1:48 Spitfire Mk.I/Mk.IIB

Early Spitfires from the time of the Battle of Britain

The first production Spitfires with the Merlin III engine and eight Browning machine guns in the wing went into the summer of 1940 as the most modern British fighter. The following Mk.II series from the new factory at Castle Bromwich received the more powerful Merlin XII and an inertia starter, which shortened starting the engine. The subvariant with the cannon wing then foreshadowed the armament that stayed with the type to the end of the war.

The sheet offers three machines. The aircraft with the code RF-A belonged to No. 303 Polish Squadron and is dated 1941. The second option is R6908 with the letters QJ-F of No. 92 Squadron, which carried the honorary title East India, from 1940. The third variant is P8342 with the code UZ-N of No. 306 Squadron, again from 1941. Together the sheet thus links the British and the Polish side of the same story.

• Three markings from 1940 and 1941
• Covers the early Mk.I and the following Mk.II versions
• Roundels and fin flashes matching the start of the war
• Serial numbers and fuselage letters in one set
• It lets you build one aircraft in two different periods

Early Spitfires tend to have smooth skins with fine engraving, so a decal settles practically by itself and only needs a drop of softener at the wing root. Do not forget that the roundels changed during 1940, so when building, reach for the shape the sheet assigns to the machine you have chosen. Finally unify the surface with varnish. The serial numbers of early machines are small, so trim them with a minimal margin and transfer them with tweezers. The kit itself and the paints are bought separately.