The Supermarine Spitfire is arguably the most famous fighter aircraft in history. The Spitfire is symbolic of the Battle of Britain in 1940. "Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few" - Winston Churchill
The Spitfire was a short-range, high-performance interceptor aircraft designed by R. J. Mitchell, chief designer at Supermarine Aviation Works. During the Battle of Britain (July–October 1940), the more numerous Hurricane flew more sorties resisting the Luftwaffe, but the Spitfire captured the public's imagination, in part because the Spitfire was generally a better fighter aircraft than the Hurricane. Spitfire units had a lower attrition rate and a higher victory-to-loss ratio than Hurricanes, most likely due to the Spitfire's higher performance. During the battle, Spitfires generally engaged Luftwaffe fighters—mainly Messerschmitt Bf 109E–series aircraft, which were a close match for them. Of the 20,351 Spitfires built, 920 were the early Mk.IIa's.
The model is from the Revell 1:32 scale kit, representing the Mk. IIa assigned to No. 19 Squadron, Fowlmere, England in June 1941. with Eduard photo etch (PE), Master Model metal gun barrels and Artwox wooden decks.