1:32 SPITFIRE VIII

Dust, a filter and the Italian sky

Over the Apennines in 1944 squadrons from half the world met, and the Mk.VIII was among the best machines the Allies had there. High above the valley of the Po its two-stage superchargers gave it a superiority the older versions did not have, and pilots also appreciated that the airframe was given a strengthened wing and a retractable tailwheel.

The environment, though, took its toll. Flying sand on the southern airfields ruined an engine within a few hours, so the machines carried a bulky filter under the nose and mechanics parked them on metal matting. In this theater the insignia were standardized into a form without the inner red disc on some of the machines and with it on others, depending on where the squadron had come from. A display-case build therefore needs a photograph of the particular aircraft, not a general rule.

The product contains stencils for both sides of the glazing, two national insignia masks and a pair of metal barrels for the wing cannon. The target mold is Tamiya in 1:32 scale.

On painting the cockpit: spray the inner frames in the interior shade and only then put on the outer stencils. The reverse order is given away by every view from under the part.

The sets for this type do not cover the wheels or the entry door; it is reckoned that the builder will mask those himself. For large circular areas a compass cutter and the leftover sheet that stays in the package after the finished shapes are punched out prove their worth.

The Mk.VIII stayed in service in Italy until the end of the war and some passed straight into postwar air arms in the Balkans. The modeler thus has a choice of color schemes that at first glance have nothing to do with one another, even though it is still the same airframe and the same shape of cockpit.