The first Spitfires take to the sky
Welcome to this latest edition of our Workbench blog and all the news, updates, and modelling exclusives from the fascinating world of Airfix.
As we continue on our blog voyage of new Airfix model kit discovery, we find ourselves in the company of aviation greatness this week, and an aircraft which has been described as quite simply the greatest fighting aeroplane of all time, the incomparable Supermarine Spitfire. An aircraft which is probably even more famous now than it was when the British public were praying Fighter Command had enough of them during the late summer of 1940, the Spitfire is admired as much for its clean lines and stunning good looks, as it was for its fighting prowess, but with over 20,000 aircraft produced, and that production continuing throughout the entirety of the Second World War, it’s clear that we’re talking about an aircraft which was as effective as it was appealing.
This update is being published to mark our latest scale tribute to this magnificent aircraft, an association which itself is celebrating a significant anniversary this year, as Airfix have now been producing scale model kit representations of Spitfires for 70 years. This latest kit release comes in 1/48th scale and presents the very earliest Spitfires to enter Royal Air Force service, the ones which are most closely linked to Supermarine Type 300 prototype K5054, an aircraft which is arguably the most important in British aviation history.
As the start of the latest UK Airshow season offers us all the opportunity to fill our senses with the thrill of seeing restored Spitfires at close quarters and in the air, we have news of a stunning new early Spitfire kit release to share with you in this latest edition of Workbench.
Supermarine’s new fighter with Schneider Trophy winning lineage
There’s a new kit in town, and it’s just a little bit special. This image shows built models of our new 1/48th scale Supermarine Spitfire Mk.I in the three very different, yet extremely interesting scheme options supplied.
As arguably the most recognisable aircraft in the history of flight, and a name which is familiar to countless millions of people across the world, it’s interesting to learn that the Supermarine Spitfire was destined to succeed from the moment the Supermarine design office first put pencil to paper. Heralding from a long line of incredibly successful racing seaplanes which were the brainchild of Supermarine’s genius Chief Designer Reginald Joseph Mitchell, these aircraft were sponsored by the Air Ministry (initially at least), to capture the coveted Schneider Trophy for Britain, and show the world that the nation was at the forefront of world aircraft design and production.
At a time when the aviation world was still dominated by biplane designs, Mitchell held the strong opinion that future high speed flight would require strong, but relatively diminutive monoplane designs which would be married with the latest and most powerful engine technology available, with his S.4 being the initial embodiment of this philosophy. Bred for speed, the S.4 was a truly futuristic looking machine powered by a 700 hp Napier Lion engine, however, whilst showing great potential at the 1925 Schnieder Trophy competition in the US, the aircraft crashed into the sea during one of its runs.
Convinced he was on the right track, Mitchell continued to modify and perfect the design of the S.4, using ever more powerful engines and pilots from the RAF’s High Speed Flight in subsequent competitions. During the 1927 competition, Mitchell delivered for the nation, as his Supermarine S.5 design took first and second place in Venice, with the winning aircraft setting an average speed mark of 281.65 mph.
The competing nations agreed that the trophy would be contested every two years from this point forwards, but there was no let-up in the pace of development for the next competition. Mitchell continued to refine his design, however, engine technology was still at the forefront of his thinking. After a fatal S.5 crash during testing and the performance increases only proving to be relatively modest, he felt the limitations of the Napier engine were now impeding the project’s progress. He approached Rolls-Royce to adapt their new 37 litre ‘R’ engine for use in his racing seaplane, a powerplant which was capable of producing over 1,900 horsepower.
At the 1929 competition, Mitchell and Supermarine emerged victorious once again, as his redesigned S.6A won by posting an average speed of 328.6 mph. In the same aircraft just a few days later, Squadron Leader A.H. Orlebar captured the world speed record, by taking his S.6A to an impressive 357.7 mph. Now the pressure was really on – if Mitchell and his seaplane could prevail at the 1931 competition, the Schneider Trophy would be Britain’s outright, a significant achievement for him and the nation.
Bred for speed, the Supermarine S.6B enabled Britain to claim the Schneider Trophy outright for the first time, and start its parent company on a journey which would result in the production of the most famous aircraft in the history of aviation.
