Matchbox – PK-50 (40050) – Spitfire Mk.XVI/IX

Description:

Spitfire Mk.XVI/IX

Unassembled plastic model kit in 1/72 scale of a British WWII fighter aircraft Supermarine Spitfire.

In 1989 Matchbox re-tooled their Spitfire kit (Matchbox – PK-2 – Spitfire Mk.IX) to allow both XVI and IX versions, both Merlin engine powered, introduced a new code number, PK-50 (later 40050) and new box arts and decal sheet.

Though new parts were added, as a second canopy, intakes or separate wingtips, you had to manually cut a section of the fuselage to build the XVI new option. This destroyed one of the only good features of the original kit, that was easy to build.

Several modellers also stated that moulds, reused from the PK-2 kit, already shown signs of fatigue when this kit was released. So the change of 1989 to allow the Mk. XVI variant, did nothing good for the kit.

The new decal sheet included two markings, one for each variant, the Mk. XVI got a RAF Belgium squadron, dated 1945, while the IX variant got a RAF Polish Squadron dated 1942 (Same marking included in the original PK-2 release).