Tamiya and Airfix Battle of Britain Diorama 1:48

Stand First…

I used the new Tamiya Spitfire Mk1 with a new sound and movement plug and play set from Magic Scale Modelling to bring it to life alongside Airfix’s Battle of Britain Ready set featuring the Hawker Hurricane Mk1.

The diorama pays homage to the pilots and ground crews during the Battle of Britain and features two famous 601 Sqn (The millionaires Squadron) RAF Tangmere and 602 Sqn RAF Westhampnett.

Honouring the many and the few 80 years on…

2020 is the 80th anniversary where the RAF made its mark as the world’s finest air force having faced overwhelming odds against the Luftwaffe. The history of the bravery of the men and women in the air and ground is well documented. As a founder member of the Tangmere Sector Modellers IPMS who are based at the Tangmere Military Aviation Museum which is located on the site of one of the most famous Battle of Britain RAF bases and squadrons. This diorama is to honour two of those squadrons, one based at Tangmere and the other at RAF Westhampnett (now Goodwood) which was within the Tangmere sector of operations and in particular two pilots one of whom was the first American ‘eagle’ pilot to be killed in the battle.

Pilot officer William Meade Lindsley Fiske III (Billy) was one of the 7 American pilots who flew with the RAF during the battle of Britain. A man of many talents and even an Olympic gold medal in the bobsled. Prior to the war he worked in the London offices of an American firm. On the outbreak of war, pretending to be Canadian in his application he joined the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve in 1940, during his training he revealed he was actually American and duly pledged his loyalty to the King. In July 1940 he joined 601 Sqn RAF Tangmere, more famously known as the millionaire’s squadron which at the time flew Hawker Hurricane Mk1 aircraft. On the 16th August 1940 the squadron was scrambled to intercept a flight of German bombers over the Solent and the Isle of Wight during that action a round hit Fiske’s aircraft in the fuel tank and other vital areas. His aircraft was seriously damaged and he returned to Tangmere nursing it all the way home despite the aircraft being on fire. and was taken to Chichester for medical attention. Sadly he died 48 hours later, he was 29 years old. P/O Billy Fiske was laid to rest with full military honours at Boxgrove Priory Church. Hi aircraft P3358 UF-H.

Pilot Officer Osgood Hanbury DSO, DFC & bar initially started his RAF career flying Lysander’s however in Sept 1940 he transferred to 602 Sqn RAF Westhampnett flying a Spitfire Mk1 X4382 LO-G. By the end of 1940 he had 4 confirmed kills. He continued flying and in 1941 went to 260 Sqn in North Africa flying Curtiss P-40 Warhawk’s, during his time with that squadron he was promoted to flight officer and was awarded a DFC and later a DSO. Sadly he was killed in 1943 whilst travelling on a Lockheed Hudson of 117 Sqn which was shot down over the Bay of Biscay. He was credited with 11 confirmed kills.
What also needs to be remembered are the ground crews and support staff of the RAF who also sacrificed a lot during the Battle of Britain. The Luftwaffe consistently bombed RAF bases across the country, nearly bringing Britain’s air defence to its knees until Hitler changed the bombing strategy to hitting UK cities and industry. Interestingly RAF Tangmere was attacked on the worst day of bombing which coincided with Billy Fiske’s engagement over the Solent. In total 87 JU 87 Stukas attacked the airfield, despite the home squadron’s best efforts in intercepting the large force heading towards them. Both 601 and 602 Squadrons were scrambled on that day. Billy Fiske He had to be extracted from the aircraft by Corporal Jones and AC2 Faulkner despite the airfield being under attack and Second Lt Griffin who was attached to RAF Tangmere shot down a Messerschmitt BF110from the ground with his Lewis Machine Gun. The actual attack only lasted 20 minutes on the airfield. The bombing was extremely accurate destroying all the pre-war hangars, station workshops, stores and water pumping station. 6 Blenhiems, 7 Hurricanes and a Magister aircraft were destroyed. Over 40 ground vehicles were damaged beyond repair. Tragically 10 RAF personnel and three civilians were killed on that day. Corporal Jones and AC2 Faulkner received the Military Cross for their actions for saving Billy Fiske from his burning aircraft. Dr Willey received the Military Cross for assisting them whilst under direct fire. 601Sqn and 602 Sqn claimed 25 enemy aircraft destroyed, including 2 BF110’S, 5 BF109’S8 Stuka bombers and a further 5 damaged. The Station Commander Jack Boret ordered the following entry in the stations events record book:-

‘The depressing situation was dealt with in an orderly manner and it was considered that the traditions of the RAF were upheld by all ranks. In conclusion it must be considered that the major attack launched on this station by the enemy was a victory for the RAF’

Further information on the actions on the 16th can be found at Tangmere Military Aviation Museum.

The Contents…

This build is more focused on the Magic Scale Modelling plug and play system for the Spitfire as plenty has been said about the new mould Tamiya Spitfire (indeed Richard! We have one build in Aircraft-Finished Now already), but as this is a diorama I will make mention of the both the Tamiya and Airfix kits, especially as I am putting extra detail into the hurricane (all will be revealed later). Suffice to say the Tamiya mouldings are sublime, with delicate individual detail and panel lines, although first impressions are it is slightly over engineered and unnecessarily complex around the front windshield area. What is impressive is the undercarriage system they have designed, which as a one-mould piece looks very sturdy.

The Airfix Battle of Britain set is an old release, sporting the standard light grey soft plastic, I was still impressed with the level of detail for this kit. What this set offers is the chance for the modeller to develop a diorama, as it includes two vehicles, eight posed figures both of ground crew, pilots and a dog! Along with varying pieces of airfield equipment.

Magic Scale Modelling offers a new and exciting dimension to scale builds, it allows those amongst us that are not very electronically minded to build into our models sound and movement to bring them alive. In this case I am using their authentic Merlin engine start up system. It is cleverly designed, using 3d printing technology that is on a new level. The authentic sound is just what it says, audio is taken from a Merlin engine and transferred into the electronics and the sound is played through a micro speaker.

To compliment the sound, the propeller is attached to a micro engine which through digital programming replicates the movement of the propeller during the start-up and switch off of the engine.

All the wiring has already been configured to an easy plug in system for an easy set up. The power unit is the biggest element of the kit, it comprises of a black box and switch attached to wires which have to be incorporated into any build from the aircraft to the unit. Once switched on the cycle is on a continuous loop.

The instructions come on a small illustrated slip, which is straightforward once you get your head around how they have configured the leaflet. It is a tad on the small side and I certainly had to break the glasses out.

A point of note is that the circuit board has two ports for the propeller, one for a clockwise movement and one for anti-clockwise, it is worth confirming which port is which before sealing the unit into the build, as I have learnt the hard way and managed to plug it into the wrong one and therefore have a contra rotating prop on a spitfire!

This unit is actually designed for the Airfix kit and as a result there was a fair amount of re-engineering to accommodate it into the Tamiya. What is nice to know is with a bit of time, planning and patience this system can be used in any model of the type. It could also have been used in the Hawker Hurricane as well if desired. You may already be familiar with their plug and play systems if you have bought one of Revell’s technical kits as the wiring sound and effects are designed and supplied by MSM!

Test fitting…