Brian - sorry I missed your kind comment about the demarcation line! It's very satisfying, I love this paint scheme and it's great to be able to replicate it. The secret is Tamiya tape - the Kittiwake is easy because the P-40's panel lines are pretty much right on the money for this! - and a coat of Sky over that new line before doing the darker grey, to prevent bleed-through. I've read about it on countless forum posts and there's no better way (for me) to do it.
I haven't even been out to the Mancave for two weeks so the decals have remained unfound, however there has been progress!
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Curtiss-Fairey Kittiwake Mk.II WA201 was rolled out of the Fairey Aircraft Company’s facility at Heston Aerodrome on 12 January 1945 and made its first flight shortly thereafter, flown by Cpt JA Farebrother. Upon completion of test flights and acceptance trials WA201 was flown to join 201 Squadron aboard HMS Seasprite, which sailed for Australia shortly thereafter to become part of the British Pacific Fleet. Following a short stopover off the Queensland coast Seasprite sailed to the Sakishima Islands during the Battle of Okinawa.
There the Kittiwakes of 201Sqn flew protective patrols against Japanese Kamikaze aircraft and pilots’ logbooks show at least seven such “kills” were scored in WA201. Some shrapnel damage received in one of these missions can still be discerned today in the shape of skin patches on the left wing’s topside.
After the war WA201 returned with her brethren to the UK, the unit’s losses being covered by replacement aircraft from other squadrons. Although the UK military wound down for peace-time the Kittiwakes were still regularly exercised and their pilots constantly training – WA201 in particular was noted at air meets around the country to fly the flag.
The Korean War saw WA201, now unofficial flagship for her namesake unit, in action once more. Squadron boss Cdr John Yale “Jyffy” Faulkner shot down a MiG-15 in the aircraft on 8 July 1951 in a combat regarded as “the beginning of the end” for the cutting-edge Soviet jet’s dominance over UN types. Although other Kittiwakes and Sea Furies later scored victories over MiGs it was WA201 that was immortalised as the “MiG Killer” of the fleet, commemorated – albeit temporarily – by a black silhouette of the aircraft under the canopy.
At the armistice which ended the conflict Jyffy and WA201 led a flight of four Kittiwakes to “keep the peace” overhead the 38th Parallel. In the intervening two years WA201 had flown more than 60 missions and shot down a further 20 aircraft, from biplane Polikarpov Po-2s to more modern Yak and Lavochkin piston fighters.
In late 1953 WA201 was once again in English skies as the squadron was rested ashore at RNAS Yeovilton after first berthing at Southampton. She was flown in a spirited display at Jyffy Faulkner’s retirement “do” in 1954 and appeared in a re-enactment of the Okinawa sorties at that year’s SBAC airshow at Farnborough. A “Contact Blue” exchange trip to Spain was also on the cards before the end of year, but duty called once more.
Communist guerrillas in Malaya had long been causing issues for the British colony, and in November 1954 WA201 was once again off to war as part of Operation Firedog. Given there was no enemy air to combat, WA201 and her sisters were used as highly effective ground-attack aircraft with bombs and rockets. Service over the Peninsula was followed by some action in the Suez campaign, which proved to be the last time WA201 was flown in combat. By the end of 1958 Seasprite had returned to UK waters and, in March the following year, a final Contact Blue cruise to South Africa.
May 1960 was the end of the Kittiwake in the FAA. The following month saw the remaining aircraft sold off – some for scrap, others to collectors, and a handful were donated to museums – but WA201, with its rich history, was retained at RNAS Yeovilton and placed as a “gate guard” near the station’s crew rooms. Featuring a “touched up” version of its final operational colours, and with its cannon and engine removed, the otherwise complete machine sat vigilant for more than a decade.
In 1972 the powers-that-be organised a special unit of the FAA to operate a selection of historic types to commemorate and celebrate its years of service to the people of Great Britain. Examples of the Swordfish, Sea Fury and Firefly that had been donated were rounded up for deployment as the Royal Navy Historic Flight. A Kittiwake was another type on the RNHF wants list and initially WA040 was considered, however it was decided it should remain at the Fleet Air Arm Museum on permanent display and that WA201 be regenerated.
The process of returning the Kittiwake to the skies was not as difficult as first thought thanks to successive base commanders ensuring Yeovilton’s “mascot” was well-looked after and regularly cleaned. The original Griffon, removed in mid-1960, was located on base and refitted after overhaul and the aircraft flew again - albeit in bare metal and primer - on September 9, 1972. After test-flying it was painted in its wartime Slate Grey and Sea Grey over Sky camouflage, as worn in the Pacific campaign in 1945.
The aircraft often performed as an “escort” for the Flight’s Firefly WB271 along with Sea Fury TF956 at airshows, as well as a solo act. Eleven display seasons around the UK were flown without issue until a gear collapse at Duxford on July 12, 1984. Although pilot Lt Cdr Henry Percival was uninjured the aircraft suffered major damage to its wing and engine. A “post-mortem” carried out at Yeovilton after the wreckage was trucked back showed that, while severe, the damage was not fatal and the aircraft could fly again. Supported by fundraising efforts at air shows and displays wherever the RNHF took part, the re-restoration took almost three years and included a replacement Griffon sourced from a private collector in Australia, new propeller blades, all new skin panels on the underside of the wing, and dummy Hispano cannon for the gun bays.
On August 8 1987 the reborn WA201 flew a short test flight from Yeovilton at the hands of Lt Cdr Charles Beamish, now resplendent in her Korean War markings – complete with “Mig Killer” art. Since then the aircraft has continued to serve with the RNHF and display across the UK and Europe. Today WA201 is one of just two Kittiwakes flying in the UK, and one of six worldwide.
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The model will be WA201 as she is today, the Korean War scheme....with stripes....and a MiG-15 wing planform "kill marking" under the canopy. I still need to source a Seafire XV-style prop and spinner, cannon (which I've found for sale on various sites), and fabricate the underbelly tailhook as per the drawing below:
