12/2025

INFO Eduard is a monthly scale model-historical magazine published in Czech and English by Eduard Model Accessories since 2010. The magazine is available for free on the Triobo platform and can be downloaded in PDF format. Eduard is a manufacturer of plastic models and accessories with over 30 years of tradition. Throughout its history in the plastic modeling industry, Eduard has become one of the world's leaders. Further details about the company and its product range can be found at www.eduard.com. You can subscribe to the INFO magazine and receive product information for free at: https://www.eduard.com/cs/info-eduard/

• Strana 1

  INFO Eduard

  e-magazine FREE Vol 24 December 2025

  # 190

• Strana 2

  INFO Eduard

  e-magazine FREE Vol 24 December 2025

  # 190

  © Eduard - Model Accessories, 2025

  FREE FOR DOWNLOAD, FREE FOR DISTRIBUTION!

  This material may only be used for personal use. No part of the text

  or graphic presentations can be used in another publication in any other media

  form or otherwise distributed without the prior written

  permission of Eduard - Model Accessories and authors involved.

  Editorial and Graphics - Marketing department, Eduard - Model Accessories, Ltd.

• Strana 3

  eduard

  eduard

  DECEMBER 2025

  CONTENT

  Published by Eduard-Model Accessories, spol. s.r.o.

  Mírová 170, Obrnice 435 21

  support@eduard.com www.eduard.com

  EDITORIAL

  KITS

  BRASSIN

  PHOTO

  -

  ETCHED SETS

  SPACE

  BUILT

  ON APPROACH

  –

  January 2026

  TAIL END CHARLIE

  ARTICLES

  BOXART STORY

  KITTYHAWK Limited 1/48

  Spitfire Mk.Vb mid ProfiPACK 1/48

  Spitfire Mk.Vb early ProfiPACK 1/72

  A6M2-N Rufe Weekend 1/48

  Avia S-199 ERLA canopy 1/48

  ENSTROM 480 1/72

  EFKA 1/48

  SCHNELLBOMBER 1/48

  Spitfire Mk.V

  Tornado ECR 46+38

  The Air War in Ukraine

  -

  Starring the F-16

  Finucane’s Spitfire

  Introducing … Spitfire Mk.Vb ProfiPACK 1/72

  Kittyhawks of Two Continents

  Kamikawa Maru

  The Darlington Spitfire

  4

  6

  64

  68

  98

  110

  114

  126

  134

  149

• Strana 4

  Dear Friends,

  Hard to believe, but once again, instead of

  a significant, interesting and hopefully

  previously unreleased type of aircraft, we have

  released another out of God knows how many

  Spitfires. So it looks as though we have missed

  another opportunity; if we weren't such die-hard

  lovers of boring and uninteresting Spitfires,

  we could have released, for example, a Sea

  Vixen, preferably in the D.3 version and in 1:48

  scale. Well, what can you do? It is what it is. We

  are sticking to our plan, which is to reduce all

  the kits that we have released so far, and will

  release, in 1:48 scale to 1:72. This is not an easy

  plan. In fact, it is very likely an unachievable

  plan, as you surely can understand. It's kind

  of like the hare that never catches up with

  the tortoise, but we are doing what we can.

  You can see the new Spitfire Mk.Vb is part of this

  effort, but you can also just forget about trying

  to see any complete sense in it and just enjoy

  this Spitfire kit, because it is a damn nice and

  fun little item. After all, it is not a rehash of old

  kits, it is the first in the family of 72nd scale

  Spitfires to include the Mk.I, II and V and it is

  a new project that has almost nothing in common

  with the older Mk.IX and Mk.VIII Spits. Yes,

  of course it is a Spitfire, and these are versions

  that preceded the Nines and Eights in terms of

  development, but with these kits it is the other

  way around. In our case, the Mk.IX kits precede

  the Mk.V and Mk.I, and we are somehow going

  against the flow of time, and this speaks well for

  the new kits. The biggest weakness of the Mk.IX

  (and VIII) kits is the small parts. Twelve years

  ago, we had the molds for them made in China,

  it was part of a project with which we wanted to

  increase the production capacity of our 1:72nd

  scale line by having the molds containing sprues

  with small parts made in China. It was a very

  adventurous affair, we carried out the plan to

  the end and we actually made the molds for

  two kits, the Spitfire Mk.IX and the Fw 190 A,

  in China. We made the fuselage and wing parts,

  and main airframe parts, ourselves, and a tool

  shop in China made the small parts for us. But

  I will not specifically say that this was successful,

  it was a typical Pyrrhic victory, the molds were

  far from our standard and you can see it in the

  moldings. To tell the truth, I have never stopped

  regretting this result. But I won't burden you

  with that story today, you can read it in time in

  my Plastos series about the history of plastic kit

  production in Bohemia, which is being published

  in our EMD journal. The important fact for today

  is that the Spitfire Mk.Vb in 1:72 is 100% Eduard,

  and that can be seen in the kit’s quality. But it's

  not just about the small parts, of which there

  are quite a bit, because the Spitfire simply had

  a lot of development variants, a feature it shares

  with the Bf 109 F and G, and we, because we

  want to make the kits to the highest standard

  possible with the full knowledge of the fact

  that we won't please everyone anyway. Some

  reviewer will always write somewhere that the

  kits are complicated and that Tamiya kits go

  together easier and quicker, which is of course

  true and we won't contest that, or some other

  expert will complain that the eighth incarnation

  of the propeller is missing, a fundamental flaw,

  because it was on Spitfires operating from

  the grass strip in Beersheba causing him a

  lifelong trauma. Which is, of course, absurd, but

  it’s nothing that we would worry about, either.

  If you want to find fault with those small parts,

  I'll give you some advice. There are tiny holes in

  the exhausts. Quite a few holes, just like on the

  48th scale Spitfire Mk.V. Unfortunately, we can't

  eliminate those holes, so we have no choice but

  to ask for your indulgence. Either fill them in, or

  leave them there, or don't buy the kit. But that

  actually be a shame, the rest of the kit is very

  nice and we give you a number of small parts

  there two or three times, just in case, as so

  often does happen, your tweezers send a small

  part into oblivion, never to be heard from again.

  Consider it compensation for the problem with

  the exhausts.

  But, you know, it's not just about the small

  parts. The airframe parts have also undergone

  development, after all, our technological

  capabilities, regardless of the holes on the side

  of the exhausts, have advanced considerably

  over the last decade, and it seriously shows.

  There are also subtle, raised rivets on the rear

  of the fuselage, quite a rarity for 72nd scale

  I would say, and although they are not

  completely visible at first or second glance and

  can be easily overlooked, they are charming

  and if you decently highlight them, you will have

  a very nice model in your display case. As is

  customary with us, you have a decent number of

  color versions to choose from, and if someone

  wants to write to me again that the decals have

  thick paint, shifted registration, faded colors,

  and that we should return to using Cartograf for

  our decals, please don't. We will not return to

  using Cartograf decals, because we never put

  them in our Profipack and Weekend kits anyway.

  They also do not have thick ink layers and they

  are not off-register and the colors are also fine.

  I admit that we have not quite hit the mark on

  some of the shades in the past, but we are trying

  EDITORIAL

  INFO Eduard4

  December 2025

• Strana 5

  not to repeat those mistakes. You can find out

  what the kit looks like, how it is built and what to

  look out for in an article by Jakub Nademlejnsky.

  If you want to refresh your knowledge of technical

  history, today we also offer you a repeat of my

  article on the technical development of the

  Spitfire Mk.V. Today is the first part, dedicated to

  the Spitfire Mk.Va and Mk.Vb, and in the January

  issue of the newsletter there will be a second

  part dedicated to the Spitfire Mk.Vc. We have

  already published that article once, sometime in

  2020 I think, at the premiere of the Spitfire Mk.I,

  II and V kits in 1:48th scale. We decided to repeat

  it because, firstly, repetition is the mother of

  wisdom, and secondly, the information may be

  useful to someone who may have missed the

  first time around. After all, the demographic

  of modelers building in 72nd differs from that

  building 48th, even though the two partially

  overlap. I promise that sometime in the spring

  I will also write an article about the development

  of Spitfire Mk.V camouflage schemes. We will

  publish these articles as we publish various

  versions of the 72nd scale Spits. As I have

  already mentioned, we are publishing them

  somewhat against the flow of time, starting

  with the Mk.V and ending with the Mk.I, which is

  a different procedure than we chose for the 48th

  scale line. However, both when it comes to the

  selection of color versions for the 72nd scale

  kits, and when it comes to the release scheme,

  where there will again be a number of theme

  based Limited Edition kits, the smaller kits

  essentially following the release pattern and

  marking options of their larger predecessors.

  In this case, we are starting with the Mk.V

  because we want to avoid a collision with our

  colleagues from IBG, who have recently started

  releasing Spitfire Mk.I kits, also in 1:72 scale,

  and we do not want to interfere with them.

  If, due to the lack of international coordination,

  it turned out that we and they produce the same

  type of aircraft. I wanted to write the same thing,

  but they are not the same kits. We have our

  similarities, but you will find marked differences.

  If you are wondering why we premiered the

  entire Spitfire Mk.I to V family as a Profipack

  kit this time around, it is because we wanted to

  have it ready by the beginning of November so

  that we would be able to have it at Telford. In the

  end, that didn't work out, it was a too ambitious

  plan, in the end we were two weeks short of

  completing the final form and thus the entire kit.

  But we managed to get two more kits to Telford,

  the Limited Edition Kittyhawk in 1:48th scale

  and the Spitfire Mk.Vb Mid in the 1:48 Profipack

  line. Both kits are also December releases,

  as is the A6M2-N Rufe in the Weekend line,

  also in 48th. You can see them all in today's

  newsletter, unless of course you have already

  seen them on our Facebook page or perhaps

  over the weekend in Bratislava. So I assume

  that you have already seen them somewhere,

  but we will show them to you again here, just

  in case.

  But I am afraid that today is not all good news.

  One bit of bad news is related to my mention

  of the Plastos series, where I made mention of

  using Chinese sources for some mold production

  in our 72nd scale kits. Many of you will not

  be familiar with this line of articles, since not

  everyone subscribes to the EMD. That's the

  problem. Few modelers subscribe to the EMD,

  while it costs us a lot of effort to prepare and

  publish it. The result is that it's not worth it for us

  and we'd rather devote that effort to something

  more successful. So the EMD is ending, the last

  issue will be published in January. Subscribers

  will receive an email with information on how

  we will settle their subscriptions. However,

  because everything bad is for something good,

  EMD will not disappear completely. We will

  return to the original idea that it will be a paid

  supplement to our regular newsletter. We will

  transfer articles that are of interest to it, and

  this will also apply to Plastos. We will explain

  how it will all look and work after the New Year.

  Not wanting to end on a sour note, I will end

  on a high one. We're finishing with the Alien.

  You know what that’s about, right? This was

  a Czech Mi-24V with an absolutely wicked

  Alien-inspired paint scheme We've been

  working on this project for a long time, so long

  that you may have lost faith that we'd ever

  finish it, but we will. If anyone wants to protest

  that we're cooperating with Russia’s Zvezda

  company, which supports Putin's regime and

  the war against Ukraine, and that we're pretty

  fake when we profess to support Ukraine, let's

  be clear, we support Ukraine, we haven't given

  up and won't give up articles about the air war

  in Ukraine despite various attacks and hate mail,

  as you can see on the other pages of today's

  newsletter, and we don't do business with

  Zvezda. We just have some pre-war stampings

  still hidden away, and those are the ones that

  will be used. We have about 1,000 of them walled

  up on the first floor of our sprue warehouse,

  and we think it's time to open that wall and use

  the what is stored there. By the way, Alien is

  currently fighting in Ukraine in the ranks of the

  Ukrainian Air Force. Because we have a limited

  number of molds, this kit will not be sold via

  the usual channels, it will only be sold via

  subscription. Not all retailers will get it either.

  Another thing you should know is that it will be

  an expensive kit. Not because we are greedy,

  but because it is a demanding and expensive

  project, both in terms of design and production.

  Given the nature of its colori scheme, it will be

  a demanding project even for potential builders,

  getting that decal on the model will require skill,

  experience and patience. Those decals will be

  specific not only in their design, but also in their

  technical implementation – I won’t tell you that

  now, you can find it in the information about

  the kit’s contents when the pre-order offer

  kicks in. It will start on December 12th and end

  on Christmas Eve, December 24th. Definitely

  something to look forward to!

  And with that, friends and modelers, I want to

  thank you all for your support, friendship, praise

  and criticisms of the past year, and I wish you

  a very Merry Christmas and a very prosperous

  New Year!

  Happy Modeling!

  Vladimir Sulc

  PS. I shouldn’t forget to mention that our

  traditional and very popular New Year’s PE

  greeting will again be available from our e-shop.

  EDITORIAL

  INFO Eduard

  5

  December 2025

• Spitfire Mk.V - Technical development

  In the end of 1940, the new aircraft were arriving at the units

  in their nal weapon and equipment conguration as full-ed-

  ged, fully functional combat aircraft. Earlier manufactured

  airplanes were continuously upgraded with the installation of

  armor and more modern equipment to meet the standards of

  the newly manufactured Spitres. However, during the same

  time, the modernized Bf 109 versions were arriving at the Ger-

  man Luftwae ghter units. The Spitres were able to keep up

  the pace with Bf 109E-7 quite successfully when they appeared

  in the fall 1940, but with the arrival of Bf 109F-1 and F-2 in the

  end of 1940 and beginning of 1941, the tables turned in favor

  of the Germans. In order to counter the growing German tech-

  nical supremacy, the Spitres’ performance had to be improved

  rapidly.

  A traditional way to increase the aircraft performance is to in-

  stall the more powerful engine. The rst attempt to develop a

  more powerful Spitre version was the project Improved Spit-

  re, later renamed Superiority Spitre, launched as early as the

  beginning of 1939. The prototype with the factory designation

  Type 330 and military one as Spitre Mk.III was ready for its

  maiden ight in March 1940. It was designed by modifying the

  standard Spitre Mk.I serial number N3927. The airframe was

  modied by installing a new Rolls-Royce Merlin RM 2SM engi-

  ne, the future Merlin XX, featuring a single-stage, two-speed

  compressor with the maximum output of 1,320 hp (1,037 kW).

  In order to accommodate Merlin XX, the engine bearers were

  strengthened and the nose lengthened by four inches.

  The wingspan was shortened to 9.30 meters by removing the

  wingtips and shortening the ailerons while the internal design

  remained unchanged. During the ight trials, the prototype

  apparently never reached the calculated maximum airspeed of

  644 kph at 6,400 meters, the maximum recorded speed is said

  to be 620 kph which was still an outstanding improvement in

  comparison to Mk.I performance. Air Ministry demanded that

  the large-scale production of Spitre Mk.III was accelerated,

  however there was a serious obstacle to this eort due to the

  complicated development of Merlin XX and teething troubles

  with its large-scale production. In the fall 1940, the available

  engines were utilized for Hurricane Mk.II and Deant Mk.II up-

  grades and they were also installed in Bristol Beaughter Mk.II,

  Avro Lancaster B Mk.I, Mk.III and Mk.IV and Handley Page Hali-

  fax Mk.Il and Mk.V. There were none left for Spitres and the

  idea of an accelerated, large-scale Spitre Mk.III production

  was silently swept under the table. The smaller series of photo-

  -reconnaissance Spitres PR Mk.III was manufactured under the

  same designation, mostly by converting Spitres Mk.I.

  Merlin 45

  Once the Merlin XX installation proved to be more and more

  complicated, in the end of 1940 Rolls-Royce company oered

  a feasible and fast solution in the form of parallelly developed

  and easier to manufacture engine Merlin RM5S later marked

  Merlin 45. It featured a one-stage, single-speed compressor op-

  timized for high altitudes, its output at 5,400 meters was 1,210

  hp (902 kW), some sources state rather optimistic, and to tell

  the truth, less probable output of 1,440 hp (1,074 kW). Merlin

  45 had the same dimensions as Merlin III powering Spitres Mk.I

  and its design enabled Merlin III upgrade to Merlin 45 standard

  by replacing the compressor. This facilitated the simple insta-

  llation into the current Spitre Mk.I and II airframes and the

  conversion of the already manufactured aircraft as well. RR

  company promised to supply 300 Merlin 45 by March 1, 1941

  and further 200 by April 1.

  The rst airframe to receive the new engine, modied from

  Merlin XX, was supposedly Spitre Mk.I K9788 on December 26,

  1940, in Boscombe Down. It was followed by PR Mk.III X4334,

  converted into the photo-reconnaissance version from Spitre

  Mk.I, which took to the air on January 13, 1941, from the Rolls

  Royce factory airport in Hucknall. Spitre Mk.I N3053, too tes-

  t-own on February 13, 1941, in Hucknall, was another conver-

  sion. Right after both airplanes were own over to Boscombe

  Down for further testing. The ight trials recorded the maxi-

  mum speed of 593 kph at 6,100 meters was recorded during

  the ight trials, climbing time to this altitude was 6 min and

  12 seconds and the operational ceiling 11,590 meters. The trial

  also discovered the problems with the constant-speed propel-

  lers De Havilland when oil in their control system was freezing

  at high altitudes. There were troubles with the Mk.II oil cooler

  as well as it was not ecient enough for the more powerful

  engine. Even though this was considered an interim solution, as

  the Spitre Mk.III production was still being planned, the order

  SPITFIRE Mk.V HISTORY

  In the course of 1940, the Spitre Mk.I large scale production at Supermarine company has been ne-tuned so it

  could meet the Air Ministry orders, supply the RAF Fighter Command combat units with the new aircraft and re-

  plenish the combat losses. The situation was similar at Castle Bromwich Aircraft Factory in Birmingham which after

  some initial organizational problems reliably supplied the ghter squadrons with license-built, and, compared to

  Mk.I, slightly improved Spitres Mk.II.

  HISTORY

  INFO Eduard6

  December 2025

• Strana 7

  In the end of 1940, the new aircraft were arriving at the units

  in their nal weapon and equipment conguration as full-ed-

  ged, fully functional combat aircraft. Earlier manufactured

  airplanes were continuously upgraded with the installation of

  armor and more modern equipment to meet the standards of

  the newly manufactured Spitres. However, during the same

  time, the modernized Bf 109 versions were arriving at the Ger-

  man Luftwae ghter units. The Spitres were able to keep up

  the pace with Bf 109E-7 quite successfully when they appeared

  in the fall 1940, but with the arrival of Bf 109F-1 and F-2 in the

  end of 1940 and beginning of 1941, the tables turned in favor

  of the Germans. In order to counter the growing German tech-

  nical supremacy, the Spitres’ performance had to be improved

  rapidly.

  A traditional way to increase the aircraft performance is to in-

  stall the more powerful engine. The rst attempt to develop a

  more powerful Spitre version was the project Improved Spit-

  re, later renamed Superiority Spitre, launched as early as the

  beginning of 1939. The prototype with the factory designation

  Type 330 and military one as Spitre Mk.III was ready for its

  maiden ight in March 1940. It was designed by modifying the

  standard Spitre Mk.I serial number N3927. The airframe was

  modied by installing a new Rolls-Royce Merlin RM 2SM engi-

  ne, the future Merlin XX, featuring a single-stage, two-speed

  compressor with the maximum output of 1,320 hp (1,037 kW).

  In order to accommodate Merlin XX, the engine bearers were

  strengthened and the nose lengthened by four inches.

  The wingspan was shortened to 9.30 meters by removing the

  wingtips and shortening the ailerons while the internal design

  remained unchanged. During the ight trials, the prototype

  apparently never reached the calculated maximum airspeed of

  644 kph at 6,400 meters, the maximum recorded speed is said

  to be 620 kph which was still an outstanding improvement in

  comparison to Mk.I performance. Air Ministry demanded that

  the large-scale production of Spitre Mk.III was accelerated,

  however there was a serious obstacle to this eort due to the

  complicated development of Merlin XX and teething troubles

  with its large-scale production. In the fall 1940, the available

  engines were utilized for Hurricane Mk.II and Deant Mk.II up-

  grades and they were also installed in Bristol Beaughter Mk.II,

  Avro Lancaster B Mk.I, Mk.III and Mk.IV and Handley Page Hali-

  fax Mk.Il and Mk.V. There were none left for Spitres and the

  idea of an accelerated, large-scale Spitre Mk.III production

  was silently swept under the table. The smaller series of photo-

  -reconnaissance Spitres PR Mk.III was manufactured under the

  same designation, mostly by converting Spitres Mk.I.

  Merlin 45

  Once the Merlin XX installation proved to be more and more

  complicated, in the end of 1940 Rolls-Royce company oered

  a feasible and fast solution in the form of parallelly developed

  and easier to manufacture engine Merlin RM5S later marked

  Merlin 45. It featured a one-stage, single-speed compressor op-

  timized for high altitudes, its output at 5,400 meters was 1,210

  hp (902 kW), some sources state rather optimistic, and to tell

  the truth, less probable output of 1,440 hp (1,074 kW). Merlin

  45 had the same dimensions as Merlin III powering Spitres Mk.I

  and its design enabled Merlin III upgrade to Merlin 45 standard

  by replacing the compressor. This facilitated the simple insta-

  llation into the current Spitre Mk.I and II airframes and the

  conversion of the already manufactured aircraft as well. RR

  company promised to supply 300 Merlin 45 by March 1, 1941

  and further 200 by April 1.

  The rst airframe to receive the new engine, modied from

  Merlin XX, was supposedly Spitre Mk.I K9788 on December 26,

  1940, in Boscombe Down. It was followed by PR Mk.III X4334,

  converted into the photo-reconnaissance version from Spitre

  Mk.I, which took to the air on January 13, 1941, from the Rolls

  Royce factory airport in Hucknall. Spitre Mk.I N3053, too tes-

  t-own on February 13, 1941, in Hucknall, was another conver-

  sion. Right after both airplanes were own over to Boscombe

  Down for further testing. The ight trials recorded the maxi-

  mum speed of 593 kph at 6,100 meters was recorded during

  the ight trials, climbing time to this altitude was 6 min and

  12 seconds and the operational ceiling 11,590 meters. The trial

  also discovered the problems with the constant-speed propel-

  lers De Havilland when oil in their control system was freezing

  at high altitudes. There were troubles with the Mk.II oil cooler

  as well as it was not ecient enough for the more powerful

  engine. Even though this was considered an interim solution, as

  the Spitre Mk.III production was still being planned, the order

  SPITFIRE Mk.V HISTORY

  In the course of 1940, the Spitre Mk.I large scale production at Supermarine company has been ne-tuned so it

  could meet the Air Ministry orders, supply the RAF Fighter Command combat units with the new aircraft and re-

  plenish the combat losses. The situation was similar at Castle Bromwich Aircraft Factory in Birmingham which after

  some initial organizational problems reliably supplied the ghter squadrons with license-built, and, compared to

  Mk.I, slightly improved Spitres Mk.II.

  for new Spitres was placed, or better said,

  the program for converting Spitres Mk.I

  and II into Spitres Mk.V was ordered.

  Spitfire Mk.Va and Mk.Vb

  While the Spitres Mk.V, re-built at Rolls-

  -Royce, were trialed, the program of con-

  verting Spitres Mk.I was under way at

  Supermarine. In the middle of March 1941,

  another aircraft, X4922 built in Eastleigh

  at Spitre Mk.I assembly line, arrived at

  Boscombe Down. It already featured Merlin

  45 and was test-own on February 7. During

  the trials it was fully armed and equipped

  and reached the maximum speed of 603 kph

  at the altitude of 6,344 meters, to which

  it climbed in 7.1 minute. The operational

  ceiling was 11,499 meters. In Eastleigh, in

  the second half of February, a total of 23

  Spitre Mk.I airframes, mostly cannon versi-

  on Mk.Ib, received Merlin 45, thus becoming

  the rst Spitres Mk.Vb. Several airplanes

  were also produced with eight wing machi-

  ne guns and became the rst Spitres Mk.Va.

  Besides the engine, the equipment of these

  aircraft corresponded to Spitre Mk.I stan-

  dard including the smaller oil cooler with

  U-shaped intake which was the cause of

  higher oil temperature of the rst Spitres

  Mk.V and posed a certain risk of engine

  overheating. The rst unit to receive Spit-

  res Mk.Vb was No. 92 Squadron commanded

  by S/Ldr Jamie Rankin, which up until then

  was ying Spitres Mk.Ib. The rst Spit-

  re Mk.Vb X4257 was delivered to the unit

  on February 16, but since Rolls-Royce in

  Hucknall was gradually converting current

  Mk.Ibs, sent over from the unit, to Mk.Vb

  standards, No. 92 Squadron was fully equi-

  pped with “ves” only in the beginning of

  April.

  During March, the Supermarine assembly

  lines were switching to Spitre Mk.V produ-

  ction and by the end of the month 12 Mk.Vb

  and 26 Mk.Va were built, with Mk.I still in

  production. In April the Mk.V production

  was at the full speed resulting in 36 Mk.Va

  and 22 Mk.Vb completed. The last manu-

  factured Mk.I was R7257, also produced in

  April. By the end of May, the RAF squadron

  Nos. 54, 74, 603 and 611 were equipped

  with new Mk.V. The production at Super-

  marine ran until October 1942 and its nal

  output was 1,352 airframes out of which 94

  were versions Mk.Va, 780 Mk.Vb and 478

  Mk.Vc.

  The CBAF (Castle Bromwich Aircraft Facto-

  ry) launched the Spitre Mk.V production

  in June 1941 while it was fullling the

  contract for 1,000 Mk.IIs, signed on April

  12, 1939. Gradually the company received

  another eight orders to produce Spitres

  Mk.V, of which the last one, from May 1942,

  largely transitioned to the manufacture of

  modernized Spitres Mk.IX. Until the end

  of April 1943, the total production at CBAF

  reached 3,003 Spitres Mk.Vb and 1,474

  Spitres Mk.Vc.

  Since the summer 1943, the Mk.V produ-

  ction was under way at Westland compa-

  ny located in Yeovil in county of Somerset.

  Westland manufactured various versions of

  Spitre Mk.V until November 1943 and ulti-

  mately delivered a total of 140 Mk.Vb and

  495 Mk.Vc.

  In the summer 1943, the Mk.V production

  was under way at Westland company loca-

  ted in Yeovil, in the County of Somerset.

  Westland manufactured various versions

  Later production Spitre Mk.Vb featuring the asymmetrical lower bulges under the

  cannon well, tropical lter and a drop tank (photo: Simon Erland).

  Squadron Leader M Rook, Commanding Ocer of No. 43 Squadron RAF, and noted as

  the tallest pilot serving in the RAF at the time, poses with his Supermarine Spitre

  Mk.Vc, JK101 ‚FT-Z‘, at Jemappes, Algeria. The aircraft is tted with a Vokes tro-

  pical lter (photo: IWM).

  HISTORY

  INFO Eduard

  7

  December 2025

• Strana 8

  of Spitre Mk.V until November 1943 and gradually delivered

  a total of 140 Mk.Vb and 495 Mk.Vc. Except for several initial

  production Mk.Vb all Westland-built Spitres featured the inner,

  integrated armor glass. Westland-built Mk.Vc featured specic

  wing cannon upper covers shaped as bulges with attened sides

  and front not used by any other manufacturer.

  Spitfire Mk. V modernization

  During the two and half years of Spitres Mk.V production, the

  airframe was gradually developed and improved. Already at the

  beginning of manufacture they featured thicker armor in com-

  parison to Mk.I and Mk.II. The oil cooler was soon replaced with

  a larger one featuring a circular intake which was retroactively

  installed on the rst batch of Spitres Mk.V, converted from

  Mk.I and Mk.II, and became one of the features distinguishing

  Spitres Mk.V. At the same time the armament of eight 0.303

  Browning machine guns was abandoned. Only 94 Mk.Va, with

  such armament, were manufactured, while 6,370 Mk.Vb and

  Mk.Vc, armed with two 20mm Hispano cannons and four 0.303

  Browning machine guns left the assembly lines.

  The problems with weapons freezing at the higher altitudes per-

  sisted on Spitres Mk.V. Therefore, the weapons compartment

  heating was enhanced by introducing the heat from the engi-

  ne exhausts which was visually distinguishable by an additional

  pipe running through the exhausts, entering the engine cover

  from the last one and running through the fuselage and wing

  leading edge to the cannons. The exhaust pipes were gradually

  changed as well. The rst Spitres Mk.V featured the same ex-

  hausts as Mk.I and Mk.II. Then the various types of pipes with

  rectangular openings (sh tails) were introduced. In the end of

  production and after overhaul the “ves” received six indepen-

  dent exhaust pipes as featured on Spitres Mk.IX.

  Canopy

  The windshield, which originally featured the armored glass

  mounted on its outside, was in later “ves” modied so as the

  armored glass was integrated into it in a way that it was no lon-

  ger sticking out. The sliding portion of the canopy was modied

  as well. In the later production batches it was not only bulging

  upwards but to the sides as well (Malcom hood, modication nr.

  461). This new canopy lacked the small hinged window. Most

  Spitres were equipped with laminated pilot seats.

  Radio equipment

  The rst Spitres Mk.V converted from Spitres Mk.I were still

  tted with TR.9D shortwave radios with a wire antenna stret-

  ched between the antenna masts behind the cabin to the top

  of the rudder. The new-built production aircraft were alrea-

  dy equipped with the new TR.1133 and later TR.1143 VHF ra-

  dios, which replaced the older units from the summer of 1941.

  The TR.1133 and 1143 had no wire antenna, so the serial

  aircraft equipped with them had the antenna mast on top of

  the rudder deleted. Similarly, the rst of the converted Mk.Vs

  had the IFF R.3002 identication Friend or Foe device, soon

  replaced by the newer IFF device ARI 5000. Both had wire an-

  tennas between the fuselage sides and the leading edge of

  the elevator. The IFF antenna on later Spitres was located on

  the lower surface of the right wing half. From November 1941,

  the A.1271 radio navigation system for radio beam guidance on

  landing was also gradually introduced.

  Engine modifications

  Several engine versions powered Spitres Mk.V. Besides the

  essential Merlin 45, the high altitude Merlin 46 with a more

  powerful compressor providing higher manifold pressure at high

  altitudes.But the original assumption that the combats with

  Luftwae will move up to higher altitudes did not materialize

  and quite the opposite happened, many missions then took pla-

  ce at lower altitudes. So, the low altitude version Merlin 45M

  was developed and tuned for the optimal performance at low

  altitudes.

  The carburetor development is a story on its own. The origi-

  nal drawback of the Merlin III carburetors SU A.V.T.40, during

  negative G maneuvers an intermittent fuel supply interruption

  occurred, was partially eliminated by means of RAE restrictor

  a.k.a. Tilly’s orice, named after its inventor, Beatrice Shilling.

  But it was not a perfect solution. The problem was fully resol-

  ved by introducing a membrane-type carburetor designed by

  Rolls-Royce and introduced into the production in 1942. They

  were installed in Merlin 50 and 55 powering Spitres Mk.Vc.

  Propeller

  Spitres Mk.V manufactured at mother company Supermarine

  mostly featured De Havilland Hydromatic Type 5/29A, 5/39,

  45/1 and 45/4 propellers which diered primarily in a pitch.

  These propellers demanded careful maintenance and pitch

  control assembly tended to freeze at high altitudes. The same

  propellers were installed on Spitres Mk.V manufactured by

  Westland. Spitres Mk.V manufactured by CBAF were traditio-

  nally equipped with more reliable and popular propellers Rotol

  RX5/14 and RX5/24 with metal blades, later with propellers

  RX5/10 with wooden blades Jablo of a slightly smaller diameter

  (3.12 meters compared to 3.28 meters of metal propeller).

  Spitres Mk.Vc equipped with the four-bladed propellers could

  be encountered during the second half of the conict.

  Exhausts

  The early Spitres Mk.V featured the exhausts with straight,

  oval orice same as Spitres Mk.I. These were fairly prompt-

  ly replaced by new exhausts with attened orice known as

  shtail. Several variations of this type of exhaust are known.

  With the introduction of 20 mm caliber Hispano cannons to Spit-

  re Mk.Vb equipment it was found out that the current weapons’

  heating system using the oil cooler hot air was insucient and

  the cannons were freezing at the higher altitudes. Therefore,

  the heating was enhanced by the hot air from the pipe running

  through the exhausts exiting behind the last exhaust pipe, en-

  tering the fuselage in front of the fuel tank, running through

  the fuselage to the wing leading edge and further to the can-

  nons. These pipes were a trademark of Spitres Mk.Vb. Spitres.

  Mk.Vc received the electrical heating of the guns therefore

  the aforementioned pipe was missing from their exhaust sets.

  In theory because it can still be recognized in many Mk.Vc pho-

  tographs. These were probably Mk.Vc converted from Mk.Vb

  mating the new C wings with the old Mk.Vb fuselages

  Ailerons

  There were continuing problems with the fabric-covered aile-

  rons on Spitres Mk.V, dating back to Spitres Mk.I and Mk.II.

  Even though the all-metal ailerons were designed and tested

  in the end of 1940, in the middle of 1941 they were still not

  installed as a standard on the aircraft leaving the assembly li-

  nes. Therefore, not only Mk.Vs converted from Mk.I and Mk.II

  featured fabric-covered ailerons but the rst mass-produced

  “ves” as well. Only after the Air Ministry interference in June

  1941 the all-metal ailerons were introduced into the mass pro-

  duction which signicantly improved the dog-ghting ability

  of the Spitres that were equipped with them. This case shows

  the cumbersome process of implementing technical improve-

  ments into a large-scale production. The situation was so se-

  rious, and nonsensical, that the American units equipped with

  Spitres Mk.V supposedly replaced the fabric-covered ailerons

  with plywood-covered ones.

  Spitfire Mk.Vc

  Spitre Mk.Vc represented the logical combination of all gra-

  dual modications of the original Spitre design. Besides the

  modernized bulged sliding canopy and armored glass integrated

  internally into the windshield , the most important and funda-

  mental change was a newly-designed and strengthened wing

  (called the Universal wing or c type). Traditionally, the ability

  to house variety of weapons installations is considered a main

  advantage. These options were eight machine guns (variant a),

  two cannons and four machine guns (variant b) or four cannons

  (variant c only possible in the new c type wing but c isn’t the

  designation of this option). In fact, out of all these, variant b,

  two cannons and four machine guns, was absolutely dominant.

  Four cannons installation was rarely used because heavy ca-

  nnons had signicantly negative impact on the aircraft ight

  characteristics so if the four cannons had been installed at the

  factory regardless, usually two of them, mostly at inner locati-

  ons, were removed at the unit level. Variant a. was practically

  HISTORY

  INFO Eduard8

  December 2025

• Strana 9

  of Spitre Mk.V until November 1943 and gradually delivered

  a total of 140 Mk.Vb and 495 Mk.Vc. Except for several initial

  production Mk.Vb all Westland-built Spitres featured the inner,

  integrated armor glass. Westland-built Mk.Vc featured specic

  wing cannon upper covers shaped as bulges with attened sides

  and front not used by any other manufacturer.

  Spitfire Mk. V modernization

  During the two and half years of Spitres Mk.V production, the

  airframe was gradually developed and improved. Already at the

  beginning of manufacture they featured thicker armor in com-

  parison to Mk.I and Mk.II. The oil cooler was soon replaced with

  a larger one featuring a circular intake which was retroactively

  installed on the rst batch of Spitres Mk.V, converted from

  Mk.I and Mk.II, and became one of the features distinguishing

  Spitres Mk.V. At the same time the armament of eight 0.303

  Browning machine guns was abandoned. Only 94 Mk.Va, with

  such armament, were manufactured, while 6,370 Mk.Vb and

  Mk.Vc, armed with two 20mm Hispano cannons and four 0.303

  Browning machine guns left the assembly lines.

  The problems with weapons freezing at the higher altitudes per-

  sisted on Spitres Mk.V. Therefore, the weapons compartment

  heating was enhanced by introducing the heat from the engi-

  ne exhausts which was visually distinguishable by an additional

  pipe running through the exhausts, entering the engine cover

  from the last one and running through the fuselage and wing

  leading edge to the cannons. The exhaust pipes were gradually

  changed as well. The rst Spitres Mk.V featured the same ex-

  hausts as Mk.I and Mk.II. Then the various types of pipes with

  rectangular openings (sh tails) were introduced. In the end of

  production and after overhaul the “ves” received six indepen-

  dent exhaust pipes as featured on Spitres Mk.IX.

  Canopy

  The windshield, which originally featured the armored glass

  mounted on its outside, was in later “ves” modied so as the

  armored glass was integrated into it in a way that it was no lon-

  ger sticking out. The sliding portion of the canopy was modied

  as well. In the later production batches it was not only bulging

  upwards but to the sides as well (Malcom hood, modication nr.

  461). This new canopy lacked the small hinged window. Most

  Spitres were equipped with laminated pilot seats.

  Radio equipment

  The rst Spitres Mk.V converted from Spitres Mk.I were still

  tted with TR.9D shortwave radios with a wire antenna stret-

  ched between the antenna masts behind the cabin to the top

  of the rudder. The new-built production aircraft were alrea-

  dy equipped with the new TR.1133 and later TR.1143 VHF ra-

  dios, which replaced the older units from the summer of 1941.

  The TR.1133 and 1143 had no wire antenna, so the serial

  aircraft equipped with them had the antenna mast on top of

  the rudder deleted. Similarly, the rst of the converted Mk.Vs

  had the IFF R.3002 identication Friend or Foe device, soon

  replaced by the newer IFF device ARI 5000. Both had wire an-

  tennas between the fuselage sides and the leading edge of

  the elevator. The IFF antenna on later Spitres was located on

  the lower surface of the right wing half. From November 1941,

  the A.1271 radio navigation system for radio beam guidance on

  landing was also gradually introduced.

  Engine modifications

  Several engine versions powered Spitres Mk.V. Besides the

  essential Merlin 45, the high altitude Merlin 46 with a more

  powerful compressor providing higher manifold pressure at high

  altitudes.But the original assumption that the combats with

  Luftwae will move up to higher altitudes did not materialize

  and quite the opposite happened, many missions then took pla-

  ce at lower altitudes. So, the low altitude version Merlin 45M

  was developed and tuned for the optimal performance at low

  altitudes.

  The carburetor development is a story on its own. The origi-

  nal drawback of the Merlin III carburetors SU A.V.T.40, during

  negative G maneuvers an intermittent fuel supply interruption

  occurred, was partially eliminated by means of RAE restrictor

  a.k.a. Tilly’s orice, named after its inventor, Beatrice Shilling.

  But it was not a perfect solution. The problem was fully resol-

  ved by introducing a membrane-type carburetor designed by

  Rolls-Royce and introduced into the production in 1942. They

  were installed in Merlin 50 and 55 powering Spitres Mk.Vc.

  Propeller

  Spitres Mk.V manufactured at mother company Supermarine

  mostly featured De Havilland Hydromatic Type 5/29A, 5/39,

  45/1 and 45/4 propellers which diered primarily in a pitch.

  These propellers demanded careful maintenance and pitch

  control assembly tended to freeze at high altitudes. The same

  propellers were installed on Spitres Mk.V manufactured by

  Westland. Spitres Mk.V manufactured by CBAF were traditio-

  nally equipped with more reliable and popular propellers Rotol

  RX5/14 and RX5/24 with metal blades, later with propellers

  RX5/10 with wooden blades Jablo of a slightly smaller diameter

  (3.12 meters compared to 3.28 meters of metal propeller).

  Spitres Mk.Vc equipped with the four-bladed propellers could

  be encountered during the second half of the conict.

  Exhausts

  The early Spitres Mk.V featured the exhausts with straight,

  oval orice same as Spitres Mk.I. These were fairly prompt-

  ly replaced by new exhausts with attened orice known as

  shtail. Several variations of this type of exhaust are known.

  With the introduction of 20 mm caliber Hispano cannons to Spit-

  re Mk.Vb equipment it was found out that the current weapons’

  heating system using the oil cooler hot air was insucient and

  the cannons were freezing at the higher altitudes. Therefore,

  the heating was enhanced by the hot air from the pipe running

  through the exhausts exiting behind the last exhaust pipe, en-

  tering the fuselage in front of the fuel tank, running through

  the fuselage to the wing leading edge and further to the can-

  nons. These pipes were a trademark of Spitres Mk.Vb. Spitres.

