Background

Operation Jubilee - the raid on Dieppe - is remembered as a costly failure that involved dreadful sacrifices, particularly among the 5,000 Canadian troops involved, who suffered an appalling 67% casualty rate. However, it's often forgotten that it was originally planned to take place over a month earlier as Operation Rutter, but this was forced to be abandoned due a combination of bad weather and the Luftwaffe spotting and bombing the assembled ships.

The Decals

Bob Migliardi has now produced 1:48 decals for four of the aircraft slated to take part in the cancelled operation - three Spitfires and one Hurricane - and the colour schemes offer a very attractive alternative to the standard schemes with their distinctive tactical markings of white bands around the aircraft noses and tailplanes (early forerunners of the "Invasion Stripes" adopted for D-Day).

The featured aircraft are:

1. Spitfire Mk.Vb, s/n BM324, GW-S, "Tomana" of 340 Sqn.

2. Spitfire Mk.Vb, s/n AR373, MN-M, "Lulanguru" of 350 (Belgian) Sqn.

3. Spitfire Mk.Vb, s/n AA853, CW-X, flown by Wg Cdr Stefan Witorzenc of 302 Sqn.

4. Hurricane Mk.IIB "Hurribomber", s/n BE682, XP-R, of 174 (Mauritius) Sqn.

As always from Iliad Design, the quality is top notch, with the beautifully thin decals showing precise registration and minimal excess carrier film except where it's used to group elements or add support. The colours look great, with Dull Red and Blue roundels and an excellent match for the Sky code letters. Full sets of markings for all four aircraft are included.

A nice touch is that the red Croix de Lorraine is printed as a separate item for the badges used in scheme #1 to ensure perfect alignment. One minor point I noticed is that the instructions indicate a small letter "S" under the nose, but it's not included on this early printing of the decal sheet. If it is required, I've no doubt that Bob will rectify things, but in the meantime it shouldn't be hard to find a suitable item as a decal or dry-rub transfer.

Note: Bob has confirmed that the under-nose "S" is needed and is getting some printed to include as part of the set.

The instructions are printed in colour with high quality profiles, plus top and partial underside views, reference photos and clear instructions for masking the nose bands.

Conclusion

This is a great set for anyone looking to model some RAF fighters that will stand out among the usual colour schemes. Four schemes for $14.00 represents excellent value and also makes it ideal for a very manageable individual project and, of course, a shared group- or club-build.

Sheet #48045 - Fighters Of Operation Rutter - is available now from Iliad Design - Price: $14.00

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