This is a
full-color 1:144 3D print of R.A.F. S.E.5a B658 of Captain Cecil Arthur Lewis of №61 Squadron Home Defense. In between stints with № 3 & 56 Squadrons and №152 at the end of the war, Lewis served with Home Defense squadrons 44 and 61. Beyond scoring eight victories during the war, Lewis went on to write the beautiful book of his experiences,
Sagittarius Rising. He was one of the founding members of BBC radio and its CEO, served in WWII, and continued his prolific writing until his death in 1997. This model shows one of his home-defense aircraft in night fighter diamond colors.
No painting is necessary -- this model comes printed in full color, ready to use. It comes with an integral flight peg for mounting on game flight stands (not included), which can be carefully removed with a cutting tool, if desired. The peg is designed for a fairly tight fit; you can file it down slightly if you prefer a looser fit. The model does not come with a flight stand, maneuver deck, or plane card. You can find an unofficial plane card for this plane in this paint scheme at
https://linen.miraheze.org/wiki/File:RAFSE5a-Lewis-B658-card.jpg.
Material choice: High-Definition Full Color has a smoother, satiny surface and deeper colors; Full Color Nylon 12 (MJF) makes a less expensive alternative, with a rougher, matte surface and less deep blacks. Both are robust materials and fine for gaming. Attached here is a picture that shows the difference between the surfaces. "Matte HDFC" choice means the prints are oversprayed in the factory, and the difference with the spray is subtle. You can find more material photos and comparisons at
https://www.wingsofwar.org/forums/showthread.php?35581-Material-HDFC-vs-Full-Color-Nylon-12-(MJF).
If you are willing to prepare and paint models, you can find an inexpensive single-color print of an R.A.F. S.E.5a at
https://shpws.me/SmT3 or
https://shpws.me/SmT4. Plane statistics and gaming information may be found at
https://linen.miraheze.org/wiki/R.A.F._S.E.5a. Please see this notice for information about fixing slight warping of Shapeways prints:
https://poeland.com/Shapeways/shapeways-warping.html.