  Mk.Vc received the electrical heating of the guns therefore

  the aforementioned pipe was missing from their exhaust sets.

  In theory because it can still be recognized in many Mk.Vc pho-

  tographs. These were probably Mk.Vc converted from Mk.Vb

  mating the new C wings with the old Mk.Vb fuselages

  Ailerons

  There were continuing problems with the fabric-covered aile-

  rons on Spitres Mk.V, dating back to Spitres Mk.I and Mk.II.

  Even though the all-metal ailerons were designed and tested

  in the end of 1940, in the middle of 1941 they were still not

  installed as a standard on the aircraft leaving the assembly li-

  nes. Therefore, not only Mk.Vs converted from Mk.I and Mk.II

  featured fabric-covered ailerons but the rst mass-produced

  “ves” as well. Only after the Air Ministry interference in June

  1941 the all-metal ailerons were introduced into the mass pro-

  duction which signicantly improved the dog-ghting ability

  of the Spitres that were equipped with them. This case shows

  the cumbersome process of implementing technical improve-

  ments into a large-scale production. The situation was so se-

  rious, and nonsensical, that the American units equipped with

  Spitres Mk.V supposedly replaced the fabric-covered ailerons

  with plywood-covered ones.

  Spitfire Mk.Vc

  Spitre Mk.Vc represented the logical combination of all gra-

  dual modications of the original Spitre design. Besides the

  modernized bulged sliding canopy and armored glass integrated

  internally into the windshield , the most important and funda-

  mental change was a newly-designed and strengthened wing

  (called the Universal wing or c type). Traditionally, the ability

  to house variety of weapons installations is considered a main

  advantage. These options were eight machine guns (variant a),

  two cannons and four machine guns (variant b) or four cannons

  (variant c only possible in the new c type wing but c isn’t the

  designation of this option). In fact, out of all these, variant b,

  two cannons and four machine guns, was absolutely dominant.

  Four cannons installation was rarely used because heavy ca-

  nnons had signicantly negative impact on the aircraft ight

  characteristics so if the four cannons had been installed at the

  factory regardless, usually two of them, mostly at inner locati-

  ons, were removed at the unit level. Variant a. was practically

  never installed on Spitres Mk.Vc. An important change was the

  introduction of the belt-fed Hispano II cannons allowing for lar-

  ger ammunition load (120 bullets per cannon as opposed to 60

  bullets with the older, drum-fed Hispano Mk.I (as on the earlier

  b type wing). These cannons were also less prone to jamming.

  The visual indication of their installation was a missing bulge

  under the cannon well which on Spitre Mk.Vb appeared in two

  forms, straight, symmetrical on the older airframes and kid-

  ney-shaped, asymmetrical on the newer aircraft. In comparison,

  the upper bulge above the cannon well on Mk.Vc appeared in at

  least three dierent shapes based on the anticipated armament

  variant and was also subject to a certain improvisation at the

  unit level. Another fundamental change was the landing gear

  re-design, featuring strengthened gear legs’ attachments and

  increased rake, moving the wheels 5 cm forward in compari-

  son to the older Spitre versions. This solution improved the

  aircraft stability during taxiing and ground maneuvers and

  was visually recognizable by a new, elliptical wheel well shape.

  Undercarriage retraction was already standard on all Mk.V Spit-

  res with a hydraulic pump driven by the engine. The wings and

  fuselage design were strengthened by the application of thicker

  sheet metal skin and later Mk.Vc batches featured ush rivets

  on the rear fuselage. The later aircraft also featured the hori-

  zontal tail surfaces with modied weight balance, pressurized

  fuel tanks, submersible fuel pump in the bottom tank and six

  single exhaust pipes on each side of the engine. Later Spitres

  Mk.Vc batches were almost exclusively powered by Merlin en-

  gines series 50 and 55/56 with membrane-type carburetor. Mo-

  reover, Merlin 55/56 featured the separate piston blocks. Their

  specic versions were distinguished by compressors tuned for

  the optimal output at various operational altitudes.

  Short wing/low level

  Spitfires LF Mk.V

  In the course of 1942, the number of both defensive and oen-

  sive, low altitude missions increased. It led to the requirement

  to modify Spitre Mk.V design in order to optimize their low al-

  titude performance. Low level Spitres LF Mk.Vb and LF Mk.Vc

  received Merlin engines series M (Merlin 45M, 50M and 55M)

  with smaller compressor diameter which gave the engine the

  highest output at low altitudes. In case of Merlin 45M it was

  1,585 hp (1,182 kW) at 838 meters altitude. Another modicati-

  on was the wing’s strengthening design by means of two strips

  on the wing upper surfaces above wheel wells area. Some of

  the Spitres LF Mk.V received “clipped wings”, in fact shorter

  wingtips reducing the wingspan to 9.8 meters. This modi-

  cation improved the rate-of-roll and moderately increased the

  maximum speed. The wingtips varied, both short and long ones

  could be installed. Therefore, the short wingtips do not deci-

  dedly identify the LF version.

  Auxiliary fuel tanks

  There were several types of auxiliary tanks of dierent ca-

  pacity developed in order to extend Spitre Mk.V range. The

  smallest one was 30gal (136 liters) tank introduced into service

  in September 1941 extending the range to 1167 km. It was fo-

  llowed by a larger, 45gal tank (204.5 liters). Both tanks were

  of so-called blister-type (also known as slipper-type) referring

  to the tank’s curved outline on the bottom and upper at sur-

  face mating with fuselage and wing’s center-plane. Both were

  droppable. The cylinder-shaped 45gal tanks were also used. In

  Malta, 44gal (200 l) cylindrical tanks from Hurricanes Mk.II were

  used, attached in pairs, next to each other under the fuselages.

  In the end of 1941, 90gal (409 l) non-droppable y-over tank

  was introduced extending the range to 1,988 km. In 1942 even

  170gal (773 l) y-over tank arrived extending the range to 2,334

  km, however at the cost of signicantly worse ight characte-

  ristics. Both of these tanks were of the blister-type, there was

  also a cylindrical 170gal y-over tank. In the actual operations,

  since the middle of 1942, the combination of 29gal (132 l) tank

  mounted in the fuselage behind the cockpit and a 170gal drop

  tank was used. This combination allowed an extended range to

  2,615 km at the maximum altitude of 4,575 m.

  Tropical filters

  In the dusty tropical and sub-tropical environments, the engi-

  ne was subject to potential damages caused by sucked-in dust.

  To lower this risk Vokes company designed a voluminous, fully

  covered lter which formed a typical chin under the aircraft

  nose. The worsened aerodynamics together with the lower

  pressure of the entering air on such modied aircraft resulted

  in the maximum speed drop by approximately 12 kph, which

  was actually better value than the anticipated drop by 37 kph.

  These tropicalized versions were quite widely used in both Me-

  diterranean and Far East theaters of operations. Tropicalized

  Early production Spitre Mk.V manufactured in October 1941 with symmetrical lower bulges under the cannon well, enlarged

  cooler, older canopy style with exterior armor and hinged window hatch. The aircraft still lacks the armament, it’s equipped with

  the De Havilland propeller and newer type of radio Tr.1133 (photo: Simon Erland).

  HISTORY

  INFO Eduard

  9

  December 2025

• Strana 10

  airplanes undergoing maintenance at No. 103 Maintenance Unit

  in Egyptian Aboukir, received the Aboukir type lter manufactu-

  red by this unit. They were better aerodynamically shaped and

  featured a louver which opened the lter on the intake only

  at critical ight stages when larger dust volume could be suc-

  ked in. Two versions of this lter are known. The majority of

  aircraft equipped with Aboukir lter were of Mk.Vc version and

  in the course of modications at No. 103 MU usually received

  the clipped wingtips and Rotol propellers as well.

  The shortened wingtips tted in Aboukir had a dierent shape

  to the conventional shortened wingtips of the LF Mk.Vb and

  Mk.Vc versions and did not have position lights tted. Some

  aircraft retained the original wing design with classic wingtips,

  and aircraft with extended wingtips for high altitude operati-

  ons, later used on the Spitres HF Mk.VIII, are also known..

  In combat

  Spitres Mk.V of all versions served in all combat areas prac-

  tically until the end of WWII. They bore the brunt of the RAF

  ghter oensive in 1941-1942 and became the main ghter

  type which in 1942 defended Malta against the intense German

  Luftwae as well as Italian Regia Aeronautica raids. Apparently,

  they were the most powerful ghters deployed during the Allied

  landing in North Africa and were of essential importance for

  the RAAF to modernize their equipment in the Far East. They

  did well during the build-up of the rst USAAF ghter groups in

  Europe and Mediterranean where two American ghter groups,

  31st FG and 52nd FG ew them until the end of 1944. They

  were own by pilots of many nations serving in RAF: Canadians,

  South Africans, French, Czechoslovaks, Polish pilots, Norwegi-

  ans, Belgium pilots and others. They were supplied to the Soviet

  Union under the Lend-Lease program, became the backbone

  of the Italian Air Force ghting on the Allied side after Italy’s

  surrender in 1943 and served in the air forces of many neutral

  countries such as Turkey or Ireland.

  Some hard truth in the end

  From the preceding outline of Spitre Mk.V development you

  may get the feeling that it was pretty logical, one precisely

  specied version replaced another one on the assembly lines,

  the performance and characteristics were gradually increased.

  In short a text-book step by step evolution. Unfortunately not

  so. As usual, reality is much more diverse than the best thou-

  ght out theory. The characteristics of the Spitre versions were

  intertwining. The development was not straightforward, on the

  contrary, it was rather turbulent. The airframes were gradually

  upgraded during the overhauls or regular maintenance. So we

  encounter the aforementioned Mk.Vc with the exhaust pipes

  for the weapons’ heating which were not supposed to be there

  or Mk.Vb with smooth leading edge featuring only the Hispano

  cannon barrel which is typical for Mk.Vc. Spitre Mk.Vb catego-

  rization into Early, Mid and Late is neither precise nor clear. In

  fact many airframes with the integrated armor glass, conside-

  red as Mk.Vb late, were manufactured earlier than the series

  of aircraft with the outer armor glass designated as Mk.Vb mid.

  Similarly if the airframe features the integrated armor glass it

  does not automatically mean it also features the bulged Mal-

  colm Hood sliding canopy. There were airplanes with the com-

  bination of the integrated armor glass and older sliding canopy

  with the attened sides and ventilation opening. And then we

  have tropical Spitres. Theoretically the vast majority of Spit-

  res Mk.Vb and Vc modied at No.103 OU in Aboukir were con-

  verted to LF Mk.Vb/c with the shortened wings. In fact many of

  these aircraft retained the standard non-clipped wing and we

  know about the aircraft with lengthened wings for high altitude

  operations typical for later versions HF Mk.VIII and IX. Much

  confusion still exists around the wing skin strengthening strips

  above the wheel wells. These were installed on the war-weary

  airframes when the skin degradation and fatigue cracks started

  to appear. These aircraft are typically the well-preserved muse-

  um exhibits. For that reason these strengthening elements are

  considered the integral parts of Spitre Mk.V design as well as

  Mk.I and Mk.II. Not true again. Actually it is very dicult, may-

  be even impossible to nd these strips on the wartime Spitres

  operational at the combat units. We could continue naming

  these types of anomalies indenitely. Let’s conclude this chap-

  ter on Spitre Mk.V development with the statement that as

  far as this aircraft is concerned nothing is impossible, features

  that are not supposed to be there are found and vice versa. But

  that’s the life I guess. Well, it’s not only a matter of life, it’s

  a matter of war as well. War is the true reason for this apparent

  chaos. However, it’s the chaos from today‘s point of view, point

  of view of the people in whose world the technical progress is

  fast but contained by certain conditions and norms or let’s say

  by the letter of law. This was completely dierent at the time

  of war. The whole life in the society, all manufacturing and

  the individual lives were subject to one single goal: the victory.

  Spitre Mk.Vc armed with four Hispano Mk.II cannons. Propeller is De Havilland, new canopy style with interior glass armor on

  the windshield and bulged sides of the canopy sliding portion. The aircraft supposedly carries an older type of radio Tr.9D (photo:

  Simon Erland).

  HISTORY

  INFO Eduard10

  December 2025

• Strana 11

  airplanes undergoing maintenance at No. 103 Maintenance Unit

  in Egyptian Aboukir, received the Aboukir type lter manufactu-

  red by this unit. They were better aerodynamically shaped and

  featured a louver which opened the lter on the intake only

  at critical ight stages when larger dust volume could be suc-

  ked in. Two versions of this lter are known. The majority of

  aircraft equipped with Aboukir lter were of Mk.Vc version and

  in the course of modications at No. 103 MU usually received

  the clipped wingtips and Rotol propellers as well.

  The shortened wingtips tted in Aboukir had a dierent shape

  to the conventional shortened wingtips of the LF Mk.Vb and

  Mk.Vc versions and did not have position lights tted. Some

  aircraft retained the original wing design with classic wingtips,

  and aircraft with extended wingtips for high altitude operati-

  ons, later used on the Spitres HF Mk.VIII, are also known..

  In combat

  Spitres Mk.V of all versions served in all combat areas prac-

  tically until the end of WWII. They bore the brunt of the RAF

  ghter oensive in 1941-1942 and became the main ghter

  type which in 1942 defended Malta against the intense German

  Luftwae as well as Italian Regia Aeronautica raids. Apparently,

  they were the most powerful ghters deployed during the Allied

  landing in North Africa and were of essential importance for

  the RAAF to modernize their equipment in the Far East. They

  did well during the build-up of the rst USAAF ghter groups in

  Europe and Mediterranean where two American ghter groups,

  31st FG and 52nd FG ew them until the end of 1944. They

  were own by pilots of many nations serving in RAF: Canadians,

  South Africans, French, Czechoslovaks, Polish pilots, Norwegi-

  ans, Belgium pilots and others. They were supplied to the Soviet

  Union under the Lend-Lease program, became the backbone

  of the Italian Air Force ghting on the Allied side after Italy’s

  surrender in 1943 and served in the air forces of many neutral

  countries such as Turkey or Ireland.

  Some hard truth in the end

  From the preceding outline of Spitre Mk.V development you

  may get the feeling that it was pretty logical, one precisely

  specied version replaced another one on the assembly lines,

  the performance and characteristics were gradually increased.

  In short a text-book step by step evolution. Unfortunately not

  so. As usual, reality is much more diverse than the best thou-

  ght out theory. The characteristics of the Spitre versions were

  intertwining. The development was not straightforward, on the

  contrary, it was rather turbulent. The airframes were gradually

  upgraded during the overhauls or regular maintenance. So we

  encounter the aforementioned Mk.Vc with the exhaust pipes

  for the weapons’ heating which were not supposed to be there

  or Mk.Vb with smooth leading edge featuring only the Hispano

  cannon barrel which is typical for Mk.Vc. Spitre Mk.Vb catego-

  rization into Early, Mid and Late is neither precise nor clear. In

  fact many airframes with the integrated armor glass, conside-

  red as Mk.Vb late, were manufactured earlier than the series

  of aircraft with the outer armor glass designated as Mk.Vb mid.

  Similarly if the airframe features the integrated armor glass it

  does not automatically mean it also features the bulged Mal-

  colm Hood sliding canopy. There were airplanes with the com-

  bination of the integrated armor glass and older sliding canopy

  with the attened sides and ventilation opening. And then we

  have tropical Spitres. Theoretically the vast majority of Spit-

  res Mk.Vb and Vc modied at No.103 OU in Aboukir were con-

  verted to LF Mk.Vb/c with the shortened wings. In fact many of

  these aircraft retained the standard non-clipped wing and we

  know about the aircraft with lengthened wings for high altitude

  operations typical for later versions HF Mk.VIII and IX. Much

  confusion still exists around the wing skin strengthening strips

  above the wheel wells. These were installed on the war-weary

  airframes when the skin degradation and fatigue cracks started

  to appear. These aircraft are typically the well-preserved muse-

  um exhibits. For that reason these strengthening elements are

  considered the integral parts of Spitre Mk.V design as well as

  Mk.I and Mk.II. Not true again. Actually it is very dicult, may-

  be even impossible to nd these strips on the wartime Spitres

  operational at the combat units. We could continue naming

  these types of anomalies indenitely. Let’s conclude this chap-

  ter on Spitre Mk.V development with the statement that as

  far as this aircraft is concerned nothing is impossible, features

  that are not supposed to be there are found and vice versa. But

  that’s the life I guess. Well, it’s not only a matter of life, it’s

  a matter of war as well. War is the true reason for this apparent

  chaos. However, it’s the chaos from today‘s point of view, point

  of view of the people in whose world the technical progress is

  fast but contained by certain conditions and norms or let’s say

  by the letter of law. This was completely dierent at the time

  of war. The whole life in the society, all manufacturing and

  the individual lives were subject to one single goal: the victory.

  Spitre Mk.Vc armed with four Hispano Mk.II cannons. Propeller is De Havilland, new canopy style with interior glass armor on

  the windshield and bulged sides of the canopy sliding portion. The aircraft supposedly carries an older type of radio Tr.9D (photo:

  Simon Erland).

  It was the goal cherished by the victorious nations decades after

  the end of hostilities and up until these days. Since the outbre-

  ak of the war, which some people naively expected to be short

  and easy, it was clear that the victor will be the tougher, more

  powerful and more creative one. It has been like that in every

  war as far as we can remember just due to some mysterious

  reasons people, including their top leaders, kept forgetting it

  to only re-learn those facts when the new conicts occured.

  The Second World War was no dierent in this aspect; it was

  however unique in its scale, persistence, damages and horrors

  it caused. Everyone involved was determined, tough and persi-

  stent, all nations that took part in it reached to the bottom of

  their resources despite dierent levels in casualties, suering

  of the soldiers and civilian population as well. As we know it

  was getting worse going further to the East. The aviation in-

  dustry reects the given period of time and this was identical

  on both sides of the front. You will nd the Spitre’s develop-

  ment mirror image in Messerschmitt Bf 109 development. The

  same motivations, same goals, same problems and same results.

  The greatest eort was made to produce as many aircraft as

  possible, with the best performance possible and surpass the

  enemy both in numbers and quality. There was the same eort

  on both sides resulting in the deadly race. Every innovation on

  one side triggered the innovation on the opponent‘s side, every

  increase in performance almost immediately caused the rapid

  reaction in the enemy’s camp. If we apply this principle to the

  competition between Spitre and Bf 109 it will be crystal clear.

  Just the scale of troubles experienced during manufacturing

  will be opposite on the timeline. With a fair amount of simpli-

  cation we can say that while in Britain, or the Allied side, the

  most serious problems were encountered at the beginning of

  the war, culminating during 1940-1942, things got streamlined

  towards the end of the conict when the material supremacy

  of the Allies was absolute. Of course the economical potential

  of the United States played a crucial role but we cannot unde-

  restimate the importance of the British industry and its share

  in the Allied manufacturing achievements. It was the opposite

  on the Axis side. Out of all countries Germany was best pre-

  pared for war and in 1940 lived in euphoria that its industries

  could supply the armed forces without problems until the victo-

  rious end. The breakpoint was reached however in the second

  half of 1942 with the opposite trend than in Allied countries.

  Even though the productivity of the German industry continued

  growing it was consistently falling behind the Allied industries

  and the supplies to the armies at the fronts were getting worse

  proportionally to improving supplies to the Allied armies.

  From this aspect some apparently illogical facts start to emerge

  in a dierent light. As an example, the aforementioned fabric-

  -covered ailerons on Spitres Mk.I and Mk.V remained in produ-

  ction long after the new, more eective all-metal ailerons were

  developed. They were approved for large-scale production in

  December 1940 but almost the whole rst half of 1941 Spitres

  were leaving the assembly lines with the fabric-covered aile-

  rons and in some combat units a large number of aircraft still

  featured these ailerons in late summer and fall 1941. During

  this time, typically pragmatic Americans, without any lengthy

  approval process, started to cover the ailerons on their Spit-

  res with the plywood. So this was happening almost a year after

  the all-metal ailerons were to undisputedly replace the fabric-

  -covered ones on manufacturing lines (one can hardly imagine

  the situation like this nowadays). If we however factor in all

  other facts of that period of time we will get another picture.

  What was happening then? The winter 1940/41 German bombing

  raids on Britain continued until the spring. The Spitres produ-

  ction however was seriously aected by the raid on September

  26, 1941 when the Supermarine plants in Wolston and Itchen

  were heavily damaged. This resulted in the production reorga-

  nization, component manufacturing had to be spread among

  the number of subcontractors and the aircraft nal assembly

  was being transferred to new locations. This of course caused

  a number of problems not only in manufacturing but also in the

  logistics which had to be dealt with promptly. Restarting the

  Spitre Mk.I manufacturing before the end of 1940 is from this

  point of view a miracle enhanced by a fact that the aircraft ma-

  nufactured were continuously improved. After New Year’s 1941

  Spitre Mk.V production was being launched. The goal was to

  improve Spitre performance to the level of the most powerful

  RAF ghter before Bf 109F started to appear at the front and

  soon even better and more dangerous FW 190A made their debut.

  At the same time RAF losses were mounting after commencing

  the permanent oensive in the spring of 1941 which created an

  enormous pressure on their replenishment. In such a situation

  the quantity beats quality and the manufacturer under pressure

  prioritizes fullling the orders at all cost. The requirement was

  to deliver the aircraft with a more powerful engine and more

  powerful weapons in sucient numbers to meet combat needs.

  The production met the goals however at the cost of the enor-

  mous problems. There was a shortage of everything, from labor

  force to material to means of daily consumption but time was

  in the shortest supply. In such a situation the fabric-covered

  ailerons were a minor problem for the manufacturers. Their

  production was going smoothly, it was well established, fabric

  was applied by highly skilled female workers and as such it was

  not a burden for the overall plant tasks. All-metal ailerons were

  a dierent cup of tea. Their immediate implementation would

  take away some capacity from the airframe production. While

  the responsible department would train for the new techno-

  logy it would result in the short supplies of the ailerons and

  for some time no deliveries at all. The personnel enthusiasm

  for technology change has never been great either. It’s been

  a problem since the Industrial Revolution and it remains the

  issue nowadays. People don’t like to change something that

  works and can put up a persistent and sophisticated resistance

  against the change. If you are a manager you are under the

  customer’s pressure and if you don’t want to get a heart attack

  you need to minimize the problems resolving the major ones

  rst addressing minor ones later. Big problem was new engines

  and heavier weapons installation. That had to be solved, it was

  a fundamental problem. The ailerons were a minor problem,

  the manufacturing was going smoothly, the airplanes were

  ying with them just ne so the problem was put on the back

  burner. The air force got their share of trouble while introdu-

  cing Mk.V into the operations such as engine overheating, guns

  freezing etc. therefore the ailerons and their limits were not

  really on the radar screen. Once these initial problems were

  resolved in the summer of 1941 the damned ailerons came back

  on the agenda and the air force demanded the thorough repla-

  cement of the fabric-covered ailerons for all-metal ones on all

  Spitres in service. So nally the manufacturers had to yield

  and implement the change. Does it make sense to you? It does

  to me, it sounds all too familiar. It is exactly the same with new

  technologies introduction in our company, with one exception,

  no one is dropping bombs on our heads and instead of RAF the

  modellers are yelling at us when something does not work at

  the rst shot. And nothing works satisfactorily for the rst time.

  We can go case by case and it will be the same story. Ridiculing

  it, talking about chaos and inability is not fair. Only us, people

  from the future, from our perspective of the over-educated and

  over-regulated smart heads living in comfort who have rather

  vague and Hollywood-distorted visions about the conditions our

  ancestors lived in and problems they dealt with. Once we get

  in-depth familiar with these conditions and put the historic

  processes and facts into the perspective, which we otherwise

  tend to judge separately, we will change our opinion. We will

  appreciate what our ancestors achieved and have to bow to

  them very low. And regardless of the nation we belong to. It do-

  esn’t matter if we speak about the British, Americans, Germans,

  Japanese, Czechs or Russians. In principle the stories are the

  same. Let’s respect and honour our ancestors and let’s make an

  eort not to lose the well-being, achieved thanks to their work

  and sacrices, because of our ignorance and arrogance.

  The following 47 gures will lead you through the Spitre Mk.V

  development depicting the details peculiar to each version.

  The focus is on the changes made in comparison to the pre-

  vious version. The common features are usually not described

  and commented on, however exceptions can be found in some

  gures.

  Enjoy studying the following references.

  HISTORY

  INFO Eduard

  11

  December 2025

• Strana 12

  SPITFIRE Mk.V DEVELOPMENT

  Figure 1:

  1. De Havilland Hydromatic Type 5/39 constant speed propeller

  2. Exhausts feature straight tubes of the same type as on Mk.I

  and Mk.II

  3. 2 in thick outer armor glass mounted on the windshield

  4. Rear mirror

  5 Convex canopy with a ventilation opening

  6. Transformer located on the fuselage bulkhead behind the

  headrest

  Figure 2:

  This view pictures Spitre Mk.V converted from Spitre Mk.Ia by Merlin 45 engine installation into the Spitre Mk.Ia airframe.

  10. Merlin 45 engines already lacked the Cowman pyro starter,

  engine cowling is missing the starter’s cover bulge

  7. TR.9D radio antenna masts for antenna wires. Some airframes

  were still equipped with these radios, some were already fur-

  nished with new TR.1133 radios without antenna wires

  8. 12V electrical socket

  9. The original smaller oil cooler with U-shaped air intake

  Spitfire Mk.Va

  Spitre Mk.Va

  Spitre Mk.Va

  HISTORY

  INFO Eduard12

  December 2025

• Strana 13

  SPITFIRE Mk.V DEVELOPMENT

  Figure 1:

  1. De Havilland Hydromatic Type 5/39 constant speed propeller

  2. Exhausts feature straight tubes of the same type as on Mk.I

  and Mk.II

  3. 2 in thick outer armor glass mounted on the windshield

  4. Rear mirror

  5 Convex canopy with a ventilation opening

  6. Transformer located on the fuselage bulkhead behind the

  headrest

  Figure 2:

  This view pictures Spitre Mk.V converted from Spitre Mk.Ia by Merlin 45 engine installation into the Spitre Mk.Ia airframe.

  10. Merlin 45 engines already lacked the Cowman pyro starter,

  engine cowling is missing the starter’s cover bulge

  7. TR.9D radio antenna masts for antenna wires. Some airframes

  were still equipped with these radios, some were already fur-

  nished with new TR.1133 radios without antenna wires

  8. 12V electrical socket

  9. The original smaller oil cooler with U-shaped air intake

  Spitfire Mk.Va

  Spitre Mk.Va

  Spitre Mk.Va

  Figure 3:

  11. The fabric covered ailerons. Large number of Mk.Va and Mk.Vb

  Spitres still featured the fabric covered ailerons. Signicant

  portion of Spitres Mk.V, converted from Spitres Mk.I, featu-

  red them as well.

  14. Eight 7.7 mm caliber Browning machine guns

  Spitre Mk.Va,

  conversion

  from Mk.Ia

  Spitre Mk.Va

  (photo: Simon Erland)

  HISTORY

  INFO Eduard

  13

  December 2025

• Strana 14

  Spitre Mk.Va,

  conversion

  from Mk.Ia

  Figure 4:

  9. The original smaller oil cooler with U-shaped air intake

  11. Fabric covered ailerons

  12. Exhausts for the weapons hot air heating

  Spitre Mk.Va with tropical lter Vokes

  (photo: Simon Erland)

  HISTORY

  INFO Eduard14

  December 2025

• Strana 15

  Spitre Mk.Va,

  conversion

  from Mk.Ia

  Figure 4:

  9. The original smaller oil cooler with U-shaped air intake

  11. Fabric covered ailerons

  12. Exhausts for the weapons hot air heating

  Spitre Mk.Va with tropical lter Vokes

  (photo: Simon Erland)

  Figure 5:

  13. All-metal ailerons

  Spitfire Mk.Vb early

  14. Eight 7.7 mm caliber Browning machine guns

  15. Larger oil cooler with the circular air intake

  Figure 6:

  1. Rotol RX5/24 constant speed propeller

  2. Straight exhausts

  3. 2 in thick outer armor glass mounted on the windshield

  4. Convex sliding canopy with a ventilation opening

  5. TR.1133 radio antenna mast without antenna wires

  6. Rudder missing antenna mast

  7. 20 mm caliber Hispano Mk.1 cannons

  8. Older, smaller oil cooler with the U-shaped air intake. These

  coolers were replaced on the assembly lines with new, larger

  oil coolers with a circular air intake and were retro-tted to

  the airframes initially manufactured with smaller coolers

  Spitre Mk.Va,

  new production

  Spitre Mk.Vb early,

  conversion from Mk.Ia

  HISTORY

  INFO Eduard

  15

  December 2025

• Strana 16

  Figure 7:

  7. 20 mm caliber Hispano cannons

  8. Older, smaller oil cooler with the U-shaped air intake

  9. Fabric covered ailerons

  10. Longer, narrow, symmetrical bulges on the guns well lower

  cover

  11. 7.7 mm caliber Vickers machine guns

  Spitre Mk.Vb early,

  conversion from Mk.Ia

  Spitre Mk.Vb early

  (photo: Simon Erland)

  HISTORY

  INFO Eduard16

  December 2025

• Strana 17

  Figure 7:

  7. 20 mm caliber Hispano cannons

  8. Older, smaller oil cooler with the U-shaped air intake

  9. Fabric covered ailerons

  10. Longer, narrow, symmetrical bulges on the guns well lower

  cover

  11. 7.7 mm caliber Vickers machine guns

  Spitre Mk.Vb early,

  conversion from Mk.Ia

  Spitre Mk.Vb early

  (photo: Simon Erland)

  Figure 8

  12. All-metal ailerons

  13. Larger oil cooler with the circular air intake

  Figure 9

  14. Bulges on the cannon well upper cover

  Spitre Mk.Vb early

  - new production

  Spitre Mk.Vb early

  - new production

  The small bump on the gun bay maintenance

  door only appears on the left wing of the Mk.Vb

  version. Therefore, this bump must be sanded

  o the right wing of the Spitre Mk.Vb kit.

  HISTORY

  INFO Eduard

  17

  December 2025

• Strana 18

  Spitfire Mk.Vb mid version

  Figure 10

  1. Rotol RX5/24 constant speed propeller

  2. Fishtail exhausts

  3. 2 in thick outer armor glass mounted on the windshield

  4. Convex sliding canopy with the ventilation opening

  5. TR.1133 radio antenna mast without antenna wires

  6. Rudder missing the antenna mast

  7. 20 mm caliber Hispano cannons

  8. Larger oil cooler with the circular air intake

  Figure 11

  9. All-metall ailerons

  10. Bulges on the cannons well upper cover

  Spitre Mk.Vb,

  mid version

  Spitre Mk.Vb,

  mid version

  HISTORY

  INFO Eduard18

  December 2025

• Strana 19

  Spitfire Mk.Vb mid version

  Figure 10

  1. Rotol RX5/24 constant speed propeller

  2. Fishtail exhausts

  3. 2 in thick outer armor glass mounted on the windshield

  4. Convex sliding canopy with the ventilation opening

  5. TR.1133 radio antenna mast without antenna wires

  6. Rudder missing the antenna mast

  7. 20 mm caliber Hispano cannons

  8. Larger oil cooler with the circular air intake

  Figure 11

  9. All-metall ailerons

  10. Bulges on the cannons well upper cover

  Spitre Mk.Vb,

  mid version

  Spitre Mk.Vb,

  mid version

  Figure 12:

  8. Larger oil cooler with the circular air intake

  11. Asymmetrical bulges on the guns well lower cover

  Spitre Mk.Vb,

  mid version

  Spitre Mk.Vb mid

  (photo: Simon Erland)

  HISTORY

  INFO Eduard

  19

  December 2025

• Strana 20

  Figure 13

  12. Shortened wing tips (LF Mk.Vb). They were used on all Spitre

  versions.

  Spitfire Mk.Vb late

  Figure 14

  1. Rotol RX5/24 constant speed propeller. Various types of propel-

  lers were used.

  2. Fishtail exhausts with a pipe for hot air guns heating

  3. Inner (integrated) armor glass on the windshield

  4. Larger rear mirror. Various types of mirrors were used.

  5. Bulged sliding canopy missing the ventilation opening

  6. TR.1133 radio antenna mast without antenna wires

  8. 20 mm caliber Hispano cannons

  9. Larger oil cooler with the circular air intake

  Spitre LF Mk.Vb,

  mid version

  Spitre Mk.Vb late

  HISTORY

  INFO Eduard20

  December 2025

• Strana 21

  Figure 13

  12. Shortened wing tips (LF Mk.Vb). They were used on all Spitre

  versions.

  Spitfire Mk.Vb late

  Figure 14

  1. Rotol RX5/24 constant speed propeller. Various types of propel-

  lers were used.

  2. Fishtail exhausts with a pipe for hot air guns heating

  3. Inner (integrated) armor glass on the windshield

  4. Larger rear mirror. Various types of mirrors were used.

  5. Bulged sliding canopy missing the ventilation opening

  6. TR.1133 radio antenna mast without antenna wires

  8. 20 mm caliber Hispano cannons

  9. Larger oil cooler with the circular air intake

  Spitre LF Mk.Vb,

  mid version

  Spitre Mk.Vb late

  Figure 15:

  9. Larger oil cooler with the circular air intake

  10. Asymmetrical bulges on the gun well lower cover

  Spitfire Mk.Vb Trop late with Vokes dust filter

  Figure 16:

  1. Vokes dust lter. Vokes lters were used on all Spitre Mk.Vb

  and Mk.Vc versions

  2. Large tropical oil cooler.

  Spitre Mk.Vb late

  Spitre Mk.Vb Trop late with

  Vokes dust lter (late)

  HISTORY

  INFO Eduard

  21

  December 2025

• Strana 22

  Figure 17:

  11. Vokes type dust lter

  2. Large tropical oil cooler (it is not the same as the „Larger oil

  cooler with the circular air intake“, see 9. on g.14)

  Spitfire Mk.Vb Trop late with Aboukir type 1 dust filter

  Figure 18:

  1. Type 1 (older) Aboukir dust lter

  2. Unchanged front lower engine cowling

  3. Large tropical oil cooler

  Spitre Mk.Vb Trop late

  with Vokes dust lter

  Spitre Mk.Vb Trop late

  with Aboukir type 1 dust

  lter

  HISTORY

  INFO Eduard22

  December 2025

• Strana 23

  Figure 17:

  11. Vokes type dust lter

  2. Large tropical oil cooler (it is not the same as the „Larger oil

  cooler with the circular air intake“, see 9. on g.14)

  Spitfire Mk.Vb Trop late with Aboukir type 1 dust filter

  Figure 18:

  1. Type 1 (older) Aboukir dust lter

  2. Unchanged front lower engine cowling

  3. Large tropical oil cooler

  Spitre Mk.Vb Trop late

  with Vokes dust lter

  Spitre Mk.Vb Trop late

  with Aboukir type 1 dust

  lter

  Figure 19:

  1. Type 1 (older) Aboukir dust lter

  2. Unchanged front lower engine cowling

  3. Large tropical oil cooler

  Figure 20

  1. Lengthened wing tips for high altitude operations (HF.Mk.Vb)

  Spitre Mk.Vb Trop late with

  Aboukir type 1 dust lter

  Spitre HF Mk.Vb Trop,

  late with Aboukir

  type 1 dust lter

  HISTORY

  INFO Eduard

  23

  December 2025

• Strana 24

  Figure 21:

  1. Lengthened wing tips for high altitude operations (HF.Mk.Vb)

  Spitfire Mk.Vb Trop late with type 2 Aboukir dust filter

  Figure 22:

  1. Type 2 (later) Aboukir dust lter

  2. Modied lower engine cowling

  3. Shortened wing tips for the low level operations (LF.MK.Vb)

  4. Large tropical oil cooler

  Spitre Mk.Vb Trop late

  with type 2 Aboukir dust

  lter and shortened

  wing tips

  Spitre HF Mk.Vb Trop,

  late with Aboukir

  type 1 dust lter

  HISTORY

  INFO Eduard24

  December 2025

• Strana 25

  Figure 21:

  1. Lengthened wing tips for high altitude operations (HF.Mk.Vb)

  Spitfire Mk.Vb Trop late with type 2 Aboukir dust filter

  Figure 22:

  1. Type 2 (later) Aboukir dust lter

  2. Modied lower engine cowling

  3. Shortened wing tips for the low level operations (LF.MK.Vb)

  4. Large tropical oil cooler

  Spitre Mk.Vb Trop late

  with type 2 Aboukir dust

  lter and shortened

  wing tips

  Spitre HF Mk.Vb Trop,

  late with Aboukir

  type 1 dust lter

  Figure 23:

  1. Aboukir type 2 (later) dust lter

  3. Shortened wing tips for the low level operations (LF.MK.Vb).

  Wing tips manufactured in Aboukir depot featured a specic

  shape and were not equipped with the position lights.

  4. Large tropical oil cooler

  Spitre LF Mk.Vb with tropical lter and shortened wing

  tips Aboukir (photo: IWM via Wikimedia Commons)

  Spitre LF Mk.Vb Trop late

  with type 2 Aboukir dust

  lter and shortened

  wing tips

  HISTORY

  INFO Eduard

  25

  December 2025

• Strana 26

  Figure 24

  3 . Aboukir type Spitre Mk.Vb shortened wing tips for the low

  level operations (LF.MK.Vb)

  Spitre LF Mk.Vb Trop late

  with type 2 Aboukir dust lter

  and shortened wing tips

  TO BE CONTINUED...

  This is the Spitre Mk.Vb R6923 from No. 92 Squadron

  RAF in May 1941. Note the small bump on the gun

  bay maintenance door on the left half of the wing,

  which is missing on the right. (Photo: IWM)

  HISTORY

  INFO Eduard26

  December 2025

• Strana 27

  Figure 24

  3 . Aboukir type Spitre Mk.Vb shortened wing tips for the low

  level operations (LF.MK.Vb)

  Spitre LF Mk.Vb Trop late

  with type 2 Aboukir dust lter

  and shortened wing tips

  TO BE CONTINUED...

  This is the Spitre Mk.Vb R6923 from No. 92 Squadron

  RAF in May 1941. Note the small bump on the gun

  bay maintenance door on the left half of the wing,

  which is missing on the right. (Photo: IWM)

• Strana 28

  Get a 10% discount on your purchase in the Eduard - Model Accessories

  webstore when you buy any issue of Eduard Modeller‘s Den!

  NEW ON

  -

  LINE MAGAZINE

  FOR HISTORY AND SCALE

  PLASTIC MODELING.

  COMMERCIAL SUPPLEMENT

  TO INFO EDUARD MAGAZINE

  FREE TRIAL OF ZERO ISSUE (12/2024)

  From the content of EMD 08/2025

  The IRIS

  -

  T Air-Defense System

  Current Affairs / Petr Uzsák

  A frequently discussed topic in recent weeks has been Russian provocations

  carried out by airborne assets across the borders of neighboring states —

  namely those European countries that are members of the North Atlantic

  Alliance.An important part of a clear response is having one‘s own air-defense

  systems. The most often mentioned system — also in connection with the war

  in Ukraine — is the American MIM-104 Patriot. However, in the European area

  this is not the only means of protecting allied territory from external air strikes,

  as the article will explain.

  The Modern French Navy

  World Naval Forces / Petr Uzsákk

  The naval forces of the country of the Gallic Rooster have a very long tradition, las-

  ting almost four hundred years continuously. The French Navy was founded in 1626

  during the reign of Louis XIII. and since then it has had many famous and defining

  moments. It is enough to recall the famous overseas expeditions of officers Jean

  Ribault, Louis Antoine de Bougainville and Jean-Francois de Galup de Laperouse

  to drive the point home. It can also be said that the French naval forces were pio-

  neers in putting innovations into practice with, for example, ships with a steel hull,

  armored cruisers, the first seaplane carrier or the first mechanically propelled

  submarines..

• Strana 29

  Plastos – History of Scale

  Plastic Modelling

  Part Two – Once Upon A Time In The East / Vladimír Šulc

  Arrival of the former British Frog kits on the Eastern European model market

  significantly accelerated international barter exchanges between modelers.

