Tamiya 1/32 Supermarine Spitfire Mk.XVIe # 60321 – Plastic Model Kit

The Spitfire Mk.XVI was similar to the Mk.IX in many respects except that nearly all were powered by a Packard-built Merlin 266 engine which had taller dimensions than the Rolls Royce 66 engine and featured a bubble canopy with a “low back” fuselage. Other new structural changes saw the Mk.XVI equipped with a larger 96 gallon main fuel tank, as well as two additional fuel tanks installed at the rear of the fuselage and a larger oil sump to allow it to fly longer distances. Mk.XVIe’s were mainly used in ground-attack roles and came with the “E” armament configuration of two 20mm cannons and two 12.7mm Browning machine guns. Also, as concrete tarmacs became more common as the war progressed, changes to the camber angle of the Spitfire’s landing gears were made to make for more efficient landings and take-offs. With the changes made to the new gun and cannon positioning, ammunition ejection ports, and the landing gear design, the wings featured new bulges compared to the Mk.IX. The Mk.XVIe, served with distinction throughout Europe for the latter part of the war.