Spitfire Mk.Ixc Late Version 8281 BRITISH WWII FIGHTER 1:48 SCALE PLASTIC KIT

Spitfire Mk.IXc late version 8281 BRITISH WWII FIGHTER 1:48 SCALE PLASTIC KIT

intro In September 1941, a hitherto unknown German radial engine fighter appeared in the west European sky. The new airplane was superior to British fighters, most distressingly to the Spitfire Mk.V. The German design was soon recognized as the Focke-Wulf Fw 190 A. The losses suffered by the RAF over western Europe rose rapidly and the crisis was serious enough that the RAF ceased the majority of daytime operations in November, 1941. The next attempt to resume these types of sorties was made in March 1942. Loss rates remained unacceptably high and the RAF was forces to stop ops once again. All this was thanks to the Focke-Wulf Fw 190 A. The first response to the new German weapon was the Spitfire Mk.VIII, but the design changes were so complex that initiating timely production was not possible. In June, 1942, a German pilot landed by mistake on a British airfield delivering a completely intact Fw 190 fighter into RAF hands. Comparative trials between the Focke- Wulf and Spitfire Mk.V began almost immediatelly. These mock encounters confirmed the situation over the front – the chances of a British fighter surviving an encounter with the Fw 190 were slim. The only British fighter aircraft deemed suitable to oppose them were the Spitfire Mk. VII and VIII powered by the Merlin 61 engine. As mentioned above these were some time away of being ready for series production. But there was another way of getting a powerful fighter quickly - by mating the Merlin 61, with its two-stage supercharger, with the fuselage of the Spitfire Mk.Vc. Two Mk.Vc airframes, AB196 and AB197, were selected for this purpose and were strengthened with modified longerons to accommodate the more powerful and heavier engine. The example was finished on February 26 and the second on March 27, 1942. Flight trials were succesful and the order for series production was issued almost immediately. Series production began in June 1942 and the first Mk.IXs found their way to No. 64 Squadron in July. Performance improved significantly in comparison to the Mk.V. A top speed of 409 mph at 28,000 feet was higher by 40mph, and the service ceiling rose from 36,200 to 43,000 feet. The Mk.IX could climb at 4,000 feet per minute. The RAF finally had a fighter aircraft capable of opposing the Fw 190 A. Three main versions of the Mk IX were produced. The F.IX was powered by the Merlin 61 and was the only version on the assembly line in early 1943. The next version was the LF Mk.IX powered by the Merlin 66. This engine was designed to do its best at low altitudes. The third version, manufactired along with the LF, was the high-altitude HF Mk.IX with the Merlin 70. The majority of Mk.IXs manufactured were equipped with the so-called 'C' wing. Four 20mm cannon or two 20mm cannon and four .303 machine guns could be installed in the wings. From 1944, the strengthened 'E' wing was produced. Four .303 machine guns were replaced with two .50 heavy machine guns. Bomb racks for 250lb bombs were fitted under each wing typically. The Mk.IX became the second most numerous version of the Spitfire with a total of 5653 examples being built. The Mk.IX began to replace the Mk.V from June, 1942. Thanks to the new fighter, the RAF was ready to fight against the Luftwaffe over occupied Europe. Spitfire Mk.IXs served with the RAF to the end of war. In the postwar era, foreign air forces flew this version as well. Czechoslovak, Norwegian, Danish, and Canadian air forces operated numbers of Mk.IXs and they were not alone. Spitfires would find themselves in combat