AZ Models 1/72 Spitfire IXc EN398

[acklington]

Entering into the spirit of NWAN modellers, here's one from me, recently completed;

Spitfire IXc, EN398, 80 OTU, RAF Ouston early 1946 (6) by Philip Pain, on Flickr

Spitfire IXc, EN398, 80 OTU, RAF Ouston early 1946 (2) by Philip Pain, on Flickr

This is a short-run kit which accurately represents an early production Mk IXc (started life on the production line as a Mk V). I've finished it as Johnnie Johnson's 'JE-J', the highest scoring RAF fighter of all time, and the highest scoring Spitfire. However, I'm claiming a world first, by attempting to show EN398 as it appeared at the end of its life, serving with 80 (French) OTU at RAF Ouston, Northumberland, in May 1946. In the absence of any photos of EN398 after 1943, the colour scheme shows it as it would have appeared if all paint & markings regulations had been faithfully followed, including underwing serials. The individual code letter 'P' is a complete guess, but as the 16th letter of the alphabet it commemorates EN398's 16 victories (depending how you count shared kills).

Thanks for looking.

[csnewton2701]

A Very nice looking kit there I quite like the airfield base. How difficult was it without photos to work from?

Chris

[woody66]

Excellent model acklington. It's nice to see a 1/72nd spitfire with a rear view mirror in place.

Colin

[acklington]

Sept 26, 2017 18:26:25 GMT 1 csnewton2701 said:

A Very nice looking kit there I quite like the airfield base. How difficult was it without photos to work from?

Chris

Without photos I agonised for weeks as to how it might have appeared. The only known photo of an 80 OTU Spitfire is of the Commandant's crashed aircraft, and that had personalised markings, including a spinner in the french colours. However, eventually on a trip home to Newcastle I found a photo in a local history publication, of a French pilot at Ouston. And just visible in the distant blurred background was an 80 OTU Spitfire, and it had a normal RAF scheme with sky spinner.

EN398 was in storage for nearly two years from 1943 to 1945, and I assumed that the MU would have repainted it and kept it up to date with the latest regulations, ready for re-issue. The Imperial War Museum Spitfire at Lambeth is such an early machine, repainted in storage ready for re-issue, and now the only Spitfire that retains an original war applied scheme. By early 1946 all Spitfires should have had the late-war 'type C' roundels, plus underwing serials, introduced to deter low flying.

The code letters are standard 'sky' colour and size, but I've had to guess how they might have been positioned, and on the starboard side they might have read as '3H-P' rather than 'P-3H'. Both styles were in common use. So my model of EN398 may not be entirely correct (it could be quite wrong!), but it is probably near to how an 80 OTU Spitfire would have looked in early 1946, and the OTU would have had a 'P', even if it was not EN398. Incidentally, the letter 'J' is the only recorded example of an 80 OTU Spitfire, allocated to MH353 '3H-J'.