Lifelike Decals

1/48 Supermarine Spitfire Part 4 decal sheet

Decal sheet product # 48-026

Product article by Steve Bamford on April 6 2009

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This latest release from Lifelike Decals decal sheet features four different Spitfires.  This is Part 4 of  a series dealing with the Spitfire and this decal sheet includes Spitfires from August 1941 to 1997 and includes Mk. V all the way up to Mk. XVI's. 

The 4 aircraft include a mix of everything from WW2 RAF European camo and USA desert camo paint schemes, overall blue flown post-war as a personal hack by Air Chief Marshall Sir James Robb to a white and red Spitfire Mk. XVI flown by BAC Aviation in 1997.

  • Spitfire Mk. XVI flown by Air Chief Marshall Sir James Robb in Oct 1948 to September 1951 as a personal hack from Hendon AB.  This aircraft is overall light blue.  Guns were removed and gun compartments were converted to luggage compartments.  Art work is 5 Star pennant giving this aircraft the name "Five Star Spitfire".

  • Spitfire Mk. VB, W3185 flown by Tangmere Fighter Wing Commander Douglas Bader from Tangmere on Aug 9, 1941.  Camo is Brown/Green on top with artwork featuring a boot kicking Hitler.

  • Spitfire Mk. Vb US Spitfire Flown by F/O James Montgomery of 4FS/52 FG.  Artwork is "Impatient Virgin" (second aircraft featuring this artwork) featuring a black haired bikini clad young lady.   Paint scheme is 2 tone desert camo with a red spinner.

  • Spitfire Mk. XVI Trop flown by BAC Aviation, East Colne in 1997.  Paint scheme is overall white with red stripes along both sides of the fuselage and across the top of the wings with a red spinner and red canopy frame.

Click on images below to see larger images

  

  

  

 

The quality of these decals is first class.  The decals themselves are clearly printed and in perfect register.  Some decals come in 2 layers to ensure perfect registration.  You get one full set of stencils as well as national insignia.  There are 4 pages of instruction sheets showing decal placement and camo layout.  The exact colour is not given for the BAC Spitfire....looks like white...possibly Gloss white.....but the colour is not mentioned.  The blue Spitfire is painted Oxford Blue. 

You can purchase these decals either directly from Lifelike Decals at fax number is +81-3-5680-6733, and e-mail is lifelike@eos.ocn.ne.jp. or from HobbyLink Japan.    

Other shops that stock Life like Decals are *Hannants/UK, *Mister Kit/Italy, *Revi (publisher)/Czech Republic, *SkyGrid/Canada, *Roll Models/USA, *Great Models Webstore/USA, *FlightDecs/Canada, *Victory Models/USA
*M & Models/USA, *
Zed Hobbies/Australia, *AB &S Enterprise/Australia, *Desert Miniature/USA 

I'm very impressed with the variety of paint schemes and Spitfires featured on this decal sheet.....and of course you also get the Douglas Bader Spitfire Mk Va from the summer of 1941 as well as the American Desert camo Spitfire.

Steve

I would like to thank Lifelike Decals for providing me with this review sample.

Photos and text © by Steve Bamford