1:48 Supermarine Walrus Mk.I

From parade to rescue service

Both machines on this sheet are of the same type, yet they look as though they came from different worlds. The prewar version comes from the time when aircraft still had glossy surfaces, colored stripes and lettering decorated as if for an exhibition. The wartime rescue version, by contrast, carries camouflage and discreet shades, because its crew flew low over the English Channel and had to reckon with somebody wanting to push them out of there.

Work that is not forgotten

It is precisely pulling downed airmen out of the cold water that makes a legend of this amphibian. The machine landed on the waves, the crew hauled an exhausted man aboard and then either lifted off back into the air or limped across the surface to the coast. Without that, many of the pilots who returned to the air would never have made a second flight.

Practical notes

• The glossy prewar surfaces call for a flawless base; every scratch will show.
• Assemble the colored stripes on the fuselage against one fixed axis, otherwise they will drift apart.
• The rescue version can be lightly soiled, in spots and only along the airflow.
• Before applying, check that the sheet is not wavy from damp.

Only the sheet of markings is supplied; the model of the amphibian in 1:48 scale is not included in the price. The pair of subjects suits above all a collector who wants to show how quickly the look of one type changed when the war turned a parade aircraft into a working tool with a very specific task.