Incredibly, despite the stakes being so high for Supermarine, the Air Ministry chose not to sponsor Mitchell’s bid for glory at the 1931 competition, however, an extremely wealthy benefactor pledged the £100,000 figure required to allow Britain’s attempt to take place, a figure which represents over £7 Million in today’s money. The Supermarine racer for this completion had undergone quite significant modification to accept the increased size of the latest Rolls-Royce ‘R’ series engine, which was now producing 2300hp and resulted in a further change in aircraft variant reference to S.6B.
Both Italy and France had indicated their intention to compete in this latest competition, with both nations hoping to unveil powerful and technologically advanced racers they hoped would stop the British in their tracks. In fact, one of the Italian aircraft was powered by a double-length 50 litre engine which was driving contra rotating propellers, however, in the end, both nations pulled out prior to sending aircraft to Britain. All Mitchell and the Supermarine S.6B had to do now was to take to the air and set a mark which didn’t breach the rules to take the trophy outright.
With tens of thousands of excited spectators lining the course on the Isle of Wight, the 13th of September 1931 would certainly turn out to be a significant day for British aviation. With almost perfect conditions, the first run of the day saw the Supermarine S.6B set an average speed mark of 340.08 mph and the Schneider Trophy was Britain’s outright, the first time a nation had done so in the 18 year history of this internationally contested aviation competition. Not content with this, in the afternoon of that same day, Wing Commander George Stainforth took his S.6B into the air and set a new absolute world speed record of 379.05 mph. By the end of the month, the same aircraft and pilot combination had made more history, by setting a new speed record of 407.5 mph, thus making him the first man in history to exceed 400 mph.
Supermarine and Britain were riding the crest of an aviation wave, with the development of their racing seaplanes providing plenty of information regarding high speed flight to support future development. As famous as the S series racing seaplanes now were, there was much more to come from Supermarine, and an aircraft which would quite literally eclipse all others.
The Supermarine Type 300
The birth of a legend. When Supermarine Chief Test pilot Joseph 'Mutt' Summers took off from Eastleigh Aerodrome at 4.35 in the afternoon on Thursday 5th March 1936, he could hardly have known the place he would be taking in world aviation history. Image credit Air Historical Branch-RAF/MOD.
Despite the stunning success R.J Mitchell and the Supermarine team enjoyed with their Schneider Trophy winning seaplanes during the 1920s and 30s, the journey from the S.6B to the Spitfire would not be without its challenges, however, just as Mitchell had been convinced about this design philosophies when challenging for the Scheider Trophy, so he was equally convinced about his advanced fighter design for the Royal Air Force.
When the team charged with designing and producing a cutting-edge new fighter aircraft to defend Britain’s airspace during the mid 1930s set about their task, none of them could have imagined that they would be playing their part in also creating an aviation phenomenon which would still be a familiar sight to millions of people almost a century later. They did have access to extensive knowledge in the design and production of world leading racing aeroplanes, but what they were working on was a new monoplane fighter the like of which had never previously been seen, a genuine technological leap forward in aviation terms.
Despite all the many accolades the Supermarine Spitfire would subsequently go on to earn, its development was essentially born out of the failure of its immediate predecessor, an aircraft which does possess more than a few visual similarities to the Spitfire, but ultimately served only as a technological stepping stone on the way to aviation greatness, the Supermarine Type 224. Developed in response to an RAF specification requirement for a new day fighter, the Type 224 may have been powered by the latest Rolls-Royce Goshawk II engine, however, its ungainly looking fixed spatted undercarriage and gull wing arrangement only allowed the aircraft to post relatively modest performance marks during trials.
Ultimately, the Type 224 would be overlooked in favour of the Gloster Gladiator when it came to the new fighter contract, however, this failure only served to re-double the efforts of the Supermarine design team, who broke away from the constraints of Air Ministry requirements, and started work on a fighter design they felt could present the RAF with a world leading new aircraft, one which would turn the very pages of aviation history in the process.
Construction of the new Supermarine Type 300 fighter had started towards the end of 1934, but as the design made use of advanced materials and construction techniques, this was very much a hand-made, one off machine. When the new fighter (F37/34) was rolled out of the Supermarine factory at Eastleigh prior to making its first flight, it looked truly magnificent, a sleek monoplane fighter which could have hardly looked more different from the Gauntlet and Gladiator fighters which were now in service with the Royal Air Force. At that time, the aircraft was unpainted, other than the application of RAF roundels and the serial K5054, with the various shades of natural metal panelling making it look still rather unfinished – the undercarriage doors had not been attached at that stage.
