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In-Box Review
Spitfire Mk IX Decals

by: Rowan Baylis [ MERLIN ]

Supermarine Spitfire F.IX - Gabreski's Spitfires.
Set #72044 - 5.55 EUR
Set #48075 - 7.41 EUR


Three aircraft are featured from Gabreski's time with 315 Sqn.:
1. Spitfire F.IX, BS513, PK-Z, flown by Gabreski on a training sortie on 4th January 1943 (the instructions state 1942).
2. Spitfire F.IX, EN172, PK-K, flown by Gabreski on a Rodeo to St. Omer 4th February 1943.
3. Spitfire F.IX, BS410, PK-E, flown by Gabreski on his first combat sortie with 315 Sqn. on 21st January 1943.

The set includes national markings and a full set of stencils for one aircraft, plus the individual markings for all three. Along with the decals, there are vinyl painting masks for the canopy and wing leading-edge stripes. The instructions are excellent, with full-colour camouflage and markings diagrams and a clear guide to placing the numerous stencils. The colours are given their RAF names along with nearest FS equivalents.

Accompanying the painting instructions is a very handy bi-lingual sheet outlining the distinctive points of the Spitfire F.IX and a log of all the flights made by Gabreski in 315 Sqn., with details of the type, serial number and squadron code in each case.

Supermarine Spitfire Mk.IX.
Set #72048 - 5.55 EUR
Set #48079 - 7.41 EUR


Once again 3 Spits are featured, but they are more varied than Gabreski's.

1. Spitfire F.IX, SZ-V, MA563, of 316 Sqn., summer 1943.
2. Spitfire LF.IX, ZF-R, MK984, St. Denijs, Belgium, autumn 1944, with fuselage stripes.
3. Spitfire LF.IX, LW-D, PL353, of 318 Sqn., Italy, 1945.

Antoni Lachetta has conducted a detailed analysis of the featured aircraft in the forum .

As before, the schemes are illustrated in colour and backed up with a stencil placement diagram. Vinyl painting masks round off a very neat package.

As usual with Techmod decals, the printing in both sets is second to none. The decals are thin, with excellent colour depth and minimal carrier film. The register is literally perfect and the smallest stencil markings are legible (with the aid of a magnifier!) even in 1/72 scale. The colours look pretty good, with a decent version of Sky for the fuselage codes and bands. WW2 Roundel Red is always a fun topic for debate and Techmod have chosen a duller red than used for the small Polish squadron markings. I've seen a more "brick red" in some WW2 colour photos and paint chips, but there does seem to have been a degree of variation, so Techmod's colour is a fair compromise. The sheets include decals to represent fabric patches printed in bright red and these I really would replace with scraps painted in Red Oxide to represent the doped originals.

Conclusion
Another pair of great sets from Techmod, which deserve to be a big success among Spitfire fans. Superb quality and very reasonably priced - what more can you ask for? Recommended.

contact details.
The samples were very kindly supplied by Adalbertus, Techmod's sole export representative.

Please remember, when contacting retailers or manufacturers, to mention that you saw their products highlighted here - on AEROSCALE.
SUMMARY
Techmod have built an enviable reputation for the quality of their decals and are sure to please Spitfire fans with the release of two excellent sets for the Mk IX in both 1/72 and 1/48 scales. When talking about the latest Techmod sets it's all too easy to become blasé about the quality because they consistently produce better printed decals than most of their competitors.
  PRINTING QUALITY:100%
  INSTRUCTIONS:95%
Percentage Rating
95%
  Scale: Other
  PUBLISHED: Jan 14, 2007
  NATIONALITY: United Kingdom
NETWORK-WIDE AVERAGE RATINGS
  THIS REVIEWER: 88.37%
  MAKER/PUBLISHER: 88.50%

Our Thanks to Adalbertus Miniatures!
This item was provided by them for the purpose of having it reviewed on this KitMaker Network site. If you would like your kit, book, or product reviewed, please contact us.

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About Rowan Baylis (Merlin)
FROM: NO REGIONAL SELECTED, UNITED KINGDOM

I've been modelling for about 40 years, on and off. While I'm happy to build anything, my interests lie primarily in 1/48 scale aircraft. I mostly concentrate on WW2 subjects, although I'm also interested in WW1, Golden Age aviation and the early Jet Age - and have even been known to build the occas...

Copyright ©2021 text by Rowan Baylis [ MERLIN ]. Images also by copyright holder unless otherwise noted. Opinions expressed are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of AeroScale. All rights reserved.



Comments

You might want to tweak a couple of those dates Merlin. I posted photos of the Spits on sheet 48079 back in October. LINK Up to you if you want to move it here. Gabby's Spits were a little camera shy but I should be able to come up with something next week. Invasion stripes? In August 1944 the Polish film unit filmed 306 Mustangs taxiing. There is no sign of any invation stripes. At the end of October 1944 photographs show their aircraft had partial black and white stripes under fuselage. They look very fresh. 306 Squadron had been assigned to Market Garden and it is now thought that these stripes were added for that operation. Perhaps the idea that the stripes seen on aircraft like MK984 are a legacy of June 1944 needs to be revised. Belgium, autumn 1944 suggests the possiblity of a link to Market Garden don't you think?
JAN 13, 2007 - 07:10 PM
Cheers Antoni The dates are simply take from Techmod's instructions (with the amendment I noted for one of Gabreski's a/c). All the best Rowan EDIT: Double-cheers Antoni - I see what you mean... a couple of juicy typos crept in! :-) I've changed those and added a link to your post.
JAN 13, 2007 - 07:21 PM
Hi again I think we need to start a policy of always crediting the sources when reproducing photos. "Fair use" is always something of a thorny issue and reproducing anything from books or sites without the expressed permission of the publisher/author is a dodgy topic. Personally, I'd avoid copying as many photos as have appeared in some threads lately, but giving a credit might avoid a lot of problems in future (that's tempting fate...). All the best Rowan
JAN 13, 2007 - 07:29 PM
   
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Photos
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  • Techmod_48079_Colour_1
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  • Techmod_48079_Decals
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