1:48 Supermarine Spitfire Mk XIX

Roundels and technical lettering

The photo-reconnaissance Spitfire Mk XIX was the last development step of the whole family: a Griffon engine, a pressurized cockpit, no armament and cameras in its place. It flew high, far and unseen, so its appearance is restrained and the small details stand out all the more. Those are exactly what this sheet concentrates on.

The contents are divided into two groups. The first consists of national insignia in prewar and postwar form together with generic serial numbers. The second, considerably larger, brings the technical lettering scattered over the airframe:

• Propeller lock markings and the points for supporting the machine on trestles.
• Walkways, their inner and forward sections, and the black walkway lines.
• Warnings about the lifting points and about not lifting elsewhere.
• Power details, specifically 24 volt ground power.
• Lettering for the canopy controls, that is, release from the other side and sliding back with a button.
• Capacities: five gallons of oil with a two gallon air space, and fuel of 100 to 130 grade.
• DTD standard markings and the landing gear retracted indication.

Where small lettering pays off

Lettering of this kind is at the limit of legibility in 1:48 scale, but on a model it reads as density of detail. It looks best where the eye looks for it: around the cockpit, around the landing gear bays and at the wing leading edge. Anyone who scatters it evenly over the whole surface ends up with a printed rather than an observed finish.