Spitfire Site News

"It is a day I shall never forget"

2009-11-04T09:23:00.008Z

A picture of the past etched in my head is that of a Spitfire suddenly appearing low overhead. Children frantically summoning to watch before it disappears, and waving. And then, for a few moments, the aircraft gracefully putting up a roll or a bit of aerobatics. For the pleasure of those waving on the ground and - perhaps - for the sake of its own beauty. The song of the Merlin engine echoing

Updated 3 November - In the air

2009-11-03T20:14:00.005Z

Only one update for today, less than two days before the departure to Telford and the IPMS UK show. Actually, there is a grander travel plan which includes Duxford, Cosford and other "usual" places for an aviation fan. I hope to bring back lots of photos for this site. Here at the computer, I'm leaving a number of submissions in the pipeline, please excuse me if these will have to wait until next

Updated 30 October - Last moments of W/C

2009-10-30T12:42:00.003Z

Two updates have been posted today.Remeber the last week's video of an NitroPlanes RC Spitfire ARF kit that didn't want to fly properly? It left me anxious to see if and how the airframe could be fixed (shearing off the radiator... taping over the wheel wells... wondering what Joe Smith of Supermarine would say about that :). Today I'm glad to say that the second part of this video, including all

Updated 29 October - Spitfires in Greece

2009-10-29T13:01:00.003Z

Without further delay, here's the update for this week:A new addition in Scale Modelling is a beautiful 1/32 creation by Hans-Pater Tschanz of Switzerland: D-Day Spitfire Mk. VIn Camouflage & Markings, we have also a new study of Spitfires in Greek post-war service, researched and illustrated by Ioannis Mansolas. Enjoy.

Updated 23 October - Spitfires in the air

2009-10-23T16:02:00.003+01:00

The update for today offers a rather wide mixture of material, but it's still all about Spitfires!New addition in Scale Modelling is Tony Prince's excellent guide to achieving an accurate model of a Spitfire XIV in 1/48 scale. The process involved considerable kit-bashing!Moving from static scale modelling to RC, the Video Section features a fun and informative review of a Spitfire that didn't

Tamiya 1/32 Spitfire Mk. IXC - Review

2009-10-20T20:49:00.009+01:00

Tonight I put my best face forward as a reviewer and take a detailed look at Tamiya's brand-new 1/32 scale Spitfire Mk. IXC. This plastic kit will become generally available in November, but I'm pleased to get ahead of the events thanks to Tamiya's public presentation of their market-ready kit at the recent Plamodel Hobby Show in Tokyo on October 8-11.The review consists of three sections in

Updated 16 October - Swift to battle

2009-10-16T10:31:00.005+01:00

Without further delay, here's the update for today.A new addition among our Product News & Reviews is an impressive new book by Tom Docherty Swift To Battle: 72 Fighter Squadron RAF in Action.Continuing on the subject of books, a review of today is Spitfire - A Test Pilot's Story by Jeffrey Quill. This is one of the essential titles for any Spitfire nut.Lastly, a small new addition to the Scale

Updated 14 October - Australian debut

2009-10-14T20:39:00.005+01:00

I'm working hard to clear the editorial to-do list and turn more of the candidate articles lagging on my computer into new pages of this site. Another update for this week is:Australian Debut is a new article in the History section, bringin some new light onto Spitfire's long and difficult deployment to Australia. By Peter Malone.We also have two new Photo Galleries. The first one shows a unique

Updated 13 October - Football connection

2009-10-13T17:15:00.002+01:00

Without further delay, here are the two updates for today. Both have been provided directly by our readers. Thanks!A new addition in History Articles is entitled El Quequeisque - The Story of a Football Spitfire. It's a remarkable story behind a Spitfire which was named after a football team. By Rafael Ruiz and Martin WaligorskiA new image has also been added to the Historic Photographs

Günther Rall

2009-10-12T22:21:00.008+01:00

Sad news arrived in the press last week as Generalleutnant Günther Rall, an accomplished German fighter pilot and one of the most successful fighter aces in the history of aviation passed away at his home in Germany on 4 October 2009, aged 91, after suffering a heart attack two days earlier.Click to enlarge image[Der Bruzzla photo]Günther Rall goes into history as the third most successful

Updated 9 October - "I fly it regularly"

2009-10-09T17:00:00.003+01:00

Here is tonight's update with two more items which should be of interest to modellers."I am quite proud of my Spitfire, and fly it regularly" - I wish that I could say the same thing... This statement comes from Colin Bassham who presents his woefully impressive RC model of a Spitfire Mk. VIII.New in Product News is the presentation of a forthcoming new monthly international magazine, Model

Updated 7 October - Deflating British radar myths

2009-10-07T20:05:00.005+01:00

Tonight's update offers a good deal of old-fashioned reading pleasure :) We all know that radar was invented in Britain, right? How much truth lies in the the well publicized scenario of British radar superiority at the onset of World War II? Gregory C. Clark Deflates British Radar Myths of World War II in this new, four-part addition to History Articles.Shown before in the Scale Modelling

