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1/24 scale Spitfire Mk.VIII

Airfix has announced an exciting new release:

Kit No. A17002 - Supermarine Spitfire Mk.VIII - NOW AVAILABLE TO PRE-ORDER for £99.99!

We are thrilled to introduce the 1:24 scale Supermarine Spitfire Mk.VIII to the 2024 Airfix range, welcoming this first ever variant in this scale!

Featuring the original tooling from the Mk.IXc variant that was released in 2022, we now bring you the A17002 Supermarine Spitfire Mk.VIII in 1:24 scale, with new parts to create the Mk.VIII differences. New parts include a retractable tail wheel section, short span ailerons, revised instrument panel and revised upper and lower wings including the downward recognition light. Containing a total of 452 parts, once built, the kit measures an overall length of 402mm and a wingspan of 469mm. Showcasing 3 vastly different schemes to choose from, including the ‘Grey Nurse’ scheme, from the Royal Australian Air Force.

 
No. 457 Squadron Royal Australian Air Force became known as ‘Grey Nurse Squadron’ after repainting their newly arrived Spitfire Mk.VIIIs with distinctive shark mouths. Originally tasked with the air defence of Darwin, the squadron was soon moved northwards to Morotai and eventually Labuan to primarily conduct ground attack missions against the Japanese forces. The aircraft portrayed is that of 457’s commanding officer, Sqn. Ldr. Bruce Watson DFC.

 One of the most impressive features associated with the enduring legacy of the Spitfire is how its basic design was able to be adapted and upgraded so effectively throughout the Second World War and how the final variants of this magnificent aircraft were far more than capable that the ones which first arrived at RAF Duxford during the summer of 1938.

 
With the Spitfire undergoing almost constant development to enable it to stay at the forefront of fighter technology during WWII, this vital work was interrupted by the introduction of the Luftwaffe’s fearsome new Focke Wulf Fw190 in 1941, an aircraft which was superior to the Spitfire Mk.V which was in widespread service at the time. A new Spitfire variant, the Mk.VIII, was at an advanced stage of development at the time, however, actual production was still one of the hybrid Mk.IX, an aircraft which fortunately proved to be something of a revelation and more than a match for the Focke Wulf.

The planned Spitfire Mk.VIII would continue into production and was essentially a fighter intentionally designed and engineered from the outset to be the next version of the fighter and a major production variant. Powered by the latest variants of Merlin engine, the Mk.VIII featured a strengthened fuselage, retractable tail wheel and the adoption of a new broad-chord rudder, with versions optimised for high, medium and low altitude operations.

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This variant of Spitfire served primarily with units based overseas, with the RAF in the Mediterranean, Middle and Far East and the RAAF in the Southwest Pacific. Many pilots who flew several marks of this famous fighter regarded the Mk.VIII as the best flying Spitfire of them all.

MARKINGS

We will let you know when more information comes to hand..

Thanks to Airfix for the information and images.

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Page Created 15 July, 2024
Last updated 15 July, 2024

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