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AIRFIX 1:72 SPITFIRE MK.IA |
Early 1990's box art - this is the kit I built.
Reviewer:
Kevin Ronayne (Kevin.Ronayne@nuigalway.ie)
Kit Review submitted:
20 October 2003
"It's the sort of bloody silly name they would give it!"
- Reginald J. Mitchell's reaction to the Air Ministry's choice of the name 'Spitfire'.
As the Spitfire is possibly the most famous combat aircraft in history, I'm not going to waste anyone's time (least of all my own!) by writing any background text.
This review is based on a quick 'kitbash' done over the space of a couple of weekends. It should have only taken one weekend, but I had plenty of other things to do. As it was a quick build, I really didn't have the time to add any missing details. I was prompted to write a review after reading Steve Papworth's recent review of the same kit on SMAKR, where he appeared to have gotten hold of a bad copy. This kit has been favourably reviewed on SMAKR by both Paul Wherran and Peter Knight, and now it's my turn.
Time for a little bit of kit history: this kit was first released in 1979, and was derived from the 1974 Spitfire Mk VB kit. Both kits have been hugely popular over the years, and it seems that they have always been available - I don't think that either kit has ever been rotated out of the Airfix catalogue. The Mk.Ia kit has gone through numerous repackagings, from the old blister back of the late 1970's, through many box designs, right through to the '50th Anniversary' bag format which is available alongside a boxed version in the current styling. It has also been reboxed by Heller.
Early 1980's cover. This is the best rendition of the basic artwork.
I first built the Mk.Ia kit in the early 1980's, and the kit I'm reviewing here is one that I bought around 1993. The mold was probably changed slightly between the first kit and this one, as Airfix released a "Snap'n'Glue" version in the mid-1980's. The original kit had the Airfix serial number 01065, but the "Snap'n'Glue" kit was 01071, and I believe all subsequent boxings of the basic kit have had this serial number. At any rate, once Airfix change a mold, that's that - there is usually no going back.
This is a special edition of this kit to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the first ever Airfix Spitfire kit in 1953. Even if Airfix still had the original Mk.I mold from 1953, I don't think that they would want to release it! Judging by this picture, the mold still looks to be in excellent condition. The accurate exhaust stacks are clearly visible in this shot.
Most people will be familiar with the basic details of this kit: it consists of just 29 parts, lacks any serious interior detail and sports raised panel lines. On the plus side, it is very crisply molded and virtually free of flash. The decal sheet is of the minimalist persuasion, and there are no interior painting instructions.
Construction was almost as straightforward as could be, so there is no need for a blow-by-blow account. Before I started building proper, I made a number of quick adjustments:
This work took just a few minutes. It seems to me that most or all of these 'features' were introduced when the kit was modified to the "Snap'n'Glue' format. It looks as if some of the other parts may also have been changed as well. Thankfully, the kit has not been seriously damaged in any way that I can see.
The actual construction showed up only a few problems. I did my usual trick of attaching both upper wings to the single lower piece wing, and only then mating this with the assembled fuselage - you just have to flex the wings a bit to make the fit. There was a very small gap at the starboard wing root, and another small gap on the starboard side of the rear section of the single-piece canopy. I had quite a bit of trouble fitting the port exhaust stack for some reason - I should have probably just removed the alignment tab. The tail plane/elevator units were very 'stiff' fits (the "Snap'n'Glue" influence again?), which was good in that it was easy to set the parts at the correct (0 degrees) angle. Again, for some reason, the port tail plane took a bit of coaxing. The single-piece main undercarriage/cover units fitted in place snugly into their sockets with the correct forward slope and slight outward attitude preset. It is up to the modeller, however, to ensure that the wheels have the correct inward-pointing attitude when viewed from head on.
© Kevin Ronayne 2005
The cockpit, wheel wells and the inside of the undercarriage doors were all painted Humbrol 78 cockpit green, which is not something that the instructions made any reference to. It's possible the latest boxings have finally gotten around to this. The upper camouflage is the standard Hu 30 dark green and Hu 29 dark earth. The underside is correctly given as Hu 90 (the discontinued Hu 95 is almost identical) - Airfix have long since stopped quoting 'Duck Egg Blue' for the undersides, the Humbrol paint for this being Hu 23.
It may be one of the smallest aircraft kit decal sheets you'll see, but it is a real decal sheet. The actual "Snap'n'Glue" kits came with stickers instead of decals! Despite a slightly faded appearance and minor misalignment of some details, the decals were still easy to apply. It took less than 15 minutes from the time I switched on the kettle to heat some water, until the last brush of Humbrol MattCote was applied. I assume the current boxing comes with a larger decal sheet, but I won't be able to confirm that until I'm able to buy one.
© Kevin Ronayne 2005
Now comes for the surprising bit, at least for me. The comment consent among the informed modelling community is that this is the best Spitfire Mk.I kit available in 1/72 scale. Despite the lack of interior detail and raised (but essentially accurate) panel lines, the kit has the best profile and shape. Even the much-vaunted (and far more expensive) Hasegawa and Tamiya kits fall short in this respect in key areas, to say nothing of the older Revell and Heller kits.
Cover box art introduced in the mid-1990's.
The Spitfire is one of those aircraft where getting the shape right is a must - this is partly because it's hugely famous, but also because it's fame is partly due to it's distinctive and graceful design. The outline accuracy, wing shape and dihedral and propeller blades have all been commented on as particular strengths of this kit compared to the opposition. The thick wing trailing edges are a typical Airfix shortcoming, so there is no surprise there.
Current cover artwork. I can't say I'm crazy about this new style.
One issue that may have been of some concern to people is that the canopy part includes the armoured windscreen as in the original Spitfire VB kit. Although the Spitfire Mk.I didn't start off with an armoured windscreen, it was in fact fitted to many production Mk.I's - there is plenty of photographic evidence to show this.
This is still a great little kit. It's ideal for beginners, even if some of the "Snap'n'Glue" modifications are more of a hindrance than a help. The lack of detail is something that can be largely addressed by some scratchbuilding, aftermarket accessories, or scavenging from other kits. The same comment applies to improving the decals.
One the cover designs for the Heller reboxing of this kit - Heller still sell a number of Airfix kits. As far as I know, Heller no longer sell their own Spitfire I kit, which is reputed to be quite inferior to the Airfix tooling.
As for the bad experience related by Steve Papworth in his review - I guess I'll just have to get another copy of the kit to see if the latest production batch is OK.
Nothing out of the ordinary, just mainly some standard RAF references, and an excellent little book called Handbook of Great Aircraft of WWII, written by Dr. Alfred Price and Mike Spick. This book covers the Spitfire, Bf 109, P-51, B-17 and Lancaster, and is a very good starting point for some detailed background information. I guess I really should have some detailed Spitfire references, but there are just so many to choose from ...
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