  Just as the industrial production of traditional plastic kits and the cottage

  industry epoxy kits and associated trade developed in Czechoslovakia, so too

  did the production of kits from Frog molds and the associated trade develope

  in the Soviet Union. And despite both doing so officially, some of that produc-

  tion certainly made it into the retail network, even though testimonials from

  that time say that Soviet stores were permanently empty. But the main thing

  was again that gray economy. I assume that a lot of what was produced was

  stolen, smuggled out of the factory and sold illegally.

  Death of a Fleet

  History / Chris Goss

  On 8 November 1942, Allies forces landed in Morocco and Algeria as part of

  Operation Torch. The Luftwaffe's response was codenamed Stockdorf and

  a number of combat units quickly but temporarily moved to south-west

  France, at that time under Vichy French control, in response to the perceived

  threat of an invasion in southern France and to secure airfields and military

  stores

  Stanisław Skalski

  Model & Story / Vladimír Šulc, Jan Baranec

  The most successful Polish fighter pilot was definitely not an exemplary

  soldier at that time. He received several disciplinary reprimands, including

  two for insulting a superior officer, and a rather curious one for attempting

  to join the Chinese Army and take part in the war with Japan. On October 1st,

  1938, he was appointed second lieutenant and assigned to the 4th Air Regi-

  ment in Toruń and attached as a pilot to the 142nd Fighter Squadron, armed

  with the famous Polish PZL P-11c high-wing aircraft.

  On the very first day of World War II, on September 1st, 1939, he jumped

  a Henschel Hs 126, the kill of which was credited to his colleague Marian

  Pisarek. Skalski then landed next to the downed aircraft, helped the

  wounded crew members and arranged for their transport to a military

  hospital, thus probably saving them from lynching by the local civilian

  population.

• Tornado ECR 46+38

  At this year's NATO Tiger Meet held in Beja, Portugal, the 1st Squadron of Germany’s Taktisches Luftwaffengeschwader 51 based at Schleswig, Germany, was present with six Tornado aircraft in both the IDS and ECR versions. The aircraft with fuselage number 46+38 was adorned with a matte sand scheme reflecting the Desert Tiger theme. The camouflage was very attractive and finished second in terms of the most attractive scheme, right behind a domestic F-16.

  REPORT

  NATO Tiger Meet 2025 Beja

  Ing. Jaroslav Špaček

  Photo credits:

  Jaroslav Spacek,

  Uli Metternich

  and TLG 51.

  At this year's NATO Tiger Meet held in Beja,

  Portugal, the 1st Squadron of Germany’s

  Taktisches Luftwaffengeschwader 51 based

  at Schleswig, Germany, was present with

  six Tornado aircraft in both the IDS and ECR

  versions. The aircraft with fuselage number

  46+38 was adorned with a matte sand

  scheme reflecting the Desert Tiger theme.

  The camouflage was very attractive and

  finished second in terms of the most attractive

  scheme, right behind a domestic F-16.

  The Tornado ECR was created by modifying

  the airframe of the IDS attack version, into

  which sophisticated electronic equipment

  for the suppression of enemy air defense

  systems (SEAD) was installed. In the space

  where the normal attack version of the IDS

  has cannons, the ELS (Emitter Location

  System) was installed, which can detect,

  determine the position of and classify various

  sources of electromagnetic radiation in the

  form of radars and communication systems.

  Its antennas are also located in the wing

  roots. The FLIR (Forward Looking Infra-Red)

  system located in the housing under the nose

  helps the crew in navigation and target search

  at night and in difficult weather conditions.

  Its image is transmitted to both cockpits.

  The primary armament of the Tornado ECR is

  the AGM-88 HARM (High Speed - Anti Radiation

  Missile). This old, but still very effective,

  supersonic weapon with a range of 25 to 150

  km, depending on the launch altitude, can

  itself (even after being launched from a carrier

  aircraft) search, identify and guide itself to all

  possible types of electromagnetic radiation

  sources. The HARM missile, combined with

  information from the ELS, makes the Tornado

  a very effective means of destroying enemy

  air defenses. The Luftwaffe acquired a total of

  247 Tornados, of which 35 were ECR versions.

  All of them were newly produced between 1990

  and 1992. Currently, only two units operate

  approximately 93 Tornados – TaktLwG 33 in

  Büchel and the 1st Tiger Squadron TaktLwG

  51 ‘Immelmann’ in Schleswig. However, there

  are twenty-one of the ECR version used only

  by TaktLwG 51. In 2022, it was announced

  that the Tornado fleet would be replaced by

  35 F-35A Lightning IIs in the strike role, and

  from 2030, the new Typhoon EK version would

  also replace the Tornado ECR.

  Starting in 2000, the German Tornado

  received the ASSTA 1 (Avionics System

  Software Tornado in Ada 1) modernization

  package, which included a new weapons

  computer, a modern GPS navigation system,

  and a laser inertial navigation system.

  In addition to the HARM missiles, the new

  weapons computer enabled the integration

  of new the Taurus KEPD 350 missile, Rafael

  Litening II laser designator pods, and Paveway

  III laser-guided bombs. In 2005, ASSTA 2

  modernization began, which included the

  installation of additional digital avionics

  systems and new electronic warfare

  equipment. However, only 85 Tornados were

  upgraded to the ASSTA 2 standard, 20 of which

  were ECR versions. This is due to the ongoing

  replacement of Tornados by Eurofighter

  Typhoon aircraft.

  The ASSTA 3.1 package introduced the

  introduction of color multifunction displays

  and the integration of the Link 16 system, which

  significantly increased the crew's situational

  awareness and data exchange between

  other NATO assets. Currently, the Tornado

  ECR is undergoing ASSTA 4.1 integration and

  subsequent ASSTA 4.2 software modification,

  which will allow the use of modern

  AGM-88E AARGM (Advanced Anti-Radiation

  Guided Missile) missiles, this system being

  successfully tested in April 2025 at the

  US Navy's China Lake firing range.

  The photos accompanying this article show

  the details of the Desert Tiger from Beja with

  the camouflage scheme. It was sprayed with

  a rather dull sand color with bands of a darker

  brown-green. These are also on the bottom of

  the fuselage, on the top of the air intakes and

  on the part of the fuselage between them as

  well as on the elevator. On the left side, when

  viewed from the upper left, there is a large ‘51’,

  and on the back of the fuselage there is a black

  panther. On both sides of the rudder there is

  a drawing of a black tiger (or rather a perhaps

  a sand panther?) with the inscription ‘Tiger

  since 1994’. On the right auxiliary tank there

  is the inscription ‘TIGRE DO DESERTO’, and

  on the left then ‘TIGRE TIGRE TIGRE’. On both

  nose landing gear doors there are drawings of

  a tigerized rooster, on the front door there is

  a tiger head with the inscription ‘Team Paint’

  above and below which there are the names

  "DIGITAL HANSI ALEX DANE TURAN ANNA and

  below it the names "SLIP ROCKY SPALKI".

  During the exercise, the aircraft carried

  a gray container with decoy launchers and

  a radar warning system FDS (Future Dispenser

  System) on the right outer pylon, and a TSPJ

  (Tornado Self Protection Jammer) on the left.

  At departure, it had standard gray auxiliary

  tanks on the under-fuselage pylons, which

  were heavily weathered.

  INFO Eduard30

  December 2025

• Strana 31

  REPORT

  INFO Eduard

  31

  December 2025

• Strana 32

  REPORT

  INFO Eduard32

  December 2025

• Strana 33

  REPORT

  INFO Eduard

  33

  December 2025

• Strana 34

  REPORT

  INFO Eduard34

  December 2025

• Strana 35

  REPORT

  INFO Eduard

  35

  December 2025

• Strana 36

• Strana 37

• SVĚT PLASTIKOVÉHO MODELÁŘSTVÍ

  Zdravím vás z Brna! V době, kdy vychází prosincové číslo Infa, jsme v polovině trvání výstavy Svět plastikového modelářství, která probíhá v brněnském Technickém muzeu od 17. 9. 2025 do 22. 3. 2026. Celkový počet modelů se ustálil na neuvěřitelných 1 352 ks od 111 modelářů.

  World of Plastic World of Plastic

  ModelingModeling

  Petr Vacek

  Greetings from Brno! At the time of posting

  of the December issue of our newsletter we

  are halfway through the The World of Plastic

  Modeling event, which takes place at the Brno

  Technical Museum from September 17, 2025 to

  March 22, 2026. The total number of models

  has stabilized at an incredible 1,352 pieces

  from 111 modelers.

  I have heard the idea of ‘I have seen those

  models at other exhibitions, so what new can

  I get out of this?’, but you won’t see models

  without the crowds, displayed on glass shelves

  at different heights, including at eye level, and

  with good light like this anywhere at a another

  competition, where the models are mostly

  crammed close together, on low tables, with

  limited light and visible only from one side.

  You are also pressed up against a crowd with

  backpacks and phones in their hands….

  At the Technical Museum in Brno it is

  different. There is calm, light, models to see

  in a way you don't normally see, and spaces

  containing other displays that are also worth

  seeing. Everything is topped off by a pleasant

  restaurant, which you can access directly from

  the exhibition of steam engines and aircraft

  engines.

  Currently, one of the largest Christmas

  markets around is taking place in the center

  of Brno, in five squares in total, and these are

  also worth seeing.... There is nothing better

  than combining the pleasant with the even

  more pleasant and taking the family to Brno

  at this time, going to an exhibition and also

  soaking up the Christmas atmosphere.

  On weekends we conduct improvised

  model workshops in the Technical Museum,

  conducted by my colleagues, including myself

  on Sundays. We can discuss many modeling

  issues, you can learn about unusual modeling

  techniques, or even about the best way to start

  or return to this hobby after years of being

  absent from it. For example, during November

  we built the new Avia S-199 from Eduard’s new

  Hybrid approach to kit design philosophy.

  The average daily attendance is about 230

  people, and it tends to increase as weather

  improves The exhibition is open Wednesday

  to Friday between 9:00 - 17:00 and Saturday

  and Sunday between 10:00 and 18:00h. Since

  its opening on September 17th, 2025, as of the

  date of this report on 10/11/2026, the exhibition

  has been visited by over 10,000 visitors.

  PS. Currently, in an improvised workshop

  right in the exhibition hall, you can see tools

  such as modeling lamps, and of course you

  can try them out. During December, we should

  test an ultrasonic wireless knife for trimming

  3D printed parts, this emerging trend in our

  hobby being probably irreversible. A large part

  of the accessories is essentially made using

  3D printing technology. Several companies

  already produce entire kits using 3D printing.

  After our experience with the Avia S-199

  Hybrid edition kit, my colleague and I decided

  that an ultrasonic knife will be an integral part

  of the modeling table in the future. And what

  better way to witness this than over a weekend

  at the Technical Museum, to try out the knife

  and share our experiences. Information

  about events outside of the classic weekend

  modeling can always be found on our FB page,

  World of Plastic Modeling. I would also like to

  thank all our colleagues who provided us with

  models for the exhibition.

  REPORT

  INFO Eduard38

  December 2025

• Strana 39

  REPORT

  INFO Eduard

  39

  December 2025

• Strana 40

  REPORT

  INFO Eduard40

  December 2025

• Strana 41

  REPORT

  INFO Eduard

  41

  December 2025

• Strana 42

  REPORT

  INFO Eduard42

  December 2025

• Strana 43

  REPORT

  INFO Eduard

  43

  December 2025

• Strana 44

  REPORT

  INFO Eduard44

  December 2025

• Strana 45

  REPORT

  INFO Eduard

  45

  December 2025

• Strana 46

  REPORT

  INFO Eduard46

  December 2025

• Strana 47

  REPORT

  INFO Eduard

  47

  December 2025

• Strana 48

  REPORT

• Strana 49

  A significant part of the exhibition team from KPM Brno.

  A snapshot of the exhibition installation.

  One of the display cases shows visitors how scale affects the appearance

  of the finished model. This is demonstrated using the Spitfire Mk.IX

  in the following scales: 1/144, 1/72, 1/48, 1/32 and 1/24.

  REPORT

  INFO Eduard

  49

  December 2025

• Strana 50

  This and the following

  page show a series

  of photographs of the

  process of creating

  a plastic model from

  a kit to the final piece.

  REPORT

  INFO Eduard50

  December 2025

• Strana 51

  Several Avia S-199 models from Eduard's new Hybrid kit series, which combines

  classic mouldings and 3D printing, were assembled at the exhibition in front

  of visitors.

  REPORT

  INFO Eduard

  51

  December 2025

• Strana 52

  Spojte si výstavu Svět plastikového modelářství s návštěvou

  nezapomenutelných Vánočních trhů v Brně.

  Zve Petr Vacek a KPM Brno!

  www.vanocebrno.cz

  REPORT

  INFO Eduard52

  December 2025

• Strana 53

  REPORT

  INFO Eduard

  53

  December 2025

• The Air War in Ukraine - Starring the F-16

  Ukrainian Su-27 and MiG-29 fighters are still flying and fighting, including those delivered from Slovakia and Poland. However, Western military assistance is becoming increasingly important for the Ukrainian Air Force. In recent months, F-16 fighters have carried the main burden of combat, performing up to 80 percent of Ukrainian Air Force missions.

  Miro Barič

  Starring the F-16

  Ukrainian Su-27 and MiG-29 fighters are still flying and fighting, including

  those delivered from Slovakia and Poland. However, Western military

  assistance is becoming increasingly important for the Ukrainian Air Force.

  In recent months, F-16 fighters have carried the main burden of combat,

  performing up to 80 percent of Ukrainian Air Force missions.

  The Air War in Ukraine

  During the observed period from

  1 October to 31 October 2025, Russian forces

  attempted attacks in several sectors—from

  Kupiansk on the border of Kharkiv Oblast,

  through Pokrovsk in Donetsk Oblast, down to

  Zaporizhzhia Oblast in the south. The Russian

  advance was facilitated by the increasingly

  massive use of glide bombs, against which

  Ukrainian defenders still have no effective

  counter. Russian aviation is also constantly

  trying to improve them. In October, the use of

  glide bombs equipped with an additional rocket

  motor was documented for the first time.

  It is estimated that such a modified bomb, with

  a 100-kg explosive warhead, has a range of

  200 km. This allows Russian aircraft to release

  them at a safe distance from the front line,

  completely avoiding Ukrainian air defenses.

  Record Numbers

  Deep inside Ukrainian territory, Russian

  strikes on energy infrastructure continued.

  Their aim is to terrorize the civilian population

  by depriving them of electricity and heating

  during winter. In October, Russia launched

  5,298 long-range drones and 270 missiles

  and cruise weapons at Ukraine. The number

  of missiles was the highest since early 2023,

  when Kyiv began publishing daily statistics.

  For comparison, in September this year,

  185 missiles and cruise weapons were

  launched at Ukraine. Thus, October saw

  a 46-percent increase.

  During the night of Friday, 3 October,

  Russia launched 381 drones and 35 missiles.

  The massive attack did not target any military

  facility but exclusively energy infrastructure.

  Another large raid followed during the night

  of Sunday, 5 October. Western Ukraine was

  targeted by 496 drones and 53 missiles. Out of

  the total 549 projectiles, Ukrainian defenses

  intercepted 478. The remaining ones struck

  mainly energy facilities in Ivano-Frankivsk

  and Lviv. In Lviv, a large warehouse of Polish

  clothing brands was also hit. At least nine

  people were killed. Near Lviv, one Russian

  projectile struck a house, killing a family of

  four, including a 15-year-old girl.

  Ukraine is trying to hit Russia where it truly

  hurts. In addition to attacks on refineries—

  which reduced gasoline production by one

  million tons per month—Ukraine also began

  to strike Russian energy infrastructure,

  something it had previously avoided. A major

  Ukrainian drone strike occurred on the night

  of Monday, 6 October. It hit the electrical

  grid near Belgorod and a heating plant near

  Bryansk. Ukrainian drones also targeted an

  oil terminal in Feodosia in Crimea, a refinery

  in Tuapse, a munitions factory near Nizhny

  Novgorod, the Saky airbase, and other sites.

  Among the refinery attacks, one especially

  noted was the strike on the Tyumen refinery on

  Tuesday, 7 October—more than 2,000 km from

  the Ukrainian border.

  The Ukrainian Air Force released a series of F-16 flight images.

  UKRAINE

  INFO Eduard54

  December 2025

• Strana 55

  Russia launched another large raid during

  the night of Friday, 10 October, after which

  nine Ukrainian regions lost electricity and hot

  water. Russia deployed 465 kamikaze drones

  and 32 missiles. In Zaporizhzhia, an apartment

  block was struck, killing a 7-year-old boy—the

  son of a Ukrainian soldier recently returned

  from Russian captivity.

  On Tuesday, 14 October, In Kherson Oblast,

  Russia hit two vehicles clearly marked as UN

  World Food Programme, which were carrying

  humanitarian aid. Fortunately, their drivers

  were uninjured.

  During the night of Wednesday, 22 October,

  a Russian raid killed at least six people.

  In Kyiv, a projectile struck a family home,

  killing a woman and her two children, aged

  six months and 12 years. Russia launched

  405 drones and 28 missiles that night.

  During the night of Saturday, 25 October,

  nine ballistic missiles struck Kyiv. Four of

  them targeted heating plants. Two people were

  killed and 12 injured. On the night of Sunday,

  26 October, the following “military” targets

  in Kyiv were struck—a pharmaceutical

  warehouse, a coffee roastery, and an

  apartment building where at least three

  civilians died and 32 were injured.

  The largest attack of the period came to its

  end, during the night of Thursday, 30 October.

  Russia launched 653 drones and 52 missiles.

  Ukrainian defenses shot down 592 kamikaze

  drones and 31 out of 43 cruise missiles.

  However, none of the nine Iskander-M and

  Kinzhal ballistic missiles were intercepted.

  Energy infrastructure was hit once again, as

  well as apartment buildings where civilians

  were killed.

  Burning garment warehouse, hit on October 5 in Lviv. On October 14, Russians destroyed vehicles of the UN World Food Programme

  in the Kherson region.

  After the attack on Kyiv on October 26, a Eurocopter EC225 Super Puma helicopter of the Ukrainian Interior Ministry helped with putting the fires out.

  UKRAINE

  INFO Eduard

  55

  December 2025

• Strana 56

  The Workhorse

  Fighter aircraft of the Ukrainian Air Force

  play a major role in countering these attacks.

  Increasingly, these are the Western-supplied

  aircraft. According to the latest statistics,

  F-16s now fly up to 80 percent of all combat

  missions. MiG-29s and Su-27s are still

  important, but their numbers are dwindling,

  while F-16 supplies are expected to continue.

  The Air Force Command reported that

  since the first F-16s were delivered in August

  2024, these jets have destroyed more than

  1,300 enemy aerial targets—primarily cruise

  missiles, with French Mirage 2000s, delivered

  this year, also contributing. Besides air targets,

  F-16s also support ground forces. Using

  guided bombs, they have struck more than

  300 Russian ground targets—mainly vehicles,

  command posts, ammunition depots, logistics

  hubs, and drone-operator sites.

  The Ukrainian Air Force released a series of F-16 flight images.

  A video footage of a Ukrainian Mirage 2000-5F fighter jet. The aircraft number has been censored (the large one under the cockpit and the small

  one above the national insignia on the tail), but on the left side of the fuselage you can see cruise missiles kill markings.

  UKRAINE

  INFO Eduard56

  December 2025

• Strana 57

  More Mirages, F-16s,

  and Even Gripens

  During the monitored period, several

  positive developments occurred regarding

  the future of the Ukrainian Air Force. France

  confirmed it would deliver additional Mirage

  2000 fighters. Belgium received its first F-35

  aircraft, meeting the condition for releasing

  older F-16s for Ukraine. Thus, in addition to jets

  from Denmark, the Netherlands, and Norway,

  Ukraine will soon receive more F-16s from

  Belgium.

  The most significant development, however,

  appears to be the agreement concluded in

  Linköping on Wednesday, 22 October, between

  Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and

  Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson. It is

  a preliminary document expressing intent to

  procure JAS 39 Gripen fighters. Both sides

  have since been working intensively on the

  details of a final agreement.

  Ukraine is expected to acquire 100 to 150

  Gripens, most of which would be delivered

  after the expected end of the war as part of the

  rebuilding and modernization of the postwar

  Ukrainian Air Force. However, some Gripens

  are expected to be delivered as early as 2026,

  and Ukrainian pilots and ground crews are

  already training for them. These will almost

  certainly be older JAS 39C/D versions.

  Ukrainian Su-27 fighters continue to serve alongside Western aircraft … …and so do MiG-29s, such as this one from the 40th Tactical Aviation Brigade.

  This former Slovak MiG-29AS also continues to fight (notice the antenna behind

  the cockpit), although its surface shows heavy weathering.

  Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson sign

  a letter of intent to procure JAS 39 Gripen fighters.

  While fighter jets primarily shoot down Russian cruise missiles,

  ground-based air defenses focus on Shahed drones.

  UKRAINE

  INFO Eduard

  57

  December 2025

• Strana 58

  Later, Ukraine is expected to receive the

  newest JAS 39E fighters. Pilot training for

  this version should begin next year. Starting

  in 2033, Ukrainian industry is planned to

  take part in their production, manufacturing

  some components domestically. But that lies

  far in the future. Financing also needs to be

  resolved—much will come from Ukraine’s

  postwar budget, but Sweden is considering

  other options such as frozen Russian assets or

  military-aid funding allocated for Ukraine.

  Friendly Fire

  However, for now, the war in Ukraine is still

  ongoing, and its daily reality includes battles

  in the air. During the period covered by this

  article, no confirmed losses of the Ukrainian

  Air Force were acknowledged. On the contrary,

  the Russian Air Force lost several aircraft—

  and some sources suggest that part of these

  Russian losses were caused by their own air

  defenses.

  The first known Russian loss took place in

  October, however, was non-combat related.

  It occurred far from the Ukrainian border, in

  the Chaplygin district in the northern part

  of Lipetsk Oblast. In the early evening of

  Thursday, 9 October, a MiG-31 fighter crashed

  there. According to official Russian sources,

  the aircraft was on a training flight and carried

  no weapons. As it prepared to land at the

  base on its return, the left landing-gear leg

  failed to deploy. The crew therefore directed

  the aircraft toward an uninhabited area and

  ejected. Both pilots survived.

  The very next day, on Friday, 10 October,

  a Russian Kamov Ka-52 helicopter crashed.

  This time, neither the circumstances nor the

  location of the crash were disclosed. However,

  Russian channels confirmed that both crew

  members were killed. Senior Lieutenant

  Alexander Dubrovin and Senior Lieutenant

  Alexander Mozharov belonged to the 15th Army

  Aviation Brigade.

  A week later, on Friday, 17 October,

  a Su-30SM fighter from the 43rd Independent

  Naval Assault Regiment crashed in Crimea.

  The aircraft was engaged in repelling

  a Ukrainian drone attack. After launching

  a missile at a Ukrainian drone, a on-board fire

  broke out. When the crew failed to extinguish

  it, both pilots ejected and were quickly rescued

  by a search-and-rescue helicopter. The cause

  of the fire is still unknown. Russian sources

  mention three main possibilities—technical

  malfunction, collision with drone debris, or

  being hit by a missile from their own air

  defenses.

  Friendly fire is also mentioned in connection

  with the loss of another Ka-52 helicopter, which

  occurred on Monday, 27 October. According to

  some reports, Russian air defenses mistook

  For the strikes deep inside the Russian territory,

  Ukraine also uses these E-300 drones.

  The Russian Ministry of Defense image shows a Ka-52 helicopter. During the monitored period,

  Russia lost two helicopters of this type.

  On October 29, Russians shot down their own Gerbera

  drone over Donetsk, though propaganda claimed it was

  a Ukrainian missile.

  UKRAINE

  INFO Eduard58

  December 2025

• Strana 59

  their own helicopter for an attacking Ukrainian

  drone. The two-man crew did not survive.

  They Burned the Trash—Along

  With the Helicopter

  Another incident, that could be described as

  an own goal, was the destruction of two light

  aircraft, which occurred sometime before

  Tuesday, 21 October, when video of the attack

  was published. Russian propaganda television

  played a major role in making this possible.

  Russia had begun using Ukrainian-style tactics

  in the fight against drones, deploying light

  aircraft from which the second crew member

  fires at drones with small arms installed in the

  cockpit.

  Russian television filmed a report about this,

  showing not only a Yak-52 with registration

  RA-1874G from the Bars-Sarmat unit,

  but also detailed shots of the airfield it

  operated from. This airfield was quickly

  identified as the former private airfield Korsak,

  near the village of Pryazovske, 20 km southeast

  of occupied Melitopol and only 80 km from the

  front line. It had recently been renovated, and

  the Russians had begun using it as a base

  for anti-drone operations. Immediately after

  the Russian report was broadcast, Ukrainian

  drones “paid a visit” and destroyed at least two

  aircraft—a Yak-52 and a high-wing aircraft,

  probably a Cessna 172, which also appeared

  in the televised report. Instead of a cockpit

  gunner, this Cessna carried two machine guns

  mounted at the wing-strut attachment points.

  Another loss occurred earlier but was

  confirmed only recently. Court documents

  reveal that on 4 September 2024, a Mi-8

  helicopter belonging to Russia’s National

  Guard, Rosgvardia, burned down at a training

  airfield near Novocherkassk in Rostov Oblast.

  It happened under tragicomic circumstances.

  Captain Nikolai Novoselov ordered trash that

  had been dumped into a pit to be burned, even

  though regulations explicitly forbade this.

  Strong winds caused the burning trash to

  ignite dry grass nearby—and from there, the

  helicopter itself caught fire.

  The helicopter was fully fueled and loaded

  with rescue, parachute, and pyrotechnic

  equipment. The entire aircraft, along with

  its cargo, burned to ashes. Rosgvardia

  calculated the damage at 574 million rubles

  (7.3 million USD) and sought compensation

  from Novoselov through the courts. However,

  the court dismissed the claim and fined the

  captain 350,000 rubles only (4,400 USD),

  reasoning that he would never be able to pay

  such a huge sum anyway.

  Russian propaganda boasted about using light Yak-52 aircraft against drones,

  inadvertently revealing the exact location of the airfield.

  The Ukrainian drone response did not take long.

  UKRAINE

  INFO Eduard

  59

  December 2025

• Strana 60

  The Ukrainian drone response did not take long.

  Russia also uses Cessna 172

  aircraft against the drones,

  armed with the machine guns

  mounted on the struts near the

  fuselage.

  Ukraine has been using Yak-52 aircraft against drones for

  a long time. Each of these planes sprots a different paint scheme,

  often their original civilian ones. Footage of the Yak-52M

  in this color scheme is new and was only released recently.

  We have already reported that Ukrainian Mi-8 helicopters

  use M134 Minigun machine guns against Russian drones.

  A new image has surfaced showing the placement of this

  machine gun in the Mi-8’s side door.

  UKRAINE

  INFO Eduard60

  December 2025

• Strana 61

  ®

  The Premier Source for Eduard in the USA

  AIRCRAFT | ARMOR | SHIPS | FIGURES | SCI-FI | BOOKS | PAINT

  Now Located Near Chattanooga, TN

  www.squadron.com

  Introducing the Latest

  In Quality Airbrush Paint

  Since 1968 Squadron has been offering model kits

  and accessories from top manufacturers from

  around the world. Today, now located in Ringgold, GA

  Squadron continues the tradition of quality selection

  and service for today’s model Kit building community.

  Head over to Squadron.com to see why modelers

  choose Squadron time and time again!

• Finucane’s Spitfire

  Irish fighter pilot Brendan Finucane ranks among the most famous figures in the history of aerial combat during the Second World War. Not only his combat career and tragic death are surrounded by numerous question marks, but even one of his Spitfires required a thorough reassessment of all previously published material during the preparation of the kit and box art. The non-standard upper-surface scheme depicted in Piotr Forkasiewicz’s box art has already sparked debate within the modelling community. It is therefore useful to explain in more detail how we arrived at this interpretation.

  Finucane’s SpitreFinucane’s Spitre

  Michal Krechowski

  Illustration: Piotr Forkasiewicz

  Irish fighter pilot Brendan Finucane ranks among the most famous figures in the history

  of aerial combat during the Second World War. Not only his combat career and tragic

  death are surrounded by numerous question marks, but even one of his Spitfires required

  a thorough reassessment of all previously published material during the preparation

  of the kit and box art. The non-standard upper-surface scheme depicted in Piotr

  Forkasiewicz’s box art has already sparked debate within the modelling community.

  It is therefore useful to explain in more detail how we arrived at this interpretation.

  Surviving period photographs of Spitfire

  BM124 suggest, at first glance, a major anomaly

  in the aircraft’s upper-surface colours when

  compared to standard camouflage patterns.

  The reason why the Temperate Sea Scheme

  shades were ultimately selected for the upper

  surfaces of BM124 in this kit is something I will

  attempt to explain briefly, as deciphering colour

  schemes from black-and-white photographs

  can be an almost alchemical process, one that

  at times produces surprising conclusions.

  Spitfire BM124 was a brand-new aircraft,

  donated to Britain by Queen Sālote of

  Tonga and assigned specifically to S/Ldr

  Finucane. On March 14, 1942, it was delivered

  to No. 602 Squadron, already in the new

  Day Fighter Scheme (DFS) of Dark Green/

  Ocean Grey/Medium Sea Grey. For reasons

  unknown, shortly after its arrival, the upper

  surfaces were completely repainted in a new

  camouflage layout. This is well documented in

  numerous black-and-white photographs taken

  at Kenley on March 26, 1942, by a Life magazine

  photographer. These photographs of Finucane’s

  BM124 show a low contrast between colours,

  strongly reminiscent (on closer examination)

  of the “maritime” shades Dark Slate Grey/Extra

  Dark Sea Grey. The wing leading edge exhibits

  an unusual wavy demarcation between upper

  and lower camouflage, and the upper wing

  surfaces are missing the characteristic

  black walkways and stencilling, all of which

  were overpainted by the new camouflage.

  The undersides remained in Medium Sea Grey

  with factory stencils intact. Three further

  photographs of BM124 are preserved in the

  IWM archive under catalogue numbers CH5575,

  CH5576 and CH5577. These were taken on May

  21 1942, when the Home Office commissioned

  images for propaganda purposes and for

  distribution to the media in Tonga. For this

  purpose, the inscription “QUEEN of SALOTE”

  was painted on the left side of the fuel tank

  cover. As it later became clear, the inscription

  was not grammatically correct, and the

  Air Ministry subsequently demanded that

  the caption be altered on the photographs

  from “QUEEN of SALOTE” to “QUEEN SALOTE.”

  The word “of” was therefore scraped off the

  negatives, and all three images show obvious

  retouching.

  It is thus certain that Brendan Finucane

  flew BM124 carrying the incorrect name

  “QUEEN of SALOTE.” Besides the inscription,

  HISTORY

  INFO Eduard62

  December 2025

• Strana 63

  the photographs also show the squadron

  emblem placed on the engine cowling, an

  upright red Scottish lion on a yellow shield.

  Out of respect for the heritage and traditions

  of No. 602 Squadron, Finucane had this

  emblem applied to the engine cowlings of

  the squadron’s Spitfires. Once again, the

  photographs clearly show the repainted

  upper surfaces, which have historically been

  misinterpreted as an “inverted” Ocean Grey/

  Dark Green camouflage, something that,

  in light of the detailed Life photographs, is pure

  nonsense. Several similarly repainted No. 602

  Squadron Spitfires from autumn 1941 to spring

  1942 are documented (interestingly, all from “B”

  Flight).

  A key detail in determining the most probable

  scheme was to establish which photographic

  filter had been used and then compare

  the images with those of other aircraft

  photographed under the same conditions.

  In this case, the filter was red. When comparing

  various camouflage possibilities, the final

  comparison yielded the closest match between

  BM124 and aircraft PA103, BM124 and NX890,

  BM124 and NX857, and BM124 and EP200.

  Within the same tonal spectrum, the aircraft

  appears to be finished in the Temperate Sea

  Scheme.

  What was the reason for overpainting

  a newly delivered aircraft? The most probable

  explanation is described by Paul Lucas in

  Guideline Publications ´ Colour Conundrum:

  RAF Day Fighter Schemes 1941–1943, vol. 2:

  “The reason why the Temperate Sea

  Scheme might have been adopted by some

  Fighter Command Day Fighters could be

  explained by the operational requirement

  to escort and support No.2 Group Bomber

  Command's Blenheims in their low level anti-

  shipping strikes, which were being carried

  out as Operation Channel Stop. As part of

  this Operation, the Blenheim Bombers of

  No.2 Group had adopted the Temperate Sea

  Scheme for their upper surfaces from 26 July

  1941, as described in the June 2018 issue of

  SAM. As for why Fighter Command might have

  been motivated to adopt the same camouflage

  scheme, an RAF Intelligence report, dated

  18 August 1941, stated that No.602 Squadron

  report new camouflage on bombers very

  effective as they found it difficult to keep

  them in view. In addition to this, fighter

  aircraft themselves took on an increasing

  anti-shipping role during 1941, with Hurricanes

  modified to carry two 250lb General Purpose or

  Semi Armour piercing bombs for this purpose.

  These Fighter attacks were considered so

  successful, especially in view of the much

  lower casualties suffered by the Hurricane

  Bombers compared to the Blenheims, that

  from 9 October 1941, Fighter Command began

  to assume responsibility for Operation Channel

  Stop with Bomber Command being fully relived

  of its commitment to the Operation from

  25 November. Thus the application of the

  Temperate Sea Scheme to the upper surfaces

  of the Day Fighters involved in these attacks

  would make tactical sense.”

  From the above, it becomes clear why the

  new BM124 upper surfaces were immediately

  overpainted upon its arrival with No. 602

  Squadron. It provided superior concealment

  during low-level escort missions and Rhubarb

  operations.

  Close-up of the “QUEEN SALOTE” inscription on Spitfire

  BM124. The word “of” was removed from the negatives.

  (Photo: Imperial War Museum)

  F/Sgt W. W. J. “Bill” Loud with Spitfire BM124, donated to Britain by Queen Sālote of Tonga. Delivered

  on 14 March 1942 to No. 602 Squadron. This photograph, taken on 21 May 1942 at Kenley, confirms that

  the wings carry neither black walkways nor stencilling, and it is entirely evident that, for “some reason,”

  the upper surfaces of the fuselage and wings were completely repainted. (Photo: Imperial War Museum)

  Flight Lieutenant Brendan “Paddy” Finucane DFC. (Photo: Imperial War Museum)

  HISTORY

  INFO Eduard

  63

  December 2025

• Strana 64

  #11187BOXART STORY

  Limited edition kit boxarts do not usually

  convey a specific story or situation. They are

  meant to evoke a certain atmosphere and

  visually prepare the modeler for what awaits

  them in the box. This is especially true regarding

  Dual Combo kits, where the selection of markings

  is very diverse and colourful, and the aircraft

  depicted on the box may be related to war zones

  that are quite distant from each other.

  This is the case with the Dual Combo Kittyhawk,

  where an RAF Kittyhawk from the African

  battlefield and an RAAF aircraft from the South

  Pacific fly together over the desert.

  Nevertheless, both aircraft have a lot in

  common, the elegant and combative expression

  characteristic of all P-40s being not the least.

  The British used Tomahawks (P-40B/C) and

  Kittyhawks (P-40D

  -

  N) in Africa with great

  success. These aircraft played an important

  role as workhorses in the North African desert

  campaign. In addition to the RAF, they were flown

  by Australians, New Zealanders, South Africans,

  and Canadians (who did not have their own RCAF

  squadrons in Africa and were assigned to RAF

  squadrons).

  These aircraft were not the fastest or the best

  at higher altitudes, but their sturdy construction,

  which could withstand considerable damage

  in combat, and their ability to perform ground

  attack missions made them indispensable to the

  Allies in North Africa.

  Probably the most notable unit using

  Kittyhawks in Africa and the Mediterranean

  in general was the RAF 112 Squadron. It was

  famous not only for its great combat successes

  (by the end of the war, its pilots had claimed

  206 enemy aircraft destroyed in the air and

  62 on the ground), but also for the distinctive

  shark mouth painted on the radiators at the

  bottom of the nose of their aircraft. This feature

  was adopted from the American Flying Tigers

  (1st American Volunteer Group), which operated

  in the Sino-Japanese War in 1941–42. Both

  instances of the "sharkmouth" created a kind of

  trademark, a visual image inextricably linked to

  the P-40 aircraft.

  The first of the two aircraft in the picture,

  Kittyhawk ET789, belonged to the aforementioned

  No. 112 Squadron RAF and was flown in 1942

  by Australian pilot Sgt. Wallace Daniel Hogg.

  Among other things, he took part in a major

  battle with German Ju 87s in April 1942, during

  which his Kittyhawk was seriously damaged.

  Sgt. Hogg nevertheless managed to get home

  and continued to fight for the following months,

  until October 21, 1942, when he was shot down

  and captured. He spent the rest of the war in the

  Stalag Luft 3 POW camp in Sagan.

  The pilot of the second Kittyhawk from

  the box art was also Australian. Unlike

  Hogg, he served in a purely Australian unit

  (No. 75 Squadron RAAF) and also much closer to

  home. The squadron's heyday came in the spring

  of 1942, when it served on Noemfoor Island in the

  South Pacific, where it primarily defended the

  port of Port Moresby. During just over six weeks

  of fighting, the squadron shot down 35 enemy

  aircraft and damaged nearly 60. However, it also

  suffered considerable losses. It lost 12 pilots and

  22 aircraft in combat and accidents. Most of its

  Kittyhawks were lost or seriously damaged by the

  end of this period. On May 3, 1942, the squadron

  was withdrawn from combat and returned to the

  Australian mainland. After being re-equipped

  with aircraft and new pilots, it was deployed to

  Milne Bay, not far from its previous battlefield.

  The squadron then operated from various bases

  in Papua New Guinea until December 1944.

  The story of the second aircraft shown here

  falls within this period, specifically August 1944.

  The Kittyhawk with RAAF designation A29-521

  was piloted by F/O T. R. Jacklin of the RAAF's

  No. 75 Squadron. On August 9, 1944, Jacklin’s

  aircraft suffered serious damage in combat, with

  more than a quarter of the left wing destroyed.

  The left aileron was completely missing. Despite

  an aircraft so badly damaged, F/O Jacklin

  managed to fly more than 200 miles to Noemfoor

  Island and land at his base.

  In two very different combat areas, the

  desert environment of North Africa and

  the extremely humid climate of the South

  Pacific, the Kittyhawks suffered considerably,

  yet without losing their combat value. The

  demanding climatic conditions affected not only

  the airframe, instruments, weapons, and power

  units, but also the surface. Camouflage paint in

  these areas faded and chipped significantly. This

  makes these planes even more interesting for

  modelers today. This interest is also enhanced by

  the numerous paintings, emblems and nose art

  that usually adorned the Kittyhawks and P-40

  aircraft in general.

  Text: Jan Zdiarský

  Illustration: Gareth Hector

  Kittyhawks of Two Continents

  INFO Eduard64

  December 2025

• Strana 65

  #84208

  BOXART STORY

  The floatplane variant of the Zero, designated

  A6M2-N and known to the Allies under the

  codename Rufe, ranks among the most elegant

  aircraft designs to emerge during the World War

  II. Its mission was to protect newly established

  island air bases during their construction and

  to carry out reconnaissance, patrol, and fighter

  sorties. A detailed account of the development and

  operational history of this floatplane can be found

  in the two-part article Rufe published in the April

  and June 2023 issues of INFO Eduard.

  Rufes were not used aboard Japanese warships,

  which typically operated two-seat observation

  aircraft. The Rufe was not designed for catapult

  launches, and as a result the only vessel from

  which this type operated was the seaplane tender

  Kamikawa Maru.

  This ship was completed in 1936 as an ocean-

  going passenger liner for Kawasaki Kisen K. K.

  Line. The name Kamikawa Maru later designated

  an entire class of seaplane tenders, of which three

  additional vessels were commissioned. Following

  the outbreak of the war against China, Kamikawa

  Maru was requisitioned by the Navy in September

  1937, and from October of that year she operated

  several E8N2 floatplanes (known to the Allies as

  Dave). Her aircraft first saw action in December

  1937.

