Reviewed by Rodger Kelly
 

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Aero Imageworks is a new company based in Victor Harbour, South Australia and A014801 Shark Attack! is their first release. 

The sheet provides markings for nine Mk. VIII Spitfires flown by the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) during WWII.  The title Shark Attack! stems from the fact that seven of the nine options on the sheet wear the shark mouth nose art of 457 ‘Grey Nurse’ Squadron. 

The individual aircraft are: 

HF Mk. VIII A58-606 (RAF serial MT819) ZP-W of 457 Sqn.  The aircraft was flown by Squadron Leader B.D. Watson, the Commanding Officer 457 Squadron, 80 Fighter Wing 1^st Tactical Air Force, RAAF at Morotai, in 1945.  Camouflage is the standard RAF temperate scheme of dark green and ocean grey and upper surfaces over medium sea grey lower surfaces.  The wing leading edges wear the white theatre identification markings and the spinner is red.  Individual markings for this aircraft include: 

·        ZP Squadron and individual aircraft W codes in white. 

·        A58-606 serials in grey. 

·        The original, smaller shark mouth nose art and eyes. 

·        ‘Grey Nurse’ scripts in grey. 

·        The 80 Fighter Wing Ace of Spades playing card insignia. 

·        A Squadron Leader’s pennant. 

·        National insignia consisting of altered 56 inch RAF type B roundel (upper wings), 32 inch type C for the fuselage and undersides of the wings as well as a 24 inch x 24 inch fin flash. 

HF Mk. VIII A58-617 (MV115) ZP-G of 457 Squadron, 80 Fighter Wing 1^st Tactical Air Force, RAAF at Morotai, in March 1945. Camouflage is the standard RAF temperate scheme of dark green and ocean grey and upper surfaces over medium sea grey lower surfaces.  The wing leading edges wear the white theatre identification markings and the spinner is red with the backing plate in RAF sky.  Individual markings for this aircraft include: 

·        ZP Squadron and individual aircraft G codes in white. 

·        A58-617 serials in grey. 

·        The original, smaller shark mouth nose art and eyes. 

·        ‘Grey Nurse’ scripts in grey. 

·        The 80 Fighter Wing Ace of Spades playing card insignia. 

·        National insignia consisting of altered 56 inch RAF type B roundel (upper wings), 32 inch type C for the fuselage and undersides of the wings as well as a 24 inch x 24 inch fin flash. 

HF Mk. VIII A58-614 (MT833) ZP-Q of 457 Squadron, 80 Fighter Wing 1^st Tactical Air Force, RAAF at Morotai, in 1945. Camouflage is the standard RAF temperate scheme of dark green and ocean grey and upper surfaces over medium sea grey lower surfaces.  The wing leading edges wear the white theatre identification markings and a red spinner.  Individual markings for this aircraft include: 

·        ZP Squadron and individual aircraft Q codes in white. 

·        A58-614 serials in grey. 

·        The second type, larger shark mouth nose art and eyes. 

·        ‘Grey Nurse’ scripts in grey. 

·        The 80 Fighter Wing Ace of Spades playing card insignia. 

·        National insignia consisting of altered 56 inch RAF type B roundel (upper wings), 32 inch type C on the fuselage and undersides of the wings as well as a 24 inch x 24 inch fin flash. 

HF Mk. VIII A58-672 (MV156) ZP-Y of 457 Squadron, 80 Fighter Wing 1^st Tactical Air Force, RAAF at Morotai, in 1945. Camouflage is the standard RAF temperate scheme of dark green and ocean grey and upper surfaces over medium sea grey lower surfaces.  The wing leading edges wear the white theatre identification markings, as well as a white spinner and rear fuselage band.  Individual markings for this aircraft include: 

·        ZP Squadron and individual aircraft Y codes in white. 

·        A58-672 serials in grey.  These decals are provided as partial serials as the white fuselage band was painted over them. 

·        The third type, larger and truly fearsome, shark mouth nose art and eyes. 

·        ‘Grey Nurse’ scripts in grey. 

·        National insignia consisting of altered 32-inch type C roundel in all six places as well as a 24 inch x 24 inch fin flash.  The placement guide advises that the larger 32-inch Type B upper wing roundels had been over painted with fresh dark green and ocean paint to bring it down to the same size as the rest of the insignia. As such, they appear to have a ‘halo’ of darker paint around them. 