When Supermarine's chief test pilot Joseph 'Mutt' Summers took off from Eastleigh Aerodrome at 4.35 in the afternoon on Thursday 5th March 1936 in the company's new Type 300 fighter (the fledgling Spitfire), he not only captured the undivided attention of the nation’s media gathered on the airfield that day, he was also embarking on his own association with an aircraft which at that time, he could have hardly known would not only become a commercial success for his company, but also one of the greatest fighting aeroplanes of all time.
What this day would all lead to. The introduction of arguably the most famous fighting aeroplane in the history of flight, one which would inspire a nation and its Commonwealth to victory.
A sleek and powerful new monoplane fighter, the Supermarine Type 300 represented the pinnacle of British aviation prowess at that time, featuring thin elliptical wings, retractable undercarriage and enclosed cockpit. Powered by the latest Rolls Royce aero engine, the Supermarine fighter was bred for speed, but whilst slipping through the air at these impressive speeds, had been designed to allow multiple machine guns to be fitted in that thin wing, making this a deadly dominator of the skies. Similar to the Hawker Hurricane in many respects, where the Hurricane incorporated many traditional techniques in its design and construction, the all-metal Type 300 was unquestionably cutting edge, however, during the summer of 1940, Britain was glad they could rely on the capabilities of both.
During a brief eight-minute maiden flight, where the main undercarriage wasn’t even retracted, and under the full gaze of the nation’s media, when test pilot Mutt Summers landed back at Eastleigh and taxied back to his handling team, it was reputed that he barked, ‘I don’t want anything touched’, so pleased was he with the performance of the aircraft, or so history would have us believe. It’s never been definitively ascertained what he actually meant by this now famous statement, but as the Spitfire went on to become such an aviation icon and possessed such stellar performance, should we even allow the truth to get in the way of a great Spitfire story?
What followed over the next few months was an exhaustive period of testing, perfecting and refining of the new aircraft, where the Supermarine team not only attempted to coax every ounce of performance from their new fighter, but also prepare it for mass production and its subsequent acceptance into Royal Air Force service. This would see K5054 change significantly over the next months, as she was not only fine-tuned, but also prepared for life as a front line fighter aircraft, with the installation of guns, ammunition and other military equipment.
Actually, it’s as good job the Spitfire managed to live up to the high expectations placed upon it, because the RAF placed an order for 310 fighters prior to the first flight of the prototype aircraft, so desperate was their need for the new fighter. Prior to her official presentation, prototype K5054 would be painted in a smart high-gloss blue/green finish, one which was subsequently replaced with the high-gloss ‘French Grey’ scheme which is so famously associated with this historic aircraft. As the Spitfire neared service entry, she received a further paint presentation change, this time to the standard RAF camouflage of the day, a very different look for this hardworking aircraft.
This only Spitfire prototype would eventually be developed to near operational fighter specification, but would be written off in an unfortunate fatal accident on 4th September 1939 at RAE Farnborough, the day after Britain had declared war against Germany. By this time though, eleven squadrons of Spitfires were in service with the Royal Air Force.
Just to complete the story of the Spitfire’s initial entry into service, the Air Ministry were so frustrated by the initial pedestrian rate of production of their new fighter, that they actually considered halting the program and just building more Hurricanes. Thankfully, Supermarine officials managed to convince them otherwise, with the promise of new production facilities and a streamlined production process.
The rest, as they say, is the stuff of aviation legend.
No.19 Squadron – The RAF’s first Spitfire Squadron
The first Spitfires to enter RAF service marked the high-point of RAF expansion, but could Supermarine produce enough of them before they were engulfed in the flames of war?
As we all now know, the Supermarine Type 300 was soon to become the Spitfire, the aviation name on everybody’s lips during the late 1930s, and with it, embarked on a glittering service career which began with delivery of the first production aircraft to RAF No.19 Squadron at Duxford on 4th August 1938. Spitfire Mk.I K9789 was delivered by Supermarine’s Chief Test Pilot Jeffrey Quill, and whilst this was a significant development in the history of British aviation, the complexity of the Spitfire in production meant that this was a full year later than originally anticipated.
