Mine's just turned up and I'm quite pleased with the kit. Looks like Airfix may have listened to critisism of its new tool PR XIX and IX and have supplied some kind of cockpit (similar to the Tamiya kit), wheel well details and weighted wheels. Panel lines may be a bit heavy for some but I only paid £3.50 for the kit - so I think this kit could be a winner!

thanks
Mike

Mike, it certainly does look like a winner. Where did you find it for £3.50?

Anyone with the new kit have the time to write up a review for Aeroscale? I've not seen a review published my on a major site yet.

yes, I'd like to do a few at that price..especially as I've just invested in the 2010 Southern Expo decal sheet given that this new kit only has one markings option..

http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/southernexpo/Decals2010.htm

Hi there

I'll second that. If anyonewould care to do the honours we'll get the review online asap.

All the best

Rowan

Ah sorry it was 3.99 but still a bargain! I got it on evilbay trader - he's a good trader - fair prices quick delivery. Am I allowed to post a link to his stuff or his trader name? He's absolutely nothing to do with me!

thanks
Mike

The kit is very nice indeed. I've nearly finished my first, and it has gone together very nicely. Panel detail is heavier than I'd like, but very crisp and well defined. Shapes look very good to my eye.

Take care with fitting the interior, I found the front bulkhead holds the two fuselage halves apart and needed gentle sanding around the edges. My build has needed tweaking to get suitable dihedral, I suspect the fuselage is still spread wider than it should be. The next one will have some more trimming of the interior and more test fitting.

I hope to get mine finished over the weekend, which is completley unheard of with my usual glacial build rates!

Airfix appear to have other variants in mind. There is a blanked locating hole for the Coffman starter of the MkII, so other early variants may come in time,

Cheers,
Bill.

The main jist of this kit, is we now appear to have a decent cheap kit of an early Spitfire. I also have the Tamiya kit , which has much finer detail but for virtually 3 times the price. It will be interesting to see if experts can say how accurate it is. Either way I say well done Airfix! More of the same please!

thanks
Mike

I can't really comment on Tamiya's 1/72 Spitfire as I've not studied it. The Airfix kit's shape is certainly a lot better than Tamiya's 1/48 Spitfire Mk1 though. Then again, it's better than Airfix's 1/48 Mk1 as well........

Cheers,
Bill.

Bill- any chance you could photograph your build? I've not seen one built up yet.

Mike- your comment about the Tamiya being more detailed disappoints me- I had heard on another forum that the Airfix was better in the detail dept- e.g. the cockpit.

Here are a couple of shots of the airframe taped together:





Basic view of the interior with some green thrown over it!



The airframe's now just about finished. I used Mr Surfacer to tone down the oanel lines, but I didn't get them very evenly done. Under a coat of Vallejo primer they look heavier in some places than others.

I'll post more once the paint moves on a bit,

Cheers,
Bill.

Cheers Bill

I see what you mean about the panel lines - Matchbox would have been proud of them! It's a very nice interior for this scale though.

You mention the new Airfix 1:48 Spit Mk. 1 - do you mean their new one? I've not seen any reports on it yet, so if you fancy reviewing that too...

All the best

Rowan

As I understand it, Airfix's 1/48 Spitfire Va is essentially a rebox of the Mk1 which was released a couple of years or so back. I don't have the latest release, but the original issue is a bit of a curate's egg.

Cheers,
Bill.

Hi again

I was caught out by the new box-art for the 1:48 Spit Mk. 1 - I thought it was a new-tool that'd crept in under the radar. Mal reviewed it when it was originally released HERE.

All the best

Rowan

Mike- your comment about the Tamiya being more detailed disappoints me- I had heard on another forum that the Airfix was better in the detail dept- e.g. the cockpit.[/quote]


I would have to have the kits next to each other to compare but the Tamiya one has much finer details and panel lines than the Airfix one, I can tell you that for certain.
The point I was trying to make is that the Airfix kit may not be quite up to Tamiya refinement but is still quite good and its loads cheaper and should be good enough for most, including me!

thanks
Mike

As I finally got around to finishing this one, I thought it worth posting a few images of the completed build:







It's been pretty much vice-free. No filler needed whatsoever, with only the slight trimming of the instruument panel needed to make everything fit perfectly.

I still need to touch in the nav lights...

Cheers,
Bill.

Nice model and good news that in goes together well!. For me nothing puts me off like an ill-fitting kit that requires lots of filling, sanding and trimming.

All I'm waiting for now is someone far more expert than me to make a direct comparason between the new Airfix and the Tamiya kit. I have both and all I can tell straight away is the Tamiya one's detailing is finer but the Airfix one is half the price!

thanks
Mike