again. Czechoslovakia sold its Spitfire Mk.IXs to Israel in 1948 and these aircraft formed the backbone of the newly born Israeli air force in the fight against their Arab neighbours. úvodem V září 1941 se na evropské obloze objevil dosud neznámý německý stíhací letoun poháněný hvězdicovým motorem. Nová stíhačka měla nad britskými, zejména Spitfirem Mk.V, zřetelnou převahu. V německé konstrukci byl záhy rozpoznán Focke-Wulf Fw 190 A. Ztráty RAF nad západní Evropou začaly rychle narůstat až to té míry, že britské letectvo muselo v listopadu 1941 zastavit většinu denních operací nad evropským kontinentem. Pokus o spuštění tohoto typu bojových letů byl uskutečněn v březnu 1942. Počty ztrát však byly opět neúnosné, což opět vedlo k jejich zastavení. Vše díky Focke-Wulfům Fw 190 A. Prvním pokusem o odpověď na novou německou zbraň se stal Spitfire Mk.VIII, avšak komplexní přístup ke změnám konstrukce letounu způsobil, že nebylo možné jej dostat do sériové výroby v dostatečně blízkém časovém horizontu. V červnu 1942 přistál jeden z německých pilotů omylem na britském letišti a předal tak do britských rukou nepoškozený Fw 190 A. Srovnávací zkoušky Focke-Wulfu a Spitfiru Mk.V začaly téměř neprodleně. Cvičné souboje plně potvrdily situaci na frontě – šance britské stíhačky přestát setkání s Fw 190 bez úhony nebyly vysoké. Jediné britské stíhačky schopné postavit se plnohodnotně německému typy byly Spitfiry Mk.VII a Mk.VIII poháněné motorem Merlin 61. Jak však bylo poznamenáno výše, nedalo se čekat, že v dohledné době dospějí do fáze sériové výroby. Byla zde však ještě jedna cesta, jak získat dostatečně výkonnou stíhačku – zabudovat Merlin 61 s dvoustupňovým kompresorem do základního draku Spitfiru Mk.V. Pro tento experiment byly vyčleněny dva draky, AB196 a AB197. Prošly zpevněním, aby mohl být zastavěn výkonnější a těžší motor. První z nich byl dokončen 26. února, druhý pak 27. března 1942. Letové testy proběhly natolik úspěšně, že byla objednána sériová výroba. Ta se plně rozběhla v červnu 1942 a první Mk.IX se u bojové jednotky, No. 64 Squadrony, objevily v červenci. V porovnání s Mk.V se výkony znatelně zvýšily. Maximální rychlost byla v 28.000 stopách vyšší o 40 mph, operační dostup se zvýšil z 36.200 na 43.000 stop. Mk.IX mohl stoupat rychlostí 4000 stop za minutu. RAF tedy konečně dostalo stíhačku, kterou mohlo směle postavit proti Fw 190 A. Vyráběny byly tři hlavní verze Mk.IX. Verze F Mk.IX byla poháněna motorem Merlin 61 a z montážní linky sjížděla až do počátku roku 1943. Na ni navázaly LF Mk.IX poháněná motorem Merlin 66 a určená k operacím v nižších výškách, a HF Mk.IX s motorem Merlin 70 konstruovaným naopak pro výškové lety. Většina Mk.IX byla vyrobena s křídlem typu C. V něm mohla být instalována výzbroj složená ze čtyř kanonů ráže 20 mm nebo ze dvou kanonů ráže 20 mm a čtyř kulometů ráže 0,303 palce. V roce 1944 se objevilo zpevněné křídlo typu E. Čtveřice 0.303 kulometů byla nahrazena dvojicí kulometů ráže 0.50 palce. Pod každou polovinou křídla byly standardně namontovány závěsníky pro 250lb pumy. Verze Mk.IX se stala druhou nejpočetnější verzí Spitfiru s 5653 vyrobenými kusy. Mk.IX začaly nahrazovat Mk.V v červnu 1942. Díky nové stíhačce byla RAF opět schopná bojovat proti Luftwaffe nad okupovanou Evropou. Ve své výzbroji si typ ponechala až do konce války. Po ukončení bojů se verze dostala i do výzbroje dalších letectev. Československé, norské, dánské, kanadské a další letectva používala desítky Mk.IX. Spitfiry Mk.IX se však do bojů dostaly i v této době. Československo prodalo své Spitfiry v roce 1948 do Izraele, kde se v bojích s arabskými sousedy staly páteřním typem nově vznikajících izraelských vzdušných sil. ATTENTION UPOZORNĚNÍ ACHTUNG ATTENTION

