1:32 Spitfire MkVIII (Burma)

Why the red center disappeared from the roundel in Burma

The British roundel had a red field in the middle. In Southeast Asia in 1942 that was a serious problem: the Japanese sun disc is also red, and in a quick encounter gunners and pilots confused the two. At first the red center was therefore simply painted over, and later markings made up only of blue and light blue, that is entirely without red, were introduced for the whole front, and with them a matching stripe on the fin. The Spitfire of the eighth version, which came to Burma with great altitude reach and a full fuel load in the wing, belongs exactly to the time when these markings applied. It is the clearest example of the fact that it was the front, not the type of machine, that decided the shape of a marking.

What the set solves

The films cover the cockpit glazing from both sides and the pair of stencils serves for the national insignia. Spraying has a practical advantage on this front: you mix the shades of blue according to your own subject and are not left depending on how a sheet of decals came off the press.

Working with the blue shades

• Lay the lighter blue on first and add the darker ring through the second film.
• Spray the cockpit frame from the inside in the interior color, and only then from the outside with the camouflage.
• Allow enough drying time; tropical shades tend to cover less well.
• Take the film off with tweezers; a fingernail leaves prints on the glazing.
• Cover the center of the roundel with a round film and press the edge down, so that the paint does not bleed under it.

The box holds masking material for 1:32 scale, but no model and no paints.