Tamiya 60756 - 1/72 Supermarine Spitfire Mk.Vb/Trop Classic Fighter Kit  [60756]

Spitfire Mk.Vb/Trop overview and heritage

The Supermarine Spitfire is one of aviation's best known fighters, with production running from 1936 to 1948 and totals exceeding 20,000 airframes. The Mk.V series, including the Mk.Vb, became a core RAF type during the early war years, upgraded with more powerful Merlin engines as combat demands increased.

The Mk.Vb combined mixed armament, commonly four 7.7mm machine guns plus two 20mm cannons, giving a flexible loadout for different missions. For low altitude work some Mk.Vb airframes were fitted with clipped wingtips. For desert operations a TROP variant was created with a Vokes style air filter to protect the engine from sand, initially at a performance cost until maintenance units refined the installation.

Over the course of WWII the Spitfire saw many field and factory modifications to suit varied theatres and roles, and it remains a benchmark of wartime aircraft engineering and pilot lore.