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Greetings

Which of 21st's Spitfires have an all gray underside? I like the all gray as compared to anything else and am in the market for a Spitfire. I would like to make sure I get the right one.

Thanks

Corey

I think that is the one with D-Day stripes. But you have the D-day stripes on it to keep it from being totaly grey.

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Corey,

If I take your "all gray" meaning correctly, then all the Sptifires except the ZPA version had gray undersides. Just for clarification, there are four schemes for the XD Spitfire. They are all accurate except the D-Day version.

NKK - uper surfaces in two-tone green/brown cammo, with gray underside and roundels on the underside of the wings.

DWK - same sort of basic paintscheme, but with no roundels on the wing undersides and larger fuselage roundels.

ZPA - green/brown cammo upper surface, white & black underside.

D-Day - green & grayish blue cammo, with gray underside & invasion stripes.

The DWK and ZPA aircraft replicate planes used during the Battle of Britain, while the NKK aircraft was in service the following year and the D-Day version in 1944. My personal favorite is the NKK version, but the DWK variant is excellent as well.

Good luck in tracking down the Spitfire. They are much more rare than they were even a year ago. Its one of 21c's best aircraft models and you will enjoy it greatly

I've got the ZPA and I must say the underside is quite funky with its black/white paintscheme. It's "striking" if I may say so.

I actually was wanting to sell it a while ago and either search for a D-Day plane or just do without a spit on my ceiling. Still debating what I need to do there actually. Thinking of selling my P-38 and Stuka too. Just too much up on the ceiling, and my Avenger, Mustang, 109 and the like, are all my favorites... Gotta start thinning the herd I suppose.

The ZPA underside is no doubt funky, but its also pretty accurate. Early war Sptifires, Hurricanes, and other British fighters sported that paintjob with the thinking it could disrupt the visual pattern of the plane in combat. Given that it was rather quickly phased out by the RAF, it must not have been very effective...

It just so happens that I have these pictures handy. I have ZPA and D-Day but none of the others. Hear are these two tops and bottoms.









Hope this helps in your quest for answers.

just to further clarify: the only spitfire with a truly 'grey' underside is the DDAy spitfire, however, while it is supposed to represent a Mk. V Spitfire used in '44 it is really a Mk I/II...some detail differences. The DDay Spitfires fetch a fair bit of money these days, IIRC. Oh, and the DDay stripes are reversed (black should be white and white should be black).

Then there's the black/white underside one that's been discussed.

The other two spitfires actually have a duck egg blue underside, which is not grey but a pale greenish colour, which is correct with the paint schemes they are on, and the time periods they represent. NKK represents a post Battle of Britain spit and DWK represents a very typical looking Battle of Britain Spitfire. ZPA wears the pre war/early war black and white experimental undersides but was flown in the Battle of Britain with that scheme.

my favorite is the NKK - and was the very first plane in my growing collection - I only wish I had picked up more when they were stacked 4 high collecting dust at WM -

you will get a Spitfire - you will love it!

waves force hand

Yeah, the NKK and DDay spit I found locally at walmart, the ZPA and DWK I got from BCA

ZP-A undersurfaces represent 74 Squadron (part of 12th Group) RAF during the early years of WW2. The half black/white undersurface was dropped during the winter of 1940/41 near the end of the BoB and not used again. Depending on what source you believe, there are two versions of why the undersurface was painted that way. One has it distinctive so that wingmen could rejoin after a fight (most early Spits did not have radios prior to WW2's start) and the other was that ground forces could more easily see who was friend and who was foe. That idea was adopted later by the Germans when JV44 flew airfield cover for landing Me-262's in FW-190D9 aircraft with the belly painted red with white candystripes. "Rotta Drie" (Red 3) also done by 21C is painted that way. I have ZP-A displayed with a 1/6th Sailor Malan pilot figure (BBI)....I wouldn't trade them for anything.

Certainly recommend the Spitfire model. I have three of them and they are among the best that 21st has offered. Never saw any around here in WM's. Had to purchase from online vendors.
T

Now I want a ZPA to go with my NKK

It is time 21c release another scheme or two for the Spitfire - it will help all the new collectors. There's alot of different schemes they could do, however most have the same brown and green cammo. Still, I'd love one in the livery of Douglas Bader's aircraft

tmanthegreat wrote:It is time 21c release another scheme or two for the Spitfire - it will help all the new collectors. There's alot of different schemes they could do, however most have the same brown and green cammo. Still, I'd love one in the livery of Douglas Bader's aircraft

...... No way. Robert Stanford Tuck's Spitfire is what needs to be done, hehehe....

-Ski

Now see here, if a new Spit were to come out it should be in Kosciuszko Sqd livery.

If there is a new Spit it should be in 1/32!