Spitfire 'various' maintenance stencils

Thanks for all the comments guys, much appreciated!! In the meantime, please look at the pictures below of what we are to recreate (Pictures taken April 1941, (C) RAF)

If accuracy is paramount stay away from decal sheets. As far as Spitfires are concerned most of them are not applicable to early marks. Also they often have mistakes. Those above are an example of both. They indicate that the machine was painted with paint to Material Specification DTD 517.

Following a conference at Supermarine on 7th August it was decided that the DTD 308 Cellulose finish would be replaced by DTD 517 Synthetic finish. The new finish was introduced on Spitfires by Mod 697 ‘Introduce Improved Paint Scheme using DTD 517 Type S (retrofit all marks)’, date 11th August 1942.

The specification for DTD 517 Matt Pigmented Synthetic Resin Primer and Finish was published in December 1941 and stated that the material was to be a uniformly smooth and matt covering. It was apparently selected for application to Spitfires in place of DTD 308 on account of its greater ease of application to give an aerodynamically smooth finish, greater durability and manufacture did not involve the use of nitro-cellulose wanted for explosives.

It was expected that DTD 517 Type S finish would be introduced at Southampton six weeks after the conference.

Castle Bromwich appears not to have adopted DTD 517 until 1943, apparently on account of the need to install an infra-red heating system to speed the drying of the primer coat necessary for the application of DTD 517 top coat materials.

So DTD 517 was not available when Mk I and Mk IIs were built.

There are also two mistakes on the above decal sheet which in normal circumstances would be considered extremely trivial. First it was forbidden to paint over a cellulose paint with a synthetic paint or vice versa. The fabric areas were treated with cellulose dope so could not be painted over with DTD 517 which was a synthetic paint. The first mistake is decal 12 which reads DTD 305 C. DTD 305 is the material specification for 30 Ton Carbon Steel Tubes not paint. It should be DTD 308 C. The second mistake is decal 24 on the elevator. The elevator was fabric covered so the stencil should state DTD 308 C not 517 S.

Having said this, the stencils supplied by Airfix with their Spitfire Mk I/II kit have the look of authenticity and might be based on works drawings from the correct period. Perhaps Airfix can help you.

Does this help, one of the original Spit drawings, though a bit generic

http://s536.photobucket.com/user/taylortony/media/Spitfire%20MKx1x/SpitfireDrawing.jpg.html

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As for decal sheets

http://www.hobbydecal.com/happy_board/board_detail.cgi?db=decal&thread=43&page=3

Hi Phil, Peter Cooksley in Scale Models October 1969 has a 3 view of all the Science Museum stencil positions. There does seem to be wide variations.
I have sent you an email.
If you get stencils cut I wouldnt mind either a set or could reuse yours for the fuselage only!.