Silver Spitfire from 601 sqd (Spitfire IXc from AZ-Model)

Started by capt. R · 199 · 2 years ago
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    capt. R said 2 years, 9 months ago:

    Welcome friends. After a short summer break, my ideas keep coming back and they keep multiplying like rabbits. I am unsatisfied in all with my silver spitfire Vc and I am thinking about another one. UF @ Q plane from the 601 County of London Squadron. The plane was piloted, by the delegated Polish pilot F/Lt Zdzisław Uchwat from the 318 recon-fighter squadron in 1944 in Italy. Fortunately, photos of the original have survived. However, I have doubts about the presented painting profiles. There are two. one all in aluminum and the other with painted engine cover and fuel tank. Which one do you think is closer to the truth when analyzing the preserved photographs? if we can argue whether the tank cover is actually dark (black? green?) or dirty from exhaust pipes , the engine cover looks nothing like silver considering its gloss wiht shade of dirt from exhaust pipes. The plane next to it, which is undoubtedly painted in Dark Green / Ocean Gray, is definitely matte here. I am waiting for your feedback 🙂

    5 attached images. Click to enlarge.

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    Pedro L. Rocha said 2 years, 9 months ago:

    Yeah, the photo seems to indicate some paint over the upper surfaces of the engine cowl.
    I have the Eduard kit in the stash that brings that plane as per that profile you added. It’s a very unusual Spitfire for sure, and that means it’s interesting!

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    John vd Biggelaar said 2 years, 9 months ago:

    Unusual scheme for a Spitfire, Lis @lis
    In 2019 I saw a similar one in Duxford.
    I added the picture, maybe you can make use of it.

    1 attached image. Click to enlarge.

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    Spiros Pendedekas said 2 years, 9 months ago:

    What a great choice, my friend @lis!
    I would be surprised if the top engine cowling would be unpainted.
    Black is the most probable guess.

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    capt. R said 2 years, 9 months ago:

    @fiveten So how can you explain the shimmering reflections of light on the lid that are clearly visible? Another Painting from AZ Model: Black, and Dark Green option.

    1 attached image. Click to enlarge.

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    capt. R said 2 years, 9 months ago:

    @johnb painting very logical and something similar was in Spitfire Vc. But in this case, I have no idea.

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    capt. R said 2 years, 9 months ago:

    @holzhamer What painting will you choose?

    PS. Very interestong are also pylon for 500lbs bomb for ground attack!

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    Spiros Pendedekas said 2 years, 9 months ago:

    Truth is that with blurred pics you can never be sure about anything, my friend @lis.
    Maybe the black portion was too narrow at the specific plane, maybe black paint was reflecting some light (the pic is admittedly blurred).
    Of course, you can never be 100℅ sure, but rarely a bird carried an unpainted top.

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    George R Blair Jr said 2 years, 9 months ago:

    Looking forward to your Spitfire, @lis. Silver is always a fun challenge.

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    Pedro L. Rocha said 2 years, 9 months ago:

    Lis, answering your question- I don’t think the upper cowling immediately after the propeller is black at all. Looking at the photos, the area isn’t nowhere as dark as the blurred prop , and tbh it just isn’t dark enough to be more than a grey or brown tint in my opinion.
    Quite likely I would paint it folllowing Eduard’s suggestion, meaning those parts came from replacement spares cannibalized from some damaged airframe.

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    capt. R said 2 years, 9 months ago:
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    capt. R said 2 years, 9 months ago:

    @holzhamer thank you for your answer! I just purchase AZ Spitfire from my online hobby-shop

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    capt. R said 2 years, 9 months ago:

    @gblair Yes I love silver planes very much!

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    Spiros Pendedekas said 2 years, 9 months ago:

    Found this pic at flickr, my friend @lis:

    The profile rendition assumes that the top cowling is from another plane (as our friend @holzhamer pointed out, correctly in my opinion). According to the profile, there was some sort of oblique gray/green pattern at that cowling.

    By doing some net research, I read that it is unclear why MJ250 was finished in this unusual natural metal scheme and, according the RAF Battle of Britain Memorial Flight (RAF BBMF) this picture is the only wartime photograph existing of this aircraft.

    The never ending modeling research...

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    Spiros Pendedekas said 2 years, 9 months ago: