Spitfire replica at RAF Northolt

There was originally a real Spitfire at the old main entrance to the base on A40 from 1970-1989 but it was sold and has since been restored to flying condition in the USA. A plastic replica was acquired in 1990 and is mounted on a pole near the officers mess. The original was definitely still there in march 1989 since I saw it from the bus window when travelling to Oxford a few days before easter that year.