At that time, No.19 Squadron were operating the RAF’s current front line fighter aircraft, the Gloster Gauntlet biplane and as the first Spitfire touched down on the grass airstrip at Duxford, those pilots who had not seen a Spitfire before, including the Auxiliary Force pilots of No.616 Squadron who were on their summer camp at that time, must have marvelled at this this thing of aviation beauty, if secretly also being a little nervous about taking one into the air themselves – it was just so different to anything else they had seen.
No.19 Squadron would receive further Spitfires at a rate of approximately one new aircraft each week until taking the notable accolade of becoming the first operational Squadron in the Royal Air Force to be equipped with this incredible new fighter aircraft. As already mentioned, they had previously been operating the Gloster Gauntlet biplane fighter and whilst this was an extremely capable fighting aeroplane in its own right, it could hardly have been more different to a Spitfire. This biplane fighter featured an open cockpit, fixed undercarriage and a radial engine which propelled the fighter to a then impressive 230 mph.
The new Spitfire was a sleek, fast monoplane design, with a fully enclosed cockpit, retractable undercarriage and eight wing mounted machine guns. Significantly, it was over 130 mph faster than their previous fighter, representing a quantum leap in aviation performance terms, and posing more than a few challenges for the unit’s young pilots who would soon be converting to the Spitfire. Incredibly, despite the fact that the Spitfire represented a significant challenge for Duxford’s young pilots, that subsequent conversion proved extremely efficient with very few incidents. Indeed, the first accidental loss of a new fighter only occurred on 20th September 1938.
By the outbreak of war, it’s estimated that the RAF had just over 300 Spitfires in service, with around 70 held in reserve and over 2,000 still on order. An aircraft which was a sight to behold and too attractive to be sullied by the horrors of war, the Spitfire would prove as deadly as it was beautiful and would be instrumental in defending Britain in her darkest hour of need.
A case of constant development and upgrade
Another Spitfire Mk.I built model, this time wearing an unusual desert scheme for this variant.
Following the service introduction of the first Spitfires, the aircraft would benefit from a host of modifications and improvements not only throughout its subsequent production run, but also retrospectively to those aircraft already in service. The changes were all intended to make the aircraft more combat capable and to glean every last ounce of speed from the fighter’s Merlin engine, which was similarly subjected to constant development.
The first Spitfires arriving at RAF Duxford in August 1938 were fitted with a twin-bladed fixed pitch propeller made of wood, a unit which whilst being effective, was a unit which limited the performance of the Merlin engine, in the same way that fitting a bicycle with just a single gear is less than ideal. From around the 80th production aircraft onwards, this first propeller was exchanged for a de Havilland three bladed, two pitch (position) propeller, which significantly enhanced the performance of the aircraft. This essentially allowed the aircraft to be configured for the challenging landing and take-off phases of flight, but then once in the air and increasing speed, alter the propeller pitch to obtain maximum performance from the engine.
Modifications were not just directed towards the performance of the fighter, but also to more effective operation of the Spitfire in general service/combat situations. The original ‘flat’ canopy which was a feature of the first Spitfires was replaced with a taller canopy, one which also featured ‘blown’ sides to allow for much improved visibility for the pilot. Later still, a quick release mechanism was introduced to the canopy design, making it easier for a pilot to exit the fighter in case of emergency. Initially a manual and bespoke modification, many pilots fitted a car mirror to the canopy frame in an attempt to give them some rearward vision when engaged in aerial combat.
When the aircraft was operating at higher altitudes, it was discovered that the Spitfire’s guns tended to freeze due to condensation, so small heaters were subsequently installed in the wings, and gun port openings were covered with fabric patches prior to each mission, something which prevented any debris being ingested into the guns prior to them being fired. It was also discovered that early Spitfires were vulnerable to sustaining damage from even small calibre ammunition, and if struck in a vital component, would immediately be out of action. Further upgrades addressed this vulnerability, with the fitting of an armoured windscreen and additional armour protection for the engine, fuel tanks and pilot, along with a self-sealing coating for the fuel tanks.
Ooh La La – A model finished in the markings of the only Spitfire specifically built for the French Armée de I’Air.