  Kamikawa Maru took part in securing the

  Yangtze River landing on July 4, 1938. During

  October she operated off Shanghai, and before the

  year’s end the IJN formally took her over. She then

  supported operations in Canton area.

  Her conversion into a dedicated seaplane

  tender was completed in November 1939. The ship

  displaced 6,853 tons, made 17 knots, and carried

  six 120 mm guns. Embarked were four E7K Alf and

  eight E8N2 Dave floatplanes.

  In mid-November her former skipper, Captain

  Ichihei Yokogawa, assumed command of the carrier

  Hiryū, and he was succeeded by Captain (later Rear

  Admiral) Shigeki Andō, formerly executive officer

  of the carrier Hōshō. Later that same month the

  ship again supported operations around Canton,

  remaining in this task until the summer of 1940.

  She returned briefly to Chinese waters in April 1941

  during operations in the Shanghai area.

  From December 7, 1941, Kamikawa Maru took

  part in the Malayan campaign. Her air unit at the

  time was equipped with E13A Jake and F1M Pete

  floatplanes. On the first day of the Pacific War,

  an E13A crew achieved the unit’s inaugural

  combat success when they damaged a Catalina of

  No. 205 Squadron RAF. With its radio knocked out,

  the flying boat later fell victim to Japanese Army

  fighters.

  The unit achieved a more notable success on

  17 December, when an F1M forced down a Dutch

  Dornier Do 24 “X-34” of GVT-7. Two Allied airmen

  were killed in the engagement. F1M crews claimed

  additional victories on 19 and 20 December,

  downing one Dutch Glenn Martin B-10 VIG

  -

  I bomber

  on each occasions. During the fighting for the

  Netherlands East Indies, Kamikawa Maru’s aviators

  also successfully engaged other enemy aircraft,

  including Hawker Hurricanes.

  In early May 1942, Kamikawa Maru covered the

  Japanese landings on Santa Isabel, Tulagi, and

  Guadalcanal. During the Battle of Midway, the ship

  carried fourteen F1M2 and four E8N2 floatplanes,

  slated to remain ashore once the island was

  secured. In June and July she operated in the

  Aleutians, both ferrying aircraft for other units and

  conducting patrols with her own planes.

  In September 1942, Kamikawa Maru joined

  the seaplane units committed to the struggle for

  Guadalcanal, deploying Rufe and Pete floatplanes.

  Operating from Shortland Base near Bougainville,

  the Rufes began flying on September 4, 1942,

  scoring their first victory on 13 September. That day,

  CPO Jirō Kawai and WO Makio Kawamura took off

  from Rekata to determine whether Henderson Field

  on Guadalcanal was back in Japanese hands. They

  found no Japanese troops, but they did encounter

  a lone SBD Dauntless from VMSB-231, which they

  shot down before attacking ground targets. Both

  American crewmen were killed, including gunner

  Cpl. Horace B. Thomas, who had survived the Battle

  of Midway with VMSB-241. The final moments of

  this unexpected engagement are depicted on Piotr

  Forkasiewicz’s box art.

  By November 7, 1942, Kamikawa Maru’s fighter

  unit had carried out 360 combat sorties in

  211 missions. Fourteen aerial victories were

  claimed, but nine pilots were lost. After this date,

  the remaining Rufes were transferred to Kōkūtai

  802.

  Kamikawa Maru continued operations with

  her Pete biplanes, and in early March 1943 her

  air unit was merged with that of her sister ship

  Kunikawa Maru to form Kōkūtai 938. On May

  28 1943, shortly after noon near Kavieng, Kamikawa

  Maru was heavily damaged by three torpedoes

  from the submarine USS Scamp. Although the crew

  managed to keep her afloat, the submarine struck

  again shortly after midnight, and Kamikawa Maru

  was finally lost.

  Illustration: Piotr Forkasiewicz

  Kamikawa Maru

  Text: Jan Bobek

  INFO Eduard

  65

  December 2025

• Strana 66

  #70205BOXART STORY

  The debut edition of the new 1/72 Spitfire

  kit is the early Mk.Vb variant. A release of this

  significance practically demanded the box art

  to feature an exceptional aircraft and one of the

  Spitfire’s legendary pilots. There were several

  candidates, but it is more than symbolic that the

  choice fell on airframe W3320 and Donald Ernest

  Kingaby – the only RAF airman to receive the

  Distinguished Flying Medal (DFM) three times

  during the war.

  Donald Ernest Kingaby was born on January 7,

  1920, in Holloway, London, the son of a clergyman.

  Before the war he worked in insurance and

  studied at King’s Ely.

  He entered the Royal Air Force Volunteer

  Reserve in April 1939, and in June 1940, now

  a Sergeant and pilot, he joined No. 266 Squadron

  flying Spitfire Mk.Is. In the early phase of the

  Battle of Britain he damaged two Junkers

  Ju 88s and one Bf 110. In September 1940, he was

  posted to No. 92 Squadron. On September 27,

  he claimed damage to a Bf 109 and repeated the

  feat three days later. During October he added

  three confirmed victories, one shared with five

  other pilots, one probable and one damaged.

  In November he downed four Bf 109s and probably

  destroyed another, most of these successes

  achieved on a single day, 15 November.

  In January 1941, the town of Darlington, in

  County Durham, donated £5,082 to the Ministry

  of Defence, and a few months later this funded

  the purchase of Spitfire Mk.Vb W3320, officially

  named The Darlington Spitfire. The aircraft

  went on to become one of the most successful

  Spitfires of the entire war. More than fifty

  pilots flew it on 212 operational sorties, logging

  a total of 337.35 flying hours. “Don” Kingaby flew

  W3320´s first combat sortie on July 20, 1941 and

  later completed 37 operational missions on the

  aircraft, claiming three confirmed kills while

  flying it, plus three probables and one damaged.

  Later, W3320 served with Nos. 54, 118, 64, 611,

  234 and finally 63 Squadron RAF. Her career

  ended on October 28, 1944, when she was

  destroyed on the North Weald airfield after

  colliding with a Spitfire of the Czechoslovak

  No. 310 Squadron. Two collisions occurred at

  the airfield almost simultaneously, and the

  Darlington Spitfire was struck by Spitfire Mk.IX

  “NN

  -

  T” (MA228) with F/Sgt. Václav Nikl at the

  controls. At the time it was the oldest Mk.V

  Spitfire still on active duty. This iconic aircraft is

  the subject of a dedicated website (http://www.

  rogerdarlington.me.uk/Spitfire.html) and a book

  by Peter Caygill.

  With No. 92 Squadron Kingaby claimed a dozen

  enemy aircraft during the 1941 sweeps operations,

  and the press soon labelled him a “109 specialist.”

  On November 22, 1941, he received an emergency

  commission as Pilot Officer (probationary) and

  was temporarily withdrawn from operations.

  In March 1942, he returned to operational

  flying with No. 111 Squadron. A month later he

  was transferred to No. 64 Squadron, where he

  again scored two kills and damaged two more

  aircraft.

  On 30 June he was promoted to Flying Officer

  (war substantive), and in November 1942 he was

  posted to No. 122 Squadron as its commanding

  officer, leading the unit until April 1943. During

  March, the Czechoslovak fighter ace Otto Smik

  flew as his wingman.

  After a rest period at Fighter Command HQ,

  he returned to combat duty in the summer

  of 1944 as a wing leader, this time over the

  invasion beaches of Normandy. His final victory,

  a half shared Bf 109, was still scored flying

  a Spitfire Mk.Vb on June 30. His final tally stood at

  21 confirmed victories, two aircraft destroyed in

  cooperation, six probables and eleven damaged.

  On July 24, 1944, he was promoted to Squadron

  Leader (war substantive) and subsequently

  served as a gunnery instructor at the Advanced

  Gunnery School, RAF Catfoss, where he remained

  until the end of the war. In the post-war period

  he commanded as an acting Wing Commander,

  receiving the United States Distinguished Flying

  Cross on May 15, 1945, and the Belgian Croix

  de guerre on June 15 of the same year.

  After the war he received a permanent

  commission as Flight Lieutenant (from November

  29, 1946, with seniority dating back to September

  1, 1945) and retained his war substantive rank

  of Squadron Leader until January 1, 1948. After

  briefly reverting to Flight Lieutenant, he was

  promoted to the permanent rank of Squadron

  Leader on January 1, 1949.

  From February 1949 to April 1952, he

  commanded No. 72 Squadron, then flying the jet-

  powered de Havilland Vampires. On June 5, 1952,

  he was awarded the Air Force Cross.

  He served in the RAF until his retirement on

  September 29, 1958, at which point he retained

  the rank of Wing Commander. He then moved

  with his wife to the United States to be near

  their daughters, living there until his death on

  December 31, 1990, in Westfield, Massachusetts.

  Text: Jan Bobek

  Illustration: Piotr Forkasiewicz

  The Darlington Spitfire

  INFO Eduard66

  December 2025

• Strana 67

  Dunstable Business Centre, Office Suite No.2, Blackburn Road, Houghton Regis, Bedfordshire LU5 5BQ

  Tel: +44 (0)1582 668411, Email: kim@guidelinepublications.co.uk

  All major credit cards accepted.

  Orders can be placed by mail, telephone, email or through the website.

  (www.guidelinepublications.co.uk) Plus postage and packing on all

  orders. Overseas readers pay postage at air mail printed paper rate.

  Warpaint on the web

  For more information and secure ordering please visit:

  www.guidelinepublications.co.uk

  1 Bristol Beaufighter £13.00

  2 Blackburn Buccaneer £13.00

  3 Junkers Ju 87 Stuka £13.00

  4 North American F-100 Super Sabre £13.00

  5 Hawker Typhoon £13.00

  6 Avro Shackleton £14.00

  7 Junkers Ju 88 £13.00

  8 Hawker Hunter £17.00

  9 Grumman F4F Wildcat/Martlet £13.00

  10 Vickers Wellington £13.00

  11 de Havilland Sea Vixen £13.00

  12 Fairey Swordfish £15.00

  13 Focke Wolfe Fw 200 Condor £14.00

  14 BAC Lightning £18.00

  15 Short Stirling £14.00

  16 Hawker Sea Fury £13.00

  17 Gloster Javelin £14.00

  18 Douglas Skyraider £14.00

  19 de Havilland Hornet and Sea Hornet £14.00

  20 Supermarine Seafire (Griffon engine) £15.00

  21 Armstrong Whitworth Whitley £14.00

  22 Gloster Meteor £20.00

  23 Fairey Gannet £15.00

  24 Dornier Do 217 £14.00

  25 Short Sunderland £14.00

  26 Bristol Blenheim £15.00

  27 de Havilland Vampire £20.00

  28 Fairey Firefly £17.00

  29 Hawker Sea Hawk £15.00

  30 Avro Vulcan £16.00

  31 RAF/RN Phantoms £17.00

  32 Douglas A-20 Boston/Havoc £17.00

  33 Heinkel He 177 £14.00

  34 Avro Lincoln £16.00

  35 Fairey Barracuda £15.00

  36 Handley Page Victor £16.00

  37 Gloster Gladiator £17.00

  38 Republic F-105 Thunderchief £15.00

  39 Supermarine Walrus £13.00

  40 Canadair/Commonwealth Sabre £16.00

  41 Fairey Fulmar £15.00

  42 Boulton Paul Defiant £13.00

  43 Lockheed F-104 Starfighter £18.00

  44 de Havilland Venom £15.00

  45 Martin B-57 Canberra £16.00

  46 Handley Page Halifax £17.00

  47 McDonnell F-101 Voodoo £15.00

  48 Westland Lysander £15.00

  49 Fiat G.91 £15.00

  50 Bristol Beaufort £15.00

  51 Lockheed Neptune £16.00

  52 Fairey Albacore £15.00

  53 Avro Anson £16.00

  54 Westland Whirlwind F.Mk I £13.00

  55 Hawker Tempest £14.00

  56 Blackburn Firebrand £14.00

  57 Handley Page Hampden £14.00

  58 Supermarine Swift £14.00

  59 Lockheed Hudson £14.00

  60 English Electric Canberra £20.00

  61 Savoia Marchetti S.79 Sparviero £14.00

  62 Handley Page Hastings £14.00

  63 Vickers Valiant £14.00

  64 Convair F-102 £15.00

  65 Westland Wessex £17.00

  66 Bristol Bulldog £13.00

  67 Folland Gnat and Ajeet £13.00

  68 Bristol Brigand £13.00

  69 Martin B-26 Marauder £14.00

  70 Vought Corsair £18.00

  71 Armstrong Whitworth 650/660 Argosy £14.00

  72 Vickers Supermarine Merlin Seafire £14.00

  73 North American B-25 Mitchell £15.00

  74 Hawker Siddeley Harrier £17.00

  75 BAe Sea Harrier £15.00

  76 Grumman Tracker/Trader/Tracer £17.00

  77 Curtiss P-40 £15.00

  78 Aer Macchi C.202-205 Folgore-Veltro £15.00

  79 Consolidated PBY Catalina £17.00

  80 Saab Draken £17.00

  81 Junkers Ju 52 £14.00

  82 BAC Jet Provost £17.00

  83 Fairey Battle £17.00

  84 Grumman F6F Hellcat £18.00

  85 Supermarine Scimitar £15.00

  86 Vickers Wellesley £15.00

  87 Grumman Avenger £18.00

  88 Lockheed T-33A £15.00

  89 Avro Lancaster £18.00

  90 Boeing B-17 £18.00

  91 Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21 'Fishbed' £27.00

  92 Grumman HU-16 Albatross £17.00

  93 Messerschmitt Me 262 £15.00

  94 Supermarine Attacker £15.00

  95 Westland Sea King £18.00

  96 Consolidated B-24 Liberator £27.00

  97 North American RA-5C Vigilante £18.00

  98 Avro York £17.00

  99 McDonnell Demon £17.00

  100 Republic F-84F and RF-84F £20.00

  101 de Havilland D.H.82 Tiger Moth £16.00

  102 Convair B-36 £16.00

  103 Avro Manchester £14.00

  104 General Dynamics F-111 & EF-111A £20.00

  105 Sopwith Pup £14.00

  106 Sikorsky S-55/H-19 & Westland Whirlwind £18.00

  107 Ilyushin Il-2 ‘Sturmovik’ £15.00

  108 Martin Mariner and Marlin £17.00

  109 Douglas C-54/R5D Skymaster & DC-4 £21.00

  110 Westland Scout & Wasp £16.00

  111 Vought OS2U Kingfisher £16.00

  112 Douglas A3D Skywarrior £20.00

  113 Panavia Tornado ADV £17.00

  114 McDonnell F-4 Phantom II £25.00

  115 Armstrong Whitworth Albemarle £14.00

  116 Hawker Fury and Nimrod £17.00

  117 Douglas F4D/F-6 Skyray & F5D Skylancer £15.00

  118 NAA B-45 Tornado £16.00

  119 Grumman F9F Panther £15.00

  120 Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15 £17.00

  121 Douglas A-4 Skyhawk £26.00

  122 Albatros D.I - D.III £16.00

  123 de Havilland (Canada) Chipmunk £15.00

  124 Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-17 £17.00

  125 Bristol Britannia, Argus and Yukon £17.00

  126 Grumman F-14 Tomcat £26.00

  127 Cessna T-37 A/B/C and A-37 A/B £21.00

  128 Bristol Scout £15.00

  129 Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-3 £18.00

  130 Ilyushin Il-28 £18.00

  131 Auster

  in British Military & foreign air arm service

  £18.00

  132 Boeing B-52 Stratofortress £25.00

  133 Douglas C-47 Skytrain/Dakota £25.00

  134 Aero L-29 Delfin £21.00

  135 DH.89 Dragon Rapide & Dominie £17.00

  136 Airspeed Oxford & Consul £18.00

  137 Douglas SBD Dauntless £28.00

  138 Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk £18.00

  139 de Havilland (Canada) DHC-2 Beaver £18.00

  140 North American OV-10 Bronco £28.00

  141 Vickers Viking, Valetta & Varsity £19.00

  142 Dassault Mirage F1 £19.00

  143 Boeing B-29 and B-50 Superfortress £25.00

  144 Mil Mi-4 Hound £20.00

  145 H-P Pembroke, Prince and Sea Prince £17.00

  146 Grumman A-6 Intruder & EA-6B Prowler £19.00

  147 Nakajima Ki-43 Hayabusa/Oscar £17.00

  148 Dassault Mystère & Super Mystère £15.00

  Warpaint Specials

  No.1 Republic P-47 Thunderbolt £19.00

  No.2 Messerschmitt Bf 109 £25.00

  No.3 de Havilland Mosquito £25.00

  No.4 Cessna Bird Dog £12.00

  No.5 NAA P-51 Mustang and Derivatives £22.00

  No.6 Dambusters and the Lancaster £20.00

  This latest Warpaint title covers the Aero L-39 Albatros, a a Czech-designed jet

  trainer and light attack aircraft developed by Aero Vodochody during the 1960s as a

  successor to the L-29 Delfín. It first flew in 1968 and entered service in 1972, becoming

  the standard jet trainer for Warsaw Pact nations. With over 2,900 units built, the L-39

  became one of the most widely used jet trainers globally, praised for its reliability, ease

  of maintenance, and versatility. Building on this legacy, the L-159 ALCA (Advanced Light

  Combat Aircraft) was introduced in the late 1990s, developed to replace aging Soviet-era

  fighters in the Czech Air Force, first flying in 1997 and entering service in 2000. This

  authoritative and highly relevant title includes all the regular Warpaint features with

  historical text and images, a full breakdown of the aircraft’s widespread global service,

  and artwork an scale drawings by Petr Kolmann.

  Aero

  LL--3399,, LL--5599,, LL--113399

  &&

  LL--115599 AAllbbaattrrooss

  By Jakub Fojtík

  Ph.D.

  Due to the withdrawal of the type from Czech and Slovak air forces and

  problems with delivery to Egypt, Tunisia became the sole operator of

  the L-59 worldwide. A more advanced variant of the L-39 Albatros,

  designed for the training and light attack roles, Tunisia operated a

  small fleet of L-59Ts, often used for pilot training and tactical missions.

  In January 2023, the very last L-59T flight took place, and the type was

  decommissioned after nearly thirty years of service.

  WARPAINT SERIES No.149

  _Warpaint Master 27/08/2025 10:54 Page 82

  The Curtiss SB2C Helldiver was one of those aircraft that was either loved or hated- there

  was no middle ground. Forged in a hurry for the forthcoming war the Helldiver was designed

  in a hurry, built by mostly by under skilled personnel while being bombarded by the customer

  with their extra changes and demands. Even under this pressure Curtiss managed to

  produce a prototype that flew, even though it would soon reveal strength and build

  problems. This is what prototypes are for, however, the first production model, the Dash-1,

  was beset by many problems that saw one carrier captain demanding that the Helldivers

  be removed and the off loaded Douglas Dauntless dive bombers be reinstated. From the

  SB2C-3 onwards, after undergoing a full modification programme, a competent combat

  aircraft would emerge. Used throughout 1944/45 the Helldiver squadrons, now operating

  from the fast carriers, took the war to the Japanese all the way to Tokyo. Post 1945 the

  Helldiver would stay on active service until replaced by the Douglas AD-1 Skyraider.

  Overseas usage would see later build models being operated by France, Greece, Italy

  ,Portugal and Thailand. The Royal Navy also formed a single squadron that would

  never deploy on active service. Undergoing flight testing in Britain, Eric ‘Winkle’ Brown

  would declare that the Helldiver was the worst aircraft he had ever flown. Wriiten by

  Kev Darling with artwork and scale drawings by Sam Pearson.

  All these titles are available in printed format via our on demand printing service. Please contact our office for further information.

  £20.00

  Orders from the world’s book

  and hobby trade are invited

  Previous Warpaint titles

  £25.00

  Warpaint Special No.7

  Curtiss

  S

  S

  B

  B

  2

  2

  C

  C

  H

  H

  e

  e

  l

  l

  l

  l

  d

  d

  i

  i

  v

  v

  e

  e

  r

  r

  G

  G

  U

  U

  I

  I

  D

  D

  E

  E

  L

  L

  I

  I

  N

  N

  E

  E

  P

  P

  U

  U

  B

  B

  L

  L

  I

  I

  C

  C

  A

  A

  T

  T

  I

  I

  O

  O

  N

  N

  S

  S

  L

  L

  I

  I

  M

  M

  I

  I

  T

  T

  E

  E

  D

  D

  Curtiss

  SSBB22CC

  HHEELLLLDDIIVVEERR

  Written by Kev Darling

  Artwork by Sam Pearson

  WARPAINT SPECIAL No.7

  arpaint Special No7 Helldiver.qxp_Warpaint Master 07/07/2025 15:11 Page 114

  New

  release

  Aero L

  L

  -

  -

  3

  3

  9

  9

  ,

  ,

  L

  L

  -

  -

  5

  5

  9

  9

  ,

  ,

  L

  L

  -

  -

  1

  1

  3

  3

  9

  9

  &

  &

  L

  L

  -

  -

  1

  1

  3

  3

  9

  9

  A

  A

  l

  l

  b

  b

  a

  a

  t

  t

  r

  r

  o

  o

  s

  s

  Warpaint series No.149

  Warpaint 149 L-39 + Sp 7 Helldiver.qxp_Warpaint Advert 27/08/2025 13:32 Page 1

• Strana 68

  #11187

  KITTYHAWK DUAL COMBO

  1/48

  The Limited edition kit of US WWII fighter aircraft Kittyhawk Mk.Ia (P-40E)

  and Kittyhawk Mk.IV (P-40N) in 1/48 scale. The kit offers 10 Kittyhawks serving

  in the RAF, RAAF, RNZAF and SAAF.

  plastic parts: Eduard

  marking options: 10

  decals: Eduard

  PE parts: yes, pre-painted

  painting mask: yes

  resin parts: no

  KITS 12/2025

  Product page

  INFO Eduard68

  December 2025

• Strana 69

  ET789, Sgt. Wallace D. Hogg, No. 112 Squadron (RAF), LG 91 Amriyha, Egypt, October 1942

  AK759, F/Sgt. Phillips, No. 94 Squadron (RAF), Gasr El Arid, Libya, March 1942

  Aircraft with the characteristic shark mouth on

  the nose belonged to No. 112 Squadron in Africa,

  which had been using Kittyhawks since the end

  of 1941, when they replaced the Tomahawks.

  The Shark Squadron then used several versions

  of this type until June 1944, when it began

  to rearm with Mustangs. Kittyhawk ET789 is

  a typical representative of the appearance of

  that unit’s aircraft except for the cockades on

  the underside of the wing with hand-painted

  enlarged red center. It is not clear from the well-

  known photograph whether the nose was only

  red inside or whether it also had a black section

  with a diffuse transition between the colors.

  In any case, the decals offer both variants. Sgt

  Wallace D. Hogg participated in combat with

  a large group of Ju 87s (up to fifty are mentioned).

  He was hit, but was able to return to base with his

  damaged aircraft. Hogg joined No. 112 Squadron

  on April 14, 1942, and was nicknamed “Stalin” by

  his colleagues (we don’t know why). He was not

  lucky on October 21 of that year, when he was

  shot down by anti-aircraft fire while Kittyhawks

  from No. 112 Squadron, together with the 66th

  FS USAAF, were escorting a large formation

  of American B-25s attacking German bases.

  The “Sharks” were flying into battle for the first

  time with the new Kittyhawk III (P-40K), while

  the Americans were flying P-40Fs. Hogg was

  captured and interned until the end of the war in

  POW camp L3 under number 6283. He was shot

  down in the cockpit of Kittyhawk III FR286.

  No. 94 Squadron was not a typical operator

  of Kittyhawks. It only had them in service for

  twelve weeks, from mid-February to mid-May,

  1942. Their code designation was changed from

  GO to FZ in February 1942 and then back to GO at

  the end of April. However, the aircraft retained

  their individual letters. In such a short time,

  53 aircraft passed through the unit, a number

  corresponding to roughly three squadrons.

  From May 11, it handed over its Kittyhawks to

  No. 2 Squadron SAAF and re-equipped itself with

  Hurricanes. The newly formed No. 94 Squadron

  took off on its first combat mission on February

  15, 1942. The target of the attack was the German

  base at Martuba, from which only Offw. Otto

  Schulz managed to take off. During the ensuing

  ten-minute battle, he shot down four Kittyhawks,

  including Squadron Leader Ernest Mason.

  The AK759 aircraft survived the action but

  crashed at the end of February. After repairs

  in April, the red and white checkerboard on

  the rudder was removed, as was the case with

  other aircraft. Members of the squadron had

  painted it on the rudders, apparently before the

  first operational mission, because the Germans

  believed they were being attacked by a Polish

  RAF unit. F/Sgt Phillips flew this aircraft from

  February to April 1942.

  KITS 12/2025

  INFO Eduard

  69

  December 2025

• Strana 70

  NZ3007, F/O Peter Gifford, No. 14 Squadron (RNZAF), Masterton, New Zealand, February 1943

  AK702, F/O W. P. Pictorius, No. 4 Squadron SAAF, Gambut II, Lybie, 1942

  Peter Gifford was born on April 14, 1915, in

  Christchurch. At the beginning of his career,

  he flew with No. 100 Squadron RAF with

  Vickers Vildebeests in Singapore, later he was

  transferred to No. 488 Squadron RNZAF, where

  he flew Buffalos and Hurricanes. At that time,

  he scored two hits on Ki-21 Sally bombers. After

  the unit was redesignated No. 14 Squadron,

  it re-equipped with Kittyhawks. Gifford then

  claimed one probable kill of a Zero, and

  after completing his first tour of duty with

  No. 14 Squadron, he completed two more with

  No. 19 Squadron, where he continued to fly

  Kittyhawks and then Corsairs. In total, he flew

  112 combat missions. He died on December

  16, 2001. Aircraft NZ3007 bore the inscription

  Magnolia Mufflewurt on its nose, which

  was a female character from a comic strip

  published by the Australian magazine Man.

  The plane was delivered in a standard British

  camouflage scheme using American DuPont

  paints, equivalents of British Dark Green and

  Dark Earth on the upper surfaces and Sky on

  the lower surfaces. The New Zealanders then

  repainted aircraft that were sent to fight outside

  New Zealand, either with Olive Drab paint or

  simply replaced the unsuitable Dark Earth with

  their own Ocean Blue paint. This was probably

  also the case with this aircraft. The lower

  surfaces may have been left in Sky, or they may

  have been repainted with the local Sky Grey.

  No. 4 Squadron of the South African Air Force

  was formed in April 1939 in Durban. Initially,

  it was equipped with Hawker Hartbees, Furies,

  and Wapitis. It was disbanded in December of

  that year and reestablished on March 24, 1941,

  at Waterkloof Air Base, where it took delivery

  of Hurricanes. Operational training took place

  in Kenya, where the unit protected the country

  from possible Italian attacks from Somaliland

  (an unrecognized republic in northern Somalia).

  There its pilots first tried out the Tomahawks.

  From September 1, 1941, the squadron moved

  to Egypt, where it was fully re-armed with

  Tomahawks. It completed its first operational

  mission with them on November 12 and

  remained in Egypt to take part in all the desert

  battles from Operation Crusader to El Alamein.

  The squadron also supported the advance into

  Tunisia and the invasions of Sicily and Italy.

  In July 1943, it exchanged its Kittyhawks III for

  Spitfires and moved to Sicily in August. From

  there, it headed for the Italian mainland, where

  it carried out attacks on ground targets until

  the end of the fighting. The aircraft, in standard

  desert camouflage, were supplemented with an

  antelope symbol in a green, yellow-edged field

  in the shape of the African continent.

  KITS 12/2025

  INFO Eduard70

  December 2025

• Strana 71

  AK961, F/Sgt Lloyd Boardman, No. 3 Squadron (RAAF), June 1942

  NZ3237, Allan Watson, No. 19 Squadron (RNZAF), Torokina, 1944

  Flight Sergeant Lloyd “Danny” Boardman

  underwent flight training in Southern

  Rhodesia when he was twenty years old.

  He first completed basic training at No. 26 EFTS

  at Guinea Fowl Air Base, which he finished

  on May 20, 1941. He continued his training at

  No. 22 SFTS in Thornhill, and after combat

  training, he became a pilot with No. 3 Squadron

  RAAF, which was based in Gambut at the time,

  on February 16, 1942. He earned the nickname

  Danny for his soulful rendition of the well-known

  Irish song Danny Boy. His combat experience and

  leadership skills, despite his rank of sergeant,

  earned him recognition in the form of command

  of a flight and even, on several missions, the

  entire squadron in the air. The then squadron

  commander, Bobby Gibbes, realized that rank

  was not important for command in combat,

  so he did not hesitate to entrust operational

  command to sergeants. Boardman's Kittyhawk

  was decorated with a drawing of a dog happily

  walking away from the Afrika Korps emblem,

  a palm tree with a swastika, which he had

  apparently successfully urinated on...

  Allan Archibald “Skip” Watson was born on

  January 31, 1922. After pilot training, he first

  served one tour with No. 19 Squadron and

  then three more with No. 22 Squadron. In total,

  he flew 188 missions and 351 hours. He earned

  his promotion to Squadron Leader thanks in

  part to his decisiveness in combat. For example,

  on January 29, 1945, he led his section in

  a low-altitude attack on enemy anti-aircraft

  positions and completely silenced Japanese fire,

  allowing other aircraft to carry out bombing

  runs without losses. Just three days later, he led

  an attack on enemy installations in Kavieng and,

  despite heavy anti-aircraft fire that damaged his

  aircraft, he completed the attack and destroyed

  a hangar with a direct hit. At that time, he was

  already leading No. 22 Squadron. After the war,

  he devoted himself to rugby, becoming a reserve

  player for the Grammar team and winning the

  Auckland Rugby Union senior premier league

  with them. He subsequently remained involved

  in rugby as a referee and worked at the

  international level. He also ran marathons and

  was said to be an excellent singer. He died just

  three weeks before his 90th birthday in 2012.

  He named his Warhawk Esma Lee after his

  girlfriend at the time. He eventually married

  another girl named Nancy Hickling, but that

  didn't happen until 1948.

  KITS 12/2025

  INFO Eduard

  71

  December 2025

• Strana 72

  A29-521, F/O T. R. Jacklin, No. 75 Squadron (RAAF), Noemfoor Island, August 1944

  FX609, S/L Murray P. Nash, No. 3 Squadron RAAF, Italy, 1944

  The Australian No. 75 Squadron, also known

  as the Magpies, was formed in Townsville,

  Queensland, on March 4, 1942, and received

  its first Kittyhawks on March 21, serving as the

  sole defender of Port Moresby against enemy

  air raids for the next 44 days. The intensity of

  the fighting during that time is evidenced by

  35 enemy aircraft being destroyed and

  58 damaged, with the loss of twelve of its own

  pilots. Later, No. 75 Squadron moved to Milne

  Bay and then to Borneo, where its pilots covered

  Australian forces during the Battle of Balikpapan

  in the final weeks of the war. On August 9, 1944,

  Jacklin was hit in the left wing with this aircraft.

  He lost not only the aileron, but the damage

  also affected more than 25 percent of the

  wing area. With his aircraft so badly damaged,

  the pilot had to fly more than 350 km over

  the sea before he could land exhausted at his

  base. His landing was documented by a quick-

  thinking cameraman, and based on this material,

  the appearance of the aircraft was reconstructed.

  We identified the light spots on the nose as paint

  washed off the metal. The aircraft also has

  a visibly lighter color on the underside of the

  wing. There is a known photograph of the aircraft

  with the paint on the nose still untouched and

  with white leading edges of the wing. In the

  meantime, the wing was probably replaced,

  maybe from another aircraft with faded Neutral

  Grey paint (possibly due to storage of the wing

  in the sun).

  Murray Percival Nash was born in northern

  Melbourne on October 21, 1919. After the

  outbreak of war in Europe, he decided to join

  the RAAF and began military training as a pilot

  in 1940 at Point Cook. In 1941, he completed an

  instructor course and subsequently devoted

  himself to training new pilots. In early 1943,

  he joined No. 3 Squadron, with which he moved

  to North Africa and then to Malta. The aircraft of

  No. 3 Squadron RAAF were the first Allied aircraft

  to land in Italy. On November 16, 1944, Nash flew

  his last combat mission with Warhawk FX609,

  in the last mission the squadron flew with this

  type of aircraft. He had inherited the aircraft

  from the previous squadron commander, Rex H.

  Bayly. It was also Nash’s first aircraft with the

  code CV P. Subsequently, after rearming with

  Mustangs, Nash used the same designation on

  this type as well. According to contemporary

  records, Nash’s piloting and command skills

  were exceptional. For example, on January 8,

  1945, he attacked enemy transport vehicles at

  such a low altitude that he broke the wing tip on

  a tree. Thanks to his experience he took part in

  a special course of Squadron commanders for

  air combat tactics at Tangmere. After completing

  the course, he again took command of No. 3

  Squadron and led it in the Italian campaign until

  the end of the war. After the war, he returned

  to his father’s engineering company and then

  devoted himself to farming. He died in 2009.

  KITS 12/2025

  INFO Eduard72

  December 2025

• Strana 73

  A29-512, S/L Adam H. Brydon, No. 78 Squadron (RAAF), Noemfoor Island, 1944

  FX835, Kittyhawk Mk.IV, No. 450 Sqn RAAF, Italy, Spring 1944

  Adam Howie “Curley” Brydon was born on April

  14, 1921, in Armidale, and at the age of 18, the day

  after Australia entered the war, he enlisted in

  the RAAF. A year later, he became a member of

  No. 1 Squadron, where he flew Hudson bombers.

  It was the first Australian unit to fight outside its

  home territory, and on August 1, 1943, he became

  its commander. At the age of 22, he was the

  youngest Squadron Leader in the Australian Air

  Force. From December 30, 1943, he was a member

  of No. 78 Squadron, and from July 1 to October

  12, 1944, he commanded the unit. Subsequently,

  from July 26, 1945, he was assigned to the Royal

  Australian Navy Volunteer Reserve with the rank

  of lieutenant and flew Supermarine Seafires on

  the aircraft carriers HMS Indefatigable and HMS

  Implacable (as a member of the Fleet Air Arm).

  In total, he flew 470 operational hours during

  138 missions, including 52 attacks on ground

  targets. He left the Royal Australian Navy on

  July 18, 1946, and devoted himself to car racing.

  During his service with No. 78 Squadron, he flew

  a total of 19 different Kittyhawks, Pistol Packin’

  Mama being one of them. The aircraft, taken

  over by the USAAF under number 42-105360,

  was decorated with a drawing by Alberto Vargas.

  From the photographs, it is clear that this was

  a poster clipped from Esquire magazine, which

  was apparently stuck to the hood. The dark

  border could have been a layer of glue used to

  cover the edges.

  The Australian No. 450 Squadron was activated

  in February 1941 at RAAF Station Williamtown

  in New South Wales and became the first

  Australian squadron established under the

  Empire Air Training Scheme. In February 1942,

  it began combat operations with Kittyhawks

  and fought in the North African and Tunisian

  campaigns over the next 15 months. It performed

  both fighter and fighter-bomber roles in support

  of ground forces. Its pilots destroyed 49 German

  and Italian aircraft, and the unit earned the

  nickname “The Desert Harassers.” After the

  end of the African campaign, No. 450 Squadron

  took part in the invasion of Sicily following the

  move to the RAF base at Luqa in Malta on July

  13, 1943. This was followed by a move to Sicily

  and then to the Italian mainland in December.

  The unit flew Kittyhawks until the end of the

  war, rearming with Mustangs only after the war

  ended in Europe, and was disbanded on August

  20, 1945. Kittyhawk FX835 bore the typical

  colors of Kittyhawk IVs, which were delivered in

  American Olive Drab on the upper surfaces. This

  was complemented by Dark Earth camouflage

  patches. Both colors were already considerably

  faded on this aircraft. The drawing of a girl and

  the inscription “No Orchids” on the nose was

  painted on a field of fresh Dark Green paint.

  The engine cowling with this drawing was used

  on several aircraft.

  KITS 12/2025

  INFO Eduard

  73

  December 2025

• Strana 74

  481155 P-40E landing flaps (PE

  -

  Set)

  FE1498 P-40E seatbelts STEEL (PE

  -

  Set)

  644295 P-40E LööK (Brassin)

  644298 P-40E w/ rounded exhaust stacks LööKplus (Brassin)

  644300 P-40E w/ fishtail exhaust stacks LööKplus (Brassin)

  6481057 P-40E wheels diamond tread (Brassin)

  6481058 P-40E wheels cross tread (Brassin)

  6481059 P-40E wheels block tread (Brassin)

  6481060 P-40 exhaust stacks rounded PRINT (Brassin)

  6481061 P-40 exhaust stacks fishtail PRINT (Brassin)

  6481064 P-40 seat w/ integral belts Type 1 PRINT (Brassin)

  6481065 P-40 seat w/ integral belts Type 2 PRINT (Brassin)

  6481067 P-40 wheel bays PRINT (Brassin)

  6481068 P-40 wheel bays with canvas PRINT (Brassin)

  6481069 P-40E engine PRINT (Brassin)

  6481074 P-40E undercarriage legs PRINT (Brassin)

  6481075 P-40E gun bays PRINT(Brassin)

  6481077 P-40 250lb Mk.2 British bomb PRINT (Brassin)

  6481078 P-40 30lb frag bombs PRINT (Brassin)

  6481080 P-40 500lb GP British bomb PRINT (Brassin)

  6481081 P-40 250lb Mk.1 British bomb PRINT (Brassin)

  6481082 P-40 250lb MC British bombs PRINT (Brassin)

  6481084 P-40 75gal drop tank PRINT (Brassin)

  6481085 P-40 52gal drop tank PRINT (Brassin)

  6481096 P-40E cockpit PRINT (Brassin)

  6481097 P-40E radiators upgrade set PRINT (Brassin)

  6481100 P-40E tail wheel bay PRINT (Brassin)

  6481124 P-40E cockpit w/ late seat PRINT(Brassin)

  6481098 P-40 cold weather exhaust stacks fishtail PRINT (Brassin)

  6481099 P-40 cold weather exhaust stacks rounded PRINT (Brassin)

  3DL48208 P-40E SPACE (3D Decal Set)

  EX1089 P-40E TFace (Mask)

  481167 P-40N landing flaps (PE

  -

  Set)

  FE1541 P-40N seatbelts STEEL (PE

  -

  Set)

  644316 P-40N LööK (Brassin)

  644317 P-40N-25+ LööK (Brassin)

  644322 P-40N LööKplus (Brassin)

  644324 P-40N-25+ LööKplus (Brassin)

  6481130 P-40N engine PRINT (Brassin)

  6481131 P-40N gun bays (6 guns) (Brassin)

  6481132 P-40N cockpit PRINT (Brassin)

  6481133 P-40N radio compartment PRINT (Brassin)

  6481134 P-40N wheels diamond tread (Brassin)

  6481135 P-40N wheels cross tread (Brassin)

  6481136 P-40N wheels block tread (Brassin)

  6481142 P-40N undercarriage legs PRINT (Brassin)

  6481143 P-40N tail wheel bay PRINT (Brassin)

  6481144 P-40N radiators upgrade set PRINT (Brassin)

  3DL48238 P-40N SPACE (3D Decal Set)

  3DL48239 P-40N seatbelts SPACE (3D Decal Set)

  EX1130 P-40N TFace (Mask)

  EX1134 P-40N US national insignia (Mask)

  For P-40E and P-40N 1/48

  RECOMMENDED:

  OVERTREES OVERTREES

  #82241X

  P-40E Warhawk

  1/48

  #82242X

  P-40N Warhawk

  1/48

  OVERLEPT OVERLEPT

  #11187-LEPT1

  KITTYHAWK

  1/48

  #11187-LEPT2

  KITTYHAWK

  1/48

  Product page Product page Product page Product page

  #6481069

  #6481132

  #644316

  KITS 12/2025

  INFO Eduard74

  December 2025

• Strana 75

  #82157

  Spitfire Mk.Vb mid

  1/48

  The ProfiPACK edition kit of British WWII fighter plane Spitfire Mk.Vb

  in 1/48 scale. All Spitfires are mid version with armor glass before

  the windshield and have under the wings asymetrical bulges.

  plastic parts: Eduard

  marking options: 7

  decals: Eduard

  PE parts: yes, pre-painted

  painting mask: yes

  resin parts: no

  Product page

  KITS 12/2025

  INFO Eduard

  75

  December 2025

• Strana 76

  BL336, W/Cdr Robert S. Tuck, CO of Biggin Hill Wing, RAF Biggin Hill,

  United Kingdom, December 1941 - January 1942

  BM124, S/Ldr Brendan E. F. Finucane, CO of No. 602 Squadron,

  RAF Kenley, United Kingdom, April 1942

  W/Cdr Robert Stanford “Bob” Tuck, with

  29 confirmed kills, is one of the most successful

  RAF fighter pilots. He achieved his first kills with

  No. 92 Squadron over Dunkirk. By September 11,

  1940, when he was appointed commander of

  No. 257 Squadron, he already had 14 kills to his

  credit. It is believed that one of his victims, on

  September 23, 1940, was the future Luftwaffe

  ace Hans-Joachim Marseille. In early December

  1941, Tuck was appointed commander of an elite

  wing at Biggin Hill. However, on January 28, 1942,

  his Spitfire BL336 RS

  -

  T was hit by flak and Tuck

  had to make an emergency landing at Boulogne

  sur Mer, where he was subsequently captured.

