Spitfire Vb, AB972/UD-W, F/L Brendan "Paddy" Finucane, No. 452 Sqn., RAAF, RAF Kenley, Oct 1941

1/48 scale pre-finished.
Die-cast metal with a minimum of plastic.
Professionally painted.
All markings pad applied for superb results.
Canopy slides open.
Comes with a pilot that can be removed.
Comes with display stand.
Landing gear is fully retractable and can be displayed up or down.
Propeller is metal.
Extremely sought after by collectors.

The first Spitfire Mk V was produced in January 1941 and proved to be as good as the Mk III and
less complicated. The Mk V was the most produced variant of the Spitfire and the main version
throughout 1941 and was a better aircraft than the Bf-109 but that all changed with the
introduction of the Fw-190. The Mk V remained the RAF fighter through the summer of 1942 and
saw several variants developed using bigger engines, new wing types and more armament.
There were 20,351 Mk V aircraft built in all variants.



In 1938 Irishman Brendan "Paddy" Finucane joined the RAF and two years later was flying
Spitfires with the 65 Squadron. In April 1941 he was transferred to 452 Squadron where he
scored seventeen victories between July and October 13 1941 when he turned 21. After a short
rest Finucane was transferred to the 602 Squadron and in June 1942 became the youngest Wing
Commander in RAF (Hornchurch) history. On July 15, 1942 Finucane was killed during a raid on
Étaples France. He was the highest scoring Irishman with 28 aerial victories, total may vary.


Specifications Spitfire Mk. Vb

Production - 3,923

Role – Fighter

Crew - 1


Dimensions
Length – 29 ft 11 in   (9.11 m)
Wingspan - 36 ft 10 in   (11.23 m)
Height - 11 ft 5 in   (3.48 m)

Weight
Empty - 5,100 lb   (2,313 kg
Maximum - 6,785 lb   (3,078 kg)

Performance
Powerplant - 1 X 1,440 hp Rolls-Royce Merlin 45/46/50 V-12
Speed - 371 mph   (597 km/h) @ 20,000 ft   (6,096 m)
Climb Rate - 20,000 ft / 7.5 min   (6,095 m in 7.5 min)
Service Ceiling - 37,000 ft   (11,278 m)
Range - 470 miles   (756 km)

Armament
In Wings
2 x 20-mm cannon
4 x 0.303-in machine-guns
External
Centre-line rack for 500 lb bomb or tank