Hobby Master 1/48 Air Power Series
HA7864
Spitfire Mk.Vb Trop "George Beurling" EP706, No. 249 Sqn., RAF, Malta, 1942 
 
General Background
The first Spitfire Mk V was produced in January 1941 and proved to be as good as the Mk III and less complicated. The Mk V was the most produced variant of the Spitfire and the main version throughout 1941 and was a better aircraft than the Bf-109 but that all changed with the introduction of the Fw-190. The Mk V remained the RAF fighter through the summer of 1942 and saw several variants developed using bigger engines, new wing types and more armament. There were 20,351 Mk V aircraft built in all variants.