How One Man Rebuilt a WWII Spitfire Plane By Hand

It’s one thing to build a model airplane as a kid, but to recreate an entire World War II fighter plane (that flies!) piece by piece? That’s some real DIY magic. When Martin Phillips, an English tool shop owner, received a single rivet from a WWII Spitfire as a 40th birthday gift, it changed his life. His challenge: to rebuild the iconic aircraft from the one piece. Amazingly, he did it. It took him 14 years and a million pounds, but Phillips scoured the world for spare Spitfire parts, machined ones that no longer existed and even found an old wing rusting behind a pub. The Spitfire is the ultimate symbol of Britain’s war effort, and Martin has been keeping the legend alive since his plane’s maiden voyage in 2013.