INSTRUCTION SIGNS INSTR. SYMBOLY INSTRUKTION SINNBILDEN SYMBOLES

OPTIONAL BEND OPEN HOLE SYMETRICAL ASSEMBLY REMOVE REVERSE SIDE APPLY EDUARD MASK VOLBA OHNOUT VYVRTAT OTVOR SYMETRICKÁ MONTÁŽ ODŘÍZNOUT OTOČIT AND PAINT POUŽÍT EDUARD MASK NABARVIT

PARTS DÍLY TEILE PIECES

PLASTIC PARTS A> C> E> 8280 A 8280 C 8280 E

F> G> 8280 F 8280 G

PE - PHOTO ETCHED DETAIL PARTS

eduard

COLOURS BARVY FARBEN PEINTURE

GSi Creos (GUNZE) AQUEOUS Mr.COLOR AQUEOUS Mr.COLOR H 4 C4 YELLOW H 316 C316 WHITE H 12 C33 FLAT BLACK H 330 C330 DARK GREEN H 13 C3 FLAT RED H 331 C331 DARK SEAGRAY H 33 C81 RUSSET H 332 C332 LIGHT AIRCRAFT GRAY H 51 C11 LIGHT GULL GRAY Mr.METAL COLOR H 52 C12 OLIVE DRAB MC214 DARK IRON H 74 C26 SKY MC218 ALUMINIUM H 77 C137 TIRE BLACK Mr.COLOR SUPER METALLIC H 312 C312 GREEN SM06 CHROME SILVER

2 H 12 H 312 C33 C312 FLAT BLACK GREEN

H 12 C33 F28 FLAT BLACK H 12 C33 F7 F1 FLAT BLACK F42

H 312 C312 GREEN F25 F26 H 312 MC218 H 312 C312 ALUMINIUM F41 GREEN C312 H 12 GREEN H 12 C33 C33 FLAT BLACK FLAT BLACK F27 H 51 C11 LIGHT GULL GRAY F19

F35

F56

H 12 F34 C33 FLAT BLACK F40 H 312 C312 H 312 GREEN C312 GREEN H 312 C312 GREEN F5

F5 PE22

F40 H 312 C312 GREEN F35

F18

F64

H 33 C81 H 312 RUSSET C312 GREEN F64

F31

F65

H 312 C312 GREEN

H 12 PE23 C33 FLAT BLACK

H 312 C312 GREEN

F16 F61

H 33 C81 F17 F47 RUSSET H 312 C312 GREEN F60

3 H 12 MC218 C33 F32 ALUMINIUM FLAT BLACK PE11 PE6 MC218 ALUMINIUM H 12 C33 FLAT BLACK PE8 H 312 C312 GREEN PE12 PE10 PE16 F32 PE15 F46 H 312 C312 GREEN H 312 C312 GREEN

F38

PE9

PE5

H 312 C312 GREEN H 312 C312 PE4 GREEN F23

F16 OPTIONAL:

