Here are some pics of my recently completed Mark XIV Spitfire. I used the Eduard photoetch set to enhance the cockpit and flaps. Even without the photoetch set, the kit cockpit is adequate for this scale. The kit went together very easily with no fit problems. Tamiya paints were used and the camouflage was airbrushed freehand using an Iwata HPc.

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I have found Academy decals to be very inconsistent in quality from one model to the next and even when comparing two examples of the same kit. For example, the decals in Acadey’s Fi-156 Storch kit were out of register and fragmented easily, while the decals for their Tempest kit went on beautifully. In this kit the decals are of less than stellar quality. I found that they did not adhere well and silvered easily, particularly with the smaller decals. The white lettering and yellow perimeter banding on the roundels were translucent, causing colors underneath to show through. I improved their look somewhat by using aftermarket roundels (Aeromaster) on top of the kit roundels, and touching up the white lettering with thinned white paint to make it less translucent.