Aircraft
Supermarine Spitfire Mk. VB
Pilot & Markings
Squadron Leader Jan Zumbach — No. 303 Squadron RAF, Summer of 1942
Scale & Kit
1/48 Scale Tamiya Model
History
Named after the Polish-American hero, the No. 303 “Kościuszko” was a Polish-manned Fighter Squadron flying as part of the Royal Air Force. Formed as part of an agreement between the Polish and UK Governments in August of 1940, the No. 303 Kościuszko became famous for claiming more victories than any of the other 66 allied fighter squadrons engaged in the Battle of Britain. Its success in combat can be attributed to the years of rigorous prewar training that many long-serving Polish veterans had received in their homeland as well as surviving previous encounters with Luftwaffe in inferior planes.
In the dark days of the Battle of Britain, Jan Zumbach, was squadron leader of No. 303. During this time, the renowned ace was credited with 8 confirmed victories and one probable, mostly against Bf 109E fighters.
As squadron commander, Zumbach flew three Spitfire Mk.VBs with the serial numbers BM144, EP594 and EN951. These aircraft carried the same code, RF-D, “RF” being the squadron code for 303 Squadron, and “D” being the individual aircraft code. The markings of the EN951 were utilized for this project. Like the other two Spitfires, the EN951 displayed a caricature of “Donald Duck” on the port side of the fuselage. The cartoon, deriving from his nickname, was used as a personal aircraft emblem. Zumbach’s victory tally was marked with German crosses under the cockpit on the port side; confirmed kills were outlined in white, probable kills in red, and damaged aircraft with no outline. By the end of his flying career, his final tally stood at 13 1/3 confirmed victories, five probable and one damaged.
The highly detailed 1/48 scale Spitfire Mk.VB Tamiya model kit was used for this project, as well as the Ultracast resin seat and seatbelts. Color scheme is RAF Dark Green and Ocean grey over Medium Sea Grey. Enjoy the photos.
Photo Gallery
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