  At Stalag Luft III in Sagan, he participated in

  preparations for the Great Escape, but just

  before it was carried out, he was transferred

  to the Belaria subcamp. On February 1, 1945, he

  escaped during the evacuation of the camp and

  joined the Russians. He left the RAF in the 1950s

  and devoted himself to farming. While filming

  the movie The Battle of Britain, he befriended

  Adolf Galland, whose son he was godfather to.

  He died at the age of 70 on May 5, 1987.

  Spitfire s/n BM124 was a presentation aircraft

  donated to Britain by Queen Salote of Tonga

  and assigned to S/Ldr Brendan Finucane.

  It was delivered on March 14, 1942, and Finucane

  was flying with it continuously until June 18,

  1942, when he hit the ground with the tip of the

  wing while landing at Redhill. The aircraft was

  severely damaged, and although it was returned

  to the unit after extensive repairs, Finucane did

  not fly it again. He scored his last victories in

  its cockpit. Finucane’s BM124, like his previous

  Spitfires, was repainted on the upper surfaces

  in Dark Slate Grey / Extra Dark Sea Grey naval

  shades. Under the front badge, he had his

  personal Shamrock emblem and the fuselage

  letter W painted on. For propaganda purposes,

  the inscription QUEEN of SALOTE was painted

  on the fuel tank cover in May. As it later turned

  out, the inscription was not written correctly,

  and the Air Ministry submitted an amendment

  requesting that the photographs taken be

  changed from QUEEN of SALOTE to QUEEN

  SALOTE. The word “of” was thus roughly scraped

  off the negatives. Out of respect for the origins

  and traditions of No. 602 Squadron, Finucane

  had the squadron’s emblem, a red Scottish lion

  rampant in a yellow shield, placed on the engine

  cowlings of the No. 602 Squadron Spitfires.

  During his wartime career, Finucane achieved

  32 aerial victories, becoming the third most

  successful Spitfire pilot during World War II.

  KITS 12/2025

  INFO Eduard76

  December 2025

• Strana 77

  BL299, S/Ldr Michael G. F. Pedley, CO of No. 131 Squadron, RAF Lianbedr,

  United Kingdom, January - April 1942

  BL594, F/O Eugeniusz Horbaczewski, No. 303. Squadron, RAF Kirton-in-Lindsey,

  United Kingdom, June 1942

  Michael Pedley joined the RAF in 1935 and served

  with No. 2 (Army) Squadron until 1939, when he

  became an instructor. In November 1941, he took

  command of No. 131 Squadron. During Operation

  Jubilee (the Dieppe landing), he scored two

  aerial victories. In September, he was awarded

  the DFC and promoted to commander of

  No. 323 Wing, with which he took part in

  Operation Torch in Northwest Africa. During the

  war years, he scored five aerial victories and in

  1956 was appointed an Officer of the Order of the

  British Empire (OBE) for his work in directing

  and commanding offensive air operations

  against terrorists in Malaya. He retired in 1957.

  An interesting feature of the Spitfire BM420,

  which S/Ldr Pedley flew with No. 131 Squadron,

  is the non-standard size of the lower wing

  insignia and the fresh application of the type

  C insignia, under which the original type A

  insignia shines through. The inscription Spirit of

  Kent refers to the county of Kent in Great Britain,

  which paid for the entire Spitfire squadron.

  Lord Cornwallis was largely responsible for the

  collection of funds from the residents of Kent.

  He appealed to the people of Kent, and after

  a meeting of the War Emergency Committee,

  the Kent County Spitfire Fund was established.

  The residents of Kent and the surrounding towns

  soon began competing among themselves to

  see who could raise the most money, and by

  November 1941, they had managed to raise more

  than £100,000, which was enough for an entire

  squadron of Spitfires.

  BL594 was delivered to No. 242 Squadron in

  April 1942, but was damaged in an accident in

  May, subsequently repaired and delivered to

  No. 303 (Polish) Squadron, which was operating

  from Kirton-in-Lindsey airfield at the time.

  Here it was given the code RF

  -

  G and became

  the personal aircraft of F/O Horbaczewski,

  who had his current score of four confirmed

  kills and a personal emblem of a somewhat

  wild-looking Pegasus painted on the fuselage.

  In early February 1943, No. 303 Squadron moved

  to Heston, but BL594 remained at Kirton-in-

  Lindsey airfield and became the personal

  aircraft of the commander of No. 2 Polish Wing,

  W/Cdr Alexander Gabszewicz, with the new

  code G

  -

  WX.

  KITS 12/2025

  INFO Eduard

  77

  December 2025

• Strana 78

  BL829, F/Lt John Plagis, No. 64 Squadron, RAF Coltishall, United Kingdom, March-September 1943

  BL547, F/O Rick R. Richards, No. 402 Squadron, RAF Horne, Great Britain, June 1944

  John Plagis was born on March 10, 1919,

  in Hartley, Southern Rhodesia. After the outbreak

  of war, he applied to join the Rhodesian Air

  Force but was rejected because he was officially

  a Greek citizen. He therefore joined the RAF in

  1940. At the end of June, he first joined No. 65

  Squadron, then transferred to No. 266 Squadron.

  At the end of January 1942, he was transferred

  to the Middle East, and on March 7, he became

  one of the first pilots to fly Spitfires to Malta

  from HMS Eagle during Operation Spotter.

  He initially flew with No. 249 Squadron, shooting

  down nine aircraft between March and May, two

  of which were shared. He was then transferred

  to No. 185 Squadron as commander of A Flight

  and shot down three more enemies by the end

  of June. In early July, he returned to Great

  Britain and was transferred to No. 53 OTU.

  He returned to operational duty in April 1943 with

  No. 64 Squadron, with which he participated in

  Operation Starkey in September and scored

  two more kills by the end of the year. In July

  1944, he took command of No. 126 Squadron and

  scored three more kills during the Normandy

  landings. In December, the unit re-equipped

  with Mustangs and Plagis was promoted to

  Wing Commander. After the war, he commanded

  No. 234 Squadron and No. 266 Squadron flying

  Meteor Mk.III aircraft. He left the RAF in May

  1948 and returned to Rhodesia. During the

  war, he shot down 15 aircraft solo and two in

  cooperation with others, becoming the most

  successful Greek pilot of the war.

  On D

  -

  Day, No. 402 Squadron had a mixture of

  older Mk.Vb and Mk.Vc Spitfires in its armament

  and was led by the famous ace S/Ldr G. W.

  Northcott. The squadron was part of No. 142

  Wing, which, under the command of another

  well-known Canadian ace, W/Cdr John Milne

  Checketts, operated as part of the air defense

  of Great Britain, albeit under 2 TAF operational

  control in the role of fighter-bombers. No. 402

  Squadron was re-equipped with Spitfires Mk.IX

  in July, but their time with the unit was brief.

  Early August 1944 saw a move to Hawkinge,

  where the Squadron was rearmed with the new

  Spitfires Mk.XIV with which they immediately

  engaged in combat against V-1 flying bombs.

  In late September 1944 the squadron was

  transferred to 2 TAF in Belgium and joined

  No. 125 Wing. In December it then joined

  No. 126 Wing RCAF, where it flew alongside Mk.IX

  Spitfires. The end of the war found the unit

  on German soil at Wunstorf with a total score

  of 49.5 enemy shot down. One of the Spitfires

  Mk.Vb operating with No. 402 Squadron during

  D

  -

  Day was serial number BL547 which sported

  the fuselage codes AE

  -

  R. It was most often

  flown by F/O Rick Richards who had a drawing of

  Black Rufe, a character from the comic strip Li’l

  Abner, painted on the nose of his Spitfire. Under

  the cockpit, it bore the standard markings of

  most No. 402 Squadron Spitfires, a red Canadian

  leaf in a white crest with the City of Winnipeg in

  white lettering.

  KITS 12/2025

  INFO Eduard78

  December 2025

• Strana 79

  FE1207 Spitfire Mk.V seatbelts STEEL (PE

  -

  Set)

  644113 Spitfire Mk.V LööK (Brassin)

  648640 Spitfire Mk.V engine (Brassin)

  648663 Spitfire Mk.V cockpit (Brassin)

  648664 Spitfire Mk.V wheels (Brassin)

  648667 Spitfire Mk.V three-stacks exhausts rounded (Brassin)

  648668 Spitfire Mk.V three-stacks exhausts fishtail (Brassin)

  648669 Spitfire Mk.V six-stacks exhausts fishtail (Brassin)

  648670 Spitfire Mk.Va/b undercarriage legs BRONZE (Brassin)

  648738 Spitfire Mk.V landing flaps PRINT (Brassin)

  3DL48031 Spitfire Mk.V SPACE (3D Decal Set)

  D48088 Spitfire Mk.V stencils (Decal Set)

  D48101 Spitfire Mk.V national insignia (Decal Set)

  EX914 Spitfire Mk.V TFace (Mask)

  For Spitfire Mk.Vb mid 1/48

  RECOMMENDED:

  OVERTREES

  #82159X

  Spitfire Mk.Vb mid

  1/48

  OVERLEPT

  #82157-LEPT1

  Spitfire Mk.Vb mid

  1/48

  Product page Product page

  BL255, Lt. Don S. Gentile, 336th FS, 4th FG, 8th AF, Debden, United Kingdom, November 1942

  No. 133 (Eagle) Squadron formed in July 1941

  at RAF airbase Coltishall, was in 1942 the first

  American squadron re-equipped with Spitfires

  Mk.IX. However, the unit lost its twelve “Nines”

  in only three days before Eagle squadron was

  transferred under the USAAF command, during

  the B-17 escort over Morlaix. After its inclusion

  into 8th AF USAAF on September 29, 1942, it

  continued flying the good old Spitfires Mk.Vb

  as it was transformed from No. 133 (Eagle)

  Squadron RAF into 336th FS, 4th FG. The BL255

  Spitfire, nicknamed Buckeye Don, was the

  personal aircraft of Don Gentile, the future

  most successful fighter pilot of the 8th AF with

  19 kills, 3 damaged and 6 destroyed on the

  ground enemy aircraft. He was credited with

  two more kills during the combat over Dieppe on

  August 19, 1942, while he was still serving with

  RAF. The same nose art as on BL255 was later

  sported on the famous P-51B Shangri La and

  it was also incorporated into 334th FS insignia.

  #648640

  #648663

  KITS 12/2025

  INFO Eduard

  79

  December 2025

• Strana 80

  #70205

  Spitfire Mk.Vb early

  1/72

  The ProfiPACK edition kit of British WWII fighter plane

  Spitfire Mk.Vb in 1/72 scale. All Spitfires are early version

  with armor glass before the windshield and have under

  the wings symetrical bulges.

  plastic parts: Eduard

  marking options: 6

  decals: Eduard

  PE parts: yes, pre-painted

  painting mask: yes

  resin parts: no

  Product page

  KITS 12/2025

  INFO Eduard80

  December 2025

• Strana 81

  P8699, F/Lt John Bisdee, No. 609 Squadron, RAF Biggin Hill, United Kingdom, July 1941

  W3257, F/Lt Eric S. Lock, No. 611 Squadron, RAF Hornchurch, United Kingdom, July-August 1941

  John Bisdee was born in Weston-super-Mare,

  Somerset. After the outbreak of World War II,

  he was called up for service in the RAF. After

  completing his training, he was assigned to

  No. 609 Squadron, with which he participated

  in the Battle of Britain and achieved several

  aerial victories. In 1942, he was transferred

  to Malta as commander of No. 601 Squadron.

  After moving to North Africa, he took part in

  the Western Desert campaign. In 1943, he was

  appointed military governor of Lampedusa.

  He spent most of the rest of his wartime service

  in training and as commander of No. 323 Wing in

  Italy. In June 1945, he received the Order of the

  British Empire. During the war, he achieved ten

  aerial victories, two of which were shared, plus

  four probable victories, and he also damaged

  four enemy aircraft. Like all of Bisdee’s previous

  Spitfires, P8699 had his personal emblem,

  a lily flower with a crown, under the windshield.

  In August 1941, P8699 was taken over by

  S/Ldr George “Kemp” Gilroy, who scored four of

  his 24 kills with it.

  The most successful pilot of the Battle of Britain,

  Eric Stanley Lock, sortied for the first time with

  his Spitfire W3257 on July 14, 1941. He baptized

  his new aircraft by fire by shooting down

  a Bf 109F, which was also his very last kill.

  Barely three weeks later, on August 3, returning

  from a Rhubarb mission, he attacked a German

  column near Pas de Calais and has been missing

  ever since. It’s supposed he was shot down by

  AA fire and crashed into the sea. Neither his

  Spitfire Mk.V W3257 nor Lock himself have ever

  been found. At the time of his disappearance

  his score stood at 26 kills achieved during

  25 weeks of the operational deployment in

  course of one year out of which he spent six

  months in the hospitals. Spitfire Mk.Vb W3257

  was camouflaged in the standard Dark Green/

  Dark Earth/Sky. Code letters E

  -

  FY were painted

  in Sky which was standard code letters color of

  the Hornchurch Wing Spitfires. The serial was

  overpainted in the camouflage color.

  3DL72078 Spitfire Mk.Vb SPACE (3D Decal Set)

  For Spitfire Mk.Vb early 1/72

  RECOMMENDED:

  #3DL72078

  KITS 12/2025

  INFO Eduard

  81

  December 2025

• Strana 82

  W3320, P/O Donald E. Kingaby, No. 92 Squadron, RAF Biggin Hill, United Kingdom, July-August 1941

  P8783, Sgt Donald R. Morrison, No. 401 Squadron RCAF, Biggin Hill,

  United Kingdom, November 1941 - February 1942

  Donald Ernest "Don" Kingaby was one of the

  most successful RAF fighter pilots flying

  Spitfires. He achieved his first successes during

  the Battle of Britain in the ranks of No. 266 and

  No. 92 Squadrons, and by the end of 1940 he

  had eight kills to his credit. Further successes

  quickly followed, and by the summer of 1941 he

  had already scored 14 aerial victories. Spitfire

  W3320, named The Darlington Spitfire, was his

  last personal Spitfire with No. 92 Squadron.

  He flew it from July 20, 1941, to October 16,

  1941, and completed 33 operational flights in

  its cockpit, during which he shot down three

  Bf 109Fs with certainty, another three with

  probability, and damaged one. He returned

  to operational flying in March 1942 with

  No. 111 Squadron and subsequently as squadron

  commander with No. 64 Squadron. In the fall

  of 1942, he took command of No. 122 Squadron.

  During the Normandy invasion, he served at

  Fighter Command headquarters and ended the

  war as commander of the Advanced Gunnery

  School in Catfoss. He achieved a total of 23 aerial

  victories. The citizens of Darlington in County

  Durham in northeast England contributed

  £5,082 towards the purchase of Spitfire Mk.Vb

  W3320, thus known as The Darlington Spitfire.

  After August 15, 1941, the W3320 had the fields of

  Dark Earth repainted with a Mixed Grey on the

  upper surfaces and Medium Sea Grey o institute

  n the lower surfaces.

  Donald Morrison was born on June 2, 1921,

  in Toronto, Ontario and joined the RCAF in

  October 1940. In July 1941, he completed his

  training and left for Great Britain. He was

  assigned to No. 122 Squadron and two months

  later to No. 401 Squadron RCAF, where he

  quickly began to make a name for himself.

  By the end of February 1942, he had achieved

  three confirmed kills. On August 19, 1942,

  he was shot down during a dogfight with an

  Fw 190, bailed out of his damaged aircraft, and

  parachuted into the English Channel, from where

  he was rescued. During the rescue operation,

  he operated machine guns on the boat and fired

  at attacking enemy aircraft. On November 8,

  he was shot down again, captured and seriously

  wounded by shrapnel. German doctors were

  forced to amputate his leg. Due to his disability,

  he was repatriated back to Great Britain and

  returned to Canada in November. In May 1944,

  Morrison became an instructor with No. 20

  EFTS. He left the RCAF on March 14, 1945. In 1947,

  he returned to Great Britain and joined the RAF,

  where he served until 1951. He later worked

  for Trans Canadian Airways. In total, he had

  seven confirmed kills during his wartime career,

  including three shared kills, four probable kills,

  and five damaged aircraft. Sgt Don Morrison

  had the character Jiggs, created by cartoonist

  George McManus, drawn on every aircraft he

  regularly flew with No. 401 Squadron. The first

  Spitfire on which this character was drawn was

  Spitfire P8783.

  KITS 12/2025

  INFO Eduard82

  December 2025

• Strana 83

  W3774, P/O William V. Crawford-Compton, No. 485 Squadron, RAF Kenley,

  United Kingdom, November 1941 - March 1942

  P8537, Sgt Jaroslav Hloužek, No. 313 Squadron, RAF Hornchurch,

  United Kingdom, November 1941 - March 1942

  One of the RAF’s most successful pilots was New

  Zealander William Vernon Crawford-Compton.

  He joined the RAF in 1939 as a mechanic, and

  was subsequently accepted for flight training,

  which he completed in 1940. After spells with

  Nos. 485 and 611 Sqn. he took command of

  No. 64 Sqn. in late 1942 and led it until the end of

  March the following year. After a period of staff

  duties, he became Commander of Hornchurch

  Fighter Wing in mid-1943 and led it until the

  end of the year. After his tour of operations,

  he lectured for three months in the United

  States on RAF operations. He returned to active

  service as commander of No. 145 Wing. After

  the war he held senior posts in the RAF, retiring

  as Air vice-marshal at the end of 1968. He died

  in January 1988 at the age of 72. He achieved

  22 kills, four probable and he also damaged

  a further 13 aircraft. The Spitfire W3774 was his

  first personal aircraft, and he achieved four kills

  flying it. It had a drawing of a burning swastika

  on the left side under the cockpit and a pan

  with Hitler’s head above it. The left side of the

  tank cover was decorated with the inscription

  Auckland 1 “Waiuku”. On the right side under

  the cockpit was a Samson donation sign. W3774

  was given a new livery effective August 16, 1941.

  Photographs show the use of a very dark shade

  of mixed grey (probably Extra Dark Sea Grey) in

  place of the original Dark Earth, the Sky band

  was repainted with a new shade of Medium Sea

  Grey on the lower surfaces.

  Spitfire Mk.Vb P8537 served operationally

  with No. 313 Squadron from November 2, 1941,

  to March 28, 1942. The most frequent pilots in

  its cockpit were Sgt J. Hloužek, F/L K. Vykoukal

  and F/S K. Foglar. The figure of Horace the

  Horse was painted on this Spitfire by Sgt Karel

  Pavlík, a Pilsen native, letter painter and author

  of all drawings on Spitfires of No. 313 Squadron.

  The figure was a bit of mystery for many years,

  as only half of the drawing was known from

  photographs. It was until two uncut photographs

  emerged from the archive of mechanic F/O Karl

  Beinhauer and helped to solve the appearance

  of the other half. Spitfire P8537 had been

  repainted in the new camouflage shades in effect

  from August 16, 1941. Surviving photographs

  document the complete change of the Spitfire’s

  camouflage. A very light shade of Mixed Grey

  was used in place of the original Dark Earth,

  and a Sky Blue band was repainted with a new

  shade of Medium Sea Grey on the lower surfaces.

  The code letters RY

  -

  Z were in the Sky Blue shade,

  as were the spinner and band in front of the tail.

  OVERTREES

  #70205X

  Spitfire Mk.Vb

  early

  1/72

  OVERLEPT

  #70205-LEPT1

  Spitfire Mk.Vb

  early

  1/72

  Product page Product page

  KITS 12/2025

  INFO Eduard

  83

  December 2025

• Introducing... Spitfire Mk.Vb ProfiPACK 1/72

  Here it is, the new 1/72 Spitfire from Eduard is out! It has a completely new look, with all tools made entirely by Eduard, unlike the Spitfire Mk.IX 1/72, for which some of the tools were finished in China. The kit consists of three larger sprues and one medium sprue with clear parts. The entire project is designed as a family of Spitfires Mk.I, Mk.II, and Mk.V, thus some sprues contain common parts for all these versions and their subversions, and so we find several parts in the sprues that we will not use to build the selected version. I won't keep you in suspense any longer, let's take a look at what the kit contains.

  Introducing …

  Spitfire Mk.Vb ProfiPACK 1/72

  #70205

  Jakub Nademlejnský

  Here it is, the new 1/72 Spitfire from Eduard is out! It has a completely new look,

  with all tools made entirely by Eduard, unlike the Spitfire Mk.IX 1/72, for which some

  of the tools were finished in China. The kit consists of three larger sprues and one

  medium sprue with clear parts. The entire project is designed as a family of Spitfires

  Mk.I, Mk.II, and Mk.V, thus some sprues contain common parts for all these versions

  and their subversions, and so we find several parts in the sprues that we will not

  use to build the selected version. I won't keep you in suspense any longer, let's take

  a look at what the kit contains.

  The moulds were again designed to make good use of the bottom joints. This applies mainly to the fuselage and wing parts. The bottom sprue-part

  joints allow for cleaner separation of parts and do not damage the surface details. The fuselage halves are attached to the frame by only six joints,

  and the wing halves by only three joints

  KITS 12/2025

  INFO Eduard84

  December 2025

• Strana 85

  The fuselage surface is riveted with fine negative and positive rivets,

  exactly according to the original. The engraving is fine and sharp.

  The panelling and maintenance doors on the wing halves correspond to the Mk.Vb version. For each version of the Spitfire, from Mk.I to Mk.V,

  the kit will always contain the corresponding wing part.

  The kit contains 6 (!!!) types of propellers. This is probably a record; I don't think we have ever given modelers such

  a wide choice in any of our previous models. They are, of course, framed on a sprue common to the Mk.I to Mk.V versions.

  KITS 12/2025

  INFO Eduard

  85

  December 2025

• Strana 86

  The kit also contains 2 types of right-side cockpit inside panel...

  ...4 types of exhausts, both six-pipe

  and three-pipe variants...

  … 3 types of fuselage bulkhead behind the pilot's seat...

  ...2 types

  of rudder

  pedals...

  KITS 12/2025

  INFO Eduard86

  December 2025

• Strana 87

  ...or 3 types of seat.

  The kit allows you to build wheels with a five-spoke disc

  or with a disc covered by a cap.

  ...4 types of lower engine cover, with and without a tropical filter...

  KITS 12/2025

  INFO Eduard

  87

  December 2025

• Strana 88

  The sprues also contain many small parts, at least doubled. These include parts of the control stick, various pressure sensors, antennas,

  and mirrors. So if you lose any of the small parts, you don't have to search for them (often unsuccessfully) in the carpet.

  The wing radiator grilles are very nicely

  and sharply rendered.

  Modelers can also choose from several types of door,

  with or without a crowbar.

  KITS 12/2025

  INFO Eduard88

  December 2025

• Strana 89

  The frame with clear parts is huge for 1/72 scale, containing 5 versions of the cockpit canopy and 3 versions of the windscreen.

  The frames also contain two types of external fuel tank.

  KITS 12/2025

  INFO Eduard

  89

  December 2025

• Strana 90

  KITS 12/2025

  INFO Eduard90

  December 2025

• Strana 91

  KITS 12/2025

  INFO Eduard

  91

  December 2025

• Strana 92

  #84208

  A6M2-N Rufe

  1/48

  The Weekend edition kit of Japanese interceptor/fighter bomber floatplane

  A6M2-N (Allied code name Rufe) in 1/48 scale. Kit presents Rufe serving

  in Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service during World War II.

  plastic parts: Eduard

  marking options: 4

  decals: Eduard

  PE parts: no

  painting mask: no

  resin parts: no

  Product page

  KITS 12/2025

  INFO Eduard92

  December 2025

• Strana 93

  Aviation unit of seaplane tender Kamikawa Maru, Shortland, September 1942

  Kōkūtai 802, Faisi-Poporang base, Shortland Islands, February 1943

  This plane was an early production Rufe with

  folding wingtips. The Kamikawa Maru was

  completed in 1936 as an ocean liner but was

  converted to a seaplane tender a year later and

  was combat deployed in the aggression against

  China until the spring of 1941. At the start of the

  fighting in the Pacific, her air unit was equipped

  with E13A1 Jake and F1M2 Pete seaplanes, then

  by September 1942, she was deployed in the

  Solomon Islands area with eleven A6M2-Ns

  and two F1M2s. The main tasks of her airmen

  were base protection, convoy escorts and

  also attacks on ground troops on Guadalcanal.

  In addition to engagements with B-17s and

  Cactus Air Force pilots, the Kamikawa Maru

  airmen also got into combat with aircraft from

  the USS Hornet (CV-8). On the box art, the

  aircraft is depicted while engaged in an aerial

  battle that took place over Guadalcanal on

  September 13, 1942; by that time, it probably

  already carried a yellow identification marking

  on the leading edge of the wing.

  This aircraft was among the new ones that

  Kōkūtai 802 took over in Japan during early

  1943. At the unit level, the aircraft received

  a dark green paint and it probably had a late

  production stencil on the fuselage. It sported

  a horizontal red stripe on the vertical tail

  surfaces, which was probably the unit’s

  identifying marking. It is likely that this aircraft

  took part in the aerial combat on February 13

  and 14, during the defense of the Shortland

  Islands and Buin, in which the American

  units suffered fairly significant losses. After

  relocation to the Marshall Islands area in

  March 1943, Kōkūtai 802, under the command

  of Lt.(jg) Yamazaki, was primarily engaged

  in anti-submarine patrols and the pursuit of four-

  engine bombers. Long-range reconnaissance

  was carried out by another part of this unit,

  which was armed with H8K Emily flying boats.

  In October, fighter unit of Kōkūtai 802 was

  integrated into Kōkūtai 902, and in November,

  the fighter unit clashed with US Navy aircraft

  during a raid on Truk.

  KITS 12/2025

  INFO Eduard

  93

  December 2025

• Strana 94

  Lt (JG) Toshio Araki, Kōkūtai 452, Bettobi Lake, Shumshu Islands, Kuriles, summer 1943

  Kōkūtai 934, Ambon island, Moluku Islands, March 1944

  The aircraft of this fighter unit successively

  bore at least four different markings on their

  tail surfaces, depending on how the unit was

  designated and subordinated to different

  commands. After being evacuated from the

  Aleutian Islands to Japan, the unit was deployed

  in the Kuril area under the command of Toshio

  (Shunji) Araki. This aircraft shown with distinct

  markings may have been his personal mount.

  This officer graduated from the 67th class of

  the Naval Academy in July 1939. After serving

  aboard the submarine I-10, he began his aviation

  career with the Kashima Kōkūtai. During the

  combat operations of Kōkūtai 452, his pilots

  primarily engaged B-25 and B-24 bombers.

  Araki was a very meticulous and strict officer

  who loved playing the violin, though at times

  this hobby somewhat tried the patience of those

  around him. In the harsh northern conditions

  of the Kurils, he boosted morale by collecting

  phonograph records, one of his personal

  passions. He later served with the Sukumo

  Kōkūtai, then with Kōkūtai 453, and ultimately

  became the leader of a Zero fighter unit within

  the Kōkūtai 302 during the defense of Japan.

  He was killed on February 16, 1945, while

  attempting an emergency landing after

  a dogfight with Hellcats over Atsugi Air Base.

  This late production aircraft was finished

  in a factory applied dark green paint. At the

  unit level the white outline of Hinomaru was

  repainted to reduce the visibility of the machine.

  The aircraft designation 34-125 is interpreted

  in some publications as 34-135, which describe

  it as being finished in red. In early 1944 the

  Kōkūtai 934 was equipped with E13A Jake and

  F1M Pete observation aircraft and also with Rufe

  and N1K Rex fighter seaplanes. Their frequent

  opponents were the Beaufighter crews of

  No. 31 Sqn. RAAF. One of the Kōkūtai 934

  pilots, PO2c Hidenori Matsunaga, scored

  approximately ten shared victories against

  Beaufighters. Fighter squadron unit commander

  was Lt.(jg) Toshiharu Ikeda, who scored a victory

  over a Spitfire with a Rufe. Ikeda later became

  commander of Hikōtai 603 and was killed on

  June 23, 1944, at Saipan.

  KITS 12/2025

  INFO Eduard94

  December 2025

• Strana 95

• Strana 96

  To mark the 85th anniversary of the Battle of

  Britain, an independent publisher Plastic Invasi-

  on has launched a new book project on Indiego-

  go – Wings Over Britain – A Tribute to the Few.

  The publication connects historical research,

  aviation heritage, and scale modeling, focusing

  on the iconic Spitfire Mk.I and the men who flew

  it.

  Built around the Eduard 1/48 Spitfire kit, the

  book offers an in-depth photographic guide co-

  vering assembly, painting, and weathering, com-

  plemented by studies of RAF pilot equipment

  and period references.

  It combines clear, workshop-level instruction

  with visual storytelling that puts the reader ri-

  ght into the atmosphere of 1940.

  The book will be available in Standard and Li-

  mited Indiegogo Editions, with optional signed

  copies and a Battle of Britain A2 art poster.

  Early supporters can still access Early Bird pri-

  cing while it lasts.

  Wings Over Britain – A Tribute to the Few is

  a focused, visually rich publication created for

  those who value both craftsmanship and histo-

  rical accuracy.

  Advert - book Battle of Britain

• Strana 97

• Strana 98

  BRASSIN

  LööK set - Brassin pre-painted dashboard

  and STEEL seat belts for Sea Hurricane Mk.II

  in 1/32 scale. Easy to assemble, replaces plastic

  parts. Recommended kit: Revell

  Set contains:

  - resin: 1 part

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details: yes, pre-painted

  - painting mask: no

  LööK set - Brassin pre-painted dashboard

  and STEEL seat belts for P-47D Razorback

  in 1/48 scale. Easy to assemble, replaces plastic parts.

  Recommended kit: Miniart

  Set contains:

  - resin: 2 parts

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details: yes, pre-painted

  - painting mask: no

  634051

  Sea Hurricane Mk.II LööK

  1/32 Revell

  644330

  P-47D Razorback LööK

  1/48 MiniArt

  Product page

  Product page

  INFO Eduard98

  December 2025

• Strana 99

  644335

  MiG-21F turquiose LööK

  1/48 Eduard

  LööK set - Brassin pre-painted dashboard

  and STEEL seat belts for MiG-21F in 1/48 scale.

  Easy to assemble, replaces plastic parts.

  Recommended kit: Eduard

  Set contains:

  - resin: 2 parts

  - 3D print: 1 part

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details: yes, pre-painted

  - painting mask: no

  BRASSIN

  LööK set - Brassin pre-painted dashboard

  and STEEL seat belts for AV-8B Harrier in 1/48 scale.

  Easy to assemble, replaces plastic parts.

  Recommended kit: Uma Hobby

  Set contains:

  - resin: 3 parts

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details:

  yes, pre-painted

  - painting mask: no

  644336

  AV-8B Harrier Plus LööK

  1/48 UMA Models

  Product page

  Product page

  INFO Eduard

  99

  December 2025

• Strana 100

  BRASSIN

  674047

  Mosquito NF Mk. XXX LööK

  1/72 Revell

  LööK set - Brassin pre-painted dashboard

  and STEEL seat belts for Mosquito NF Mk.XXX

  in 1/72 scale. Easy to assemble, replaces plastic parts.

  Recommended kit: Special Hobby

  Set contains:

  - resin: 5 parts

  - 3D print: 1 part

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details:

  yes, pre-painted

  - painting mask: no

  LööK set - Brassin pre-painted dashboard

  and STEEL seat belts for Mosquito PR Mk.XVI in 1/72 scale.

  Easy to assemble, replaces plastic parts.

  Recommended kit: Special Hobby

  Set contains:

  - resin: 3 parts

  - 3D print: 1 part

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details:

  yes, pre-painted

  - painting mask: no

  Product page

  Product page

  674046

  Mosquito PR Mk. XVI LööK

  1/72 Revell

  INFO Eduard100

  December 2025

• Strana 101

  BRASSIN

  644331

  Jaguar GR.1 LööKplus

  1/48 Airfix

  Collection of 4 sets for Jaguar GR.1 in 1/48 scale.

  Recommended kit: Airfix

  - LööK set (pre-painted Brassin

  dashboard & Steelbelts)

  - undercarriage wheels

  - ejection seat

  - TFace painting mask

  Collection of 4 sets for Jaguar GR.1A in 1/48 scale.

  Recommended kit: Airfix

  - LööK set (pre-painted Brassin dashboard & Steelbelts)

  - undercarriage wheels

  - ejection seat

  - TFace painting mask

  644332

  Jaguar GR.1A LööKplus

  1/48 Airfix

  Product page

  Product page

  INFO Eduard

  101

  December 2025

• Strana 102

  BRASSIN

  635041

  H39 French Light Tank equipment PRINT

  1/35 Tamiya

  Brassin set - equipment for H39 French Light Tank

  in 1/35 scale. Set consists of equipment and separate

  clamps. Made by direct 3D printing. Made by direct

  3D printing Easy to assemble, replaces plastic parts.

  Recommended kit: Tamiya

  Set contains:

  - 3D print: 18 parts

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details: no

  - painting mask: no

  Product page

  Collection of 3 sets for MiG-21F in 1/48 scale.

  Recommended kit: Eduard

  - LööK set (pre-painted Brassin dashboard & Steelbelts)

  - undercarriage wheels

  - TFace painting mask

  Product page

  644333

  MiG-21F grey LööKplus

  1/48 Eduard

  INFO Eduard102

  December 2025

• Strana 103

  BRASSIN

  632209

  Hurricane Mk.II cockpit door PRINT

  1/32 Revell

  Brassin set - cockpit door for Hurricane Mk.II

  in 1/32 scale. Made by direct 3D printing. Made by direct

  3D printing Easy to assemble, replaces plastic parts.

  Recommended kit: Revell

  Set contains:

  - 3D print: 1 part

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details: no

  - painting mask: no

  Product page

  Brassin set - gun barrels for Hurricane Mk.II

  in 1/32 scale. Set consists of 2 sets of different

  types of barrels. Made by direct 3D printing.

  Made by direct 3D printing Easy to assemble,

  replaces plastic parts. Recommended kit: Revell

  Set contains:

  - resin: 8 parts

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details: no

  - painting mask: no

  632210

  Hurricane Mk.IIc gun barrels

  1/32 Revell

  Product page

  INFO Eduard

  103

  December 2025

• Strana 104

  BRASSIN

  Brassin set - cockpit upgrade set for P-47D

  in 1/48 scale. Set consists of rudder pedals,

  gun sight and SPACE seat belts. Made by direct

  3D printing. Easy to assemble, replaces plastic parts.

  Recommended kit: Miniart

  Set contains:

  - 3D print: 2 parts

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details: yes

  - painting mask: no

  - 3D decal: yes

  Product page

  6481156

  P-47D Razorback cockpit upgrade set PRINT

  1/48 MiniArt

  6481157

  P-47D undercarriage legs PRINT

  1/48 MiniArt

  Brassin set - the undercarriage legs for

  P-47D in 1/48 scale. Made by direct

  3D printing. Easy to assemble, replaces

  plastic parts. Recommended kit: Miniart

  Set contains:

  - 3D print: 2 parts

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details: no

  - painting mask: no

  Product page

  INFO Eduard104

  December 2025

• Strana 105

  BRASSIN

  6481161

  P-51D undercarriage legs PRINT

  1/48 Eduard

  Brassin set - the undercarriage legs for

  P-51D in 1/48 scale. Made by direct 3D printing.

  Easy to assemble, replaces plastic parts.

  Recommended kit: Eduard

  Set contains:

  - 3D print: 2 parts

  - resin: 4 parts

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details: no

  - painting mask: no

  Product page

  Brassin set - seats w/ integral seat belts for

  Mosquito in 1/72 scale. Made by direct 3D printing.

  Easy to assemble, replaces plastic parts.

  Recommended kit: Special Hobby

  Set contains:

  - 3D print: 2 parts

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details: no

  - painting mask: no

  672428

  Mosquito seats w/ integral belts PRINT

  1/72 Special Hobby

  Product page

  INFO Eduard

  105

  December 2025

• Strana 106

  BRASSIN

  Brassin set - exhaust nozzle for F-35C

  in 1/72 scale. Made by direct 3D printing.

  Easy to assemble, replaces plastic parts.

  Recommended kit: Tamiya

  Set contains:

  - 3D print: 4 parts

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details: no

  - painting mask: no

  Product page

  672430

  F-35C exhaust nozzle PRINT

  1/72 Tamiya

  672431

  F-35C ejection seat PRINT

  1/72 Tamiya

  Brassin set - ejection seat for F-35C in 1/72 scale.

  Set consists of 1 seat. Made by direct 3D printing.

  Easy to assemble, replaces plastic parts.

  Recommended kit: Tamiya

  Set contains:

  - 3D print: 3 parts

  - decals: yes

  - photo-etched details: yes

  - painting mask: no

  Product page

  INFO Eduard106

  December 2025

• Strana 107

  BRASSIN

  Product page

  Collection of 5 sets for P-40N in 1/48 scale.

  Recommended kit: Eduard

  - cockpit

  - radio compartment

  - undercarriage wheels

  - undercarriage legs

  - fuel drop tank

  All sets included in this BIG SIN are available separately,

  but with every BIG SIN set you save up to 30 %.

  SIN648145

  P-40N ESSENTIAL

  1/48 Eduard

  INFO Eduard

  107

  December 2025

• Strana 108

  BRASSIN

  Product page

  Collection of 4 sets for Jaguar GR.1 in 1/48 scale.

  Recommended kit: Airfix

  - cockpit

  - undercarriage wheels

  - exhaust nozzles

  - Remove Before Flight tags

  All sets included in this BIG SIN are available separately,

  but with every BIG SIN set you save up to 30 %.

  SIN648146

  Jaguar GR.1

  1/48 Airfix

  INFO Eduard108

  December 2025

• Strana 109

  MASKS

  IT FITS!

