ICM / Eduard 1/48 scale
Spitfire Mk.IX in the IDF

by Rafi Ben-Shahar

The majority of Spitfires in the IDF service were Mk. IXe delivered from Czechoslovakia and Italy.

Spitfire no. ? 130 (for "D"). The first Spitfire in the IDF was assembled from junkyards left by the RAF and downed Egyptian Spitfires. I used ICM's kit as a platform and replaced many parts with Eduard's spares, such as undercarriages and wheels, cockpit parts including seat and instrument panel, horizontal stabilizer and rudder. Since the dimensions of both models are similar, the parts did not require significant modification. Fundecals suggested color scheme was largely adopted except for upper wing color. I found 3 photographs of the aircraft, showing that the lower and upper wing surfaces apparently had the same color, a light grey primer.

Spitfire no. 2035 was delivered from Czechoslovakia and retained the standard RAF scheme. Eduard kit was used.

Spitfire no. 79 came from Italy. The Eduard kit was an obvious choice to show the fine details.

Spitfire no. 3 was among the first Spitfires in the IDF,  flown from Czechoslovakia. The Eduard model represents the final color scheme of Spitfires.

Spitfire no. 57 is still airworthy in the IDF museum. I thought that the ICM kit represents better this particular aircraft since it was coated with a thick layer of primer during the first restoration. Later, the primer was removed to show the rivet and panel patterns. Again, ample Eduard spares were fitted.

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Model and Text Copyright © 2022 by Rafi Ben-Shahar
Page Created 11 August, 2022
Last Updated 11 August, 2022

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