This new released by Airfix both surprised and delighted me. It has it''s faults but it certainly has it''s good points and the price certainly helps.

Link to Item

If you have comments or questions please post them here.

Thanks!

Hi Mal

It's great to see Airfix back in business - and with a pretty good Spitfire! I noted the same basic problems as you - the shape of the tail and excessively thick trailing edges to the wings and tail - plus a number of smaller points (none of which should particularly deter builders).

One thing that did catch my eye in your review was the line "the medium sea grey codes for the 118 Squadron machine look good...". In my kit, it was the codes and tail band that first rang alarm bells that all was not at all well with the decals. Something looked very nasty and on closer inspection, the red, yellow and grey are printed as fine dots:



Luckily, it should be pretty simple to find replacements for most of the insignia - and I imagine aftermarket decal producers will soon have some early Spitfire sheets ready.

All the best

Rowan

Thanks for the review, Mal.

This is 99.9% chance a stupid question, but here goes...

You mention that this can be modelled as a MkIIa... does that mean I could model it as P7966/D-B? I mean a MkIIa is a MkIIa right? There are were no major differences between individual aircraft of the same Mk right?

Please forgive an ignorant figure modeller

Rudi

Hi Rowan,
I have just hade a look at the decal sheet in my kit and you are correct, the markings do appear to made up of dots. It might be my eyesight but with my naked eye, ok with glasses, the codes look ok. Certainly a better colour than some, it will be interseting to see what they look like when applied. As you rightly say though there are or will be plenty of after market decals for this.

Rudi



Yep a Mk IIa is a Mk IIa. The "a" suffix actually indicates the type of armament "a"= 8 machine guns, "b" was for 2x20mm cannon and 4xmachine gun armamnet. This came about after trials on Mk I aircraft, with cannon, during the Battle of Britian. Other designations came into use later in the war as the armament was upgraded. There was a Mk Va veriant and I'm sure that Douglas Bader (DB) flew one of these because he didn't like the cannon armed machines. It may have been a IIa but I don't know. In any event if it is a IIa that you want to build this kit will do it and if DB flew a IIa then you are quids in. I think that I'm right in saying that about the only difference, externally, between the Mk Ia/IIa and the Mk Va is the shape of the oil Cooler intake which was of round section on the Mk V.

"You just can't have too many Spitfires"

Mal

Thanks Mal.

I recently picked up Osprey's "Aircraft of the Aces: The Legendary Spitfire MkI/II 1939-41" at a flee-market which re-ignited my old interest in early Spitties and Hurrs. And yes, DB did fly a MkIIa at some point, but I think he was shot down in a MkVb wasn't he?
I'll definitely be keeping an eye out for this Airfix kit. Even if it's not the best on the market it will be somewhat nostalgic for me to build an Airfix aircraft kit again

Thanks again

Rudi

Cool Rudi, of all the Spitfires the Mk Va holds the least interest for me (which means that I have a lot of interest in it but this is relative ) because I think that a Mk V has just got to have cannon armament This is why I didn't have much interest in building a Mk Va, not even in the markings of DB. I am, therefor, interested in a Mk IIa in DB markings so all and any reference to it that you have I'd be most definately be interested in. So if you do build it I hope that we get to see it

Mal

My kit arrived today from Hannants and from what I can see so far in addition to the points Mal makes in his excellent review there are a few small matters of detail that neeed correcting to make an accurate early production Mk.I. These are as follows:

1) The Spitfire both entered production without any armour plate. It only began to be fitted during the Battle of France. The seat armour can be cut down so as not to be visible or left out altogether while the head armour will need to be removed from the seat frame.

2) The early machines had muzzle flash eliminators fitted to the machine guns which made the muzzles of the 2nd from outer guns protrude from the wing edge while the outer ones were just visible. These can be added from plastic rod or hyperdermic tubing.

3) They also had a rudder horn guard fitted. This can be fabricated from wire or plastic rod.

4) Crowbars were only introduced on the Mk.V aircraft. That on the kit can either be painted over with the interior colour or removed.

5) Early machines had ring and bead gunsights. The sight on the kit can be removed from the bracket and a ring sight, made from wire twisted around a piece of rod, added in its place. The bead is located forward of the canopy and can be made from stretrched sprue with one end rotated near a candle flame to form the bead.

It is also worth noting that early machines had metal seats fitted, which were probably painted in the interior colour as on other types.

That leaves the question of cockpit colour. It has been suggested that the interiors of the early machines were not painted in the standard grey/green colour. I have read on another forum that some time ago there was a report in one of the monthlies (which might have been Flypast) that the Medway Preservation Society, when rebuilding a Spit for the RAF Museum, had to have the cockpit shade specially mixed. The Society kept neither a record or a sample of the shade so that the only way to check is to visit Cosford, which is where the a/c has finished up.

In the Patrick Stevens book on building the Airfix 1/24th kit the authors describe it as being a "sickly shade of green" somewhat similar to the old Humbrol eau-de-nil.

