Liam,
It’s difficult to say, but the first picture was taken by it’s then pilot Bill Burge at Hornchurch, March 1944, and as you point out, it still has the standard non tropical air intake at that time.
Clearly by the time it went to the Dutch it was fitted with the Vokes Tropical filter/intake, so possibly fitted (with other mods as well) prior to her being sold to them, or sometime before that period during it’s time with the RAF/MUs.
Unless documentary evidence appears or a new photograph turns up of 434 taken after March 44 and prior to her service with the Dutch in 1947, we’ll never know for sure.
And don’t forget the other visible modifications that she would have received, and were present by the time she was with the Dutch, such as the upper wing blisters (fitted post War) for use with the later type stronger/variable geometry U/C legs and wheels, along with the aerodynamically bulged U/C leg fairings designed for them. Then of course there would be other internal/non visible mods as well, such as strengthening of the wings for the use of the wing bomb carriers.
The other visible mod present when in service with the Dutch was the fitting of modified aft cannon fairings, and fitment of the later ‘e’ type (or ‘blown’ as I refer to them) front cannon barrel extension fairings, as she flies with today.
Cheers
Paul
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