'Tropical land scheme' of sand, dark earth and azure blue, but was oversprayed with a thinned blue-grey (most likely USN upper surface blue-grey) while on the USS Wasp for the 'Calendar' delivery.
This is the second of my triple Malta builds, a Special Hobbies Spitfire Vc 'Malta Defender'. It also required the fuselage lengthened, the tail assembly repositioned, and the wings moved forward.
Painted with Tamiya acrylics in the TLS, decals applied, then oversprayed with the blue-grey, weathered with oils and pastels. Decals from the IPMS Canada Canadian Aces sheet.
Hope you like,
Colin
Absolutely superb, Colin!
Love your color research and rendition.
Nice rendition of that scheme, Colin!
Great work Colin!
Beautiful work Collin, you paintwork and weathering are outstanding
Nice work. We both came to the same conclusion (other than the "Malta placement" of the cannons). Very nice result and the others in-progress are looking good too. I'll still take the Eduard over that SH kit.
Heck, I'd take the Eduard kit first, also. But these were purchased long before the Eduard kits were even a gleam in the designers eye. Everyone has older kits in their stash, the question is what to do with them!
Yes indeed. And you're going the best with those kits I have seen anyone do with them.
Thanks! Much appreciated.
Excellent result, Colin @tail-dragon
The scheme and weathering are beautifully applied.
Fantastic paintwork!
Absolutely outstanding...for all the reasons stated above. Magnificent.
Prior to Eduard and Airfix , Special Hobby was really the only game in town for the Spitfire Vc at the time. I remember reading some of the boards back in the day where folks would lament over not being able to build their "Malta" blue Spitfire with out having to do a lot of surgery and buying specialty parts done up in resin. Then the Beer debates " tastes great vs less filling " or what constituted as arguments over what appropriate paints to use ad nauseam became, the norm.
Some strong solid work Colin. Correcting the dimension problems and doing a smart paint job combined with photography that shows the a/c from the ground level they way most pilots and mechanics would see is a must. Modeling is about problem solving, process and presentation all of it being well done in the article.
Pulling a kit you paid for from the stash or " I paid for this "Syndrome" is motive for any build.
Two thumbs up.
Another beauty - you are a master of paint and weathering!