Big Daddy Posted August 15, 2012 Share Posted August 15, 2012 (edited) My father, who will be 94 in October, was an aero-mechanic with the RCAF during WWII. He was stationed in Moncton, New Brunswick in the summer of 1943 when George "Buzz" Buerling was doing his Victory bonds tour and met him briefly when he lent him a Harvard trainer to "go for a tilt". When I asked him what he was like, Dad said he seemed like a "nice-enough" fellow, but "there was something about his eyes....he had the eyes of a ....." and then he didn't say anything more. I finished his sentence by saying "a killer?" and he just nodded. You have to know my Dad, he refuses to speak poorly of anyone and has been that way his whole life. He also laments the fact that he never saw combat, or went to Europe, or as he puts it, "made any real contribution to the war". I get all over him for that but I know it bothers him. So, I want to dedicate this to my Dad and all the other veteran "erks" who kept the planes flying. Without them, we couldn't have won it. I am building a 1/32 Hasegawa Spitfire Mk. Vb which I will do up in Malta colours. The a/c was designated T/L and was s/n EP706. According to records I have found, Buerling flew it on several ops and is said to have made his 19th-22nd kills in this aircraft. For those of you who don't know about Buzz (aka "Screwball") Buerling, he was the top Canadian ace in WWII, credited with 31 1/2 kills. Twenty-six of these came while he was stationed on Malta in the summer of 1942 and he scored them in a mere 14 days of flying. He also scored numerous Probables and Damaged while there. As they had no gun cameras, they relied solely on eye-witness accounts from other pilots as verification. I highly recommend the book "Malta Spitfire" written by Buzz and Leslie Roberts, first published in 1943. It is an amazing first-hand account of this offbeat but extremely gifted fighter pilot and of the battle over Malta. The obligatory boxshot... A representation of EP706's paint scheme... An actual colour shot of a Malta Spit Vb..... I am currently looking for aftermarket parts, whatever is available as well as a good decal sheet for this project. Any comments, pos or neg, are welcomed! Edit: I have ordered the Aires Spit V Cockpit set & Aircraft Conversions landing gear set. Thanks, Don Edited August 15, 2012 by Big Daddy Quote Link to post Share on other sites
clioguy Posted August 15, 2012 Share Posted August 15, 2012 I'm from Malta, so will be watching with REAL interest!! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Big Daddy Posted August 15, 2012 Author Share Posted August 15, 2012 I'm from Malta, so will be watching with REAL interest!! Oh boy, nothing like putting pressure on a guy! I hope I measure up. :blink: Quote Link to post Share on other sites
clioguy Posted August 15, 2012 Share Posted August 15, 2012 Oh boy, nothing like putting pressure on a guy! I hope I measure up. :blink: Quote Link to post Share on other sites
AX 365 Posted August 15, 2012 Share Posted August 15, 2012 Go Daddy! Somehow that just doesn't seem right. But I'm saying it anyway. Good luck with the build, BD. Mike Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Big Daddy Posted August 16, 2012 Author Share Posted August 16, 2012 Go Daddy! Somehow that just doesn't seem right. But I'm saying it anyway. Good luck with the build, BD. Mike LOL, thanks Mike. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Bigasshammm Posted August 16, 2012 Share Posted August 16, 2012 Baracuda cast has some good vb accessories. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Big Daddy Posted August 16, 2012 Author Share Posted August 16, 2012 Baracuda cast has some good vb accessories. Thanks, man. I will check them out! BD Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Big Daddy Posted August 19, 2012 Author Share Posted August 19, 2012 All updates to this thread will be posted in the new Living History GB thread, here... Malta Spitfire Thanks for looking!! BD Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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