1:24 Spitfire Mk.Vb

Jan Zumbach and the most famous Polish squadron

No. 303 Squadron earned itself the reputation of the most successful unit in Fighter Command during the Battle of Britain, and the whole island knew its name. Among the pilots who wrote themselves into that reputation most strongly was Jan Zumbach, a man who had a cartoon duck painted on the fuselage of his aircraft and later became the squadron commander. The combination of a combat record and an unmistakable personal marking made him one of the most frequently modeled figures of the entire war.

Sheet contents

The set brings markings for several machines of this unit in the Mk.Vb version, the main option being precisely the aircraft with the personal emblem and the commander's letter code. The cartoon figure is printed on the sheet itself, which removes the otherwise unpleasant job of hand painting a small motif on the curved side of the fuselage. At 1:24 the motif is large enough to work as a real focal point on the model.

Who the set is for

It will appeal mainly to builders who want a story along with the model. An aircraft with a personal marking has an immediately readable identity and needs no introduction on a shelf. At the same time the Polish squadrons in British service flew in standard camouflage schemes, so in terms of color this is an ordinary day fighter and all the distinction lies in what is printed on this sheet. The recommendation to build the model without exaggerated weathering follows from that: the personal marking was meant to be seen and the ground crews looked after it.

One small thing in closing

The curved side of the fuselage is the most demanding spot for any larger motif, so it pays to work in sections and let the film dry properly.