hey i need some help.im buildin a spitfire mk IX,i would like to do it in u.s. markings where can i find good paint schemes for u.s. spitfires after the battle of britain?it doesnt have to be IX i just want to get some basic ideas for the american paint schemes for the spitfire.
Hi Fort,
Im about to build a MkV Spit in US markings.I know that the Spits first used by the USAAF in the ETO were painted in the standard RAF Camo and the RAF Roundels were overpainted with the Circular US Stars.Im sure this was the same for Spits used by the US in Nth Africa.If you get stuckand cant find anything e-mail me and Ill scan some pics for you.
Best Regards
Mark
Hi - there’s a Spitfire PR.XI in U.S. markings on display at the Air Force Museum. This one’s painted in overall PRU blue. Here’s a link to look at it if you’re interested:
http://www.wpafb.af.mil/museum/air_power/ap17.htm
There’s a couple other Spits at the museum as well, a Mk.Vc and a Mk.XVIe, but those are in British markings. The markings on the Mk.Vc are incorrect for this version, but the museum’s web site says they will repaint it to represent a Mk.Vc in U.S. service in North Africa.
Regards,
Pat
Ventura published a book on Spits in US service, and that would be a good starting point. Photos I’ve seen show Northern European US Spits in RAF day fighter camo (dk green/ medgrey/ocean grey), and North African and Italian theater planes in desert camo (dark earth/middle stone/azure blue). The RAF roundels were often painted out on the upper right/lower left wing, sometimes with RAF colors, sometimes with Olive Drab. Additionally, touchups and code changes were sometimes oversprayed with Olive Drab.
To add to jcarlberg’s post, Ventura now has out two books on U.S. Spitfires. U.S. Spitfire IX’s in the Med. carried many different schemes. The Ventura books show them in the standard green/gray day fighter scheme, the standard desert scheme, and the high-altitude scheme which was medium sea gray over PRU blue. There is even an illustration of a Mk. IX that was repainted an overall light brown over light blue. I recommend the Ventura books if you want to do US Spitfire IX’s.
Jim
There was a Spitfire displayed on the UK airshow circuit in US markings a year or two ago. As I recall it was a mid blue of some description, but what was notable about it was that the operators had gone to a great deal of trouble to depict the painted out roundels and I suspect this would have to be prominent on a model. Beware of the “Torch star”, operation Torch was an allied operation to sieze French territories in north Africa. At this time, the French HATED the British (plus ca change) because of the destruction of the French fleet by the Royal Navy at Oran. Since it was hoped that the French defenders would come over to the allies, all British aircraft involved were marked with the torch star, where the white and red of the roundels was overpainted with a white star. It was hoped that the French would believe all their attackers to be American and be more willing to co-operate than if the hated British were attacking them. As a result, be wary of Spitfires with stars on, you could find your “American Spitfire” turns out to be a Seafire in Disguise.
I just checked my favourite online model shop http//:www.hannants.co.uk and the keywords "American spitfire in their search engine came up with a range of decals in various scales.
Whaz up Fort
As descibed by JGUIGNARD, Ventura Publications has a great two part series on the “American Spitfire” (series No.3 and 4)
I am partial to the 31st FG. Anywho these books are laid out in a way that you get a variety of color schemes(most pics are B/W w/ a few color layouts).
Decal choices:
Super Scale- Spitfire MkVb trop, VIIIc (31st FG, 307th,308th FS) #48-498
Mk Vb, Mk Vc Trop, Mk IX (31st FG, 307th, 308th FS) #48-667
Eagle Strike- “American Spitfires” (31st FG,307th,309th FS) # 48-058
MSAP “USAAF Spits” #4814
Flaps up,MIke
Fort,
If you send me your real email address I can supply you with some pretty good shots of US Spitfires from the advent of UK ops, on to Operation Torch, and to the change-over to Mustangs in Italy.
Joe Vincent
Editor, “Flight Back”
31st Fighter Officers’ Assoc. Newsletter
jvincent@midsouth.rr.com
The Ventura books are a treasure trove. Lotsa good stuff and well worth the $$$.
Besides the decal sheets mentioned above, there are a whole lot more out there. There’s a few Aeromaster sheets that you may still be able to find that have markings for early 4th FG Spits. (As well as some Eagle Squadron ships I believe) There’s a couple nifty lookin’ birds on these, I’ll see if I can get some numbers for 'ya. I can also help out with scans of Yank Spits.
Fade to Black…
I was recently in the Philippines and picked up the new Tamiya 1/32 scale Spit Mk IXc for about $80. (A happy day, that was!)
I’d really like to build it as Capt. Fred Ohr’s aircraft, but am having a hard time finding reliable references for the paint scheme. Some I’ve seen look grey, some look like a light brown or tan of some sort. None give any clue as to the underside color.
I saw that Italieri recently did a 1/48th scale Mk. IX and included Capt. Ohr’s plane as an option. Can anyone provide me some details? A scan of the decal and painting instructions ffrom the kit might be ideal, if that’s allowable.
I think the Osprey book American Spitfire Aces has a picture of his aircraft. If not that then the Squadron book, 31st Fighter Group. I have both but I’m not home so I can’t check for you for a few days.
I tried you email but it was kicked back by the server. I am interested in pics if you have some. Specifically of Royal N Baker’s 31st FG Spitfire.
Thanks
satch
I found some references to RN Baker in Osprey’s “American Spitfire Aces of WW2”, but unfortunately there are no pictures of artwork.
The other artwork they do have in that book of a 308th bird belonged to 1st Lt LP Molland. It was a Mk VIII with the serial overpainted (HL - X) . According to the appendix, HL was the 308th’s unit code. It appear to have been in the typical desert tan/brown scheme as of Feb 44, even though it was stationed in Castel Volturno, Italy.
The unit flew Mk V, VII and IX aircraft between July 42 and March 44.
The book also mentioned that Captain Baker did fly a Mk IX.
Thanks, I have that book. All I need is the last letter of his a/c code and I could reasonably reproduce his Spit. I’ve read a combat diary that even documents his 3 victories in the Spit but no reg number. I’m sure somewhere there is a photo of his bird.