1:24 Beer Spitfire Mk.IXc Numbers & Insignia Paint Mask Set for Airfix #A17001A

Beer for the bridgehead

After the landings in Normandy it turned out that the troops on the bridgehead were short of almost everything, beer included. The solution was typically improvised: barrels were hung under the wings of Spitfires instead of bombs and the drop tanks were filled with drink instead of fuel. The flight at altitude took care of the chilling and the British tax authorities argued in vain about whether this amounted to avoiding duty. The story went round the world and the machines that did the job still turn up at modeling shows today. The Mk.IXc version was at that time the most widespread form of the type, and it suited the role of a flying supply runner precisely because there were plenty of them at hand.

Insignia at a large scale

The fuselage roundel measures over two centimeters at this scale and any imperfection is visible at a glance. Sprayed insignia therefore look incomparably better than a decal, which on such an area would have to cross every rivet and every panel joint. The contents cover the round insignia as well as the code letters and numbers.

The most common slip

The inner islands get lost. The roundel has its center cut out separately, letters such as B or O have separate patches inside them, and when the sheet is lifted off the backing these small pieces stay lying there, or stick to a finger. The oversight only shows up after spraying, when the center of the roundel is the wrong color and the only fix is sanding the whole area back. So lift the parts off one by one with pointed tweezers and place them straight away; never peel the whole sheet off at once.