1:48 Spitfire Mk.V

Supermarine Spitfire Mk.V, clear cockpit parts 1:48

A transparent canopy for the Mark V Spitfire. The domed sliding hood is one of the most characteristic features of this machine, and in vacuum-formed shape it looks considerably finer than the thicker production glazing from the box.

The most widely built Spitfire of the war

The Mk.V was built in greater numbers than any other version and carried the main weight of the fighting between 1941 and 1943 over the English Channel, over Malta and in North Africa. A more powerful series of the Merlin V12 and a wing offered both with machine guns and with cannon made it a versatile tool; machines for low altitudes were given clipped wings with rounded tips. Above the cockpit the domed shape of the hood became standard compared with the early marks, letting the pilot turn his head more comfortably, and the windscreen carried armored glass.

What to keep in mind when fitting it

Test the fit again and again, because the Spitfire fuselage narrows around the cockpit and an inaccurate cut shows at once. Sand with short strokes and finally polish the surface to a shine. Apply the glue with the tip of a toothpick only where the part really seats, and let it go tacky for a moment before you press the canopy down.

Especially suited to

• builders of British fighters in the larger scale
• modelers who want to show the cockpit
• anyone after thinner, cleaner glazing than the basic box holds
• repairing a botched cut of the original part

The package is meant as an accessory to a Spitfire kit you already own and contains no other parts.