1:48 SPITFIRE Mk I

A machine that entered service only just in time

The first production Spitfires were taken over by a British fighter squadron in August 1938, that is less than a year before the war broke out. Early examples had a wooden two-blade propeller with a fixed setting, which during 1940 was replaced by a three-blade variable-pitch type, and the flat canopy was replaced by a blown variant so that the pilot could look around. Eight machine guns of 7.7 mm caliber sat in the wing, spaced far from the axis of the machine. The convergence of their fire was a matter of dispute throughout the prewar period and changed from unit to unit.

From discreet roundels back to contrast

In the second half of the 1930s the Royal Air Force deliberately toned its roundels down. So that they would not stand out on a camouflaged machine, darkened shades of blue and red were used and the white ring was left out in most positions. The year 1940 turned that approach on its head. Over the home island it became more important for one's own anti-aircraft defense to recognize an aircraft in time, and so a yellow outer ring was added to the fuselage roundel and a vertical three-color stripe returned to the fin. Within a few weeks the marking thus became more conspicuous, exactly the opposite of what happened with the opponent.

A note on the contents

This version carries a mask for the glazing for the outer side only, so within the series it is a smaller package than the sets with two masks. The frames will stay the color of the clear plastic on the inside, which does not matter with a closed cockpit. If you plan an open canopy, count on having to paint the inner frame by hand with a brush.