1:72 American Spitfire Aces of WWII (wet decals)

Americans at the stick of a British fighter

Until the American squadrons received equipment of their own, they flew in Europe on whatever was at hand, and that meant the Spitfire. The volunteers of the Eagle Squadrons passed under the banner of the 4th Fighter Group in September 1942 and at first carried on with Mk V machines; in the Mediterranean the 31st and 52nd Groups were issued Spitfires straight away and flew them from the landings in North Africa through the campaign in Italy.

The eight subjects on the sheet tell that story in good order. There is a coded machine of the group at Debden from the autumn of 1942, aircraft with a tropical filter from desert bases, later machines with a high-altitude engine from units in Italy around the turn of 1943 and 1944, and a couple of personal aircraft with names painted under the cockpit. The set therefore allows a trio of models to be built that show the shift from the early versions to the late ones.

What to think about during the build:

• the tropical filter under the nose belongs only to some of the subjects
• American markings on these machines mix with British national insignia
• the shape of the wingtips differs between the versions

The individual schemes are different enough that two built side by side will not look like siblings. The sheet holds printed markings only; the fighter model is bought separately.

Anyone who wants to go deeper into the subject will find a pilot's name and a date with most of the subjects, so a period photograph can be tracked down and the shade and the degree of wear tuned to it. That is particularly rewarding with British machines in American hands, because paint stocks differed from base to base.