1:72 SPITFIRE MK.IXE WITH GERMANY FUELS - ISRAELIAN AF

Spitfire Mk.IXe with German drop tanks, 1:72 (AML)

An aftermarket set in cast resin in the small aircraft scale of 1:72, intended for models of the Supermarine Spitfire Mk.IXe in the service of the Israeli Air Force. It replaces the British drop tanks from the kit with tanks of German manufacture, which these machines commonly carried. The set has to be completed with a plastic model of your own.

The real subject

The Spitfire LF Mk.IXe belonged to the late production marks with a Merlin with a two-stage supercharger, clipped wingtips and a revised layout of the armament. After the Second World War, machines of this mark served with further operators outside Britain. The Israeli Air Force operated them from the end of the 1940s; to extend their range it used available stocks of drop tanks of German origin, which have a different shape and a different method of attachment from the British tanks.

Building tips

In 1:72 scale the parts are tiny, so work over a tray with a raised rim so that they do not fly away from you. Wash the mold release agent off the castings, cut off the casting blocks and sand the area lightly. Bond with super glue applied with a pin or a piece of wire, so that it is not overdone and does not flood the detail. In this scale it pays to paint the tanks before fitting them and to put them on the model only once the varnish has dried. Check the symmetry of both attachments by looking from the front; in a small scale, asymmetry is more conspicuous than it seems.

Who the set is for

• Modelers building Spitfires in 1:72 scale
• Those who want to capture the postwar service of the type outside Britain
• Modelers who can manage work with small resin parts
• Builders looking for a detail that sets a model apart from the usual versions

The set is an accessory for a plastic model. The model, glue and paints are not included in the package.