Seafire Mk.1b

Here is my take on a pair of Dunkeswell Seafires. 

Between 1943-45 Dunkeswell was home to the US Navy. Flying PB4Y Liberators against U-Boats in the North Atlantic, their main threat was from the patrolling Ju-88 fighters. To prepare the pilots and gunners in fending off fighters, six Seafires were assigned to Dunkeswell to provide what was called “fighter affiliation” training. 

Seafires MA996 and MB263 were two of the fighter affiliation aircraft at Dunkeswell in 1944. Both arrived after serving on aircraft carriers in support of ‘Operation Avalanche’, the 1943 Allied amphibious landings at Salerno, Italy. 

I started these builds with the objective of providing a Seafire to the Dunkeswell Airfield WW2 Museum. I’ve ended up with 2 models as I first thought I’d use Airfix’s Spitfire - the Mk.Vc being the original source aircraft - for the Seafire, but then, on a visit to Hannants in Lowestoft, I chanced upon a rare Czech Kovozávody (KP) Seafire kit which I felt would be an even better match.

Although both went together well, I felt I could have built the Airfix one blindfolded while Kovozávody’s reminded me of kits I’ve built from another Czech provider, AZ Models; unnumbered sprue, no locating pins and poor decals. While I won’t be rushing back to KP any time soon, it is great that such companies exist providing such unusual kits. 

The build was the easy bit, the challenge was what camouflage to finish them in. The photos I had of the aircraft only helped confirm they were finished in a pattern similar to RAF fighters of the period. Uncovering a copy of the book “British Aviation Colours of WWII - Official Camouflage, colours and Markings of RAF Aircraft, 1939-45” made up my mind, TSS (temperate sea scheme) it would be. 

So, following an unsuccessful attempt to mix my own colours, I sought out a set of Vallejo’s FAA colours which included the all important dark slate grey and extra dark sea grey that TSS demanded. That dark slate grey is the most unusual colour I’ve ever encountered, no wonder I had issues coming up with my own version! For the decals I used a combination of the Airfix roundels, Kovozavody’s lines and markings and more roundels and lettering from my spares box. 

Seafire MA996, the Kovozávody kit, will head to join the aircraft models on display at Dunkeswell, while the Airfix kit, Seafire MB263, will fit in nicely with my existing Spitfire and Seafire collection.