Hobby Master Archive

The Mk. IX replaced the Mk. V in June 1942 and on September 12, 1942 a Mk. IX brought down a Ju-86R flying at 43,000 feet. Another major achievement of the Mk. IX took place on October 5, 1944 when 401 Squadron became the first allied aircraft to shoot down an Me-262 jet. Even with the arrival of the Griffon powered Mk. XIV the Mk. IX continued in service until the end of WWII. There were 5,665 Mk. IX Spitfires and its variants produced.

On February 13, 1943 Spitfire Mk. IX EN398 made its first flight. It was built by the Supermarine Chattis Hill factory and powered by a Merlin 63 engine. On February 18, 1943 the aircraft was delivered to No. 402 Squadron RCAF as part of Kenley Wing. Acting Wing Commander Johnnie Johnson took command of the four Canadian squadrons based at Kenley. Johnson’s first Kenley victory came on April 3, 1943 and during 1943 he accumulated 14 victories, 7 damaged and 6 shared. EN398 ended WWII as the most successful Spitfire.

Specifications for the Spitfire Mk. IX Number built - 5,665 all Mk. IX variants Crew - 1 X pilot Dimensions Length - 31 ft. 3.5 in. Wingspan: Standard (F) - 36 ft. 10 in. Clipped (LF) - 32 ft. 2 in. Height - 11 ft. 9 in. Wing Area - (F) 242 sq. ft. or (LF) 231 sq. ft. Weight Empty - 5,610 lbs. (2,545 kg) Maximum Takeoff - 7,500 lbs. (3,402 kg) Performance Engine 1 X V-12 Rolls-Royce Merlin 61 @ 1,515 hp or 1 X V-12 Rolls-Royce Merlin 63 @ 1,712 hp Maximum Speed - 408 mph (657 kph) @ 25,000 ft. Service Ceiling - 4,000 ft. Range w/o drop tank - 434 miles (698 km) Armament 2 X Hispano 20mm cannons plus either 4 X .303 machine guns or 2 X .50 machine guns 1,000 lbs of bombs (500 centerline, 250 each wing)

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.

Hobby Master 1/48 Air Power Series HA8311 Spitfire Mk. IXb EN398, Wng Cdr J.E. “Johnnie” Johnson Kenley Wing, Summer 1943