1:32 Spitfire MkVIII & IX

British roundels had their own letters

The Royal Air Force did not have one insignia but a whole system of types that differed in the number and color of the rings. The oldest form had three fields; after war broke out a variant with an outer yellow border for the fuselage was added, and alongside it an economical two-color form for the upper wing surfaces, where a light ring would have given the position away. In 1942 the system was reworked and the widths of the rings were standardized. Anyone building a Spitfire of the eighth or ninth version needs to know which year the aircraft is set in, because one and the same machine could carry two different forms of the insignia on the fuselage during its service and a third on the wing.

The scope of the set

The films mask the cockpit glass from the outside and the inside, and three stencils for the national insignia go with them. The higher number against the usual pair reflects exactly the fact that the fuselage and the wing were not marked the same way and that the stencils build on one another in layers. That does away with any guessing about how wide each ring should be, because the proportions of the fields are already set by the cut of the film.

How to proceed

• Spray the layers of the rings from the lightest to the darkest; the reverse order shows through.
• Let the paint cure between the individual films, otherwise the edge will tear away.
• Mask the glazing from the inside as well, as the cockpit frame is clearly visible in this scale.
• Check the edges against the light after removal and touch up any bleed with a brush.
• Lay a thin coat of gray under the darker ring, as it covers more evenly.

This is a painting accessory in 1:32 scale; a kit and paints are not included.