1:48 Spitfire MkVB (Malta)

Malta 1942 and what makes this set particular

In the spring of 1942 the besieged island was the most heavily bombed place in Europe, and Spitfire Mk Vbs reached it in the most unusual way: they took off from carrier decks in the middle of the Mediterranean and arrived straight into the fighting. On the spot they were oversprayed in a blue-gray shade meant to work over water and over limestone rock alike, and on many machines the national insignia were simplified; the omitted red center was a practical measure, not a way of using less paint.

What sets it apart. It is not the extent of the contents, because the glazing is masked only from outside. What you get are the stencils of the insignia in the Malta form, that is shapes that cannot be obtained or cut by eye anywhere else.

When to choose it. When you are building a particular machine of the island's defense and want the insignia with the right shape and proportions. If an ordinary Mk Vb from English weather interests you, a variant without the special insignia will do.

What to think about in advance. The inner face of the frames is not in the box. On a model with a closed cockpit that does no harm; with an open one, allow for touching in with a brush.

The procedure on the insignia. The light base is sprayed first and only then the darker surround through the second stencil. The pair of sets is there precisely so that both can be done one over the other without losing accuracy. Make a paint test on an offcut of plastic, as the covering power of light shades varies a great deal.