Photo Reconnaissance Spitfires

Parts I & II

1/48 & 1/72

Model Alliance Decals

Reviewed by Glen Porter

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Model Alliance Decals is part of the Aviation Workshop organization along with On-Target Publications, and it is from On-Target Profile No 8 PR Spitfires that these decals are derived.

Produced in both 1/48 and Braille (1/72) scales, the only difference is the kit and conversion recommendations on the back.

 

Click the thumbnails below to view larger images:

This has created one minor complication. Obviously, the bigger scale sheets were done first but when they shrank them down to 1/72, some of the marking numbers have protruded on to the carrier film. Now this may not seem like much of a problem but, if you don't trim them off, they could end up on your model. Try explaining that to the competition judge.

This minor glitch aside, these are excellent decals. Model Alliance has crammed an awful lot onto each sheet, especially Part One which has fifteen aircraft to cover. The register is spot-on, the decal film looks suitably thin and colours also look good with one possible exception.

So, what do you get for your hard earned dosh. Well, remember that these are all PR Spitfires and I only know of two kits in 1/72 scale, MPM (PR XI) and Fujimi (PR.X) and none in 1/48 scale, so to use these decals, some conversion is going to be involved. Hence the conversion recommendations on the back. I'm not going to list them all because there are simply too many.

Part One has fifteen examples all based on Tamiya, Airfix or Italeri Mk Is or Mk Vs. All the common PR colour schemes are included plus one very attractive PR Mk IV in over-all white with Azure Blue upper surfaces a la Luftwaffe. Yum!

Part Two covers ten aircraft based on Hasagawa and ICM (Mk IX), Heritage Aviation PR Mk XI (oops, there's one I didn't know about), Fujimi, Academy and again Heritage Aviation for Griffon engined Spits. Five of them are Mk XIVes where you can use the Fujimi kit with out modification in 1/72 scale or the Academy kit for 1/48th. With the exception of the Camotint (Sky type S), all the other PR schemes are present including a US PR Spitfire which they list as a PR Mk IX but I think was actually a PR Mk XI. In Part Two, there are two “F”s printed in Sky. Now this Sky does look a bit iffy to my eye, but it may be just the blue backing paper that makes it look that way and once on the model will probably be okay.

In concluding, I should point out that to get the full benefit from these decals correctly, you should have the aforementioned On-Target Profile No 8 as there are no “other side” profiles or top and bottom views. There are also no stencils so these will have to come from the kit or some other decal set.

In my opinion, these sets are worth having just for the excellent roundels and fin flashes even if you don't want to do PR Spitfires.

Highly Recommended.

Thanks to Aviation Workshop / Model Alliance (UK)  for the review sample

Model Alliance products are available online from the Aviation Workshop.

Review Copyright © 2006 by Glen Porter
Page Created 15 March, 2006
Last updated 15 March, 2006

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