Later production Mk.I Spitfires were supplied with the Rolls Royce Merlin III powerplant, a three bladed de Havilland constant speed propeller and even greater armour protection for the pilot, however, there was still one aspect of the Spitfire’s combat performance where it lagged behind that of its Luftwaffe adversary, and that was firepower. The Messerschmitt Bf 109E was equipped with a powerful 20mm cannon and in most cases, a single hit from one of these shells was enough to bring down any British fighter, even one which benefitted from all the latest modifications.
In order to redress this imbalance, a number of Spitfires were equipped with a pair of wing mounted Hispano 20mm cannons and a reduced armament of four Browning .303 machine guns. Whilst this should have given cannon armed Spitfires a combat advantage, operation of the more powerful guns proved to be extremely problematic, with the guns constantly jamming, and when they did, leaving that Spitfire with just a reduced number of standard machine guns in combat situations. The poor performance of these heavier calibre guns proved so dire that some pilots refused to fly the cannon armed Spitfires, insisting that ground crews restore the original armament configuration of their fighters.
These concerns were immediately relayed back to Vickers Supermarine and the situation proved serious enough that production of cannon armed Spitfires was halted until a solution could be found, with ‘working’ cannon armed Spitfires only entering squadron service in late 1940.
The Supermarine Spitfire – A healthy Airfix obsession
This stunning box artwork was inspired by an official RAF photograph taken showing RAF No.19 Squadron Spitfire Mk.Is in formation high above Cambridgeshire.
As previously mentioned, Airfix can boast a proud association with the Spitfire, one which stems back 70 years this year. With our tooling inventory boasting many a Spitfire kit in several different marks and scales, no Airfix catalogue, or contemporary range launch would ever be considered complete without at least a couple of Spitfire kits making up its number, and we’re delighted to say that this proud association continues to go from strength to strength.
With a veritable squadron of kits featuring Spitfires gracing the current range, we’re delighted to announce that their number has just been joined by another fantastic Spitfire kit, one which has been produced in the larger 1/48th scale, and one which presents the famous Spitfire in 1938 Royal Air Force Mk.I squadron introduction guise. Marking the start of the Spitfire’s incredible service record, and indeed the aviation story which continues to this day, this kit presents the Spitfire in its purest form, the aircraft which were closest to prototype K5054 in both appearance and performance.
Let’s take a closer look at the three new scheme options available with this beautiful new kit.
When the first Spitfires started to arrive at RAF Duxford during the summer of 1938, they were relatively mature aeroplanes, though still in their infancy as far as the Spitfire’s long, almost continuous development would span. Extensively tested prior to release, the new fighter may well have been a huge step in terms of aviation technology, however, the Spitfire was relatively easy to fly for a competent pilot and had few vices. Having said that, as everything was happening more quickly during a Spitfire sortie, pilots had to have their wits about them, and would have spent as much time as possible both familiarising themselves with the cockpit layout, and studying the supplied pilot’s notes booklet.
Underlining the importance the Royal Air Force placed on the Spitfire, despite the early manufacturing problems Supermarine were experiencing, the Air Ministry placed orders for 2,160 aircraft between 1938 and 1939, which still stands as one of the largest RAF orders in the history of the force. The early Mk.I Spitfires were powered by early versions of the Rolls-Royce Merlin engine, producing just over 1,000 horsepower, and driving a fixed wooden two bladed propeller. This arrangement gave these Spitfires a maximum speed of around 360 mph, and a maximum operating altitude of just under 32,000 ft. As the fighter bedded itself into service and with the clouds of war gathering ominously, a host of improvements and modifications were added to the aircraft, all of which were intended to make the aircraft more effective in general operation, and in combat situations. This aviation thoroughbred was being prepared to defend its home airspace.
Full scheme details showing this eighth production Spitfire Mk.I and the aircraft flown regularly by Sqn Ldr. Henry Couzens.
A build project many of us will find difficult to resist. A classic early Spitfire, unsullied by the development of war.
Supermarine Spitfire Mk.I K9794 was the eighth production Spitfire, and was delivered to No.19 Squadron at Duxford sometime during the last two weeks of August 1938. She was known to have been regularly flown by the Commanding Officer of the unit, Sqn Ldr. Henry Couzens, with this aircraft being the subject of some fascinating publicity photographs taken with Britain’s first service Spitfires as their subject. Resplendent in their pre Munich Crisis markings, K9794 is seen as the closest Spitfire of five flying in line, all in their delivery configuration.
