A man has supersized his childhood hobby of making model Airfix kits by buying a full size Spitfire – that he keeps in his back garden.
Aviation worker Ian Fox, 55, bought the fibreglass replica aircraft from a fellow enthusiast after the museum it was being displayed at closed.
It now stands next to the busy A1122 at Salter’s Lode, between Downham Market and Wisbech in Norfolk, making it visible to motorists as they pass by.
And the aircraft is only a part of his squadron – the lorry driver also has two more life size Spitfires and a US Navy dive bomber that he keeps in his shed.
The RAF’s iconic Supermarine Spitfires helped defeat Luftwaffe air attacks in 1940 in the Battle of Britain.
They remain the most built British combat aircraft before or since World War II, with more than 20,000 manufactured in total.
Mr Fox, 55, who works at Heathrow Airport, said: ‘Aeroplanes have always been part of my life.
‘My dad worked at Heathrow as a lorry driver too, so I used to go there as a child.’
Trips to museums inspired his love of the Spitfire and building models of it, with plastic and glue eventually being superseded by plywood and thousands of screws as he began work on his first life-sized replica during the pandemic.
‘It was during lockdown five years ago or whenever it was,’ he said.
‘I was stuck at Heathrow and I couldn’t get back home for three months so I started building it.’
A house move to the bungalow he now shares with his wife, Helen, provided badly-needed space for his hobby – before a completed ‘Spit came up for sale and Mr Fox scrambled to intercept.
After laboriously rubbing the fuselage and wings with sandpaper, before painting it with a decorator’s roller, the exterior of the craft is now complete and Mr Fox has moved on to detailing its interior.
‘I’m slowly doing it at the moment,’ he said. ‘I’ve put in a seat and started building it up but the trouble is it’s a summer job really, you can’t do a lot in the winter.’
As work continues, the aircraft draws a steady stream of visitors to the Foxes’ home.
Recent arrivals have included a minibus full of Dutch plane enthusiasts and serving RAF personnel from nearby RAF Marham, who spotted the aircraft while flying training sorties over the Fens and decided to take a closer recce.
Mr Fox’s wife, Helen has her name on the nose of the plane.
Mrs Fox, 57, does not share her husband’s hobby but doesn’t mind half the garden being taken up by the Spitfire and other Battle of Britain-themed decorations such as signs, a bell and even a windsock.
Ian Fox has added his wife Helen’s name to the nose of his Spitfire
‘I do enjoy seeing people coming here to enjoy it though,’ she said. ‘It’s nice to see people of all ages come to see it.’
Mr Fox eventually hopes to have the two Spitfires which are currently works in progress join the Mark IX variant on his lawn, along with the replica Hellcat US Navy dive bomber.
The trio are gradually coming together inside his hangar, amid a jumble of propellors, instrument panels, models and tools.
With its top speed of 375mph and lethal firepower, the Spitfire led the charge during the Battle of Britain, as Germany tried to pound the RAF into submission to gain control of the skies before an invasion.
More Spitfires were built than any other British combat aircraft before or since the Second World War – some 20,341 in total. Now less than 250 survive.
Some 60 are believed to still be airworthy, 70 are on display in museums and a further 100 are undergoing restoration.
When they rolled off the production line in the 1940s, a Spitfire cost £460 to build, whereas a restored, airworthy example will now set you back around £3m.
A 1:24-scale plastic kit will cost you around £100 – plus glue and paints.
Mr Fox declined to say what he paid for his aircraft – or what he expects the build to cost – let alone completing the rest of his squadron.