Updated 2 October - Grace Spitfire

2009-10-02T20:35:00.006+01:00

Thanks everyone for a good response to the recently posted Spitfire profiles. Articles on camouflage and markings are always well-received and I hope that we'll be able to bring more of them in the future. In the meantime, let's round off this week with a new photo set in Photo Galleries:See images of ML407 Grace Spitfire, a well-known double-seater Mk. IX operating from Duxford and frequently

Updated 29 Septemer - Galitzine

2009-09-29T21:03:00.004+01:00

Without further delay, here's the update for today. It contains two very welcome additions to our steadily growing gallery of Camouflage & Markings:The Very High-Flying Prince is a story of the record high-altitude fighter of the war and the extraordinary pilot who flew it. By Martin Waligorski.Nils Mathisrud presents Spitfire Mk. V - The Norwegians, a pair of colourful Spitfire Mk. V markings

Updated 23 Spetember - In pink

2009-09-23T20:31:00.002+01:00

Today's addition contains but one new article, but an excellent one at that.New in the Scale Modelling section is an excellent kit-bashed Spitfire FR Mk. IX in pink colour scheme, modelled and presented in detail by Jim Kiker.

Tamiya Spitfire Mk. IX - pictures

2009-09-22T12:42:00.007+01:00

As I have mentioned last week, Tamiya of Japan is about to release a new-tool, large-scale 1/32 kit of the Spitfire Mk. IX before Christmas. With Tamiya's flawless reputation as a leading player in the plastic modelling industry, exepectations run sky-high with regard to the new kit's quality and buildability.UPDATE: Full review of this kit is now available, see Review of Tamiya 1/32 Spitfire IXC

Memories from the (filming of) Battle of Britain

2009-09-21T09:26:00.007+01:00

Following last week's review of the movie Battle of Britain, I received the following letter from our reader Barry Gillingwater. I'm quoting it in it's entirety as today's guest blog post.Your piece on the Battle of Britain movie has stirred my memories. After the movie people had finished filming most of the flying sequences at RAF Duxford (most of the air fleet support and maintenance was

Tamiya to release a 1/32 Spitfire Mk. IX

2009-09-17T21:18:00.007+01:00

A big news in the modelling community last week was revealing that Tamiya is about to release a 1/32 plastic kit of the Spitfire Mk. IX. No photos of this product have been released yet, but the expectations for accuracy and quality run high as is always the case with major Tamiya releases. What is known, however, is that the kit will feature the markings of Johnnie Johnson's JE-J, and therefore

Updated 16 September - Battle of Britain, contd.

2009-09-16T23:16:00.005+01:00

Continuing on the subject of the Battle of Britain Day, here's the tonight's update. Would there ever be a better occasion to come up with a review of Guy Hamilton's classic movie? Here it is.Movie review of Battle of Britain appears today in Product News and Reviews. This classic is currently also available in Blueray.The second addition comes in the Video Section and is a detailed presentation

Battle of Britain Day - Media review

2009-09-15T11:06:00.007+01:00

Today is the Battle of Britain day, an anniversary of the apex of the battle when on 15th September 1940 the Luftwaffe launched two massive daylight raids on London, putting up no less than 1260 sorties in the twenty-four hour period and suffering a decisive defeat in the air.Here's a review of recent press - or, shall I say, media, as it includes a TV programme.Parades and services are held

Updated 9 September - Spitfire and Austin-Healey

2009-09-09T15:39:00.005+01:00

Tonight's updates include:Here is a book review that I probably should have written already last year: Leo McKinstry's Spitfire: Portrait of a Legend. Posted in Product News & Reviews.A new set of 33 images has also been added in the Gallery section. These originate from a relatively minor show, CHAA Wings & Wheels in Ontario, Canada, but include some great photos of a Spitfire accompanied by

Updated 8 September - Letter from Bombay

2009-09-08T14:28:00.008+01:00

Today I have added the following new items:Today's addition in our Art & Memorabilia gallery comes from a reader in India. It is a trace of wartime aircraft fundraising campaigns which at the time reached the furthest corners of the World. An unexpected but mostly welcome addition to this site, thanks!The Video Section features two new new official video clips from Il-2 Sturmovik: Birds of Prey,

Tally-ho, Rabbit Leader: Il-2 Birds of Prey is here!

2009-09-07T12:06:00.010+01:00

A new console version of the popular World War II flight simulator IL-2 Sturmovik, the much-anticipated Il-2 Birds of Prey, is out now. Without doubt, this is one of the most important game releases of the year: a demo for Birds of Prey has managed to top one million downloads since going live in August.Watch the official video trailer for Birds of Prey in our video section IL-2 BoP Spitfires

Updated 6 September - Billy de Goat

2009-09-06T22:36:00.003+01:00

Here are the two new articles written and added during the weekend.A new addition in History Articles has nothing to do with aerial combats, campaigns, or aircraft, yet I hope that you will find this story as irresistable as I did. Read about The Amazing Career of Officer Billy de Goat - the memorable animal mascot of No. 609 (West Riding) Squadron.We have also a new book review - Spitfire in

Declaration of war

2009-09-03T11:44:00.008+01:00

Today is the 70th anniversary of Britain's declaration of war. On the morning of Sunday, September 3, 1939 Prime Minister Chamberlain went to the airwaves to announce to the British people that a state of war existed between their country and Germany. In a moment, the German invasion of Poland had become the World War II.I can't remember any better relation of that moment in history than a scene