Spitfire Mk.Vb OVERLORD

Eduard Weekend Edition, 1/48 scale

Reviewed by Brad Fallen

Its 1941 eclipse as an air superiority fighter notwithstanding, the Spitfire Mk.V remained an important part of the RAF inventory between then and the end of the war in Europe. This probably shouldn’t be surprising, given that more Mk.Vs were built than any other Spitfire variant - nearly 7,000 in total.

According to Alfred Price in his ‘Spitfire in Combat’ book, in early June 1944 Mk.Vs equipped 16 out of 70-odd RAF units operating Spitfires in western Europe. Seven of these squadrons were integrated into the Second Tactical Air Force to support Operation OVERLORD, the invasion of France, including in air spotting and army cooperation duties. Before, during and after the invasion, Mk.Vs were used to provide ground attack and fighter cover - and demonstrating that, in the right circumstances, they could still be an effective weapon against the Luftwaffe.

Eduard launched its Spitfire Mk.V family in mid-2021 with the Mk.Vb/Vc Limited Edition Dual Combo ‘Eagle’s Call’ boxing.  In his review here, Brett said

Eduard’s 1:48 scale Spitfire Mk.Vb and Vc kits are beautifully detailed, accurate, boast lovely fine surface textures and offer most of the options that you will ever need for this sometimes complicated subject….Eduard’s 1:48 scale Spitfire family has been an instant classic since their initial Mk.IX release and this Mk.V maintains the high standard.

Since 2021 Eduard has released more than a dozen Mk.V boxings, including three Overtree-only Vb releases labelled ‘early’, ‘mid’ and ‘late’. The latest boxing, timed to coincide with the 80th anniversary of D-Day and titled ‘OVERLORD’, is a Weekend Edition package focusing on Mk.Vbs flown in support of the Normandy landings.

This is the first time I’ve looked at a new Weekend Edition release since 2019, and Eduard has definitely upped its game with this product line in the intervening period.  Gone is the plain-ish packaging, replaced by gorgeous box art, in this case of Sub Lieutenant D.W. Barraclough and his Spitfire Vb ‘4Q’ flaming a Bf 109 G whilst on naval spotting duties.  Also gone are the limited marking options that used to characterise Weekend Edition kits: 4Q is one of four schemes to choose from, all illustrated in full-colour four-view drawings.

Inside the box are five sprues of Eduard’s typical dark grey plastic parts, and one small sprue of clear parts. I won’t go through the parts in detail - Brett has already done this in the review mentioned above, as well as here and here - but will say that they are beautifully moulded with no apparent imperfections. Surface texture is lovely, with very finely engraved (or where appropriate, raised) panel, rivet and fastener details.

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Thumbnail panels:

Sprue attachment points are narrow and, for the most part, engineered to attach to the mating surfaces of kit parts, which minimises potential damage during removal and clean-up.

The transparencies are very thin and clear, with alternative parts provided for open and closed canopies - a welcome touch.

The parts count is rounded out by a rarity for a Weekend Edition kit: a photo-etched fret, containing wing strakes for making option A, and anti-glare shields for option C.

The wing strakes, in particular, look like they may be a little tricky to fit, given their delicacy and thin vertical profile; if I was modelling this machine I would probably think about representing the strakes with stretched sprue or plastic strip.

The sprue map on page 2 of the instruction booklet reveals a large number (76 by my count) of unused parts that will be welcome additions to the spares bin. This reflects Eduard’s policy of designing sprues with multiple parts options which can be easily mixed and matched to create a number of different versions, and compares favourably with the practice of some other model companies.

Speaking of the instruction booklet, this too is a departure from those found in older-style Weekend Editions. The 16 page booklet - while not quite as sumptuous as its Profipack counterparts - is clearly laid out and printed on glossy, high-quality paper that will hold up well as pages are flicked back and forth during construction. And as mentioned earlier, the inclusion of full-colour, four-view painting and marking diagrams is extremely welcome.

Markings

Markings are provided for four United Kingdom-based Vbs that participated in Operation OVERLORD.  All are finished in Dark Green and Ocean Grey over Medium Sea Grey, with Sky spinners, fuselage bands and codes - and, of course, full black and white invasion stripes! 

Within the parameters of this scheme, Eduard has selected aircraft with subtle and not-so-subtle variations in finish, flown by British, Canadian and French pilots, as follows.

1. Sub-Lieutenant D.W. Barraclough’s previously mentioned 4W (no other airframe identification details are provided) of VCS-7 (Cruiser Scouting Squadron), RAF Lee-on-Solent, June 1944. 

2. BL547/AE-R flown by Flying Officer Rick Richards of No.402 Squadron, RAF Horne, June 1944.

3. BM366/2Y-A flown by Commandant Jean-Marie Accart of No.345 Squadron, RAF Shoreham, June 1944.

4. BM327/F-SH flown by Flight Lieutenant Tony Cooper of No.64 Squadron, RAF Friston, June 1944.

The decals have been produced by Eduard and are printed on two sheets:  one with national insignia and individual aircraft markings, and the other with stencils, wing walkways and leading edge gun patches.

The colours of the national insignia and squadron codes look good, and registration also seems fine.

I haven’t built one of Eduard’s 1/48 Spitfire Mk.V family, but having looked at this kit I am now itching to do so.

Based on what I can see in the box, I’m assuming it will go together at least as well as Eduard’s recent 1/48 A6M2-N Rufe, which I am currently building and very much enjoying.  And while - as a Weekend Edition kit - this one doesn’t come with the comprehensive mask and photo-etched sets included in the premium ProfiPACK boxings, Eduard has released a Zoom photo-etched set specifically for its Weekend Edition Mk.Vb kits, along with dedicated masks, which can be purchased separately if desired.

However, the level of detail included in the plastic parts is such that probably the only essential item that’s not already in the box is a set of harnesses.

The quality of the kit, along with the excellent marking choices, makes this a really attractive release from Eduard.

References

• Robert Humphreys, ‘The Supermarine Spitfire – A Comprehensive Guide for the Modeller, Part 1:  Merlin Powered’ (SAM Publications, 2000)

• Alfred Price, ‘Spitfire in Combat’ (Sutton Publishing, 2003)

• www.spitfiresite.com

Thanks to Eduard for the sample

Review Text and Images Copyright © 2024 by Brad Fallen
Page Created 21 August, 2024
Last updated 21 August, 2024

Back to HyperScale Main Page

Back to Reviews Page