DECAL 46 H 12 F66 F43 C33 FLAT BLACK PE2

H 12 PE3 PE1 C33 A9 FLAT BLACK

A9 F4 A4 H 312 C312 H 312 GREEN H 12 C312 C33 GREEN F62 A4 FLAT BLACK

MC218 ALUMINIUM

F29 MC218 ALUMINIUM

F30 F1

H 312 C312 GREEN

4 FOR CLOSED CANOPY ONLY

E9 E1 F14

F15

H 312 C312 GREEN E1 G58 A - 1 mm F33

H 12 C33 FLAT BLACK

H 312 C312 GREEN C B E9

G64

B C F2 G57 F6 E9

H 12 F39 C33 FLAT BLACK

UNDERSURFACE COLOR G76

- 1 mm MARKING A ONLY C3

- 1 mm MARKING A ONLY 5 G46

UNDERSURFACE COLOR UNDERSURFACE G15 COLOR

MC218 MC218 ALUMINIUM G68 ALUMINIUM G16 G19 G47 UNDERSURFACE COLOR

G20

UNDERSURFACE COLOR

G67

UNDERSURFACE COLOR C2

UNDERSURFACE COLOR

UNDERSURFACE G17 COLOR

G61 UNDERSURFACE G59 COLOR G62 G60

G18

6 B G10 E2, E3 - MARKING ONLY D G12 E F79 G10 G5 E2 G44 G9

E7 G4 G5 G43 G12

E3 F74 G11 G4 G11 G9 E8

E D

F80 MC214 DARK IRON

F73

F13 - MARKING A ONLY F8 F13 GLUE PARTS F52 & F53 ONE BY ONE F53 F12

F52

7 F11

F72

F71

F10 F

UNDERSURFACE G1 COLOR E5

PE19 UNDERSURFACE COLOR

MC218 PE18 ALUMINIUM UNDERSURFACE G27 COLOR G1 G7 UNDERSURFACE UNDERSURFACE COLOR E6 G29 COLOR UNDERSURFACE MC218 COLOR ALUMINIUM G13 G8 MC218 ALUMINIUM G28

UNDERSURFACE UNDERSURFACE COLOR COLOR G30 F36 MC218 G14 ALUMINIUM

8 G6 G6 G6 G6 UNDERSURFACE COLOR UNDERSURFACE COLOR

G38 G37 G37 G39 G38 G36

G39 G36 UNDERSURFACE COLOR UNDERSURFACE COLOR

PE21 - MARKING A ONLY PE21 G49 G34 G50

MC218 ALUMINIUM G35 G50 G49 MC218 H 77 G22 ALUMINIUM C137 TIRE BLACK H 77 C137 UNDERSURFACE G35 COLOR TIRE BLACK

MC218 ALUMINIUM UNDERSURFACE COLOR G34 G26 G21 G25 REMOVE FOR MC218 ALUMINIUM PE21 UNDERCARRIAGE LOWERED PE21 - MARKING A ONLY REMOVE FOR UNDERCARRIAGE LOWERED

9 H 77 C137 MC218 ALUMINIUM TIRE BLACK F48 F49 F55 H 77 MC218 C137 ALUMINIUM UNDERSURFACE TIRE BLACK COLOR

UNDERSURFACE COLOR A1 F57

F21 A12

A5 G H A11 A1 A8 H 312 C312 GREEN G68

PE17

A5 H 12 C33 FLAT BLACK

G65 F54 G63 A8 F51

A12 H

F37

H 13 C3 F70 FLAT RED

H 312 C312 GREEN

G41 PE20

H 312 C312 PE14 GREEN G73 PE20

G G41 G73

10 A1

H 312 C312 GREEN

F68

F22 F50

H 52 C12 OLIVE DRAB F67

F22 F69 F44 MARKING F45 A ONLY

UNDERSURFACE F20 COLOR F63 H 52 C12 OLIVE DRAB UNDERSURFACE COLOR PE7 MARKING F44 A ONLY F45

UNDERSURFACE COLOR F63

PE13

UNDERSURFACE COLOR

- 0,3 mm

11 A Spitfire LFMk.IXc, MH712, flown by W/O Henryk Dygala, No. 302 Squadron, Summer / Autumn, 1944

Polish No. 302 Squadron was one of the units that participated in the invasion of Normandy in June, 1944, as can be deduced from the D-Day stripes painted on the lower sides of fuselage and wings. This aircraft was equipped with wing racks for 250lb bombs. The pointed rudder was freshly painted and so accordingly, the colours appeared darker than the rest of the aircraft. Nose art was not particularly common within the RAF, so the girl sitting on the bomb is a nice exception. Note the Polish stencil right of the cockpit door 'Wycierac obuwie' ('wipe your shoes'). ČESKOU VERZI TEXTU NALEZNETE NA www.eduard.com/s/8281