HF Mk. VIII A58-602 (MV113) RG-V.  This was the ‘personal’ aircraft of Wing Commander Robert ‘Bobby’ Gibbs the Wing Leader (Flying) of, 80 Fighter Wing 1^st Tactical Air Force, RAAF at Morotai, in 1945.  As was the privilege of a Wing Commander, the aircraft bears his initials (RG) as the aircraft code.  The ‘V’ of the code was his personal choice and stems from the P-40 he flew in the Western Desert earlier in the war.  Camouflage is the standard RAF temperate scheme of dark green and ocean grey and upper surfaces over medium sea grey lower surfaces.  The wing leading edges and cannon barrels wear the white theatre identification markings as well as a thin band around the rear fuselage, and a red spinner.  Individual markings for this aircraft include: 

·        RG-V codes in white. 

·        The white fuselage band. 

·        A58-602 serials in black. 

·        A Wing Commander’s pennant and a ‘kills’ scoreboard 

·        A unique shark mouth marking (with a black centre rather than a red one) nose art and eyes.  The aircraft wore the second type shark mouth later on in its life  

·        ‘Grey Nurse’ scripts in grey. 

·        The 80 Fighter Wing Ace of Spades playing card insignia.  These markings were applied upside down on this machine. 

·        National insignia consisting of altered 32-inch type C roundel in all six places as well as a 24 inch x 24 inch fin flash. 

LF Mk. VIII A58-457 (RAF serial MD296) ZP-Z of 457 Sqn.  This aircraft was flown by Squadron Leader T. Trimble, the then Commanding Officer, from Sattler airfield, Northern Territory, Australia in 1945.  Camouflage is RAAF foliage green and earth brown upper surfaces over sky blue lower surfaces.  The wing leading edges wear the white theatre identification markings and the spinner is red with a white backing plate.  Individual markings for this aircraft include: 

·        ZP Squadron and individual aircraft Z codes in RAAF sky blue. 

·        A58-457 serials in black. 

·        A Squadron Leader’s pennant with the words ‘Sweet as a Song’ in white.  The Squadron Leader’s pennant has a white background where it should be in the same light blue as the rest of the pennants featured on the sheet.  This is not too much of a problem as you can substitute it for that from the first option. 

National insignia consisting of altered 56 inch RAF type B roundel (upper wings); 32- inch type C for the fuselage and undersides of the wings as well as a 24 inch x 24 inch fin flash. 

HF Mk. VIII A58-627 (MV117) ZP-Z of 457 Squadron, 80 Fighter Wing 1^st Tactical Air Force, RAAF at Morotai, and Labuan in Borneo in 1945. Camouflage is the standard RAF temperate scheme of dark green and ocean grey and upper surfaces over medium sea grey lower surfaces.  The wing leading edges wear the white theatre identification markings the spinner is red.  Extra markings are provided to enable you model the aircraft as it appeared at different times (with a white spinner and rear fuselage band and black serial).  Individual markings for this aircraft include: 

·        ZP Squadron and individual aircraft Z codes in white. 

·        A58-627 serials in grey and black (two sets). 

·        The white fuselage band. 

·        The second type, larger shark mouth nose art and eyes. 

·        ‘Grey Nurse’ scripts in grey. 

·        National insignia consisting of altered 32-inch type C roundel in all six places as well as a 24 inch x 24 inch fin flash.  As with ZP-Y, the larger 32-inch Type B upper wing roundels had been over painted with fresh dark green and ocean.  The yellow surround to the fuselage roundel is also over painted and bears the same ‘halo’ effect. 

LF Mk. VIII A58-484 (JG543) CR-C, the ‘personal’ aircraft of Group Captain Clive Robert Caldwell, the commanding Officer of 80 Fighter Wing 1^st Tactical Air Force, RAAF at Morotai, in 1945.  Camouflage is RAAF foliage green and dark earth upper surfaces over RAF azure blue lower surfaces.  The wing leading edges as well as the lower surfaces of the cannons and the spinner are white, as is the band around the rear fuselage.  The markings worn by this machine are controversial to say the least.  The placement guide advises that the coloured band in the centre of the white fuselage band could have been red, blue or possibly even left in the camouflage colours.  The same discussion applies to the spinner bands – red or blue.  Individual markings for this aircraft include: 

·        CR –C fuselage codes in RAAF sky blue. 

