"Supermarine Spitfires Over Malta" first appeared in 1:72 and is an excellent choice for anyone looking to build the iconic fighter sporting some really unusual camouflage and markings. Now Ray Horwell at Fantasy Printshop has revisited the Euro Decals collection and released decals for eight of the aircraft as two 1:32 sets.

The selection depicts the famous Malta defenders in their unique field-applied camouflage schemes that were adopted either whilst based on the island or on their way across the Mediterranean on board USS Wasp. With nobody to tell them otherwise, units defending the island against the Luftwaffe and Regia Aeronautica were free to improvise colour schemes to suit the local conditions. With their mix of some very non-standard colours - how about Deck Blue and Non-Specular Sea Blue topsides for starters? - the chosen subjects are perfect if you want to build a Spitfire that will draw attention in any line-up. 

The decals are thin and glossy, and the sample sheets have perfect registration. Nothing is left to chance, though, and the centres of the fuselage and underside roundels are printed separately so the user to line up by eye. Carrier film is kept to the bare minimum and trimmed tightly around the designs, used for strengthening on letters and numerals and with no excess at all around the national markings.

I think Ray has made a wise decision in breaking down the original selection of aircraft across two sheets for 1:32 to make things more economical for modellers. Being realistic, most of us won't have room to display eight "Malta" Spitfires in this scale, so dividing the collection saves buying a mass of decals that you're unlikely to use. However, if you do have the space for a mega-project or are organising a club/group build, both sets can be purchased together at a discount.

Sheet #ED-32141A provides decals for the following aircraft:

1. Supermarine Spitfire Mk.Vb Trop, BR586, 'T.M', 249 Squadron, RAF, Malta, 1943.

2. Supermarine Spitfire Mk.Vc Trop, BR124, 'U.2', USS Wasp, 20 April, 1942.

3. Supermarine Spitfire Mk.Vc Trop, BRI26, 'GL.E', Gibraltar, June, 1942.

4. Supermarine Spitfire Mk.Vc Trop, BR344, '3.M', USS Wasp, April, 1942

Sheet ED-32141B features the following aircraft:

1. Supermarine Spitfire Mk.Vc Trop, JK715, 'SN.A', 243 Squadron, RAF, 1942.

2. Supermarine Spitfire Mk.Vc Trop, BRI90, 'A.2', 603 Squadron, RAF, Malta, April-May, 1942.

3. Supermarine Spitfire Mk.Vb Trop, EP691 , 'X.A', 229 Squadron, RAF, Malta, 1943.

4. Supermarine Spitfire Mk.IXc, EN479, 'N', 126 Squadron, RAF, Malta, June, 1943.

Each set includes sufficient markings to complete all the featured aircraft. The colour schemes are illustrated with full-colour 4-view drawings that includes original paint names/codes and matches for Humbrol, Xtracolour, Xtracrylix, Mr. Color Aqueous, MRP and Vallejo Model Air model paints. Some of the non-standard colours used are a bit unusual and not all of them are available in every paint range, so the inclusion of multiple matches is a big help.

Conclusion

"Supermarine Spitfires Over Malta" was impressive in 1:72 and is all the more so in 1:32, and the completed colour schemes will be guaranteed head-turners among any display of Spitfire models. As noted above, I think it would be ambitious for an individual modeller to build them all, but it would make a stunning club/group build that's really very affordable at just over £6.00 or £7.00 per scheme, depending on whether you go for one or both sets.

Euro Decals sets ED-32141A and ED-32141B are available now at Fantasy Printshop. The sheets can be purchased individually for £28.95 each, or for £50.00 as a pair.

Many thanks to Fantasy Printshop for the review samples.

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