In the Model Alliance conversion kit for the 1/72 Airfix Spit, the instructions describe it as a "bright 'Apple Green' colour", similar to FS34138. The latter is quite different to Humbrol eau-de-nil but when I emailed the manufacturers asking for info on their source for this colour I instead received a reply recommending that I use Humbrol 78 with a touch of white added - which is different again to both what their instructions recommend and eau-de-nil!

Can anyone shed more light on this mysterious colour? Unless I come across any further info before I build the kit I think I'll go with Humbrol 78 with a little white and lime green added.

I hope you all find these comments of interest and I look forward to reading more members' views on this kit.

John

Thanks for the interesting info John. Didn't the very early Spits also have a tail skid as opposed to the tail wheel?

Mal, thanks mate. I'm trying to find prices from the local guys as we speak I'll more than likely just build it OOB except ofr the D-B insignia...

Rudi

Thanks John, I did know about the flash eliminators but forgot to include it, probably because I tried to confirm the fact but couldn't then forgot to mention it. I didn't know about the sight, armour and crowbar.




Rudi, I think that it was just the prototype which had the skid.

Mal

Oh, ok Mal Thanks for the heads up.

BTW, does anyone do a prototype? Or could one easily convert a Mk I to a prototype?

Rudi

... and the Speed Spitfire

Jean-Luc

Oops, sorry Jean-Luc

The kit can probably be used for the prototype. K5054 didn't carry any armament so the wing panels are different + it had inner gear doors hinged to the main doors. It also had smooth domed wheel hubs, the pito tube was on the port wing and similar to that of a Fw190 (moved to under the wing and became much shorter. There were also no exhaust pipes, at least early on and no radio fit, so no aerial. Jean-Luc is probably planning a conversion

Mal

Nice review Mal.

Hi again

In addition to John's point about some of the guns protruding beyond the leading edge, the position of the outer guns ports are wrong relative to the leading edge. Airfix have placed them on the centre-line, but a look at photos shows they were placed above the line and slightly back from the leading edge. By comparison with photos, the airfoil looks a bit thick and blunt too.

I'll try to shoot a Walkaround of the Mk 1at Hendon one of these days.

All the best

Rowan

I hadn't noticed this but it can be clearly seen in the photo of K9795 on the following page: http://www.aeroflight.co.uk/types/uk/supermarine/spitfireI-III/Spitfire1.htm

By downloading the image, opening it in Windows Picture & Fax Viewer and zooming in, the position can be more clearly seen. As Rowan points out, it is relatively high and cut back into the upper surface of the wing.

I also note from this photo that the roll bar - the piece that extends back from part #4 - appears not yet to have been fitted.

John

Hello all, having picked up this kit @ Flying Legends, great to see so much useful info on this board re accurate completion. Upon opening the box I did immediately think the tail area was a bit "emaciated", something several of you have confirmed. From the Modellers Datafile and Cox plans I have, I think the problem is mainly with the rudder, although the fin front edge profile needs some alteration as well. Would a replacement "full size" rudder restore the situation?

The other situation I couldn't quite follow was the white/yellow "19" on the pre-war version. From trawling the internet I located instances of that famous "open cockpit" photo of K9795, naturally in B & W, apparently flown by S/L Cozens, from which I think the white "19" has been derived (judging from contrast) and mentioned in various sources. So far I haven't managed to locate any instance of K9795 carrying yellow "19", although it is mentioned as a general possibility in Camouflage & Markings, either linked to B flight or squadron colour as a whole. As per C&M, these markings did not last particularly long (perhaps August to October 1938), but I think longer than just the one Press Day day mentioned in the review, as there is a photo of "white 19" (I think) at the opening of Marshall's airfield @ Cambridge on early October on dspace.dial.pipex.com/town/place/gdg18/betweenwars.htm

That aside, as commented above, great to have Airfix back with such a well-crafted and popular choice
- I see Hannants is sold out!

regards

Philip

Hi Mal:

Thank you for the info. Sure I´ll be buying a couple of this one !
It´s good to see a new Airfix Spitfire I agree with you, a Spitfire Prototype from Airfix would be great.

The "eau-de-nil" for the cockpit interior, is, I think, a partial quotation from the Patrick Stephens book, which advocates Airfix Eau-de-nil (no longer made,) with a dash of Lime Green. The SAMI Modeller's Datafile, on the Merlin engined Spitfires, has some photos of a Mk.I cockpit, possibly the one rebuilt by Medway, and the difference in shade is obvious. The S6B, in the Science Museum, has, apparently, the same shade. I suspect that K5054 was painted, partially, in the same shade, externally, for her first flights. When Airfix were planning the 1/24th kit, they managed to get to the Imperial War Museum's Mk.I, when it was being cleaned. Thanks to the museum's "hang 'em high" policy, it's no longer available. Near here there's an original Mk.I, but it was built by Westland, so is in the "proper" green.
Edgar