1:72 Supermarine Spitfire Mk.XVIe /HLR,SWD

Painting masks for the Spitfire Mk.XVIe (1:72, AML)

Self-adhesive painting masks from the Czech manufacturer AML for spraying the camouflage onto a model of the Supermarine Spitfire Mk.XVIe fighter in 1:72 scale. In a small scale it is exactly the regularity of the transitions between the colors that decides how convincing a model is; the masks make sure that the boundary between the gray and the green runs on both halves of the wing and on the fuselage precisely where it belongs.

The real subject

The Spitfire Mk.XVI was essentially a Mk.IX powered by the Merlin 266 from license-built American Packard production. The version with the type E wing carried two 20 mm cannons together with heavy machine guns, and a number of aircraft received a cut-down fuselage spine with a bubble canopy. Toward the end of the war squadron after squadron converted to the Mk.XVI, mainly for attacks on ground targets over the continent; the aircraft wore the RAF day scheme in a combination of gray and dark green on the upper surfaces.

Spraying tips

• Spray the lighter gray shade first and the green only over the masks once they are on.
• Lay the paint on in several thin coats, as a thick coat could bleed under the edge of a mask.
• On the bubble canopy work at a lower air pressure, as the frames are very thin.
• After lifting the masks off, let the model cure and only then go on to the decals.

Who it is for

For builders of late Spitfires who want the regulation scheme without outlining by hand. The set saves time and gives the certainty of a repeatable result even to less experienced modelers with an airbrush.