rsanz

You could well be right about K9798, although if the port wheel has been repainted black, it certainly wasn't repainted with the same very matt Night as the undersides because it's too reflective. It might still be in painted aluminium and only appears black/dark because it is in dark shadow.

As far as I can tell from WWII photos, the undercarriage struts/legs wwere pretty much always painted the same as the factory painted underside colour, as were the insides of the doors and wheel wells (and wheels). I assume new/repaired replacement parts might be finished differently which could add some variety.

One of the unfortunate pitfalls of relying on a modern (Mk.Vb?) restoration as evidence of what WWII Mk.I flush/puttied rivet surface detail was like. Also, check out those ill-fitting & bent panels.

1939, 1940+ and modern build Spitfire gun panels not fitting as flush as Mitchell (and some modellers) would have liked.

No, clearly it was not "...realised back in june/july..." 2023. Because the downward firing Plessy device hole has been planned for in the plastic since at least 2022.

No. According to the 609 Squadron group, PR-O in that photo was L1084. Which I was built after L1048.

No. Not prior to late June. According to a 1943 Flight magazine article the variable speed conversions took place from 22 June to 2 August 1940.

No. According to a 1943 Flight magazine article the variable speed conversions took place from 22 June to 2 August 1940.

This photo of WN263/L1043 in the factory with the "early" exhausts appears to disprove your statement above.

This. Yes this Wingleader book (and Wingleader books in general) is amazing. You can also see some AJ-M wreckage photos on the Wingnut Wings website. The page is no longer "indexed/public" but the old page and link still works. For now. http://www.wingnutwings.com/ww/productdetail?productid=3194&cat=1

You're certainly right about film type and different paints of course. Interestingly, if you look at the full image of the bottom right photo, it has different shades of green and brown similar to those other images, but only on its nose. Much larger versions, that you can zoom in to, can be found here https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205018254

Consensus? Maybe, but reality might be quite different. WWII RAF Spitfire code colour photos from the Hyperscale review https://www.hyperscale.com/2023/reviews/kits/kotarek32001reviewbg_1.htm

Some pre-war Spitfire weathering. In one case, it hasn't even left the factory yet!

I think the Tamiya Mk.IX is what you want if you're going to build one as seen n the TV show. In the book they were early Mk.I Hurricanes.

For what it's worth, and by way of comparison with the B&W 610 Squadron images above...