shamael

Hi All, even if on Britmodeller I’m not an active user – but I read you quite every day - I would like to let you know that for the first time ever (I think…) a decal sheet fully dedicated to Spitfire in Italian service is available for what we call “Spittomani” (it should sound like “Spitfire Maniacs”…). Decals are available in 1/48 and 1/32 scale, no 1/72… By the way, I’m a strictly Gentleman's Scale modeler but I was waiting to reproduce a Spit with Italian markings since I was a boy so this time I ordered one 1/48 sheet and added 2 1/48 kits to my stash (Tamiya Mk.V and Airfix Mk.IX). Now that I have a full sheet in my hands I’d like to share some details. First of all, this decal sheet is the final result of research and efforts of a group of fellow modellers belonging to Modelingtime – an Italian forum dedicated to our hobby. After 3 years spent into researching through AMI (Aeronautica Militare Italiana - Italian Air Force) photo archives and measuring the only Italian existing Spit, an Mk.IX in exhibition c\o AMI Historic Museum in Vigna di Valle which was restored by GAVS (Gruppo Amici Velivoli Storici – Restoring Italian Aircrafts since 1983) we finally have a decal sheet which represents the state of the art for dimensions and colors (you cannot imagine how difficult is to find Italian roundels with right green and red) for an Italian Spit. 1/48 version of the sheet allows to reproduce 11 airplanes (8 Mk.IX and 3 Mk.V) while 1/32 version reproduces 4 Spits (2 MkIX and 2 MKV): Day Fighter Scheme (Dark Green\Ocean Grey with Medium Sea Grey undersides) - MK.IXe – the restored one; - Mk.IXc – 101st Group, 5th Wing. Orio al Serio Airport, beginning 1948; Overall aluminum paint with Dark Green antiglare - Mk.IXc – 102nd Group, 5th Wing. Orio al Serio Airport, beginning 1948; - Mk.IXc – 155th Group, 51st Wing. Treviso San Giuseppe Airport, Winter 1948; - Mk.IXc – 155th Group, 51st Wing. Treviso San Giuseppe Airport, Winter 1949; - Mk.IXc – 51st Wing. - Mk.IXc – Staff Officers Flight. Guidonia Montecelio Airport, Winter 1950; - Mk.IXc – 6th Flight, 3rd Group. Advanced Flying Training School. Lecce-Galatina Airport, 1950; Field repainted airplane using Regia Aeronautica colors too (Nocciola Chiaro\Verde Oliva Scuro with Azure Blue undersides) in a strange diagonal pattern - Mk.Vc – 20th Group, 51st Wing; Roma Centocelle Airport, November 1945; Day Figher Scheme - Mk.Vb – 20th Group, 51st Wing; Canne Airport (Benevento), Winter 1945; - Mk.Vb (Clipped Wings) – 20th Group, 51st Wing; Leverano Airport (Lecce), Autumn 1944; *** "Group" and "Wing" are referred tu USAF organization since Italian Air Force uses an organization non matching with the RAF one. Decals are printed by Fantasy Printshop and to me they appear up to higher standards: in perfect register and with a thin film. One of the boy who worked on this project told me they added a further white bottom layer on national roundels to avoid any transparency issue with underneath camo colors. National markings and full stencils are provided to built at least 2 aircrafts. Instructions are full color printed as 5 index cards, FS reference are given as well as some historic detail about each airplane. Now let me give you a little bit of historic perspective… Spitfire Mk.V enters ICBAF (Italian Co-Beligerant Air Force) on 17th August 1944. Winston Churchill in person, even against RAF Staff Officers opinion, declared UK willing to provide “…loyal ICBAF" with modern airplanes and so 53 among Vb and Vc were collected from different MU. They were machines at the end of their operational life coming from 352nd Balkan Air Force Squadron, Mediterranean Allied Air Force, USAAF and one Greek squadron. Starting from those 53 airframes Italian crews were able to “rebuild” 33 airplanes all assigned to 20th Group of 51st Wing stationed in south Italy. Italian Spitfires performed recce and straffing sorties on Balkan region and nazi occupied northern Italy. Regia Aeronautica last war mission – a recce sortie over Zagabria – was completed by 2 Spits on 5th May 1945. At the end of the WW2 only 15 examples were available and 10 of them were airworthy. From June 1946 RAF Air Vice Marshall Arthur Brodie - head of Air Forces Sub Commission of the Allied Commission - agreed to let 58 Spitfire MK.IX - priced 1% of their value - to newly born Aeronautica Militare Italiana: these airplanes were stored by 392nd MU in Brindisi. One year later, July 1947, other 85 Spitfires Mk.IX withdrawn from RAF ranks – again wartime machines “stored” c\o Treviso airport – were handed over to Italian Air Force Once again Air Force mechanics rebuilt something more than 100 airworthy airplanes to equip 51st and 5th Wings and Lecce based Advanced Flying Training School. Italian Mk.IX were operated till March 1950 with last few flying for liaison duties till 1952. Before giving you details to get further info and images let me clear this: I’m not involved in any way into this project or its commercial aspects but, at the same time, I think that too many times we read claim like “from modellers to modellers”… Well, this time I can personally guarantee this sheet comes straight from fellow modellers enthusiasts like me and you. Furthermore I think it’s quite our duty to promote modellers community efforts aimed to preserve flight history. For any info try to have a look here: http://www.modelingtime.com/2012/06/07/mod...cala-148-e-132/ Or contact Valerio – Spit decal sheet project leader and also the “soul” of modelingtime forum: [email protected] Cheers from a warm night in Rome P.S. I was told English instructions are going to be printed in the next few days.

