Top Colors 27
Polish Spitfires

Kagero Publishing

Reviewed by Rodger Kelly

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Kagero continues their coverage of the Supermarine Spitfire in their Topcolor series. This makes the fifth book they have published in their Topcolors series that deals with the Spitfire. This time they have published profiles and provided decals for Spitfires flown by Polish pilots in the Royal Air Force.

The Topcolor series from Kagero is a cross between a book that provides superb colour profiles with a potted history of the subject as well as a decal sheet to enable you to model some of the machines illustrated within the pages of the book.

This volume is a little different from the others in the series in that it is smaller with only 18 pages compared with the normal 36 pages.  No introduction is provided and you are straight into the profiles.

The profiles cover eight different machines in all, a Mk1, a Mk IIa, a Mk Vb, four Mk IXs, and a single LF XVI.  The artwork is by Janusz ?wialo?.  Each subject has been beautifully rendered to show shadowing, weathering and tonal contrasts.  Each of the profiles are accompanied by text (in both the English and Polish languages) that identifies the squadron and pilot (when known) of each aircraft depicted.  Y get both left and right hand side profiles on one page and a full upper surface plan view with scrap views of the undersides of the wings and the next page.

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Thumbnail panels:

The individual machines illustrated are as follows:

• Mk IIa P8387, PK-H of 315 (Deblinski) Squadron Royal Air Force at Northolt, in the August of 1941.  The machine is finished in the RAF temperate scheme comprising dark earth and dark green upper surfaces over sky undersides with a sky spinner and rear fuselage band..  The squadron codes are in medium sea grey and the letter ‘H’ of the code expanded into the female name ‘Halina’ on both sides of the fuselage.  It also wears the ‘Barty’ on both sides of the fuselage.

• Mk I X4828, RF-K of 303 (Kosciusco) Squadron Royal Air Force.  The machine was flown by Flight Lieutenant Wojciech Ko?aczkowski from Speke in the September of 1941.  It is in early day fighter scheme comprising ‘mixed grey’ and dark green upper surfaces over (most likely) medium sea grey undersides with a sky spinner and rear fuselage band.  As with the previous option, the individual squadron identification letter (K) has been expanded to read ‘Krysta’ on both sides of the fuselage.  It also wears the name ‘Wojtek’ in white lettering on both sides of the fuselage being a shortened version of the pilot’s name.

• Mk Vb AA853, WX-C of 302 (Poznanski) Squadron RAF from early 1942.  This machine too is in the RAF day fighter scheme with a sky spinner and rear fuselage band and yellow leading edges to its wings.  It sports white band identification markings over its engine cowling/forward fuselage and horizontal stabilisers/elevators.

• F Mk IX BS456, UZ-? flown by Flight Lieutenant Józef ?ulikowski of
  306 (Torunski) Squadron RAF from RAF Station Northholt, in the autumn of 1942. The machine wears the standard day fighter scheme with a sky spinner and sky band around the rear fuselage and yellow leading edges to its outer wings.  It wears a squadron badge under its windscreen (on both sides) as well as Polish national markings on both sides of the engine cowling under the exhaust stacks.

• F Mk IX EN719, SZ-J of 316 (Warszawski) Squadron RAF and flown by Flight Lieutenant W?adys?aw Gny? from RAF Northolt in the spring of 1943.  The machine is finished in the RAF day fighter scheme of dark green and ocean grey upper surfaces over medium sea grey undersides.  It wears a sky spinner, and rear fuselage band and yellow leading edges to its outer wings.  It wears a squadron badge behind the cockpit (on both sides) as well as Polish national markings on both sides of the engine cowling under the exhaust stacks.

• F Mk IX MH353 WX-K of 302 (Poznanski) Squadron RAF at RAF Station Northolt in late 1943.  It wears the RAF day fighter scheme with a sky spinner and rear fuselage band along with yellow leading edges to its outer wings.  It also wears the name ‘Susan’ in white lettering on the port side of the fuselage under the windscreen and nose art in the form of a turtle bashing a snail over the head with a bat.  Polish national markings are worn on both sides of the engine cowling under the exhaust stacks.  The cannon barrels also bear white and red rings around them.

• LF Mk IX TA864, LW-L of 318 (Gdanski) Squadron RAF “Betsy” flown by Pilot Officer Zdzis?aw Uchwat from Risano, Italy in May-June of 1945.   In the RAF day fighter scheme with its fuselage band over painted and its spinner in red. It bears nose art on the left hand side of its fuselage in the form of a sitting nude and the words ‘WHY NOT?’ in white with red outline.  Polish national markings are also worn on both sides of the engine cowling under the exhaust stacks.

• LF Mk XVI TB898 JH-L of 317 (Wilenski) Squadron RAF at Alhorn, Germany in late 1945.  It wears the RAF day fighter scheme with its rear fuselage band over painted and its spinner in black.  It wears a ‘victory tally’ scoreboard in white under the windscreen of the port side of the fuselage along with Polish national markings on both sides of the engine cowling under the exhaust stacks.  

As with all books in the Topcolour series, you are also provided with decals to model the aircraft within the book.  You get a single very large sheet with the markings in 1/72, 1/48 and 1/32 scale.  The decals are confined to the individual identifying markings worn by each option however, so you are on your own for the national insignia and stencil data.    The decals themselves have been printed by Cartograf, they are thin, in perfect register and have an absolute minimum of film surrounding each subject.

The book itself is in landscape format, measures 27.5cm x 20.5cm (10?" x 8") and consists of 18 pages of glossy paper between thin cardboard covers.

This is a very nice book/decal sheet from Kagero.  It provides you with some excellent artwork and first rate decals to enable you to produce eight machines flown by Polish pilots in the Royal Air Force during World War Two.

Thanks to Kagero for the review sample.

Review Copyright © 2011 by Rodger Kelly
This Page Created on 4 December, 2011
Last updated 4 December, 2011

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