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Fly Past Rush
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Hell Island (Malta) Spitfire: 1/48th Tamiya Spitfire Mk.Vb

September 24, 2024 · in Aviation · · 20 · 103

The Tamiya 1/48th scale Spitfire Vb is certainly a go-to kit of mine if I am looking for a stress free build. The parts fit and engineering are still highly competitive although the kit came out over 25 years ago. You can typically find this kit at a very reasonable price and it certainly looks the part when on the display shelf.

You can see more in-depth detail of this build with additional photos at: https://www.flypastrush.com/post/hell-island-malta-spitfire-1-48th-tamiya-spitfire-mk-vb

Thanks for looking & good luck on your next build.

Reader reactions:
12  Awesome 1 

20 responses

  1. G’day @flypastrush,
    A great build.
    These Malta colour schemes are controversial because the colours used are uncertain and your choice is as valid as any other. I’m curoius as to your reference for the Sky Blue undersides - only because I don’t know enough myself.
    You can never have too many Spitfires in your collection (or Fw190s, Mustangs,…)
    Liked!

    • Thanks Michael, and yes these Malta colour schemes are still much under discussion... so much so that if I were building this same aircraft I am not sure whether it would look exactly like this or not. At the time a lot of my reference material came from the Osprey Aircraft publication "Malta Spitfire Aces". There are quite a few discussions on the Internet about what the actual paint colours may be (disputes over whether the aircraft were painted on the delivery carrier or once they arrived at Malta and continued debates on what the schemes actually were... all very fascinating and something I will delve into again once I get to my next Malta subject).

      "You can never have too many Spitfires in your collection" - certainly true with me as I have built 10 (plus a Seafire) and still have a few in the Stash to go!

  2. A fine looking Spitfire in this scheme, @flypastrush

  3. I have always liked the Malta schemes because they were often different than those seen on other British planes. I guess things were so dire on Malta that they were using whatever paint they could find. Great model and great choice of paint scheme.

    • True George, As you delve deeper into the discussions on the Malta Spitfires you realize that there were the possibility of a number of different paint schemes on the Island... not to mention how the weather and rapid pace of combat had its own effect on the look of the Malta defenders - Thanks for the comments

  4. Nice Spit, Mr. Rush. I agree that this kit is still competitive. Nice paintwork.

  5. The kit is more like around 30+ years old. I think it first showed up at the LHS in 1993. For "puirists" it has l;ong been superceded, but you demonstrate it still gives a good result.

  6. A nice-looking build very well done.

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