Hobby Master HA7860 1/48 Air Power Series

Hobby Master 1/48 Air Power Series HA7860 is a 1/48 scale diecast model of the Supermarine Spitfire Mk.Vb Trop serial number ER220, Sqn Code QJ-R. Flown by Flight Lieutenant Neville Duke of No.92 Squadron (East India), RAF 1943.

Neville Duke

Neville Frederick Duke (1922 – 2007) was a distinguished fighter ace, credited with 27 aerial victories during the Second World War. He held command of No. 615 Squadron RAF and No. 145 Squadron RAF at various times. Following the war, Duke was one of the world’s leading test pilots. He received several honours, including the DSO, OBE, DFC with two bars, AFC, and was a Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society (FRAeS).

Supermarine Spitfire Mk V

The Spitfire Mk V served as an interim solution while awaiting the introduction of the Mk VI. It utilised the airframe of either the Mk I or Mk II, combined with the powerful Rolls-Royce Merlin 45 engine. This variant entered service in May 1941 with No. 92 Squadron of the Royal Air Force.

Manufactured from 1941 to 1943, over 6,500 airframes were built, produced in three sub-variants: the Mk Va (A-type wing), the Mk Vb (B-type wing), and the Mk Vc, which featured a strengthened fuselage and a new windscreen design known as the “universal” C-type wing. The Vb was the first production Spitfire to incorporate clipped wingtips (-LF).

A single Rolls-Royce Merlin 45 liquid-cooled V-12 piston engine powered the Mk V, driving a three-bladed propeller. The Mk Va was equipped with eight machine guns, while the Mk Vb featured two cannons paired with four machine guns. The Mk Vc offered flexibility in armament configurations, allowing for either eight machine guns, four four-barrel cannons, or combinations of both. The Mk Vb and Vc could carry up to two 250-pound bombs on underwing racks or a single 500-pound bomb along the fuselage centerline.