Hasegawa 1/72 scale conversion
Supermarine Spitfire Mk.VII

by Roy Sutherland

Tamiya's 1/32 scale Spitfire IXc is available online from Squadron

I present to you my 1/72 Hasegawa Spitfire Mk IX converted to a Spitfire HF VII.

This model represents MB820 of 124 Squadron, RAF. Flown by Flying Officer Barrit, based at Northholt, Greater London, England. At this point in time, 124 Squadron was a specialized high altitude interception unit. MB820 is painted in special Operation Starkey markings, that were only carried for a few days.

Starkey was a feigned invasion of Europe on September 9,1943. The objective was to convince the German high command that a full scale invasion was underway, with a landing at Calais. It was largely ignored, and succeeded only in reinforcing the German's belief that when the invasion did finally come, the landing would be at Pas de Calais. On the day of the operation, MB820 shared a victory with another Spitfire from the squadron, when an Fw-190 was intercepted and shot down at 31,000 feet.

This model is the subject of an in-depth build article at the BarracudaCals Blog page. To read more, follow this link.

The Hasegawa kit, while not a perfect Spitfire IX, is beautifully tooled with petite inscribed panel lines and a crystal clear canopy. It builds up into a nice looking model with a minimum of fuss.

Model, Images and Text Copyright © 2010 by Roy Sutherland
Page Created 23 April, 2010
Last Updated 23 April, 2010

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