P-40E Warhawk, RNZAF, 488 squadron.

 The Royal New Zealand Air Force had only one squadron, the 488, in the Pacific when the war on that front began, its pilots also formed the core of the RAF units based in Malaya and Singapore, when the Japanese attacked, the slow and poorly armed Buffalos dropped like flies, the surviving pilots managed to be evacuated on the last transport that left the port, but when they arrived back to Auclkand, they found that there were no planes, temporarily they received a few Harvards, little by little P-40Es were received to form the squadron, which remained in New Zealand to provide air defense to the territory, the raid on Darwin had just passed and an attack on New Zealand was feared, the days passed and the situation improved, by October 1942, the 15 Squadron took charge of the defense of Tonga, receiving the planes left there by the 68 PS of the USAAF.

By March 1943 it was considered that New Zealand pilots were fit for the heavy fighting over Guadalcanal and 15 Sqn was sent to reinforce American units in the area, fighting until June when 14 Sqn, released from air defence duties in New Zealand and rotated to the front, took part in some of the heaviest air combat of the campaign, covered the landings at New Georgia and frequent patrols over Rendova, was replaced by 16 Sqn and returned home to resume defence duties.

Airacobra Mk I, 601 Squadron

One of the fighters sent to the RAF through the Lend-Lease program was the P-39 Airacobra, which in the United Kingdom was known as the Airacobra Mk I, and although it was to begin being delivered in early 1941, Their reception was delayed when the first units of the batch were requisitioned by the USAAF for use in the desperate fight in the Pacific, so it was not until the end of that year that they began to arrive, already painted in the new Gray and Green scheme. .

The first unit to be equipped was the 601 Squadron "County of London", of the Royal Auxiliary Air Force, an old unit of young Reserves with a taste for flying, and who were enrolled in some of the most expensive universities, so which was known as the "Millionary's mob".

The Airacobra proved not to be up to the needs of the RAF and was practically immediately declared unfit for service and handed over to the Russians, so these aircraft were shipped in a convoy to Murmansk and painted with the red star, sometimes only with its English codes obliterated with a single layer of paint.

The model is from Airfix, what better than a British model to represent an English plane? The paint is El Viejo Marino, all the decoration is by brush.

P-40E Warhawk, RAAF, Milne Bay battle

The Battle of Milne Bay, has been unfairly forgotten, was decisive in breaking Japanese rule in New Guinea, it was the first Japanese landing in the Pacific War, which was rejected, and all this was achieved, when the Australian forces were still in inferior conditions to the Japanese.

Air superiority was achieved with the not so good P-40E, which had been defeated in the Philippines and Java, but the Australian planes were flown with the lessons learned, by determined pilots who achieved sufficient air superiority, so that the attack planes could fulfill their function.

This model represents an airplane of the 75 Squadron, it is one of my first attempts to make a model, with decoration different from that offered by the manufacturer, it is in 1/144 and is from Lodela, the decals come from my box of remains and They have only been modified to represent the Australian insignia, the letter P is painted.

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Spitfire 1/32, Revell Lodela

In Mexico, Lodela produced two versions of the Spitfire in 1/32 scale, both were magnificent, in my opinion, the best models of that time, only surpassed by the Airfix Spitfire in 1/32, I know that Revell also produced a Seafire , but I never saw it in our country.

I leave you the boxart of both, I have it on my construction list, I intend to build it as a Spitfire Mk II, the YTL, inspired by the collection of the Necomisa modeling museum

I only have three of them, but the good thing about the Spitfire is that there are all scales, even the rarest ones, like 1/69 and 1/40.

Spitfire Mk V troop, 249 (Golden Coast) Squadron

One of the most outstanding Hurricane units of the war, was one of the last to train with this type of fighter, in May 1940, during the Battle of Britain, one of its pilots received the Victoria Cross, once the battle was over, it began offensive operations on France with Hurribombers, destined for Malta, participated in the hardest fighting on the Island, in February 1942 he transitioned to Spitfires on the battlefield, won the victory, in November he went on the offensive, on Sicily, in 1943 He was transferred to Italy and then to the Balkans, in September 1945 he transitioned again, to Mustangs, passing his Spitfires to the Yugoslavs.

Model: Spitfire Mk V trop, PM.

Scale: 1/72

Painting: El Viejo Marino (Ye olde Seaman)

Unit: 249 (Golden Coast) Squadron Malta

Code: C

Modelistic notes: Model direct from the box, from the PM brand, it is an excessively simple model, but it is the only Mk V trop that is available, it has the camouflage used in the Battle of Malta, The Old Marine paint, codes and brush insignia.

Hurricane 1/144, Revell Lodela

 

Another of Lodela's models in the seventies was the Huirricane in 1/144, belonging to the same H-1000 Series as the previous entry, it shared the same design principles, a yellow box, a magnificent Ikematsu Boxart, the simple instructions and decals for a version of 56 Squadron, code US-G, one of the participants in the Battle of Britain. This is the original box from 1978, with its label of free cement.