H74 H331 H330 23 5 24 14 6 17 H74 28 26 331 330 26 18

H12 H316 33 316 H4 35 34 4 H12 H4 16 H74 33 4 26

H74 H330 26 330

H331 H316 316 331 H12 33

16 15 H332 332 8

H74 26

42 18

29 H74 17 6 14 5 26 15 H331 H330 H74 331 330 26

H12 H316 H316 H4 33 316 WHITE YELLOW 316 4 H74 H332 DARK H331 H330 H12 SKY LIGHT GRAY DARK GREEN BLACK 26 332 SEA GRAY 331 330 33 eduard 12 Spitfire HFMk.IXc, MJ296, flown by F/Lt Otto Smik, No. 312 Squadron, North Weald AB, B Late August, 1944

This Spitfire was flown by the CO of B Flight, No. 312 (Czechoslovak) Squadron, F/Lt Otto Smik. His personal score is depicted on the cockpit door, and Smik was credited with 8 ½ confirmed kills and three V-1s destroyed by this time. Smik flew this aircraft in July and August in strafing missions over occupied Europe till September 3. He was downed by AA fire during an attack on Gilze-Rijen Air Base. He managed to survive and with the help of the Dutch resistance, he returned to Great Britain. Smik, a Slovak Jew born in Georgia, met his fate on November 28, 1944, being killed in an attack on the Zwolle railway station. The camouflage and marking of this Spitfire is typical for No. 312 Squadron. The unit badge is painted on both sides of the engine cowling, and the Czechoslovak national insignia under the canopy. Vintage photos do not show the rudder. MJ296 could have had both the rounded or pointed types. ČESKOU VERZI TEXTU NALEZNETE NA www.eduard.com/s/8281

H74 H331 H330 36 13 4 14 3 7 H74 28 26 331 330 26

H4 4 ? H74 39 26 H12 33 H4 16 4 28

H330 H74 330 26

H331 331

H332 16 332 15

19 ? 8

H74 26

29 H74 7 3 14 4 15 26 H331 H330 H74 331 330 26 37

H316 H4 WHITE YELLOW 316 4 40 H74 H332 DARK H331 H330 H12 SKY LIGHT GRAY DARK GREEN BLACK 26 332 SEA GRAY 331 330 33 eduard 13 Spitfire LFMk.IXc, MJ586, flown by Pierre Clostermann, No. 602 Squadron, C Longues sur Mer airfield, July 7, 1944

Pierre Clostermann, a French fighter ace, became known worldwide thanks to his book 'The Big Show'. One of the aircraft he flew during his military career was Spitfire MJ586. Clostermann´s score is painted on the fuselage below the canopy. It consists of seven confirmed, three probable and seven damaged enemy aircraft. French sources credit Closterman with 20 kills The total tally for Clostermann have been a topic of debate. Post war French confirmed numbers are inconsistent with those of wartime documentation in British archives, thanks mainly due to different practises between the two air forces. At the end of WWII, Clostermann flew Tempests with No. 3 Squadron RAF. Note the squadron badge on both sides of the engine cowling. ČESKOU VERZI TEXTU NALEZNETE NA www.eduard.com/s/8281

H74 H331 H330 12 1 14 2 21 H74 28 26 331 330 26

H12 H316 33 316 H4 38b 4 H12 H4 16 H74 33 4 26

H330 330

H331 H316 H12 316 331 33

16 15 H332 332 19 ? 8

H74 26

29 21 1 14 2 15 H74 H331 H330 H74 26 331 330 26

H12 H316 33 316 H316 H4 38b ? 38a WHITE YELLOW 316 4 H74 H332 DARK H331 H330 H12 SKY LIGHT GRAY DARK GREEN BLACK 26 332 SEA GRAY 331 330 33 eduard 14 D Spitfire LFMk.IXc, MJ250, No. 601 Squadron, Italy, Summer, 1944

