IBG Models Plastic Model Kit

Supermarine Spitfire PR Type C – Heston Special (1/72)

This kit focuses on one of the more unusual early reconnaissance Spitfires, the PR Type C “Heston Special”. The airframe carries the clean, elegant lines of the early Spitfire but with the stripped-back, unarmed configuration used for high-risk photo-reconnaissance sorties. IBG’s moulding captures those changes well, from the streamlined nose to the smooth, uninterrupted wing surfaces. It builds into a neat, understated version of the aircraft that performed some of the RAF’s most demanding early-war intelligence flights.

Panel lines are fine and restrained, and the cockpit area is simplified in line with the real machine. The kit feels calm to assemble, with sensible part breakdown and a clear focus on the unique profile of the PR Type C. Decals provide the markings for the Heston-based machine flown on photographic missions in 1940, giving the finished model that distinctive minimalist look associated with early RAF reconnaissance Spitfires.

• 1/72 scale plastic model kit
• Depicts the PR Type C “Heston Special” of 1940
• Fine surface detail and clean early-war airframe lines
• Reconnaissance configuration with unarmed wings
• Crisp moulding typical of IBG’s newer tooling
• Markings for the 1940 Heston-based aircraft
• SKU: 72583

History

Before dedicated reconnaissance aircraft were available in quantity, the RAF relied on modified Spitfires to gather high-altitude intelligence. The PR Type C was one of the earliest of these conversions. Built at Heston, the aircraft had its guns removed, extra fuel added and cameras installed, allowing long-range photographic missions deep into occupied territory. The clean, stripped-down airframe offered speed and altitude rather than firepower, with pilots relying on agility and height alone to evade enemy fighters.

These machines operated in 1940 during the most uncertain months of the war, when reconnaissance images were essential for planning raids, monitoring invasion activity and tracking troop movements. Though few in number, the PR Type C proved how effective an adapted Spitfire could be in the photo-reconnaissance role, influencing later PR variants that would serve throughout the conflict. The Heston Special remains a distinctive early chapter in the Spitfire’s long and varied wartime career.