Spitfire P9374

As a matter of interest, what is the evidence for this?

Given your knowledge of such matters, and indeed this a/c, is this not correct then?

As a matter of interest, what is the evidence for this?

P9374 was the first victory for future nightfighter Experten Werner Hoffmann, when flying 110’s with 4/ZG.2, and I believe Hoffmann is still alive at the grand age of 91…..if so I hope someone passes a photo of the rebuilt P9374 with a ‘last time you saw this it was in your gunsight’ title on it to him 🙂

Looks like the style of the indiviual letter is similar to the one on the RAF Museums example now at Cosford. Great job by the way. Looks like the early marks are making a comeback.

Cheers

Cees

Incidentally no one seems to have ever noticed that the shade of Dark earth used on BM597 has been incorrect since it was painted, being far too light in shade.

Looks good, though! :p

No they wouldn’t and the BS numbers are always interpretted by different paint manufacturers in their own way and even between batches within the same company. When I was on a Tornado Squadron in the RAF our aircraft spent a great deal of time outside and consequently the paint finish got weathered and sun bleached accordingly. That just goes to show the difference of two seemingly identical machines. Incidentally no one seems to have ever noticed that the shade of Dark earth used on BM597 has been incorrect since it was painted, being far too light in shade. Even the person who painted it would tell you so!

Surely the colours would not have been exactly the same during the war anyway?

Comparing the Dark Earth and Green on P9374 with BS381 the colours look spot on. Well done to all those involved and to the owner in chosing that colour scheme. When you look at the front of the March edition of Aeroplane showing Hurricane R4118 and Spitfire AR213 the Dark earth colour looks distinctly different from P9374. Is this because they were outside in the “sun” , is it just the different printing or is there a different colour used? Perhaps its just my eyes!

Different paint chips to begin with, different painter, different interpretation of shades, different magazine….

Thanks for the nice comments about it. Paint shades are very difficult to interpret and to photograph. Ambient light can make a good looking shade look wrong just by the sun coming out to play. I know both colour specialists personally for AR213 and R4118 and they are very experienced in the field they operate in. I for example would say the colours on AR213 look a bit “suspect” myself, but that may be a fault of the manufacturer that was not noticed when the aircraft was painted inside a dingey polythene tent at Booker. Even in a Spraybake facility the colours can look strange due to the lighting provided within. You’d be amazed how dark the cammo looks until the roundels are applied! When the Mk1 and 1a, R4118 and P7350 (which I am doing the scheme for, I was just “advising” on the HFL machine) are all lined up outside in the sun one day somewhere I am sure Steve, Tom, Clive and myself will all be having an “interesting” discussion as to who has the right shade of Green or Brown! And what a sight those four aircraft would look together. 🙂

There’s a centrespread of them flying together in a current monthly mag(!)-they do look slightly different-but it might be the light

Comparing the Dark Earth and Green on P9374 with BS381 the colours look spot on. Well done to all those involved and to the owner in chosing that colour scheme. When you look at the front of the March edition of Aeroplane showing Hurricane R4118 and Spitfire AR213 the Dark earth colour looks distinctly different from P9374. Is this because they were outside in the “sun” , is it just the different printing or is there a different colour used? Perhaps its just my eyes!

Paint scheme looks bloody nice, in my opinion.

Yes your right Daz it does look good, all the’ve got to do is put some paint on MKXI fuselage, PL983 !!

Steve;)

Paint scheme looks bloody nice, in my opinion.

Hi all, I am surprised there are no comments on the paint job on P9374 as seen in the latest issue of flypast. Thought someone may have mentioned it. Looks good.

Steve.:)

Hi all, when i first posted this i had no idea of the route it would take. Thanks for your comments anyway.

Steve;)

When the the articles in Flypast come out we all slaver over them

That’s more like it…:)

I would also note that when HFL opened its doors at Audley End, it was done by those of the staff who volunteered to contribute their time for nothing. On many occasions, I was happy to show people around. I cant speak for the current administration, but it is very different now.

Bruce

Blimey !!! sorry guys to have opened a can of worms, Mackrel I see your side of the argument but they have teamed up with the other Mag for an enthusiasts day a couple of years ago, maybe they could put on other similar paying days. The other side of the coin is why should they? But as a public relations exersize I feel it would be benificial to us who pay money to see the finished article at airshows up and down the country, its good to see their finished Spitfires in the air but how many times have we been to Duxford and wondered what is happening in Area 51. When the the articles in Flypast come out we all slaver over them the same as when the book Spitfires And Polished Metal came out, it is one of the big pulls of Duxford to us enthusiasts that we go back again and again to see how restorations are coming along and how these great aircraft were put together.:(

I dont think a private business, operating from a private building on a public airfield has any case to answer.

There may be many who consider everything at Duxford to be in the public domain, but it isnt – never has been in fact.

As for provenance, how on earth does having a few enthusiasts look at the work underway contribute to it in any way?

Bruce

Mk 1 Spitfire, black & white undersides….

whats not to like!? Looks as if it could be fantastic, as for the “privacy”, at the end of the day its private property, their call I guess.

Roobarb – I think a lot of people would be mistaken for thinking that being built on the IWM Duxford site and having the IWM as a landlord essentially means it’s part of the site! As for the Spitfire I restoration – I think if I was the owner I would consider showing some of the rebuild stages in the public arena as helpful in establishing some provenance – otherwise any potential buyer would look at the picture posted by Tangmere of the wreckage and compare that to the finished product and make no connection.

I expect the author of the article was under the impression that people would enjoy the sight of the Spitfire this early on, and enjoy the other information on SL633. I would imagine it was a way of giving the public an inside view of a private facility that is not part of the IWM, and therefore does not have public access. I don’t suppose he thought some people would use it as a way of moaning about things, but just appreciate the interesting images and information. I would imagine if he didn’t bother, then you wouldn’t be seeing anything of it until it gets rolled out in public and that could be quite a wait. I guess he shouldn’t have bothered and maybe he won’t in future. :rolleyes: