Aircraft
Supermarine Spitfire Mk.1
Pilot & Markings
Pilot Officer Eric Stanley Lock — Stationed at Catterick, August 1940
Scale & Kit
1/48 Scale Tamiya Model
History
The Supermarine Spitfire is probably the most famous fighter of all time, and arguably one of the most beautiful aircraft, with its unmistakable elliptical wings and sleek lines. The Spitfire offered performance similar to that of the superb Bf109E, but people today still argue as to which of the two had better performance in a dogfight.
During the Battle of Britain, many of Spitfires’ pilots became aces and went on to become heroes. Among many Battle of Britain heroes was British native, Eric Stanley Lock who flew with No. 41 Squadron during the Battle of Britain and became the top scoring Spitfire pilot of that action with 16 ½ victories. Unfortunately, Lock passed away when he was shot down while flying Spitfire Vb, W3257. He ended his career with 26 victories (You can find the markings for his Spitfire Vb W3257 in the new Victory Productions #48-006 decal sheet).
While flying this aircraft, on August 15, 1940, Lock shot down his first enemy plane, a Me110 while engaging Ju88’s and Me110’s. A few months later, on September 5, 1940, Flying Officer Anthony Desmond Lovell was under attack by enemy fighters and baled out whilst flying this aircraft EB-Q, R6885.
Model Master enamel paints such as RAF Dark Earth and RAF Dark Green were airbrushed in an “A” pattern to paint the fuselage, upper wing surfaces and stabilizers. Tamiya XF-21 Sky was airbrushed to paint the under surfaces, a black spinner, propeller blades and yellow prop tips. Some aftermarket parts were used to add realism to this plastic model airplane, such as the seat and exhaust pipes. The cockpit was airbrushed Interior Green with a touch of White, an Oxide Black mixed with Raw Umber wash was applied and finally dry brushed in white to show wear. A pin vise was used to drill out the .303 cal machine guns. This is an outstanding replica of Lock’s Battle of Britain aircraft.
This may be one of the rarest pro-built models you will find on the Internet. With some extensive research and help of some knowledgeable friends, I was able to locate aircraft information on Eric Lock’s Battle of Britain Spitfire Mk.1. The squadron codes and serial number had to be custom made.
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