Top Colors 24
Supermarine Spitfire Mk.XVIe

Kagero Publishing

Reviewed by Rodger Kelly

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The Supermarine Spitfire Mk XVIe is the subject of the latest addition to the Kagero Topcolours series.

For the uninitiated, Kagero’s Topcolours range provides you with a book that provides superb colour profiles and a potted history of the subject as well as a decal sheet to model the depicted machines.  This edition provides you with decals/masks for every option in the book.

This edition varies the format of the Topcolours series in that it does not provide the traditional the three page brief summation of the depicted machine and its operational use and you are straight into the artwork.

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Thumbnail panels:

Just eight aircraft are covered in this volume rather than the more normal 19 to 20 machines that other Topcolors volumes feature. 

The details of each of the depicted machines are as follows:

• “Dorothy II”, TB886 of 421 (Red Indian) Squadron Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF), at Reinsehlen, Germany, in the May of 1945.  It wears the 421 Squadron codes “AU” with the individual aircraft in squadron letter “J”.  The machine is finished in a camouflage scheme of dark green and ocean grey upper surfaces over medium sea grey undersides with a black spinner.  The machine originally sported the standard sky painted spinner and rear fuselage band but both were over painted as they were considered “too conspicuous” when the aircraft was parked on the ground sky.  Funnily enough though the standard red and blue “Type B” upper wing roundels were replaced with a larger and more highly visible type “C” roundel.  “Type C” roundels are also worn on the undersides of the wings.

• AE-Q (unknown serial number) of 402 (Winnipeg Bear) Squadron RCAF, at Fassberg, Germany, in the June of 1945.  It is in the dark green, ocean grey and medium sea grey scheme.  It too lacks the sky rear fuselage band and its spinner is painted in white with a blue dome and backing plate.  It wears its squadron codes in an unorthodox manner in that they have been painted in white rather than the specified sky and they have been grouped together after the roundel.  It too sports “Type C” roundels on its wings.

• TD341 coded 21-V of 443 (Hornet) Squadron RCAF, at Utersen, in Germany, in the August of 1945.  In the dark green, ocean grey and medium sea grey scheme with an over painted sky rear fuselage band.  The spinner is painted yellow with a black spiral befitting it being a Hornet Squadron machine.  It also sports the Squadron insignia on both sides of the nose and its spinner is painted in white with a blue dome and backing plate.  “Type C” roundels are worn on its wings.

• TE206 coded QH-M of 302 (Pozna?ski) Squadron Royal Air Force (RAF), atVarrelbusch, in Germany, in the second half of 1945.  The machine is in the dark green, ocean grey and medium sea grey scheme with an over painted sky rear fuselage band and a black spinner.  It wears squadron insignia on both sides of the fuselage under the windscreen and small Polish Air Force insignia on both sides of the nose.  Its wears “Type D” roundels on the wings as well as large serial numbers on the undersides of its wings.

• TD242 coded ZF-E of 308 (Krakowski) Squadron RAF inVarrelbusch and Ahlhorn, Germany, circa 1945-46.  In dark green, ocean grey and medium sea grey camouflage scheme with an over painted sky rear fuselage band and a black spinner.  As with the previous machine, it too wears squadron insignia on both sides of the fuselage under the windscreen and small Polish Air Force insignia on both sides of the nose.  Its wears smaller “Type C” roundels on the upper surfaces of its wings and “Type D” roundels and large serial numbers on the undersides of its wings.

• 2Y-P (most likely TD338) of 345 Squadron RAF (Groupe de Chasse II/2 Berry), Drope, Germany in the May of 1945.  The machine is in dark green, ocean grey and medium sea grey camouflage scheme with an over painted sky rear fuselage band and a black spinner.  The red and blue of its RAF national insignia markings have been over painted with appropriate colors so that they have become French Air Force ones with thin yellow outer rings.  It wears “Cross of Lorraine” insignia on both sides of the fuselage under the windscreen.

• RW331 (an LF16) coded RAP-M of 609 (West Riding) Squadron Royal Auxiliary Air Force (RAuxAF), at Yeadon in Yorkshire, United Kingdom in 1949.  It is in the standard dark green, ocean grey and medium sea grey camouflage scheme with a sky spinner and rear fuselage band.  It sports “Type D” roundels on its wings as well as large serial numbers on the undersides of its wings.

• SL727 (another LF. 16) coded HT-L of 601 (County of London) Squadron RAuxF, North Weald,United Kingdom in the latter pat of 1949.  The odd machine out, it is in an overall painted aluminum scheme with a red spinner and red squadron codes.  The Squadron’s winged sword insignia (minus the white background) is worn on the port side of the fuselage forward of the windscreen.  National insignia is of the brighter post-war “Type D” in all positions and it wears its serial on the undersides of the wings.

Every option is illustrated over two pages and you are provided with left and right hand side fuselage profiles as well as a full upper surface plan view and views of the undersides of both wings.  Where a machine wears unique markings, these are reproduced in larger format.  The artwork really is superb with all machines depicted with appropriated faded/over painted paintwork and exhaust staining/weathering.

As with all books in the Topcolour series, you are also provided with decals to model some of the aircraft within the book.  This book however provides you with decals to model all of the machines within the book.

The decals are provided in 1/72, 1/48 and 1/32 scale.  The decals are confined to the individual identifying markings worn by each option (Squadron codes, aircraft serial and unique squadron markings) so you are on your own for the national insignia.  The 1/32 scale squadron codes (and underwing serials) are provided as masks with this set.

The decals have been produced by Cartograf.  They are in perfect register and have an absolute minimum of film surrounding each subject.

The text is in both the English and Polish languages with the English language printed first. 

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

There is not a whole lot of information regarding the Mk XVI out there.  I know that as many years ago I converted a 1/48 scale Otaki Mk VIII spitfire into an LF XVIe using the Missing link resin conversion and had a very hard time in trying to find colour schemes worn by the Mk XVI let alone decals.   This new volume from Kagero goes a long way to correct this and the 1/32 scale decals will be welcomed by those who want to finish their new Tamiya kit in other than the kit supplied schemes.

Thanks to Casemate Publishing for this review sample.

Review Copyright © 2011 by Rodger Kelly
This Page Created on 8 August, 2011
Last updated 24 August, 2011

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