1:48 Supermarine Seafires MKs XVII, 46, 47,

Carrier-borne Seafires of the late marks

The naval derivative of the Spitfire came about out of necessity, but by the last marks it was already a machine of its own. A folding wing, an arrestor hook, strengthened landing gear and in the end contra-rotating propellers turned an elegant fighter into a carrier aircraft that could operate from escort carriers. The last versions saw action in the Korean War and were the very last propeller fighters of the Royal Navy.

The scope of the sheet

The set covers the late marks, that is machines with the designation XVII and the numbers 46 and 47. The accompanying data names seven Fleet Air Arm squadrons for it: No. 736, No. 759, No. 766, No. 800, No. 804, No. 1832 and No. 1833. Besides combat units there are training and reserve squadrons among them, so a modeler can choose between a frontline machine and an aircraft from home stations with different, often more prominent markings.

• the late marks of the carrier-borne Seafire on one sheet
• a choice of seven different squadrons
• Fleet Air Arm national insignia including subtypes
• scale 1:48

The borders of the carrier film: with sheets holding many small markings it pays to trim close to the printing. A needlessly wide border creates a fine outline on a matte gray blue area once varnished, which is visible against the light. A sharp new scalpel and a glass support do a better job than scissors.

The Seafire tends to be overlooked in collections, even though its story is more remarkable than that of its land based predecessor. Landing on the pitching deck of an escort carrier placed demands on the pilot and on the airframe that the original design was not built for, and that is exactly why the late marks differ from the original Spitfire more than appears at first glance.