Bob Hoover's Spitfire

Airfix Spitfire Mk IXc, WD-QQ, 4th FS, 52nd FG, Corsica, Italy, 1944. Flown by Bob Hoover.

Another build from the past.  This is from Winter 2011, shortly after Airfix released their (then) new Mk IXc.  I wanted to build it quickly simply because it was, at the time, the best and only Mk IX available.  The Hasegawa kit has it's flaws and is typically quite expensive.  

Since I had the Yankee Spitfires sheet by Rising Decals (sheet number RD 72-019) that I'd used for the Mk Vc, I waffled over the two Mk IX subjects.  Ultimately I chose this one, simply because it was different AND it was flown by somebody I'd actually met/seen during one of his many air shows.

Since this was my first attempt at a Mk IX, and also my early forays into Spitfires in general, I didn't realize some of the details specific to an early Mk IXc.  Things such as the wider cannon bay covers (the bulge over the wings) and the wheel well bulges.  Both of these are characteristics of late Mk IX, and even postwar for the wheel well bulges.  Ah well, a reason to build more...

Paints are acrylics.  I used Pollyscale Sky Blue for the undersurfaces and either Tamiya Flat Earth or Pollyscale Italian light brown for the upper surfaces.  I didn't document which it was.  Since both colors are simply light brown and light blue, I felt like I had a bit of license.  I'd like to do this one again, with the correct configurations to the kit and maybe I'll try different colors then.

Thanks for looking...