MJ250 was flown by No. 601 “County of London” Squadron from July 1944. The unit was operating from the airfields at Perugia, Loreto and Fano at that time. The aircraft was used primarily for dive-bombing operations. MJ250 survived the war but was then scrapped. MJ250 was regularly flown by F/O Desmond Ibbotson, DFC & Bar. This fighter ace is credited with 11 confirmed and four probable kills with five damaged aircraft. He died on November 19, 1944 at the controls of Spitfire MH614. The camouflage colors were stripped down except for the upper engine and fuel tank cowling. These parts seem to be camouflaged, probably taken from another aircraft. Note the unit badge on the fin tip. ČESKOU VERZI TEXTU NALEZNETE NA www.eduard.com/s/8281

33 H13 H331 H330 25 ? 30 MC218 3 331 330 14 26 ? 31 22 28 SM06

H4 4 16 H12 H13 H13 H330 33 SM06 3 3 330

MC218

H331 331

SM06

16 15

MC218 19 ? 8

SM06

MC218 32 29 22 26 ? 31 14 25 ? 30 15 SM06 H331 H330 H13 331 330 3

H13 RED 3

CHROME DARK H331 H330 H12 SM06 ALUMINIUM MC218 DARK GREEN BLACK SILVER SEA GRAY 331 330 33 eduard 15 E Spitfire LFMk.IXc, ML135, flown by Jerry Billing, No. 401 Squadron, Tangmere AB, June 7, 1944

One of many Canadians in the RAF was Jerry Billing. He volunteered for the RAF in October 1942 to help the Malta defense. He joined No. 185 Squadron and fought over the island until March 1943, when he was downed by a Bf 109 pilot. In 1944, Jerry Billing was sent to No. 401 Squadron. He downed a Ju 88 bomber and damaged two Fw 190s on June 7, 1944, the second day of the invasion of Normandy. On July 1, 1944, his Spitfire, ML135, was hit by AA fire and landed in no-man's land in France. He managed to get back to the UK with the help of a French family. After WWII, Jerry Billing re-enlisted in the Royal Canadian Air Force and became an instructor. In 1951, he joined the Blue Devils – a Canadian aerobatics team that flew Vampire jets. In 1964, he left the RCAF and took a job at DeHaviland as a test pilot. ČESKOU VERZI TEXTU NALEZNETE NA www.eduard.com/s/8281

H74 H74 H331 H330 11 14 10 20 26 28 26 331 330

H12 H316 H4 33 316 H4 4 4 H12 16 H74 33 H12 26 33 H330 H316 330 316

H74 26 H12 33

H316 H316 316 316 H12 33

16 15 H332 H4 332 4 19 ? 8

H74 H331 26 331

42 H74 26 29 20 11 14 10 15 H331 H330 H74 331 330 26

H12 H316 H316 H4 33 316 WHITE YELLOW 316 4 H74 H332 DARK H331 H330 H12 SKY LIGHT GRAY DARK GREEN BLACK 26 332 SEA GRAY 331 330 33 eduard 16 F Spitfire LFMk.IXc, ML135, flown by Jerry Billing, No. 401 Squadron, France, July 1, 1944

Jerry Billing was shot down at the controls of ML135 on July 1, 1944 and crash landed 7 miles south of Carentan, France. The D-Day stripes were left on the undersides only and the female name 'Dorothy' appeared under the windscreen. ČESKOU VERZI TEXTU NALEZNETE NA www.eduard.com/s/8281

H4 4 H12 H4 16 H74 33 4 26

H74 H330 26 330

H331 H316 316 331 H12 33

16 15 H332 332 19 ? 8

H74 26

42 H74 26 29 20 11 14 9 15 H331 H330 H74 331 330 26

H12 H316 33 H316 H4 316 WHITE YELLOW 316 4 H74 H332 DARK H331 H330 H12 SKY LIGHT GRAY DARK GREEN BLACK 26 332 SEA GRAY 331 330 33 eduard 17 Spitfire Mk.IXc late version STENCIL VARIANTS