·        A58-484 serials in black. 

·        The white fuselage band (with a black band) 

·        Group Captain’s pennant and a ‘kills’ scoreboard.

·        The 80 Fighter Wing Ace of Spades playing card insignia. 

·        National insignia consisting of altered 32 inch type C roundel in all six places as well as a 22 inch x 22 inch fin flash. 

LF Mk. VIII A58-534 (MT781) QY-R.  The odd man out on this sheet as it is an aircraft of 452 Squadron, 80 Fighter Wing 1^st Tactical Air Force, RAAF and based at Balikpapan, Borneo in mid 1945. Camouflage is RAAF foliage green upper surfaces over RAAF sky blue lower surfaces.  The wing leading edges wear the white theatre identification markings and the spinner is mid blue.  Individual markings for this aircraft include: 

·        QY squadron and R individual aircraft codes in RAAF sky blue. 

·        A58-534 serials in black. 

·        Artwork in the form of a Walt Disney Jiminy Cricket on a white circle background.

·        The 80 Fighter Wing Ace of Spades playing card insignia.

National insignia consisting of altered 32 inch type C roundel in all six places as well as a 22 inch x 24 inch fin flash. 

Sufficient markings are provided to produce any one of the first three options and any one of the remaining options – two machines from the sheet.  The choices are limited by the fact that only one set of 24 inch x 24 inch fin flashes and 56 inch roundels are provided, as are only two sets of ‘Grey Nurse’ scripts, and a single set (six) of 32 inch roundels.  One set of each type of shark mouth markings is provided with a separate and unique set for Wing Commander Gibbes’ machine.  Stencil data is confined to two sets of yellow propeller stencils and two sets of door stencils.  There is no indication as to who printed the decals themselves.  They are silk screen-printed and look every bit as good as the ones that Microscale produce.  Everything is in register, even the red of the kill markings as well as the command pennants.  Attention to detail is excellent with the right sort of font and stencil style of the aircraft serials being faithfully reproduced. 

The placement guide is a small 12-page stapled booklet with thin cardboard covers.  It provides a detailed description of each option as well as black and white illustrations of each option – left and right hand side profiles in 1/72 scale as well as a plan view of the upper surfaces and scrap views of the lower surfaces of the right wing – with a separate page for each option.  It is a pity that Aero Imageworks decided to supply these in black and white as the original artwork is not doubt in colour as evidenced by the illustrations on their website and Fighter Ops. Room ‘Briefing Notes” but I guess that this was ‘dollar driven’.  The placement guide also contains notes on decal application as well as comprehensive notes on the application of camouflage to the one-to-one scale examples. It helps you with interior colours, weathering tips and advises that the majority of aircraft featured on the sheet were fitted with bomb shackles befitting the ground-attack role that the RAAF Pacific based Spitfires found themselves in toward the end of the war. 

My copy arrived in the post and the decal sheet had been merely inserted into the centre pages of the placement guide booklet.  Whilst it arrived in good condition I’m not so sure that this would have been the case if the envelope had have been exposed to moisture.  Zip-loc bags are cheap and wouldn’t add much to the price of the sheet. 

The recommended kits are Hasegawa and ICM. 

As far as I’m concerned, this is an excellent debut into the decal sheet world by Aero Imageworks.  Whilst other decal companies have released markings for 457 Squadron Mk VIIIs before, they did have their problems.  This sheet not only eclipses these previous offerings it also providing markings for two other machines that have not been produced in 1/48 scale before. 

Heartily recommended. 

Note:

When you purchase this sheet, the guys at Aero Imageworks forward you an e-mail that provides you with a password.  The password enables you to download a four page Briefing Note.  The Briefing Note provides you with information on camouflage worn by RAAF Spitfires, forthcoming decal releases (more Spits, Mk Vs and Mk VIIIs as well as RAAF P-40s in the Mediterranean Theatre) and detailed notes on how to apply the shark mouth markings. 

The colours and markings worn by RAAF Spitfires are complex subjects.  If you are contemplating entering this world I would recommend that you visit Pacific Spitfires at http://www.pacificspitfires.com/  which will guide you.

Review Copyright © 2003 by Rodger Kelly
This Page Created on 30 December, 2003
Last updated 29 December, 2003

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