The aircraft also have the short lived number 19 painted on their tails, with four of the aircraft having these markings applied in a light colour, possibly white, whilst the 19 on the aircraft second from the camera is unquestionably darker. As the picture is in black and white, modellers are left to decide whether this aircraft had it’s No 19 painted in either yellow, or deep red. The aircraft are also pictured with the twin bladed wooden Watts propeller and the tall radio mast which was such a distinctive feature of these early Spitfires. This aircraft would be allocated the peacetime fuselage codes WZ-T from around October 1938.
This Spitfire was involved in an accident in January 1939, when attempting to make a landing at RAF Digby in Lincolnshire. It’s claimed that the pilot misjudged his landing and on overshooting, clipped the boundary fence with the undercarriage, which subsequently collapsed on landing. Recovered and assessed for repair, the aircraft was subsequently scrapped with less than 37 hours flying time on the airframe.
Although this Spitfire was the favoured mount of the Squadron CO, it was not being flown by him on this occasion, and whilst the unfortunate pilot did escape serious injury, his ears must have received a battering from the boss on his return to Duxford.
Early Spitfires benefitted from a great many upgrades and modifications in a relatively short period of time, all of which were attempts to make the fighter a better, more combat effective aircraft. As significant modifications were made to aircraft already in the field, so the production lines would have been altered to incorporating them, leaving the modeller with some investigative work to do, when it comes to replicating them in scale. Looking at period photographs, it is often the case that in any line-up of Spitfires, there can be aircraft from the same squadron in differing configurations, as later/replacement aircraft included the latest modifications, whilst others were still waiting to receive them.
It's also something of a misnomer to categorise later Mk.I Spitfires as Mk.Ia variants, even though this seems a perfectly logical thing to do. In essence, the term Mk.Ia was something of a retrospective colloquialism used to describe Mk.I Spitfires which had undergone most of the incremental improvements and modifications applied to the aircraft during the initial production run.
These improvements included such things as the blown canopy, armoured front windscreen, thicker, more streamlined radio mast, armour plating behind the pilot, a reflector gunsight and armour plating around the fuel tank in front of the cockpit. Other improvements included the guns being moved back slightly to allow the fabric patches to be applied prior to missions, and less obvious modifications, such as ducting to heat the guns and a mechanically driven undercarriage retraction system to replace the original manual pump operation. The Mk.Ia description is also used to describe Spitfires which feature the standard eight Browning machine gun armament, although again, not strictly correct.
A most unusual presentation for such an early Spitfire. This was one of three aircraft built for the Turkish Air Force, but whether any of them arrived in the country is still the subject of some debate.
Although clear photographic evidence of this unusually presented Spitfire Mk.Ia is in existence, the circumstances behind its scheme and how it came to be in the Middle East is much less clear. An aircraft of the Spitfire’s pedigree was obviously going to be of interest to a great many overseas nations, and Supermarine were inundated with requests to purchase aircraft. One of these requests came from Turkey, with some reports claiming 60 aircraft were ordered, with others claiming a more modest 15 Spitfires were purchased. As these Spitfires were modified in line with their customer’s requirements, they were given a different type reference, with the Turkish aircraft being Supermarine Type 341 machines.
It appears that only 2 or 3 of these aircraft were actually delivered prior to the Foreign Office stepping in and diverting the remaining aircraft to the Royal Air Force, and as there is documentary evidence in existence for ten of the aircraft in RAF service, the intended purchase figure of 15 aircraft seems to be nearer the mark.
As for this particular aircraft, it was produced at the Supermarine Eastleigh works in early 1940 and given the serial number P9567, making its first flight on 29th April 1940. This is where the trail goes a little cold though. Did the aircraft actually reach Turkey, or was it requisitioned en route, as the extremely clear pictures showing it resplendent in its desert camouflage and wearing the RAF serial HK856 describe the aircraft as being at RAF Ballah airfield in Egypt during the middle of 1942.
The British operated airfield at El Ballah was situated on the northern coast, near Alexandria and was quite an important location for training, conversion and theatre acclimatisation in the Middle East. As for their unusual desert Spitfire Mk.Ia, was the fighter requisitioned on its way to its new owners, or did it never actually make it to Turkey? With the rest of the order being cancelled and the operation of just a couple of Spitfires posing more than just a few problems for their new owners, it does seem unlikely that this aircraft made it all the way to its intended owners. If it did, why did it come back into British hands?
