Supermarine Spitfire Mk. IX – Hasegawa

This is the Hasegawa Spitfire – I took this on after realizing I have never built a spitfire. Time to rectify this oversight with a Spitfire in the colors of the Polish squadron.

This kit actually came out I believe over 20 years ago, but it still holds up very well against today’s newest kits.  The cockpit is well-detailed, but did use the Eduard colored zoom kit to replace the panel and add misc details in the cockpit.

The cockpit was painted cockpit green, followed by a dark oil wash.  It bit harsh if you looked at it straight-on, but will make the details discernable once it’s closed up.

The rest of their build is straight out of the box and was fairly straight-forward.  No big gaps, no fit issues, everything goes where it suppose to.  This Mk. IX kit is well done, however note that the side door is not posable, so if you wanted to show off the cockpit more, you need some minor surgery.  The landing gear fits into an underside plug that establishes the correct angle with no fuss. The kit does have unused parts for other editions of the spitfire.  You do get a choice of rounded or clipped wings in this box.

When it was time for paint, I used my standard Tamiya paints with some Vallejo, weathering with oil, and silver pencil to add the worn spots.  Some Tamiya smoke mixed with brown was used to create exhaust stains. The scheme that attracted me to this boxing is of the Polish pilots that served with the RAF after the fall of Poland – Squadron 316 and 443.  For a great book that follows the history and the unfair treatment that these pilots faced, I would recommend the book A Question of Honor: The Kosciuszko Squadron: Forgotten Heroes of World War II