1:32 SPITFIRE VIII

The Mk VIII was planned, the Mk IX was a stopgap

The Mk VIII came about as a properly worked-out version for the two-stage Merlin, whereas the more famous Mk IX was merely a quick insertion into an older airframe. The Mk VIII received a strengthened fuselage, a retractable tailwheel, a larger fin and, on a large proportion of the machines, clipped wingtips for better agility at low altitude. It served mainly over Burma, Italy and in Australia, where squadrons of the Royal Australian Air Force used it.

Glazing unchanged

For all the changes to the airframe, the canopy remained the same as on the other versions with the raised decking: a fixed windscreen with an armored pane, a sliding domed hood and a fixed rear section. The cut of the stencils therefore fits the familiar layout of the bars and handles them for both faces of the molding at once, so that the frame does not look empty through the glass.

Spraying the insignia

The pair of insignia masks enclosed allows the roundels to be applied with an airbrush. Australian and South East Asian machines wore markings without the red center so that they would not be confused with Japanese ones in combat, and it is precisely with such single-color variants that spraying is simpler than with multi-color roundels. There are no decals in this box, so treat the markings as painting work. The film holds on a smooth surface by itself and comes away without residue once dry.

The shade under the insignia

The roundels are sprayed onto camouflage that is already finished, so the resulting color depends on the base. Under a light shade it is therefore sensible to lay a thin coat of white, otherwise the dark camouflage color shows through and the insignia comes out weak.