1:35 Supermarine Spitfire Mk.Vb (for Border kit)

The Spitfire that carried the weight of 1941

The Mk.Vb version came about as a quick answer to the need for a stronger machine: a Merlin 45 engine with an output of around 1,470 horsepower was seated in the airframe of the previous Mark V, and the b-type wing received a pair of 20 mm Hispano cannon supplemented by four machine guns of 7.7 mm caliber. It was precisely this variant that became the most numerous Spitfire of the first years of the war and flew over the English Channel, over Malta and over North Africa, where a bulky dust filter under the nose was added to it.

The autumn of 1941 brought an unpleasant awakening. The Fw 190A appeared over France, with the upper hand in climb and in agility at higher speeds, and the British command had to hurry the introduction of the Mk.IX. Even so the Mk.Vb stayed in service for a long time yet and served out a role it was not built for, namely escorting bombers.

The details that are missing in plastic

The 1:35 scale is still a rarity on fighters and it pays to make use of that. Every square centimeter of the cabin is substantially larger here than at the more usual sizes and the eye will find even a detail that would be lost elsewhere. The elements on offer have an embossed relief and are colored in production, so once stuck on they take the place of hand painting the dials and the lettering plates.

The work is done dry, with tweezers and a degreased surface. You obtain the model of the aircraft separately.

Czechoslovak fighter pilots flew the Mk.Vb version too, making up the crews of three British squadrons, and a number of them made the transition on precisely this machine from defensive fighting to sorties over occupied Europe.