Well here it goes...After seeing all the great topics posted, I decided that I must also do a build. Looking through some kits, I selected Airfix Kit 07106 1/48 Seafire FR46/47 - going OOB with kit decals for a Seafire FR47 from the No.800 Naval Air Sqd which operated from the HMS Triumph.

Selection was narrowed down from a couple of other possible builds. Could have duplicated my 1/72 F-86F Sabre build from pre 1990 with the Mister Craft kit which is the same mold as Heller kit 277. Or I could have went with the ICM North Korean Air Force 1/72 duo kit TU-2/Yak-9.

After searching on Google I found:

"The Forgotten Cruise" - HMS Triumph and the 13th Carrier Air Group, The First Royal Navy Carrier Force in the Korean War, June- September 1950.

During the summer of 1950 HMS Triumph was part of the 1st Aircraft Carrier Squadron, Far East Fleet, along with the carrier HMS Unicorn and the main part of this fleet, whose flagship was the famous cruiser HMS Belfast (now moored in the Pool of London) was conducting a cruise of far eastern waters. They had just left Japan en route for Hong Kong when Communist North Korean forces commenced their assault over the 38th Parallel and into South Korea on the 25th June 1950. This passage to Hong Kong should have been the first leg of HMS Triumph's passage back home to the UK in order to retire its elderly Seafires and Fireflies, but instead the fleet was immediately recalled to Japan and on the 29th June it was placed under the control of Vice Admiral C.T.Joy, the American Naval Commander in charge of operations on behalf of the United Nations in Korean waters.

4 attached images. Click to enlarge.

You know I have this kit, great choice. Totally slipped my mind that this would've been a perfect choice for this GB. Will just sit back and watch you get at it. Thanks for sharing.

Great Plane! The bubble top Spitfire is my favorite, and I didn't know it flew during Korea.

I'll be tuned in on this build, and looking forward to it too.

While braking down the box for recycling I noticed the price sticker on the box end. Original price was $32CDN back in 03/97, from Keith's Hobby Shop. From what I remember, Keith's was on Yonge Street just north of Wilson - pretty sure they are closed now 🙁
I actually bought this kit within the last year 'used' for $15, not knowing just how good this kit was. Glad that I did!

1 attached image. Click to enlarge.

For an air group composed of obsolete airplanes - 800's Seafires and 827's Firefly FR.1s - these guys had a major influence on the outcome of the war. When they joined USS Valley Forge in TF 77 and struck Pyongyang on July 3, a week after outbreak of the war, they did more than damage the Norks' railroad - Stalin was going to OK direct involvement of the Red Air Force in providing air cover for the invasion, but when the carriers struck Pyongyang, he realized the US was going to be in the fight (he had OKd Kim Il Sung's plan on the basis of a speech the previous January by the US Sec State that listed US interests in the Far East in which he didn't mention S. Korea, which was taken by both Stalin and Mao to mean the US did not consider Korea a vital interest), and he canceled the planned support. Had it been otherwise, the Norks would likely have succeeded in forcible reunification. Operating in support of UN forces through the rest of July, through the dangerous month of August and the battles that finally held the Pusan Perimeter on the Naktong River, Triumph and her used-up air group finally left for home just before the Inchon invasion. By that point, none of the Seafires were operational, having all been "bent" from the heavy shipboard use.

Here's a link to a good history for those interested:

http://www.royalnavyresearcharchive.org.uk/Article_Forgotten_Cruise.htm#.X6OqyhZ7ncs

Just as an aside, the "D-Day stripes" weren't applied until the end of July, after an unfortunate "blue on blue" run-in with a B-29 whose gunners thought the Seafires were Yaks. For the Pyongyang strikes and the important "holding the line" period in July, no stripes.

Good luck on it, it's a great kit. If you can get the Falcon/Squadron vacuform canopy, it's vastly superior to what's in the kit. Those decals in the early kits are pretty bad, but the recent release (2015) kit has great decals.

Here's one I did from the 2015 release, representing the Pyongyang strikes.

1 attached image. Click to enlarge.

Interesting addition to the group George, good one !

George, @georgeswork
We both have the same kit. I was working on mine as part of the 100 Years of the RAF and unfortunately I never completed it. I will be watching for updates on yours, and I'm happy to see you have started working on it again. Life does have a way of getting in the way of our hobby... It's good to see you back at it again.