Supermarine Spitfire Prototype K5054

Supermarine Spitfire Prototype K5054 by Marsh Models Aerotech

The official designation of this aircraft was the (Vickers) Supermarine Type 300 and work on her started in December 1934 with the maiden flight taking place in March 1936. The design was refined a little after the first few flights and became what we now know as the Mk1 Spitfire. Marsh’s kit depicts the aircraft from later in 1936 when she was painted a pale blue grey by Rolls Royce and before the longer exhaust stubs were fitted. The main resin castings will need a few feedtags and a little flash removing but are free from bubbles. The panel engraving isn’t the sharpest that we’ve seen from Marsh but it is uniform in depth. The main resin parts are quite hefty pieces, so the undercarriage is white metal and there is a fair amount of photo-etch for the smallest details, particularly in the cockpit. These etched parts also include the undercarriage doors and there is the option to build with the gear raised or lowered, though we suspect that most will go for the latter.