1:72 Supermarine Seafires MK.XVII, Mk.46, Mk.47

Carrier Spitfires in their late forms

The decal sheet covers the final versions of the carrier fighter Supermarine Seafire, that is the naval derivative of the Spitfire for British naval aviation. The Mk.XVII and the Griffon powered Mk.46 and Mk.47 stand side by side here. The Mk.XVII received landing gear with longer travel, which took a hard landing on a deck, and in the late series also a lowered spine with a bubble canopy. The Mk.46 and Mk.47 belonged to the next generation: more powerful engines, a longer nose and, on the last of them, a contra-rotating propeller that tamed the torque during a run along a short deck.

The markings on the sheet belong to seven squadrons numbered 736, 759, 766, 800, 804, 1832 and 1833. It is an unusual mixture, because it includes front line formations as well as training and reserve units. From a single sheet a machine in active service can therefore be built just as well as an aircraft with training markings, which sheets focused on one type do not usually offer.

What to keep in mind during the build

The versions named differ in the shape of the nose, in the arrangement of the exhausts and in the canopy, so check in advance which of them your kit represents. Confusing markings between versions is the commonest slip with this family and on a finished model anyone who knows the type will spot it. Cut the printing out close to the edge of the color, so that a needlessly wide border of carrier film does not shine around it, and lay it exclusively on a smoothly glossy area. Once dry, go over the spot with a decal softener, so that the motif is drawn into the panel grooves and the riveting, and only then give the whole model a matte top coat.