This new decal sheet from Cutting Edge Modelworks includes markings for two different 1/48 Spitfires.  

The first aircraft is a SpitfireIXc flown by Lt. Col Gustav Lundquist of the Flight Test Section at Wright Field in 1944.  This special Spitfire was sent to Wright Field for testing to increase the operational range of the Spitfire.  The AAF added much more internal fuel tank storage as well as external fuel tanks under the wings.  These modifications extended the range of the Spitfire by a considerable margin.  The camo paint scheme on this aircraft is Ocean Grey and Dark Green on top and Medium Sea Grey on the uinderside.  The nose art is the back view of a sexy blonde lying on her right side as she talks on the phone.  The coloured noseart decal is applied to a white backgound.  The pilot's wife name "Tolly" is painted on the forward engine cowling.  This sexy blonde is talking on the telephone and has the script "Hello"  next to her phone.  The prop spinner has a Sky colour.  The code letter on the side of the rear fuselage are “MK210” with a 18" Sky ID band on the rear fuselage. 

This aircraft had an extra fuel filler cap o the left side behind the canopy.  You'll have to scribe in this fuel cap and then paint it yellow.  

After fuel range testing....this spitfire was flown back to England via Greenland.  The pilot had to belly land but the external fuel tanks protevted the aircraft from serious damage.  During repairs a base NCO in ?Greenland asked to paint some n9se art on the Spitfire....the pilot agrees and was surprised a few days later with a rendition of George Petty's Esquire paintings.  Upon arrival in England the RAF was disappointed with the flight characteristics of the modified Spitfire and it was scrapped.  The engine cowlings with the noseart appeared over the bar of the Boscombe Down Officers Club. The cowlings later disappeared.

The noseart decals are delicate and two are included for each plane in case you mess up the first ones.  Exacting instructions are included on how to prepare and install these decals…..read these instructions carefully to avoid disaster.  Apparently these noseart decals are very thin and need special care, but once installed they will look very accurate and realistic.  The nose art decals are printed on a one piece decal sheet, so you’ll need to cut the decal free from the rest of the decal film…..patience is the key here. 

 The noseart decal is beautifully printed with fantastic detail and lovely shading.  Sadly Lt. Walter “Moon” Mullins died in a crash over the North Sea on a training flight on October 18 1944.  

The second aircraft is a Spitfire EN921 flown by F/O Jack Sheppard out of Biggin Hill in July-October in 1943.  The camo paint scheme on this aircraft is Ocean Grey and Dark Green on top and Medium Sea Grey on the uinderside.  The nose art is the side view of a sexy blonde with long flowing hair.  The nose art is applied to a white base decal to avoid colour bleed through.  The prop spinner is sky in colour.  The code letter on the side of the rear fuselage are “YO A” with the black serial number EN921 over the fuselage band.  The decals were flawlessly printed and in perfect registration and the clear carrier film is trimmed very close to the crisply printed colored areas.  You get enough stencils and national insignia for one aircraft.