If any of our knowledgeable readers can shed some light on this interesting situation, we will shared details with the community, because this scheme definitely makes for one fascinating build project. A desert Spitfire Mk.Ia – whatever next!
Another fascinating early Spitfire story is linked to this third scheme option included with this latest Spitfire kit release, and it’s a beauty. France expressed a strong interest in purchasing Spitfires, even going so far as to discuss the possibility of obtaining a manufacturing licence to construct the fighter themselves in France. In response to this, an official deligation came over to Britain and two senior French Air Force pilots were allowed to inspect, take instruction, and fly one of the new British fighters.
Unfortunately, the deteriorating situation across Europe, and the frustratingly slow delivery rate of new Spitfires for the RAF saw the Air Ministry stepping in to block the deal, before it had chance to become established. Even though still protective of every single new Spitfire built, they did reluctantly agree to supply three aircraft to the French, however, this order was subsequently reduced to just a single aircraft. The aircraft is featured in this scheme option, and was the 251st production Spitfire completed, given the production description of aircraft F.01 for the French Air Force, and supplied complete with a spare Merlin Mk.III engine.
The aircraft made its first flight on 25th May 1939, and was subsequently flown to France during the following July. It’s thought that this aircraft was the only Spitfire ever built directly for an export customer, as all other transactions involved ex-RAF fighters which were modified for foreign service.
This French Air Force Spitfire is thought to have been the only Spitfire ever built specifically for an export customer, as all other transactions involved ex-RAF fighters modified for foreign service.
Once again, little is known about the only French Spitfire in Europe at the start of the Second World War, other than the fact that it would probably have been flown extensively in evaluation trials against the main aircraft of the Armée de L’Air, but as war with Germany was now looking unavoidable, it’s more likely that more pressing matters may have limited the benefit of such trials, particularly as it was abundantly clear that the French would not be getting any more Spitfires.
Although later discovered at Orléans-Bricy airfield, it isn’t known if the aircraft was hangered and exclusively operated from there, but following the German invasion during the early summer of 1940, the aircraft was photographed in a sorry state, abandoned on the outskirts of the airfield. It’s thought that it had either been damaged during German shelling of the airfield, or perhaps more likely, intentionally damaged by the French to prevent an airworthy Spitfire coming into the hands of the enemy.
Once again, this Spitfire story heads into undocumented territory, as some reports describe how what was left of the aircraft were secured by German forces and sent back to Germany, whilst others claim the aircraft was still on its former home airfield well into 1941, but without supporting evidence, we really can’t say with any degree of certainty. Again, we throw this matter over to the Airfix community and if anyone can shed some light on the fate of the French Spitfire, we would be extremely grateful – pictures would be a huge bonus.
You know what they say, class is permanent, and this is one classic kit release.
Making for a fascinating addition to the growing Airfix Spitfire kit range, this new kit really is something special, presenting the Spitfire at the very start of its service career, with Supermarine’s Schneider Trophy success still fresh in the minds of the people behind this magnificent aircraft, and well before it had forged its iconic status.
As a modelling project, I can’t think of a better subject in this 85th anniversary year of the Battle of France, Dunkirk and the Battle of Britain, and speaking as a modeller, I think that my own kit stash will be needing at least two of these beauties just in case – one for now, and one for later.
1/48th scale Supermarine Spitfire Mk.I A05126B is available now.
We are afraid that's all we have for you in this latest edition, but we will be back next Friday with more project development updates and the very latest Airfix kit exclusives. In the meantime, we are always keen to hear your views on all things Airfix and in particular, any thoughts and opinions you may have regarding our Workbench blog. If you would like to drop us a quick line, could we please ask that you use our workbench@airfix.com email for all correspondence.
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Related Products
Supermarine Spitfire Mk.I
A05126B |
1:48 Scale
Supermarine Spitfire Mk.Ia
A05126A |
1:48 Scale
Further Reading
Related Products
Supermarine Spitfire Mk.I
A05126B |
1:48 Scale
Supermarine Spitfire Mk.Ia
A05126A |
1:48 Scale
Further Reading
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