Exito Decals | ED32003: 1/32 Sexy Spitfires - Supermarine Spitfire LF Mk Vb - VIII - IXe
Reviewed by Andrew Birnie
As with Exito's Eastern Front Fighters decal package, this offering is equally impressive, coming in an A4 pack, a cover sheet with an illustration of the three decal options on high quality gloss paper, an A4 sheet with side profiles of each aircraft, with upper plan view, under wing, detail of nose art, paint instructions, with specific product codes for AK Interactive and Mr. Hobby products, on the other side, and finally the pièce de résistance, a magnificent decal sheet printed by Cartograf, they don't come better.
The three options are:
- Spitfire LF Mk.Vb (EN921), coded YO-A of No. 401 Sqn RCAF, flown by F/O Jack Sheppard, Redhill / Staplehurst / Biggin Hill, UK, July-October 1943.
- Spitfire LF Mk.VIII (MT841), coded U of No. 2 Sqn RIAF, Kohat, British India, spring 1946.
- Spitfire LF Mk.IXe (TA864), coded LW-L of No. 318 (Gdanski) Sqn RAF, flown by P/O Zdzisław Uchwat, Risano near Udine, Italy, May-June 1945.
The decals are in perfect register, nice and thin, the colours wonderful, especially the nose art, I did think the port fin marking was misprinted, but a look at the superb profile by Janusz Swiatlon - who produced all three - and it is how it was on the real thing, which goes to illustrate the dedicated research which has gone into the product.
This is a great package which deserves to head straight to the top of your to do pile, always nice to see something Spitfire related in 1/32, I particularly like the markings on the VIII, which despite being listed as a Royal Indian Air Force aircraft, the legend "Pauline ma wee smasher" gives away it's Scottish antecedents.
Decals kindly supplied by Exito Decals.
© Andrew Birnie, 2021
This review was published on Sunday, March 07 2021; Last modified on Sunday, March 07 2021