Aeroguide Classics No1 Spitfire MkV

Dan,

Thanks a lot, you’ve done a really good job there. Re the colour of ‘KARMIE’, they would obviously have used paint they already had to hand, so it would be either white, yellow, or one of the shades of grey used on the upper/lower surfaces, or some other suitable light colour held by the stores. Maybe there’s someone on the forum who could offer us their opinions on the colour used?

Anyway, thanks again & I’ll let you get on with any other requests that have come in.

BTW how about adding the Me109E to your stable?

Geoff.

KARMIE with white lettering. Still think it’s yellow or possibly a darker gray.

Dan

Updated KARMIE. I don’t think it’s white as the letters are clearly darker then the squadron codes in the closeup of the pilot on the cockpit door hinge. But I’ll do one with white too.

Dan

Dan,

I think we’re getting there.

From looking at the original photos, I’ve added in a brighter green, the two areas where I’d like you to extend with the correct camouflage green. I’ve had to use a little guesswork around the area of the w/t mast, but I think I’ve got it right below that. The area behind the exhaust stubs is guesswork too, but the demarcation line does finish forward of where you have it. I’m sure you can do a better curve to the edge than I have.

I don’t know what colour ‘KARMIE’ was. Does it look yellow to you? Perhaps you could do one version of it in white & one in yellow?

If you can make these changes, then that’s about as close as we will get it without more photos. I don’t know if it’s the light or the paint surface, but the demarcation line is very difficult to see in places isn’t it.

Geoff

Very nice Dan,

I have always liked the later camouflage in combnation with the early roundels.

Hows this look? I think I got it closer regarding the camo demarcation lines.

Dan

Wow! They really were the long and the short of it 🙂

Thanks for posting that Geoff.

I’ll fix the camo. I thought I had the front, but I totally missed the tail. All part of the fun 🙂

Dan

Dan,

I have photocopies of Chris’ logbook for the time he was with 131 sqdn, and of the logbook he used to record the sorties of ‘B’ flight, which he commanded.

Here are Chris and Ray together. Had a copy of this done for Chris at his request.

Can you change the camouflage pattern at all? I notice that there are differences between the photo & your profile on the nose & rudder. The demarcation line between the grey & green follows a slightly different line from your profile, otherwise it’s great to see it in colour.

Geoff.

A beaut as always Dan, I just wish my computer skills ran to such things(I’m almost computer illiterate but learning slowly)
regards
mike

KARMIE, minus the chipped paint 🙂

The book I have that has the photo says early 42 so I’m assuming the gray/green camo. If that’s not accurate I can sure change it. Just a guess on the color of KARMIE too.

Dan

Originally posted by von Perthes
Cheers Dan,

When I clicked on this page, I was half expecting to see you’d done a profile of ‘KARMIE’ (bet you wish you’d kept quiet about those now 😉 )

The pilot is Sgt Clive Roy Briggs (403011), an Aussie, he died in NSW in 1980.

My copy of the photo came from Chris Doll, ex OiC ‘B’ flight 131 sqdn, and later TV & film producer. He was involved with the filming of ‘Battle of Britain’, but not sure how.

Any other sightings of ‘KARMIE’?

Geoff.

Interesting that you mention Chris Doll. I corresponded with him back in the mid 80s for a short time too. He was a Spit XII pilot with 91 Squadron. He and Ray Harries had both been Flight Comanders with 131. They were best of friends, being referred to as the ‘long and the short of it” as Chris was a lot taller then Ray Harries. I’ve got photo copies of his logbook from his 91 Squadron days.

I’ll get to work on the Karmie profile 🙂

Dan

Cheers Dan,

When I clicked on this page, I was half expecting to see you’d done a profile of ‘KARMIE’ (bet you wish you’d kept quiet about those now 😉 )

The pilot is Sgt Clive Roy Briggs (403011), an Aussie, he died in NSW in 1980.

My copy of the photo came from Chris Doll, ex OiC ‘B’ flight 131 sqdn, and later TV & film producer. He was involved with the filming of ‘Battle of Britain’, but not sure how.

Any other sightings of ‘KARMIE’?

Geoff.

In the Aircam/Airwar 1 Series book “RAF Fighter Units-Europe 1939-42” By Brian Philpott, the photo of the pilot sitting on the door hinge is shown along with the one with him standing on the wing leaning on the engine.

The pilot is Identified as Roy Briggs, and the codes as NX-Z. No serial number and no flying shot. Both photos credited to R.L. Ward

Dan

Thanks for the info Mks V & 12,

I wonder if the photo could have been in another Spitfire book?

My informant is convinced that there was an air-to-air shot of ‘KARMIE’ somewhere. He reckons the photo only showed the Spitfire as far back as the fuselage roundel, so the only code letters visible were ‘NX’ & not the individidual code letter.

Geoff.

No air to air shots but the book has many detailed ground photos, particularly of AR501.

It was written by Ray Rimmell, published in 1985 by Linewrights Ltd and the ISBN number is 0 946958 10 6

Mark12,

Thanks for the info. I’m fairly sure I’ve got this photo somewhere.

AB137 was almost certainly coded NX-Z, from my logbook/ORB cross-checking.

Are there any air-to-air photos of NX coded Spitfires in the book?

Geoff.

Credit photo: Richard L Ward collection

Geoff,

The paint flake matches your full ground shot.

Mark

Geoff,

Not an air to air.

There is a very similar photo with the pilot sitting on the door hinge.

Just a little less paint flake on the panel below the windscren.

Although not visible the code is claimed to be NX-X in the caption

Mark

Another view of ‘KARMIE’ and her pilot. s/n almost certainly AB137.