Hi All, Thanks for your apreciation. Cheers from Rome

Hi All, finally I got a model leaving the workbench... It's the Airfix kit build straight from the box. Here you are with my rendition... Cheers from Rome

Ciao, have a look here http://www.modelingtime.com/forum/viewtopi...f=29&t=6153

Hi, once again thanks for your words. Unfortunately I was not able to find any photo of the real aircraft in that camo... www is plenty of natural metal or metal painted aircrafts but nothing related to Korea War. Cheers from sunny Rome

Great Stuff Man! Cheers

Hi All, nice builds so far... Can I ask what Valleyo paint you used for earth brown? Thanks

Thank You All for your kind words. re Stand it's one of the 2 stands box sold by Italeri. The other one is in clear plastic. Cheers

Hi All, here you are with my latest completed build. Airfix kit, 1/72 new tool. Painted with Tamiya and Valleyo Model Air colors, little scratch built details for cockpit, seat and canopy. Decals kit used for Major Galyshevsky aircraft. Let me know your thoughts... Thanks

Hi, first of all let me say you did a great job, I love the way you finished this tiny beauty. Can I ask you to tell me how did you paint it? It's one of my next project and I can't imagine how to paint it: I think it's difficult to paint wings and struts once everything is in place but on the other hand I think that if I paint separate parts then glueing all together would become a nightmare... so, how did you do it? Thanks, V

And once again: Bravo. How did you cut roundels? or better... would you be so kind to explain the whole process? I hate decals!!! :-) Ciao e grazie

What can I say? Bravo!!! Ciao

Ciao, till now you did a great job. Are you going to use alclad for later chipping tecnique?

Hi All from very cold Rome, thanks for your kind words. Cheers, V

Hi Gents, here you are with some not_very_good photos of my first not_very_good completed kit since I was 14. Cheers from sunny but cold Rome, V

Hi All, No, you didn't. Decal #16, first aid kit stencil, is highlighted on the instruction leaflet but non present on decal sheet. While Airfix gave us the best shaped 1/72 P.R.XIX decals are quite terrible: all of them are thick and that white red crossed bit is missing. Ciao, V

Hi, just yestrday I fought with those decals... They did not responded to Gunze Softer so I was forced to usa the ancient way of doing it... toothpick! After having positioned them and soaked with Gunze liquid - having no result - I started applying one coat of same liquid and then "pushing" those tiny decals into panel lines. I repeated this "process" several times untill - more or less - satisfied with the end results. Hope this helps. Greeting from Italy, V

Hi, I just registered a couple of days ago... Absolutely stunning work (and I'm not saying this because I'm a racer fan). Great, thanks a lot for having shared this. Greetings from Rome - Italy