  EX1146 Hs 129B

  1/48 Takom

  EX1147 Hs 129B TFace

  1/48 Takom

  EX1148 Beaufighter Mk.VI

  1/48 Revell

  EX1149 Beaufighter Mk.VI TFace

  1/48 Revell

  EX1150 Kittyhawk Mk.Ia TFace

  1/48 Eduard

  EX1151 Kittyhawk Mk.IV TFace

  1/48 Eduard

  EX1147 Hs 129B TFace

  EX1147 Hs 129B TFace

  EX1146 Hs 129B

  EX1146 Hs 129B

  EX1149 Beaufighter Mk.VI TFace

  EX1149 Beaufighter Mk.VI TFace

  EX1148 Beaufighter Mk.VI

  EX1148 Beaufighter Mk.VI

  EX1149 Beaufighter Mk.VI TFace

  EX1149 Beaufighter Mk.VI TFace

  EX1147 Hs 129B TFace

  EX1147 Hs 129B TFace

  INFO Eduard

  109

  December 2025

• Strana 110

  DECEMBER 2025

  FV 622 Stalwart

  1/35 Airfix

  #36538

  PHOTO

  -

  ETCHED

  INFO Eduard110

  December 2025

• Strana 111

  PHOTO

  -

  ETCHED

  Tornado GR.1 exterior

  Tornado GR.1 interior

  1/32 Italeri

  1/32 Italeri

  #32497

  #321029

  #33387

  #33388

  INFO Eduard

  111

  December 2025

• Strana 112

  PHOTO

  -

  ETCHED

  Tornado GR.1 undercarriage

  1/32 Italeri

  #321030

  Beaufighter Mk.VI landing flaps

  1/48 Revell

  #481179

  INFO Eduard112

  December 2025

• Strana 113

• Strana 114

  3DL32038 Tornado GR.1 SPACE 1/32 Italeri

  3DL32039

  Tornado GR.1 seatbelts SPACE 1/32 Italeri

  Product page

  Product page

  easy

  application

  INFO Eduard114

  December 2025

• Strana 115

  SPACE

  3DL48255 Hs 129B SPACE 1/48 Takom

  3DL48256

  Beaufighter Mk.VI SPACE 1/48 Revell

  SPACE

  Product page

  Product page

  INFO Eduard

  115

  December 2025

• Strana 116

  SPACE

  3DL48257 F6F seatbelts SPACE 1/48 Eduard

  3DL48258

  P-51B/C seatbelts SPACE 1/48 Eduard

  Product page

  Product page

  INFO Eduard116

  December 2025

• Strana 117

  SPACE

  3DL48259 Kittyhawk Mk.Ia SPACE 1/48 Eduard

  3DL48260

  Kittyhawk Mk.IV SPACE 1/48 Eduard

  SPACE

  Product page

  Product page

  INFO Eduard

  117

  December 2025

• Strana 118

  SPACE

  3DL72077 Bf 109G seatbelts SPACE 1/72

  3DL72078

  Spitfire Mk.Vb SPACE 1/72 Eduard

  Product page

  Product page

  INFO Eduard118

  December 2025

• Strana 119

  SPACE

  3DL72079 B-24D nose & radio compartment SPACE 1/72 Airfix

  SPACE

  Product page

  INFO Eduard

  119

  December 2025

• Strana 120

  BIG ED

  All sets included in this BIG ED are available separately,

  but with every BIG ED set you save up to 30%.

  BIG49464 B-26F Marauder PART I 1/48 ICM

  BIG49465

  B-26F Marauder PART II 1/48 ICM

  491552 B-26F Marauder 1/48

  FE1553 B-26F Marauder seatbelts STEEL 1/48

  EX1136 B-26F Marauder 1/48

  481172 B-26F Marauder exterior 1/48

  481173 B-26F Marauder bomb bay 1/48

  491553 B-26F Marauder rear interior 1/48

  Product page

  Product page

  INFO Eduard120

  December 2025

• Strana 121

  BIG ED

  BIG49466 Spitfire Tr.9 1/48 Airfix

  BIG72187

  B-24J 1/72 Hasegawa

  481174 Spitfire Tr.9 landing flaps 1/48

  491550 Spitfire Tr.9 1/48

  FE1551 Spitfire Tr.9 seatbelts STEEL 1/48

  EX1139 Spitfire Tr.9 1/48

  72749 B-24J undercarriage & engines 1/72

  72750 B-24J bomb bay 1/72

  73854 B-24J 1/72

  CX220 B-24J 1/72

  Product page

  Product page

  All sets included in this BIG ED are available separately,

  but with every BIG ED set you save up to 30%.

  INFO Eduard

  121

  December 2025

• Strana 122

  BIG-EDBIG-ED

  RELEASES

  DECEMBER 2025

  KITS

  PE

  -

  SETS

  ZOOMS

  MASKS

  11187 KITTYHAWK DUAL COMBO 1/48 Limited

  82157 Spitfire Mk.Vb mid 1/48 ProfiPACK

  70205 Spitfire Mk.Vb early 1/72 ProfiPACK

  84208 A6M2-N Rufe 1/48 Weekend

  32497 Tornado GR.1 exterior 1/32 Italeri

  321029 Tornado GR.1 interior 1/32 Italeri

  321030 Tornado GR.1 undercarriage 1/32 Italeri

  36538 FV 622 Stalwart 1/35 Airfix

  481176 Beaufighter Mk.VI landing flaps 1/48 Revell

  481177 S-199 upgrade set 1/48 Eduard

  491560 Hs 129B 1/48 Takom

  491561 Beaufighter Mk.VI 1/48 Revell

  33387 Tornado GR.1 1/32 Italeri

  33388 Tornado GR.1 seatbelts STEEL 1/32 Italeri

  FE1560 Hs 129B seatbelts STEEL 1/48 Takom

  FE1561 Beaufighter Mk.VI 1/48 Revell

  FE1562 Beaufighter Mk.VI seatbelts STEEL 1/48 Revell

  FE1563 A6M2-N Rufe Weekend 1/48 Eduard

  EX1146 Hs 129B 1/48 Takom

  EX1147 Hs 129B TFace 1/48 Takom

  EX1148 Beaufighter Mk.VI 1/48 Revell

  EX1149 Beaufighter Mk.VI TFace 1/48 Revell

  EX1150 Kittyhawk Mk.Ia TFace 1/48 Eduard

  EX1151 Kittyhawk Mk.IV TFace 1/48 Eduard

  BIG ED

  BIG49464 B-26F Marauder PART I 1/48 ICM

  BIG49465 B-26F Marauder PART II 1/48 ICM

  BIG49466 Spitfire Tr.9 1/48 Airfix

  BIG72187 B-24J 1/72 Hasegawa

  INFO Eduard122

  December 2025

• Strana 123

  RELEASES

  BRASSIN

  LöökPLUS

  BIGSIN

  SPACE

  634051 Sea Hurricane Mk.II LööK 1/32 Revell

  644330 P-47D Razorback LööK 1/48 MiniArt

  644335 MiG-21F turquoise LööK 1/48 Eduard

  644336 AV-8B Harrier Plus LööK 1/48 UMA Models

  674046 Mosquito PR Mk. XVI LööK 1/72 Special Hobby

  674047 Mosquito NF Mk. XXX LööK 1/72 Special Hobby

  632209 Hurricane Mk.II cockpit door PRINT 1/32 Revell

  632210 Hurricane Mk.IIc gun barrels 1/32 Revell

  635041 H39 French Light Tank equipment PRINT 1/35 Tamiya

  6481156 P-47D Razorback

  cockpit upgrade set PRINT 1/48 MiniArt

  6481157 P-47D undercarriage legs PRINT 1/48 MiniArt

  6481161 P-51D undercarriage legs PRINT 1/48 Eduard

  672428 Mosquito seats w/ integral belts PRINT 1/72 Special Hobby

  672430 F-35C exhaust nozzle PRINT 1/72 Tamiya

  672431 F-35C ejection seat PRINT 1/72 Tamiya

  644331 Jaguar GR.1 LööKplus 1/48 Airfix

  644332 Jaguar GR.1A LööKplus 1/48 Airfix

  644333 MiG-21F grey LööKplus 1/48 Eduard

  SIN648145 P-40N ESSENTIAL 1/48 Eduard

  SIN648146 Jaguar GR.1 1/48 Airfix

  3DL32038 Tornado GR.1 SPACE 1/32 Italeri

  3DL32039 Tornado GR.1 seatbelts SPACE 1/32 Italeri

  3DL48255 Hs 129B SPACE 1/48 Takom

  3DL48256 Beaufighter Mk.VI SPACE 1/48 Revell

  3DL48257 F6F seatbelts SPACE 1/48 Eduard

  3DL48258 P-51B/C seatbelts SPACE 1/48 Eduard

  3DL48259 Kittyhawk Mk.Ia SPACE 1/48 Eduard

  3DL48260 Kittyhawk Mk.IV SPACE 1/48 Eduard

  3DL72077 Bf 109G seatbelts SPACE 1/72

  3DL72078 Spitfire Mk.Vb SPACE 1/72 Eduard

  3DL72079 B-24D nose & radio compartment SPACE 1/72 Airfix

  DECEMBER 2025

  INFO Eduard

  123

  December 2025

• Strana 124

• Strana 125

• Strana 126

  BUILT

  built by Jan Baranec

  #948011

  MARKING A

  1/48

  AVIA S-199 ERLA canopy

  INFO Eduard126

  December 2025

• Strana 127

  BUILT

  101 Tayeset, Cheyl Ha´avir, Hatzor, Israel, October 1948

  The aircraft coded D-123 was delivered to Israel

  on July 28 on board Balak Flight No. 79 and

  joined the action on August 15, 1948. A month

  prior to entry into service, ex-USAAF volunteer

  pilot Stan Andrews drew up the 101 Tayeset’s

  (Squadron) insignia of a winged skull of death

  wearing a flight helmet and goggles. The skull

  symbolizes the Jewish faith’s belief in the

  rising of the dead to form a large army when

  the messiah comes to earth. The insignia was

  printed on paper and applied to the left side of

  the nose of 101 Tayeset’s planes. In preparation

  for Operation Ten Plagues (October 15-22, 1948),

  later renamed Operation Yoav, 101 Tayeset

  fighters obtained high visibility markings

  consisting of red spinners and red and white

  stripes on the rudders in order to distinguish

  them from Egyptian aircraft. More to it, the Star

  of David roundels were applied atop the wings

  for the first time. During Operation Yoav, Rudi

  Augarten claimed a Royal Egyptian Air Force

  Spitfire Mk.IXc flying D-123 on the first day of

  the offensive, on October 16. The kill was not

  confirmed by IAF intelligence. In November,

  D-123 was given the number 1905 as part of the

  introduction of a new military aircraft marking

  system. There are a few repairs to the fuselage

  that appear darker areas on photos of D-123.

  This has led some researchers to believe

  the aircraft received a two-tone camouflage.

  However, it is merely a contrast of older and

  newer paint of the same shade of green.

  Product page

  INFO Eduard

  127

  December 2025

• Strana 128

  ENSTROM 480

  built by Jan Novotný

  #972011

  MARKING A

  1/72

  BUILT

  INFO Eduard128

  December 2025

• Strana 129

  BUILT

  Enstrom 480B

  -

  G, CLV Pardubice, Pardubice Airfield, Czech republic, 2025

  When the search began in 2017 for a replacement

  for the aging Mi-2 helicopters used to train

  future army helicopter pilots, Enstrom entered

  the competition with its 480B

  -

  G model. This

  helicopter ultimately won the competition and,

  in mid-2018, was incorporated into the Aviation

  Training Center, based at Pardubice Airport

  and operated by the state-owned company

  LOM Praha. Currently, CLV (Aviation Training

  Center) Pardubice operates nine of these

  helicopters. One of the first Enstroms delivered

  to Pardubice was helicopter registration

  number 0473, named Pernštejn, which received

  standard NATO camouflage with yellow color

  additions.

  INFO Eduard

  129

  December 2025

• Strana 130

  1/48

  built by Robert Szwarc

  #11190

  MARKING G

  BUILT

  INFO Eduard130

  December 2025

• Strana 131

  MiG-21FR, c/n 161105, 3 Flight, 4 Fighter Air Regiment, Pardubice AB, Czechoslovakia, May 1975

  The aerial part of the parade on May 9, 1975, was

  led by the command Tu-134A 1407, accompanied

  on each side by a pair of Pardubice MiG-21Fs

  from the 3 Squadron of the 4 Air Force Regiment.

  The formation took off from Pardubice Airport,

  and a color documentary film entitled “Conduct

  a Flyover” was made about the entire event.

  The Pardubice unit received the honorary title

  of Slovak National Uprising Unit for organizing

  the air show. Probably for color harmonization

  with the Tu-134A transport aircraft, the MiG-21s

  were equipped with pale blue marking details

  with washable paints. The aircraft was modified

  to a reconnaissance version and its operation

  in the Czechoslovak Air Force was terminated

  on December 22, 1987, with 1,234 flight hours.

  BUILT

  INFO Eduard

  131

  December 2025

• Strana 132

  1/48

  built by Paolo Portuesi

  #11194

  MARKING D

  Product page

  BUILT

  INFO Eduard132

  December 2025

• Strana 133

  W.Nr. 140206, Hptm. Heinrich Paepcke, CO of Stab II./KG 77, Gerbini, Italy, October 1942

  Heinrich Paepcke was born on December 11,

  1910, in Wattescheid, Westphalia. In May 1929,

  he began his career in the merchant navy,

  he joined the army in July 1934, and enlisted

  in the Luftwaffe in 1935, to which he remained

  loyal until his death. After flight training,

  he was assigned to KG 30, armed with Junkers

  Ju 88s, in December 1939. In April 1940, he was

  appointed commander of the 7. Staffel, and in

  September 1940, he was awarded the Knight's

  Cross. On October 1, 1941, he was promoted

  to Hauptmann and appointed commander of

  II. Gruppe KG 77, which was at that time in rest

  and rearming at Ansbach Airfield, preparing for

  deployment on the southern front. Paepcke's

  unit was transferred to Comiso Airfield in

  Sicily in January 1942, from where it carried

  out attacks on Malta and against supplies

  being transported to the island. On October

  17, 1942, Hptm. Paepcke and his crew were

  killed in a head-on collision with a Spitfire

  approximately 15 km off the coast of Malta

  during a raid on Luqa Airport. Heinrich Paepcke

  was posthumously awarded the Oak Leaves

  to the Knight's Cross and promoted to the

  rank of Major. The camouflage of his aircraft,

  consisting of splinter pattern of RLM 70 and

  71 colors on the sides and upper surfaces,

  was supplemented with spots in RLM 65 and

  RLM 79 colors.

  BUILT

  INFO Eduard

  133

  December 2025

• Strana 134

  ON APPROACH

  JANUARY 2026

  634052

  Bf 109K LööK

  1/32 Kotare

  644334

  Hs 129B LööK

  1/48 Takom

  BIG33169 Bf 109K-4 1/32 Kotare

  BIG33170 Hs 123A 1/32 ICM

  BIG49467 Bf 109E-4/7 1/48 Tamiya

  BIG72188 F-35C 1/72 Tamiya

  634052 Bf 109K LööK 1/32 Kotare

  644334 Hs 129B LööK 1/48 Takom

  644337 Avia S-199 LööK 1/48 Eduard

  644338 Beaufighter Mk.VI LööK 1/48 Revell

  674054 F-35C LööK 1/72 Tamiya

  674057 Spitfire Mk.Vb LööK 1/72 Eduard

  674058 P-51D LööK 1/72 Arma Hobby

  632211 Bf 109K-4 gun barrels PRINT 1/32 Kotare

  6481013 B-26B/C engines PRINT 1/48 ICM

  6481160 MiG-21F ejection seat w/ integral seat belts PRINT 1/48 Eduard

  6481163 Beaufighter Mk.VI wheels 1/48 Revell

  6481170 Bf 109G undercarriage legs PRINT 1/48 Eduard

  6481174 A6M undercarriage legs PRINT 1/48 Eduard

  672429 F-35C wheels 1/72 Tamiya

  672432 F-35C cockpit PRINT 1/72 Tamiya

  672434 Spitfire Mk.V wheels 1/72 Eduard

  672435 Spitfire Mk.V six-stacks exhaust fishtail PRINT 1/72 Eduard

  672440 Spitfire Mk.V three-stacks exhaust fishtail PRINT 1/72 Eduard

  672441 Spitfire Mk.V three-stacks exhaust rounded PRINT 1/72 Eduard

  672442 P-51D wheels block tread 1/72 Arma Hobby

  672448 P-51D seat w/ integral seat belts PRINT 1/72 Arma Hobby

  644340 Ki-115 Tsurugi LööKplus 1/48 Eduard

  644341 P-47D Razorback LööKplus 1/48 MiniArt

  674059 Fw 190D LööKplus 1/72 IBG

  SIN648147 Jaguar GR.1A 1/48 Eduard

  SIN648148 P-40N ADVANCED 1/48 Airfix

  BIG ED (January)

  BRASSIN (January)

  LöökPlus (January)

  BIGSIN (January)

  LööK set - Brassin pre-painted dashboard

  and STEEL seat belts for Hs 129B in 1/48 scale.

  Easy to assemble, replaces plastic parts.

  Recommended kit: Takom

  Set contains:

  - resin: 1 part

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details:

  yes, pre-painted

  - painting mask: no

  LööK set - Brassin pre-painted dashboard

  and STEEL seat belts for Bf 109K-4 in 1/32 scale.

  Easy to assemble, replaces plastic parts.

  Recommended kit: Kotare

  Set contains:

  - resin: 2 parts

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details:

  yes, pre-painted

  - painting mask: no

  644337

  Avia S-199 LööK

  1/48 Eduard

  LööK set - Brassin pre-painted dashboard

  and STEEL seat belts for S-199 in 1/48 scale.

  Easy to assemble, replaces plastic parts.

  Recommended kit: Eduard

  Set contains:

  - resin: 1 part

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details: yes, pre-painted

  - painting mask: no

  PRELIMINARY IMAGES

  INFO Eduard134

  December 2025

• Strana 135

  ON APPROACHJANUARY 2026

  644338

  Beaufighter Mk.VI LööK

  1/48 Revell

  674054

  F-35C LööK

  1/72 Tamiya

  674057

  Spitfire Mk.Vb LööK

  1/72 Eduard

  LööK set - Brassin pre-painted dashboard and

  STEEL seat belts for Beaufighter Mk.VI in 1/48 scale.

  Easy to assemble, replaces plastic parts.

  Recommended kit: Revell

  Set contains:

  - resin: 1 part

  - 3D print: 1 part

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details: yes, pre-painted

  - painting mask: no

  LööK set - Brassin pre-painted dashboard

  and STEEL seat belts for F-35C in 1/72 scale.

  Easy to assemble, replaces plastic parts.

  Recommended kit: Tamyia

  Set contains:

  - resin: 1 part

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details: yes, pre-painted

  - painting mask: no

  LööK set - Brassin pre-painted dashboard

  and STEEL seat belts for Sptfire Mk.Vb in 1/72

  scale. Easy to assemble, replaces plastic parts.

  Recommended kit: Eduard

  Set contains:

  - resin: 1 part

  - 3D print: 2 parts

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details: yes, pre-painted

  - painting mask: no

  INFO Eduard

  135

  December 2025

• Strana 136

  ON APPROACH

  JANUARY 2026

  674058

  P-51D LööK

  1/72 Arma Hobby

  632211

  Bf 109K-4 gun barrels PRINT

  1/32 Kotare

  6481013

  B-26B/C engines PRINT

  1/48 ICM

  LööK set - Brassin pre-painted dashboard

  and STEEL seat belts for P-51D in 1/72 scale.

  Easy to assemble, replaces plastic parts.

  Recommended kit: Arma Hobby

  Set contains:

  - resin: 2 parts

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details: yes, pre-painted

  - painting mask: no

  Brassin set - gun barrels for Bf 109K-4 in 1/32 scale.

  Made by direct 3D printing. Made by direct

  3D printing Easy to assemble, replaces plastic parts.

  Recommended kit: Kotare

  Set contains:

  - resin: 2 parts

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details: no

  - painting mask: no

  Brassin set - engines for B-26B or C Marauder

  in 1/48 scale. Set consists of 2 engines. Made by direct

  3D printing. Easy to assemble, replaces plastic parts.

  Recommended kit: ICM

  Set contains:

  - resin: 26 parts

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details: no

  - painting mask: no

  INFO Eduard136

  December 2025

• Strana 137

  6481160

  MiG-21F ejection seat w/ integral seat belts PRINT

  1/48 ICM

  6481163

  Beaufighter Mk.VI wheels

  1/48 Revell

  6481170

  Bf 109G undercarriage legs PRINT

  1/48 Eduard

  Brassin set - ejection seat with integral seat

  beltss for MiG-21F in 1/48 scale. Made by direct 3D

  printing. Easy to assemble, replaces plastic parts.

  Recommended kit: Eduard

  Set contains:

  - 3D print: 6 parts

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details: no

  - painting mask: no

  Brassin set - the undercarriage wheels for Beaufighter Mk.VI

  in 1/48 scale. The set consists of the main wheels and

  a tail wheel. Easy to assemble, replaces plastic parts.

  Recommended kit: Revell

  Set contains:

  - resin: 3 parts

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details: no

  - painting mask: yes

  Brassin set - the undercarriage legs for

  Bf 109G in 1/48 scale. Made by direct 3D printing.

  Easy to assemble, replaces plastic parts.

  Recommended kit: Eduard

  Set contains:

  - 3D print: 2 parts

  - resin: 2 parts

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details: no

  - painting mask: no

  ON APPROACHJANUARY 2026

  INFO Eduard

  137

  December 2025

• Strana 138

  ON APPROACH

  6481174

  A6M undercarriage legs PRINT

  1/48 Eduard

  672429

  F-35C wheels

  1/72 Tamiya

  672432

  F-35C cockpit PRINT

  1/72 Tamiya

  Brassin set - the undercarriage legs for A6M

  Zero in 1/48 scale. Made by direct 3D printing.

  Easy to assemble, replaces plastic parts.

  Recommended kit: Eduard

  Set contains:

  - 3D print: 2 parts

  - resin: 6 parts

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details: no

  - painting mask: no

  Brassin set - the undercarriage wheels for F-35C

  in 1/72 scale. The set consists of the main wheels

  and a nose wheel. Easy to assemble, replaces

  plastic parts. Recommended kit: Tamiya

  Set contains:

  - resin: 4 parts

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details: no

  - painting mask: yes

  Brassin set - cockpit for F-35C in 1/72 scale.

  Made by direct 3D printing. Easy to assemble,

  replaces plastic parts. Recommended kit: Tamiya

  Set contains:

  - 3D print: 7 parts

  - decals: yes

  - photo-etched details: yes

  - painting mask: no

  JANUARY 2026

  INFO Eduard138

  December 2025

• Strana 139

  672434

  Spitfire Mk.V wheels

  1/72 Eduard

  672435

  Spitfire Mk.V six-stacks exhaust fishtail PRINT

  1/72 Eduard

  672440

  Spitfire Mk.V three-stacks exhaust fishtail PRINT

  1/72 Eduard

  Brassin set - undercarriage wheels for Spitfire Mk.V

  in 1/72 scale. Easy to assemble, replaces plastic parts.

  Recommended kit: Eduard

  Set contains:

  - resin: 3 parts

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details: no

  - painting mask: yes

  Brassin set - exhaust stacks for Spitfire Mk.V

  in 1/72 scale. Made by direct 3D printing.

  Easy to assemble, replaces plastic parts.

  Recommended kit: Eduard

  Set contains:

  - 3D print: 2 parts

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details: no

  - painting mask: no

  Brassin set - exhaust stacks for Spitfire Mk.V

  in 1/72 scale. Made by direct 3D printing.

  Easy to assemble, replaces plastic parts.

  Recommended kit: Eduard

  Set contains:

  - 3D print: 2 parts

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details: no

  - painting mask: no

  ON APPROACHJANUARY 2026

  INFO Eduard

  139

  December 2025

• Strana 140

  ON APPROACH

  672441

  Spitfire Mk.V three-stacks exhaust rounded PRINT

  1/72 Eduard

  672442

  P-51D wheels block tread

  1/72 Arma Hobby

  672448

  P-51D seat w/ integral seat belts PRINT

  1/72 Arma Hobby

  Brassin set - exhaust stacks for Spitfire Mk.V

  in 1/72 scale. Made by direct 3D printing.

  Easy to assemble, replaces plastic parts.

  Recommended kit: Eduard

  Set contains:

  - 3D print: 2 parts

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details: no

  - painting mask: no

  Brassin set - undercarriage wheels for P-51D

  in 1/72 scale. Easy to assemble, replaces plastic parts.

  Recommended kit: Arma Hobby

  Set contains:

  - resin: 2 parts

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details: no

  - painting mask: yes

  Brassin set - seat w/ integral seat belts for

  P-51D in 1/72 scale. Made by direct 3D printing.

  Easy to assemble, replaces plastic parts.

  Recommended kit: Arma Hobby

  Set contains:

  - 3D print: 1 part

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details: no

  - painting mask: no

  JANUARY 2026

  INFO Eduard140

  December 2025

• Strana 141

  ON APPROACH

  644341

  P-47D Razorback LööKplus

  1/48 MiniArt

  674059

  Fw 190D LööKplus

  1/72 IBG

  Collection of 4 sets for P-47D Razorback in 1/48 scale.

  Recommended kit: Miniart

  - LööK set (pre-painted Brassin dashboard & Steelbelts)

  - undercarriage wheels

  - cockpit upgrade set (rudder pedals, gun sight,

  SPACE seat belts)

  - TFace painting mask

  Collection of 4 sets for Fw 190D in 1/72 scale.

  Recommended kit: IBG models

  - LööK set (pre-painted Brassin dashboard & Steelbelts)

  - undercarriage wheels

  - exhaust stacks

  - painting mask

  644340

  Ki-115 Tsurugi LööKplus

  1/48 Eduard

  Collection of 3 sets for Ki-115 Tsurugi in 1/48 scale.

  Recommended kit: Eduard

  - LööK set (pre-painted Brassin dashboard & Steelbelts)

  - undercarriage wheels

  - 800kg bomb

  JANUARY 2026

  INFO Eduard

  141

  December 2025

• Strana 142

  ON APPROACH

  SIN648147

  Jaguar GR.1A

  1/48 Airfix

  Collection of 4 sets for Jaguar GR.1A in 1/48 scale.

  Recommended kit: Airfix

  - cockpit

  - undercarriage wheels

  - exhaust nozzles

  - Remove Before Flight tags

  All sets included in this BIG SIN are available separately,

  but with every BIG SIN set you save up to 30 %.

  JANUARY 2026

  INFO Eduard142

  December 2025

• Strana 143

  SIN648148

  P-40N ADVANCED

  1/48 Eduard

  Collection of 3 sets for P-40N in 1/48 scale.

  Recommended kit: Eduard

  - wheel bays

  - gun bays

  - engine

  All sets included in this BIG SIN are available separately,

  but with every BIG SIN set you save up to 30 %.

  ON APPROACHJANUARY 2026

  INFO Eduard

  143

  December 2025

• Strana 144

  PE

  -

  SETS

  481178 A-4C air brakes 1/48 Hobby Boss

  481179 P-400 landing flaps 1/48 Arma Hobby

  491564 A-4C 1/48 Hobby Boss

  491566 P-400 1/48 Arma Hobby

  491568 P-47N 1/48 MiniArt

  73863 P-51D 1/72 Arma Hobby

  73864 Mosquito B.35 1/72 Airfix

  73865 Mosquito TT.35 1/72 Airfix

  ZOOMS

  FE1564 A-4C 1/48 Hobby Boss

  FE1565 A-4C seatbelts STEEL 1/48 Hobby Boss

  FE1566 P-400 1/48 Arma Hobby

  FE1567 P-400 seatbelts STEEL 1/48 Arma Hobby

  FE1568 P-47N 1/48 MiniArt

  FE1569 P-47N seatbelts STEEL 1/48 MiniArt

  FE1570 P-51B/C Weekend 1/48 Eduard

  SS864 Mosquito B.35 1/72 Airfix

  SS865 Mosquito TT.35 1/72 Airfix

  MASKS

  EX1152 A-4C 1/48 Hobby Boss

  EX1153 A-4C TFace 1/48 Hobby Boss

  EX1154 P-47N 1/48 MiniArt

  EX1155 P-47N TFace 1/48 MiniArt

  EX1156 F-35A RAM coating early 1/48 Italeri

  EX1157 F-35A RAM coating late 1/48 Italeri

  EX1158 S-199 bubble canopy TFace 1/48 Eduard

  CX702 Mosquito B.35 1/72 Airfix

  CX703 Mosquito TT.35 1/72 Airfix

  SPACE

  3DL48261 A-4C 1/48 Hobby Boss

  3DL48262 P-400 1/48 Arma Hobby

  3DL48263 P-47N 1/48 MiniArt

  3DL72080 P-51D 1/72 Arma Hobby

  3DL72081 Mosquito B.35 SPACE 1/72 Airfix

  3DL72082 Mosquito TT.35 SPACE 1/72 Airfix

  ON APPROACH

  JANUARY 2026

  INFO Eduard144

  December 2025

• Strana 145

  PE

  -

  SETS

  481178 A-4C air brakes 1/48 Hobby Boss

  481179 P-400 landing flaps 1/48 Arma Hobby

  491564 A-4C 1/48 Hobby Boss

  491566 P-400 1/48 Arma Hobby

  491568 P-47N 1/48 MiniArt

  73863 P-51D 1/72 Arma Hobby

  73864 Mosquito B.35 1/72 Airfix

  73865 Mosquito TT.35 1/72 Airfix

  ZOOMS

  FE1564 A-4C 1/48 Hobby Boss

  FE1565 A-4C seatbelts STEEL 1/48 Hobby Boss

  FE1566 P-400 1/48 Arma Hobby

  FE1567 P-400 seatbelts STEEL 1/48 Arma Hobby

  FE1568 P-47N 1/48 MiniArt

  FE1569 P-47N seatbelts STEEL 1/48 MiniArt

  FE1570 P-51B/C Weekend 1/48 Eduard

  SS864 Mosquito B.35 1/72 Airfix

  SS865 Mosquito TT.35 1/72 Airfix

  MASKS

  EX1152 A-4C 1/48 Hobby Boss

  EX1153 A-4C TFace 1/48 Hobby Boss

  EX1154 P-47N 1/48 MiniArt

  EX1155 P-47N TFace 1/48 MiniArt

  EX1156 F-35A RAM coating early 1/48 Italeri

  EX1157 F-35A RAM coating late 1/48 Italeri

  EX1158 S-199 bubble canopy TFace 1/48 Eduard

  CX702 Mosquito B.35 1/72 Airfix

  CX703 Mosquito TT.35 1/72 Airfix

  SPACE

  3DL48261 A-4C 1/48 Hobby Boss

  3DL48262 P-400 1/48 Arma Hobby

  3DL48263 P-47N 1/48 MiniArt

  3DL72080 P-51D 1/72 Arma Hobby

  3DL72081 Mosquito B.35 SPACE 1/72 Airfix

  3DL72082 Mosquito TT.35 SPACE 1/72 Airfix

  ON APPROACH

  SPITFIRE STORY: THE SWEEPS 1/72

  2154

  W3457, F/O James E. Johnson,

  No. 616 Squadron, RAF Tangmere,

  the United Kingdom, August 1941

  EN824, F/Lt John Yarra, No. 453

  Squadron RAAF, RAF Ipswich, Suffolk,

  United Kingdom, December 1942

  W3518, S/Ldr Count Franz

  F. Colloredo-Mansfeld, CO of No. 132

  Squadron, RAF Newchurch, Kent,

  United Kingdom, September 1943

  EN921, F/O Jackson E. Sheppard,

  No. 401 Squadron RCAF, RAF Biggin Hill,

  United Kingdom, October 1943

  EP829, S/Ldr John J. Lynch,

  No. 249 Squadron, Krendi, Malta,

  May 1943

  BM324, F/Lt Bernard Dupérier

  (Baron Léon Sternberg de Armella),

  No. 340 (Free French) Squadron,

  RAF Westhampnett, West Sussex,

  the United Kingdom, July 1942

  BM564, P/O André M. A. F. Plisnier,

  No. 350 (Belgium) Squadron,

  RAF Redhill, Surrey, United Kingdom,

  summer - fall 1942

  EN951, S/Ldr Jan Zumbach,

  CO of No. 303 (Polish) Squadron,

  RAF Kirton in Lindsey, Lincolnshire,

  United Kingdom, September 1942

  W3817, S/Ldr Richard M. Milne,

  No. 92 squadron, RAF Gravessend,

  the United Kingdomn,

  August-December 1941

  BL973, F/Lt Stanislav Fejfar, No. 313

  (Czechoslovak) Squadron, RAF Hornchurch,

  the United Kingdom, March-May 1942

  BM124, S/Ldr Brendan E. F. Finnucane,

  CO of No. 602 Squadron, RAF Kenley,

  United Kingdom, April 1942

  JANUARY 2026

  INFO Eduard

  145

  December 2025

• Strana 146

  ON APPROACH

  Avia S-199 bubble canopy

  1/48

  #948012

  Police Air Patrol, Brno/Olomouc, Czechoslovakia, 1949

  S-199.165, Lt. Vladislav Petráš, 1 Squadron, 18 Aviation Regiment,

  Plzeň-Skvrňany, Czechoslovakia, July 1952

  S-199.340, Lt. František Kratochvíla, No. 3 Squadron,

  51 Aviation Regiment, Mladá, Czechoslovakia, July 1952

  S-199.210, Aviation Regiment 5, Plzeň-Bory,

  Czechoslovakia, 1950

  S-199.310, PFC Josef Mucha, Aviation School Regiment 5,

  Zvolen, Sliač AB, Czechoslovakia, August 1952

  S-199.531 Lt. Václav Dvořák, No. 2 Squadron,

  Aviation Fighter Regiment 3, Brno-Černovice,

  Czechoslovakia, April 1953

  JANUARY 2026

  INFO Eduard146

  December 2025

• Strana 147

  P-51B-5-NA, s/n 43-6315, Lt. Col. James Howard,

  CO 354th FG, 9th AF, Lashenden, Great Britain,

  April 1944

  P51B-10-NA, s/ n 43-7099, Maj. Alvan C. Gillem II,

  CO 307th FS, 31st FG, 15th AF, Nettuno,

  Italy, February 1944

  P51B-5-NA, s/n 42-106471, Lt. Col. John C. Meyer,

  CO 487th FS, 352th FG, 8th AF, Bodney,

  Great Britain, May 1944

  P-51B-15-NA, s/n 42-106971, Capt. Benjamin

  H. Ashmore, 26th FS, 51st FG, Nanning, China,

  autumn 1944

  ON APPROACH

  P-51B/C Mustang Birdcage canopy 1/48

  #84209

  JANUARY 2026

  INFO Eduard

  147

  December 2025

• Strana 148

  ON APPROACH

  Fw 190A-8 Re-Release

  1/48

  #82147

  W.Nr. 350189, 12./JG 5, Herdla, Norway, Spring 1945

  W.Nr. 960542, Stab/JG 4, Jüterbog-Damm, Germany, Spring 1945

  Ofhr. Walter Köhne, 3./JG 1, Bad Lippspringe,

  Germany, May 1944

  W.Nr. 171180, 6./JG 300, München-Neubiberg,

  Germany, April–May 1945

  W.Nr. 172733, Uffz. Ernst Schröder, 5./JG 300,

  Löbnitz, Germany, October 1944

  JANUARY 2026

  INFO Eduard148

  December 2025

• Strana 149

  While preparing an article about the exhibition

  at the Technical Museum in Brno for this issue,

  and especially during many conversations

  with visitors to the event, I came to think

  about the meaning of such exhibitions and the

  meaning of model competitions as a whole. The

  explanation requires me to go back a few years.

  The idea of holding a large exhibition based on

  plastic models and what this hobby needs and

  entails has a long history with me (the club

  KPM BRNO also organized two similar large

  exhibitions in the 1980s in cooperation with

  the Technical Museum) and I was indirectly

  connected by extension with MODELLBRNO,

  not being a traditional model exhibition.

  We always tried to relegate any competitive

  aspects to the background at MODELLBRNO to

  give as much space as possible to club tables

  and theme displays. We were among the first

  to public workshops called MODELLBRNO XXL

  in order to get new trends among as many

  modelers as possible going and spreading,

  thanks to the space available. This was

  also incorporated into the side lectures and

  demonstrations plugged into the event. And

  I am very pleased that today this trend is part

  of almost every event of this calibre. Thanks to

  conversations during weekend modeling with

  visitors to the current event in TM, both active

  and non-active moselers, we discovered that

  they don’t go because they feel they are not

  up to it and yet when they show me photos

  of their creations, it’s clear that they have

  nothing to keep them from attending. I see the

  whole problem in the naming of these events

  and I think it is time to open up this hobby to

  the wider public, to transform the competition

  system into a series if meetings and displays.

  It is great that, for example, E

  -

  DAY has

  the phrase INTERNATIONAL MODELING

  EXHIBITION in its name. The fact that modelers

  (a commission of modelers) will choose the

  so-called BEST OF in some categories at the

  exhibition is probably okay. And also that

  especially young people will receive some kind

  of recognition, but when I hear that someone

  refuses further attendance because they did

  not receive a prize for their efforts, I find that

  almost laughable. Let's stop racing, let's have

  fun. It’s modeling.

  I have nothing against a championship

  competition, but that type of event is a different,

  somewhat restricted dynamic. Clearly defined

  rules, trained judges, models are limited to

  stringent specifics. OK, they can be. It can also

  be part of a larger exhibition….

  It is first and foremost a hobby and every

  modeler makes creates as best they can, and

  through meetings and exhibitions that include

  workshops, all modelers can move forward

  and improve. Yes, some people are satisfied

  with how they build, but many modelers do

  not know what to do at all, they do not know

  new technologies and tecniques, and so have

  no opportunity to master them. Above all,

  the proverbial plunge needs to be taken, and

  I see that on weekends at our shows. The book

  PSPM 1, published by Kuba Vilingr, is perfect

  for this, and thanks to him and the connection

  to the publisher, we have a limited number of

  copies for sale - the publisher no longer has

  even a copy of No. 1. Maybe it would be worth

  considering updating the book over time and

  publishing an expanded edition. Time flies

  even in our hobby, and this juicy little cookbook

  has been on the shelves for a year. Similarly,

  a model school could be published in model

  periodicals, or try to rework this book into

  a how-to manual, for example on Youtube,

  to include up-to-date trends. Legislation and

  the approach of the spread of learning do

  not help our hobby much either, while every

  modeler is a bit of a historian, artist, builder

  and architect. It develops a lot of things –

  patience, diligence, skill, and all of that the new

  generation will need. We should, while there

  are still many of us, try to start new model-

  making blood. That is the main reason for the

  current exhibition at the Technical Museum - to

  show our hobby to the general public.

  POST SCRIPTUM TO THE WORLD

  OF PLASTIC MODELING

  Text: Petr Vacek

  INFO Eduard

  149

  December 2025

• Strana 150

• Editorial

  
  

  Dear Friends,

   Hard to believe, but once again, instead of a significant, interesting and hopefully previously unreleased type of aircraft, we have released another out of God knows how many Spitfires. So it looks as though we have missed another opportunity; if we weren't such die-hard lovers of boring and uninteresting Spitfires, we could have released, for example, a Sea Vixen, preferably in the D.3 version and in 1:48 scale. Well, what can you do? It is what it is. We are sticking to our plan, which is to reduce all the kits that we have released so far, and will release, in 1:48 scale to 1:72. This is not an easy plan. In fact, it is very likely an unachievable plan, as you surely can understand. It's kind of like the hare that never catches up with the tortoise, but we are doing what we can. You can see the new Spitfire Mk.Vb is part of this effort, but you can also just forget about trying to see any complete sense in it and just enjoy this Spitfire kit, because it is a damn nice and fun little item. After all, it is not a rehash of old kits, it is the first in the family of 72nd scale Spitfires to include the Mk.I, II and V and it is a new project that has almost nothing in common with the older Mk.IX and Mk.VIII Spits. Yes, of course it is a Spitfire, and these are versions that preceded the Nines and Eights in terms of development, but with these kits it is the other way around. In our case, the Mk.IX kits precede the Mk.V and Mk.I, and we are somehow going against the flow of time, and this speaks well for the new kits. The biggest weakness of the Mk.IX (and VIII) kits is the small parts. Twelve years ago, we had the molds for them made in China, it was part of a project with which we wanted to increase the production capacity of our 1:72nd scale line by having the molds containing sprues with small parts made in China. It was a very adventurous affair, we carried out the plan to the end and we actually made the molds for two kits, the Spitfire Mk.IX and the Fw 190 A, in China. We made the fuselage and wing parts, and main airframe parts, ourselves, and a tool shop in China made the small parts for us. But I will not specifically say that this was successful, it was a typical Pyrrhic victory, the molds were far from our standard and you can see it in the moldings. To tell the truth, I have never stopped regretting this result. But I won't burden you with that story today, you can read it in time in my Plastos series about the history of plastic kit production in Bohemia, which is being published in our EMD journal. The important fact for today is that the Spitfire Mk.Vb in 1:72 is 100% Eduard, and that can be seen in the kit’s quality. But it's not just about the small parts, of which there are quite a bit, because the Spitfire simply had a lot of development variants, a feature it shares with the Bf 109 F and G, and we, because we want to make the kits to the highest standard possible with the full knowledge of the fact that we won't please everyone anyway. Some reviewer will always write somewhere that the kits are complicated and that Tamiya kits go together easier and quicker, which is of course true and we won't contest that, or some other expert will complain that the eighth incarnation of the propeller is missing, a fundamental flaw, because it was on Spitfires operating from the grass strip in Beersheba causing him a lifelong trauma. Which is, of course, absurd, but it’s nothing that we would worry about, either. If you want to find fault with those small parts, I'll give you some advice. There are tiny holes in the exhausts. Quite a few holes, just like on the 48th scale Spitfire Mk.V. Unfortunately, we can't eliminate those holes, so we have no choice but to ask for your indulgence. Either fill them in, or leave them there, or don't buy the kit. But that actually be a shame, the rest of the kit is very nice and we give you a number of small parts there two or three times, just in case, as so often does happen, your tweezers send a small part into oblivion, never to be heard from again. Consider it compensation for the problem with the exhausts.

