1:48 Spitfire MkIX

The answer to the Focke-Wulf

The Mk IX came about in a hurry as a reaction to the German novelty which over the Channel suddenly overtopped forces that had until then been even. A Merlin engine with a two-stage supercharger was built into the airframe of the proven Mk V and the machine thereby got its performance at high altitude back. What was originally a stopgap proved so good that it was built in thousands and became the most common form of the Spitfire of the second half of the war.

A subject where the metal shows most

Replacing a barrel does not have the same effect on every aircraft. There are machines where the weapon ends recessed in the leading edge and after painting you can hardly tell. The British fighter is the opposite case. The cannons project a long way forward from the wing, they are at the eye level of a viewer looking at the model from the side, and around them on the wing there is a bulged fairing over the breech which points at them by itself. That is precisely why a metal tube with a bore pays off more on this subject than on many another type: it is not a detail hidden under a cowling but a prominent element of the silhouette.

Box contents

• the cockpit frames covered from both sides
• insignia masks, two complete sheets
• a pair of twenty-millimeter cannons in metal
• the bulged fairings over the breeches above the wing

The set is sold separately as an accessory; the plastic parts of the aircraft are not in it. Anyone building a British fighter for the first time will appreciate that the mask covers the inner framing as well. On this type the cockpit opens to the side and when it is displayed in the open position the inside of the frame is clearly visible, so an unfinished coat on the inside would show at first glance.