Airfix 1/48 Supermarine Spitfire Mk.IXc/XVIe

Superb kit from Airfix which includes many optional parts to enable either a Mk.IXc or a Mk.XVIe to be built.

There were 24 marks of Spitfire and many sub-variants. These covered the Spitfire in development from the Merlin to Griffon engines, the high speed photo-reconnaissance variants and the different wing configurations.

The Spitfire Mk V was the most common type, with 6,479 built, followed by the 5,665 Spitfire Mk IX airframes produced. Different wings, featuring a variety of weapons, were fitted to most marks; the A wing used eight .303 machine guns, the B with four .303 machine guns and two 20 mm Hispano cannon, and the C or Universal Wing which could mount either four 20 mm cannon or two 20 mm and four .303 machine guns. As the war progressed, the C wing became more common. The final armament variation was the E wing which housed two 20 mm cannon and two .50 inch Browning heavy machine guns.