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Metal spacers disappeared in earlier 1943 in my opinion. Like I said, springtime? It seems the switch from knives I have had to the red white blue stack (and a couple of variations of that pattern) was pretty much standard not too long after his orders started to climb and the patriotic streak blossomed.
As for the spacer stack on the Zach and the Commando, if you look closely and count the number as well as the pattern, again going by photos even though I have looked at both knives thoroughly but not together, they are very close.
Tune's knife obviously saw more carry/use than the other, shows more age and wear, so that would explain at least a portion of the visual difference.
In this period, late 42 thru early 43, it is a matter of months. That is the way it is. There was a quite a bit of evolution as what was to become the "fighter" evolved. The very early hump gave way to what appears as a more slender later style grind in profile with a dropped clip (brass link period) to later return with a heavier/thicker grind in the monel link period and beyond.
I was going to do a photographic study on these early grinds but time has been short for such projects.
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