  But, you know, it's not just about the small parts. The airframe parts have also undergone development, after all, our technological capabilities, regardless of the holes on the side of the exhausts, have advanced considerably over the last decade, and it seriously shows. There are also subtle, raised rivets on the rear of the fuselage, quite a rarity for 72nd scale I would say, and although they are not completely visible at first or second glance and can be easily overlooked, they are charming and if you decently highlight them, you will have a very nice model in your display case. As is customary with us, you have a decent number of color versions to choose from, and if someone wants to write to me again that the decals have thick paint, shifted registration, faded colors, and that we should return to using Cartograf for our decals, please don't. We will not return to using Cartograf decals, because we never put them in our Profipack and Weekend kits anyway. They also do not have thick ink layers and they are not off-register and the colors are also fine. I admit that we have not quite hit the mark on some of the shades in the past, but we are trying not to repeat those mistakes. You can find out what the kit looks like, how it is built and what to look out for in an article by Jakub Nademlejnsky. If you want to refresh your knowledge of technical history, today we also offer you a repeat of my article on the technical development of the Spitfire Mk.V. Today is the first part, dedicated to the Spitfire Mk.Va and Mk.Vb, and in the January issue of the newsletter there will be a second part dedicated to the Spitfire Mk.Vc. We have already published that article once, sometime in 2020 I think, at the premiere of the Spitfire Mk.I, II and V kits in 1:48th scale. We decided to repeat it because, firstly, repetition is the mother of wisdom, and secondly, the information may be useful to someone who may have missed the first time around. After all, the demographic of modelers building in 72nd differs from that building 48th, even though the two partially overlap. I promise that sometime in the spring I will also write an article about the development of Spitfire Mk.V camouflage schemes. We will publish these articles as we publish various versions of the 72nd scale Spits. As I have already mentioned, we are publishing them somewhat against the flow of time, starting with the Mk.V and ending with the Mk.I, which is a different procedure than we chose for the 48th scale line. However, both when it comes to the selection of color versions for the 72nd scale kits, and when it comes to the release scheme, where there will again be a number of theme based Limited Edition kits, the smaller kits essentially following the release pattern and marking options of their larger predecessors. In this case, we are starting with the mk.V because we want to avoid a collision with our colleagues from IBG, who have recently started releasing Spitfire Mk.I kits, also in 1:72 scale, and we do not want to interfere with them. If, due to the lack of international coordination, it turned out that we and they produce the same type of aircraft. I wanted to write the same thing, but they are not the same kits. We have our similarities, but you will find marked differences.

  If you are wondering why we premiered the entire Spitfire Mk.I to V family as a Profipack kit this time around, it is because we wanted to have it ready by the beginning of November so that we would be able to have it at Telford. In the end, that didn't work out, it was a too ambitious plan, in the end we were two weeks short of completing the final form and thus the entire kit. But we managed to get two more kits to Telford, the Limited Edition Kittyhawk in 1:48th scale and the Spitfire Mk.Vb Mid in the 1:48 Profipack line. Both kits are also December releases, as is the A6M2-N Rufe in the Weekend line, also in 48th. You can see them all in today's newsletter, unless of course you have already seen them on our Facebook page or perhaps over the weekend in Bratislava. So I assume that you have already seen them somewhere, but we will show them to you again here, just in case.

  But I am afraid that today is not all good news. One bit of bad news is related to my mention of the Plastos series, where I made mention of using Chinese sources for some mold production in our 72nd scale kits. Many of you will not be familiar with this line of articles, since not everyone subscribes to the EMD. That's the problem. Few modelers subscribe to the EMD, while it costs us a lot of effort to prepare and publish it. The result is that it's not worth it for us and we'd rather devote that effort to something more successful. So the EMD is ending, the last issue will be published in January. Subscribers will receive an email with information on how we will settle their subscriptions. However, because everything bad is for something good, EMD will not disappear completely. We will return to the original idea that it will be a paid supplement to our regular newsletter. We will transfer articles that are of interest to it, and this will also apply to Plastos. We will explain how it will all look and work after the New Year.

  Not wanting to end on a sour note, I will end on a high one. We're finishing with the Alien. You know what that’s about, right? This was a Czech Mi-24V with an absolutely wicked Alien-inspired paint scheme We've been working on this project for a long time, so long that you may have lost faith that we'd ever finish it, but we will. If anyone wants to protest that we're cooperating with Russia’s Zvezda company, which supports Putin's regime and the war against Ukraine, and that we're pretty fake when we profess to support Ukraine, let's be clear, we support Ukraine, we haven't given up and won't give up articles about the air war in Ukraine despite various attacks and hate mail, as you can see on the other pages of today's newsletter, and we don't do business with Zvezda. We just have some pre-war stampings still hidden away, and those are the ones that will be used. We have about 1,000 of them walled up on the first floor of our sprue warehouse, and we think it's time to open that wall and use the what is stored there. By the way, Alien is currently fighting in Ukraine in the ranks of the Ukrainian Air Force. Because we have a limited number of molds, this kit will not be sold via the usual channels, it will only be sold via subscription. Not all retailers will get it either. Another thing you should know is that it will be an expensive kit. Not because we are greedy, but because it is a demanding and expensive project, both in terms of design and production. Given the nature of its colori scheme, it will be a demanding project even for potential builders, getting that decal on the model will require skill, experience and patience. Those decals will be specific not only in their design, but also in their technical implementation – I won’t tell you that now, you can find it in the information about the kit’s contents when the pre-order offer kicks in. It will start on December 12th and end on Christmas Eve, December 24th. Definitely something to look forward to!

  And with that, friends and modelers, I want to thank you all for your support, friendship, praise and criticisms of the past year, and I wish you a very Merry Christmas and a very prosperous New Year!

   

  Happy Modeling!

  Vladimir Sulc

   

  PS. I shouldn’t forget to mention that our traditional and very popular New Year’s PE greeting will again be available from our e-shop.

• Tornado ECR 46+38

  
  

  NATO Tiger Meet 2025 Beja

   

  Text: Jaroslav Spacek

  Photo credits: Jaroslav Spacek, Uli Metternich and TLG 51. 

  
  

  At this year's NATO Tiger Meet held in Beja, Portugal, the 1st Squadron of Germany’s Taktisches Luftwaffengeschwader 51 based at Schleswig, Germany, was present with six Tornado aircraft in both the IDS and ECR versions. The aircraft with fuselage number 46+38 was adorned with a matte sand scheme reflecting the Desert Tiger theme. The camouflage was very attractive and finished second in terms of the most attractive scheme, right behind a domestic F-16.

  The Tornado ECR was created by modifying the airframe of the IDS attack version, into which sophisticated electronic equipment for the suppression of enemy air defense systems (SEAD) was installed. In the space where the normal attack version of the IDS has cannons, the ELS (Emitter Location System) was installed, which can detect, determine the position of and classify various sources of electromagnetic radiation in the form of radars and communication systems. Its antennas are also located in the wing roots. The FLIR (Forward Looking Infra-Red) system located in the housing under the nose helps the crew in navigation and target search at night and in difficult weather conditions. Its image is transmitted to both cockpits. The primary armament of the Tornado ECR is the AGM-88 HARM (High Speed - Anti Radiation Missile). This old, but still very effective, supersonic weapon with a range of 25 to 150 km, depending on the launch altitude, can itself (even after being launched from a carrier aircraft) search, identify and guide itself to all possible types of electromagnetic radiation sources. The HARM missile, combined with information from the ELS, makes the Tornado a very effective means of destroying enemy air defenses.

  The Luftwaffe acquired a total of 247 Tornados, of which 35 were ECR versions. All of them were newly produced between 1990 and 1992. Currently, only two units operate approximately 93 Tornados – TaktLwG 33 in Büchel and the 1st Tiger Squadron TaktLwG 51 ‘Immelmann’ in Schleswig. However, there are twenty-one of the ECR version used only by TaktLwG 51. In 2022, it was announced that the Tornado fleet would be replaced by 35 F-35A Lightning IIs in the strike role, and from 2030, the new Typhoon EK version would also replace the Tornado ECR.

  Starting in 2000, the German Tornado received the ASSTA 1 (Avionics System Software Tornado in Ada 1) modernization package, which included a new weapons computer, a modern GPS navigation system, and a laser inertial navigation system. In addition to the HARM missiles, the new weapons computer enabled the integration of new the Taurus KEPD 350 missile, Rafael Litening II laser designator pods, and Paveway III laser-guided bombs. In 2005, ASSTA 2 modernization began, which included the installation of additional digital avionics systems and new electronic warfare equipment. However, only 85 Tornados were upgraded to the ASSTA 2 standard, 20 of which were ECR versions. This is due to the ongoing replacement of Tornados by Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft.

  The ASSTA 3.1 package introduced the introduction of color multifunction displays and the integration of the Link 16 system, which significantly increased the crew's situational awareness and data exchange between other NATO assets. Currently, the Tornado ECR is undergoing ASSTA 4.1 integration and subsequent ASSTA 4.2 software modification, which will allow the use of modern AGM-88E AARGM (Advanced Anti-Radiation Guided Missile) missiles, this system being successfully tested in April 2025 at the US Navy's China Lake firing range.

  The photos accompanying this article show the details of the Desert Tiger from Beja with the camouflage scheme. It was sprayed with a rather dull sand color with bands of a darker brown-green. These are also on the bottom of the fuselage, on the top of the air intakes and on the part of the fuselage between them as well as on the elevator. On the left side, when viewed from the upper left, there is a large ‘51’, and on the back of the fuselage there is a black panther. On both sides of the rudder there is a drawing of a black tiger (or rather a perhaps a sand panther?) with the inscription ‘Tiger since 1994’. On the right auxiliary tank there is the inscription ‘TIGRE DO DESERTO’, and on the left then ‘TIGRE TIGRE TIGRE’. On both nose landing gear doors there are drawings of a tigerized rooster, on the front door there is a tiger head with the inscription ‘Team Paint’ above and below which there are the names "DIGITAL HANSI ALEX DANE TURAN ANNA and below it the names "SLIP ROCKY SPALKI". During the exercise, the aircraft carried a gray container with decoy launchers and a radar warning system FDS (Future Dispenser System) on the right outer pylon, and a TSPJ (Tornado Self Protection Jammer) on the left. At departure, it had standard gray auxiliary tanks on the under-fuselage pylons, which were heavily weathered.

   

• World of Plastic Modeling

  
  

  Text: Petr Vacek

   

  Greetings from Brno! At the time of posting of the December issue of our newsletter we are halfway through the The World of Plastic Modeling event, which takes place at the Brno Technical Museum from September 17, 2025 to March 22, 2026. The total number of models has stabilized at an incredible 1,352 pieces from 111 modelers.

  I have heard the idea of ‘I have seen those models at other exhibitions, so what new can I get out of this?’, but you won’t see models without the crowds, displayed on glass shelves at different heights, including at eye level, and with good light like this anywhere at a another competition, where the models are mostly crammed close together, on low tables, with limited light and visible only from one side. You are also pressed up against a crowd with backpacks and phones in their hands….

  At the Technical Museum in Brno it is different. There is calm, light, models to see in a way you don't normally see, and spaces containing other displays that are also worth seeing. Everything is topped off by a pleasant restaurant, which you can access directly from the exhibition of steam engines and aircraft engines.

  Currently, one of the largest Christmas markets around is taking place in the center of Brno, in five squares in total, and these are also worth seeing.... There is nothing better than combining the pleasant with the even more pleasant and taking the family to Brno at this time, going to an exhibition and also soaking up the Christmas atmosphere.

  On weekends we conduct improvised model workshops in the Technical Museum, conducted by my colleagues, including myself on Sundays. We can discuss many modeling issues, you can learn about unusual modeling techniques, or even about the best way to start or return to this hobby after years of being absent from it. For example, during November we built the new Avia S-199 from Eduard’s new Hybrid approach to kit design philosophy.

  The average daily attendance is about 230 people, and it tends to increase as weather improves The exhibition is open Wednesday to Friday between 9:00 - 17:00 and Saturday and Sunday between 10:00 and 18:00h. Since its opening on September 17th, 2025, as of the date of this report on 10/11/2026, the exhibition has been visited by over 10,000 visitors.

  PS. Currently, in an improvised workshop right in the exhibition hall, you can see tools such as modeling lamps, and of course you can try them out. During December, we should test an ultrasonic wireless knife for trimming 3D printed parts, this emerging trend in our hobby being probably irreversible. A large part of the accessories is essentially made using 3D printing technology. Several companies already produce entire kits using 3D printing. After our experience with the Avia S-199 Hybrid edition kit, my colleague and I decided that an ultrasonic knife will be an integral part of the modeling table in the future. And what better way to witness this than over a weekend at the Technical Museum, to try out the knife and share our experiences. Information about events outside of the classic weekend modeling can always be found on our FB page, World of Plastic Modeling. I would also like to thank all our colleagues who provided us with models for the exhibition.

• The Air War in Ukraine

  The Ukrainian Air Force released a series of F-16 flight images.

  
  

  Starring the F-16

   

  Text: Miro Barič

  
  

  Ukrainian Su-27 and MiG-29 fighters are still flying and fighting, including those delivered from Slovakia and Poland. However, Western military assistance is becoming increasingly important for the Ukrainian Air Force. In recent months, F-16 fighters have carried the main burden of combat, performing up to 80 percent of Ukrainian Air Force missions.

   

  During the observed period from 1 October to 31 October 2025, Russian forces attempted attacks in several sectors—from Kupiansk on the border of Kharkiv Oblast, through Pokrovsk in Donetsk Oblast, down to Zaporizhzhia Oblast in the south. The Russian advance was facilitated by the increasingly massive use of glide bombs, against which Ukrainian defenders still have no effective counter. Russian aviation is also constantly trying to improve them. In October, the use of glide bombs equipped with an additional rocket motor was documented for the first time. It is estimated that such a modified bomb, with a 100-kg explosive warhead, has a range of 200 km. This allows Russian aircraft to release them at a safe distance from the front line, completely avoiding Ukrainian air defenses.

   

  Record Numbers

  Deep inside Ukrainian territory, Russian strikes on energy infrastructure continued. Their aim is to terrorize the civilian population by depriving them of electricity and heating during winter. In October, Russia launched 5,298 long-range drones and 270 missiles and cruise weapons at Ukraine. The number of missiles was the highest since early 2023, when Kyiv began publishing daily statistics. For comparison, in September this year, 185 missiles and cruise weapons were launched at Ukraine. Thus, October saw a 46-percent increase.

  During the night of Friday, 3 October, Russia launched 381 drones and 35 missiles. The massive attack did not target any military facility but exclusively energy infrastructure. Another large raid followed during the night of Sunday, 5 October. Western Ukraine was targeted by 496 drones and 53 missiles. Out of the total 549 projectiles, Ukrainian defenses intercepted 478. The remaining ones struck mainly energy facilities in Ivano-Frankivsk and Lviv. In Lviv, a large warehouse of Polish clothing brands was also hit. At least nine people were killed. Near Lviv, one Russian projectile struck a house, killing a family of four, including a 15-year-old girl.

  Ukraine is trying to hit Russia where it truly hurts. In addition to attacks on refineries—which reduced gasoline production by one million tons per month—Ukraine also began to strike Russian energy infrastructure, something it had previously avoided. A major Ukrainian drone strike occurred on the night of Monday, 6 October. It hit the electrical grid near Belgorod and a heating plant near Bryansk. Ukrainian drones also targeted an oil terminal in Feodosia in Crimea, a refinery in Tuapse, a munitions factory near Nizhny Novgorod, the Saky airbase, and other sites. Among the refinery attacks, one especially noted was the strike on the Tyumen refinery on Tuesday, 7 October—more than 2,000 km from the Ukrainian border.

  Russia launched another large raid during the night of Friday, 10 October, after which nine Ukrainian regions lost electricity and hot water. Russia deployed 465 kamikaze drones and 32 missiles. In Zaporizhzhia, an apartment block was struck, killing a 7-year-old boy—the son of a Ukrainian soldier recently returned from Russian captivity.

  On Tuesday, 14 October, In Kherson Oblast, Russia hit two vehicles clearly marked as UN World Food Programme, which were carrying humanitarian aid. Fortunately, their drivers were uninjured.

  During the night of Wednesday, 22 October, a Russian raid killed at least six people. In Kyiv, a projectile struck a family home, killing a woman and her two children, aged six months and 12 years. Russia launched 405 drones and 28 missiles that night.

  During the night of Saturday, 25 October, nine ballistic missiles struck Kyiv. Four of them targeted heating plants. Two people were killed and 12 injured. On the night of Sunday, 26 October, the following “military” targets in Kyiv were struck—a pharmaceutical warehouse, a coffee roastery, and an apartment building where at least three civilians died and 32 were injured.

  The largest attack of the period came to its end, during the night of Thursday, 30 October. Russia launched 653 drones and 52 missiles. Ukrainian defenses shot down 592 kamikaze drones and 31 out of 43 cruise missiles. However, none of the nine Iskander-M and Kinzhal ballistic missiles were intercepted. Energy infrastructure was hit once again, as well as apartment buildings where civilians were killed.

   Burning garment warehouse, hit on October 5 in Lviv.

  On October 14, Russians destroyed vehicles of the UN World Food Programme in the Kherson region.

  After the attack on Kyiv on October 26, a Eurocopter EC225 Super Puma helicopter of the Ukrainian Interior Ministry helped with putting the fires out.

  
  

  The Workhorse

  Fighter aircraft of the Ukrainian Air Force play a major role in countering these attacks. Increasingly, these are the Western-supplied aircraft. According to the latest statistics, F-16s now fly up to 80 percent of all combat missions. MiG-29s and Su-27s are still important, but their numbers are dwindling, while F-16 supplies are expected to continue.

  The Air Force Command reported that since the first F-16s were delivered in August 2024, these jets have destroyed more than 1,300 enemy aerial targets—primarily cruise missiles, with French Mirage 2000s, delivered this year, also contributing. Besides air targets, F-16s also support ground forces. Using guided bombs, they have struck more than 300 Russian ground targets—mainly vehicles, command posts, ammunition depots, logistics hubs, and drone-operator sites.

   The Ukrainian Air Force released a series of F-16 flight images.

  A video footage of a Ukrainian Mirage 2000-5F fighter jet. The aircraft number has been censored (the large one under the cockpit and the small one above the national insignia on the tail), but on the left side of the fuselage you can see cruise missiles kill markings.

  
  

  More Mirages, F-16s, and Even Gripens

  During the monitored period, several positive developments occurred regarding the future of the Ukrainian Air Force. France confirmed it would deliver additional Mirage 2000 fighters. Belgium received its first F-35 aircraft, meeting the condition for releasing older F-16s for Ukraine. Thus, in addition to jets from Denmark, the Netherlands, and Norway, Ukraine will soon receive more F-16s from Belgium.

  The most significant development, however, appears to be the agreement concluded in Linköping on Wednesday, 22 October, between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson. It is a preliminary document expressing intent to procure JAS 39 Gripen fighters. Both sides have since been working intensively on the details of a final agreement.

  Ukraine is expected to acquire 100 to 150 Gripens, most of which would be delivered after the expected end of the war as part of the rebuilding and modernization of the postwar Ukrainian Air Force. However, some Gripens are expected to be delivered as early as 2026, and Ukrainian pilots and ground crews are already training for them. These will almost certainly be older JAS 39C/D versions.

  Later, Ukraine is expected to receive the newest JAS 39E fighters. Pilot training for this version should begin next year. Starting in 2033, Ukrainian industry is planned to take part in their production, manufacturing some components domestically. But that lies far in the future. Financing also needs to be resolved—much will come from Ukraine’s postwar budget, but Sweden is considering other options such as frozen Russian assets or military-aid funding allocated for Ukraine.

   Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson sign a letter of intent to procure JAS 39 Gripen fighters.

  During the signing ceremony in Linköping on October 22, one Gripen also performed a flight demonstration.

  
  

  Friendly Fire

  However, for now, the war in Ukraine is still ongoing, and its daily reality includes battles in the air. During the period covered by this article, no confirmed losses of the Ukrainian Air Force were acknowledged. On the contrary, the Russian Air Force lost several aircraft—and some sources suggest that part of these Russian losses were caused by their own air defenses.

  The first known Russian loss took place in October, however, was non-combat related. It occurred far from the Ukrainian border, in the Chaplygin district in the northern part of Lipetsk Oblast. In the early evening of Thursday, 9 October, a MiG-31 fighter crashed there. According to official Russian sources, the aircraft was on a training flight and carried no weapons. As it prepared to land at the base on its return, the left landing-gear leg failed to deploy. The crew therefore directed the aircraft toward an uninhabited area and ejected. Both pilots survived.

  The very next day, on Friday, 10 October, a Russian Kamov Ka-52 helicopter crashed. This time, neither the circumstances nor the location of the crash were disclosed. However, Russian channels confirmed that both crew members were killed. Senior Lieutenant Alexander Dubrovin and Senior Lieutenant Alexander Mozharov belonged to the 15th Army Aviation Brigade.

  A week later, on Friday, 17 October, a Su-30SM fighter from the 43rd Independent Naval Assault Regiment crashed in Crimea. The aircraft was engaged in repelling a Ukrainian drone attack. After launching a missile at a Ukrainian drone, a on-board fire broke out. When the crew failed to extinguish it, both pilots ejected and were quickly rescued by a search-and-rescue helicopter. The cause of the fire is still unknown. Russian sources mention three main possibilities—technical malfunction, collision with drone debris, or being hit by a missile from their own air defenses.

  Friendly fire is also mentioned in connection with the loss of another Ka-52 helicopter, which occurred on Monday, 27 October. According to some reports, Russian air defenses mistook their own helicopter for an attacking Ukrainian drone. The two-man crew did not survive.

   For the strikes deep inside the Russian territory, Ukraine also uses these E-300 drones.

  On October 29, Russians shot down their own Gerbera drone over Donetsk, though propaganda claimed it was a Ukrainian missile.

  The Russian Ministry of Defense image shows a Ka-52 helicopter. During the monitored period, Russia lost two helicopters of this type.

  
  

  They Burned the Trash—Along With the Helicopter

  Another incident, that could be described as an own goal, was the destruction of two light aircraft, which occurred sometime before Tuesday, 21 October, when video of the attack was published. Russian propaganda television played a major role in making this possible. Russia had begun using Ukrainian-style tactics in the fight against drones, deploying light aircraft from which the second crew member fires at drones with small arms installed in the cockpit.

  Russian television filmed a report about this, showing not only a Yak-52 with registration RA-1874G from the Bars-Sarmat unit, but also detailed shots of the airfield it operated from. This airfield was quickly identified as the former private airfield Korsak, near the village of Pryazovske, 20 km southeast of occupied Melitopol and only 80 km from the front line. It had recently been renovated, and the Russians had begun using it as a base for anti-drone operations. Immediately after the Russian report was broadcast, Ukrainian drones “paid a visit” and destroyed at least two aircraft—a Yak-52 and a high-wing aircraft, probably a Cessna 172, which also appeared in the televised report. Instead of a cockpit gunner, this Cessna carried two machine guns mounted at the wing-strut attachment points.

  Another loss occurred earlier but was confirmed only recently. Court documents reveal that on 4 September 2024, a Mi-8 helicopter belonging to Russia’s National Guard, Rosgvardia, burned down at a training airfield near Novocherkassk in Rostov Oblast. It happened under tragicomic circumstances. Captain Nikolai Novoselov ordered trash that had been dumped into a pit to be burned, even though regulations explicitly forbade this. Strong winds caused the burning trash to ignite dry grass nearby—and from there, the helicopter itself caught fire.

  The helicopter was fully fueled and loaded with rescue, parachute, and pyrotechnic equipment. The entire aircraft, along with its cargo, burned to ashes. Rosgvardia calculated the damage at 574 million rubles (7.3 million USD) and sought compensation from Novoselov through the courts. However, the court dismissed the claim and fined the captain 350,000 rubles only (4,400 USD), reasoning that he would never be able to pay such a huge sum anyway.

  Russian propaganda boasted about using light Yak-52 aircraft against drones, inadvertently revealing the exact location of the airfield.

  The Ukrainian drone response did not take long.

  Russia also uses Cessna 172 aircraft against the drones, armed with the machine guns mounted on the struts near the fuselage.

  Ukraine has been using Yak-52 aircraft against drones for a long time. Each of these planes sprots a different paint scheme, often their original civilian ones. Footage of the Yak-52M in this color scheme is new and was only released recently.

  We have already reported that Ukrainian Mi-8 helicopters use M134 Minigun machine guns against Russian drones. A new image has surfaced showing the placement of this machine gun in the Mi-8’s side door.

  
  

• Finucane’s Spitfire

  
  

  Text: Michal Krechowski

  Illustration: Piotr Forkasiewicz

   

  Irish fighter pilot Brendan Finucane ranks among the most famous figures in the history of aerial combat during the Second World War. Not only his combat career and tragic death are surrounded by numerous question marks, but even one of his Spitfires required a thorough reassessment of all previously published material during the preparation of the kit and box art. The non-standard upper-surface scheme depicted in Piotr Forkasiewicz’s box art has already sparked debate within the modelling community. It is therefore useful to explain in more detail how we arrived at this interpretation.

   

  Surviving period photographs of Spitfire BM124 suggest, at first glance, a major anomaly in the aircraft’s upper-surface colours when compared to standard camouflage patterns. The reason why the Temperate Sea Scheme shades were ultimately selected for the upper surfaces of BM124 in this kit is something I will attempt to explain briefly, as deciphering colour schemes from black-and-white photographs can be an almost alchemical process, one that at times produces surprising conclusions.

  Spitfire BM124 was a brand-new aircraft, donated to Britain by Queen Sālote of Tonga and assigned specifically to S/Ldr Finucane. On March 14, 1942, it was delivered to No. 602 Squadron, already in the new Day Fighter Scheme (DFS) of Dark Green/Ocean Grey/Medium Sea Grey. For reasons unknown, shortly after its arrival, the upper surfaces were completely repainted in a new camouflage layout. This is well documented in numerous black-and-white photographs taken at Kenley on March 26, 1942, by a Life magazine photographer. These photographs of Finucane’s BM124 show a low contrast between colours, strongly reminiscent (on closer examination) of the “maritime” shades Dark Slate Grey/Extra Dark Sea Grey. The wing leading edge exhibits an unusual wavy demarcation between upper and lower camouflage, and the upper wing surfaces are missing the characteristic black walkways and stencilling, all of which were overpainted by the new camouflage. The undersides remained in Medium Sea Grey with factory stencils intact.

  Three further photographs of BM124 are preserved in the IWM archive under catalogue numbers CH5575, CH5576 and CH5577. These were taken on May 21 1942, when the Home Office commissioned images for propaganda purposes and for distribution to the media in Tonga. For this purpose, the inscription “QUEEN of SALOTE” was painted on the left side of the fuel tank cover. As it later became clear, the inscription was not grammatically correct, and the Air Ministry subsequently demanded that the caption be altered on the photographs from “QUEEN of SALOTE” to “QUEEN SALOTE.” The word “of” was therefore scraped off the negatives, and all three images show obvious retouching.

  It is thus certain that Brendan Finucane flew BM124 carrying the incorrect name “QUEEN of SALOTE.” Besides the inscription, the photographs also show the squadron emblem placed on the engine cowling, an upright red Scottish lion on a yellow shield. Out of respect for the heritage and traditions of No. 602 Squadron, Finucane had this emblem applied to the engine cowlings of the squadron’s Spitfires. Once again, the photographs clearly show the repainted upper surfaces, which have historically been misinterpreted as an “inverted” Ocean Grey/Dark Green camouflage, something that, in light of the detailed Life photographs, is pure nonsense. Several similarly repainted No. 602 Squadron Spitfires from autumn 1941 to spring 1942 are documented (interestingly, all from “B” Flight).

  A key detail in determining the most probable scheme was to establish which photographic filter had been used and then compare the images with those of other aircraft photographed under the same conditions. In this case, the filter was red. When comparing various camouflage possibilities, the final comparison yielded the closest match between BM124 and aircraft PA103, BM124 and NX890, BM124 and NX857, and BM124 and EP200. Within the same tonal spectrum, the aircraft appears to be finished in the Temperate Sea Scheme.

  What was the reason for overpainting a newly delivered aircraft? The most probable explanation is described by Paul Lucas in Guideline Publications ´ Colour Conundrum: RAF Day Fighter Schemes 1941–1943, vol. 2:

   

  “The reason why the Temperate Sea Scheme might have been adopted by some Fighter Command Day Fighters could be explained by the operational requirement to escort and support No.2 Group Bomber Command's Blenheims in their low level anti-shipping strikes, which were being carried out as Operation Channel Stop. As part of this Operation, the Blenheim Bombers of No.2 Group had adopted the Temperate Sea Scheme for their upper surfaces from 26 July 1941, as described in the June 2018 issue of SAM. As for why Fighter Command might have been motivated to adopt the same camouflage scheme, an RAF Intelligence report, dated 18 August 1941, stated that No.602 Squadron report new camouflage on bombers very effective as they found it difficult to keep them in view. In addition to this, fighter aircraft themselves took on an increasing anti-shipping role during 1941, with Hurricanes modified to carry two 250lb General Purpose or Semi Armour piercing bombs for this purpose. These Fighter attacks were considered so successful, especially in view of the much lower casualties suffered by the Hurricane Bombers compared to the Blenheims, that from 9 October 1941, Fighter Command began to assume responsibility for Operation Channel Stop with Bomber Command being fully relived of its commitment to the Operation from 25 November. Thus the application of the Temperate Sea Scheme to the upper surfaces of the Day Fighters involved in these attacks would make tactical sense.”

   

  From the above, it becomes clear why the new BM124 upper surfaces were immediately overpainted upon its arrival with No. 602 Squadron. It provided superior concealment during low-level escort missions and Rhubarb operations.

  Close-up of the “QUEEN SALOTE” inscription on Spitfire BM124. The word “of” was removed from the negatives. (Photo: Imperial War Museum)

  F/Sgt W. W. J. “Bill” Loud with Spitfire BM124, donated to Britain by Queen Sālote of Tonga. Delivered on 14 March 1942 to No. 602 Squadron. This photograph, taken on 21 May 1942 at Kenley, confirms that the wings carry neither black walkways nor stencilling, and it is entirely evident that, for “some reason,” the upper surfaces of the fuselage and wings were completely repainted. (Photo: Imperial War Museum)

  Flight Lieutenant Brendan “Paddy” Finucane DFC (Photo: Imperial War Museum)

  
  

  
  

  
  

• Kittyhawks of Two Continents

  Text: Jan Zdiarský 

  Illustrations: Gareth Hector

  Cat. No. 11187

   

  Limited edition kit boxarts do not usually convey a specific story or situation. They are meant to evoke a certain atmosphere and visually prepare the modeler for what awaits them in the box. This is especially true regarding Dual Combo kits, where the selection of markings is very diverse and colourful, and the aircraft depicted on the box may be related to war zones that are quite distant from each other.

  This is the case with the Dual Combo Kittyhawk, where an RAF Kittyhawk from the African battlefield and an RAAF aircraft from the South Pacific fly together over the desert.

  Nevertheless, both aircraft have a lot in common, the elegant and combative expression characteristic of all P-40s being not the least.

  The British used Tomahawks (P-40B/C) and Kittyhawks (P-40D - N) in Africa with great success. These aircraft played an important role as workhorses in the North African desert campaign. In addition to the RAF, they were flown by Australians, New Zealanders, South Africans, and Canadians (who did not have their own RCAF squadrons in Africa and were assigned to RAF squadrons).

  These aircraft were not the fastest or the best at higher altitudes, but their sturdy construction, which could withstand considerable damage in combat, and their ability to perform ground attack missions made them indispensable to the Allies in North Africa.

  Probably the most notable unit using Kittyhawks in Africa and the Mediterranean in general was the RAF 112 Squadron. It was famous not only for its great combat successes (by the end of the war, its pilots had claimed 206 enemy aircraft destroyed in the air and 62 on the ground), but also for the distinctive shark mouth painted on the radiators at the bottom of the nose of their aircraft. This feature was adopted from the American Flying Tigers (1st American Volunteer Group), which operated in the Sino-Japanese War in 1941–42. Both instances of the "sharkmouth" created a kind of trademark, a visual image inextricably linked to the P-40 aircraft.

  The first of the two aircraft in the picture, Kittyhawk ET789, belonged to the aforementioned No. 112 Squadron RAF and was flown in 1942 by Australian pilot Sgt. Wallace Daniel Hogg. Among other things, he took part in a major battle with German Ju 87s in April 1942, during which his Kittyhawk was seriously damaged. Sgt. Hogg nevertheless managed to get home and continued to fight for the following months, until October 21, 1942, when he was shot down and captured. He spent the rest of the war in the Stalag Luft 3 POW camp in Sagan.

  The pilot of the second Kittyhawk from the box art was also Australian. Unlike Hogg, he served in a purely Australian unit (No. 75 Squadron RAAF) and also much closer to home. The squadron's heyday came in the spring of 1942, when it served on Noemfoor Island in the South Pacific, where it primarily defended the port of Port Moresby. During just over six weeks of fighting, the squadron shot down 35 enemy aircraft and damaged nearly 60. However, it also suffered considerable losses. It lost 12 pilots and 22 aircraft in combat and accidents. Most of its Kittyhawks were lost or seriously damaged by the end of this period. On May 3, 1942, the squadron was withdrawn from combat and returned to the Australian mainland. After being re-equipped with aircraft and new pilots, it was deployed to Milne Bay, not far from its previous battlefield. The squadron then operated from various bases in Papua New Guinea until December 1944.

  The story of the second aircraft shown here falls within this period, specifically August 1944. The Kittyhawk with RAAF designation A29-521 was piloted by F/O T. R. Jacklin of the RAAF's No. 75 Squadron. On August 9, 1944, Jacklin’s aircraft suffered serious damage in combat, with more than a quarter of the left wing destroyed. The left aileron was completely missing. Despite an  aircraft so badly damaged, F/O Jacklin managed to fly more than 200 miles to Noemfoor Island and land at his base.

  In two very different combat areas, the desert environment of North Africa and the extremely humid climate of the South Pacific, the Kittyhawks suffered considerably, yet without losing their combat value. The demanding climatic conditions affected not only the airframe, instruments, weapons, and power units, but also the surface. Camouflage paint in these areas faded and chipped significantly. This makes these planes even more interesting for modelers today. This interest is also enhanced by the numerous paintings, emblems and nose art that usually adorned the Kittyhawks and P-40 aircraft in general.

• Kamikawa Maru

  Text: Jan Bobek

  Illustration: Piotr Forkasiewicz

  Cat. No. 84208

   

  The floatplane variant of the Zero, designated A6M2-N and known to the Allies under the codename Rufe, ranks among the most elegant aircraft designs to emerge during the World War II. Its mission was to protect newly established island air bases during their construction and to carry out reconnaissance, patrol, and fighter sorties. A detailed account of the development and operational history of this floatplane can be found in the two-part article Rufe published in the April and June 2023 issues of INFO Eduard.

  Rufes were not used aboard Japanese warships, which typically operated two-seat observation aircraft. The Rufe was not designed for catapult launches, and as a result the only vessel from which this type operated was the seaplane tender Kamikawa Maru.

  This ship was completed in 1936 as an ocean-going passenger liner for Kawasaki Kisen K. K. Line. The name Kamikawa Maru later designated an entire class of seaplane tenders, of which three additional vessels were commissioned. Following the outbreak of the war against China, Kamikawa Maru was requisitioned by the Navy in September 1937, and from October of that year she operated several E8N2 floatplanes (known to the Allies as Dave). Her aircraft first saw action in December 1937.

  Kamikawa Maru took part in securing the Yangtze River landing on July 4, 1938. During October she operated off Shanghai, and before the year’s end the IJN formally took her over. She then supported operations in Canton area.

  Her conversion into a dedicated seaplane tender was completed in November 1939. The ship displaced 6,853 tons, made 17 knots, and carried six 120 mm guns. Embarked were four E7K Alf and eight E8N2 Dave floatplanes.

  In mid-November her former skipper, Captain Ichihei Yokogawa, assumed command of the carrier Hiryū, and he was succeeded by Captain (later Rear Admiral) Shigeki Andō, formerly executive officer of the carrier Hōshō. Later that same month the ship again supported operations around Canton, remaining in this task until the summer of 1940. She returned briefly to Chinese waters in April 1941 during operations in the Shanghai area.

  From December 7, 1941, Kamikawa Maru took part in the Malayan campaign. Her air unit at the time was equipped with E13A Jake and F1M Pete floatplanes. On the first day of the Pacific War, an E13A crew achieved the unit’s inaugural combat success when they damaged a Catalina of No. 205 Squadron RAF. With its radio knocked out, the flying boat later fell victim to Japanese Army fighters.

  The unit achieved a more notable success on 17 December, when an F1M forced down a Dutch Dornier Do 24 “X-34” of GVT-7. Two Allied airmen were killed in the engagement. F1M crews claimed additional victories on 19 and 20 December, downing one Dutch Glenn Martin B-10 VIG-I bomber on each occasions. During the fighting for the Netherlands East Indies, Kamikawa Maru’s aviators also successfully engaged other enemy aircraft, including Hawker Hurricanes.

  In early May 1942, Kamikawa Maru covered the Japanese landings on Santa Isabel, Tulagi, and Guadalcanal. During the Battle of Midway, the ship carried fourteen F1M2 and four E8N2 floatplanes, slated to remain ashore once the island was secured. In June and July she operated in the Aleutians, both ferrying aircraft for other units and conducting patrols with her own planes.

  In September 1942, Kamikawa Maru joined the seaplane units committed to the struggle for Guadalcanal, deploying Rufe and Pete floatplanes. Operating from Shortland Base near Bougainville, the Rufes began flying on September 4, 1942, scoring their first victory on 13 September. That day, CPO Jirō Kawai and WO Makio Kawamura took off from Rekata to determine whether Henderson Field on Guadalcanal was back in Japanese hands. They found no Japanese troops, but they did encounter a lone SBD Dauntless from VMSB-231, which they shot down before attacking ground targets. Both American crewmen were killed, including gunner Cpl. Horace B. Thomas, who had survived the Battle of Midway with VMSB-241. The final moments of this unexpected engagement are depicted on Piotr Forkasiewicz’s box art.

  By November 7, 1942, Kamikawa Maru’s fighter unit had carried out 360 combat sorties in 211 missions. Fourteen aerial victories were claimed, but nine pilots were lost. After this date, the remaining Rufes were transferred to Kōkūtai 802.

  Kamikawa Maru continued operations with her Pete biplanes, and in early March 1943 her air unit was merged with that of her sister ship Kunikawa Maru to form Kōkūtai 938. On May 28 1943, shortly after noon near Kavieng, Kamikawa Maru was heavily damaged by three torpedoes from the submarine USS Scamp. Although the crew managed to keep her afloat, the submarine struck again shortly after midnight, and Kamikawa Maru was finally lost.

• The Darlington Spitfire

  Text: Jan Bobek

  Ilustration: Piotr Forkasiewicz

  Cat. No. 70205

   

  The debut edition of the new 1/72 Spitfire kit is the early Mk.Vb variant. A release of this significance practically demanded the box art to feature an exceptional aircraft and one of the Spitfire’s legendary pilots. There were several candidates, but it is more than symbolic that the choice fell on airframe W3320 and Donald Ernest Kingaby – the only RAF airman to receive the Distinguished Flying Medal (DFM) three times during the war.

