1:48 Supermarine Spitfire roundels and fin flashes - LATE

The markings of Spitfires from the second half of the war

The late Spitfires looked different from the way most people remember the type. A more powerful engine was added, on a number of versions a two-stage supercharger, a lengthened nose, a more pointed vertical tail and a four-blade propeller. The finish changed as well: on top a combination of gray and green settled in, the lower surfaces were given a lighter gray and the wing leading edges a prominent yellow stripe.

With the finish the insignia changed too. The white ring on the side of the fuselage narrowed to a fraction of its former width, the yellow border stayed only as a thin line and the field on the vertical tail contracted into a tall narrow rectangle. The difference from the early machines is so great that a period photograph can be dated from the markings to within a few months.

This sheet deals precisely with the late form. The films are die-cut to the dimensions for 1:48 scale and the circle is made up of several concentric pieces, which are sprayed one after another.

It pays to keep to the order of shades from the lightest to the darkest and to let each coat set. If the order is reversed, a light color needs more covering passes over a dark base and the center of the circle stays noticeably raised above the surrounding area.

Anyone building a series of models of one type will appreciate that the edge behaves the same every time. A decal settles a little differently on each piece, because it is guided by water and a finger, whereas a die-cut film fits the same shape every time. On a shelf that shows: the circles have the same diameter and sit at the same height, even if individual builds are years apart. It is precisely such small things that turn a pile of models into a collection.