Supermarine Spitfire Mk I | Colin Falkland Gray

Aircraft

Supermarine Spitfire Mk.1

Pilot & Markings

Pilot Officer Colin Falkland Gray — No. 54 Sqn., RAF Hornchurch, Summer 1940

Scale & Kit

1/48 Scale Tamiya Model

History

As many may agree, the great performance displayed during Second World War battles earned the Spitfire an exceptional reputation. As Hawker Hurricanes defended against oncoming German bombers, Spitfires succeeded while engaging in dogfights with the lethal Bf109’s. Faced with certain invasion, it is this combination of aircraft that paved the way for England’s victory during the Battle of Britain.

In the midst of these turbulent times, experienced RAF pilots earned medals and honours for driving German fighters and bombers away from British skies.  As the victories tallied, many RAF pilots earned the ace status. Among these pilots was New Zealand native, Pilot Officer Colin Falkland Gray, who saw much action during the Battle of Britain. It was in this Spitfire (KL-T) that he saw frequent action. By the end of the Battle of Britain, Colin Gray achieved the ace status. He amassed 16 destroyed aircraft with one probable.  His success did not end. By the end of the war, his victories stood at 27 enemy aircraft destroyed, 2 shared destroyed, 6 and 4 shared probables and 12 damaged.

I used Tamiya’s 1/48 Spitfire model airplane with aftermarket decals to build Colin Gray’s Spitfire. The seat is aftermarket. I airbrushed the cockpit RAF Interior Green and carefully dry brushed areas to add realism. The camouflage scheme is RAF Dark Green with RAF Dark Earth over Sky. This is a great looking replica of Gray’s Battle of Britain Spitfire.

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