  Donald Ernest Kingaby was born on January 7, 1920, in Holloway, London, the son of a clergyman. Before the war he worked in insurance and studied at King’s Ely.

  He entered the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve in April 1939, and in June 1940, now a Sergeant and pilot, he joined No. 266 Squadron flying Spitfire Mk.Is. In the early phase of the Battle of Britain he damaged two Junkers Ju 88s and one Bf 110. In September 1940, he was posted to No. 92 Squadron. On September 27, he claimed damage to a Bf 109 and repeated the feat three days later. During October he added three confirmed victories, one shared with five other pilots, one probable and one damaged. In November he downed four Bf 109s and probably destroyed another, most of these successes achieved on a single day, 15 November.

  In January 1941, the town of Darlington, in County Durham, donated £5,082 to the Ministry of Defence, and a few months later this funded the purchase of Spitfire Mk.Vb W3320, officially named The Darlington Spitfire. The aircraft went on to become one of the most successful Spitfires of the entire war. More than fifty pilots flew it on 212 operational sorties, logging a total of 337.35 flying hours.

  “Don” Kingaby flew W3320´s first combat sortie on July 20, 1941 and later completed 37 operational missions on the aircraft, claiming three confirmed kills while flying it, plus three probables and one damaged.

  Later, W3320 served with Nos. 54, 118, 64, 611, 234 and finally 63 Squadron RAF. Her career ended on October 28, 1944, when she was destroyed on the North Weald airfield after colliding with a Spitfire of the Czechoslovak No. 310 Squadron. Two collisions occurred at the airfield almost simultaneously, and the Darlington Spitfire was struck by Spitfire Mk.IX “NN-T” (MA228) with F/Sgt. Václav Nikl at the controls. At the time it was the oldest Mk.V Spitfire still on active duty. This iconic aircraft is the subject of a dedicated website (http://www.rogerdarlington.me.uk/Spitfire.html) and a book by Peter Caygill.

  With No. 92 Squadron Kingaby claimed a dozen enemy aircraft during the 1941 sweeps operations, and the press soon labelled him a “109 specialist.” On November 22, 1941, he received an emergency commission as Pilot Officer (probationary) and was temporarily withdrawn from operations.

  In March 1942, he returned to operational flying with No. 111 Squadron. A month later he was transferred to No. 64 Squadron, where he again scored two kills and damaged two more aircraft.

  On 30 June he was promoted to Flying Officer (war substantive), and in November 1942 he was posted to No. 122 Squadron as its commanding officer, leading the unit until April 1943. During March, the Czechoslovak fighter ace Otto Smik flew as his wingman.

  After a rest period at Fighter Command HQ, he returned to combat duty in the summer of 1944 as a wing leader, this time over the invasion beaches of Normandy. His final victory, a half shared  Bf 109, was still scored flying a Spitfire Mk.Vb on June 30. His final tally stood at 21 confirmed victories, two aircraft destroyed in cooperation, six probables and eleven damaged.

  On July 24, 1944, he was promoted to Squadron Leader (war substantive) and subsequently served as a gunnery instructor at the Advanced Gunnery School, RAF Catfoss, where he remained until the end of the war. In the post-war period he commanded as an acting Wing Commander, receiving the United States Distinguished Flying Cross on May 15, 1945, and the Belgian Croix de guerre on June 15 of the same year.

  After the war he received a permanent commission as Flight Lieutenant (from November 29, 1946, with seniority dating back to September 1, 1945) and retained his war substantive rank of Squadron Leader until January 1, 1948. After briefly reverting to Flight Lieutenant, he was promoted to the permanent rank of Squadron Leader on January 1, 1949.

  From February 1949 to April 1952, he commanded No. 72 Squadron, then flying the jet-powered de Havilland Vampires. On June 5, 1952, he was awarded the Air Force Cross.

  He served in the RAF until his retirement on September 29, 1958, at which point he retained the rank of Wing Commander. He then moved with his wife to the United States to be near their daughters, living there until his death on December 31, 1990, in Westfield, Massachusetts. 

• Markings for Kittyhawk 1/48

  COL A

  ET789, Sgt. Wallace D. Hogg, No. 112 Squadron (RAF), LG 91 Amriyha, Egypt, October 1942

  Aircraft with the characteristic shark mouth on the nose belonged to No. 112 Squadron in Africa, which had been using Kittyhawks since the end of 1941, when they replaced the Tomahawks. The Shark Squadron then used several versions of this type until June 1944, when it began to rearm with Mustangs. Kittyhawk ET789 is a typical representative of the appearance of that unit’s aircraft except for the cockades on the underside of the wing with hand-painted enlarged red center. It is not clear from the well-known photograph whether the nose was only red inside or whether it also had a black section with a diffuse transition between the colors. In any case, the decals offer both variants. Sgt Wallace D. Hogg participated in combat with a large group of Ju 87s (up to fifty are mentioned). He was hit, but was able to return to base with his damaged aircraft. Hogg joined No. 112 Squadron on April 14, 1942, and was nicknamed “Stalin” by his colleagues (we don’t know why). He was not lucky on October 21 of that year, when he was shot down by anti-aircraft fire while Kittyhawks from No. 112 Squadron, together with the 66th FS USAAF, were escorting a large formation of American B-25s attacking German bases. The “Sharks” were flying into battle for the first time with the new Kittyhawk III (P-40K), while the Americans were flying P-40Fs. Hogg was captured and interned until the end of the war in POW camp L3 under number 6283. He was shot down in the cockpit of Kittyhawk III FR286. 

   

  COL B

  AK759, F/Sgt. Phillips, No. 94 Squadron (RAF), Gasr El Arid, Libya, March 1942

  No. 94 Squadron was not a typical operator of Kittyhawks. It only had them in service for twelve weeks, from mid-February to mid-May, 1942. Their code designation was changed from GO to FZ in February 1942 and then back to GO at the end of April. However, the aircraft retained their individual letters. In such a short time, 53 aircraft passed through the unit, a number corresponding to roughly three squadrons. From May 11, it handed over its Kittyhawks to No. 2 Squadron SAAF and re-equipped itself with Hurricanes. The newly formed No. 94 Squadron took off on its first combat mission on February 15, 1942. The target of the attack was the German base at Martuba, from which only Offw. Otto Schulz managed to take off. During the ensuing ten-minute battle, he shot down four Kittyhawks, including Squadron Leader Ernest Mason. The AK759 aircraft survived the action but crashed at the end of February. After repairs in April, the red and white checkerboard on the rudder was removed, as was the case with other aircraft. Members of the squadron had painted it on the rudders, apparently before the first operational mission, because the Germans believed they were being attacked by a Polish RAF unit. F/Sgt Phillips flew this aircraft from February to April 1942.  

   

  COL C

  NZ3007, F/O Peter Gifford, No. 14 Squadron (RNZAF), Masterton, New Zealand, February 1943

  Peter Gifford was born on April 14, 1915, in Christchurch. At the beginning of his career, he flew with No. 100 Squadron RAF with Vickers Vildebeests in Singapore, later he was transferred to No. 488 Squadron RNZAF, where he flew Buffalos and Hurricanes. At that time, he scored two hits on Ki-21 Sally bombers. After the unit was redesignated No. 14 Squadron, it re-equipped with Kittyhawks. Gifford then claimed one probable kill of a Zero, and after completing his first tour of duty with No. 14 Squadron, he completed two more with No. 19 Squadron, where he continued to fly Kittyhawks and then Corsairs. In total, he flew 112 combat missions. He died on December 16, 2001. Aircraft NZ3007 bore the inscription Magnolia Mufflewurt on its nose, which was a female character from a comic strip published by the Australian magazine Man. The plane was delivered in a standard British camouflage scheme using American DuPont paints, equivalents of British Dark Green and Dark Earth on the upper surfaces and Sky on the lower surfaces. The New Zealanders then repainted aircraft that were sent to fight outside New Zealand, either with Olive Drab paint or simply replaced the unsuitable Dark Earth with their own Ocean Blue paint. This was probably also the case with this aircraft. The lower surfaces may have been left in Sky, or they may have been repainted with the local Sky Grey.

   

  COL D

  AK702, F/O W. P. Pictorius, No. 4 Squadron SAAF, Gambut II, Libya, 1942

  No. 4 Squadron of the South African Air Force was formed in April 1939 in Durban. Initially, it was equipped with Hawker Hartbees, Furies, and Wapitis. It was disbanded in December of that year and reestablished on March 24, 1941, at Waterkloof Air Base, where it took delivery of Hurricanes. Operational training took place in Kenya, where the unit protected the country from possible Italian attacks from Somaliland (an unrecognized republic in northern Somalia).There its pilots first tried out the Tomahawks. From September 1, 1941, the squadron moved to Egypt, where it was fully re-armed with Tomahawks. It completed its first operational mission with them on November 12 and remained in Egypt to take part in all the desert battles from Operation Crusader to El Alamein. The squadron also supported the advance into Tunisia and the invasions of Sicily and Italy. In July 1943, it exchanged its Kittyhawks III for Spitfires and moved to Sicily in August. From there, it headed for the Italian mainland, where it carried out attacks on ground targets until the end of the fighting. The aircraft, in standard desert camouflage, were supplemented with an antelope symbol in a green, yellow-edged field in the shape of the African continent.  

   

  COL E

  AK961, F/Sgt Lloyd Boardman, No. 3 Squadron (RAAF), June 1942

  Flight Sergeant Lloyd “Danny” Boardman underwent flight training in Southern Rhodesia when he was twenty years old. He first completed basic training at No. 26 EFTS at Guinea Fowl Air Base, which he finished on May 20, 1941. He continued his training at No. 22 SFTS in Thornhill, and after combat training, he became a pilot with No. 3 Squadron RAAF, which was based in Gambut at the time, on February 16, 1942. He earned the nickname Danny for his soulful rendition of the well-known Irish song Danny Boy. His combat experience and leadership skills, despite his rank of sergeant, earned him recognition in the form of command of a flight and even, on several missions, the entire squadron in the air. The then squadron commander, Bobby Gibbes, realized that rank was not important for command in combat, so he did not hesitate to entrust operational command to sergeants. Boardman's Kittyhawk was decorated with a drawing of a dog happily walking away from the Afrika Korps emblem, a palm tree with a swastika, which he had apparently successfully urinated on...       

   

  COL F

  NZ3237, Allan Watson, No. 19 Squadron (RNZAF), Torokina, 1944

  Allan Archibald “Skip” Watson was born on January 31, 1922. After pilot training, he first served one tour with No. 19 Squadron and then three more with No. 22 Squadron. In total, he flew 188 missions and 351 hours. He earned his promotion to Squadron Leader thanks in part to his decisiveness in combat. For example, on January 29, 1945, he led his section in a low-altitude attack on enemy anti-aircraft positions and completely silenced Japanese fire, allowing other aircraft to carry out bombing runs without losses. Just three days later, he led an attack on enemy installations in Kavieng and, despite heavy anti-aircraft fire that damaged his aircraft, he completed the attack and destroyed a hangar with a direct hit. At that time, he was already leading No. 22 Squadron. After the war, he devoted himself to rugby, becoming a reserve player for the Grammar team and winning the Auckland Rugby Union senior premier league with them. He subsequently remained involved in rugby as a referee and worked at the international level. He also ran marathons and was said to be an excellent singer. He died just three weeks before his 90th birthday in 2012. He named his Warhawk Esma Lee after his girlfriend at the time. He eventually married another girl named Nancy Hickling, but that didn't happen until 1948.

   

  COL G

  A29-521, F/O T. R. Jacklin, No. 75 Squadron (RAAF), Noemfoor Island, August 1944

  The Australian No. 75 Squadron, also known as the Magpies, was formed in Townsville, Queensland, on March 4, 1942, and received its first Kittyhawks on March 21, serving as the sole defender of Port Moresby against enemy air raids for the next 44 days. The intensity of the fighting during that time is evidenced by 35 enemy aircraft being destroyed and 58 damaged, with the loss of twelve of its own pilots. Later, No. 75 Squadron moved to Milne Bay and then to Borneo, where its pilots covered Australian forces during the Battle of Balikpapan in the final weeks of the war. On August 9, 1944, Jacklin was hit in the left wing with this aircraft. He lost not only the aileron, but the damage also affected more than 25 percent of the wing area. With his aircraft so badly damaged, the pilot had to fly more than 350 km over the sea before he could land exhausted at his base. His landing was documented by a quick-thinking cameraman, and based on this material, the appearance of the aircraft was reconstructed. We identified the light spots on the nose as paint washed off the metal. The aircraft also has a visibly lighter color on the underside of the wing. There is a known photograph of the aircraft with the paint on the nose still untouched and with white leading edges of the wing. In the meantime, the wing was probably replaced, maybe from another aircraft with faded Neutral Grey paint (possibly due to storage of the wing in the sun).

   

  COL H

  FX609, S/L Murray P. Nash, No. 3 Squadron RAAF, Italy, 1944

  Murray Percival Nash was born in northern Melbourne on October 21, 1919. After the outbreak of war in Europe, he decided to join the RAAF and began military training as a pilot in 1940 at Point Cook. In 1941, he completed an instructor course and subsequently devoted himself to training new pilots. In early 1943, he joined No. 3 Squadron, with which he moved to North Africa and then to Malta. The aircraft of No. 3 Squadron RAAF were the first Allied aircraft to land in Italy. On November 16, 1944, Nash flew his last combat mission with Warhawk FX609, in the last mission the squadron flew with this type of aircraft. He had inherited the aircraft from the previous squadron commander, Rex H. Bayly. It was also Nash’s first aircraft with the code CV P. Subsequently, after rearming with Mustangs, Nash used the same designation on this type as well. According to contemporary records, Nash’s piloting and command skills were exceptional. For example, on January 8, 1945, he attacked enemy transport vehicles at such a low altitude that he broke the wing tip on a tree. Thanks to his experience he took part in a special course of Squadron commanders for air combat tactics at Tangmere. After completing the course, he again took command of No. 3 Squadron and led it in the Italian campaign until the end of the war. After the war, he returned to his father’s engineering company and then devoted himself to farming. He died in 2009.  

   

  COL I

  A29-512, S/L Adam H. Brydon, No. 78 Squadron (RAAF), Noemfoor Island, 1944

  Adam Howie “Curley” Brydon was born on April 14, 1921, in Armidale, and at the age of 18, the day after Australia entered the war, he enlisted in the RAAF. A year later, he became a member of No. 1 Squadron, where he flew Hudson bombers. It was the first Australian unit to fight outside its home territory, and on August 1, 1943, he became its commander. At the age of 22, he was the youngest Squadron Leader in the Australian Air Force. From December 30, 1943, he was a member of No. 78 Squadron, and from July 1 to October 12, 1944, he commanded the unit. Subsequently, from July 26, 1945, he was assigned to the Royal Australian Navy Volunteer Reserve with the rank of lieutenant and flew Supermarine Seafires on the aircraft carriers HMS Indefatigable and HMS Implacable (as a member of the Fleet Air Arm). In total, he flew 470 operational hours during 138 missions, including 52 attacks on ground targets. He left the Royal Australian Navy on July 18, 1946, and devoted himself to car racing. During his service with No. 78 Squadron, he flew a total of 19 different Kittyhawks, Pistol Packin’ Mama being one of them. The aircraft, taken over by the USAAF under number 42-105360, was decorated with a drawing by Alberto Vargas. From the photographs, it is clear that this was a poster clipped from Esquire magazine, which was apparently stuck to the hood. The dark border could have been a layer of glue used to cover the edges.

   

  COL J

  FX835, Kittyhawk Mk.IV, No. 450 Sqn RAAF, Italy, Spring 1944

  The Australian No. 450 Squadron was activated in February 1941 at RAAF Station Williamtown in New South Wales and became the first Australian squadron established under the Empire Air Training Scheme. In February 1942, it began combat operations with Kittyhawks and fought in the North African and Tunisian campaigns over the next 15 months. It performed both fighter and fighter-bomber roles in support of ground forces. Its pilots destroyed 49 German and Italian aircraft, and the unit earned the nickname “The Desert Harassers.” After the end of the African campaign, No. 450 Squadron took part in the invasion of Sicily following the move to the RAF base at Luqa in Malta on July 13, 1943. This was followed by a move to Sicily and then to the Italian mainland in December. The unit flew Kittyhawks until the end of the war, rearming with Mustangs only after the war ended in Europe, and was disbanded on August 20, 1945. Kittyhawk FX835 bore the typical colors of Kittyhawk IVs, which were delivered in American Olive Drab on the upper surfaces. This was complemented by Dark Earth camouflage patches. Both colors were already considerably faded on this aircraft. The drawing of a girl and the inscription “No Orchids” on the nose was painted on a field of fresh Dark Green paint. The engine cowling with this drawing was used on several aircraft.   

• Markings for Spitfire Mk.Vb mid 1/48

  COL A

  BL336, W/Cdr Robert S. Tuck, CO of Biggin Hill Wing, RAF Biggin Hill, United Kingdom, December 1941 - January 1942

  W/Cdr Robert Stanford “Bob” Tuck, with 29 confirmed kills, is one of the most successful RAF fighter pilots. He achieved his first kills with No. 92 Squadron over Dunkirk. By September 11, 1940, when he was appointed commander of No. 257 Squadron, he already had 14 kills to his credit. It is believed that one of his victims, on September 23, 1940, was the future Luftwaffe ace Hans-Joachim Marseille. In early December 1941, Tuck was appointed commander of an elite wing at Biggin Hill. However, on January 28, 1942, his Spitfire BL336 RS-T was hit by flak and Tuck had to make an emergency landing at Boulogne sur Mer, where he was subsequently captured. At Stalag Luft III in Sagan, he participated in preparations for the Great Escape, but just before it was carried out, he was transferred to the Belaria subcamp. On February 1, 1945, he escaped during the evacuation of the camp and joined the Russians. He left the RAF in the 1950s and devoted himself to farming. While filming the movie The Battle of Britain, he befriended Adolf Galland, whose son he was godfather to. He died at the age of 70 on May 5, 1987.

   

  COL B

  BM124, S/Ldr Brendan E. F. Finucane, CO of No. 602 Squadron, RAF Kenley, United Kingdom, April 1942

  Spitfire s/n BM124 was a presentation aircraft donated to Britain by Queen Salote of Tonga and assigned to S/Ldr Brendan Finucane. It was delivered on March 14, 1942, and Finucane was flying with it continuously until June 18, 1942, when he hit the ground with the tip of the wing while landing at Redhill. The aircraft was severely damaged, and although it was returned to the unit after extensive repairs, Finucane did not fly it again. He scored his last victories in its cockpit. Finucane’s BM124, like his previous Spitfires, was repainted on the upper surfaces in Dark Slate Grey / Extra Dark Sea Grey naval shades. Under the front badge, he had his personal Shamrock emblem and the fuselage letter W painted on. For propaganda purposes, the inscription QUEEN of SALOTE was painted on the fuel tank cover in May. As it later turned out, the inscription was not written correctly, and the Air Ministry submitted an amendment requesting that the photographs taken be changed from QUEEN of SALOTE to QUEEN SALOTE. The word “of” was thus roughly scraped off the negatives. Out of respect for the origins and traditions of No. 602 Squadron, Finucane had the squadron’s emblem, a red Scottish lion rampant in a yellow shield, placed on the engine cowlings of the No. 602 Squadron Spitfires. During his wartime career, Finucane achieved 32 aerial victories, becoming the third most successful Spitfire pilot during World War II.

   

  COL C

  BL299, S/Ldr Michael G. F. Pedley, CO of No. 131 Squadron, RAF Lianbedr, United Kingdom, January - April 1942

  Michael Pedley joined the RAF in 1935 and served with No. 2 (Army) Squadron until 1939, when he became an instructor. In November 1941, he took command of No. 131 Squadron. During Operation Jubilee (the Dieppe landing), he scored two aerial victories. In September, he was awarded the DFC and promoted to commander of No. 323 Wing, with which he took part in Operation Torch in Northwest Africa. During the war years, he scored five aerial victories and in 1956 was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for his work in directing and commanding offensive air operations against terrorists in Malaya. He retired in 1957. An interesting feature of the Spitfire BM420, which S/Ldr Pedley flew with No. 131 Squadron, is the non-standard size of the lower wing insignia and the fresh application of the type C insignia, under which the original type A insignia shines through. The inscription Spirit of Kent refers to the county of Kent in Great Britain, which paid for the entire Spitfire squadron. Lord Cornwallis was largely responsible for the collection of funds from the residents of Kent. He appealed to the people of Kent, and after a meeting of the War Emergency Committee, the Kent County Spitfire Fund was established. The residents of Kent and the surrounding towns soon began competing among themselves to see who could raise the most money, and by November 1941, they had managed to raise more than £100,000, which was enough for an entire squadron of Spitfires.

   

  COL D

  BL594, F/O Eugeniusz Horbaczewski, No. 303. Squadron, RAF Kirton-in-Lindsey, United Kingdom, June 1942

  BL594 was delivered to No. 242 Squadron in April 1942, but was damaged in an accident in May, subsequently repaired and delivered to No. 303 (Polish) Squadron, which was operating from Kirton-in-Lindsey airfield at the time. Here it was given the code RF-G and became the personal aircraft of F/O Horbaczewski, who had his current score of four confirmed kills and a personal emblem of a somewhat wild-looking Pegasus painted on the fuselage. In early February 1943, No. 303 Squadron moved to Heston, but BL594 remained at Kirton-in-Lindsey airfield and became the personal aircraft of the commander of No. 2 Polish Wing, W/Cdr Alexander Gabszewicz, with the new code G-WX.

   

  COL E

  BL829, F/Lt John Plagis, No. 64 Squadron, RAF Coltishall, United Kingdom, March-September 1943

  John Plagis was born on March 10, 1919, in Hartley, Southern Rhodesia. After the outbreak of war, he applied to join the Rhodesian Air Force but was rejected because he was officially a Greek citizen. He therefore joined the RAF in 1940. At the end of June, he first joined No. 65 Squadron, then transferred to No. 266 Squadron. At the end of January 1942, he was transferred to the Middle East, and on March 7, he became one of the first pilots to fly Spitfires to Malta from HMS Eagle during Operation Spotter. He initially flew with No. 249 Squadron, shooting down nine aircraft between March and May, two of which were shared. He was then transferred to No. 185 Squadron as commander of A Flight and shot down three more enemies by the end of June. In early July, he returned to Great Britain and was transferred to No. 53 OTU. He returned to operational duty in April 1943 with No. 64 Squadron, with which he participated in Operation Starkey in September and scored two more kills by the end of the year. In July 1944, he took command of No. 126 Squadron and scored three more kills during the Normandy landings. In December, the unit re-equipped with Mustangs and Plagis was promoted to Wing Commander. After the war, he commanded No. 234 Squadron and No. 266 Squadron flying Meteor Mk.III aircraft. He left the RAF in May 1948 and returned to Rhodesia. During the war, he shot down 15 aircraft solo and two in cooperation with others, becoming the most successful Greek pilot of the war.

   

  COL F

  BL547, F/O Rick R. Richards, No. 402 Squadron, RAF Horne, Great Britain, June 1944

  On D-Day, No. 402 Squadron had a mixture of older Mk.Vb and Mk.Vc Spitfires in its armament and was led by the famous ace S/Ldr G. W. Northcott. The squadron was part of No. 142 Wing, which, under the command of another well-known Canadian ace, W/Cdr John Milne Checketts, operated as part of the air defense of Great Britain, albeit under 2 TAF operational control in the role of fighter-bombers. No. 402 Squadron was re-equipped with Spitfires Mk.IX in July, but their time with the unit was brief. Early August 1944 saw a move to Hawkinge, where the Squadron was rearmed with the new Spitfires Mk.XIV with which they immediately engaged in combat against V-1 flying bombs. In late September 1944 the squadron was transferred to 2 TAF in Belgium and joined No. 125 Wing. In December it then joined No. 126 Wing RCAF, where it flew alongside Mk.IX Spitfires. The end of the war found the unit on German soil at Wunstorf with a total score of 49.5 enemy shot down. One of the Spitfires Mk.Vb operating with No. 402 Squadron during D-Day was serial number BL547 which sported the fuselage codes AE-R. It was most often flown by F/O Rick Richards who had a drawing of Black Rufe, a character from the comic strip Li’l Abner, painted on the nose of his Spitfire. Under the cockpit, it bore the standard markings of most No. 402 Squadron Spitfires, a red Canadian leaf in a white crest with the City of Winnipeg in white lettering.

   

  COL G

  BL255, Lt. Don S. Gentile, 336th FS, 4th FG, 8th AF, Debden, United Kingdom, November 1942

  No. 133 (Eagle) Squadron formed in July 1941 at RAF airbase Coltishall, was in 1942 the first American squadron re-equipped with Spitfires Mk.IX. However, the unit lost its twelve “Nines” in only three days before Eagle squadron was transferred under the USAAF command, during the B-17 escort over Morlaix. After its inclusion into 8th AF USAAF on September 29, 1942, it continued flying the good old Spitfires Mk.Vb as it was transformed from No. 133 (Eagle) Squadron RAF into 336th FS, 4th FG. The BL255 Spitfire, nicknamed Buckeye Don, was the personal aircraft of Don Gentile, the future most successful fighter pilot of the 8th AF with 19 kills, 3 damaged and 6 destroyed on the ground enemy aircraft. He was credited with two more kills during the combat over Dieppe on August 19, 1942, while he was still serving with RAF. The same nose art as on BL255 was later sported on the famous P-51B Shangri La and it was also incorporated into 334th FS insignia.

• Marking for Spitfire Mk.Vb early 1/72

  COL A

  P8699, F/Lt John Bisdee, No. 609 Squadron, RAF Biggin Hill, United Kingdom, July 1941

  John Bisdee was born in Weston-super-Mare, Somerset. After the outbreak of World War II, he was called up for service in the RAF. After completing his training, he was assigned to No. 609 Squadron, with which he participated in the Battle of Britain and achieved several aerial victories. In 1942, he was transferred to Malta as commander of No. 601 Squadron. After moving to North Africa, he took part in the Western Desert campaign. In 1943, he was appointed military governor of Lampedusa. He spent most of the rest of his wartime service in training and as commander of No. 323 Wing in Italy. In June 1945, he received the Order of the British Empire. During the war, he achieved ten aerial victories, two of which were shared, plus four probable victories, and he also damaged four enemy aircraft. Like all of Bisdee’s previous Spitfires, P8699 had his personal emblem, a lily flower with a crown, under the windshield. In August 1941, P8699 was taken over by S/Ldr George “Kemp” Gilroy, who scored four of his 24 kills with it.

   

  COL B

  W3257, F/Lt Eric S. Lock, No. 611 Squadron, RAF Hornchurch, United Kingdom, July-August 1941

  The most successful pilot of the Battle of Britain, Eric Stanley Lock, sortied for the first time with his Spitfire W3257 on July 14, 1941. He baptized his new aircraft by fire by shooting down a Bf 109F, which was also his very last kill. Barely three weeks later, on August 3, returning from a Rhubarb mission, he attacked a German column near Pas de Calais and has been missing ever since. It’s supposed he was shot down by AA fire and crashed into the sea. Neither his Spitfire Mk.V W3257 nor Lock himself have ever been found. At the time of his disappearance his score stood at 26 kills achieved during 25 weeks of the operational deployment in course of one year out of which he spent six months in the hospitals. Spitfire Mk.Vb W3257 was camouflaged in the standard Dark Green/Dark Earth/Sky. Code letters E-FY were painted in Sky which was standard code letters color of the Hornchurch Wing Spitfires. The serial was overpainted in the camouflage color.

   

  COL C

  W3320, P/O Donald E. Kingaby, No. 92 Squadron, RAF Biggin Hill, United Kingdom, July-August 1941

  Donald Ernest "Don" Kingaby was one of the most successful RAF fighter pilots flying Spitfires. He achieved his first successes during the Battle of Britain in the ranks of No. 266 and No. 92 Squadrons, and by the end of 1940 he had eight kills to his credit. Further successes quickly followed, and by the summer of 1941 he had already scored 14 aerial victories. Spitfire W3320, named The Darlington Spitfire, was his last personal Spitfire with No. 92 Squadron. He flew it from July 20, 1941, to October 16, 1941, and completed 33 operational flights in its cockpit, during which he shot down three Bf 109Fs with certainty, another three with probability, and damaged one. He returned to operational flying in March 1942 with No. 111 Squadron and subsequently as squadron commander with No. 64 Squadron. In the fall of 1942, he took command of No. 122 Squadron. During the Normandy invasion, he served at Fighter Command headquarters and ended the war as commander of the Advanced Gunnery School in Catfoss. He achieved a total of 23 aerial victories. The citizens of Darlington in County Durham in northeast England contributed £5,082 towards the purchase of Spitfire Mk.Vb W3320, thus known as The Darlington Spitfire. After August 15, 1941, the W3320 had  the fields of Dark Earth repainted with a  Mixed Grey on the upper surfaces and Medium Sea Grey o institute n the lower surfaces.

   

   

  COL D

  P8783, Sgt Donald R. Morrison, No. 401 Squadron RCAF, Biggin Hill, United Kingdom, November 1941 - February 1942

  Donald Morrison was born on June 2, 1921, in Toronto, Ontario and joined the RCAF in October 1940. In July 1941, he completed his training and left for Great Britain. He was assigned to No. 122 Squadron and two months later to No. 401 Squadron RCAF, where he quickly began to make a name for himself. By the end of February 1942, he had achieved three confirmed kills. On August 19, 1942, he was shot down during a dogfight with an Fw 190, bailed out of his damaged aircraft, and parachuted into the English Channel, from where he was rescued. During the rescue operation, he operated machine guns on the boat and fired at attacking enemy aircraft. On November 8, he was shot down again, captured and seriously wounded by shrapnel. German doctors were forced to amputate his leg. Due to his disability, he was repatriated back to Great Britain and returned to Canada in November. In May 1944, Morrison became an instructor with No. 20 EFTS. He left the RCAF on March 14, 1945. In 1947, he returned to Great Britain and joined the RAF, where he served until 1951. He later worked for Trans Canadian Airways. In total, he had seven confirmed kills during his wartime career, including three shared kills, four probable kills, and five damaged aircraft. Sgt Don Morrison had the character Jiggs, created by cartoonist George McManus, drawn on every aircraft he regularly flew with No. 401 Squadron. The first Spitfire on which this character was drawn was Spitfire P8783.

   

  COL E

  W3774, P/O William V. Crawford-Compton, No. 485 Squadron, RAF Kenley, United Kingdom, November 1941 - March 1942

  One of the RAF’s most successful pilots was New Zealander William Vernon Crawford-Compton. He joined the RAF in 1939 as a mechanic, and was subsequently accepted for flight training, which he completed in 1940. After spells with Nos. 485 and 611 Sqn. he took command of No. 64 Sqn. in late 1942 and led it until the end of March the following year. After a period of staff duties, he became Commander of Hornchurch Fighter Wing in mid-1943 and led it until the end of the year. After his tour of operations, he lectured for three months in the United States on RAF operations. He returned to active service as commander of No. 145 Wing. After the war he held senior posts in the RAF, retiring as Air vice-marshal at the end of 1968. He died in January 1988 at the age of 72. He achieved 22 kills, four probable and he also damaged a further 13 aircraft. The Spitfire W3774 was his first personal aircraft, and he achieved four kills flying it. It had a drawing of a burning swastika on the left side under the cockpit and a pan with Hitler’s head above it. The left side of the tank cover was decorated with the inscription Auckland 1 “Waiuku”. On the right side under the cockpit was a Samson donation sign. W3774 was given a new livery effective August 16, 1941. Photographs show the use of a very dark shade of mixed grey (probably Extra Dark Sea Grey) in place of the original Dark Earth, the Sky band was repainted with a new shade of Medium Sea Grey on the lower surfaces.

   

  COL F

  P8537, Sgt Jaroslav Hloužek, No. 313 Squadron, RAF Hornchurch, United Kingdom, November 1941 - March 1942

  Spitfire Mk.Vb P8537 served operationally with No. 313 Squadron from November 2, 1941, to March 28, 1942. The most frequent pilots in its cockpit were Sgt J. Hloužek, F/L K. Vykoukal and F/S K. Foglar. The figure of Horace the Horse was painted on this Spitfire by Sgt Karel Pavlík, a Pilsen native, letter painter and author of all drawings on Spitfires of No. 313 Squadron. The figure was a bit of mystery for many years, as only half of the drawing was known from photographs. It was until two uncut photographs emerged from the archive of mechanic F/O Karl Beinhauer and helped to solve the appearance of the other half. Spitfire P8537 had been repainted in the new camouflage shades in effect from August 16, 1941. Surviving photographs document the complete change of the Spitfire’s camouflage. A very light shade of Mixed Grey was used in place of the original Dark Earth, and a Sky Blue band was repainted with a new shade of Medium Sea Grey on the lower surfaces. The code letters RY-Z were in the Sky Blue shade, as were the spinner and band in front of the tail.

• Markings for A6M2-N Rufe 1/48

  COL A

  Aviation unit of seaplane tender Kamikawa Maru, Shortland, September 1942

  This plane was an early production Rufe with folding wingtips. The Kamikawa Maru was completed in 1936 as an ocean liner but was converted to a seaplane tender a year later and was combat deployed in the aggression against China until the spring of 1941. At the start of the fighting in the Pacific, her air unit was equipped with E13A1 Jake and F1M2 Pete seaplanes, then by September 1942, she was deployed in the Solomon Islands area with eleven A6M2-Ns and two F1M2s. The main tasks of her airmen were base protection, convoy escorts and also attacks on ground troops on Guadalcanal. In addition to engagements with B-17s and Cactus Air Force pilots, the Kamikawa Maru airmen also got into combat with aircraft from the USS Hornet (CV-8). On the box art, the aircraft is depicted while engaged in an aerial battle that took place over Guadalcanal on September 13, 1942; by that time, it probably already carried a yellow identification marking on the leading edge of the wing.

   

  COL B

  Kōkūtai 802, Faisi-Poporang base, Shortland Islands, February 1943

  This aircraft was among the new ones that Kōkūtai 802 took over in Japan during early 1943. At the unit level, the aircraft received a dark green paint and it probably had a late production stencil on the fuselage. It sported a horizontal red stripe on the vertical tail surfaces, which was probably the unit’s identifying marking. It is likely that this aircraft took part in the aerial combat on February 13 and 14, during the defense of the Shortland Islands and Buin, in which the American units suffered fairly significant losses. After relocation to the Marshall Islands area in March 1943, Kōkūtai 802, under the command of Lt.(jg) Yamazaki, was primarily engaged in anti-submarine patrols and the pursuit of four-engine bombers. Long-range reconnaissance was carried out by another part of this unit, which was armed with H8K Emily flying boats. In October, fighter unit of Kōkūtai 802 was integrated into Kōkūtai 902, and in November, the fighter unit clashed with US Navy aircraft during a raid on Truk.

   

  COL C

  Lt (JG) Toshio Araki, Kōkūtai 452, Bettobi Lake, Shumshu Islands, Kuriles, summer 1943

  The aircraft of this fighter unit successively bore at least four different markings on their tail surfaces, depending on how the unit was designated and subordinated to different commands. After being evacuated from the Aleutian Islands to Japan, the unit was deployed in the Kuril area under the command of Toshio (Shunji) Araki. This aircraft shown with distinct markings may have been his personal mount. This officer graduated from the 67th class of the Naval Academy in July 1939. After serving aboard the submarine I-10, he began his aviation career with the Kashima Kōkūtai. During the combat operations of Kōkūtai 452, his pilots primarily engaged B-25 and B-24 bombers. Araki was a very meticulous and strict officer who loved playing the violin, though at times this hobby somewhat tried the patience of those around him. In the harsh northern conditions of the Kurils, he boosted morale by collecting phonograph records, one of his personal passions. He later served with the Sukumo Kōkūtai, then with Kōkūtai 453, and ultimately became the leader of a Zero fighter unit within the Kōkūtai 302 during the defense of Japan. He was killed on February 16, 1945, while attempting an emergency landing after a dogfight with Hellcats over Atsugi Air Base.

   

  COL D

  Kōkūtai 934, Ambon island, Moluku Islands, March 1944

  This late production aircraft was finished in a factory applied dark green paint. At the unit level the white outline of Hinomaru was repainted to reduce the visibility of the machine. The aircraft designation 34-125 is interpreted in some publications as 34-135, which describe it as being finished in red. In early 1944 the Kōkūtai 934 was equipped with E13A Jake and F1M Pete observation aircraft and also with Rufe and N1K Rex fighter seaplanes. Their frequent opponents were the Beaufighter crews of No. 31 Sqn. RAAF. One of the Kōkūtai 934 pilots, PO2c Hidenori Matsunaga, scored approximately ten shared victories against Beaufighters. Fighter squadron unit commander was Lt.(jg) Toshiharu Ikeda, who scored a victory over a Spitfire with a Rufe. Ikeda later became commander of Hikōtai 603 and was killed on June 23, 1944, at Saipan.

• Tail End Charlie

  Post Scriptum to the World of Plastic Modeling

   

  Text: Petr Vacek

   

  While preparing an article about the exhibition at the Technical Museum in Brno for this issue, and especially during many conversations with visitors to the event, I came to think about the meaning of such exhibitions and the meaning of model competitions as a whole. The explanation requires me to go back a few years. The idea of ​​holding a large exhibition based on plastic models and what this hobby needs and entails has a long history with me (the club KPM BRNO also organized two similar large exhibitions in the 1980s in cooperation with the Technical Museum) and I was indirectly connected by extension with MODELLBRNO, not being a traditional model exhibition. we always tried to relegate any competitive aspects to the background at MODELLBRNO to give as much space as possible to club tables and theme displays. We were among the first to public workshops called MODELLBRNO XXL in order to get new trends among as many modelers as possible going and spreading, thanks to the space available. This was also incorporated into the side lectures and demonstrations plugged into the event. And I am very pleased that today this trend is part of almost every event of this calibre. Thanks to conversations during weekend modeling with visitors to the current event in TM, both active and non-active moselers, we discovered that they don’t go because they feel they are not up to it and yet when they show me photos of their creations, it’s clear that they have nothing to keep them from attending. I see the whole problem in the naming of these events and I think it is time to open up this hobby to the wider public, to transform the competition system into a series if meetings and displays. It is great that, for example, E-DAY has the phrase INTERNATIONAL MODELING EXHIBITION in its name. The fact that modelers (a commission of modelers) will choose the so-called BEST OF in some categories at the exhibition is probably okay. And also that especially young people will receive some kind of recognition, but when I hear that someone refuses further attendance because they did not receive a prize for their efforts, I find that almost laughable. Let's stop racing, let's have fun. It’s modeling.

  I have nothing against a championship competition, but that type of event is a different, somewhat restricted dynamic. Clearly defined rules, trained judges, models are limited to stringent specifics. OK, they can be. It can also be part of a larger exhibition….

  It is first and foremost a hobby and every modeler makes creates as best they can, and through meetings and exhibitions that include workshops, all modelers can move forward and improve. Yes, some people are satisfied with how they build, but many modelers do not know what to do at all, they do not know new technologies and tecniques, and so have no opportunity to master them. Above all, the proverbial plunge needs to be taken, and I see that on weekends at our shows. The book PSPM 1, published by Kuba Vilingr, is perfect for this, and thanks to him and the connection to the publisher, we have a limited number of copies for sale - the publisher no longer has even a copy of No. 1. Maybe it would be worth considering updating the book over time and publishing an expanded edition. Time flies even in our hobby, and this juicy little cookbook has been on the shelves for a year. Similarly, a model school could be published in model periodicals, or try to rework this book into a how-to manual, for example on Youtube, to include up-to-date trends. Legislation and the approach of the spread of learning do not help our hobby much either, while every modeler is a bit of a historian, artist, builder and architect. It develops a lot of things – patience, diligence, skill, and all of that the new generation will need. We should, while there are still many of us, try to start new model-making blood. That is the main reason for the current exhibition at the Technical Museum - to show our hobby to the general public.