IPMS/USA Reviews

• Spitfire Decals Part 3, 72-023, $18.00
• Spitfire Decals Part 4, 72-024, $18.00
• Hurricane Decals Part 1, 72-025, $18.00

The first Lifelike Decals sheet, Spitfire Pt. 3, provides decals for four Mk. V aircraft, and historical backgrounds for each aircraft. The aircraft depicted are:

1. Spitfire Mk. Vb, AD196, Sgt. Jack Evans, No. 71 (Eagle) Sqdn, Debden, Aug. 1942
2. Spitfire Mk. Vb or Vc. Serial unknown, F/O James Montgomery, 4FS/52 FG, USAAF, Sicily, 1943.
3. Spitfire Mk. Vb, EN824, P/O John Yarra, No. 453 (Australian) Sqdn., Martlesham Heath, December, 1942
4. Spitfire Mk. Vb, ER821, F/L Neville Duke, No. 92 Sqdn., Libya, 1943.

There are enough roundels for one RAF and one USAAF aircraft, although the other markings are provided for all four aircraft. You'll need extra roundels for this one.

The second sheet, Spitfire Pt. 4, provides decals for four aircraft, two Mk. V's and 2 Mk. XVI's. The aircraft depicted are:

1. Spitfire Mk. XVI, SL721, Personal Aircraft, A/M Sir James Robb, Hendon, 1948-1951.
2. Spitfire Mk. Va W3185. Tangmere. W/C Douglas Bader, 1941.
3. Spitfire Mk. Vb, serial unknown, F/O James Montgomery, 4FS/52 FG, Corsica, 1944.
4. Spitfire Mk. XVI, TD248, BAC Aviation, East Colne, 1997. (Restored warbird?)

The decal sheet is larger here, and roundels and markings are provided for all four aircraft, mainly because they are different.

The third sheet provides markings for three Hawker Hurricanes. Although four Hurricanes are listed, there are only enough decals for three aircraft, and roundels will have to be swiped from other sources if you are going to do more than two of the RAF choices. Quite a few maintenance stencil markings are also provided, but probably only enough for one airplane, although they probably weren't on the racer, and couldn't be seen on the all-black version.

The aircraft depicted are:

1. Hurricane Mk. I, F/L Arthur Clowes, No. 1 Sqdn., Wittering, Oct. 1940. (Standard Battle of Britain colors)
2. Hurricane Mk. IIc. S/L James MacLachian, No. 1 Sqdn., Northold, Nov, 1941 to June, 1942. Overall black colors.
3. & 4. Hurricane Mk. II "Last of the Many", PZ865, G-AMAU. Flown by Capt. Peter Townsend postwar. Plane had royal blue scheme with gold lettering and trim. Enough trim is provided for one complete aircraft, but options provide two different marking variations, the King's Cup Race of 1950 and the 1951 National Air Race.

I decided to do the Hurricane Mk. II Racer using the new Airfix Mk. II Hurricane/Sea Hurricane combination kit, as it is an extremely unusual and colorful aircraft. The instructions were basically accurate, except for the plan view drawing which shows the aircraft with three stack exhausts, whereas the side view drawings show the correct Spitfire-type six stack arrangement. You will need a set of Spitfire exhausts for this one, and a new prop, as the Airfix one is way too small. Of course, the cannon armament has to be removed. There is no mention of the bulges above the wing for the cannon breeches, and the shell ejector openings are not mentioned either.

The decals went on very easily, and I was surprised how well the gold color contrasted with the blue. However, the drawings all show the trim and letters in yellow, whereas it is mentioned in the text that they were actually gold, the color of the decals. You need to read the instructions carefully. I used Model Master Brass on the spinner, and it matched the gold perfectly.

Recommendation

These are excellent decal sheets. The decals required no trimming and were opaque against a dark background. Very little decal solution was required, and I feel that they are of very high quality.

Highly recommended.

Thanks to Lifelike Decals and IPMS/USA for the review opportunity, and for the quick response from Keishiro Nagao of Lifelike when I emailed Lifelike Decals for information.