OK, she's as finished as she's going to get.
A bit of a rough build & the paint job ain't any better but I like the scheme.
There are RW engineering issues with the design which I
did think about before commencing the build, then promptly ignored & went with the Rule of Cool (& ease of conversion).
Back Story:
In late-1944 intelligence sources reported that Germany was preparing to launch a new Blitz against Britain with its new jet-powered schnell-bombers. In response the War Department demanded a fast-climbing, high-speed interceptor to combat this threat. By early-1945 the Supermarine proposal was accepted & it entered service in mid-1945.
This was the Supermarine Surefire Mk.II (only 2 Mk.I's were ever built, as prototypes, & both were eventually lost to crashes). Developed directly from the successful Spitfire, the Surefire retained some commonalities with its forebear for ease of manufacture, such as the cockpit section & the wings. Powered by 2 Rolls Royce Griffon engines the Surefire was indeed fast but, more importantly, could climb faster than any non-rocket powered aircraft in existance. Unfortunately it needed drop-tanks to have any sort of combat range & lacked the excellent dogfighting performance of the Spitfire due to the very high wing-loading. However, with the launch of the schnell-bomber offensive in September 1945, Surefire pilots quickly developed a suitable, effective attack system.
Due to the high speed of the jet bombers radar was unable to warn Fighter Command with sufficient time to get enough interceptor aircraft to altitude for an attack. The Surefire pilots found a way around this... They attacked on the climb!... The Surefire squadrons were sited across the only possible approach paths to the major target areas. They would receive the order to scramble & fly directly at the approaching bombers at a lower altitude, they would then climb to intecept them & carry out a single climbing pass, the Surefires would then roll over onto their backs & pull around for a diving pass at speeds which often threatened to rip their wings apart & faster than the escorting German jet fighters, then they would repeat the process. By this time British & American jet fighters were usually arriving to take on the German fighters, & the Surefires would continue their looping attacks, climbing & diving, climbing & diving until the German bomber formations broke up & ran for home. By mid-1946 the Surefire squadrons had broken the back of the schnell-bomber Blitz & the Germans had run out of resources to build more.
Only 3 squadrons eventually operated the Surefire & they lost more aircraft from failure of the complicated landing gear, required to give their propellors ground clearance, than they did from enemy action.
At the end of the war, in February 1947, the Surefires were de-commissioned, retired & all but one sold off to private buyers.
After the war Surefires became popular in air racing, with several holding various records & championships for many years until parts became difficult to source. The last racing Surefire ended its career in 2011. After her 2nd retirement GBR's No. 33 was returned to the RAF & joined her wartime comrade at the RAF Museum, Cosford, for restoration to display standard bfore being transported to the RAF Museum, London.
Pictured below is GBR No. 33 as she was on the day of her last race.
The size of the pilot provided in the kit made me think of one of our members, here, &
Brian "buzzbomb" Thewlis is the name under the cockpit:
Here is the Supermarine Surefire Mk.II with my other WW2 fighter, the Boulton-Paul/Westland Defender Mk.IV:
Now my entire 1/72nd collection (yup, that's all of it):
Well, that's it! Hope you like her.
Guy
