Description
The Supermarine Spitfire Mk. IXc was one of the most important and widely produced variants of the iconic British fighter aircraft. It was developed as an “interim” or “stop-gap” measure to counter the new and superior German Focke-Wulf Fw 190, which had appeared over the Western Front in late 1941.
The Mk. IXc was essentially an earlier Spitfire Mk. V airframe fitted with the powerful new two-stage, two-speed supercharged Rolls-Royce Merlin 60-series engine. This combination provided a significant boost in performance, particularly at high altitude, making the Spitfire Mk. IX more than a match for the Fw 190 and the latest versions of the Messerschmitt Bf 109.
The “c” in its designation refers to the wing type. The “C” wing was a universal wing that could be fitted with various armament configurations, but the most common for the Mk. IXc was a combination of two 20 mm Hispano cannons and four .303 caliber machine guns. It also had provisions to carry bombs, allowing it to serve in a fighter-bomber role.
First entering service in mid-1942, the Spitfire Mk. IXc quickly became a key aircraft for the Royal Air Force. Its introduction allowed the RAF to regain air superiority and it went on to serve with distinction in all major theaters of the war, including the lead-up to D-Day and the campaigns in Northwest Europe. The Mk. IX was so successful that it became the second most produced Spitfire variant, and its design laid the groundwork for later marks of the aircraft.
Set consists of 8 fine metal 1:600th/3mm scale miniatures.
Producer: ‘Oddział Ósmy’ sc Marcin Kaźmierczak i Tomasz Kołuda, ul. Piotrkowska 107, 90-425 Łódź, Poland
